Allen v. Webb - Round 1

Play time is over son - go put on your adult clothes.


I have been waiting for the Virginian-Pilot's take on the recent bit of sparring between imitation cowboy George Felix Allen, Jr. and genuine badass Marine Jim Webb. The whole piece is good but the important message here is that Webb will lay down for no one. From the article:

Webb, clearly learning from both Bill Clinton's success and Kerry's failure, is going to respond to every attack, gross and slight, with full firepower. Whether Virginians will eventually grow tired of such warfare, especially if it lasts until Election Day, is an open question. It will certainly make interesting, and very loud, theater.

Oh hell yes. Allen is banking on the Rove playbook that worked so well against John Kerry; impugning the character and patriotism of decorated Veteran. Well, Jim Webb is no John Kerry. Kerry got punked because he was too timid to really fire back. That was very stupid. You don't reason with someone who just punched you in the nose and is getting ready to hit you again. And you certainly don't ignore him. Either way you will look foolish and weak. You hit him back, preferably with a brick.

Supreme smack in the head

The SCOTUS laid waste to the Administration detainee policy regarding prisoners at GITMO today. It really was an up and down rebuke of the whole enemy combatant theory of treatment. Military tribunals are out. The policy does not conform to military law and the detainees are subject to the guidelines of the Geneva Convention (something that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales referred to as "quaint" - schmuck).

I am glad to see that there are still some limits to the President's power; especially this President.

Smarmy beyond a shadow of doubt

I must admit up front that I have never liked Larry Ellison, longtime CEO of Oracle and one of the richest people in the world. He sees himself as some sort of playboy cum modern day samurai. In reality, he is as smarmy and slippery as the above picture would imply. He buys huge yachts, reportedly keeps a stable of pliable young things to satisfy his legendary libido (yuck!), and has always struck me as an egomaniacal douche bag. Apparently, one can add bad timing to his list of flaws.

You see, yesterday Ellison announced that he was revoking a $100 million pledge to Harvard because the President of the university with which the deal was negotiated, resigned in a cloud of controversy over remarks that were perceived as sexist. So Ellison decided to take his ball and go home.

OK - that is a huge dick move to be sure, but to announce this on the heels of Warren Buffet's history making generosity, well that displays arrogance to the point of being tone deaf. See Rumsfeld, Donald or Bush, George W. A smarter man would have pulled the donation immediately upon the resignation and a man of his word, not at all.

So congratulations Larry, you have proven definitively few things to the world:
1. You are a dick (and have justified my dislike - yippee!).
2. You are not worthy of breathing the same air as Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
3. Small men use big boats to compensate for other shortcomings.

Thank the Lord for Molly Ivins

'Ol Molly knocks it out of the park today. It is a good thing that she is on our side.

Turning Virginia blue

Kos has an outstanding post up regarding Jim Webb and the Senate race. If you are at all inclined to oust George Allen, you ought to check it out. Webb seems to be very much a Libertarian on most of the big social issues. The piece spends a good bit highlighting that point. For example, posted in an update is the Webb campaign's response to flag burning amendment which I lifted directly:

"Jim Webb has great respect for our national flag and great respect for our Constitution, and is proud of the many contributions his family has made in defense of both. Like many combat veterans such as General Colin Powell and former Senators John Glenn and Bob Kerry, he does not believe it is necessary to amend the Constitution in order to protect the dignity of our flag. This is yet another example of deliberately divisive politics that distract Americans from the real issues that are facing our country,” said Kristian Denny Todd, spokeswoman for the Webb campaign.

This is one of the reasons I love this guy. That is the perfect response.
1. Webb takes (IMHO) the right position while defusing the patriotism pseudo-argument by pointing out his own military service.
2. It highlights the relative lack of importance flag burning should have in the nation debate compared to "the real issues facing our country".
3. It calls a spade a spade - this issue is pure base-driven politics and a smokescreen for the stuff that the Senate has not accomplished.

Bravo - I cannot wait for November.

Yawn

So the Senate is going to debate flag burning today. Just like they do in every election year...
Glad to know our elected representatives are handling the important issues of the day.

This is how a pro does it

When one looks for witty, incisive, brilliantly written snark, look no further than James Wolcott.

Birthdays and discipline

This weekend, L. and I went down to her parents’ house to celebrate Baby J. turning one year old. Because his birthday was Sunday, it was decided that we have the Official Observance on Saturday, complete with cake and the screaming grandchildren on L.’s parents’ neighbor. I have rarely seen two more poorly behaved kids in my life. Yelling, high pitched wailing, and general hell raising were standard operating procedure. The little boy even whacked J. in the hand with a mallet twice (by accident but once should have been enough for him to put the damn thing down). I was so pissed that these two demons ruined his first birthday that I couldn’t stop talking about it the whole ride home. And trust me, they were worse than I have described here. I just don't feel like getting all worked up again.

Fast forward to lunch today and I decide to surf the old Interweb. As fate would have it, the Onion is channeling my life again. Go and read Is Anyone On This Bus Interested In Disciplining My Son?

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "it's funny because it's true".

Hypocrisy; thy name is Republican

So the Republicans spent the past week or so filleting the Democrats over our Iraq strategy. Most D’s want some sort of plan to extricate the US troops for that hellhole while the R’s will offer no plan at all, only assurances that things are getting better and we will leave when Iraq is stable. They only want to create the false choice between ‘cut and run’ and ‘stay the course’; neither of which will solve Iraq’s problems. But it does make for a snappy rejoinder to any query more complicated or adversarial than ‘How much should I support the President and his Grand Iraqi Adventure’?

Any questioning of the current policy usually results in complaints that the liberals are not supporting the troops. When pressed for specifics that would allow the US to withdraw and protect said troops, the response is either:
1. ‘We will stand down when the Iraqis stand up’ or some such similarly vague bullshit that has not been defined.
2. ‘We will let the Generals decide our troop levels’.

You will notice that the ‘We will leave when the Iraqis ask us’ strategy is no longer operative as the Iraqis have stated, repeatedly, that they want us to leave. As Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) put it:

"The Iraqi government, the Iraqi people, want (sic) the United States out of Iraq. They see us as oppressors, rather than liberators. That's just a fact of life."

Well, now we have General Casey planning to draw down forces by 20,000 by the end of the year. You know, just in time for the election. Is there anything demonstrably different here from the D’s plan? No – the end of year is just an arbitrary deadline, picked for (it seems) purely political purposes. According to CNN, the R’s even knew of the plan before they decided to attack the D’s very similar ideas. Mitch McConnell admits as much.

In the end, this bunch of weasels wants to use Iraq to portray the D’s as weak. This little episode reveals what Republicans really think of the war and our troops overseas – they are 130,000 campaign props to be used at the ruling party’s discretion.

This is why politics is important, because bad, cynical policy can make people dead. Not correcting a bad, cynical, deadly policy just makes more people dead.

Passing through the eye of a needle

Warren Buffet has decided to give his money to charity a little earlier than planned. The largest benefactor will be The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; at current value $37 billion. Said Buffet,

"What can be more logical, in whatever you want done, than finding someone better equipped than you are to do it? Who wouldn't select Tiger Woods to take his place in a high-stakes golf game? That's how I feel about this decision about my money."

You have to love this. Here is a story of a very rich, very smart man using his money for the betterment of society, and doing it in a way that is utterly selfless, modest and practical. He is giving it to people he trusts and know more about philanthropy than he does. Hell – he doesn’t even get his name attached to the foundation.

Caesar built statues of himself; Buffet just writes checks.

A reporter in need of a dictionary

When I read this, I couldn't believe that it was a legit Reuters story:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -
Saddam Hussein ended a brief hunger strike after missing just one meal in his U.S.-run prison, a U.S. military spokesman said on Friday.

The former Iraqi leader had refused lunch on Thursday in protest at the killing of one of his lawyers by gunmen, but the spokesman said he ate his evening meal.

OK - first of all, skipping lunch does not make a hunger strike; it's skipping lunch. Every once in a while, due to the press of work, I don't take lunch. That doesn't mean I am protesting or somehow nobler for my sacrifice. It just means I am busy. Calling this a hunger strike is like jumping on your bed and calling it skydiving.

Secondly, this should not qualify as news. I don't care to know the President's meal schedule. Why is informing us of Saddam's significant? Seriously, aren't there a few more important issues in Iraq to discuss?

There is always 2010

So the USA failed to advance into the Round of 16 by losing 2-1 to Ghana. We blew a number of chances to score and only managed one goal for the entire round. Pretty pathetic. But once again, the officiating proved to be a major obstacle. This time around, it was an extremely questionable call in the box at the very end of the first half. Ghana scored on the ensuing penalty kick and locked down their defense for the rest of the game. In addition to that, Ghana was called for 32 fouls that yielded just two warnings and no ejections. In contrast, the US only had 16 fouls. But in the end, we gave up the first goal of the game and in the World Cup that is the easiest way to dig your own grave.

I want an invitation!

There are friends that you love and friends that you LOVE. For me, Starpower falls into the latter category. Trust me people, we all need more Starpower in our lives. Read this and you will know why.

Bottle blond batshit crazy

Ann Coulter's new book "Godless", as excerpted by Atrios. Eeeeeyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuwwwwww!

I don't know what to make of this. I have seen and read some pretty subversive/deviant shit in my life. Fisting is not something one comes upon at all regularly, if ever. I would NEVER have guessed that Coulter would mention much less harp on this particular act. Atrios calls it an "interesting obsession"; to me, it sounds like a cry for help.

A raise for me but not for thee

Today, the Senate voted down an increase to the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. The minimum wage has not been increased since 1997. Congressional salaries have increased $35,000 over the same period. I guess it’s all about priorities. Conservatives voted for billions of dollars in tax cuts for rich people but they can’t see their way clear to bumping up folks making less that $11,000 a year. Way to stand up for the little guy.

I hope the Democrats pound the Republicans on this issue come November. As a nation, we deserve better. Fuck the argument that the minimum wage is a job killer. We have had a minimum wage for decades without the American economy going to hell in a handbasket. And fuck the class warfare argument that Republicans always throw out whenever the tax cuts are questioned. That war is over people. Which side do you think won?

Wanna try for 8?

Robert Evans, the legendary Hollywood producer, is getting divorced for the seventh time. I would generally not mention this except for the fact that I love Robert Evans. He is, without a doubt, one of the coolest people around. If you have never seen his bio-pic "The Kid Stays in the Picture", you should. Evans has lived a wild and fascinating life - as would any man that has had seven wives. But I would hope that at 75 years old, he will give up on the institution. You can't be good at everything...

Good news from the Commonwealth

Rasmussen has a brand new poll out showing George Allen 51-41 over James Webb in the Senate race. That is an eleven point improvement for Webb over the last poll in April. Indeed, Webb has put enough of a scare into Allen that the Senator is scaling back his travels to Iowa and New Hampshire to concentrate on the race at home.

Tough luck Senator, those presidential ambitions are going to have to wait.

Long live the King

B. B. King, blues god and reportedly, the nicest man in showbiz, turned 80 today. If you love music, then you love this man and his sidekick Lucille. He is a living legend and his influence knows no bounds. The Clash, Elvis, Bono, and Eric Clapton all sited him as a driving force in their music and he is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

So Happy Birthday bluesman, I hope you are around for many more.

And it's a wild, wild wife

I love the weird news. The world is full of oddballs willing and able to do some truly perilous/crazy/stupid/bizarre stuff. That is why I love this story. It seems that a Chinese woman "accidentally" killed her husband with a sword (?!?!) because he refused to make her dinner (no ideas there L. - I will make whatever you want). She says she had the blade to his chest and slipped. I am totally thinking "OJ" here but the piece that puts this over the top;

"Police said Tang Xiaowan, 25, who has been practicing swordsmanship since she was young, had often forced her husband of three years at swordpoint to carry out her demands."

Wow - that is the most fucked up relationship I have heard of in a while. What kind of a guy would put up with that? What kind of woman just casually carries a sword around? I mean, if Tarantino has taught us anything, it is that chicks that dig swordplay are VERY, VERY dangerous.

Happy Father's Day!

To all of the dads out there, I hope you like the tie, your golf game is on, the fish are biting, and the kids are not.

Salute!

Games should not be decided by the referee

Put your hand down and watch the game asshole.

I am still stewing over the abysmal performance of the ref. The US came out and gave Italy all they could handle but the most important factor was the blindingly incompetent head official. He pulled three red cards in the game; only one of which was deserved. When the Azzurri's De Rossi elbowed Brian McBride in the face and drew blood, well that is worthy of an ejection. Pablo Mastroeni's challenge was a late tackle and totally undeserving of being sent off. The same goes for Eddie Pope. In the end, the US and Italy tied, giving us a chance to advance if we beat Ghana and Italy gets the better of the Czechs. But damn it, we were sitting pretty 11-10 and pushing the Italian defense. Then the wheels came off. Most disturbing is the fact that this particular ref has been suspended for "irregularities" before. Why FIFA allowed him to serve is a mystery. After watching the post-game report and have none other that Georgio Chinaglia (perhaps the greatest Italian player ever) lay into the horrible officiating, you know it was bad.

We need a big win on the 22nd. We are so close...

Major love for the Ex-Gov

MSNBC has a positively fawning write-up on former Virginia Governor Mark Warner and his presidential ambitions.

Warner is probably not my first pick in '08 (though I could be persuaded) but we could do a helluva lot worse. See Bush, George W.

You could not pay me to eat this

I have long felt that there is a great deal of modern Japanese culture that I will never understand. Japanese pop music, karaoke, the bizarre animation, etc. But I did understand the food. Until now.

I have no idea what kind of culinary sickness it took to think this up but the whale burger is the most disgusting permutation of that venerable sandwich since Luther Vandross invented the donut burger. As a matter of fact, I gagged a little just typing that sentence.

In this same spirit, if anyone wants a tour of the gastronomically insane, you must check out Steve, Don't Eat It! at The Sneeze. It is one of the funniest, most disgusting things I have read on the web. Seriously, this is not for the faint of heart.

Our friends, the new Iraqi government

As reported all over the place yesterday, the new Iraqi government is planning to grant amnesty to the insurgents that have killed US troops on the condition that said insurgent has not killed an Iraqis. That's just fucking great - way to go Condi and the whole State Department really. Super job!

If that is not disgusting enough, Atrios has a post up detailing some Republican Senators defending this new policy. If a Democrat tried that shit on the floor of the Senate, he would be shouted down as a traitor. This was a cowardly, shameless act of political calculation, perpetrated solely to offer cover for a failed war policy. Go read some of the quotes.

This is particularly galling given this week's debate of a non-binding resolution in Congress that basically says you either support Dear Leader Bush and his holy Global War on Whatever He Wants or you support the terrorists.

God I hate these people. Support the troops indeed.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day

In an unprecedented move, GWB did some good today.

President Bush has announced that a huge swath of uninhabited Hawaiian islands and Pacific Ocean will become our nation's 75th National Monument. From the article:

Conrad C. Lautenbacher, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which will manage nearly all of it, said the new protected area would dwarf all others.
"It's the single-largest act of ocean conservation in history. It's a large milestone," Lautenbacher said. "It is a place to maintain biodiversity and to maintain basically the nurseries of the Pacific. It spawns a lot of the life that permeates the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

In addition, he signed new mine safety regulations that would require companies to provide more oxygen underground and move rescue teams closer to active mines.

The cynic in me questions Bush's motivations here but I applaud the President for something for the betterment of the nation and its workers. This is a rare day indeed.

Our Congress

The House of Representatives got a $3,100 pay raise yesterday because they refused to vote it down. Stop and read that again...

OK - A few years back Congress tied their raises to the increase in the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) that is applied every year to Social Security payments. It was part of deal in which they get an automatic increase in exchange for forgoing any speaking fees. And by this means, the Reps have to vote against their own raise to not receive it. Shifty as hell but there we are.

Put aside that issue for moment and ask yourself, do these clowns actually deserve a raise? Have they performed at a level where you feel good about giving them another 3 grand rather than providing a few more scholarships or a handful of additional port security personnel? They aren't even performing the tasks that the Constitution proscribes. Are you comfortable with Congressional oversight of the war, Administration spying, Katrina reconstruction or any other issue for that matter? I am just asking...

The President taunts a blind reporter

From ThinkProgress.

Yet another Karla Faye Tucker moment, only without the pantomine. Compassionate conservative my ass.

Tom Tomorrow

Go. Read. Cry.

BTW - the lovely L. bought me Hell in a Handbasket for my birthday. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone not receiving their recommended daily allowance of snark.

Slippery as an eel, twice as nasty

It was reported yesterday that Karl Rove, Republican strategist/hit man, will not be prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. Whether it was a lack of evidence or he cut a deal is not clear as yet. With renewed confidence, the swine-ish faced Rove came out swinging against Democrats (via Atrios).

Karl Rove Taking Bullets?

Never one to let the facts or delicious irony stand in the way of a vicious political smear, today Karl Rove took a swipe at war heros (sic) Sen. John Kerry and Rep. John Murtha, stating, "They may be with you for the first few bullets but they won't be there for the last tough battles." Rove, of course, never served in battle, dodging the draft for nearly three years of the Vietnam War. He's in good company, (sic) though-- the Vice President received five deferments from going into battle himself.

He is a class act all of the way. The response from the Senate Majority Project:

"Unfortunately for the American military, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and their merry band of draft-dodgers won't be with you for the first few bullets, the last tough battles, or anywhere along the way," said Christy Setzer, Communications Director, Senate Majority Project.

This should be at the top of every Dem's talking points for the next week.

Webb wins

Jim Webb beat Harris Miller 53-47 to take the Democratic nomination for Senate. To Miller's credit, he was gracious in defeat:

"Jim Webb is going to be a great United States senator, and I'm going to do everything I can to help get him elected," he said. "I told him I don't want to lose to somebody who isn't going to beat George Allen, and he assured me he would."

I think this is pretty big. The whole D establishment in the Commonwealth as well as several prominent national party figures are going to thrown their weight and money into defeating George Allen. From the Pilot:

Among the backers were Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Charles Schumer of New York, the chairman of the fund raising Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"They desperately wanted Webb," said Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist. "Webb will become a national symbol to Democrats and Republicans who are disaffected by the Bush administration and the war in Iraq."

George Allen is in for a rough autumn.

Ugly

The U.S. team took a savage beating today at the hands of the Czech Republic, losing 3-0. The offense was nonexistent and the defense barely reactive. Convey, Beasley, and McBride were invisible. The passing game was erratic. In short, there is very little to like about this performance. A repeat against Italy will ensure a quick trip home.

A gutter twofer

Jeannette Walls Gossip column at MSNBC is, well, gossip but sometimes serendipitous. Witness today's installment on both K-Fed and Ann Coulter.

Awesome.

Public Service Announcement - Virginia Primary Edition

Just a reminder to my fellow citizens of the Commonwealth - Tuesday is Primary day so don't forget to vote!

If you are a Democrat and still undecided, please consider throwing your support behind Jim Webb.

Estate Tax Repeal Fails

In a rare moment of fiscal responsibilty, the Senate has defeated a Republican proposal to permanently repeal the estate tax. The GOP leadership has promised, however, to try again.

Among the dumber bits of debate was this jewel by whiner Bill Frist:

"Wiping this vicious tax from the books is a matter of principle,"

Only a rich asshole like Frist would have the balls to call this tax vicious. The estate tax only applies rich dead people. Who better to tax than that?

Now they want to kill Elmo

L. and I got this email from MoveOn today. The R's are trying to defund NPR and PBS again. I pasted the entire message and urge you to sign the petition.

Dear MoveOn member,
Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."1

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years—threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.2

Can you ask 3 friends to sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year?

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-6213261-MV32pkyuPwZf_QzzeF6HFg&t=2

Last year, over 1 million of us signed the petition, and Congress listened. We can do it again if you pass this message along to any friends, neighbors, or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS for news or children's programming.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in the budget—they're trying to decimate any news outlets willing to ask tough questions of those in power. Americans trust public broadcasting more than any corporate news media.3 This is an ideological attack on our free press.

President Bush's budget proposed cuts to NPR and PBS4, but Congress is going even further: slashing 23% of this year's public broadcasting budget—$115 million—and denying NPR and PBS any funding in two years. The cuts immediately terminate support for commercial-free children's shows like "Sesame Street," "Clifford," and "Maya and Miguel."The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Ask 3 friends to sign the petition at:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-6213261-MV32pkyuPwZf_QzzeF6HFg&t=3

Thank you for all you do.

–Noah, Eli, Adam G., Tom, Marika and the MoveOn.org Civic Action Team
Thursday, June 8th, 2006

P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from ourfriends at Free Press at:http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting/

Sources:
1. "GOP takes aim at PBS funding," Boston Globe, June 8, 2006http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864&id=7965-6213261-MV32pkyuPwZf_QzzeF6HFg&t=4PBS' Ready to Learn program (funds "Sesame Street" and other children's shows)http://www.pbs.org/readytolearn/
2. "CPB Responds to House Appropriations Subcommittee's Proposed Funding Levels for Public Broadcasting," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, June 7, 2006http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=551
3. "2005 'Open to the Public' Objectivity and Balance Report," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, January 31, 2006http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/goals/objectivity/
4. "Bush Budget Pumps Propaganda, Slashes PBS," MediaCitizen, February 7, 2006http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1865&id=7965-6213261-MV32pkyuPwZf_QzzeF6HFg&t=5

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Friday is Tom Delay's last day in government. He is finally vacating his seat and going back to Texas to face money laundering charges. In a farewell address yesterday, he urged his Republican colleagues to "stand on principle". Coming from the Bugman, those principles must be corruption, vindictiveness, and naked obsession with power. Near as I can tell, that was the foundation of Delay's time in Washington.

So sayonara, asshole. You will not be missed.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead

Two Air Force F-16s dispatched Zarqawi to his maker last night. Good riddance. I don't think this will have a significant impact on the insurgency as a whole but should limit the effectiveness of Al-Qaeda in Iraq for a while. Aside from offing a vicious killer, the other main benefit may be a lull in sectarian violence. Zarqawi had been focused on ramping up tensions with the Shiite population. Let's hope that his death helps avert a full blown civil war.

Republican Priorities

I spend a lot of time on this site trashing the Republican Party for the policies they pursue. As a dyed in the wool Democrat, I am biased. But here is why. The top three issues for the Elephant Party this election cycle, per their legislative agenda, are banning gay marriage, a flag burning prohibition, and repealing the estate tax. Oy.

And, oh yeah, disagreeing with the President is treason.

I told you she was evil

Some days your timing is off. In a post a few days ago, I was pining for the arrest and conviction of Ann Coulter for an alleged violation of voting laws. I should have waited until yesterday when the skinny (eat a sandwich would 'ya) bitch violated all sense of human decency in an effort to sell a few more books.

While on 'Today' show yesterday shilling her new tome "Godless: The Church of Liberalism", her Wingnut Gasbag Highness bashed the widows of 9/11 because they refused to swallow the Administration's happy talk about the incident and subsequent investigation and spoke out. Chris Durang has his reaction to the show as well as a full transcript over at the Huffington Post, but I would like to provide a taste of the horrible shit this poor excuse for a woman spouts.

"These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. "

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much."

My first response to this is, of course, fuck you Ann. You are truly a profile in civility and decorum. These women have the right to take this tragedy personally - their husbands were killed. And just because they were compensated for their loss doesn't mean that they were made whole. Indeed, I would love to have a million dollars but I am not willing to sell my wife for it. Only a black-hearted, soulless demon, like say, Ann Coulter, would seem to suggest that money and a little recognition would replace a spouse.

I guess that same compassion and tenderness has not really paid off for Ann as she is 40-something, single, and has never married. Apparently, being Ann Coulter is punishment enough.

Who thought that this was a good idea? - Caged Lion Edition

An idiot in Kiev decided to test the will of God and lost Sunday. One should never provoke God or a lion - bad things usually happen. From the article:

"The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.
"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

Not a whole lot left to say really...

And the winner is...

Gay Marriage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to everyone who picked it as Rove's distraction/wedge issue for '06. With their polls in the gutter, Bush and the Senate Republicans have decided to take the debate there as well. Instead of actually trying to address important issues that could help average Americans (gas prices, healthcare, rebuilding New Orleans, getting the hell out of Iraq, etc.), these cowards are forcing a floor debate over a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage.

Make no mistake kiddies; this is an act of political desperation. I can smell the panic sweat from here. The Right has lost the Independents and is losing the moderate Republicans. Iraq is dragging them down like an anchor. Hurricane season is coming. Most polls show between 60 and 70 percent of the country believes we are on the wrong track. Their only hope for fending off a disaster in November is to whip up the base with bigoted policies against homosexuals. And the legislation has absolutely no chance of passing. The whole issue is a big smoke screen for their failure to govern effectively. Assholes.

But putting aside the utterly despicable nature of the debate (and yes - whenever a group attempts to fan the flames of hatred and fear - that is despicable), the Right is attempting to codify a negative right in the Constitution. We tried that once with Prohibition. It was not a resounding success and was, of course, repealed. Americans generally appreciate the notion of “Don’t mess with me and I won’t mess with you”. Let’s hope that this principle wins out in November and we get a Congress that appeals to our better nature rather than our bigotry.

Karma - South Florida Edition

Via Atrios, I see that Ann Coulter, evil waif and wingnut mouthpiece, has gotten a lawyer to defend her against violations of voting illegally. This allegation has been around for a while but Ann has not said anything of meaning about it. Indeed, lawyering up says more about the case than she has.

Let's hope for a speedy trial and conviction.

World Cup Update

The US team landed in Germany today. Our first game is noon on the 12th versus the second-ranked Czech Republic. This is a near must win for the US to advance past the first round.

Lord help us

I don't like even bringing this issue up but a third allegation of US troops murdering innocent Iraqi civilians has been reported. These are war crimes - the United States is being credibily accused of war fucking crimes. Donald Rumsfeld needs to be fired if not prosecuted.

Killing civilians is dispicable enough. Not to mention that this sort of thing fuels terrorist recruitment. Jesus, I hate these people for making the world more dangerous while dragging our nation and our reputation through the muck.

Brian Schweitzer is the man

I just heard a half an hour interview with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Open Source with Christopher Lydon. The whole show was really interesting but Schweitzer; wow - that is guy is impressive as hell. Here is a Democrat elected in super-Republican Montana and his main issue is energy - green energy. He has a 69% approval rating, drinks whisky straight, carries a gun, and drives a Jetta running bio-diesel. I had heard a bit about him but never had the opportunity to listen to him make his pitch. In a word - awesome.

In the span of about ten minutes, he explained how these here United States could become energy independent and massively reduce our carbon emissions using coal, bio-fuels, and conservation. His plan would create a market for carbon and, hence, an incentive to capture carbon from all sorts of emitting enterprises rather than dump it into the air. There is a good bit more to the plan but those were the basics. Schweitzer broke down this complex issue and communicated (with genuine enthusiasm I might add) a solution in a way that I understood. I cannot tell you how refreshing that was. This is a guy that bears watching. Consider me on the Draft Schweitzer in '08 bandwagon.

Culture of Corruption - Ohio Edition

Tom Noe, Bush Pioneer and rare coin dealer, pleaded guilty yesterday of illegally funneling $40,000 plus to the Bush's '04 re-election campaign. Noe also has ties to Ohio Rep. Bob Ney, currently under investigation for bribery related to the Abramoff scandal, and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded guilty last year for accepting illegal gifts (bribes).

In response to the ever-growing corruption scandals in his state Ohio Republican Party spokesman John McClelland said:

"It's definitely a challenging environment that we're operating in right now... This is nothing new. It's time the Democrats realized this election is about more than Tom Noe and Bob Taft."

That's right asshole. It's about a wider ranging Republican culture of corruption that has set our government on a path of working for the interests of those giving "gifts". It is about Iraq, Katrina, and wrecking the budget. It is about incompetence. And, God willing, it will be about throwing these worthless bastards out.

Brilliant

Tom Tomorrow

Sickening

Yesterday was not a good news day. A few months back, a squad of Marines murdered, in cold blood, an entire Iraqi family (women, children, etc.) in retaliation for the death of a comrade in a nearby IED explosion. The New York Times is now reporting that the internal investigation was really a cover up of these crimes. Soldiers lied to the investigating officers and the officers didn't inquire further even though a senior official stated "There were enough inconsistencies that things didn't add up".

Hearts and minds indeed. Can we please get the hell out of Iraq now?

Also, we got the news that US troops shot and killed a pregnant woman as she was being rushed to the hospital. From the article, it appears to have been an accident but what a damn tragedy.

This shit makes me want to cry.