Photo of the Day (Part Two): Protesting the Protesters!

Now this is freakin' funny!

Source: TowleRoad

Frivolity Break: Surprised Kitty

Because, just awwwwwww. . .

Photo of the Day: Karl Rove & a Devil Monkey!

This one is posted especially for my friend and some-time contributor, Stupid Monkey Planet. He knows why. As for the rest of you, sorry for the gruesome imagery!



Found at: Joe.My.God.

2010 California Marriage Protection Act

Vote "Yes!" It's time those protect marriage folks put their money where their mouths are.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Afghanistan

I get really annoyed when I read that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow are "lapdogs" for the Obama Administration. As a regular viewer of both, I know the assertion is not true. It is clear that those who level such charges--FOX "News" fans, almost exclusively--either don't watch, or just enjoy making stuff up. Case in point, Countdown with Keith Olbermann's most recent "Special Comment" on the President's upcoming announcement on Afghanistan.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Happy Monday Back at Work!

Yeah, the big 4-day food-fest weekend is over. Back on the diets! Back to work! And back to blogging for me. Unfortch, I haven't been able to find much that interests me. So why not something funny? Something we can imagine happening to us. It's funny 'cause it isn't me!

Canadian Version of Daily Show Punks Sarah Palin

I found this at AmericaBlog, where Sarah Palin has been dubbed "stupid" for falling for this prank. Far be it for me to argue with my blogfather, John Aravosis, but this doesn't make her stupid. This makes her ignorant. But she's stupid too, so, po-tay-to/po-tah-to.

Sunday Frivolity: Mormon Erotica!

Okay, last day of the big four-day weekend already. For all this talk of unemployment, and "people just not looking for work," I kinda get it. I like the part of the week where I don't have to work! Of course, I also like to eat and pay the bills. Oh well.

Blogging has been extremely light the past couple of days, ironically, since I have been home more and have had more time. So, this post has no real relevance to anything. I'm posting it because I think it's funny. "Mormon" and "erotica" aren't words a lot of people would put together. But they should! In fact, this video doesn't go far enough in my opinion. The first time I opened a book of Mormon, I was sort of astonished how much the paintings inside looked like they could be romance novel covers. GAY romance novel covers!

Twitter Produces Billboard Hilarity

And by "hilarity," I am of course referring to the dark comedy variety. Because of course, rape is rarely funny. Very rarely. So please understand, the humor portion of this post has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual news item being reported, but rather the juxtaposition of said news item with the news team featured alongside it. Got it? Good.

TVNewser's Billboard of the Week


Mobile, Alabama's WPMI-TV learns the consequences of posting your breaking news tweets on an electronic billboard.



Source: TVNewser

It's Back! The "War on Christmas"

In my cursory readings of the goings on in news and whatnot, I've already stumbled into a few stories on the bogus FOX "News"- fueled "War on Christmas." Since this is still officially a holiday weekend, and my brain is still saturated with too much turkey and wine, here is a rant from my earlier blogging days. . .

ORIGINAL POST:

Let me first say that "the War on Christmas" is a ridiculous myth that is only believed by drooling, mouth-breathing FOX-heads. It's stupid, sooooo stupid, and yet every year they get energized by it. The very fact that "Christians" are all up in arms because the holiday of Christmas is not commercial enough, is part of the stupid.

Let me lay this out for you, Christmas Warriors: "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons' Greetings" are not a new invention. They've been around for decades, possibly over a century. People who say these phrases and print them on cards, packaging and advertising are not trying to insult anybody. They're not trying to denigrate your religious beliefs or anyone else's. It's a nice thing to say, and is universally relayed with the best of intentions. You taking offense is stupid.

Get this through your thick skulls. Christmas is one day. Two if you count Christmas Eve. It makes no sense to be wishing people "Merry Christmas" from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons' Greetings" are nice catch-all phrases that not only spare you from having to guess your intended's religious holiday beliefs, the phrases cover: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, not to mention Advent, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Chanukah. It's not a freaking war on Christmas.

Christmas is the most over-celebrated, over-prepared for, over-abundant holiday there is. The fact that any sane person thinks it is somehow under attack; in some sort of danger of being cancelled; or somehow not celebrated enough is stupid.

Stupid/Crazy Convergence: Palin & Bachmann Tea Party Rally

Image from source, Think Progress

We've endured a lot of crazy and a lot of stupid in American politics lately. As if the whole tea bagger movement didn't have enough already, apparently they're going to have a rally headlined by Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann. This harmonic convergence of crazy and stupid could very well annihilate the universe!

[Excerpt]

Bachmann and Palin to unite for Tea Party convention.

Sarah Palin will star as the keynote speaker at next February’s First National Tea Party Convention, which will take place in Nashville, TN. Also attending: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). . .

Source: Think Progress

Random Thoughts. . .

We're knee-deep in holiday weekend, and the blogging inspiration still isn't there for me. I had two Thanksgiving dinners (Part I: The Beginning, and Part II: The Revenge), followed by an amazingly uncomfortable attempt at sleep, and awakening to a scratchy throat and general achiness! Hazzah!

Anyway, while I don't have a topic in mind for a blog post, I did have some free-association, Larry King-like thoughts rattling through my brain last night. Let's see if I remember any of them. . .

Greenlee Gazette's Random Thoughts (post-Thanksgiving digestion edition):

- Early morning "Black Friday" shoppers are weird. I thought all you hyper-Christmas fans got your shopping done months ago.

- Liberals aren't "scared" of Sarah Palin. We are scared that a large enough percentage of Americans will nominate and/or elect an unqualified, ignorant, ex-beauty queen wack-job to be President. And I ain't talking about Carrie Prejean.

- If you leave turkey leftovers out on the edge of a table, and you have a table-height dog running around, he will eat all the turkey. And it isn't his fault!

- Computer death, and the loss of your files really isn't much of a tragedy. Unless you have precious photos with no backups, priceless gallies of text for your memoirs/novel, or some other desperately valuable thing saved in your hard drive--and only on your hard drive--losing your data is really no big deal. I'm quickly finding that a clean reinstall is worth the hassle of putting back your old programs, and tweaking your settings back to how they used to be. Because hours of fussing and fretting, and downloading "fixes" and trying virtual CPR is often not worth the time and effort.

- Trying to avoid a cold or the flu when living with someone who is sick, is rather pointless. Go ahead, try to keep the remote controls, faucet handles, door knobs, telephones and pets germ free or untouched by sicky and healthy. Unless you're OCD, the only thing that will save you is a strong immune system. And while we're on the topic. . .

- I ain't buying that Vitamin C, zinc and Air-bourne will stop a cold or flu in its tracks if you "catch it" fast enough. Bull pucky. If you're gonna be sick, you're gonna be sick. I'm not saying those things will hurt you, but I don't believe they help much--if at all--either.

- A house feels 50% cleaner if the kitchen is clean and the beds are made. Not so good with the bed making, but once the kitchen is cleaned up, I feel so much better. Ours is a disaster at the moment, and I don't even wanna go in there.

- On a long weekend, sleeping in, and then staying in your pajamas into the afternoon can be a great thing. On the other hand, getting up early, getting your coffee, getting cleaned up and dressed before it's even 9:00am can also be a great thing: "look how much DAY I have left!" Remember, in the winter, if you don't get moving until afternoon, you've got like 2 or 3 hours of light before it is dark again!

Still Giving Thanks

Image from source, Think Progress

Hey, everybody. I hope you're all having a great holiday weekend. On this end, there is much to be thankful for, and other things not so much. The Other Half is coming down with a cold, and I fear I may be too. But I'm off to a friend's for Thanksgiving II: The Sequel. And I'm not much in the mood for blogging. I'm in good company, as there aren't many readers (or other bloggers) today doing all that much.

I did find a great Thanksgiving-themed post at Think Progress, and that will have to do for my sum-total of blog posts for the day. Enjoy, and have a great weekend.

[Excerpt]

27 Reasons To Give Thanks

We’re thankful President Obama is thinking long and hard about committing more troops and money to Afghanistan.

We’re thankful President Bush feels liberated now.

We’re (not) thankful Dick Cheney has elected to move from his undisclosed location to the media spotlight. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Best Thanksgiving Episode EVER: WKRP in Cincinnati: Turkeys Away!

I have a lot of Thanksgiving themed clips (reruns!) below, but I've saved the best for last.

One of the best episodes of the always-classic WKRP in Cincinnati has to be the Thanksgiving episode, "Turkeys Away!" If you loved it then, you'll love it now. And if you are too young to remember WKRP, see what you've been missing. . .

A Simpsons Thanksgiving Prayer

More reruns!

This is a clip from a Thanksgiving episode of The Simpsons. No holiday would be complete without a cheeky reference from Homer and family.

Friends: Thanksgiving with Brad Pitt

More reruns!

Friends had some great Thanksgiving episodes. This is the one with Jennifer Aniston's then-husband Brad Pitt as an ugly duckling old friend of Ross.

A Roseanne Thanksgiving

Holidays are always a time for reruns. So here's one I ran last year!

And heck, why not, an episode of Roseanne. I think they did a Thanksgiving themed episode every year, and it always reminded me of my family. This is part 1, but the other parts are available at the end of the clip. Enjoy.

Creepy Photo of the Day: Palin vs. Palin

Pod people!!! Just kidding. This is an actual photo from Sarah Palin's Facebook page. Gaahhhh. . .

Dana Perino: No Terrorist Attack During Bush's Term

Except for that one big one. And the anthrax. Geez. . .

Perino: "We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term"

Thanksgiving Frivolity Break: Politicians Who Look Like Turkeys

As a double-chin sufferer myself, I have a little compassion for these politicians. After all, as the years take their toll, I'm sure to have that chin turn into wattles too (unless the plastic surgery fairy visits). Meanwhile, there is still some fun to be had here. As a graphic artist and sometime cartoonist, nature's unkindest cuts are a caricaturist's dream. And, to be fair, I think Mitch McConnell looks more like a constipated turtle than a turkey.

Politicians Who Look Like Turkeys

Is it just us, or is the political scene overrun by guys who look like turkeys? It's probably just us, but we thought we'd compile our favorites.

Source: Huffington Post

A Decade in Seven Minutes

The decade is almost over, and we still don't know what the hell to call it. The two-thousandsees? The oooos? The ots? The 0s? I don't know. And I don't know that the decade is almost over yet, either. After all, if 2000 was the last year of the twentieth century, and 2001 was the beginning of the new decade/century/millennium, we still have a year to go.

But pop culture doesn't work that way. The 70s started in 1970, not 1971, right? So I think we'll all have to be forced to agree that this decade runs from 2000-2009. But looky here, 2010 will start the twenty-teens, but we don't get to start saying "teen" until 2013. It's all so confusing. Wake me up when we get to 2020. That'll be easier. And I'll be so old!

One More Bit on Sarah Palin - Andrew Sullivan

Image from Cabalamat

Back when we were first introduced to Sarah Palin (lo those many. . .months ago), there wasn't much known about her. She never gave a press conference, and was late in giving interviews (and what fun those eventually were!). So, outside a few tidbits, the media and bloggers didn't have much to go on. Very shortly though, came a flood of rumors and innuendo, originating from Alaska.

It was during this short time period where the myth was born that Palin's family was savaged. The media barely touched the rumors, but bloggers did, at least until more current information came to light. It really was just a few days that the "babygate" rumor--the unlikely story of baby Trig's birth, and possible maternity issues--was lobbed about the blogosphere. Even on this blog, I didn't write much about it. But the issue really is kind of newsworthy. And for all this talk about friggin' birth certificates, what about Trig's? None of my business? Okay then, what of all of this talk about Palin's honesty?

[Excerpt]

Beware the powerful fantasy world of Sarah Palin, Warrior Princess

What can one say about one of the most compelling and bizarre works of “non-fiction” on the market, Going Rogue by Sarah Palin?

I have to say it stymies me somewhat. Treating it as some kind of factual narrative to check (as I began to), or comparing its version of events with her previous versions of the same events (as I have), and comparing all those versions with what we know is empirical reality, is a dizzying task. . .

Read more at: TimesOnline (found at AmericaBlog)

Sarah Palin Fans Love Her, Don't Know Much About Her

President Barack Obama took a lot of heat for his celebrity status, his "cult of personality." Some of it is deserved, of course. He did seem to come out of nowhere. And many of his supporters went overboard. Still, it could be argued that after eight years of the Bush Administration, some enthusiasm for someone totally and utterly different was warranted. But the McCain-Palin campaign tried to turn "celebrity" into a bad thing. The right-wing radio yakkers, FOX "News" and their followers played up this angle, and continue to.

So, whither Sarah Palin? She is no doubt a celebrity. There is also certainly a Carrie Prejean/Joe the Plumber "famous for being famous" air about her. Her fans are devoted in a way that rivals a cult. But they can't exactly say why they love her so much. She's "real" and she's "honest" is about the best they can do. Which is strange, since to me she seems utterly phony and has only a passing familiarity with the truth. Oh well. . .

Lawrence O'Donnell on Tea Party: The Movie

I already covered this story yesterday, but I had to include Lawrence O'Donnell's take. He filled in for Rachel Maddow yesterday, and is quickly becoming a favorite (Gov. Howard Dean on the other hand? I like him a lot, but as a guest). This ridiculous movie provides perfect fodder for O'Donnell's slightly cantankerous brand of snark. Enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

One Year Ago Today: The Sarah Palin Turkey Slaughter

Yes, America, we've only known who Sarah Palin is for a couple months more than a year. Incredible, isn't it? Who knew you could cram that much stupid/crazy into such a short time period. By this time last year, Palin had already drug the McCain-Palin 2008 ticket down to defeat, and she was busy as Governor of Alaska. She was bein' folksy, and pardoning a turkey before Thanksgiving, scoring a post-election photo op.

Who knows how it happened. Maybe some crafty liberal paid off the camera man. However it came to pass, Mrs. Palin ended up giving her post-pardoning interview in front of a turkey slaughtering machine. And the grinning executioner behind her just keeps working while Palin word salads away, obliviously. The clip below is my favorite take on the event, with a returning-from-vacation Keith Olbermann reacting in real time to his first viewing of the tape. If we had known at the time that Palin was going to resign as Governor before her term was up, we could be forgiven for thinking that this might be the reason.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

EDITOR'S NOTE: The actual slaughter occurred on November 20, but this clip is from the 24th. So it's sorta "one year ago today."

Betty Bowers: Less is Mormon!

Image from Towleroad

I occasionally get into disagreements online about the whole same-sex marriage issue. See, I'm thusly married myself, and can't figure out how that affects anybody but me and The Other Half. I've yet to have the question answered without vague references to "rending the fabric of society" and illogical polygamy/bestiality/pedophilia "slippery slope" analogies. Of course it usually boils down to religion.

Now, in America, religion and politics are supposed to be separate things. But as we've seen with the the tea bagger fringe, conservatives are starting to weave their political beliefs into their religion. The two have become inseparable to them. And as we know, religious beliefs need not let logic intrude. One thing this new Christianipublicanism contends is that it is okay to put civil rights to a vote. All righty then. I'll let America's Best Christian, Betty Bowers explain where that kind of thinking might lead. . . to voting against Mormon rights, of course!

Mrs. Betty Bowers: Less is Mormon!

Stuck on Stupid: Tea Party: The Movie

Yes it's real.

Martha Stewart on Sarah Palin: Boring, Dangerous, Confused

I don't usually care one whit what Martha Stewart thinks about anything. But perhaps I should. This is one of the most articulate, honest, spot-on assessments I've seen of Sarah Palin.

The Glenn Beck Crazy Train

Image from source, Media Matters

Much of the focus on the GOP right now has to do with their bizarre push for party purity. Apparently, they think that in order to win in 2010 and 2012, they have to be so far right, so out on the fringe, that nobody could mistake them for a Democrat. Fair enough, I suppose. After a party has control for a period of time, there is often a push to give the other side a shot. But how many Democrats and independents really think that the problem with politics is that it isn't extreme enough?

But it's even weirder than that. Given a vacuum in actual GOP leadership, the splashiest "stars" have been given control of the message. In addition to bizarro leaders like Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin, TV/radio pundits like Glenn Beck have taken center stage. With a cult-like following, this modern day Howard Beale just keeps getting crazier. And like Palin, there isn't anything too kooky he can do to dissuade his followers from falling in line.

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck throws a (political) party

. . .Beck wasted little time before displaying his narcissism, declaring himself and all those present as the nation's "Constitution czar" just a few minutes into his appearance. He then tried to stir up the crowd with what appeared to be a reference to climate change, declaring: "The science is not settled. We will not sit down. We will not shut up. We will stand!". . .

Read more at: Media Matters

GOP Palin Addicts?

Image from Think Progress

The excerpted article below--I'll confess--is here primarily for the knee slapper of a headline it contains. It has the added beauty of being true.

[Excerpt]

Sarah Palin Is Like Crack For The Republican Party

The GOP is quickly becoming a regional party with little chance of capturing the White House is the foreseeable future. In 2008 the Republican's geriatric presidential nominee was soundly rejected by a public weary of the GOP's divisive rhetoric. . .

Read more at: NewsBlaze

Sen. Lieberman Won't Face Rachel Maddow

So, Senator Droopy Dog Senator Willie from Alf Senator Joe Lieberman (?-CT) won't face Rachel Maddow? What? Isn't she to a Democrat what Sean Hannity is to a Republican? Well, no, no she isn't. Heads up FOXbots. Lieberman won't go on The Rachel Maddow Show because she'd hold his feet to the fire.

[Excerpt]

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Lieberman refuses to debate Maddow on health care because she has a ‘point of view.’

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has repeatedly tried to get Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to come on her show and debate health care. However, he and his office have refused to even respond to her requests for statements. Last week, Mike Stark caught up with Lieberman and asked him whether he’d go on Maddow’s show. The senator declined, saying the tv host has “a point of view. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Sarah Palin's Revolting Fans

Bwahahaha!

SNL: Palin/Beck 2012, A Disaster!

I have no idea if this clip will stay up, since it doesn't appear to be at Hulu or NBC. But it is funny, so, catch it while you can!

Al Gore on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update

Out-crazy the crazy! I love it!

Anti-Obama Billboard Sparks Boycott

Image from source, MSNBC

Oh papa-tuney, we've got a looney! What kind of business puts up something like this? Sure, you're gonna draw in some rabid-right birthers. But how many people are going to be put off by something like this? And are they really still trying to maintain that this sort of attitude is in no way racist? Really?!?

[Excerpt]

Billboard in Colo. links Obama with jihadists

A billboard showing President Barack Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver used car dealership that put it up. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

Back from Sedona!

We've arrived back safely in Las Vegas from our fabulous weekend in Sedona, Arizona. Thanks to the Berrys for their hospitality, and for sharing their unique home.

Hopefully, there will be a little time this evening for a little blogging to make up for three days "dark."

Weekend in Sedona: Vacation Weekend

Heads up, everybody. I am away this weekend, so there will be no new posts from me until Monday. Well, unless I can glom on to a wifi signal, and sneak away or something. Or if Stupid Monkey Planet decides to descend from the canopy to entertain you. I did put a few new things up for Friday below this post, and there are probably other things on down that you haven't seen.

So please, if you've happened upon my site, scroll down, or access the archives in the left column. I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading!

(The photo is a view of Cathedral Rock from the picture window of the house we're staying in!)

FOX "News" Displays Going Rouge Instead of Going Rogue

The crafty editors of The Nation have written a Sarah Palin critique book called Going Rouge: An American Nightmare, which bares some similarity to Palin's real book, Going Rogue: An American Life. The legendary FOX "News" production department displayed the wrong book cover to their audience yesterday. I personally can't wait until Rouge hits bookstores, and Palinites who aren't so good with the spelling, pick it up by mistake. You know it's going to happen!

Science is Cool Gross!: Lab Grown Meat

Image from London's Times

*Urp!* Something about this seems like a bad, bad idea.

[Excerpt]

Mad Science? Growing Meat Without Animals

Winston Churchill once predicted that it would be possible to grow chicken breasts and wings more efficiently without having to keep an actual chicken. And in fact scientists have since figured out how to grow tiny nuggets of lab meat and say it will one day be possible to produce steaks in vats, sans any livestock.

Pork chops or burgers cultivated in labs could eliminate contamination problems that regularly generate headlines these days, as well as address environmental concerns that come with industrial livestock farms. . .

Read more at: Live Science (found at AmericaBlog)

Jon Stewart on the Sarah Palin Book Tour

I know. As Jon Stewart says in the clip below, from The Daily Show, "Paaaaliiiinnnnn!!! Nooooo!!!" Don't worry, this Palin thing will burn off in a few days. Like the Michael Jackson movie, This is It, the big fans will get Going Rogue, Also early. And I'll be gone for the next three days, so I won't be saturating the blog with Palin crap this weekend! In the mean time, Caribou Barbie is providing scads of comedic fodder for pros like Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Daily Show: The Rogue Warrior
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Glenn Beck: Fear Monger-in-Chief

Was there ever any doubt?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Oprah Interviews Sarah Palin: The Conan O'Brien Version

The funny thing about this clip is, Sarah Palin's speaking style is so full of word salad, this edited clip comes out completely believable. And it's funny!

FOX "News" Again Mis-Attributes Footage

FOX "News" got busted running footage from last year's campaign, while calling it a shot of the crowd at Sarah Palin's book signing. Yes, they did later apologize for the "error." But isn't this error happening quite a lot? Somebody in the production room is either really bad at his job. . .or really good at his job.

The proof of FOX's allegiance to conservative and Republican causes keeps piling up, as though we need any more. But to "FOX fans," they can do no wrong. Or at least no worse than the dreaded MSNBC. Like Palin (whose fan base is likely the same group of people), FOX can never be proven to be anything less than stellar to these people. So, the people that need the convincing are the casual viewers, the doubters. I hope they're paying attention.

[Excerpt]

Fox News displays old campaign footage to claim Palin is getting ‘huge crowds’ at her book signings. (Updated)

This afternoon, Fox News host Gregg Jarrett proudly announced that Sarah Palin is “continuing to draw huge crowds while she’s promoting her brand new book. Take a look at — these are some of the pictures just coming into us.” But the pictures that the network chose to display on-air appeared to be old file footage of Palin rallies from the 2008 presidential campaign. Individuals in the crowd are seen holding McCain/Palin signs, and others are holding pom-poms and cheering wildly. “There’s a crowd of folks,” an enthused Jarrett observed, referring to the old footage. Watch it. . .

There's more at: Think Progress

Steven Weber on the GOP's Lack of Courage

Image from 99Problems

Every once in a while, stark, vulgar words are necessary to convey a thought. The excerpted piece below by actor/blogger Steven Weber is just such an example. The word "coward" doesn't seem strong enough. Neither does "wimp." And "wussy" is just a wimpy way to say "pussy." So let's just go with it!

[Excerpt]

Pussies Galore

Republicans are pussies.

From the congressional chicken hawks to the half-baked Alaskan Sarah Palin; from the wild-eyed doughboys and smug bullies who spew bilge from their televised perches to the shivering talk radio gremlins who broadcast out of their parents' basements, they sure talk a good game but have no stomach for real battle, outsourcing their pathetic rage to the gullible multitudes. These yellow-bellies are in fact consumed with and by fear: fear of anything foreign, fear of empowered women, fear of their own mortality. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Texas Anti-Gay Marriage Law May Outlaw ALL Marriage

Image from source, Think Progress

OK, now THAT's funny!

[Excerpt]

Texas gay marriage ban may have outlawed all marriages in Texas.

In 2005, the state of Texas adopted an amendment to its Constitution that said marriage in the state could only be between one man and one woman. The amendment also declared: “This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” Now, Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, is saying that the second section effectively “eliminates marriage in Texas”. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse Cancelled, Blogger Sad

Image from source, New York Magazine

Well, I knew this was coming. FOX has finally cancelled Dollhouse. Sigh. I'm an unabashed fan of the show, and of its creator Joss Whedon. . .and frankly, all of the other Whedon creations. I'm also a fan of its star, Eliza Dushku, who has been on the receiving end of far too much negative criticism in this blogger's opinion.

And that's part of the problem. Niche-y genre shows have their passionate followers, but have at least an equal number of detractors. Oddly enough, most of the harshest critics of Dollhouse are also genre fans. It's bizarre. A similar thing happened to the Star Trek franchise. Beginning with Deep Space Nine, and continuing on through Voyager and Enterprise, Trekkers themselves complained and whined about all that was dreadfully wrong with those shows.

Not to say that everything Trek or Whedon is perfect. For every batch of good episodes or movies, there is a clunker. But any episode of Enterprise or Dollhouse is more entertaining than three quarters of everything else on television. I'm convinced that irrational fan resistance is partially to blame for the decline of Trek (until the reboot/remake movie, of course), and the demise of Dollhouse. And of course, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

And there is another wrinkle. Fans of T:TSCC and Dollhouse often saw themselves as adversaries, each wishing doom on the other, hoping that their show would "win." As a fan of both, this was discouraging. And now both shows are dead. Were they perfect? Nope. But they were both a hell of a lot of fun.

My biggest fear is that Whedon will just stop trying, having had now two (counting Firefly) ambitious, character-rich shows cancelled before they had a chance to catch fire. Hopefully, he will find a berth on Syfy, AMC, Showtime, HBO or FX (or hell, even the CW), where low ratings are expected. It's becoming increasingly clear that Americans mostly like their TV dumb.

[Excerpt]

Good-bye, Dollhouse, It’s Been Nice; Hope You Find Your Paradise

To quote Joss Whedon's favorite musical creator, I'm sorry/grateful that Dollhouse was canceled. (Basically, my feelings mirror those of our wonderful recapper Joy Press, who tweeted, "It had potential. But like a lot of people, I was too ambivalent about Dollhouse to feel sad about cancellation.")

Read more at: New York Magazine

Party Pooped: Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, William Kristol & Liz Cheney

What if you threw a party and nobody came? Well, if you're Newt "frankly" Gingrich, Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove, Bill "Cheshire Cat" Kristol or Liz "Spawn of Dick" Cheney, you found out. I can't imagine that these stunning luminaries couldn't get people to party with them. And I'm not being facetious either. I can't stand any of them, and would love to see them all in orange jump suits, chained together. But these are Republican icons here. And the tea baggers will jump at any reason to get their bags dipped. What gives?

[Excerpt]

Rove, Cheney, Gingrich and Kristol Fail To Rally 9/11 Trial Foes

On Monday, Karl Rove sent a tweet to his 92,000 followers: "Don't sit out: 9:30am 11/18 Dirksen Senate Bldg Rm G-50 to oppose Atty Gen's testimony on trying terrorists on U.S. soil." On Tuesday, Newt Gingrich dispatched a similar message to his 1.2 million Twitter devotees: "Join @keepamericasafe at 9:30am Wed at Dirksen Senate Bldg to protest Holder's testimony on bringing terrorists to US." Keep America Safe is Elizabeth Cheney's new hawkish group—neocon godfather Bill Kristol is one of its three board members—and on Tuesday it tweeted followers: "Reminder 9:30 am show Holder and Obama what you think about the terror trial decision. . ."

Read more at: Mother Jones

Sarah Palin's Going Rogue GOES ROGUE!

In a cute skit from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue gets loose, and "goes rogue," including shooting Rachel Maddow! Yeah, you knew I'd work in Palin and Maddow somewhere tonight, right? Right.

Conservatives Hawk Biblical Anti-Obama Merchandise

Image from source, Christian Science Monitor

If I saw--prior to yesterday--a T-shirt reading "Pray for Obama, Psalms 109:8", I'd have thought nothing of it. I'm not the praying type, but to each his own. I do know quite a bit about the Bible, but I haven't committed it to memory. So I was surprised when I found out that this slogan is a hot ticket item in conservative circles these days. I thought, really? They're praying for President Obama? Well, no, not really. They're praying for him to leave office. And if you follow logically to the next line in the Bible, the message takes on a fairly hideous tone.

Now, some will undoubtedly say that they only want Obama out, not dead. But unlike other defensive arguments, they can't claim they're being taken out of context. To believe no harm is intended by the slogan would be to claim that they took the Bible out of context. Whoa!

Now, I will freely admit that I levelled a fair number of slurs and ill wishes toward George W. Bush. But I never wished him dead. And I certainly got a good long dose of the Bush Administration before I started to get snarky about it. These clowns started on day one, and haven't let up yet.

[Excerpt]

Biblical anti-Obama slogan: Use of Psalm 109:8 funny or sinister?

There’s a new slogan making its way onto car bumpers and across the Internet. It reads simply: “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8”

A nice sentiment? Maybe not. The psalm reads, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office. . .”

Read more at: The Christian Science Monitor

Rachel Maddow & Ana Marie Cox Discuss Sarah Palin

Rachel Maddow again? Sarah Palin again?!? I mean really!?! Yes, yes, but this is some pretty great stuff. Rachel got some comments from one of Palin's biggest targets from her book Going Rogue, Also, Though. Her name is Nicole Wallace, and she was one of Palin's handlers on the John McCain campaign. To say that Wallace has a dim view of Goin' All Mavericky would be putting it lightly.

But the sparks really fly once Rachel starts talking to Ana Marie Cox (originator of Wonkette). Cox declares that Palin's dreams of elected office have been officially dashed by the book, and that her peak of influence is today. If Cox is right, it's all downhill for Palin from here on out. So, Sarah, throw up your hands and go wheeeee!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Frivolity Break: Weird Al Yankovic Explains Auto-Tune

Oh, why not. . .

Kennedys, King and Watergate, Oh My!

Image from FreeWebs.com

There have been countless theories, crazy and somewhat plausible, about exactly what was up in the sixties, with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy. Was there some kind of connection? And much of the aftermath, the suspects, the politics of the day. . .it just seems so odd to a person too young to remember it. All of it was history by the time I was old enough to think about it. But even I wondered if Marilyn Monroe figured into it somewhere.

Anyway, the following excerpted material comes from one of my favorite authors (also a radio host), Thom Hartmann. He's not a wacky conspiracy nut guy, he's a level headed intellectual. And so, I figure if he's involved, there must be something to this. I haven't had time to read it all yet, so maybe I'll read along with you.

[Excerpt]

Robert Kennedy, National Security, the Mafia, and the Assassination of Martin Luther King

The rifle fire in Dallas that killed John F. Kennedy didn’t just start a frantic effort to find his assassins. JFK’s murder also launched a flurry of covert actions by officials like Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Helms to hide the fact that the United States was on the brink of invading Cuba as part of a JFK-authorized coup only ten days away. The plan’s exposure could have cost the life of JFK’s coup leader, Cuban Army Commander Juan Almeida, and led to a nuclear confrontation with the Soviets, just a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the cover-ups by these top officials also had the tragic effect of preventing a full investigation of JFK’s assassination, spawning a legacy of secrecy that would impact Presidents, Congress, and U.S. foreign policy for the next forty-five years. . .

Read more at: Legacy of Secrecy

Frank Schaeffer on Fundamentalist Christians and Danger to President Obama

It's been my contention for a while that one of the biggest problems in politics right now is religion. Not religion in and of itself--though I have my issues with that too--but political ideology as religion. As the conservatives and/or Republicans boil themselves down to the hardcore fringe, the line between political ideology has blurred. No, even that's not strong enough. For some people, religion and politics have merged.

Look at the tea bagger rallies for evidence. These people have taken their political beliefs and elevated them to doctrine. And like most religion, the doctrine can be contradictory, radical, and most of all: impervious to logic or debate. Scarier than that, is how religions treat heretics. Transpose in political adversaries, and treat them as though they were opponents of a hardline religion, and you can see the danger for people in the opposing political camps.

Frank Schaeffer warns against fundamentalist christians wanting to harm President Obama

Randi Rhodes on Joy Behar Show re: Sarah Palin

Woo-hoo! Love me some Randi Rhodes, and I'm warming to Joy Behar. . .can't stand me some Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin in 2012? Go for it!

Image from source, Raw Story

Sarah Palin is going to be inescapable for the next couple of weeks, with a media blitz that includes Oprah and Barbara Walters. You'd think she was white-hot popular, and a shoo-in for the 2012 Presidential race, right? Maybe not so much. As the excerpted article below shows, she does have enthusiastic support. . .among a small slice of the electorate. Probably that same slice that watches FOX "News" all day, and thought that George W. Bush did a heckuva job.

I think a run at it would be highly entertaining. First the primaries, where there is enough material available for her GOP competitors' negative ads. That'd be a hoot. And supposing she made it through that gauntlet, she'd then have to rally about 30% more of the electorate than she currently commands. Daunting task. President Obama would then just have to cobble together all the GOP bits, and let 'em roll. I say run her!

And a little bit of a sidebar now. Conservatives are very defensive about the treatment Palin has received, alleging it's a personal, character assassination. Possibly. A little. But there is more to it than that. For some time now, the GOP and its defenders have been hoisting up a slate of cartoon characters as their standard bearers. Palin. Carrie Prejean. Mike Huckabee. Michelle Bachmann. John Boner Boehner. Joe the freakin' Plumber. And they defend and support them with vigor. Until they don't (poor Levi Johnston, where have your defenders gone? Don't worry, Carrie Prejean will be there to join you soon).

When bloggers like me assail them, it is not entirely aimed at the public figure. Much of the effort put into these "attacks" is to point out the hypocrisy and unseriousness of their followers. Plus a whole lot of schadenfreude.

[Excerpt]

Poll: Plurality of Americans do not like Sarah Palin

Looks like the voters are going rogue.
According to new CBS News figures [PDF link], 38 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Sarah Palin. Meanwhile, 37 percent are not paying attention, saying they do not know enough to form an opinion. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Obama Bows, Conservatives Plotz

Images from source, Think Progress

Time for the faux outrage of the week. Horror of horrors, President Obama bowed to the Japanese Emperor. A simple sign of respect is being spun as the gravest of errors by such paragons of virtue and manliness as Karl "Turdblossom" Rove. Worse than merely criticising Obama, and making up stories about "what it all means," they have to go one step to far and lie. Ahem, excuse me, maybe not lie. Maybe they're just ignorant. Either way, the allegation that Presidents don't do such things is easily disprovable.

[Excerpt]

Rove Attacks Obama For Bowing: He Should Do What All Presidents Have Done And ‘Not Bow To Monarchies’

This morning on Fox & Friends, former Bush adviser Karl Rove appeared on the program to bash President Obama for paying a respectful bow before the Japanese Emperor. Leading into the segment, co-host Steve Doocy claimed that there is a “long-standing precedent going back to the founding” of the U.S. that “American presidents don’t bow to anybody.” Doocy might want to do some research on President Eisenhower. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

NY-23: Hoffman Un-Concedes Race

Image from source, Think Progress

I've gotta wonder if we might not have another Norm Coleman/Al Franken type battle in the birthing here. Glenn Beck (and Sarah Palin) would like very much to see this swing their way after the initial apparent defeat. And frankly, a reversal would be--not embarrassing, exactly--but something akin to it.

[Excerpt]

Hoffman ‘Un-Concedes’ The NY-23 Election After Prodding From His ‘Mentor’ Glenn Beck

On Nov. 3, Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman conceded the special election in New York’s 23rd district after finding out that he was losing considerably to Democrat Bill Owens, who has already been sworn in and cast an important vote for health care reform. However, “a standard process of correcting human errors in election night spreadsheets” has narrowed Owens’ lead over Hoffman from more than 5,000 votes to about 3,000, and the New York Board of Elections is counting around 10,000 absentee ballots. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Keith Olbermann "Fact Checks" Sarah Palin's Going Rogue

Maybe instead of calling her memoir Going Rogue (or my preferred title, Goin' All Mavericky), Sarah Palin should have called her book Makin' Stuff Up. That way, nobody would be fact checking at all!

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Learn to Speak Teabag!

Hee hee. . .

Top 10 Conservative Idiots, November 16, 2009

Time to start a new week, everybody. It's dark when we get up, and dark when we get home. It's colder, and we're staring down the holiday season, even though it feels like we just put the pumpkins away. Time to take a break and read Democratic Underground's Top 10 Conservative Idiots!* Hey, it's a diversion.

[Excerpt]

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 377

November 16, 2009

Teabagging Is For Nuts Edition

There's a teabagathon going on this week as the lunatic fringe continues to take over the Republican Party. . .

Read more at: Democratic Underground

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Greenlee Gazette does not contend that all conservatives are idiots. Merely that many prominent conservatives are idiots, as this column regularly confirms. So, please, no offense is intended to those of my friends and family who are themselves conservative. In other words, present company excluded!

What Happens in Vegas: The Neighborhood That Had to Die

I just picked up this week's Las Vegas CityLife, the local weekly paper, and was surprised to see an article about a friend's former neighborhood. My friend and sometimes fill-in editor Stupid Monkey Planet used to live in what is called "Richfield Village," according to the article, which is news to me. I didn't know it had a name. I'd have called it, "land that's scrunched up next to Palace Station Hotel & Casino, that will probably end up eminent domained."

Surprise! That's what happened, sort of. Corporations behind the scenes started buying up houses, en masse--after my friend had already moved out, naturally. Some people got screwed. Some people made out like bandits. Some people held out for a huge payday. Then the economy crashed. And Station Casinos filed for bankruptcy. And now there is a neighborhood, mostly empty, some of it knocked down, stuck in limbo. And how do you resell empty houses, when people probably figure that one day, the economy will rebound, and the land will go up for grabs again? Yikes.

[Excerpt]

Image from source, Las Vegas City Life

The neighborhood that had to die

Looking east from the heart of Richfield Village, past Rex Bell Elementary School, the mansard roof of Palace Station towers over the sedate neighborhood. By Vegas standards, Richfield is venerable, growing up around Rex Bell, built in 1963. But Palace Station is no longer just a landmark or an employer to Richfield residents. It's also become the elephant in the middle of the neighborhood, dismaying longtime denizens of the neighborhood who see a once-stable community drifting into transience and uncertainty, thanks to Station Casinos. . .

Read more at: Las Vegas City Life

FOX "News" Store at George Bush Airport?

I have no idea how long this store has been open, what inspired it, what kind of person shops there, or who the hell thought this was a good idea. But if I had a belly full of expensive airport food, I sure wouldn't want to discover this store while walking to my gate. Talk about airsick!

Source: jasonepink

UPDATE: After looking around on the web a little, it turns out there are several of these. So it's not just a Texas or a George Bush thing. Those facts don't settle my stomach any. Rupert! Haven't you done enough damage? You've got three or four million gullible Americans getting their "news" from your so-slanted-it's-almost-upside-down channel. Do you have to infect them when they're on vacation too?

Carrie Prejean's Sex Tape

I can't help it. This cracks me up. If you've clicked on this link, you have no reason to be offended, or appalled. Seriously. And while I don't have much use for Perez Hilton, kudos anyway.

Carrie Prejean Sex Tape - watch more funny videos

Life is So Strange: Missing Persons Singer "Crazy Cat Lady"

Image from source, TMZ

We've all heard of crazy cat ladies. Every so often--in every town--there is a news report of a lonely old woman with scads of cats, in a feces-strewn dwelling. But who would ever think that a one-time 80s top-40 music star would end up a cazy cat lady?

[Excerpt]

Missing Persons Singer Finds Herself in Jail

Last year, Bozzio was charged with the crime after authorities found loads of sick and dead cats inside of her home. After the gruesome discovery, 12 cats were euthanized and Bozzio was forced to pay the $2700 bill. . .

Read more at: TMZ

The video for the most well known Missing Persons song, Destination Unknown is unavailable. But an audio only clip is below. I think "destination unknown" fairly well describes Dale Bozzio's present circumstance, don't you?

Quote of the Day, On Tea Baggers

The tea party movement is upset. Okay, that goes without saying. They're upset about a lot of things. But one thing that gets their bags in a bunch is when pundits, news people and bloggers refer to them en masse as "tea baggers." The term was originally slang for a sex act, one that can be easily imagined if you have even a slightly dirty mind. When the first "tea parties" (sounds awfully dainty, doesn't it?) sprung up, some members enthusiastically embraced the "tea bagger" double-meaning on signs, such as "Tea bag Obama!"

What they didn't figure on, was having the term turned around against them, in a derisive, snarky way. When that happened, they got all indignant. How dare Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper use such a vulgar double entendre when referring to this patriotic uprising? Why? Why not? The movement used it first! I found this comment at the Newshounds website (they watch FOX so you don't have to). It's perfect.

"Even after they were told the dirty meaning of Teabagging, many of them chose to keep referring themselves as teabaggers. Therefore, they not only have no room to get upset if people snicker, but it's saying something about them every time they call it a slur just because a non-teabagger says or types it. That's the bottom line- at least for me. I'm not even gonna touch the hilarious irony/hypocrisy of that most of these people were coming up with and repeating blow*** jokes about Clinton for years." --Aria

Source: Newshounds

More Atkins Home Recipes

A few weeks ago, I posted my recipe for a low-carb Atkin's Diet-friendly Chicken Egg Drop Soup recipe. I'm reposting it, along with a Beef Vegetable Soup version I made today. Very tasty, and easy to make. Enjoy.


I've been off and on the Atkin's Diet for a while now. Well, a modified version anyhow. I'm not as strict with alcohol or caffeine as the late Doctor would have liked, but it still tends to work for me. After my recent trips back home, I've been a lot more lax with my diet, pretty much abandoning it for a couple of weeks.

Sadly, this means that this year's changeover from shorts to jeans is met with a little more snuggitude in the waist band than I'd like. So, I've been hitting the Atkins hard this week. If you've ever been on it, you know that you can get really bored. So it is important to make the food interesting so that you aren't tempted to cheat. I have a whole list of "coping" foods in a previous post, and some nifty recipes for low-carb pizza and low-carb tuna melts here.

Last night I made a low-carb soup that I'm enjoying again today, so I thought I'd share my recipe--such as it is--with everybody.

Low-carb Chicken Egg Drop Soup

Chicken (Boiled, baked or grilled)
Chicken stock or bouillion (I use "Better than Bouillion" from a jar) & water
Chopped Onions (frozen, fresh or dehydrated)
Vegetables (I use frozen "Normandy Blend": cauliflower, broccoli, yellow & orange carrots)
Eggs (whipped)
Spices (whatever's your pleasure, I used some Mrs. Dash and some pasta seasoning)
Bay leaves (optional)

NOTE: There are no measurements listed here, because this is pretty much a loose, "can't screw it up" recipe. Just add as much of each thing as you want.]

Shread, cut or otherwise make your chicken into little pieces. Put everything except the eggs into the pot, and turn on the fire. Let the soup begin to bubble, and stir it occasionally. Take your scrambled raw eggs, and drizzle them into the hot soup, a little at a time. When that's done, turn the fire down a little, and put the lid on the pot. Let it cook long enough that the veggies get to your level of tenderness.

Obviously, there's not much else to do. The egg provides a "noodly"-ness to your soup. It's pretty yummy and you can't mess it up. If it needs more broth, put in more broth. More eggs or vegetables? Put in more. Not spicy enough? Throw in some more. As long as you've got a big enough pot, it's impossible to ruin it. Best of all, there are almost no carbs in it at all. . .and you can control that by what vegetables you use. Normandy Blend has, like 3 net carbs. That's it!

(By the way, mine turned out slightly reddish in the picture because I used a leftover piece of marinated chicken. Yours will likely be yellower.)

UPDATE:

Low-carb Beef Vegetable Soup

Browned Ground Beef (with or without onions)
Beef broth or bouillion (I use "Better than Bouillion" from a jar) & water
Chopped Onions (frozen, fresh or dehydrated)
Vegetables (I use frozen "Normandy Blend": cauliflower, broccoli, yellow & orange carrots. I also used frozen green beans for my beef soup)
Eggs (whipped; optional)
Spices (whatever's your pleasure, I used some Mrs. Dash and some pasta seasoning)

Canned Diced Tomatoes
Bay leaves (optional)

NOTE: There are no measurements listed here, because this is pretty much a loose, "can't screw it up" recipe. Just add as much of each thing as you want. Taste as you go.

This recipe pretty much follows the chicken soup recipe, except you can leave out the egg drop if you want (I like it), and add a can of tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes do have carbs, but 1 can spread out over a whole pot? Not much. Dump in the whole can, liquid included, for a richer, tastier broth. The great things about both soups is, you can keep adding ingredients if the taste isn't to your liking. I've made both of these soups several times, and have yet to make one that didn't satisfy.