Where in the World is Moamar Gaddafi

Image from Anorak News

The Middle East is really having a heckuva year. Things are getting weird for the people in charge, and because of it, we have to try to figure out how to spell Moamer Gaddafi again. What is it with these weird looking head cases with impossible to spell names anyway? But of all of the unstable world leaders, Gaddafi is quite possibly the nuttiest one this side of Kim Jong Il. Can you seriously think of a person in the world (other than Gaddafi himself) who'd be upset if we never had to type his name again? Sources can't even agree on his first name. I saw "Mu'ammar Qaddafi" on Wikipedia. Begone unspellable menace!

[Excerpt]

Libya’s Gaddafi denies fleeing as cities overrun



Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi denied Monday he had fled his country after protesters overran several cities, as his four-decade rule was under assault amid claims of a "massacre" in Tripoli.



"I am going to meet with the youth in Green Square," in downtown Tripoli, he said, in what state television reported was a live broadcast from the strongman's home. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Arizona Capitol Smeared with Refried Bean Swastikas

Image from source, Huffington Post

Well, that's one way to get your message across. Thanks to my friend Tracy for the link.

[Excerpt]

Refried Bean Swastikas Smeared On Arizona Capitol 

The conflict over a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration in Arizona intensified Monday as vandals smeared refried beans in the shape of swastikas on the state Capitol's windows.



More protests were planned Monday after thousands gathered this weekend to demonstrate against a bill that will make it a state crime to be an illegal immigrant in Arizona. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

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

Now this is freakin' funny!

Source: TowleRoad

The Truth About the Town Halls

Image from bobcesca.com

We've suffered through an entire month of whack-job tea baggers at town halls. Hoping it was over, it has instead trickled into the new month, culminating in a fight that cost one guy a finger. But is all this nuttiness really only a sideshow? It was created to take over the media news cycle of course, but was it really happening on as large a scale as we thought?

Maybe not.

[Excerpt]

The Real Town Hall Story

Health-care reform is said to be in trouble partly because of those raucous August town-hall meetings in which Democratic members of Congress were besieged by shouters opposed to change.

But what if our media-created impression of the meetings is wrong? What if the highly publicized screamers represented only a fraction of public opinion? What if most of the town halls were populated by citizens who respectfully but firmly expressed a mixture of support, concern and doubt? . . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Do You Think This Guy is Angry?

Yeah, he's angry alright. Though he's able to hit his rage pause button while the reporter chats with her cameraman. But once he gets rolling, he gets rolling. The trouble is, what is he angry about? He claims his country is being taken away, and is holding a sign against "socialism." But like the attempts at conservative humor listed below, it is a vague, unfocused message. In fact, the message is not all that different from many liberal protesters from the last several years. Giving up freedom for safety? Isn't that what the Patriot Act did?



Found at: AmericaBlog

Anti-Letterman Protest Draws Tens of People

Photo from source, Village Voice

Just when you thought the Sarah Palin/David Letterman "feud" had petered out with Letterman's most recent apology and Palin's backhanded (and incoherent) acceptance, there's this. The loons who Palin counts among her "base," felt it necessary to hold a protest outside of CBS's Ed Sullivan Theater. And they were as whack-a-doodle--though not as numerous--as you might imagine.

[Excerpt]

New York Anti-Letterman Rally Draws Dozens

. . .The Daily News says there were about 50 people there, but we put it closer to 100 if you include the rubberneckers. Indeed, there were about four or five times as many protesters as reporters and cameramen, who competed for pearls of wisdom or lunacy from the crowd. "I have a conservative blog!" one nice young man in a button-down shirt offered. "Women are being debased, Christians are being degraded! Anything's funny now!" . . .

Read more at: Villiage Voice

Buyer's Remorse: McCain Supporters Kicked out of McCain Event!

Image from source, Iowa State Daily

Wow. Remember the old adage from the 60s and 70s, "don't trust anyone over 30?" Well, it would seem that at a John McCain rally, they don't trust anyone under 30. In an effort to keep McCain from being heckled by unruly whipper-snappers, they ended up throwing out some of their own supporters.

[Excerpt]

Pre-emptive ejection: Audience members removed at McCain rally in Cedar Falls

Audience members escorted out of Sen. John McCain’s, R-Ariz., campaign event in Cedar Falls questioned why they were asked to leave Sunday’s rally even though they were not protesting.

David Zarifis, director of public safety for the University of Northern Iowa, said McCain staffers requested UNI police assist in escorting out “about four or five” people from the rally prior to McCain’s speech. . .

Read more at: Iowa State Daily

George W. Bush Met in UK by Protesters

Unrelated photo shown only to illustrate that The Decider is an idiot, from Guardian UK

Poor George, can't get any love outside of his (rapidly shrinking) bubble. Good.

[Excerpt]

Protesters greet Bush's UK visit

Mr Bush met the Queen at Windsor Castle before he and his wife, Laura, dined with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, at Downing Street.
His visit was met by hundreds of anti-war protestors in central London.
When the two leaders meet formally on Monday they are expected to focus on the Middle East, fuel and food prices. . .

Read more (with video) at: BBC News

Much Ado About Nothing: Clinton Protesters

Photo from source, Boston Herald

I was very worried about the protests that were supposed to occur in Washington DC yesterday, due to the attempts to settle the Michigan and Florida disputes. Blogs were abuzz with stories about thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters being bussed in to add pressure to the rules committee. It was compared to the Brooks Brothers riot in the 2000 Florida recount. I worried that Rush Limbaugh's "dream" of riots in Denver would be happening early in DC. It was predicted to be 10,000 strong.

Well, it wasn't even close. But on the TV machine, they still made it look more impressive than it was. Here is an excellent write-up from AmericaBlog, to give you an idea of what the protest represented.

[Excerpt]

Some perspective on the media's attempts to overblow yesterday's protests at the DNC meeting

Given the actual size of the protests yesterday, there has been an inordinate amount of attention paid to the protesters by the traditional media.Buried in the NY Times article today, after vivid descriptions of the antics of some attendees, was this line:

"Mr. Wexler received the brunt of the anger from a few dozen supporters of Mrs. Clinton who were seated on the ballroom floor."

That's right. The media is basing its hyperventilating over a small number of people -- who were joined by maybe a couple hundred outside. . .

Read more at: AmericaBlog

And another good write-up at: Boston Herald