Hillary Clinton on Late Show With David Letterman

She's good, I'll give that to her. Very well spoken, and not strident or cold as she's been cast by the opposition. Funny too. I'm impressed.

Tucker Carlson is Still a Twit

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. He proves it toward the end of this video, after recounting his own "Larry Craig moment" in a public restroom. While I will not attempt to defend the behavior of Tucker's assailant (assuming his story is true), reacting with violence is definitely the wrong way to go. As is thinking it's funny, which apparently Tucker, Joe Scarborough and Dan Abrams seem to. Watch:

Karl Rove's Parting Shot

Photo from lowculture.com

"So how might history view the 43rd president? I can hardly be considered an objective observer, but in this highly polarized period, who is?"

That quote is from the man arguably most responsible for this "highly polarized period." There aren't many sane people who will have fond memories of the Turd Blossom, least of all me. My only wish for him is that someday, somehow, he reaps what he has sown. He talks of how Bush will be viewed by history. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever get a full, accurate account of how Rove featured in that historical perspective. But I'm sure he wouldn't fare very well.

[Excerpt]

I believe history will provide a more clear-eyed verdict on this president’s leadership than the anger of current critics would suggest.

President Bush will be viewed as a far-sighted leader who confronted the key test of the 21st century.

He will be judged as a man of moral clarity who put America on wartime footing in the dangerous struggle against radical Islamic terrorism.

Following the horrors of 9/11, this president changed American foreign policy by declaring terror sponsors responsible for the deeds of those they shelter, train, and fund. America, he said, will not wait until dangers fully materialize with attacks on our homeland before confronting those threats. . .

Oh, just make it stop. If you really want to read this crap, be my guest.

"The Long View" at NationalReview.com

DOJ to Investigate Hiring Practices

In retrospect, maybe they should have used this questionnaire when vetting GOP candidates for higher office? I know, it's overly personal in the extreme, but it might keep out the Vitters, Craigs, Foleys. . .and Roves and Giulianis, come to think of it.

[Excerpt]

Justice Department Investigators Probe Hiring Practices

Do you believe in God? Are you gay? Have you cheated on your spouse? What's your position on abortion? Should gays be allowed to marry? Have you contributed to Republican candidates? What kind of conservative are you?

Welcome to Bush's Department of Justice. Those are just some of the questions that investigators think may have been asked during interviews for both career and political positions at the Department over the past three years.

They come from a questionnaire (pdf) sent out from the Department's inspector general and Office of Professional Responsibility. . .

Read on at TPMMuckraker.com

Tony Snow Confirms Departure

Photo from Wikipedia.com

Resignation is in the air, and Tony Snow is not missing that boat. He has said he'd be leaving, and now he's confirmed it. The official story is that he's out of money, not that he is too ill. I hope that is true, but have learned not to trust a word he says, so who knows.

Get well, Tony, but please do retire. Thank you.

[Excerpt]

Bush press secretary Snow to leave post

WASHINGTON - Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, will leave this month to devote time to writing, speaking and playing a more active public role in combating cancer, a disease that he has confronted for three roller-coaster years.

Dana Perino, the principal deputy press secretary, will take Snow's place on Sept. 14, marking the first time that President Bush has assigned a woman as voice of the White House in his administration.

Snow, battling a recurrence of cancer he had hoped was in remission when he became the president's chief spokesman in April 2006, maintained that it is not the disease, but rather a financial burden his work has placed on his family, which is forcing him to leave.

Read more at: ChicagoTribune.com

Senator Larry Craig to Resign

Photo from source, NPR.org

It is predicted by those in the know that Senator Larry Craig will resign tomorrow morning. While this article hedges its bets, the news is all abuzz with speculation, and MSNBC has nearly flat-out said it will happen.

I guess Craig is tired of being a piñata? It's just as well, he'd bend himself into a pretzel trying to pick up the dropped pieces with his left hand, while in a wide stance. . .

[Excerpt]

Will Craig Resign? Answer Awaited Saturday

Embattled Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will announce Saturday what he plans to do in the wake of a chorus of calls from fellow Republicans to step down from the post he has held for 16 years. He has faced increasing pressure to resign in the wake of the news that he was caught in June in an undercover vice operation at the Minneapolis airport.

Dan Whiting, Craig's spokesman, said there would be an announcement Saturday but would not say whether Craig will step down. . .

Read the rest at: NPR.org

Senator Warner to Retire

Photo from source, Reuters.com

At 80 years old, I certainly understand this decision. He'd be 86 at the end of another term. A well deserved rest is in order, from one of the "good" Republicans, at least in estimation.

[Excerpt]

Republican Warner to retire from Senate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, an influential voice in Congress on military policy, said on Friday he would not seek re-election next year -- a decision that complicates party hopes of recapturing Senate control.

Warner, 80, an ex-husband of Elizabeth Taylor who has been in the Senate for 30 years, said he would not run for a sixth six-year term.

"Everything has gone well and I want to express my profound appreciation today for all that so many have done for me," he said during an appearance at the University of Virginia.

Read the rest at Reuters.com

Speculation: Is War With Iran Imminent?

This story is zipping around the blogosphere. It is highly speculative, so it may be much ado about nothing. But I think it is important for there to be a record of this sort of thing before hand. Evidence, if you will, that this was a set up--should it come to pass.

Perhaps if enough people know about it in advance, they won't try to pull it off. But take this for what it is: speculative.

[Excerpt]

Post Labor Day Product Rollout: War with Iran (Cross-posted at DailyKos)!

They [the source's institution] have "instructions" (yes, that was the word used) from the Office of the Vice-President to roll out a campaign for war with Iran in the week after Labor Day; it will be coordinated with the American Enterprise Institute, the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, Commentary, Fox, and the usual suspects. It will be heavy sustained assault on the airwaves, designed to knock public sentiment into a position from which a war can be maintained. Evidently they don't think they'll ever get majority support for this--they want something like 35-40 percent support, which in their book is "plenty."

Read the rest at: ICGA.blogspot.com (and elsewhere)

Followup: Ted Haggard Chastized for Fundraising

Photo from Towleroad.com

Wow, there's something of a perfect storm of gay/I AM NOT GAY! news out there right now. Following up two earlier Ted Haggard stories (here and here), Teddy seems to have gotten himself into a pickle with his "fundraising" letter. Looks like it's time for Plan B. . .

[Excerpt]

Church Overseers Chastise Ted Haggard

Last week, Haggard sent an e-mail to KRDO-TV saying he planned to pursue a master's degree in counseling and also counsel at the Phoenix Dream Center halfway house. He said he and his family would move in to the Dream Center run by Tommy Barnett, who leads the 15,000-member Phoenix First Assembly of God that Haggard now attends.

Haggard, 50, also sought financial support.

New Life overseers released a statement Wednesday saying they told Haggard the e-mail was ''unacceptable.''

''Mr. Haggard's solicitation for personal support was inappropriate,'' the overseers said in their statement. ''It was never the intention of the Dream Center that Mr. Haggard would provide any counsel or other ministry. Mr. Haggard will not be moving in or working with the Dream Center. He will not be doing any ministry. He will be seeking secular employment to support himself and his family,'' the statement said. . .

Read the rest at: NYTimes.com

Hilarious! Avenue Q - Larry Craig Video

Hat tip to Towleroad.com for this video. Yes, the Larry Craig story is being beaten (sorry) to death here and elsewhere, but this is inspired.

Fred Thompson Finally Getting Off the Pot

Photo from source, FireDogLake.com

Fred Thompson, so he says, is finally going to declare his candidacy for President. I was worried when I first heard he might run, primarily because he sounds like Bush, only articulate. Worse than that, he sounds almost reasonable while simultaneously being--in my opinion--wrong.
And if there's anything I believe it is that a Republican should NOT be in the White House the next time around. Time is long past for a change.

I'm feeling less worried as things unfold, however. Fred may be a good actor, and very good at delivering scripted lines, but he's not turning out to be the tsunami I thought he'd be. So run, Fred, run.

[Excerpt]

Thompson to Enter 2008 Race Next Week, Tour 3 States

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Former Senator Fred Thompson, after months of flirting with a possible presidential run, will enter the 2008 Republican nomination contest next week with a Sept. 6 Internet announcement and five-day campaign tour through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his organization said today.

The former Tennessee senator, lawyer and lobbyist, who has had a parallel career as a Hollywood movie and television actor, will become the ninth Republican candidate. He consistently ranks among the top three contenders in polls of Republican voters, behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and ahead of or even with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

``We enter this campaign in a strong position,'' Bill Lacy, the manager of Thompson's exploratory committee, said in a statement released after a conference call with supporters.

``Conservatives across the country have put together the closest thing to a draft in recent presidential campaign history.''

Read more at: Bloomberg.com

Sen. Larry Craig Story: My Take

Photo from (of all places) McCord Family Association

Up until now, I've posted excerpts, and humorous re-enactments of the Senator Larry Craig (R-Who'd have guessed?) arrest story. It's time for a little commentary.

Most of the pundits and talk-show hosts have squeamishly danced around this issue. They seem shocked that this sort of behavior occurs. They wrongly allude to the "fact" that this is gay behavior. They try to draw comparisons to invalid other scandals, such as Bill Clinton's affair.

Look, here it is, plain and simple. The sort of people that engage in this specific type of behavior tend to be men who do not consider themselves "gay." They're usually married, often have children, and can also be prominent members of society. They just have these urges they don't know what to do with. So, what to do?

They seek anonymous sex, in parks, rest stops, dirty book stores, the gym, and yes public restrooms. The reason should be obvious. Other men in similar circumstances, are also there, and in the case of restrooms, and gyms (and often dirty book stores) are partially or totally naked. Anybody who has ever dated, or looked for a quickie hook-up knows that there are signals and signs that the other person is interested. Once the fish is on the hook, nature takes its course.

Yes, other people exhibit this behavior. Exhibitionists would be one group. Sex addicts too. Even some out gay men are in for the illicit thrill of snagging a "straight" guy. But this is not exclusively a gay thing, it's just that segregated restrooms offer more opportunity for men seeking men. The bushes in the park ensnare all kinds. I can't explain George Michael.

In the case of Sen. Craig, my feeling is that it is the closet that is the problem. He's probably invested a lot of time and energy constructing a heterosexual life. He doesn't see himself as "Jack" on Will & Grace, or "Will" either. So he thinks he's NOT GAY! HE NEVER HAS BEEN GAY! He's fooled himself into thinking his compartmentalized sexual urges are separate from his sexuality. As long as prominent people think there is something wrong with homosexuality, this sort of behavior will continue.

Just my two cents.

Same-sex Marriage Legal in Iowa?

I'm not sure if that's what this ultimately means, but it sure reads that way. I can only think this makes Democratic leaders shudder, given the timing though. So far this political season, the anti-gay thing (except maybe for Senator Craig's sad story) hasn't really reared its head. Will this start a backlash? Check it out:

[Excerpt]

Polk judge rules against gay marriage ban

A Polk County judge on Thursday struck down Iowa's law banning gay marriage.

The ruling by Judge Robert Hanson concluded that the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and he ordered the Polk County recorder to issue marriage licenses to six gay couples.

"This is kind of the American Dream," said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske, of Iowa City. "I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation, I just cannot believe it.

"Camilla Taylor, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a New York-based gay rights organization, said the ruling requires "full equality for all Iowans including gay and lesbian Iowans and their families."

Read more at: DesMoinesRegister.com

More Hannity, More Sen. Craig, More Spin

I've previously covered Sean Hannity, and his unwillingness to "report" on news items that cast a shadow on the GOP. Until the news story gets too big to ignore, that is. On Wednesday's Hannity & Colmes the story was front and center, but amusingly, Hannity tried to downplay it, and change the subject to Clinton and the Democrats.

Everything eventually boils down to that, doesn't it? I did find it amusing to see Sean on the defensive, in a role reversal for him. If Sen. Craig were a Democrat, I'm sure he'd take a completely different tack! Newshounds.us has a blow-by-blow (sorry) account. Take a look.

[Excerpt]

Hannity: Craig “Only Charged” With Tapping His Foot, Peeking In The Partition, Putting His Hands Underneath It And Playing Footsy

Conservative guest Dennis Prager, the radio talk show host [snip] was back on Hannity & Colmes last night (8/29/07) with another far-fetched claim: that family-values Republican Senator Larry Craig’s homosexual acts (assuming he engaged in some) were not hypocrisy. Sean Hannity hilariously insisted that Craig had “only” been charged with “tapping his foot, peeking in, in the partition, putting his hands under and playing footsy.” With video. . .

Read more at Newshounds.us

Blast from the Past: Classic Commercials #2

OK, time for some fun again. Children of the 70s (and more than a few adults) will probably get a chuckle or two and a wistful memory from all of the commercials in this batch of buried memories.

First up: A Pepsi commercial from the early 70s that introduced the concept of the "Pepsi Generation." Sing along! "We're the Pepsi people, feelin' free, feelin' free. . ."

Second: Rival cola maker Coca-cola made big waves (and sales) with this very early 70s commercial, featuring the Hillside Singers. "I'd like to buy the world a Coke. . ."

Third: Brilliant marketing strategy: get your buyers to sing the contents of your sandwich. This McDonald's commercial taught us, "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!" A later commercial challenged you to sing it backwards.

And last, the introduction of reconstituted, dehydrated potato-chip-like snack food, Pringles "Newfangled" Potato Chips. Check out the costumes, hair and sound effects. I do not remember the 70s this way!

GOP Corruptionpalooza (More Larry Craig)

Photo from source, TPMMuckraker.com

An off-shoot site of Joshuah Micah Marshall's popular TalkingPointsMemo blog, TPMMuckraker is a great site to check up on stories that are glossed over on the regular news, or to give background on the stories you only get bullet points on. Highly recommended.

Daily, they have a feature called "Today's Must Read." Wednesday's was particularly good. Here's an excerpt.

[Excerpt]

Today's Must Read

By Paul Kiel - August 29, 2007, 10:04 AM

Jack Abramoff is in prison. Ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) is in prison. Ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) is in prison. Ex-Reps. Mark Foley (R-FL), Katherine Harris (R-FL), Tom DeLay (R-TX), Curt Weldon (R-PA), and Ex-Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), all either lost or did not seek reelection. Gone, away, to be forgotten. This year was supposed to be different for the Republicans. But. . .

As The New York Times notes this morning, scandal has pursued them into 2007. “The real question for Republicans in Washington is how low can you go, because we are approaching a level of ridiculousness,” says one Republican strategist.

So what's the tally this year so far? Well, there is, of course. . .

And to read the long, sordid list, please go to: TPMMuckraker.com

John Edwards on Health Care

This is a video from the John Edwards campaign trail in New Hampshire. The lady asking the question has medical insurance, and has still been put in dire straights. This, as much as the uninsured is a big problem. Insurance is there so that you are not ruined, right?

Anyway, John Edwards, while he may not be at the top of the polls is still my favorite candidate. I'm not with him 100%, but if you're that jazzed about your candidate, you're wearing rose-colored glasses.

Sen. Craig Arrest: Re-enactment on Countdown

MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann often strays toward the silly (thankfully toward the end of the show, usually), but this time they combined the silliness with the news, to great effect. Using the actual police transcript of the arrest of Senator Larry Craig (R-Of Course), they re-enacted the event as a Dragnet episode. Enjoy:

Bush Asks For $50 Billion More

How much money do we have anyway? Good grief, $50B + $460B + $147B? That equals (if I used my calculator right) $657,000,000,000--this year. Is that even possible to continue? If I ever hear some Conservative railing about "their tax dollars" being spent on some project they don't like, I won't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Excerpt]

By Thomas E. Ricks

President Bush plans to ask Congress next month for up to $50 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, a White House official said yesterday, a move that appears to reflect increasing administration confidence that it can fend off congressional calls for a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces.

The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker will assess the state of the war and the effect of the new strategy the U.S. military has pursued this year.

More (with video) at WashingtonPost.com

Greenlee Gazette Welcomes: The World!

I haven't posted one of these in a while, but every so often it's fun to check in and see where the readers are. Sitemeter is an awesome little tool (nestled down in the sidebar to the left) that lets me know how many people are reading, where they live (city only!) and all kinds of other nifty information. For instance, the last hundred visitors:

I'm using the free version right now, but may have to invest in the premium package. I'm getting addicted to the little details. For instance, after a rocking July 4th, this site had a slump in visitors. It picked up a little in August, dropped very low one day, and then moved back up to a slightly higher level. The last three days, I've gotten a spike:

The yellow bars are visitors, and the orange ones are additional pages they clicked once they got here. As you can see, this is no Huffington Post or Drudge Report or anything, but it's a lot larger than the "imaginary readers" I thought I'd have! Thanks, everybody!

More Sen. Craig: Scarborough on Republican Sleaze

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Well, I guess Joe Scarborough would know! He was on the Today Show today, talking about the cloud of sleaze hanging over the GOP (Grand Old Perverts). Also with video. Check it out.

[Excerpt]

Former GOP Congressman: 'Element of sleaze' hangs over the Republican Party

"What's with the Republican Party?" Scarborough wondered aloud. "Perhaps they're more closeted. Perhaps the Republican Party does not allow gay members to win their primaries, so maybe these guys have to live these secret lives. ... I think it comes out in the hypocrisy, mainly, where you have Democrats that will support same-sex marriage. ... There aren't the issues of hypocrisy that follow Republicans around."

Read and watch at: RawStory.com

Hannity Ignores Big Stories

I haven't been home this evening, so this may have been addressed in today's Hannity and Colmes, but it is telling that the program did not address yesterday's two top stories. The program routinely ignores stories that are detrimental to Conservatives, until they can no longer be ignored.

[Excerpt]

Hannity Ignores Stories On Gonzales’ Resignation, Sen. Craig’s Arrest

The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the arrest of Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) dominated yesterday’s news cycle. All three network evening news shows — ABC, CBS, and NBC — covered the stories. Both The New York Times and Washington Post put the Gonzales resignation on the front page, and covered the Craig story.

Yet both reports were largely ignored yesterday by Sean Hannity. On the top of his Fox News show last night, Hannity promised his audience a discussion on Gonzales’s resignation. He began the show by playing the clip of Gonzales’s press conference, adding, “The attorney general resigns. Will this quiet the administration’s critics? All of that, plus the controversy over the new Katie Couric book.”

Read more at ThinkProgress.org

Miss South Carolina Spins as Well as a Politician

I wasn't going to post this, because I thought this girl had been piled upon sufficiently by the blogosphere. But now, she's pretending she was just "nervous" or stunned by the question, which doesn't adequately explain her nonsensical answer.

So, here is the "do over" story:

[Excerpt]

Miss Teen South Carolina makes her mark with flubbed response to geography question

COLUMBIA, South Carolina: A Miss Teen USA contestant is receiving a lot of attention for her confused, mangled response to a pageant question about Americans' knowledge of geography.

Lauren Caitlin Upton, 18, got a chance to redeem herself Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show when she was again asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot locate the United States on a map.

"I would love to re-answer that question," the Miss Teen South Carolina said. "Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. And if the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography."

That was much better than her previous response, a rambling answer that included references to "U.S. Americans" and mentions of South Africa and "the Iraq."

Read more at: IHT.com

And now, the infamous video:

Larry Craig is NOT Gay! He's NEVER Been Gay!

Well, maybe just a little gay. . . As Shakespeare said, "I think the lady doth protest too much."

Jeff Gannon Writes a Book; Self Publishes

Image from source, Examiner.com

Former White House correspondent, faux reporter, Jeff Gannon (aka James Guckert) is back, and he's written a book. He couldn't get it published by a book company, mind you, so he self-published. It isn't a tell-all though, so who the heck would want to read it?

For all you need to know about the reporter, the legend, the man-whore, check out the exhaustive (and not safe for work) link at AmericaBlog.com.

If you're actually interested in his book, here's a little about it.

[Excerpt]

Gannon: 'I'm here. ... Deal with me

It’s been more than two years since Jeff Gannon (birth name: James Dale Guckert) resigned from Talon News, a conservative Web site for which Gannon served as White House correspondent. At the time, some theorized that Gannon was liberally granted press access in order to ask softball questions of White House.

Others were taken aback by nude pictures of Gannon that appeared on male escort service Web pages. A few questioned his lack of journalism education and experience.

Well, Gannon’s back, and he has his claws out. [snip]

“In my mind, I was the most honest reporter [in the White House press corps] because I was absolutely transparent with regards to my [conservative] perspective,” Gannon says. “My work has never been discredited.”

Read more at: Examiner.com

Geek Alert: Heroes Season 2 Premieres Sept. 24

Three words: Can't. Freakin'. Wait.

Gonzales Lied Right Up to the End

How do I know?

This:

A senior administration official said today that Mr. Gonzales, who was in Washington, had called the president in Crawford, Tex., on Friday to offer his resignation. The president rebuffed the offer, but said the two should talk face to face on Sunday.

Followed by this:

As late as Sunday afternoon, Mr. Gonzales himself was denying through his spokesman that he was quitting. The spokesman, Brian Roehrkasse, said Sunday that he telephoned the attorney general about the reports of his imminent resignation “and he said it wasn’t true — so I don’t know what more I can say.”

Both from: NYTimes.com

(Photo from source)

Fraud Whistleblowers in Iraq Being Punished

This is just. . .wow. I don't know what to say. This is just one source, I'm going to see if I can find others, and if I do, I'll post updates to this post. If this story is on the up-and-up, it's just shocking. [Ed.: Update at bottom of post]

[Excerpt]

Those who blow whistle on contractor fraud in Iraq face penalties

One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted.

Or worse.

For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

There were times, huddled on the floor in solitary confinement with that head-banging music blaring dawn to dusk and interrogators yelling the same questions over and over, that Vance began to wish he had just kept his mouth shut.

He had thought he was doing a good and noble thing when he started telling the FBI about the guns and the land mines and the rocket-launchers - all of them being sold for cash, no receipts necessary, he said. [snip]

For his trouble, he says, he got 97 days in Camp Cropper, an American military prison outside Baghdad that once held Saddam Hussein, and he was classified a security detainee. . .

Much more at: NewsPress.com

UPDATE: When I originally linked to the story, I hadn't noticed that it was from the AP. It has also been covered at Forbes.com, ThinkProgress.org, and an editorial responding to the story at DecaturDaily.com. Looks like it's a real story. And it's from August 24th, so I wonder why it hasn't been big news? Or did I just miss it?

Steven Weber at Huffington Post: Ocean's 43

Photo from StevenWeber.net

My favorite blogger at HuffingtonPost.com (closely followed by Arianna herself), as I've said before, is actor Steven Weber. He has another great post up, summing up the Bush Administration as a Hollywood Movie.

[Excerpt]

Ocean's 43

If only W was as prepossessing as Clooney or as nattily attired, then even the growing disgruntled mass that wants his guts for garters would be forgiving, as the public always is with homegrown scalawags, even ones that rape, stomp, throttle and bitch slap Democracy the way he and his band of slick grifters have.

Oh, it was sweet, this one. They researched the hell out of it for decades, patiently watching the behavior, noting the patterns, seeding the grassroots, rehearsing it over and over and over---and baby, PULLED. IT. OFF.

Read the rest at HuffingtonPost.com

Freepers Get it Wrong (Suprise) on Sex Scandal

Image from Wikipedia.com

I know I've harped on this a lot, but it bears repeating. FreeRepublic.com, one of the leading right-leaning blogs, is a haven for uninformed, juvenile homophobes. They have other negative qualities too, but those are at the top of my list.

In regard to the latest GOP sex scandal (another gay one), the wingnuts over at FR are working themselves into yet another anti-gay lather. Believe me, it doesn't even take a scandal of this scope to get them worked up. And they get so bent out of shape about the wrong issues.

You see, they seem to think the behavior of Sen. Craig is typical of gay people in general. No, you idjits, it is closeted, married gay people who behave this way!

Anyway, to educate and inform, I offer these comments on the first thread they've posted on the matter, in case you think I'm too hard on them. With editorial commentary by me.

FR: Dems have this strange deal with sex. When it involves themselves they say it's not important, but when it involves Republicans it's explosive.

GG: No, it is the hypocrisy, stupid! This guy is for "traditional family values." He votes to prevent same-sex marriage. He allegedly wants to "protect marriage."

FR: He pleaded guilty, something dems never do. He should step down immediately.

GG: Sure, he pleaded guilty, and then said he was innocent. That takes cojones.

FR: Bawny Fwank can diddle anyone he wants but a republican does it and it’s front page news...?

GG: Bringing up Barney Frank (while disparaging his speech impediment) is pretty weak. Frank did have a sex scandal years ago--alleged against a roommate and not himself--and the Republicans made plenty of hay about it.

FR: Another GOP pansy in the Senate. Good Riddance.

GG: Pansy? Is it 1952?

FR: Seems homos target ALL US airports for there sick hook-ups.

GG: You bet. Everyone knows that the Crown Room at LaGuardia is the gay spot in New York.

Anyway, it goes on like that (and on, and on, and on). Read on, if you can stomach it:

Senator Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom

UPDATE: Some time after this post, AmericaBlog.com posted a longer and more comprehensive version. I have gotten many ideas from AmericaBlog, but this wasn't one of them! In any event, here's their take: Freepers bleat about Larry Craig

Musical Chairs on the Titanic: Chertoff and Johnson

I reported yesterday (before the news of Alberto Gonzales' resignation) that DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff was being floated as a possible replacement. There have now been rumors that Bush crony Clay Johnson may replace Chertoff at DHS. There is much scuttlebutt that these names are only being floated to make the ultimate choices seem better by comparison. We can only hope.

[Excerpt]

CNN: Bush Plans To Install Inexperienced, Bush Loyalist Clay Johnson At Homeland Security

This morning, CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux reported that “very senior level sources” inside the administration are telling her that Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff will replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Additionally, these sources say Chertoff will be replaced at Homeland Security by Clay Johnson III, the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget. . .

Read the rest, and watch the clip at: ThinkProgress.org

Yet Another GOP Gay Sex Scandal!

Photo from Wikipedia.com

What is with this tidal wave of GOP sex scandals? And why are the majority of them married men in gay sex scandals? They also all tend to be big supporters of banning same-sex marriage, and "protecting" traditional marriage. Protecting them from what, getting found out?

It is true that Democrats have been busted for "illicit" sex, but they're not out there braying about "teh gay," and then doing it in private! Amazingly, this guy pleaded guilty, and still maintains his innocence. Read all about it. . .

[Excerpt]

Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.

Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.

A spokesman for Craig described the incident as a “he said/he said misunderstanding,” and said the office would release a fuller statement later Monday afternoon.

After he was arrested, Craig, who is married, was taken to the Airport Police Operations Center to be interviewed about the lewd conduct incident, according to the police report. At one point during the interview, Craig handed the plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified him as a U.S. Senator and said, “What do you think about that?” the report states. . .

Read it all at: RollCall.com

Top 10 Conservative Idiots - August 27, 2007

Image from source, DemocraticUnderground.com

Always good. Check it out.

[Excerpt]

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 305August 27, 2007Wham, Bam, Thank You Nam EditionThis week George W. Bush (1) suggests that we should still be fighting the Vietnam War, The Bush Administration (2) is sending mixed messages to the Iraqi government, and Fred Thompson (4) is loafing around in Iowa. Elsewhere, Melanie Morgan (5), the Family Research Council (6) and Ted Nugent (7) lay out their plan for a united America. (It involves stomping on U.S. troops, comparing homosexuals to corpses, and shooting Democrats.)

Top Ten Conservative Idiots at Democratic Underground

Hillary Clinton Has Her Work Cut Out for Her

Photo from Wikipedia.com

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, Americans seem to have one of two opinions: love her or hate her. I fall into an apparently rare category: general indifference. Prior to her campaign for President, I had no real emotional response to her at all. Once she started campaigning, and I saw her in person, I became more and more impressed, and was surprised by my reaction.

But there is a large swath of America who hates her with the passion of a thousand white-hot suns. Curiously, when questioned, people with this opinion tend to be very vague in their reasons. It's just a "feeling." "She wants power" is one quote I got from a Republican friend. Well, which candidate for President does not? Al Gore doesn't, I guess, but he's not running.

I can tell you why she's impressed me. She commands the room. She's articulate, smart, funny and polished. She knows what she's talking about, and appeals to both reason and emotion. When she modulates her voice, she's pleasant to listen to. But, boy, when she doesn't--as Stephanie Miller often says, she sounds like the aliens in Mars Attacks!

Unsurprisingly, she has a lot of people that are "out to get her," as you'll see in the following story.

[Excerpt]

Vast army of 'Hillary haters' has claws out

DALLAS - Richard Collins, a wealthy Texas philanthropist, businessman and political aficionado, heaps praise on the woman he has set out to destroy, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

"She looks like a winner," said Collins, sitting in his high-rise office with sweeping views of the city. "She's run a good campaign, very consistent, no mistakes.

"But make no mistake about it: Collins is just one in a vast army of professional "Hillary haters" who are banking on Clinton becoming the Democratic nominee. Like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in the 2004 election who denigrated John Kerry's military service in Vietnam, Collins and others are searching for just the thing that will crystallize the way voters think and feel about her.

And not in a good way. . .

Read more at: ChicagoTribune.com

This comment from the article (regarding documents that Clinton should have allegedly provided, but didn't) shows what political blindness can do to you:

"She's hiding something. This is classic Clinton sleaze," said Collins, who describes himself as a mainstream Republican and says he has Democratic friends who don't like her either. "This sort of thing is the defining character issue that will cause her to lose."

President Bush and his administration has been one of the most secretive administrations in history. They routinely deny requests--even under subpoena--for documents. And if you read any of the top Conservative blogs, you'll see that they back Bush implicitly on that issue. Just FYI.

Terror Watch List: Excessive and Ineffective?

Image from source, RawStory.com

Well this is no surprise. When you get unfettered access to voluminous information, reviewing it all proves to be too large a task. Reason, logic and truth may prove to be problematic when running a campaign, but maybe it ought to be used in policy?

[Excerpt]

Terrorist watch list ineffective, prone to misuse, say privacy advocates

Questions have arisen over the United States government's use of its terrorist screening database, reports the Washington Post today.

While the database "flagged" people as suspected terrorists about 20,000 times in 2006, few were arrested or barred from entering the country as a result of being on the list.

Gathering data from an increasing number of resources, including airline data, government agencies use the database in situations such as a traffic stop or a border crossing. While the government has proven secretive on the individuals in the database and the data it has amassed, there are plans to share the data with "private sector groups."

Read the rest at: RawStory.com

Swapping Gonzales with Chertoff?

Chertoff, everybody's favorite Bush lackey, is rumored to be replacing Alberto Gonzales. Will we notice a difference?

[Entire article--it's short]

Maybe Trading Up Soon at Justice
August 24, 2007 06:02 PM ET

The buzz among top Bushies is that beleaguered Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally plans to depart and will be replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Why Chertoff? Officials say he's got fans on Capitol Hill, is untouched by the Justice prosecutor scandal, and has more experience than Gonzales did, having served as a federal judge and assistant attorney general.

Source: US News and World Report

Bill Moyers vs. Karl Rove & Chris Wallace

Last week, on FOX "News" Sunday, Chris Wallace interviewed Karl Rove regarding his departure from the Bush Administration. In that interview, Rove was asked about comments made by PBS' Bill Moyers, regarding Rove's alleged agnosticism. Rove of course denied that he was agnostic, said that he was a practicing Christian, and took a pretty nasty swipe at Moyers' credibility.

Today, on FOX "News" Sunday, Chris Wallace did a follow-up editorial, also dissing Moyers (there should have been a howling, spitting cat sound effect to go with it). Moyers claimed to have four sources alleging Rove's lack of religion. Wallace wagged a finger, and said a "real reporter" would go to the source.

Maybe so--ordinarily. But in this case, the source has every reason to lie, and has shown a spectacular talent for it. Outside sources are just as important in reporting, in my opinion, and Wallace shouldn't talk. He may be a reporter (I haven't seen evidence), but how many of the talking heads at FOX "News" could actually be called "reporters?"

Here is a link to what lead to this little spat, a fascinating and entertaining read, if you like the behind-the-scenes stuff: PBS Ombudsman Responds to "My Fellow Texan" at PBS.org.

For more commentary on the story, go to: Claiming He Failed ‘Reporting 101,’ Wallace Attacks Moyers To Defend Rove at ThinkProgress.org.

FOX "News" Latest Atrocity: Red Eye

The 1/2 Hour News Hour may have been cancelled, but another effort into right-wing comedy by FOX "News" is the very strange Red Eye, which they started around the same time. In another blatant steal from Newshounds.us, I offer a representation of what FOX "News" views as comedy. It's pretty bad.

The Worthlessness of Hannity, Colmes Pending

A while back, I wrote a diatribe entitled "The Worthlessness of Hannity & Colmes." Let me revise that. Occasionally, Colmes does fire back, and below is video proof that he can actually show some spine.

This video is in reference to rabid right-winger (and insane nut-job) Ted Nugent's appalling rant against various Democrats.

This is a rare occasion, where Sean Hannity's carefully controlled persona is assailed, and he's powerless to do anything about it. Enjoy (I did).



And for a little background, and commentary, go to: Hannity Pummeled On His Hypocrisy Over Ted Nugent at Newshounds.us.

Behind the Blogger, Part Eight: The Weight Thing

From time to time, I've been posting a few personal posts here, giving a little background on me, the editor. This one is my least favorite.

I posted earlier about a minor medical issue (Sicko! This Time it's Personal). This little event brought up a bigger one. You see, a nurse forced me to step on the scale, giving me a startling revelation. I'm not just festively plump, or carrying a little extra weight, I'm FAT.

Photo from IMDB.com

The damned thing told me I weighed 180 pounds. A personal worst. At 5' 8½" (don't forget the half!), any weight chart will tell you that sneaks right up on obese. Good grief. Now, to be fair, I had all of my personal possessions on me at the time, my clothes, shoes, glasses, phone, wallet, keys, paperwork, money, watch. I didn't have the luxury of wearing my lightest clothes, and going pee before my weigh-in.

But I figure at most that covers 5 or 6 pounds (and that figure may be wishful thinking). That still puts me at fat. My normal weight--meaning when I wasn't watching it, ate anything I wanted, and wasn't exercising--used to hover between 150 and 155. I guess now that I'm 41, that figure has floated upward.

Unfortunately, since they put me on Cipro, I'm advised not to exercise! How 'bout that, an excuse not to exercise when I need it the most! So, after the Cipro is gone, I've got to get serious. Apparently, exercise while on Cipro can lead to tendons suddenly detaching. Yikes!

So, what to do? I could try Atkins--it's worked in the past--but the "low carb" food items have disappeared as the diet has lost favor. I intend to get back to the gym, but I fear that this time it is going to take more than that.

And what better time to start dieting than leading into the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's rush that the calendar is going to thrust upon us (faster than we'd think)? So here we go on the dieting yo-yo.

Wanda Sykes on Gay Marriage

Not a new clip, but an always relevant one. Very good, very funny, and absolutely true.

WARNING: Strong Language

9/11 Questions Remain

Photo from Wikipedia.com

In the earlier days of my blog, I posted a topic on 9/11 conspiracy theories. As I said back then, I don't buy them all, but I'm also not content with the "official" explanation. It turns out I'm not the only one.

Here is a great article from a reporter that has problems with the offical story too.

[Excerpt]

Robert Fisk: Even I question the 'truth' about 9/11

Each time I lecture abroad on the Middle East, there is always someone in the audience – just one – whom I call the "raver". Apologies here to all the men and women who come to my talks with bright and pertinent questions – often quite humbling ones for me as a journalist – and which show that they understand the Middle East tragedy a lot better than the journalists who report it. But the "raver" is real. He has turned up in corporeal form in Stockholm and in Oxford, in Sao Paulo and in Yerevan, in Cairo, in Los Angeles and, in female form, in Barcelona. No matter the country, there will always be a "raver".

His – or her – question goes like this. Why, if you believe you're a free journalist, don't you report what you really know about 9/11? Why don't you tell the truth – that the Bush administration (or the CIA or Mossad, you name it) blew up the twin towers? Why don't you reveal the secrets behind 9/11? The assumption in each case is that Fisk knows – that Fisk has an absolute concrete, copper-bottomed fact-filled desk containing final proof of what "all the world knows" (that usually is the phrase) – who destroyed the twin towers. Sometimes the "raver" is clearly distressed. One man in Cork screamed his question at me, and then – the moment I suggested that his version of the plot was a bit odd – left the hall, shouting abuse and kicking over chairs. [snip]

But – here we go. I am increasingly troubled at the inconsistencies in the official narrative of 9/11. It's not just the obvious non sequiturs: where are the aircraft parts (engines, etc) from the attack on the Pentagon? Why have the officials involved in the United 93 flight (which crashed in Pennsylvania) been muzzled? Why did flight 93's debris spread over miles when it was supposed to have crashed in one piece in a field? Again, I'm not talking about the crazed "research" of David Icke's Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster – which should send any sane man back to reading the telephone directory. . .

Read the rest at: News.Independent.Co.UK

Movies I Can't Wait to See: Wonder Woman

Image from Wikipedia.com

Photo from DC-on-film.com

Firestorm, Shazam, Metal Men and now Wonder Woman. Are you sensing a theme here? Yes, I grew up a comics nut, specifically a DC Comics nut. But, DC's slate of superhero movies has been a bit spotty.

There have been three great Superman movies (Superman, Superman II and Superman Returns), and one great Batman movie (Batman Begins). A few were OK (Superman III, Swamp Thing, Batman, Batman Returns). And many were either bad (Swamp Thing 2, Catwoman, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace), or so bad they're good (Supergirl, mostly for Faye Dunaway).

One shot at redemption could be Wonder Woman. She's been around in various incarnations for close to seventy years after all. The source material alone should lend itself to a good script. But even DC didn't always know what to do with Wonder Woman. She's been ret-conned so many times, it's hard to know which version would be best to use.

Then there's the costume. Would they go with the 40s skirt? The granny panties, and lace-up ballet slippers? The eagle or the "WW"? Tiara with one point or two? Flexible fabric, or lethally pointy metal belt? And of course there's the classic Lynda Carter era bathing suit look.

And with Lynda Carter, you have the biggest dilemma of all. She was statuesque, beautiful, conveyed innocence and strength at the same time, and she turned out to be a decent actress to boot. She is also the image most Americans have of Wonder Woman. She's a hard act to follow. The 70s Wonder Woman TV show may have been a formulaic drama, hopelessly stuck in its era, but Lynda Carter overshadows all that. And she'll potentially overshadow the movie as well.

So casting is probably the biggest obstacle they'll have to overcome. Did Lynda Carter have a daughter, by any chance?

For information on the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, keep your eyes on Wonder Woman at IMDB.com

Bill Maher: New Rules (New Season)

[Part three of a quickie posting session]

The new season of Real Time with Bill Maher primiered on HBO last night, and here is the first list of "New Rules" for the season. Enjoy:

South Park: Faith +1

[Part two of a few quickie posts]

CNN aired a few religiously-themed specials this week that were among the highest-rated cable news programs of the week. They were quite enlightening, and also very disturbing. On that note, in an outstanding parody of religious music, Eric Cartman sings the songs of "Faith +1"!

Daily Show: Magical History Tour

As much of my day has been taken up by computer headaches, and I'm going to be away for a chunk of the evening, I'm going to post a few quick posts. These are easy to post, but relevant to my blog, so enjoy.

Jon Stewart on the President's jumbled war message:

AOL Hell Continues

My last report was overly optimistic. After having to force the software to shut down after it got stuck in a "Not Responding" mode, I tried to restart. Nothing.

I'm giving them one more chance. I'm going to download the regular version of AOL (non-beta), and see if that works. If it has the same problem, I may finally just give up on AOL all together.

It's a shame. I've been with them for probably a dozen years, and I really enjoy the interface more than Internet browsers. But the headaches have been growing since the program went free, and if their software won't even work, why should I give myself another migraine trying to fix it?

UPDATE: After downloading the regular AOL VR program, I'm still unable to use the software, without disabling all firewalls. The pragmatist in me says "ditch the program," like I've said before. But the tinkerer in me doesn't want to give up, and be defeated! So, I'm going to slog through this a little while longer.

UPDATE II: I believe I've found the solution. I've uninstalled all hint of McAfee from my system, have reverted to the Windows firewall, and installed the free AVG virus checker. All seems to be well! So instead of dumping AOL--at least for now--I've dumped McAfee.

I Hate Technical Support

Yes, there, I've said it. I hate technical support. Whether from trained call centers, or from message boards, I have found their advice relatively useless.

They start every attempt first as though you're an idiot, and are looking at a computer for the first time. After you've established your "cred" as an experienced computer user, they take a slightly better approach. But have you ever noticed that whatever your problem is, they've never heard of it before?

They ask if you've defragged, they ask if you've deleted your cache or your temporary Internet files. At this point, if it is a problem that I'm sure is on their end, I'll say, "stop, this is not an isolated problem. I know others who've had it, I have it on at least two computers, what is the solution?" Usually, I get nothing usable from these sorts of interactions, and through bumbling and fumbling find the answer myself.

Unfortunately, because I've tried a dozen things, I'm never quite sure what I did to fix it!

I will try to get back to regular posts here in a little while. I'm still working on the computer problem. Also, I have a dinner engagement, so most posts will likely be later this evening.

FOX "News": A Bias Report

Image by Editor

Photo from FoxNews.com

I've written about NewsHounds.us before, and even excerpted from them on occasion. Their motto is "We watch FOX, so you don't have to." And their mission is to expose the right-wing bias, and other outrageousness on FOX "News." Their logo should be McGruff the Crime Dog, except modified to take a bite out of FOX.

Anyway, I have had FOX "News" on for a while today for noise (if there's one thing it's good for, it's that). As I listened to the chatter, I started to notice something, even without my full attention on the TV. The program that was on FoxOnline, is ostensibly a news show (not commentary) with a tie-in toward the Internet. While I didn't notice much focus at all on the Internet, I did start to hear a lot of editorializing from the host, Julie Banderas.

So, as the NewsHounds do, I took a couple of notes. At 11:18 am, Julie was talking about rapper DMX, and his being involved in dog fighting. Her tone, in an interview with an "expert" showed unmasked disgust, and she actually called him a "scumbag."

At 11:26, in a short segment on Iraq, she was analyzing a Hillary Clinton comment about a new terrorist attack being advantageous to Republicans. Julie said (paraphrasing), wait, I thought that there not having been a terrorist attack was a strength for Republicans. Now, if there is a terrorist attack, it benefits Republicans, instead of that we're not doing something right?

In the first example, while DMX very well may be a scumbag, this isn't news, it's editorializing. In the second example, I highlighted "we're" because--unless I completely misinterpreted--Julie either considers herself, FOX "News", FOX viewers, or all of the above to be Republicans. I wish I had the real quote, but I was jotting with a pencil, and I never learned shorthand.

My point is, Conservatives often point to left-leaning bias and editorializing on other stations as proof of a "liberal media." Liberals often point out that FOX "News" is much more guilty of this sort of bias (right-leaning). In their defense, they point to Alan Colmes as "balance," and claim that only the commentary shows (Hannity & Colmes, O'Reilly Factor) are biased.

I contend that their "straight news" shows are just as biased, in story selection, editorializing, and general tone. You could not come away from Fox Online without sensing a right-wing tilt.

UPDATE: While I was typing, the subject changed to the CBS show Kid Nation a "Lord of the Flies" type reality show with just kids. The guests used to discuss it were former (disgruntled) kid star Paul Peterson, and Apprentice villain, Omarosa. Neither seemed to really know what they were talking about, but they were saying it passionately! This is news?

Ted Haggard's Help Fund a Fraud? New Details

Photo from Wikipedia.com

One of my favorite blogs, AmericaBlog, has a post up from one of my favorite columnists, Dan Savage. It regards Ted Haggard, who I wrote about recently, having set up a charitable fund to help he and his family freeload ahem, make a living. It turns out that the charitible fund is probably bogus, and run by another perv. I'm sure you're shocked. Here is the link to the original article:

[Excerpt]

Ted Haggard, as we learned today on Colorado Confidential, wants you to pay for his and his wife’s living expenses while they go to college—they’re destitute, you see. (Colorado Confidential reports that the Haggards currently own a house in Colorado Springs valued at close to a three quarters of a million dollars.) In an open letter sent to Haggard’s gullible “supporters,” the disgraced preacher gives two addresses where money can be sent. Checks can be sent to Haggard’s mailing address in Phoenix or, if a supporter needs a tax deduction, checks can be sent to Families With a Mission, a charity based in Colorado Springs.[snip]

As posted earlier, local attorney and Slog reader Dave Coffman located documents on file with the Colorado Secretary of State that showed Families With a Mission “voluntarily dissolved” on February 23, 2007.

Hm. Weird—who knew you could get a tax deduction from dissolved charity?

Read lots more at: SlogTheStranger.com

And read AmericaBlog.com's typically spot-on analysis here: Haggard, Families With a Mission, and the sex offender

Ted Nugent (and His Fans) Are Insane

Need proof? This ought to do it:

What is "Pro Life" Anyway?

This subject occurred to me, totally apropos of nothing, completely separate (as far as I know) from anything in the news this weekend. It's certainly not an original thought, but one I've never seen answered adequately.

Namely, why is it that people who consider themselves "pro life" are only actually pro life as it occurs in very narrow circumstances? As far as I know, the only "life" they seem to be concerned with is 1) fetal life, 2) persistent vegetative-state life, and 3) stem cell blastocyst life.

The pro life group seems to be, in contradiction to their name, 1) pro war, 2) pro death penalty, 3) pro guns, and 4) unconcerned with what happens to babies who were not aborted--they just don't want any tax dollars to go to them. They also tend to be against universal health care, which should surely be covered by the "pro life" banner, if anything should.

To clarify my position, as a gay man, I have no dog in the abortion fight, and never will. So I don't get overly animated about the issue. The people who do, however, on the pro life side, seem to be the very same people who are also against gay rights issues. I guess we aren't "life" either.

The point is, how can we expect honesty and consistency out of our politicians, when we can't even get it out of voters. The pro life crowd is probably only one group of many different constituencies that is all over the map on issues they think they're consistent on. In my opinion, we as citizens need to start thinking of "life" and everything else as more than just bumper-sticker slogans. We need to start thinking, period.

End of rant.

Classic TV Themes: Spinoff Showcase

A break from politics, and snarky commentary is in order. And if you thought I'd scraped the bottom of the barrel for the "classic" 70s and 80s nuggets lodged in my brain, you'd be wrong.

The ultimate safe-bet/surefire-fail paradox in TV programming is the spinoff. Usually, they make a big splash, only to fade away (see #1, #3 and especially #2), but sometimes they outlive their parent, in both longevity and in popularity (#4).

#1 - Mork & Mindy - Spun off from Happy Days. This is the extended version of season two's opening (rarely seen on TV today). Season two just about killed the show, after a stellar first year. They changed time slots and most of the cast. Hey, good going.

#2 - Joanie Loves Chachi - Also spun off (and back onto) Happy Days. Very popular at first, then *poof!* I guess it was especially successful in some Latin-American countries Korea, where "Chachi" is reportedly slang for "penis." This particular video has some especially snarky exposition, alleging that the clip will induce suicide. So be careful!

#3 - Rhoda - Spun off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Very popular, until Rhoda got married, then sank in the ratings. And poor Valerie Harper--an underrated comic talent--never really got that next big break.

#4 - The Facts of Life - Spun off from the abysmal Diff'rent Strokes, this show may have been slightly vapid, but hey, it had George Clooney for a while! And that hobbit guy's brother!

Relive the magic. . .