Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Good News, Bad News

Dropped out.

Well, there's good news and bad news in the presidential race today: The good news is that Nosferatu Rudy Giuliani is dropping out of the race after his piss-poor showing in Florida yesterday (not to mention the fact that he couldn't beat Ron Paul or anyone else in most of the other, earlier contests). Giuliani, who early on was crowned America's Mayor by the Republican-ass-kissing cheerleaders at Faux News who were desperate to see him take office, would have been a nightmare in the White House (IMHO), possibly even worse than our current Lying Sack of President, if that's possible. The few remaining shreds of the Constitution would have been used as so much ticker tape for his inaugural parade, and people like me would have received a one-way, all expenses paid trip to Guantanamo or somewhere equivalent in the first six months of his term.

The bad news today is that John Edwards is also dropping out of the race. Edwards was the one candidate left on the Democratic side (after Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel dropped out) to approach what I consider a progressive agenda, and he would have been my pick in the voting booth on Tuesday next week. His lack of funds and lack of ability to generate excitement in the midst of the media-chosen and -sensationalized horse race between Clinton and Obama led ultimately to his -- and our -- loss. I'm now holding out hope that he will still have a strong voice at the convention, and that he very well could be our next Attorney General in a Democratic administration. We'll see.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: How Does It Feel?

This week’s quiz and theme is either going to be blindingly obvious and incredibly easy or it will be completely incomprehensible to you, depending on your personal musical proclivities and your age in approximation to mine. (I suppose that’s true every week, but I think especially today.) Either way, better answer quick before Eric the DiscoBoy gets them all right.

Because you know he will.

1. Since I was young, I’ve been very hard to please, and I don’t know wrong from right.
2. Why put this sadness inside of me, why be so matter of fact?
3. I hear the click-clack of your feet on the stairs, I know you’re no scare-eyed honey.
4. Sittin’, thinkin’, sinkin’, drinkin’, wonderin’ what I’ll do when I’m through tonight…
5. Went out walkin’ through the woods the other day, and the world was a carpet laid before me.
6. Wadin’ through the waste stormy winter, and there’s not a friend to help you through.
7. Yes, star-crossed in pleasure the stream flows on by…
8. There’s a tramp sittin’ on my doorstep, tryin’ to waste his time. With his mentholated sandwich, he’s a walking clothesline.
9. Hey babe, what’s in your eyes? I saw them flashing like airplane lights.
10. Sittin’ in my bedroom late last night, got into bed and turned out the light…

**Bonus** Well, I’m waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A.

If I don’t print the answers on Friday, be sure and complain to the management.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sunday Night RFB

Monday from hell, getting these few up early, blah blah blah and also yadda yadda. Your mileage may vary. Contents may have settled during shipping. Close cover before striking.

I can see clearly now, my brain is gone. I can see all the popsicles in my way.
Not even PETA could put up much of a protest at Paris Hilton's untimely demise...

(Original images -- #4188 -- posted here and here. Random Flickr Blogging explained here.)

Friday, January 25, 2008

These Answers Are Made For Walking

And that's just what they'll do. One of these days Eric the DiscoBoy is gonna walk all over you.

Here they are, including the three that E the DB inexplicably missed:

1. Takin' my time, choosin' my lines, tryin' to decide what to do. Walk Away; James Gang

2. I... I am just a number. I... I hang on to what I got. Walk It Down; Talking Heads

3. We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail... Walk On The Ocean; Toad The Wet Sprocket

4. You were the sweetest thing that I ever knew, but I don't care for sugar, honey, if I can't have you. Walking On Broken Glass; Annie Lennox

5. I called you after midnight, then ran until my heart burst. The Walk; The Cure

6. Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies, Be-Bop-A-Lula, baby, What'd I Say... Walk Of Life; Dire Straits

7. And when I see the sign that points one way, the light we used to pass by every day... Walk Away, Renee; The Left Banke

8. Oh! Ohhh yeeeeah... I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure. Walking On Sunshine; Katrina & The Waves

9. A shadow crossed the blue Miami sky as we hit the causeway by the big hotel. Walk Between Raindrops; Donald Fagen

10. Holly came from Miami, FLA. Hitch-hiked her way across the USA. Walk On The Wild Side; Lou Reed

**Bonus** Dot King was whittled from the bone of Cain, with a little drop of poison in the red, red blood. Walk Away; Tom Waits

We'll do this again Tuesday, unless somebody gets all the answers first.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

What A Threat Alert We Have In Jesus

Thanks to our good friend nashtbrutusandshort for the tip, I'd like to alert my readers to the new "Threat Alert" Jesus, available now for only $19.95 complete with a direct connection to Homeland Security. When the terror alert level changes from yellow to orange, Jesus' halo changes color correspondingly! I've accepted Jesus into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior and National Threat Level Indicator; now YOU can too! Order yours today!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

How Do You Govern With Your Pants On Fire?

Here's a nice little story from CNN today that only comes a few years and thousands of lives too late. Apparently Preznit Cheney's Hand Up My Ass and Vice Preznit I'm The Ass-Hander -- not to mention a number of their minions -- told lies about the presence of weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaeda in Iraq in the lead up to war in that now god-forsaken country. Oh. My. God. Are you shocked? I'm shocked.

Because I've only been saying THE SAME GODDAMN THING ever since it started, along with FUCKING MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE.

According to the nice little CNN story today, a report issued Tuesday made the claim that there were 935 verified lies about the situation uttered by Bush, Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, Ari Fleischer and others. Gee, is that all? I could have sworn there were more...

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al Qaeda," the report reads, citing multiple government reports, including those by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the 9/11 Commission and the multinational Iraq Survey Group, which reported that Hussein had suspended Iraq's nuclear program in 1991 and made little effort to revive it.

The overview of the study also calls the media to task, saying most media outlets didn't do enough to investigate the claims.

"Some journalists -- indeed, even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical," the report reads. "These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq."

The quotes in the study include an August 26, 2002, statement by Cheney to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction," Cheney said. "There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us."
"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al Qaeda..." Jesus Fucking Christ, and no shit, Sherlock. Thanks for the bold pronouncement, too bad nobody could have bothered to say something in time to save a few hundred thousand fucking lives. Bastards. Fucking bloodthirsty, evil, treasonous bastards, all of them.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It Anyway: Take A Hike!

It being a Monday-on-Tuesday today, I nearly forgot all about the weekly quiz. Nearly. But not entirely. So here y'all are, Misters Armchair Generals, Misters Smarty-pantses Communists. (Extra bonus points for identifying that little paraphrased riff!) Should be an easy theme, and probably easy songs, too, with at least one real gimme. I'm not that complicated, remember, and I'm old.

1. Takin' my time, choosin' my lines, tryin' to decide what to do.
2. I... I am just a number. I... I hang on to what I got.
3. We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail...
4. You were the sweetest thing that I ever knew, but I don't care for sugar, honey, if I can't have you.
5. I called you after midnight, then ran until my heart burst.
6. Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies, Be-Bop-A-Lula, baby, What'd I Say...
7. And when I see the sign that points one way, the light we used to pass by every day...
8. Oh! Ohhh yeeeeah... I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure.
9. A shadow crossed the blue Miami sky as we hit the causeway by the big hotel.
10. Holly came from Miami, FLA. Hitch-hiked her way across the USA.

**Bonus** Dot King was whittled from the bone of Cain, with a little drop of poison in the red, red blood.

Answers Friday, unless I forget.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Monday Off, Random Flickr Blogging On

This DJ's okay, if all you want to hear is Pink Floyd, Red Rockers, Golden Earring and Deep Purple.
Ingmar Bergman went through six unsuccessful auditions before he finally found the right actor for his signature film.
"How sideways can you GO?"
If you experience Tales of the Vienna Wood that lasts more than four hours, be sure to consult a physician.
Figuring she'd already earned a red card and was out of the game anyway, Kim decided to just seal the deal and finish off the Comets' fullback Sharon once and for all. After that game, Kim went on to be the league's leading -- and most feared -- scorer.
Come on, everybody, say it with me: "It's a vagina, madam, not a clown car!"
"Jesus H. Christ! How many times do we have to hear Smoke On The Water in one night? Can't we get another DJ for once?!?"


(Original images, #5690, posted here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Random Flickr Blogging explained by the holidazed Tom Hilton here.)

Friday, January 18, 2008

Huckabee? Fuck Me! America

From Joe Conason in today's Salon.com, a scary portrait of potential Theocrat-in-Chief President Mike Huckabee:

Holy Constitution!

Mike Huckabee's affinity for religious extremism is no secret. But is biblical law at the heart of his presidential vision.
By Joe Conason

Jan. 18, 2008 | Behind the happy, healthy, guitar-strumming campaign style that has so besotted the national press corps, Mike Huckabee looks like something considerably less charming -- a zealous proponent of the "biblical" reformation of every aspect of American society.

If that sounds too extreme and aggressive to describe the smiling Huck -- who introduced himself to the country as "a conservative, but I'm not angry about it" -- then consider how he explained his urge to revamp the nation's founding document. At a public forum on the eve of the Michigan primary, while mocking Republican opponents who don't want to append a "marriage amendment" or a "life amendment" to the Constitution, he said: "I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards."

That outburst appalled many Republicans, who heard those words as an assault on traditional conservative and libertarian values. The next day on National Review Online, Republican speechwriter and strategist Lisa Schiffren complained: "Mike Huckabee is going to force those of us who have wanted more religion in the town square to reexamine the merits of strict separation of church and state. He is the best advertisement ever for the ACLU."

But those offending phrases may have had even deeper significance. Not so long ago, he attributed his rising political fortunes, after many experts had written off his campaign, to the hand of the Almighty. "There's only one explanation for it, and it's not a human one," he said. "It's the same power that helped a little boy with two fish and five loaves feed a crowd of 5,000 people, and that's the only way that our campaign could be doing what it's doing ... That's honestly why it's happening."

He later denied that he meant to suggest that God wants him in the White House. But his deliberate reference this week to conforming the law to "God's standards" sounds uncomfortably like the ideology sometimes known as "Christian dominionism" or "Christian reconstructionism," which declares that America, indeed every nation on earth, is meant to be governed by biblical law.

The looniest dominionists publicly insist that a pious government would inflict Old Testament punishments, including death, on blasphemers, pornographers, homosexuals, adulterers and even disobedient children. They constantly talk about their duty to institute biblical rule in the United States.

As a Southern Baptist preacher, does Huckabee accept that bizarre interpretation of Christian ethics? The answer is that he probably doesn't (or is too shrewd to say so if he does). But the clues to Huckabee's affinity for religious extremism have been lying in plain sight for a long time.

Back in 1998, when he was still serving as governor, he helped write "Kids Who Kill," a short book purporting to analyze the outbreak of school shootings by teenagers. His coauthor was George Grant, a well-known militant Christian reconstructionist author, activist and educator. That same year, the libertarian Reason magazine published an exposé of reconstructionism titled "Invitation to a Stoning," which identified Grant and quoted him on the movement's ambition for "world conquest." Scorning the moderation of other conservative Christians, Grant explained, "It is dominion we are after. Not just a voice ... not just influence ... not just equal time. It is dominion we are after."

Of course, Huckabee must have had no illusions about Grant's baroque worldview, since it is clearly reflected in their book. The school shootings were mere symptoms of American civilization in decline, they thundered, with communities "fragmented and polarized" by "abortion, environmentalism, AIDS, pornography, drug abuse, and homosexual activism." (Unlike his coauthor, Huckabee was too nice to call for the execution of gays. He merely wanted to place them in detention if they tested HIV-positive.)

As governor, he also promoted the faith-based programs of a reconstructionist minister named Bill Gothard -- and even boasted that he had gone through Gothard's "basic program" himself. More reputable evangelicals consider Gothard to be a cultish fringe character, but he has built an enormous empire, which depends on funding from local and state governments to bring his authoritarian version of the Gospel to prisoners, police officers and welfare recipients, among others. He experienced a moment of unwelcome notoriety recently, when the Denver Post revealed that Matthew Murray, the 24-year-old gunman who killed four people at two Christian centers in Colorado in December, had been subjected as a teenager to Gothard's superstrict "home-schooling" programs.

Huckabee's close connections with the likes of Grant and Gothard date back a decade or more -- and his rhetoric has surely changed, if not his views. He no longer denounces environmentalism, for example, at least not publicly. But he still maintains contact with reconstructionist leaders, some of whom are supporting his presidential candidacy. Just last month, Huckabee attended a campaign fundraiser at the Houston home of Dr. Steven Hotze, who became one of the nation's most notorious advocates of dominionist ideology when he led the religious right's takeover of the Texas Republican Party. Huck's old friend Gothard was also at Hotze's home, along with a bevy of extremists including Rick Scarborough, author of "Liberalism Kills Kids" and "Mixing Church and State."

When columnist Robert Novak mentioned the event, he described Hotze as a leader of the "highly conservative Christian reconstructionist movement," a description that aptly encapsulates the ignorance of many mainstream journalists (and the aversion to unpleasant realities of many right-wing journalists). There is, of course, nothing "conservative" about reconstructionism, which demands a radical repression of liberty and the imposition of biblical law by "godly men."

Years before he became a Republican Party activist, Hotze played a role in the Coalition on Revival, one of the early organizations promoting reconstructionist thought among evangelicals. The coalition's 1986 "manifesto for the Christian church" urged believers to accept the Bible as "the final measurement and depository of certain fundamental facts of reality and basic principles that God wants all mankind to know in the sphere of law, government, economics, business, education, arts and communication, medicine, psychology, and science. All theories and practices of these spheres of life are only true, right, and realistic to the degree that they agree with the Bible."

In 1997, Huckabee expressed similar sentiments in a book titled "Character Is the Issue: How People With Integrity Can Revolutionize America," warning starkly that in the struggle between secular and sectarian, "one worldview will prevail." Echoing the grandiose authoritarian cadences of his reconstructionist pals, he wrote:

"When two irreconcilable views emerge, one is going to dominate. Ours will either be a worldview with humans at the center or with God at the center ... The winning worldview will dominate public policy, the laws we make, and every other detail of our existence."

Does Huckabee still believe that his narrow version of Christianity must dominate every detail of human existence in this country? He doesn't like to answer hard questions about the intersection of his faith and his politics, but it is long past time that somebody demanded a straight answer.

All This And Answers, Too

You quiz-takers are just heavenly! The theme and all but two of the lines were sussed out in what may have been record time. (What, no Traffic or Stones fans?) Of note, sort of: I wanted to include the Psychedelic Furs song Heaven as well as Tom Waits' Little Trip To Heaven, but both of them give away the title in the first line, which is often a limiting factor in this endeavor.

Let's get to the answers now so I can get to work.

1. I got a dollar in my pocket, there ain't a cloud up above... All That Heaven Will Allow; Bruce Springsteen

2. Save me from this prison, Lord help me get away. Heaven; Los Lonely Boys

3. Sing me a song, you're a singer, do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil. Heaven And Hell; Black Sabbath

4. Everyone is trying to get to the bar. Heaven; Talking Heads

5. You ride on the swing in and out of the bars, capturing moments of life in a jar... Heaven Is In Your Mind; Traffic

6. On top of the sky is a place where you go if you've done nothing wrong, if you've done nothing wrong. Heaven And Hell; The Who

7. Mama take this badge off of me, I can't use it any more. Knockin' On Heaven's Door; Bob Dylan (also covered by Warren Zevon, Guns 'N' Roses and others)

8. I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour... Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now; The Smiths

9. "Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick, the one that makes me scream," she said... Just Like Heaven; The Cure

10. So, so you think you can tell... Wish You Were Here; Pink Floyd (Do I have to mention that the second line is "heaven from hell"? None of my readers have been living in a cave for the past 25 years, have they? Have you?)

**Bonus** Smell of you baby, my senses, my senses be praised. Heaven; Rolling Stones

As always, thanks for playing and we'll be back with a new one next week.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

"Gimme an L!" "L!" "Gimme a Ron!" "Ron!" "Gimme a Hubbard!" "Hubbard!" "What's that spell?" "BULLSHIT!!"

This sign, carried in last year's St. Stupid's Day parade, reads: "If a man really wants to make a million $$, the best way would be to start his own religion." -- L. Ron Hubbard

Proving that fundies don't have the market on crazy cornered by any stretch of the imagination, and that we're equal opportunity religion critics here at The Generik Brand, we're providing you this link to a rather long (~10 minutes) video clip of Tom Cruise psycho-babbling away in an attempt to recruit others into his bizarre cult. Apparently it's been posted and taken down at a number of sites already, but Gawker.com promises to keep it up no matter what. Check it out, yo, and don't be a Suppressive Person™.

Hoo-wee... I mean, hooey!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Another Fundie Heard From

From today's Salon.com War Room:

Huckabee: Amend Constitution for God

A month after Mitt Romney declared that "freedom requires religion," Mike Huckabee is explaining his desire for constitutional amendments outlawing abortion and same-sex marriage in starkly religious terms.

At a campaign event in Michigan Monday night, Huckabee said that he supports such amendments because "it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God."

"What we need to do," he said, "is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than trying to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family."

Another shining example of why I think his name should be pronounce "A-hyuck!-abee."

Fish In A Barrel

My brother sent me a link to a site purporting to list the Top 100 Greatest Quotes from Fundamentalist Christian Chat Rooms, and oh, boy. Oh. BOY. (How you would determine the "top 100" out of the millions of ridiculous comments out there is beyond my limited imagination, but still, I'm going with it. And yes, these are easy targets -- hence the title of this post -- but I never let that sort of thing stop me before.) These comments are, by turn, sad, sick, scary and certifiably insane; but what they mostly are is damned funny. Here are just a few for your amusement; if you have the strength, check it out and read them all. If that's not enough for you, click on the links that accompany each comment, and discover even more idiocy and craziness. Holy something-or-other invisible and terrifying.

***

Apes are just creatures twisted by Satan to mock Jesus by giving EVILolition credibility. Further more they are naturally lust crazed for human women. Since they are not natural creatures they should be exterminated forthwith as the tools of evil they are.

***

I often debate with evolutionists because I believe that they are narrow mindedly and dogmatically accepting evolution without questioning it. I don't really care how God did what He did. I know He did it.

***

If u have sex before marriage then in Gods eyes u are married to that person if a man rapes a woman in Gods eyes they are married it sucks for the girl but what can we do lol

***

What does a functioning brain have to do with the Bible?

***

The only thing I don't like about them [referring to a particular printing company that sells bibles] is they sell foreign language versions of the KJB. I don't think that's right. We know the only true translation is the 1600's version in English.

It's too risky for anybody to translate that into other languages. Mistakes can creep in... and that can lead to heresy. True Christians should only read English.

***

There are a lot of things I have concluded to be wrong, without studying them in-depth. Evolution is one of them. The fact that I don't know that much about it does not bother me in the least.

***

Everyone knows scientists insist on using complex terminology to make it harder for True Christians to refute their claims.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, for example... sounds impressive, right? But have you ever seen what happens if you put something in acid? It dissolves! If we had all this acid in our cells, we'd all dissolve! So much for the Theory of Evolution, Check MATE!


***

As far as I am concerned if an answer to a question isn't in the bible, then the you have no business asking the question.

***

God revealed to me two things about the timing of the rapture. God specifically told me 2007 was the year, because I was only going to have from 3 to 3 1/2 years to spread the message after my book was published.

***

so you think if no one believed in any religion there would be no wars or fighting? i think it would be worse. i know if i didn't fear god's judgement i would have killed many many times.

***

What is called 'Science' today and 'scientists' consist of the same old gang of witch doctors, sorcerers, tellers of tales, the 'Priest-Entertainers' for the common people. 'Science' consists of a weird, way-out occult concoction of jibberish theory-theology... nothing good has ever come from 'science' --- In fact, technology is not in any way related to the web of idiotic scientific theory. ALL inventors have been anti-science. The Wright brothers said: "Science theory held us up for years. When we threw out all science, started from experiment and experience, then we invented the airplane." By the way, airplanes all fly level on this Plane earth!

The Fact the Earth is Flat is not my opinion, it is a Proved Fact! While all we need to know is that the Bible says the Earth is flat (Is.40:22, Ez.7:2, Dn.2:35; 4:10-11,20, Mt.4:8)... but for a second can you imagine what these so-called 'scientists would have us believe --- If the earth really was round, that would mean there arre people who are HANGING DOWN, HEAD DOWNWARDS while we are standing head up? But since the theory allows to travel to those parts of the earth where the people are said to hand head downward, and still to fancy ourselves to be heads upwards, and our friends whom we have left behind us to be heads downwards! LOL! What foolishness! TheWHOLE THING IS A MYTH - A DREAM - A DELUSION - and a snare, and, instead of there being any evidence at all in this direction to substantiate this popular theory, it is plain proof that the Earth is Not A Globe!

Also, be sure to know the Sun and Moon are about 3,000 miles away are both 32 miles across. The Planets are 'tiny.' Sun and Moon do Move, earth does NOT move, whirl, spin or gyrate (1 Sam.2:8, 1 Chr.16:30; Job 9:6, 38:4-6; Ps.96:10, 104:5, Is.13:10, Mic.6:2). Australians do NOT hang by their feet under the world... this is a FACT, not a theory! Also a Fact the Spinning, Whirling, Gyrating Ball World Planet, Globe Idea is Entirely 100% now and at all times in the Past, a RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE... a Blind Dogmatic Article of Faith in the Religion for the Blind unreasoning beast of prey. No earthly reason for a Sane, Upright Member of the Elite True Christians to subscribe to it. Also a Fact, today the Elite of Earth ALL live on the Flat World. Only the illogical, unreasoning "herd"... prefers the way-out occult weird theology of the old Greek superstitution earth a spinning ball! Both Copernecious and Newton, the inventors of the "modern" superstitions (400 year OLD modern) have said: "It is not possible for a Sane reasonable person to ever really believe these Theories." Thus sayeth Newton-Copernecious. What sayeth THOU?

***

"Make sure your answer uses Scripture, not logic."

Whose Opening Line Is It Anyway: Perfect, Just Perfect

Another fairly easy theme this week (especially for you geezers out there; maybe not so much for youngsters like our good friend Rey Fox), but perhaps some of these songs will prove to be a bit difficult. Okay, let's go!

1. I got a dollar in my pocket, there ain't a cloud up above...
2. Save me from this prison, Lord help me get away.
3. Sing me a song, you're a singer, do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil.
4. Everyone is trying to get to the bar.
5. You ride on the swing in and out of the bars, capturing moments of life in a jar...
6. On top of the sky is a place where you go if you've done nothing wrong, if you've done nothing wrong.
7. Mama take this badge off of me, I can't use it any more.
8. I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour...
9. "Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick, the one that makes me scream," she said...
10. So, so you think you can tell...

**Bonus** Smell of you baby, my senses, my senses be praised.

Answers Friday!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Is It Random Flickr Blogging Monday Already? Again?

fig. 1: Bush Diplomacy
"Dude, I got, like so stoned in Amsterdam! Seriously, dude, I was like totally hammered!"
He's been like this ever since he saw that wine movie. "Paul Giamatti is my hero!"
A rose by any other photographer would... probably be in color.

(Original images, IMG_3193, posted here, here, here and here. Random Flickr Blogging explained again by Tom Hilton here.)

Friday, January 11, 2008

Joke Of The Day Year Decade

According to Think Progress, a Bush White House aide claims that the approval rating for Preznit Miz'rable Failure will be up to 45% by the time he leaves office next year.

He’s a poll cellar-dweller whom even GOP presidential candidates sneer at, but George W. Bush and some congressional backers see happy days for the prez this year. His fans have dubbed it his “legacy year,” when they hope to lock in his achievements on the domestic front.

Among the items Bush’s GOP congressional allies want to work on this month: continuing his tax cuts and extending the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. As for the war, they say, the news has been good, and Bushies believe that their guy will eventually get credit for opening the war on terrorism. But more immediately, they are predicting a remarkable poll shift to about 45 percent favorable by the time he leaves office next year.


Meanwhile, those of us still living in the reality-based community have to wonder if there wasn't supposed to be a decimal point in between that 4 and that 5.

Rudy Rudy Rudy Rudy!

While his chances at getting the Republican nomination seem to be sinking quickly these days, there are still far too many people out there who are apparently mesmerized by Nosferatu's Rudy Giuliani's constant "9/11 9/11 9/11" mantra. Here's a little video clip that illustrates just a few of the reasons why he's undeserving of not just the highest office in the land, but really any elected office, anywhere, ever again:



For more information, and to sign a petition asking Rudy to meet with some of the afflicted 9/11 survivors, go here.

Find A Place For These Answers

This was the first time I've repeated a theme, simply because there are so many songs out there with place-names in the title that I had lots of them left over after the first one. I could probably do a quiz listing all bands with place names, but a lot of those bands are ones I don't particularly care for (Kansas, Boston, Chicago, for instance). Anyway, good show for those who participated, except for that young whippersnapper Rey Fox, who had the temerity to point out that almost all of the songs on the list are old, and so am I. Crap. Well, now my secret's out. Thanks, Rey. Too bad you didn't recognize the Modest Mouse song, buddy.

Okay, so where are my glasses? What did I come in here for? How long has that turn signal been on, consarn it? ...I mean, here are the answers:

1. Any news was good news, and the feeling was bad at home. I was out of mind and you were on the phone. The Boston Rag; Steely Dan

2. The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar... Graceland; Paul Simon

3. Outside my window not long before sleep arrives, they come with their sirens and they sweep away all the boys. London's Brilliant Parade; Elvis Costello

4. Although we often wondered, it was no thing of wonder, the shit that flew from our minds... Florida; Modest Mouse

5. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, we're finally on our own. Ohio; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

6. Sometimes I wanna leave here, sometimes I wanna go right back where I came from, back where I belong. Century City; Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

7. Wake up momma, turn your lamp down low; wake up momma, turn your lamp down low... Statesboro Blues; Allman Brothers (This was actually written and first recorded by Blind Willie McTell, but it's the Allman Brothers version that I'm most familiar with, as I assume most others who know the song are as well)

8. So your brother's bound and gagged, and they've chained him to a chair... Chicago; Graham Nash (also performed by CSN&Y on the live album Four Way Street, as pointed out by mrgumby2u)

9. I am an old woman, named after my mother, my old man is another child that's grown old. Angel From Montgomery; John Prine

10. I thought I would go to the sea and shrink down very tiny, and slide inside the telephone wire that runs under the briny. Crawling To The USA; Elvis Costello

**Bonus** I ain't stoppin', fingers keep boppin', swing band rockin' from the street to the bar. West Coast's dated, music's overrated, hear it on the radio in every car. The Heat In Harlem; Graham Parker & The Rumour

Back next Tuesday with another, non-repeat quiz.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

The Real Ron Paul

I took this photo of a Ron Paul supporter at the Oct. 27 anti-war rally in SF. Perhaps the gas mask is worn to shield the man from Paul's noxious views on race, abortion, education or sexuality, among other things.

Fellow blogger Snave over at Various Ecstasies has a laundry list of reasons why Democrats (or unaffiliated liberals or progressives) should want to rethink supporting a Ron Paul presidential candidacy, despite his opposition to the continuing debacle in Iraq (a position with which I agree -- but we part company very soon after that). Included among them are some rather extreme views on gay people, people of color and environmentalists, just to name a few. You can find all sorts of documentation on his positions here at Orcinus, in a more recent article spelling out his white supremacist views and ties to questionable organizations at The New Republic, and at plenty of other sites linked to in all the posts mentioned here. As I said in the comments section at Snave's site, I don't understand the attraction many Democrats have to this otherwise batshit insane Republican Congressman from Texas. Yes, he's for pulling out of Iraq, completely and unconditionally, but his stance on virtually every other policy that those of us on the left care about is the exact opposite of what we would want in a Chief Executive. I saw dozens of people, many of whom I would expect to support leftist causes otherwise, carrying signs and banners supporting him at the last anti-war rally here (not all of them wore gas masks, however), and I found it puzzling indeed. Single-issue supporters who do no research and contribute to his campaign do a great disservice to those of us who understand that there are many, many issues that a President has to face, and that Paul is on the wrong side of pretty much all of them.

As our friend Tom Hilton of If I Ran The Zoo put it back in November, any Democrat who supports Ron Paul is simply "too stupid to live."

This has been a public service message brought to you by the unofficial representatives of the West Coast chapter of Friends Don't Let Friends Vote Republican.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: Where Am I Again?

Huh, wha...? Where am I? What day is this?

Man, I almost forgot all about the weekly Music Quiz, it's been so long. But not to worry... here it is again, with an easy theme and a few creampuffs that ought to be simple enough to identify and digest. Let's get right to it, shall we?

1. Any news was good news, and the feeling was bad at home. I was out of mind and you were on the phone.
2. The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar...
3. Outside my window not long before sleep arrives, they come with their sirens and they sweep away all the boys.
4. Although we often wondered, it was no thing of wonder, the shit that flew from our minds...
5. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, we're finally on our own.
6. Sometimes I wanna leave here, sometimes I wanna go right back where I came from, back where I belong.
7. Wake up momma, turn your lamp down low; wake up momma, turn your lamp down low...
8. So your brother's bound and gagged, and they've chained him to a chair...
9. I am an old woman, named after my mother, my old man is another child that's grown old.
10. I thought I would go to the sea and shrink down very tiny, and slide inside the telephone wire that runs under the briny.

**Bonus** I ain't stoppin', fingers keep boppin', swing band rockin' from the street to the bar. West Coast's dated, music's overrated, hear it on the radio in every car.

Answers Friday!

When Falafel Man Attacks



A lot of you have probably seen this already, but just in case you haven't, here's the O'Reilly encounter with a Barack Obama staff member, plus a whole lot of stuff about why Obama is right to shun Fox Noise. And hey, it's always fun to see Bellow make an ass of himself.

If you want to sign a petition supporting the Obama and Edwards boycott of Fox, go here.

Monday, January 07, 2008

McGovern On Impeachment

From yesterday's Washington Post, here's former Senator and Presidential candidate George McGovern on a subject that, as most of my regular readers know, is very near and dear to my heart:

Why I Believe Bush Must Go
Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse.

By George McGovern
Sunday, January 6, 2008; B01

As we enter the eighth year of the Bush-Cheney administration, I have belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment of the president and the vice president.

After the 1972 presidential election, I stood clear of calls to impeach President Richard M. Nixon for his misconduct during the campaign. I thought that my joining the impeachment effort would be seen as an expression of personal vengeance toward the president who had defeated me.

Today I have made a different choice.

Of course, there seems to be little bipartisan support for impeachment. The political scene is marked by narrow and sometimes superficial partisanship, especially among Republicans, and a lack of courage and statesmanship on the part of too many Democratic politicians. So the chances of a bipartisan impeachment and conviction are not promising.

But what are the facts?

Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly "high crimes and misdemeanors," to use the constitutional standard.

From the beginning, the Bush-Cheney team's assumption of power was the product of questionable elections that probably should have been officially challenged -- perhaps even by a congressional investigation.

In a more fundamental sense, American democracy has been derailed throughout the Bush-Cheney regime. The dominant commitment of the administration has been a murderous, illegal, nonsensical war against Iraq. That irresponsible venture has killed almost 4,000 Americans, left many times that number mentally or physically crippled, claimed the lives of an estimated 600,000 Iraqis (according to a careful October 2006 study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) and laid waste their country. The financial cost to the United States is now $250 million a day and is expected to exceed a total of $1 trillion, most of which we have borrowed from the Chinese and others as our national debt has now climbed above $9 trillion -- by far the highest in our national history.

All of this has been done without the declaration of war from Congress that the Constitution clearly requires, in defiance of the U.N. Charter and in violation of international law. This reckless disregard for life and property, as well as constitutional law, has been accompanied by the abuse of prisoners, including systematic torture, in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

I have not been heavily involved in singing the praises of the Nixon administration. But the case for impeaching Bush and Cheney is far stronger than was the case against Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew after the 1972 election. The nation would be much more secure and productive under a Nixon presidency than with Bush. Indeed, has any administration in our national history been so damaging as the Bush-Cheney era?

How could a once-admired, great nation fall into such a quagmire of killing, immorality and lawlessness?

It happened in part because the Bush-Cheney team repeatedly deceived Congress, the press and the public into believing that Saddam Hussein had nuclear arms and other horrifying banned weapons that were an "imminent threat" to the United States. The administration also led the public to believe that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks -- another blatant falsehood. Many times in recent years, I have recalled Jefferson's observation: "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."

The basic strategy of the administration has been to encourage a climate of fear, letting it exploit the 2001 al-Qaeda attacks not only to justify the invasion of Iraq but also to excuse such dangerous misbehavior as the illegal tapping of our telephones by government agents. The same fear-mongering has led government spokesmen and cooperative members of the press to imply that we are at war with the entire Arab and Muslim world -- more than a billion people.

Another shocking perversion has been the shipping of prisoners scooped off the streets of Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other countries without benefit of our time-tested laws of habeas corpus.

Although the president was advised by the intelligence agencies last August that Iran had no program to develop nuclear weapons, he continued to lie to the country and the world. This is the same strategy of deception that brought us into war in the Arabian Desert and could lead us into an unjustified invasion of Iran. I can say with some professional knowledge and experience that if Bush invades yet another Muslim oil state, it would mark the end of U.S. influence in the crucial Middle East for decades.

Ironically, while Bush and Cheney made counterterrorism the battle cry of their administration, their policies -- especially the war in Iraq -- have increased the terrorist threat and reduced the security of the United States. Consider the difference between the policies of the first President Bush and those of his son. When the Iraqi army marched into Kuwait in August 1990, President George H.W. Bush gathered the support of the entire world, including the United Nations, the European Union and most of the Arab League, to quickly expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The Saudis and Japanese paid most of the cost. Instead of getting bogged down in a costly occupation, the administration established a policy of containing the Baathist regime with international arms inspectors, no-fly zones and economic sanctions. Iraq was left as a stable country with little or no capacity to threaten others.

Today, after five years of clumsy, mistaken policies and U.S. military occupation, Iraq has become a breeding ground of terrorism and bloody civil strife. It is no secret that former president Bush, his secretary of state, James A. Baker III, and his national security adviser, Gen. Brent Scowcroft, all opposed the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.

In addition to the shocking breakdown of presidential legal and moral responsibility, there is the scandalous neglect and mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. The veteran CNN commentator Jack Cafferty condenses it to a sentence: "I have never ever seen anything as badly bungled and poorly handled as this situation in New Orleans." Any impeachment proceeding must include a careful and critical look at the collapse of presidential leadership in response to perhaps the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

Impeachment is unlikely, of course. But we must still urge Congress to act. Impeachment, quite simply, is the procedure written into the Constitution to deal with presidents who violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. It is also a way to signal to the American people and the world that some of us feel strongly enough about the present drift of our country to support the impeachment of the false prophets who have led us astray. This, I believe, is the rightful course for an American patriot.

As former representative Elizabeth Holtzman, who played a key role in the Nixon impeachment proceedings, wrote two years ago, "it wasn't until the most recent revelations that President Bush directed the wiretapping of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) -- and argued that, as Commander in Chief, he had the right in the interests of national security to override our country's laws -- that I felt the same sinking feeling in my stomach as I did during Watergate. . . . A President, any President, who maintains that he is above the law -- and repeatedly violates the law -- thereby commits high crimes and misdemeanors."

I believe we have a chance to heal the wounds the nation has suffered in the opening decade of the 21st century. This recovery may take a generation and will depend on the election of a series of rational presidents and Congresses. At age 85, I won't be around to witness the completion of the difficult rebuilding of our sorely damaged country, but I'd like to hold on long enough to see the healing begin.

There has never been a day in my adult life when I would not have sacrificed that life to save the United States from genuine danger, such as the ones we faced when I served as a bomber pilot in World War II. We must be a great nation because from time to time, we make gigantic blunders, but so far, we have survived and recovered.

It's The First Random Flickr Blogging Monday Of The Rest Of Your Life

Despite a wealth of images with lots of potential, I'm feeling particularly uninspired this morning, so there'll be only one image today. Apologies if you feel shorted.

I always knew that people could tell just by looking at me that I had taken psychedelics...

(Original image, #6775, posted here. Random Flickr Blogging explained by the always-inspirational Tom Hilton here.)

Friday, January 04, 2008

Post-Caucus Laughs

Hilarious aftermath over on the wingnut side of the political spectrum now that the Huckster has become the momentary front-runner in the race to see Who Gets A New One Torn For Him By The Democrats in November. Here are just two of the delightfully funny responses to the Iowa results:

Right-wing comedienne tool Tammy Bruce opines thusly:
Iowa Leaves GOP In Disarray

Uh, the GOP was in disarray before Iowa, illustrated by the Summer of Shamnesty and GWB being more concerned with Mexico's well-being than with ours. Considering Republicanism died in the 2006 election, and the "party leader" George W. Bush is a liberal who ended up turning Reagan Conservatism on its ear, we shouldn't be so surprised the GOP is confused after Iowa. We, the People, have been confused by them for years. If they actually had some sort of leadership, didn't have such contempt for the people, and weren't more concerned with Saudi Arabia's profits than our homeland security and sovereignty, maybe they'd have their act together.

Part of my support for Giuliani is based in the fact that he's not from the Washington establishment and could represent a return to the Reagan Coalition. Huckabee, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of what Reagan stood for, and is an embarrassment to the legacy of President Reagan.

George W. Bush is "a liberal"? Hang on, I'm laughing too hard right now to continue... oh, man... *wiping away tears* Okay, I'm better now... I think...

And then Tired Fred Thompson supporter Jay at Stop The ACLU laments about the stupidity of Iowans:
Huckabee Proved Right: Lots Of Stupid Iowans

So Huckabee wins. I asked the question when Huckabee did his Clintonesque move of pulling negative ads while getting them played for free, "does he think Iowans are stupid enough to fall for it?" Obviously plenty of them were. Maybe they went with the safe bet of knowing he was solid on issues like abortion. After all, who knows where Mitt really stands? Anyway…now I'm waiting up to see where my man Fred ends up standing. I think he did well, but will find out soon. FOX is completely ignoring how well he has done. They skip over him to purr about McLame who is in fourth, slightly behind Fred at the moment. Allahpundit asks the question…what about Fred? He is either gonna get third or fourth, and either way its gonna be close. But either way he will stay in. But now, more than ever, he has gotta sell it.

I'm not worried about Huckabee though. Just because enough Iowans don't listen to the wisdom of Rush Limbaugh…most Americans do.

Oh, but for the post Caucus spin…Iowa doesn't really matter anyway. Three out of the last four times they've picked a loser. The Anchoress is on the same page:

It’s baloney. It’s hype. Iowa doesn’t mean anything, and I’m not convinced it ever has, but it’s been a very long (too long) election season and we’ve got 11 months to go, so Iowa has been pimped and played up as the be-all-and-end all - the staggeringly important end to the beginning of election ‘08.

But previous presidents have lost in Iowa, and previous Iowa winners have seen the national ticket elude them, so let’s not overthink Iowa or lose perspective. Iowa is fun-n-games for political junkies and an amusing diversion in the months when fields lie resting - but I am not convinced it “means” much at all.

Oh and for all the hype FOX is giving for McCain momentum in NH. New Hampshire is meaningless too.

The "wisdom of Rush Limbaugh"? Stop it, my sides are hurting! But wait, there's more... in the comments to Jay's post is this little gem from a reader identifying herself as "Jeanie" (emphasis mine):

Huckabee and Obama proves (sic) how utterly stupid Iowans are. Oh well, thanks for freeing up my time.

That's it for me, I'm not spending another moment of my time watching people think voting for a muslin (sic) is worth their vote and America's future or and another Jimmy Carter, which all Huckabee is is worth wasting ones time on.

Ted Turner is right, American's (sic) are the stupiest (sic) people in the world.

Yeah, Jeanie, and stupi is as stupi does. Or maybe that should be "as stupi doe's."

Republicans in disarray. Does it get any better than that?

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Nietzsche Airlines

Early contender for Bumper Sticker of the Year, spotted yesterday at SFO by my pal, Marty:

"God was my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat him."


(That's good, but last year's Bumper Sticker of the Year is still in contention for Best of the Decade:

"My killer robot skull-fucked your honor student."

Now that's attitude! Second place went to a bumper sticker that Jill Sobule gave me at her show at the Red Devil Lounge in August:

"When the Rapture comes... can I have your stuff?")
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