Saturday, February 28, 2004
Reading Material For Those Who Claim Kerry is "Weak On Defense"
Ed Gillespie, Saxby Chambliss, Scott McClellan, and all the rest of the weasel brigade, please read up.
Oh, this also includes Dick Cheney, speaking 3 days after President George H.W. Bush's 1992 State of the Union Address:
Cheney proceeded to lay into the then-Democratically controlled Congress for refusing to cut more weapons systems.
"Congress has let me cancel a few programs. But you've squabbled and sometimes bickered and horse-traded and ended up forcing me to spend money on weapons that don't fill a vital need in these times of tight budgets and new requirements. … You've directed me to buy more M-1s, F-14s, and F-16s—all great systems … but we have enough of them."
Make no mistake, Kerry's record in the Senate ain't perfect, but it also ain't what barking spiders like Ed Gillespie say it is. Read and learn...
Howard Stern Echoes My Sentiments
So it looks like I may not have been to far off in my last post.
Besieged shock jock Howard Stern taunted his government critics yesterday by skipping his usual congressional and FCC attacks and tearing right into the top guy - President Bush.
Stern also said he fears his "suspension" last Wednesday by radio behemoth Clear Channel has turned into a firing.
"I might be taken off all the stations very soon, and my last words to you are 'G.W.B.,' " Stern told listeners yesterday.
"Get him out of office. I'm tellin' you, man, he's in dangerous territory [with] a religious agenda and you gotta vote him out - anyone but Bush," Stern railed.
I'll bet Dubya wakes up every morning now and thanks God for Janet Jackson's right tit. The phony hysteria whipped up since the Super Bowl is just fueling the fire of the puritanical wingnuts in our nation and our government.
I will now take a cleansing shower now that I've cited for the first time an article from the New York fishwrap, I mean Post...(shudder)
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Howard Stern Suspended By Clear Channel
Howard Stern's radio show is shocking....You're kidding...It's also funny as hell, so what's the problem? Don't like it, don't listen...
Stern's show has been that way for almost 20 years. What the hell brought on this suspension?
Can it be true that Janet Jackson's boob will slowly turn the US into a puritanical society???
The one thing that I find unsettling about this whole thing is that up until recently Stern was a big George W. Bush supporter. He's since been waking up to the weapons-grade bullshit frequently peddled by the administration, and has even stated that he wanted "Anybody But Bush" in the White House.
Now he gets suspended.....Hmmmmm....You ponder it....I have to get my tinfoil hat out of the shop...
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Republican Party Changes Emblem
The Republican National Committee announced today that the Republican Party is changing its emblem from an elephant to a condom.
Governor Marc Racicot, RNC chairman, explained that the condom more clearly reflects the party's stance today, because a condom accepts inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're getting screwed...
Democratic Underground can be a fun place sometimes!
Friday, February 20, 2004
Tom Tomorrow: Certified Genius
Check out his latest cartoon at Working for Change.
Pay attention Martin and Winston....
Sincerely,
Your favorite insane liberal!
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Bush Backs Off His Own Administration's Job Prediction
WASHINGTON - President Bush distanced himself Wednesday from White House predictions that the economy will add 2.6 million jobs this year, the second embarrassing economic retreat in a week and new fuel for Democratic criticism.
"Now they're already walking backwards on their own predictions," Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry said in Ohio, where unemployment has risen from 3.9 percent to 6 percent since Bush took office.
The jobs controversy came on the heels of White House economist N. Gregory Mankiw's assertion that "outsourcing" American jobs overseas was good for the U.S. economy in the long run. Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans quickly disavowed Mankiw's remarks, and the economist had to apologize for a "lack of clarity."
Does this guy know his shit or what??? President Hoover sure knows how to surround himself with the best and the brightest too!
Fear not, though, it looks like either Democratic candidate may wipe the floor with the Smirk...
P.S.: I was informed that my previous post on Ann Coulter was offensive and insulting. I apologize for any hurt feelings, and will no longer refer to Ms. Coulter as a "disgusting piece of trash"...From now on, I will simply refer to her as Miss Germany 1939...
Monday, February 16, 2004
Ann Coulter is a Disgusting Piece of Trash
Gutter politics will certainly abound this year. Especially when the chairman of the Republican National Committee accuses Democrats of playing dirty THE SAME DAY that Matt Drudge falsely accuses John Kerry of having an intern mistress.
But if one truly wants to get a look at what lies in the gutter of the American political landscape and perhaps, even beneath it, one need look no further than Ann Coulter. If you don't know about Ann, I have some things to show you. She's the shrill-yet-somehow-masculine voice of the rightest of the right wing.
She's penned such winners as:
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
"We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors."
...And the mother-of-all sick quotes:
"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."
To their credit, most of my conservative friends can't even handle her psychotic ramblings. Coulter also believes Joseph McCarthy was a real American hero and Franklin Roosevelt was a card-carrying Communist.
Ann now wants to divert the controversy over President Bush's supposed AWOL status from the Texas Air National Guard by calling into question the sacrifice of Max Cleland, a former Democratic Senator from Georgia. Cleland lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam. He now backs with John Kerry in his bid for the White House. Her are Ann's most recent thoughts on the subject of Max Cleland.
Moreover, if we're going to start delving into exactly who did what back then, maybe Max Cleland should stop allowing Democrats to portray him as a war hero who lost his limbs taking enemy fire on the battlefields of Vietnam.
Cleland lost three limbs in an accident during a routine noncombat mission where he was about to drink beer with friends. He saw a grenade on the ground and picked it up. He could have done that at Fort Dix. In fact, Cleland could have dropped a grenade on his foot as a National Guardsman -- or what Cleland sneeringly calls "weekend warriors." Luckily for Cleland's political career and current pomposity about Bush, he happened to do it while in Vietnam.
She omits that Cleland was awarded the Silver Star for an incident that happened a mere four days earlier. His Silver Star citation reads as follows:
"When the battalion command post came under a heavy enemy rocket and mortar attack, Capt. Cleland, disregarding his own safety, exposed himself to the rocket barrage as he left his covered position to administer first aid to his wounded comrades. He then assisted in moving the injured personnel to covered positions. Continuing to expose himself, Capt. Cleland organized his men into a work party to repair the battalion communications equipment which had been damaged by enemy fire. His gallant action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."
Striking remarks when you consider that the only sacrifices Ann Coulter has ever made for her country are....well.....let me think here......give me a sec....Oh yeah, she's done nothing but pen mindless screed in order to inflame the most rabid among us. Good for you, Ann...Way to support those in uniform...
NC State Wolfpack 78, Duke Blue Devils 74
Wow....All I can say is wow...
Not only do we win what is maybe the biggest game of the Herb Sendek era, but we do it in somewhat convincing style, leading almost the whole damn game.
Personally, I'm Sendek-agnostic, but I would LOOOOOOOOOVE to see Sendek-haters among us step up and eat some serious crow.
PS: Let's give a little respect for Scooter Sherrill for owning up for a stupid comment he made about J.J. Redick earlier in the week. Sherill said Redick "looked like he was gay" when leaving his hand in the air after making a big shot. Sherrill's comments after the game were classy and contrite:
"He didn't take it personally," Sherrill said of Redick. "I realized I offended some people but I really didn't try to. I am sorry to the world and I am dead serious about that. He shook my hand before the game and I take my hat off to him."
My hat's off to Sherrill and also to the Wolfpack. They're growing up before our very eyes...
Friday, February 13, 2004
Colin Powell Follow-Up
After Secretary of State Powell's bizarre outburst in Congress, I recalled an interesting quote of his that sheds a bit of light on his feelings about President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard:
"I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units...Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to their country." (Colin Powell’s autobiography, My American Journey, p. 148)
Who else wants to see Powell pull this out at a state dinner???
AWOL Bush
Insultmonger.com
I just discovered this website at a fellow North State Blog, Stinging Nettle.
Insultmonger seeks to bring insults to the level of an art form, so if you like insults and profanity, you'll enjoy this! My favorite part (predictably) is the list of Dubya's "Bushisms". Who could forget such classics as:
There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again.
I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport.
If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - so long as I'm the dictator.
...and my all time personal favorite:
Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?
I'll stop before this turns into a full-blown K-Tel Records commercial. Enjoy!
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Colin Powell Loses His Temper, He Must Be Insane...
While testifying yesterday to the House International Relations Committee about pre-war intelligence, Secretary of State Colin Powell got a little hot under the collar when a staffer dared shake his head at his comments...
Powell was recalling for the panel his review of the prewar intelligence. "I went and lived at the CIA for about four days to make sure that nothing was," he began, when he paused and glared at a staffer seated behind the members of Congress.
"Are you shaking your head for something, young man, back there?" Powell asked. "Are you part of these proceedings?"
Powell's unusual remarks threatened to derail the hearing. Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a 12-year veteran of the House, objected, "Mr. Chairman, I've never heard a witness reprimand a staff person in the middle of a question."
Powell shot back, "I seldom come to a meeting where I am talking to a congressman and I have people aligned behind you giving editorial comment by head shakes."
"Well, I think people have opinions," Brown responded.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34636-2004Feb11.html
Now, I don't think it's necessarily appropriate for a staffer to be giving editorial gestures while on duty, but Powell's reaction says a lot...
When Howard Dean does something like this, he's characterized by Republicans (and many Democrats) as being an angry loose cannon with a hot temper. Even Wesley Clark got painted with the "he must have anger issues" brush after a Faux News interviewer questioned his commitment to our troops, and Clark is as cool as a cucumber!
It's funny to see the party that literally took political anger to a whole new level during the Clinton years feign disgust when a Democrat dares show some spine...
I wonder if they'll say anything about Powell...
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
"We are the best team in the country, by far" Rashad McCants (Feb. 5th, 2004)
http://www.carolinasucks.com/pn/html/
Considering the fact that this quote was taken after UNC lost to Duke at the Smith Center, 83-81, it doesn't carry a whole lot of weight.
Duke: 20-1 overall, 9-0 in the ACC....Who are they?
St. Joe's: 20-0 overall, 9-0 in the Atlantic-10...They stink!
Stanford: 20-0 overall, 11-0 in the Pac-10...Well they just flat out suck!!!
UNC: 14-6 overall, 4-5 in the ACC...Best team in the nation!!!
I hope McCants comes to grips with reality before he actually ends up in a rubber room wearing a strait jacket...
Carolina Sucks!!!
WMD: This Generation's Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
A serious question raised by a seriously conservative newspaper, The Washington Times...
I'll preface this piece by saying that 9 times out of 10, when I post a piece critical of Bush policy written by a conservative, my right wing friends accuse said conservative of "having an agenda". We'll see how this one goes...
http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20040209-090308-2252r.htm
Some snippets:
President Bush says, "I want the American people to know that I, too, want to know the facts" about what happened to WMDs in Iraq. Apparently, the president, too, was disinformed about WMDs being the reason he ordered U.S. troops into harm's way. Because this was no more the provocation given by the war's architects than the one put forward by the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that led to escalation of the Vietnam War — and 58,000 American servicemen killed in action.
North Vietnamese gunboats did not attack U.S. warships in the Gulf of Tonkin, anymore than Saddam threatened to attack us with his nonexistent WMDs.
So the leitmotif for Operation Iraqi Freedom was not WMDs, but the freedom of Iraq in the larger context of long-range security for Israel. Mr. Bush is right to change the rationale for war to isn't-the-world-a-better-place-without-Saddam? Of course it is. Was Iraq ever a threat to the U.S. homeland? Of course it wasn't. But hasn't the U.S. occupation of Iraq provided a force multiplier for al Qaeda? Of course it has. And the world is not a more peaceful place than it was before the occupation of Iraq.
The armchair strategists who pushed the war envelope in early 2002 dismissed any possibility of an insurgency after the liberation of Iraq. The entire population, according to this improvised conventional wisdom, couldn't wait to join forces with the U.S. Now, two or three U.S. soldiers are killed every day in Iraq; some $200 billion in unbudgeted Iraqi and Afghan costs have been added to the national debt; a resurgent Taliban, fueled by the opium/heroin trade, is spreading its tentacles again in Afghanistan — all persuasive talking points for Democratic candidates on the stump.
The Bush Doctrine of pre-emption is now badly frayed at the seams. Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have stretched deployable U.S. forces, including the guards and reserves, to the point where another pre-emption campaign would break the system — and bring back the draft.
My apologies for cutting this thing up. I didn't want to copy the whole thing, but it is worth your time for a full read...
Monday, February 9, 2004
White House: 2.6 Million New Jobs in '04
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&ncid=749&e=5&u=/nm/20040209/bs_nm/bush_jobs_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy should shed its jobless label this year with the creation of about 2.6 million new positions, the White House forecast on Monday.
If realized, the jobs turnaround could help President Bush's re-election prospects. Bush has faced withering fire from Democrats over the lack of new jobs.
In the annual Economic Report of the President, the White House said the number of workers on U.S. non-farm payrolls was likely to rise to an average to 132.7 million this year from a 2003 average it thought would come in at 130.1 million.
Now here comes the kicker...
Wait for it....
It's coming....
CAN YOU STAND IT????
Last year, the Bush administration was looking for the creation of about 1.7 million jobs. But the economy actually lost 53,000 jobs, bringing the total number of jobs lost since Bush took office to 2.2 million.
Editor's note: The author of this post fell into a coma after uncontrollable gut-laughing cut off the oxygen to his brain....Stay tuned...
"The President of the United States, I believe, did not manipulate any kind of information for political gain or otherwise..."
Now color me paranoid, but if I were called for jury duty and answered the question of "Can you be fair and impartial in this case?" by saying "I don't think the defendant is guilty.", in all likelihood, I'd be looking at a first class ticket OUT of that jury box. I know a few folks in the legal profession, and would like their unvarnished opinion...
So why is it that Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) can make the aforementioned statement and be expected to provide a fair and impartial look at pre-war intelligence on Iraq?
Whether or not the President manipulated intelligence is what this commission was set up to find out!
Why then, can Sen. McCain render an opinion on the topic before the commission even has its first meeting?
I'm not just barking at the moon, here. I do hope Sen. McCain and the rest of the commission take a sober, reasonable look at pre-war intelligence. I hope this in spite of the fact that tone of the co-chairs of the commission is a first-class Clinton-hater...
This must be what theologians refer to as a "leap of faith"...
Friday, February 6, 2004
Bush Approval At Lowest of Term, AP Poll Finds
A couple of high points:
WASHINGTON - President Bush's public support dropped sharply over the past month, especially among older voters, political independents and people in the Midwest, an Associated Press poll found.
And for the first time, more voters in this poll's two years of tracking the question said they would definitely vote against Bush than said they would definitely vote for him.
And my absolute favorite:
Bush's 47 percent approval rating is the same as his father's at this stage in his presidency 12 years ago before he lost to Bill Clinton.
Say it with me: ONE TERM PRESIDENT!!!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040206/ap_on_el_pr/ap_poll_bush&cid=694&ncid=716"
Thursday, February 5, 2004
Yellow Dog for President!!!
Here is the absolute best take I've seen on the ruling of the Massachusetts Supreme Court regarding gay marriage:
I find it interesting that those on the Right are trying to make the case that the court is trying to legislate, when in fact: all the Court ever did was to point out that there was no law against gay marriage.
Marriage sanctioned only by God? If that's the case then why is marriage by a Justice of the Peace legal in all fifty states?
One can argue all one wants, but everyone who understands our laws knows that one person's rights end when they encroach on the rights of another. When those on the right say gay marriage is wrong, they are in-fact denying gays the right to happiness as well as lots of other legal and tax protections that marriage offers.
This is a smokescreen issue, kept in the forefront by conservative leadership for no more than control over their own supporters. "Keep 'em thinking someone is out to destroy their way of life and they keep reaching in their pocket books and running to the polls."
Yellow Dog! Yellow Dog! Yellow Dog!
http://www.idlehandsmag.com/yellowdog04
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
I'm Back!!!
Due to a change in jobs, I was out of commission for a while trying to locate my password. I can't believe how much has happened since I last blogged...And that was just FRIDAY!!!
I haven't got too much time today, so I'll borrow some of my own comments from Federal Review (hosted by the always entertaining Winston) to let you know how I'm feeling.
It's great to see John Kerry taking a commanding lead in the Democratic primaries. It is by no means over, Edwards still looks strong if he can win VA and/or TN.
Given the fact that a few polls have George Bush at the lowest approval ratings of his term, and a few are even showing Kerry with a fairly substantial lead against our flight-suited leader, I got to thinking about the direction this election season will probably go.
Barring another terrorist attack or another war, Bush's popularity will only continue to plummet. It always does. Even the bounce from capturing Saddam was short-lived.
Now he has to deal w/ a record deficit he did nothing to stop, increased scrutiny and an investigation into pre-war WMD intelligence, and the 9/11 Commission's report (which Republicans are afraid will be hugely damaging) has just been moved 2 months closer to the election.
It's nice to have the war chest of close to $200 million, but if all people see are Rovian commercials about what a great leader Bush is, followed up by the nightly news talking about his latest failure, the message won't resonate, and he'll be exposed...
