My blog is worth $1,693.62.
How much is your blog worth?
I liked the first one more. This one is ok to good on my INSPIRE-O-METER.
This is going to be a great summer...
McCain. When you insult my friends-you insult my FAMILY!
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
Yesterday I caught this video on www.sadlyno.com. The blogger over there was in a contest with a couple of other bloggers. The contest apparently was over who could put up the cheeziest synthpop video.
Like I said, this was SadlyNo's entry. The band is Dschinghis Khan-that's German for Ghenghis Khan. They were a Eurovision creation dating to around 1980. The video, "Moskau", of them singing a dancing was an Internet cult hit.
A person known as buffalax takes foreign language videos and writes what he thinks the foreign words sound like in English. Sometimes he's crude, but it's generally hilarious.
I've had this song playing all day in my head, and it doesn't seem to want to leave my head either. Now I pass the curse on to you.
It's very apparent that John McCain is very very old. The first half of this thing looks like a History channel special.
It actually showed a pic of McCain with his first muscle car he bought in the 1950s. It's a 1958 Corvette. Damn Grandpa is old.
Just wanted to give Mr. Bold a shout out for the live coverage of the debate last night. It was great. For people like me that work at night it was a real treat. The post were put up quick, and the analysis was fun to read.
From Obama a few minutes ago:
Friend --
Early this morning, we reached one million people owning a piece of this campaign.
Think about that for a minute.
One million people like you own a stake in a grassroots movement that is not just competing, but thriving, in a political process that's been dominated by special interests for far too long.
You have given your time, energy, and passion to bring about change.
And it's working.
I first saw it on The Huffington Post:
NEW YORK — Author and conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr. has died at age 82.
His assistant Linda Bridges says Buckley died Wednesday morning at his home in Stamford, Conn. She says he had been ill with emphysema and was found dead by his cook.
Here they are with "Nothing but Flowers".
h/t riding with Crooks&Liars...
I don't see this as changing the status of the race. Basically a draw.
And a draw is really a loss for Hillary.
Foreign Affairs-
Timeh-who's going to replace Putin?
HRC-the opposition was run out of the competition. This is a problem. They-Russia-are causing mischief and it is apparent. I have no doubt as president.
Timeh-I want names..
HRC-mede...mede...medevah.
Timeh-do you know this guy?
BHO-proceeeds to go through the history of G Dub's looking into pooty's eyes.
We work with the international community. We don't have to work in isolation. The clinton admin deserve a lot of credit.
Timeh-is there any vote you'd want to take back...
HRC-I would not have voted the same on Iraq. I regret deeply that G Dub took us to war. This has to be about the future. We just talked about Russia, we could have gone around the world. We could talk about Hamas and Hezbollah. We could go on an entire program on what we will inherit from G Dub the Destructacon.
Timeh-you want your vote back?
HRC-yes.
Same question BHO.
BHO-teri schiavo, we adjournded and allowed Congress to interject themselves. I shouuld have stood on the floor and stopped that. So inaction. Sometimes that is as costly as action.
BHO-we have wrapped up 20 debates. One thing I am clear about that HRC has campaigned magnificently and she is an excellent public servant. We are both actually interested in delivering for the American people. When you here heartbreaking story after story. The people just want a little bit of a hand up. It is critical we change how we do business in D.C. We need to restore that sense in our public department.
BW-closing question. First BHO
What must HRC answer to most voters to prove worthiness as a nominee.
BHO-she would be worthy as a nomninee. I think I would be better.
Obama goes into bashing McCain.
BHO I don't think HRC needs to answer a quesiton to prove capability. I am better becasue I can bring the country together in an unique way. Across race, religion-I bring a bias in favor of opening up government.
BW-what question must BHO answer?
HRC-there is no doubt we both bring enormous energy. As I said last week it's been an honor, I'm going to do everything to win. This campaign is history making. I am running to be the first woman president-applause-
I feel either one of us would make history. The question I have been posing is "Who can change the country?" My experience gives me the insight to make the changes.
HRC-goes into anecdote of a family asking her for help.
BW-this will reair in telemundo! Andalay!
G'night.
BW-the national journal rates your voting record more liberal than ted kennedy. How can you run.
BHO-let's look at what they rated us on. 1 was immigration. 2. I supported an office of public integrity that could monitor ethics investigations, I thought the public wanted someone independent to investigate congress. it was rejected. Accoridng to the journal those are liberal positions. So the categories don't make sense.
Why is my campaign attracting more candidates? People don't want to go back to the old categories.
I beat John McCain.
So far BHO has deflected HRC and made her seem like a bitchy soccer mom.
timeh uses Farrakan and his reverend's remarks to question BHO commitment to Jewish people.
BHO-I don't tolerate anti semitism. I want to rebuild the historic relationship between the Jews and the Afro-american
Kinky hair tribes unite! I love it. I have a lot of Jewish friends who will be pleased to hear this Brother Barry.
HRC-let me add, I faced a similiar situation in NY. One of the parties was the independence party in NY. They were anti semite and anti Israel. I said I would not want it. And I preemptively denounced them.
Timeh-are you saying BHO didn't stand on principle?
HRC-we've got to be even stronger.
BHO-I don't see the difference. There was no formal offer of help to reject. I'm happy to concede the point. Reject and Denounce.
Big applause.
BHO-It doesn't help if you taking contributions from special interests. We need to crack down on these.
Timeh-let's talk about keeping your word BHO. You would as nominee to get money out of the campaign. You seem to waffle. Why won't you keep your word.
BHO-I said if I'm the nominee, I said we will make sure their is a system to make sure it fair for all sides. I will not take money from lobbyists.
9:04 pm.
We average a donation of 109 dollars. It's exactly the goal of the game to get that kind of involvement.
Timeh-you have loaned your campaign 5 mio. You have significant overseas business dealings. Why won't you release your tax returns. What are you hiding?
HRC-with a big ol' wild eyed smile-I have a wonderful campaign with wonderful donors that I wuv very very much!
HRC-I will work toward releasing.
Timeh-will you release your first lady records.
HRC-absolutely.
Timeh-One of the things you have to reveal, on sunday in your paper. Farrakan backs Obama.
BHO-I did not solicit this support. This is not support I seek. I can't say to someone don't say I'm a good guy.
Yes denounce everyone that likes you OR ELSE!!!!!
BHO -goes through his record in congress. Brings up record on veterans and military issues.
HRC-responds sounding calm. BW is moderating right now.
Brian Williams = good cop. Timeh = bad cop.
HRC-let's get back 55 billion dollars from Oil.
hell yeah! Go get our money!!!!
HRC-I get the same litany. People are working harder and feeling invisible.
BW-go to clip-BHO speech "she says she was co-president...she takes credit for the good and runs away from the bad.
HHO-she counts her first lady time as experience. I don't say that experience is not relevant. What i've said is that you can't take credit for good and run from the bad. You voted for legislation that you've said you hoped wouldn't pass.
BHO-It doesn't pass if you don't vote for it.
BHO is scoring some points on her record in Congress.
...Tim Russert! I would like to congratulate Mr. Russert for his tenacity and his command of the facts.
Would leave if the Iraqis told you, you had to go? Timeh looking all pouty....
BHO-Yes they are a sovereign nation. We will begin a phased withdrawal. Let's not pull out as careless as we went in.
This is costing us dearly.
TR to HRC-same question...
HRC-Absolutely I would listen. The military has been valiant. And they need to take responsibility.
TR cuts in-if Al Qaeda resurges do you go back to restabalize.
HRC-you're making alot of hypothetical.
Timeh is looking and sounding crazy.
HRC-we could take out 1 or 2 brigades a month. BHO references that he is on the commitee. He has not held one substantive hearing with NATO for afghanistan.
TR-what is this about not performing oversight of your committee?
BHO-I became chairman of this committee when I began this campaign, so that is true. We have to show we are not putting permanent bases in Iraq. I always reserve the right to look out for American interests.
-Commercial-
BW-how are her comments unfair?
BHO-On the most important policy decision, Iraq, I was clear.
HRC so far is strident and pissy sounding. BHO is calm and sober. And to be honest it seems like that's what MSNBC is serving up. TR was abrasuve driving HRC forward.
HRC-I put my experience. I solved Ireland. Went to beijing and stood up for women. I have the qualifications. BHO should be commended. Many peopl gave speeches agaisnt the war then. He didn't have to vote. By 2003 he agreed with Bush. We have voted exactly the same. So the fair comparison is when we both had responsibility, where is the cred to back up the speech.
Yes last summer he basically threatened to bomb Pakistan.
Oh c'mon HRC that's a lie. He said greenlight a raid like the one that was aborted in 2005.
HRC-standing on that stage as McCain, I can make the case for the issues going forward.
BHO-my objections was not simply a speech. I was a vocal oppenent. and said specifically why. This was a big decision.
The question who made the decision to drvie the bus in the ditch. She gave into Bush on Day One. She facilitated this individual to make the decision. I said on Pakistan I said that if we had intel and could strike Al qaeda. The cia just did what I supported a week ago and they got a number 3 al qaeda. My claim is based on judgements I've made while on the committee.
Bascially BHO is smarter.
HRC is talking about NAFTA. David Gergen will tell you that I was skeptical about this. Since I've been in the Senate I've tried to ameliorate the effects.
Timeh goes to BHO-will you as Prez say to Canada. I would answer the same way as Clinton. I've been consistent about this. The Chicago Trib. their endorsement was inspite of my opposition to NAFTA. These can be beneficial. Amer. Worker is as productive as any in the world. We need to look at what is good in communities. As president I want to advocate on behalf of workers.
BHO sounds like he knows labor issues.
Tim Russert turns to BHO cites some positive numbers for Nafta. BHO-we've not looked out for ordinary workers. Invest in infrastructure, science, energy, green jobs, hire young people, all sorts of things. Those are plans I've put forward.
TR-you pledged HRC to create 5 mio jobs in over two years. You pledge 200K jobs in NY and you said "I might have been a little exhuberant."
HRC-no I was counting on Al Gore being president. Despite the difficulties I've worked very hard. I will have a lot more tools at my disposal. She runs to her husband's record on job growth. HRC-put solar panels on roof, biopanels, invest in training.
Take Germany-they created several 100K jobs. These are jobs to do in Youngstown and Cincinnatti and a committment to following though.
Nafta
HRC-I always get the first question, brings up SNL. -booo..
I have seen the factories close in NY. I had to negotiate to the see the factories open. We need to fix NAFTA. Trade time out. Fix NAFTA. Core labor standards. Make it enforceable. Stop constant sniping at protections for our workers. This is a big issue in OHIO. I've gotten alot f criticism.
Obama "I've said she has a good health plan. 95% similiar plans. Hillary has been mailing inaccuracies about Obama. Mine is not a mandate. It's a mandate that everyone purchase health care. She would force in some fashion to purchase health care.
HRC has not mandated the things to make it affordable. Her campaign has constantly sent out bad stuff. We don't complain.
HRC-responds-we've gone back and forth. Provide health care for every person. His is a mandate---em
I'm agreeing here
We're not going to let insurance co. do cherry picking. In his mailing it's almost if the insurance companies wrote it. I've staked out a claim for universal health care.
Obamam-I believe in universal care as much as she. She claims that I don't. So for HRC to say that is not accurate. Anyone under my plan can obtain health care. It's been endorsed. We do more to reduce costs that any plan out there.
If we don't how she intends to enforce the mandate. People are being fined in MA over health care and people are worse off. That is a genuine difference. The insurance companies want a mandate. Can we make it affordable.
HRC-He requires parents to buy insurance for children. In fact it's like if we made Soc. Security voluntary. At the point of contact with various gov't agencies. Like a 401k. If we don't have universal health care.
Obama-I'm being filibustered here. I do provide a mandate for children because we have programs that are already affordable. HRC will penalize parents. If we make it affordable people purchase it. Medicare B is purchased.
HRC-20% who don't buy are 20 year olds who feel indestructable. If we don't have a plan to get there. You won't control costs.
BHO-They're all going to have coverage.
Brian Williams does the introduction. Time rules-but no lights.
OK lead in with a clip of Hillary being honored from prior debate to the shame on you clip of a few days ago.
Q There has been a change in tone in the campaign...
Hillary feels disturbed by Obama's campaign tactic. Hillary leads into her Universal Health Care call. Adds an anecdote. Hillary has facts-covers everyone affordable. Obama's plan would leave people out.
She's hammering Obama on fibbing about health care plans.
Brian Williams brings up Drudge's pic of Obama in Somalia.
Hillary doesn't know anything about it.
Well so far the burning question in MSM is; "Which Hillary will show up?"
So far the choices the media is allowing Hillary is either total bitch looking for payback or sweet and nice.
Obviously it's going to be both, but I do think Hillary will use this shot to air out any grievances-real or contrived.
And it goes without saying that this is Barack's game to lose.
Or at least I'll give it my best shot.
Stay tuned...
I like this video and song. The dancer in the video is not Peaches, but still a interesting video. Bold I understand if you want to delete it for vulgar language. But give it a look first.
I wonder if aunt Bea likes this one.
This is in honor of Wabah58 completing the expansion of his mansion. Here's Madness with "Our House".
Well it's official. You know Who is running for you know What.
Click here
I can only imagine that somewhere there is some big rich rightwing fat cat opening up his wallet....
It just sounds so damn bleak over there....
Political Memo
Soldiering On, but Somber as the Horizon Darkens “When she’s on the road and someone has a negative news story, she says, ‘I don’t want to hear it; I don’t need to hear it.’ I think she wants to protect herself from that and stay focused.
“That said, she knows that there will be an end,” Ms. Hope said. “She is a very smart woman.”
Time to gather a minion over the shiva....
Just a reminder for Pubwoof and Wabah58, if there are any blogs or websites you check out regularly and think worth adding to the blog roll, give a shout out.
For wabah58 I'm sorry to say the Rudy project just didn't gel.
One of the best things about traveling to Europe I think is a chance to check out their TV.
Yeah, I know, it sounds sad.
But really the TV over there is remarkably good. Take the BBC for example. The youtube vids below aired on primetime over there and it's the kind of reporting you rarely see here.
So pop some popcorn and give it a look. The introduction on the site where I found these is also good:
ThoughtTheater
MSNBC reporting Ralph Nader to appear this Sunday on "Meet the Press" to possibly announce another third-party campaign for the presidency. I love him, but goddamnit too!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23294834/
One of Obama's campaign strategies is having GOTV volunteers vote early so they can work on primary day to well...GOTV.
This is a good sign:
"Democratic deluge: early voting numbers skyrocket across North Texas"
Click here
Dear Doctor Austin,
Sorry for the extra snark here Doc, but I just made the connection that you have a burning American flag as a part of your header. 
It's images like those that Hillary Clinton tried to ban with her oh so substantial time in Congress.
Check it out
Oh the sweet irony.
Jesus General has a hysterical youtube vid using some footage from SecondLife and the old School House Rock tune "A Bill".
Check Jesus General
Please, world, forgive me for my ingratitude as an Obama supporter. I guess I was too busy pondering the supernatural force it'd take to prevent McCain from making this attack in the general election no matter what. It's a terribly obvious strategy for him to use in the general even if it had never been previously leveled by a Democrat in the primaries. It's a strategy that he'd be sure to use against Hillary should the planets align and pigs fly to deliver her the nomination at this point. The implied attack communicated using the "Experience Counts" campaign McCain is expected to run is that the other candidate lacks precisely that, which is tantamount to saying they're not ready.
That aside, Hillary and her surrogates have already gone on record several times with this negative attack. That she would decline to repeat it directly to Obama's face speaks only to her campaign's calculation as to what might play that particular evening. A smart calculation, as it turns out, when one considers how well her "change you can Xerox" line went over. If McCain and Co. are going to run ads featuring Hillary and Co. making this attack, they already have plenty of clips to do so. Whether this strategy would work against Obama will have more to do with how Obama handles himself in the general than anything a former political opponent might have said. The quick counter to this argument, inspired by Ross Perot in '92, would be, "you're right, I have no experience giving all the tax breaks to the richest amongst us, no experience stripping away our most fundamental constitutional rights out of dumb fear, and no experience whatsoever voting our country into the most idiotic military quagmire in American history!"
The thing I find most interesting about the "Hillary the Magnanimous" argument is how they reconcile this against the above-mentioned Xerox line. If asked, I wonder if Hillary would fess up to authoring that clunker all by herself or if she'd admit to it being handed to her by someone else. If Hillary is now concerned about how Obama will do in the general election, why doesn't she just throw in the towel?
Dr. Austin praises Clinton for turning away from the negative campaign she's been running all week. Most politicos know why-it wasn't getting Clinton anywhere.
But that logical leap just doesn't occur to folks like Dr. Austin.
Here's his post:
Thank Clinton
Obama supporters all ought to write a letter of thanks to Hillary Clinton for twice refusing to say that Obama isn't ready to be commander-in-chief, thus depriving Republicans of a talking point. She may have sacrificed truth, but she didn't put Obama, if he becomes the nominee, in a tough spot come the general election.
Yes really...
Doc goes bamboozling again
He's set his comments now to moderated, so my response to him that's in the queu will I suppose go up if he can stomach it.
He calls me an Obama fanatic and gnashes his teeth over plagiarism while ignoring the obvious prolific examples I gave him of Hillary hypocritically doing the same thing.
Sheesh, some people....
Yes really-
Eye on Boise
This part struck me as particularly funny:
Respondent’s counsel has made honest efforts to confine its brief within the limitations prescribed by the Minnesota Rules of Appellate Procedure, but is unable to do so while presenting the Court with the information necessary to make an informed decision.”
I've been arguing with Dr. Austin and another blogger who is supportive of him about making comparisons of Obama's campaign to cults and Hitler's rhetoric. Austin calls himself a "libertarian socialist". If you're saying to yourself "Hey that's an oxymoron!", well I'd agree.
Dr. Austin says he's standing against "crypto-fascism" while choosing to stand-when it comes to Obama-with the "crypto-fascists".
Here's a little fascist sample
A note for naive Hillary supporters who are employing right winger rhetoric-it's a slippery slope my friends. The Dark Side is seductive...
h/t to Orcinus for the pic.
...on craigslist STL RnR. This fun illustration of our history with guns comes from Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine.
From the Damn Dirty Tricks File-
CONCORD, N.H. - A federal judge on Thursday acquitted former Republican Party official James Tobin in the 2002 Election Day phone-jamming case in New Hampshire but said the case will return to an appeals court for further review.
Dil Se with "Chaiyya Chaiyya".
Yeah time to get your hindu groove on...
We went to the same university together and he is my longest running friendship. He brings to the site a well crafted writing style with a well thought out progressive point of view. I've seen him stand up to libertarians and right wingers with a spirit that perfectly embodies what Boldly Liberal™ is all about.
Please welcome pubwoof to the blog.
If anyone is interested in seeing what push back looks like from a Hillary partisan, you can check his blog.
Comparing Candidate
Obama bash #2
Obama bash #1
So far he's said I have a "corporate media mentality" and threatened to delete my comments. In the last reply he made to me, he employed the term "crypto-fascist" a la young Lister in Red Dwarf: Young Lister: But I'm not into dosh, I hate money, I loathe possessions, It's just so... crypto-fascist.
Lister: Will you stop saying everything's crypto-fascist? You make me sound like I was a complete git!
If he does delete my comments, I'll just repost them here for my readers.
Update:
Oh the beat goes on-Dr. Austin's continuing rebuke
Now my argument "...is typical of mamby-pamby wishy-washy liberalism."
Here they are with "Even Rats".
h/t to Guitar Hero-PS 2-the original.
You know the one about Obama plagiarizing from a friend in Massachusetts. Yeah you know that story? It's the one that a Hillary Campaign staffer by the name of Howard Wolfson planted two days ago in the media. You remember?
Well Hillary has apparently forgotten who started that story. Now she says it's all the media's fault.
Click here
It's just priceless I tell ya'.
...oh but he's going all the way! har-dee-har-har
Here's another guitar god in the many splendored pantheon of guitar gods. Here's Danny Gatton doing "Harlem Nocturne".
Enjoy.
It's almost the end of an era. Fidel is gone but a Castro still remains and according to my Cuban friends-all 2 of them-Raul is worse.
But Raul is also a septuagenarian so he may not last too long, and will most likely oversee the transition to either an elected government or the emergence of a new dynasty.
Apparently pretty stupid.
He agrees with a nut from the NRO that thinks Ben Stein, a former speech writer for Nixon and Ford, is a lefty.
See for yourself here
Here they are doing the American classic "St. James Infirmary".
Charles Barkley after a decade in the GOP finally reveals what he has learned:
"Every time I hear the word conservative it makes me sick to my stomach because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them."
Thought I would join in Mr.Bolds blog and slip one in. I really like this band. They remind me a lot of Smashing Pumpkins. Hope you enjoy.
A commentator at the The Reality Based Community blog explains how the GOP is structured and intimates the differet interests at play.
Here's a taste:
The VWRC is a conspiracy, composed of several factions, most of whom hate each others' guts. The economic predators sneer at the Taliban, as their lawful prey. The Taliban correctly view the predators as godless ghouls. The ultranationalists correctly view the predators as having no loyalty to the US. The neocons think that the whole pack is ni kultyurni. The ultranationalists and predators correctly view the neocons as mutant Trotskyites, useful only for propaganda. (Nobody trusts the neocons or libertarians; they are too tainted by Enlightenment ideas.)
This is a technical announcement. The visitor counter which recorded this site's 100th visit today will be retired. I am switching to a service called SiteMeter which provides a lot more metrics and kicks me out a real sweet report to my inbox. Visitors can still view the traffic pattern by clicking on the icon at the bottom.
Thanks for reading. 
After defining the Liberal/Progressive values, which I post previously here-What's a Liberal PT 1-George Lakoff goes on to define what a Conservative is. Obviously if you're going to argue with someone like a Conservative you should at least know where they're coming from.
Here is Lakoff defining the values of Conservatism:
"The heart of Conservative thought is the idea of moral authority: that there is an absolute division between good and evil in the world. It is both natural and right that authority, and in which disobedience must be punished to maintain a moral order. Individual discipline is required for moral action. If you obey legal authorities and know right from wrong, the social order should allow you to become your own moral authority in personal spheres of life.
In economic issues, it is assumed that it is natural for people to seek to maximize their self interest and that is a law of nature that if everyone pursues their own profit, the profit of all will be maximized. The free market is moral in that it helps everyone. The free market thus plays the role of the moral authority. Individual discipline is rewarded by the market and the lack of it is punished. Government can only interfere with this natural and moral process.
America is seen as inherently good, and so its interests naturally serve good in the world...."ibid
You gotta love the [lack of] respect for the law by the Republicans. Josh Bolton and Harriet Mier's have refused to respond to lawful subpoenas. In response to Mier's and Bolton's refusal to comply, the House Dems moved to issue contempt charges against them.
Well asking for a penalty for not complying with the law was just too much for Boehner and the House Rethugs. ThinkProgress has the video.
Click here
MoveOn.org is asking the superdelegates to vote in favor of the majority delegate holder. They're looking to collect 200,000 signatures and then buy an ad in USAToday.
Click here to sign the petition
I've been getting that question a lot lately. And if you're like me you searched the Internet for the best explanation and probably wasn't satisfied.
The best explanation to me was expressed by George Lakoff in the introduction to "Framing the Debate" by Jeffrey Feldman.
"What does it mean to be a progressive? The fundamental values are empathy and responsibility to act on the empathy-responsibility both for yourself and for others. From these values, others follow: community and self-government that is both protective and enabling. Protective self-government includes not just the police and the military, but also consumer protection, worker protection, environmental protection and safety nets. Enabling self-government requires freedom, fairness, opportunity and shared prosperity. The process of self-government requires the use of the common wealth to provide infrastructure, plus political equality, maximal participation, and cooperation, which requires trust, which requires honesty, openess, and accountability."
The above are traditional values and they leads to traditional American moral and political ideas:
- Empathy leads to a focus on others as well as oneself, and to the idea that causation is systemic and complex, as well as direct.
- Responsibility-moral, legal, and financial-is both individual and social.
- Character is having empathy and acting responsibly on that empathy.
- Moral action is both socially and individually based.
- The role of the government is to maximize freedom, both freedom from harm and freedom to pursue happiness; that is, to be both protector and enabler.
- As protector and enabler for all citizens, government requires the use of the common wealth (taxes) to provide the needed infrastructure for both individuals and businesses: police, the military, disaster protection and relief, and systems that permit transportation, communication, banking, courts, fair and honest markets, fair and honest elections, protection of the environment and public property, education, maximization of health, availability of housing, and so on.
- Moral functions in society require public accountability and, therefore, government regulation and access to the courts. Privatization and deregulation shift governance from the accountable public sphere to the unaccoutable private sphere. Privatization and deregulation of services should be avoided when moral functions are at stake, e.g., food safety, drug safety, environmental protection, honest banking, and so on.
- War is inherently destructive and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary for the protection of the population.
- Moral action involves empathy and responsible action in response to that empathy.
This video is making the rounds on most of the blogs I've seen in the last 24 hours. It's a pretty good satire on the state of TV journalism during the Bush administration.
h/t to QueerVisalia.com and C&L
Update:
The video disappeared from its place on youtube. queervisalia.com reposted a good link. The link here is now fixed.
This guy hates Bush. He can't be all bad right? Here's Kanye West doing "Stronger".
Enjoy
It looks like this:
This is apparently a Paulie art site. The "artist" considers himself trained in the traditions of Renaissance masters. Frankly I'd like to know what the relevance is of the goat to the 2nd Amendment.
h/t to moonbat on the RonPaulSurvivalReport blog.
Sara Robinson's excellent debunking of rightwing myths about Canadian Health Care is online.
Here's a taste:"In the previous post, I looked at ten of the most common myths that get bandied about whenever Americans drag Canada into their ongoing discussions about healthcare. In this follow-up, I'd like to address a few of the larger assumptions that Americans make about health care that are contradicted by the Canadian example; and in the process offer some more general thinking (and perhaps talking) points that may be useful in the debates ahead."
h/t thanks to Orcinus.
Click here for article
There are a number of guitar gods that guitar players will agree upon. Leo Kottke is one of them. Here he is doing "I Yell at Traffic & Don't Call Me Ray".
I first heard these guys on Austin City Limits on PBS. This is the kind of group that doesn't get much play on the for profit TV and radio stations. Here they are doing "I Need More Love".
I love Paul Krugman. I admit it. Why?
Because he's one of the few economists that writes plainly enough for non-econ majors to follow.
But his anti-Obama campaign is getting really out of hand. Here he goes with this outlandish claim:"I won’t try for fake evenhandedness here: most of the venom I see is coming from supporters of Mr. Obama, who want their hero or nobody."
Click here for article
Are you kidding me? Apparently he is, because he doesn't provide one iota of evidence for this.
Krugman tries to explain:What’s particularly saddening is the way many Obama supporters seem happy with the application of “Clinton rules” — the term a number of observers use for the way pundits and some news organizations treat any action or statement by the Clintons, no matter how innocuous, as proof of evil intent.
Does Krugman provide one example of this in his column? Nope. In fact the only concrete examples of folks using "Clinton Rules" comes from the Scaife funded smear campaigns of the 1990s.
So basically Krugman calls Obama supporters, and I am one, smear mongering Republicans without proof. It seems Krugman has lost his mind since the Iowa Caucus. As an admitted Krugman superfan, I hope he gets it back.
For an added twist, try changing Obama to Romney and Clinton to McCain and see how much more sense Krugman's take on the race makes.
Here they are with "Snow". Fusciante's guitar playing is phenomenal.
Ron Paul is dropping the focus on his [going nowhere fast] presidential bid to buttress his Congressional seat:
"In an e-mail message sent to supporters Saturday, Paul said that while he will remain in the presidential race, he must place a priority on his congressional contest, where he faces Friendswood accountant Chris Peden."Click here for the news
Last week the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested that the British government recognize Sharia law when it comes to contracts, marriage and divorce disputes. Citing the fact that 2.5% of British subjects already follow these guidelines when it comes to disputes, the Archbishop didn't think it was that big of a deal. After all, Jews and Christians already have religion based courts of their own.
But commonsense is an anathema to Malkin. Treating Muslims like they treat Jews and Anglicans would be like "self-immolation" in Malkin's words.
Click here for a dose of RightWing Batshit craziness
Just when you think the bar for right wing bigotry couldn't go lower, Malkin limbos under it.
From the Think Progress:
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) bragged about the “accomplishments” of conservatives in Congress in 2007, including the blocking of “an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program,” which he complained would “expand from a program for poor kids to a ‘program for more kids‘” (sub. req’d).
Here he is doing "Run For Cover" with former Miles Davis side man Kenny Garret.
Instapundit[putz] on Howard "Cookie" Krongard's fall from grace:
"It's too bad that it's so easy to gin up fake scandals and "ethical" problems in the service of political witch-hunting."
Here's a question that was emailed to me:
Mr. Bold
Is it realistic that Super Delegates can determine the Dem nominee? I think that the leader after all the primaries are completed should be the nominee. I would expect very bad feelings if the Super Delegates did not endorse the overall primary leader. An energized Dem party should easily win the general election. A splintered Dem party might put the splintered Repub party back in the race.
An opinion from the heartland
Well most Democrats that's been hip to what's going on and have been asking Condi Rice to do this for awhile:
It's kind of a shame that the Right Wing hasn't demanded that Condi think during her time as National Security Advisor and Sec. of State. That really would have been the time for Condi to be thinking.
h/t to ThinkProgress Click here for source
This is my favorite Marsalis brother. Wynton is a museum piece. Branford pushes music forward.
Without much further ado, here's Branford Marsalis doing Cherokee.
I'm churning my way through Leonard Pierce's entries from CPAC at Sadly, No!. The thread is called "The Beast is Red" and it's organized into chapters.
Again if you like gonzo journalism, this is great.
http://www.sadlyno.com/
This is being reported on Huffington Post:
Michael Moore on Larry King the day after Super Tuesday 2008: "I am morally prohibited from voting for Hillary in the primaries because of her war votes, I mean that not as a personal attack against her, but I simply can't side with somebody who participated, whether willingly or unknowingly, as she claims, in something that has been so evil."
From Fundies Say the Darndest things-
"Everytime "science" (which is falsely called so), "discovers" something new, evolutionists have to go back and change some parts of one of their theories. Amazingly enough, no scientific discovery has ever caused Biblical creationists to have to change their stand."
I stumbled across Dan Cooper's blog last night.
Whose Dan Cooper you ask?
He was an early member of the FauxNews start up team hired by Roger Ailes. He's writing a tell all blog, because I think the book deal fell through.
If you like the gonzo journalism of Hunter Thompson, you should like this then.
Here's the blog.
click here
I'll also add him to the growing blog roll.
This guy is posting anonymously on the NYC RnR board on Craigslist. Odds are this post will be flagged down. But he makes great arguments and I wanted to preserve them.
This guy knows how to deal with Conservatives.
RE:RE: conservatives
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Reply to: pers-565572507@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-02-06, 10:37PM EST
A smug, condescending conservative wrote:
Secondly, there are many factors which contribute to the economic prosperity of a nation and which have enabled nations to grow economically more than others. Your little "litmus test" is childishly simplistic and naive - for instance, like I've already explained, you can laud the "prosperity" of "social democratic" nations like those in Western Europe and claim that their regulation and socialism is responsible for their success, but in fact most of their economic growth happened between the war and the late 70's when their governments intervened in the economy far less. Since they have become "socialistic" nations, their economies have slowed, their welfare bills have ballooned and the prognosis does not look good for the future. Like I've said, history is a movie and not a snapshot.
I write:
Look, you smug, condescending bastard: NOTHING you say contradicts what i say. The conservative viewpoint is that "government is the problem". . .and I am quoting Saint Ronald Reagan here. Conservatives HATE government.
But as you point out (talking, for some reason, as if i am retarded), "there are many factors" that contribute to a country's prosperity.
This is exactly what I argue. Conservatives say a free market is the only thing we need. I say that history doesn't necessarily prove that. You say that the economies of european nations slowed down when they adopted socialistic policies. . .but can you prove that the adoption of the policies CAUSED the slowdown, and weren't a response to the slowdown, which would have been worse had the policies not been adopted?
India is another case: you yourself point outthat India doesn't have a system to protect property rights. in other words, it doesn't have a functioning GOVERNMENT, and without that, it can't have a functioning ECONOMY.
There's an argument to be made here, dipshit, and you condescending attitude doesn't advance that argument one goddam bit.
My "silly little litmus test" is the first, common sense step in any assessment of the evidence: prosperity is much more closely associated, it seems, with strong government than with free markets.
I freely admit that the evidence is variously interpretable. . .there is no PURELY free market to observe.
But for some reason no conservative is willing to make the same concession. the fact that the USA is very prosperous AND heavily regulated is simply a "silly" fact to be ignored, and the person who points it out is to be sneered at.
Conservatives are fucking useless, as the past seven years have shown.
A serious reform of the health care industry is coming down the pike. The insurance companies know this and they're using their lobbyists to send out the usual distortions and falsehoods about how other Western countries manage to live longer and better for cheaper than we do.
Sara Robinson is starting a new series at the Campaign For America's Future blog on confronting and debunking the falsehoods.
Check it out here
It's a two part series.
h/t Orcinus-see blogroll
h/t to Matthew Duss
Here's Magic Sam doing "All your Love & Magic Sam's Boogie".
Click here for updates
Alabama: Obama 60, Clinton 37
Arizona: Obama 51, Clinton 45
Arkansas: Clinton 72, Obama 26
Connecticut: Obama 53, Clinton 45
Delaware: Obama 56, Clinton 42
Georgia: Obama 75, Clinton 26
Illinois: Obama 70, Clinton 30
Massachusetts: Obama 50, Clinton 48
Missouri: Obama 50, Clinton 46
New Jersey: Obama 53, Clinton 47
New York: Clinton 56, Obama 43
Oklahoma: Clinton 61, Obama 31
Tennessee: Clinton 52, Obama 41.1
First Wave Numbers
California: Clinton 50, Obama 47
New Mexico: Obama 52, Clinton 47
Utah: Obama 61, Clinton 40
McCain is looking like he's got the Republican nomination locked up-but who cares really anyway....
Here's a version of "In Your Eyes" you don't hear very often.
Enjoy.
The folks at the National Review Online still can't understand why people are turning away from Conservatism:
Kurtz On the Corner smoking crack
"...years of liberals running their own private indoctrination camps through the American education system have finally taken their toll and are churning out reliably liberal kids who will inevitably come of age. Not enough of them are conservatives and not enough of them will be mugged by reality to convert to conservatism.
'This guy is onto something, and it’s a problem conservatives have largely ignored, although it bears on our very existence.'"
Conservatives rarely even show up for most legislative battles over education, and when they do, they are vastly outspent and outgunned.
Leon still practices an old school Dixieland jazz art and still manages to land on late night TV shows.
If you never noticed him before, here he his doing 3 tunes:
Sweet Sue
When You Wish Upon A Star
I Ain't Got Nobody
I am pulling the lever tomorrow for Barack Obama. Here's why.
Make no mistake-Hillary Clinton is a good candidate and comes across strong. Although there is much Clinton and Obama agree on, Clinton strikes me as a liberal Thatcher. She is a centrist on social policy issues and hawkish on Iraq.
Obama however is a game changer for America and our empire.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm
I'll update this more throughout the day.
Update-
OK so what do I mean by game changing?
Well Obama is new. He's real, real super new. He's so new-he's shiny. That means he doesn't have all the baggage the Clintons bring. Some may say how Mrs. Clinton handles the baggage is a point in her favor, but the baggage will never go away.
Obama so far has been immune.
I'm impressed by the full day's coverage on Fox channel for the SuperBowl game between the NY Giants and New England Patriots. We're at SuperBowl # 42, and Fox has made a heck of a football show for a heck of a much publicized football game. The main theme would have to be the word "American" made.
The show has a little something for everyone. You can say Fox has tried very hard in attracting many pockets of the "American" population. The choice of Jordan Sparks says something about Fox 5 and their loyal "American" Idol viewership. Can't we all be spared just one mention or appearance of
Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson?
I can't seem to figure out who they're trying to attract with the recitation of the "American" Declaration of Independence by different football coaches. Someone please help me here.
The halftime show appeals to fans far predating American Idol's success, the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fans. (If I think adrenaline pumping, heartracing music for a football, I instantly think of Tom Petty...not really.) I'm a Tom Petty fan. Okay. Guess he's put out some American themed. Thank goodness there was some pyrotechnics and that moving electric arrow with the heart to pick up the pace. Tom Petty's first song is called "American made." The other songs were familiar Tom Petty staples.
Alicia Keys must be promoting her tour; otherwise, why would she be performing at the Superbowl?! Exactly how many Alicia Keys fans saw the Superbowl for the first time in their lives, I wonder?
The pregame commercials from Microsoft and Apple were unexpected, while Bud, Ford, Doritos, and Bridgestone commercials were not.
What I don't understand is this robot thing that shows up every once and a while. Former drug and alcohol addict Robert Downey, Jr., does not seem like the kind of actor you'd expect to play a robot. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's puzzled here.
Despite all this entertainment value put into the show, will the Game itself stack up in action to the Fox sports show lineup? In two hours, there have been no breathtaking, jaw dropping plays. Eli Manning came up for a while then did not really pull off anything. yet.
I guess that all this spectacle ultimately overshadows the "Spygate" hype leading up to the game. Even Tom Petty had some press before the game, with this limp and walking boot he donned. Regardless, he found his rhythm during the awesome halftime show.
We can't say the same with the NY Giants and NE Patriots. They haven't found the rhythm in their game to make the plays we wanted to see.
Surely, this week will feature many Super moments. It starts with the infamous SuperBowl, which will help me in my voting decisions by relaxing my mind when Super Tuesday comes around the bend.
Senator Hilary Clinton had her press about the Superbowl, with support for the NY Giants and criticism of Senator John McCain.
What would happen if candidates w
SuperBowl Sunday Blogger | 02.03.08 - 8:53 pm | #
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Finally! The game is picking up in the 4th Quarter. NYG 16, NE 14.
SuperBowl Sunday Blogger | 02.03.08 - 10:01 pm | #
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Yes! The crowds are on their feet (and my neighbors upstairs are screaming even more loudly, stomping their feet on the floor, giving me a headache). NYG 17, NE 14.
SuperBowl Sunday Blogger | 02.03.08 - 10:03 pm | #
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That last second was just tooooo long!
Congratulations, NY Giants!
NYG 17, NE 14.
SuperBowl Sunday Blogger | 02.03.08 - 10:14 pm | #
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The awards ceremony after Superbowl XLII honors Eli Manning as MVP for his two 4th quarter passes. The NFL.com has some great video of one of Eli Manning's passes, the 4th quarter pass to David Tyree, just after NYG 10, NE 14 4th quarter 1:15 left.
http://www.nfl.com/videos?catego...lter=super-bowl
Nothing can mask the look of disappointment on Bill Belichick's face after the game, that stuck that way from the field into the locker room. You have to feel for him. His team had the record and was the crowd favorite. Yet the NY Giants, the underdogs, prevailed.
SuperBowl Sunday Blogger | 02.03.08 - 10:50 pm | #
The only thing more annoying than Paultards are the anti-regulation gun nuts. Andrew Austin does a really good job explaining the meaning of the 2nd Amendment.
Read Austin's Freeedom to Reason blog
Well this is new-a government agency, the TSA, has started a blog for people to comment on.
Click here for TSA blog
I encourage everyone to let'em have it.
