Las Vegas is #1! (In Declining House Values) D'oh!

Image from source, LA Times

I remember a few years ago, when home prices were skyrocketing here in Las Vegas, people wondering aloud, "when is this bubble going to burst?" Well it didn't burst exactly, it sort of developed a slow leak, flew around the room a bit, and then fell deflated on the desert floor. Oh, wait that's a balloon not a bubble. . . Oh, you get my point.

But bummer of bummers, while most of the country is feeling the hit, my home town of Las Vegas is right at the top of the list for declining house values. Fortunately, this writer's home isn't upside down. . .in fact it's really OK. But, man, if we'd sold a couple of years ago? Close to $100,000 more than now. Ouch.

[Excerpt]

April home prices continue steep decline

U.S. home prices continued to fall in April, with Los Angeles and Orange Counties posting some of the steepest declines, according to a major indicator released today. [snip]

The April price drop for the Los Angeles metro area, which includes Orange County, was more pronounced, a 23.1% fall from a year ago. Only three metro areas posted steeper annual declines: Las Vegas (26.8%), Miami (26.7%) and Phoenix (25%). . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Karl Rove's Strategy: Paint Barack Obama as Elitist

One of the more baffling allegations against Barack Obama is that he's an "elitist." It would be a thin distinction indeed to try to separate Obama from John McCain (or George Bush for that matter) using only the measure of elitism. It apparently works in some quarters anyway.

Karl Rove, "The Architect" of the current state of the Republican Party is still himself trying to float this meme. But some of the bloom is off of the Turd Blossom, and his simply saying something doesn't make it true anymore. He recently went a little overboard, and in trying this tactic instead shone a spotlight on himself. It's the most classic of Republican strategies: projection. Accuse your opponent of what you yourself are guilty of.

As usual, the host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann has done a much better job summing this up than I could. Take a look. . .

Science is Cool: Does Earth Have a Twin?

Image from source, Space.com

This story was brought to my attention by Stupid Monkey Planet, who knows my affinity for space stories, and the tantalizing prospect that there may be intelligent life somewhere in the universe. Notice I don't include humans as "intelligent life." That's on purpose. As is the Mokey's moniker.

Anyway, I hope on this other Earth, my doppelgänger is a little thinner and doesn't have a double-chin. Oh, and lots and lots of money. And a President Gore! So many wishes. . .

[Excerpt]

Astronomers on Verge of Finding Earth's Twin

Planet hunters say it's just a matter of time before they lasso Earth's twin, which almost surely is hiding somewhere in our star-studded galaxy.

Momentum is building: Just last week, astronomers announced they had discovered three super-Earths. . .

Read more at: Science.com

Chris Dodd & Russ Feingold Fighting FISA Bill

Image from source, AOL News

Say what you will about the Congress in general and the Senate in specific, there are a few good ones in there still fighting for us. Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold are vowing to fight passage of the FISA bill, and good for them.

The question of why Democrats would cave on the new FISA bill is rich fodder for speculation. My favorite is the cover your ass theory, where discovery of exactly what has been done would implicate not only Republicans, but also a good chunk of Democrats.

In the days after September 11, 2001, any effort to fight George W. Bush's agenda was met with variations of the "unpatriotic" or "America hater" attacks. So, Democrats--by and large--went along. Some grudgingly, some willingly. And now that the mood of the country is considerably different, some of those actions could come back to haunt Democrats. Tough. The warrantless wiretapping and retroactive immunity for telecom companies defiled the Constitution and many other laws. The single greatest duty of Congress--not to mention the President--is to defend and uphold the Constitution. Suck it up guys. And good on you, Senators Feingold and Dodd. I hope you prevail.

[Excerpt]

Feingold, Dodd to Fight FISA

After Democratic Senators Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold issued a strongly worded statement opposing the FISA bill that passed the House of Representatives yesterday, rumors of a filibuster quickly began to circulate. But nowhere in the actual statement did it say that Dodd and Feingold would filibuster the legislation. . .

Read more at: AOL News

Many Americans Think Torture is Just Dandy

Graph from source, Raw Story

What's the matter with us? We claim to be an oh-so-moral country, with the right-wing outraged at same-sex marriage as some sort of moral scourge. But 44% of Americans apparently think that torturing terrorism suspects is acceptable. Not terrorists, mind you, terrorism suspects. Suspects that are not told what they did, are held for years, are not allowed to mount a defense. . . That's not immoral?

Seriously, what is the matter with us?

[Excerpt]

Poll: 44% of Americans favor torture for terrorist suspects

A new poll of citizens’ attitudes about torture in 19 nations finds Americans among the most accepting of the practice. Although a slight majority say torture should be universally prohibited, 44 percent think torture of terrorist suspects should be allowed, and more than one in 10 think torture should generally be allowed. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

The Young Turks: A History of Michael Savage

I hope I'm not over-using The Young Turks clips here on the blog. Every time I'm about to give them (him) a rest, I stumble across another one that seems blog-worthy.

Recently, The Savage Wiener (™The Thom Hartmann Show), Michael Savage went on a rant against same-sex marriage. There is a Young Turks clip directly addressing that subject, but the clip of the Savage radio show was too long and too much. Then I found a better clip, one explaining where Savage's insanity comes from. Take a look.

The Glass House of McCain

From The Jed Report comes a great distillation of the "pride and patriotism" issue that John and Cindy McCain are trying to claim, while taking hits at Barack and Michelle Obama. It's well worth a look. . .



And more at: AmericaBlog

John McCain's Totally Tubular Video Game

Do you like politics? Are you a John McCain fan? And do you like cutting-edge video games? Well, my friend, you're in luck! John McCain has appropriated the white hot video game Space Invaders. The aliens have been reappropriated into piggy banks, the space ship is now a barrel of pork, and instead of a gun, you have a John McCain for President sign. Um, OK. I guess that's why it's called Pork Invaders. I'd guess they're going to get a few visitors that were expecting something else. . .

Anyway, while the piggies try to poop on you, you try to blast them with VETO power! It's a little slow (like McCain), and the sign makes a pretty big target for the piggy poop. But you don't have to take my word for it. You can play it right here, right now!

Careful not to get "Atari Thumb."

News of the Weird: Woman Dead 42 Years in Home

Image from source, Asylum

Courtesy of my mother comes this link, about a woman who'd been missing for 42 years (coincidentally my age) and found exactly the first place you'd think anybody would have looked. I know a lot of turmoil has gone on in Croatia over the years, but geeze.

[Excerpt]

Woman Dead for 42 Years Before Someone Noticed

Hedviga Golik, who was born in 1924, was discovered by police in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, long-dead and sitting in her armchair in front of her black-and-white television. . .

Read more at: Asylum

Bob Barr a John McCain Spoiler?

Photo from source, AOL News

Heh, heh. The shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it? My hope is, if Bob Barr has enough oomph to drain votes from John McCain, that Barack Obama still manages to get more than 50% of the vote. Even though The Decider didn't even win the popular vote in 2000, conservatives are still squawking about Bill Clinton getting less than 50%. The spoiler that time was Ross Perot. What ever happened to that crazy old guy?

I've got to say that while reducing McCain's chances is in the "pro" column, I'm not a fan of these third-party guys. It'd be different if they worked--in the off years--to grow their party into something viable. But, no, they just jump in every four years to vie for the ultimate job. It's a cheat.

[Excerpt]

GOP Frets Barr Could Become Spoiler

A fiery former GOP congressman who gained national prominence for doggedly pursuing impeachment of President Clinton has some Republicans worried he'll play spoiler in a tight presidential contest. . .

Read more at: AOL News

One More George Carlin Post: The 7 Dirty Words

Because I'm still verklempt.

A Tribute to George Carlin

I posted the news of George Carlin's passing just a few minutes ago, and I think he deserves at least one more post. I had the privilege to see Carlin at Bally's several years ago, and now I'm glad I didn't pass the opportunity up. He was brilliant, funny, subversive, and truly an American original. RIP, George.

Very Sad News: George Carlin Dies

Photo from source, Yahoo! News

Celebrity deaths don't often affect me very much. They're no worse than anybody else's deaths in the long run. But George Carlin was one of my personal heroes. He presented controversial material in a time when almost nobody else was doing it. I agreed with his views almost 100%. This is very sad. I know he was 71, and that is just a little less than average, but damn we've lost a national treasure here.

I still remember the first episode of Saturday Night Live, back in 1975, which I somehow managed to watch live. Carlin was the host, and he seemed to give the program credibility as anarchist comedy. I'll miss you, George.

Sad.

[Excerpt]

Comedian George Carlin dies in Los Angeles at 71

Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71. . .

Read more at: Yahoo! News

California's Same-sex Marriage Ban May Be Thwarted

Image from FOX

Good. At least somebody's trying. As I've said a few times before, The Other Half and I intend to be married next Friday in Palm Springs. The question of what would happen to our marriage if California voters vote to amend their state constitution has been a big issue of discussion. But it could be moot if this measure is successful.

It won't matter to us either way in the long run. We've considered ourselves married for quite a long time now. But it's great that there are people out there fighting the knuckle-draggers out there.

[Excerpt]

Civil rights groups seek to block California gay marriage ballot initiative

. . .The 55-page petition to the Supreme Court argues that the measure circulated in the spring to potential voters was misleading because it was filed before the justices invalidated existing laws banning gay marriage. The civil rights groups, including the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union, are asking the Supreme Court to take the measure off the fall ballot until the legal challenge can be resolved. . .

Read more at: Mercury News

Top 10 Conservative Idiots: June 23, 2008

Monday again, folks! This week is special for this editor though. I'm taking Friday off in order to travel to Palm Springs to do my part to destroy America. Yes, The Other Half and I intend to finally tie the knot after 10.5 years together. Scandalous! Hopefully I can cajole Stupid Monkey Planet into filling in for me for a couple of days.

Anyway, on to the list!

[Excerpt]

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 342
June 23, 2008
Trouble And Strife Edition

This week John McCain (1,5,10) is joined on the list for the first time by his good lady wife Cindy McCain (2). Elsewhere, George W. Bush (3) parties while the Midwest drowns, Jonathan Alcox (4) embarrasses the GOP, and Robert Hurt (7) tries to out-prude John Ashcroft. . .

Read the list at: Democratic Underground

Lindsey Graham is Disgusted

Image from Time

This morning I commented on (McCain lackey) Sen. Lindsey Graham's performance on Meet the Press. My comments were that he looked like a constipated turtle (a trait he shares with Sen. Mitch McConnell), and that disgust on his face looked supremely unattractive. Jason Linkins at Huffington Post has a ever-so-slightly more mature and professional take on the matter. . .

[Excerpt]

Sen. Lindsey Graham Flacks McCain, Offers Hysterical Histrionics On Meet The Press

We took note of this on this morning's Sunday Morning liveblog, but Lindsey Graham's hilariously operatic, garment-rending performance on Meet The Press this morning deserves a special mention of its own. Pressed into duty to defame Obama for opting to continue his own fundraising process in lieu of the public financing he agreed to take way before he had any idea that his own superior method of public financing would prove itself to be far more effective, Graham came to show with a pocketful of woe and a story of Barack's broken promises. He quickly spun this into melodramatic gold, pretending to be stung and betrayed and emotionally out of tune over the matter. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

John Bolton: Israel to Attack Iran After Election?

Image from Salon

Oh come on. Really? And are we supposed to believe that George W. Bush has nothing to do with this? I mean, the timing being between election an inauguration day is suspiciously timed.

One thing we really don't need is a third war to fight. And being closely tied to Israel, the US would surely be asked to join in.

Let's hope John Bolton is just running off at the mouth here, and doesn't have inside information. Love the touch that "Arab states will be delighted." Frighteningly similar to "we'll be greeted as liberators," isn't it?

[Excerpt]

Bolton: Israel Will Attack Iran After U.S. Election But Before Inauguration, Arab States Will Be ‘Delighted’

I think if they [Israel] are to do anything, the most likely period is after our elections and before the inauguration of the next President. I don’t think they will do anything before our election because they don’t want to affect it. And they’d have to make a judgment whether to go during the remainder of President Bush’s term in office or wait for his successor. . .

Read more (with video) at: Think Progress

And then there's this: Kristol: Bush Might Bomb Iran If He ‘Thinks Senator Obama’s Going To Win’

Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft

Image from source, Breitbart

I started using computers around 1989 (unless you count the Commodore 64, which puts the date at about 1982). I started on an AMSTRAD IBM-clone, with no hard drive, two 5.25" floppy slots, and a CGA screen, which means very limited color. All of this was run on a version of Microsoft's MS-DOS. As computers advanced, and the company I worked for grew, we were soon using a 386-DX with a VGA screen, 20 Megabyte hard drive, Microsoft Windows 3.0, CorelDRAW 2 and PageMaker 3! Woo-hoo, the big leagues!

I give you this brief history only to illustrate that my computer experience has always been based on my knowledge of Microsoft operating systems. I've never understood the hostility some people hold for Microsoft, and have usually enjoyed rolling up my sleeves and tinkering with the software (as well as the hardware). And even as a graphic artist, I have zero affinity for Apple Macintoshes--largely due to the condescending attitudes of Mac users I've had to deal with.

So, Bill Gates has always been--what--not an idol or hero, exactly, but an inspirational figure to me. I mean, say what you will about him, he truly embodies the American dream. Starting a multi-billion dollar business in your garage? Sure, Steve Jobs did that too, but big deal (kidding, Mac cult, don't put a hit on me).

Some of Gates' tactics are a bit troubling. I mean, he basically stole MS-DOS, and sold people on Windows before the thing was even invented. It's a little like selling a war by bending the facts to fit your story. . . OK, that is too harsh. Nobody is that awful, right?

[Excerpt]

Bill Gates surrendering Microsoft helm

A Harvard University dropout who ushered in the home computer age and made billions of dollars along the way will have his last official day of work at Microsoft on June 27.

Three people will essentially fill the void left behind when Bill Gates retires from the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975. . .

Read more at: Breitbart

More on Michael Reagan's "Shoot Them" Bit

A little while back, I posted a piece about radio host and former first-son Michael Reagan's call to shoot "9/11 Truthers." It's an amazingly brazen (and most probably illegal) thing to say on the radio. Not to mention stupid. Now, I don't know much about this Mark Dice character that is at the center of the issue, except for this.

I am sympathetic to the 9/11 Truthers cause, though far from completely on board with them. I believe we've been told a fabricated story about what happened that day, some surely true, and some surely false. But I have no answers to what exactly did happen, and that speculation is where this group treads on thin ice. Shoot down a few of their conclusions and you've spoiled the whole movement in most people's eyes. They should stick to the facts, and avoid drawing conclusions.

And I don't support the action of sending soldiers letters in the way Mark Dice did, though once again, I'm there in spirit. Just not in action. I don't know what the answer is to get at the truth. But I don't think Mark Dice's tactic is the way to go. And surely, Michael Reagan's way is beyond the pale. Here's a video giving you some of the background story. It's over 8 minutes long, but you can tune out at about six minutes, where it just repeats what has come before. Interesting stuff.

Tom Brokaw to Temporarily Host Meet the Press

Picture from NBC News

When Tim Russert passed away unexpectedly a little over a week ago, it was a shock to political junkies like me, and of course to his colleagues and competitors. The question on everybody's mind--but one people had issues with addressing so soon--was, "who will replace Russert on NBC's Meet the Press?" His death, right after a heated primary race, and at the very beginning of the general election was like losing a major actor in the middle of a movie trilogy.

People can't help asking, who will they replace him with? Well, NBC made a very smart decision with their interim pick, Tom Brokaw. Brokaw used to be one of the three biggies, back when network news had more importance. Of the other two, Dan Rather was wounded by conservative bloggers (deservedly or not, your call), and Peter Jennings passed away. That leaves Brokaw as a lone elder-statesman, unless you go much older to the 60 Minutes crew or Walter Cronkite.

Putting Brokaw in until the election is over is a masterstroke. Everybody likes him, he doesn't look opportunistic, and we Stephanie Miller Show fans can delight in more Jim Ward impersonations of Brokaw! Now, if we can just get some alliterative "L"-word scandals? Llliberal lllesbian llllovers llllock llllips in Llllas Angeles llllove-in. . . Yes, I'm making fun of a man with a speech impediment. . .bad blogger. Baaad blogger.

[Excerpt]

Brokaw to lead 'Meet the Press'

Tom Brokaw will replace Tim Russert as moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” through the November presidential election, the network announced today. Brokaw, 68, filled in for the first post-Russert week. “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams was the host today, and revealed Russert's interim successor during the broadcast. NBC News President Steve Capus said: "A lot has been said in recent days about what 'Meet the Press' means to NBC News and to the nation. To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers. . ."

Read more at: Politico