She has stupid by the barrelfull

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), AKA the dumbest sitting member of Congress, is at it again (from TPM with video goodness!).

On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported, Bachmann took to the House floor and paid tribute to the economic policies of Calvin Coolidge and the "Roaring 20s" (the era that ended with a massive monetary contraction and the Great Depression). One particular line really does stand out, though -- saying Franklin Roosevelt turned a recession into a depression through the "Hoot-Smalley" tariffs [Ed. Note – every time I read Smoot-Hawley, I can’t help but think of Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler’s Day Off].

[Snip]

Interestingly, this speech also happened on the same day as when Bachmann connected the 1970s swine flu outbreak to Democrat Jimmy Carter being president, even though it was actually Gerald Ford in office at the time.

I would absolutely consider amending the Constitution to demand that members of Congress must not only wins the most votes in the election to be seated but also pass a basic civics test or at least demonstrate the ability to use an encyclopedia or the Google. What a moron…

Specter flees the crazy tent

Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter today announced that he is switching parties to run as a Democrat in 2010.

In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans to the Democratic Party.

“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.

Coupled with the emmanent seating of Al Franken, Specter’s defection will give the Democrats a filibuster-proof 60 seat majority. The Obama agenda just got the green light in a very big way.

A side benefit of course is that the GOP, already diminished to an obstructionist rump of conservative nutters, is now an irrelevant annoyance.

As if things were not bad enough...

This flu outbreak is pretty damn scary.

Hang 'em high

Paul Krugman:

And there are indeed immense challenges out there: an economic crisis, a health care crisis, an environmental crisis. Isn’t revisiting the abuses of the last eight years, no matter how bad they were, a luxury we can’t afford?

No, it isn’t, because America is more than a collection of policies. We are, or at least we used to be, a nation of moral ideals. In the past, our government has sometimes done an imperfect job of upholding those ideals. But never before have our leaders so utterly betrayed everything our nation stands for. “This government does not torture people,” declared former President Bush, but it did, and all the world knows it.

And the only way we can regain our moral compass, not just for the sake of our position in the world, but for the sake of our own national conscience, is to investigate how that happened, and, if necessary, to prosecute those responsible.

Eugene Robinson:

I don't know what more we'll find out if a blue-ribbon investigative panel of some kind is formed. But what we already know is enough to ensure that sooner or later, the abusive interrogation methods authorized by Bush, Dick Cheney and other officials are going to be measured against the law. Our system, left to its own devices, is not designed to let illegal acts be revealed and then ignored.

From the viewpoint of the Obama administration, the alternatives may be unattractive or even unacceptable. No one wants to see low-ranking CIA interrogators go down for doing what their superiors told them was legal, especially if the superiors are not held to account. But pursuing criminal charges against the highest-ranking officials of the previous administration would be unprecedented, and it is unclear where such a process might lead.

It will be hard to stop this train, though. The rule of law is one of this nation's founding principles. It's not optional. Our laws against torture demand to be obeyed -- and demand to be enforced.

Word.

It all comes back to Iraq

From McClatchy via Krugman:

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration applied relentless pressure on interrogators to use harsh methods on detainees in part to find evidence of cooperation between al Qaida and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, according to a former senior U.S. intelligence official and a former Army psychiatrist.

Such information would've provided a foundation for one of former President George W. Bush's main arguments for invading Iraq in 2003. In fact, no evidence has ever been found of operational ties between Osama bin Laden's terrorist network and Saddam's regime.

[Snip]

"There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used," the former senior intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

"The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al Qaida and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there."

[Snip]

"There was constant pressure on the intelligence agencies and the interrogators to do whatever it took to get that information out of the detainees, especially the few high-value ones we had, and when people kept coming up empty, they were told by Cheney's and Rumsfeld's people to push harder," he continued.

So we used illegal interrogation techinques to justify an illegal war at the behest of the Vice President and the SecDef - awesome. Dick Cheney truly is Voldemort.

Not buying it

Yesterday I heard Rep. Jane Harmon (D-CA) on NPR trying to defend herself against allegations, stemming from leaked wiretaps, that she was working with Isreali agents in a covered up in exchange for political favors. It was one of the most evasive and disingenuous interviews I have heard in a while.

As for the details of the current story, first reported by CQ and then the New York Times, Harman was decidedly vague. She refused to say if a call took place in which she promised to get espionage-related charges against AIPAC officials dropped in exchange for help in her campaign for the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. And she repeated a call for the Attorney General's office to release the transcript of any phone calls of hers that may have been picked up by the NSA.

"I can't recall with any specificity a conversation I may have had four years ago," she told NPR. "That is why I have asked Attorney General Holder to release any transcripts that he has that involve wiretaps of me."

Later, however, Harman seemed to slip, saying that, "the person I was talking to was an American citizen." Pressed by host Robert Segal how she could know the nationality of the person she was talking to but not remember the conversation itself, the congresswoman replied: "Anyone I would have talked to about the AIPAC prosecution would have been an American citizen."

I may be completely wrong and Harmon may be totally innocent but thusfar I can only conclude that she is full of shit, trying to cover her ass by playing victim and crying foul over a government spying policy that she supported.

A goddamn travesty

Having never been a 13 year old girl, I cannot speak to this with any personal authority, but being strip searched by school administrators seems to me to be one of those events that could scar a girl for a really long time. I don’t care if the school thought that this girl was a heroin mule, those fuckers should never, ever have the authority to strip search a student. They want metal detectors, fine. The right, with probable cause, to rifle a bag or search a locker, sure. But if school administrators want an invasive search performed on a student, they damn well better have a cop with a court order do it. That this went down the way it did is simply unconscionable.

That is a fine line you are skirting there Rick

At a Teabag party yesterday, Texas Governor Rick Perry brought up a novel (at least since 1861 anyway) approach to oppose recent efforts by the Obama administration; that Texas may secede from the Union.

Perry repeated his running theme that Texas' economy is in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the "federal budget mess." Many in the crowd held signs deriding President Barack Obama and the $786 billion federal economic stimulus package.

Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

"There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."

Obviously, Rick Perry is one dumb motherfucker. Aside from his inability to use the word “unique” properly, this notion that secession is a sane option is, well, insane. Around these parts, that is called treason. If Bill Clinton can get impeached for a blowjob, then Perry’s statement should be seen as flirting with the hangman’s noose. And yes, he couched his remarks within the time tested hedge of “hey we have no reason to do it, we’ve no plans to do it but you never know”, but if there is no reason to dissolve the Union, then why the hell bring it up? I just wish Molly Ivins was still alive so that she could filet him properly.

Two years

The AP has a great story on the anniversary at Tech today as well as some pretty compelling photos from events on campus.

These Tea Parties are going to be a ball

Much ink has been spilled regarding the “grassroots” anti-tax Tea Parties being held today all over this great land of ours. It truly is a people-powered awe-inspiring movement of ordinary citizens combating the tyranny of the Obama Administration. Or not. The brilliant Thomas Frank explains:

Unless it rains today, thousands of average people will stand up across the land, declare their mad-as-hell-ness. Look for folks to holler for lower estate taxes and a replacement for Sarbanes-Oxley. They will put on three-cornered hats, wave "don't tread on me" flags, and imagine that they are channeling the spirit of Tom Paine as they do their part to ease the troubles of the economy's winners.

And Fox News, which plans to cover the tea parties, will no doubt hail this plastic populism as the realest kind of social uprising, a movement that is the rightful expression of this year's discontents.

[Snip]

The conservative movement, too, has long been a master of this maneuver. From the days of Richard Nixon to those of Sarah Palin it has described itself as a rebellion of Middle America against elitist liberals; as a nation of Joe the Plumbers rising against interfering bureaucrats.

It has little patience with traditional populism of the anti-big-business sort. Looking around on the Web site of the D.C. pressure group FreedomWorks, for example, I came across a denunciation of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's "small-minded populism" written in January 2008 by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, now FreedomWorks's chairman. Mr. Huckabee's offense was his claim to favor "Main Street, not Wall Street," thereby implying, Mr. Armey sputtered, "that the interests of the two are not in alignment. . . ."

And when Dick Armey suggests that Wall Street is the one that's really down with the common people, you'd better believe it. The man is plastic populism to his styrene soul. According to his bio, he was the main author of the "Contract With America," and his group, FreedomWorks, is one of the chief promoters of today's tea parties, where a presumably more broad-minded populism will be rolled out, a version in which Wall Street and Main Street are always in alignment, and only Pennsylvania Avenue is capable of being out of step.

This is faux-populist outrage at its very finest and if there is a more cynical and craven operative than the oh so aptly named Dick Armey, I know not whom. John Cole at Balloon Juice has posted David Schuster’s hilarious rant on Armey et al. entitiled “Teabag Mouthpieces” (that was the actual chyron from MSNBC). Too funny.

Been a long time coming

Senator Al Franken:

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, who had already announced plans to appeal the decision.

Coleman has 10 days to appeal to the state Supreme Court. Once the petition is filed, it could further delay the seating of Minnesota's second senator for weeks.

After a statewide recount and seven-week trial, Franken stands 312 votes ahead. He gained more votes from the election challenge than Coleman, the candidate who brought the legal action.

The state law under which Coleman sued required three judges to determine who got the most votes and is therefore entitled to an election certificate, which is now on hold pending an appeal.

"The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that the November 4, 2008, election was conducted fairly, impartially and accurately," the judges wrote. "There is no evidence of a systematic problem of disenfranchisement in the state's election system, including in its absentee-balloting procedures."

Ten thousand pounds of awesome. Senator Franken - oh hell yes.

This could be worth watching

From the NYTimes:

A new musical production adapted from “American Idiot,” the best-selling album by the punk band Green Day, is scheduled to make its debut in September at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in California.

Skip to next paragraphBerkeley Rep is to announce Monday that the new work, also titled “American Idiot,” will have its premiere as the first production of the theater’s 2009-10 season, and run from Sept. 4 through Oct. 11.

The musical is a collaboration between Green Day — the Bay Area rock trio consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool — and Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of “Spring Awakening.”

American Idiot is a really, really good album and while I am not what one would call a fan of musical theatre, I am interested in seeing how they pull this off.

Speaking the truth

It looks like some people in Washington are ready to face reality when it comes to the banks.

April 8 (Bloomberg) -- A congressional panel overseeing the U.S. financial rescue suggested that getting rid of top executives and liquidating problem banks may be a better way to solve the economic crisis.

The Congressional Oversight Panel, in a report released yesterday, also said the Treasury may be relying on too rosy an economic scenario to guide its $700 billion bailout, and declared that the success of the program after six months is “mixed.” Three of the group’s members disagreed with at least some of the findings.

“All successful efforts to address bank crises have involved the combination of moving aside failed management and getting control of the process of valuing bank balance sheets,” the panel, headed by Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren, said in its report.

I do not understand why Geithner in particular and the Obama Administration in general are so opposed to clearing out the bank executives and temporarily nationalizing the banks. The faster the bank issues are unwound, the better for everyone. Trying to make the process less painful for Wall Street only makes it more painful (and expensive) for you and me.

Kinda scary

Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls, the newspaper said, citing current and former U.S. national security officials.

The intruders have not sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure but officials said they could try during a crisis or war, the paper said in a report on its website.

Not that we don’t have like a billion other more pressing problems but this is something that needs to be dealt with post-haste.

Awesome

The Vermont Legislature just overturned the Governor’s veto and legalized gay marriage.

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont on Tuesday became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage — and the first to do so with a legislature's vote.

The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote — the minimum needed — to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the Republican governor with a vote of 23-5.

Suck on that Gov. Douglas.

Happy Birthday Lo

You are the love of my life, the mother of my child (soon to be children), and my best friend in the world. If anyone deserves a happy birthday, darling it is you.

XOXOXOXOXO – I love you with all my heart.

PS – I hope dinner doesn’t suck.

Whackadoodle

In the late absense of the awful Ann Coulter, Rep. Michelle Bachmann has none to quietly positioned herself as the GOP’s go to Wingnut Harpy, what with her thinly veiled calls for a revolution to topple the Obama Administration and the like. Via Oliver Willis, I see that she is at it again, this time warning of political re-education camps in reference to Ted Kennedy's volunteer service proposal.

And the real concerns is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically correct forums.

I swear, you cannot make this stuff up.

Opening Day

Well today marks the start of another baseball season and my Cubbies are predicted by most everyone to win the NL Central. After last year’s great season and horrible, dreadful, bad, bad, bad performance in the playoffs, my expectations are tempered. The rotation is good, the bullpen is solid, and the addition of Milton Bradley adds a potent bat to a not so great offense. On the other hand, this is Cubs - enough said.

Surprising

Iowa? Really?

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Friday finding that the Midwestern state's same-sex marriage ban violates couples' constitutional rights, making Iowa the third U.S. state where gay marriage will be legal.

Obviously I think this is good news but I am a little shocked to find out that Iowa is the new Massachutsetts.

Love this

From the AP:

Michelle Obama has done what few others have managed — getting Queen Elizabeth II to break protocol.

The first lady arrived Wednesday with President Barack Obama. After separate meetings on the eve of the G-20 summit, the couple attended an evening reception for world leaders hosted by the queen.

Mrs. Obama clearly made an impression with the 82-year-old monarch — so much that the smiling queen strayed from protocol and put her arm around the first lady in a rare public show of affection.

It was the first time Mrs. Obama — who is nearly a foot taller — had met the queen. The first lady also embraced her.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman who asked not to be identified because of palace policy said he could not remember the last time that the queen had displayed such public affection with a first lady or dignitary.

I love the Queen because she seems so utterly unflappable. Seriously, she has been at that job 24-7 for 57 years and is always spot on, like some great veteran actress who not only never misses a cue but always has the line when the less experienced cast members get lost. That Michelle Obama could charm Her Majesty off her game is a testiment to the First Lady’s charisma but I gotta say, I found the Queen’s warmth quite endearing and pretty damn cool.

Even more YouTube fun

Since I am on a musical nostalgia trip, here is Joe Strummer (my favorite - obvious, no?) and the Mescaleros playing my favorite Clash tune, “White Man in Hammersmith Palais”. As far as songs go, this is damn near perfect.

More YouTube fun

The Pietasters are not only a really good band but also an amazing show live. Indeed, they make my top ten list of best shows ever. Blacksburg, winter of 1994, in a sweltering subterranian shithole called Pedro’s with the dripping wet crowd packed elbow to elbow, they blew the doors off. It was so hot in fact, that nearly every guy was shirtless and a fair number of the women were sporting bras only and even with that exhausting, oppressive heat, the crowd sang along at the top of our lungs to the very last words of the encore “Drinking and Driving”. I am telling you, that show was fucking bananas from start to finish. Here they are doing another of my faves, “Without You”. Enjoy!

YouTube fun

The Forgotten Rebels doing Barry Maguire's "Eve of Destruction". A classic cover of a classic tune...