SNL: Mitt Romney is Everything to Everybody!

It's funny 'cause it's true. . .

Bush Era Memo Released: They Knew it Was Torture

The Decider and Darth Cheney. Image from
source, Huffington Post

Since President Obama was inaugurated, there have been rumblings from the right about impeaching him. They don't care why (as they didn't with Clinton. . .lying about a blow job?), they just want it done. They haven't gotten very far, but you can bet that if Obama wins a second term, the volume on that idea is going to go way up. Which strikes me as ungrateful, if nothing else.

Ungrateful? Yes. Because Nancy Pelosi long ago took impeachment "off the table," when it came to George W. Bush. And because President Obama declared that he would not seek to investigate the Bush Administration's potential crimes. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest got away scot-free! They took a wrecking ball to the country, and other parts of the world, and now they get to comfortably retire, with no worries about repercussions. We're talking war crimes here.

Pffft! War crimes! Why, that's just Bush Derangement Syndrome! Uh, no, it's not. Torture is a war crime, and the just released memo shows that the Bush Administration knew it was torture. Arguably, we should be pissed at the Obama Administration for insisting it won't investigate, and for not stepping cleanly away from all of the "expanded executive powers" created in the Bush Years. The story below does a good enough job pointing out those issues. I'm actually more concerned by the prospect of a future President Ryan or Cantor deciding that torture is cool again.

[Excerpt]


New Bush-Era Torture Memo Released, Raises Questions About What Has Changed And What Hasn't 

A six-year-old memo from within the George W. Bush administration that came to light this week acknowledges that White House-approved interrogation techniques amounted to "war crimes." The memo's release has called attention to what has changed since President Barack Obama took office, but it also raises questions about what hasn't. . .

Read more at: Huffignton Post

For Guys Only: Get to Know Your Nuts (NSFW)

Okay, here's the deal, guys. The girls have a whole genre of "lady calamities" that are best left unsaid by those of us unfamiliar with that sort of thing. But there are also problems of the dude variety that are just as uncomfortable to discuss. The funny part? When we talk medically, full frontal nudity is allowed! Squeee! Kidding. This is serious. Well, semi-serious. Most of us will be okay, and those of us who discover a problemo can likely head off that problem at the pass. Because, seriously guys, which of us isn't intimately familiar with every bump and crevice? If you find something scary, take care of it right away, and things will most likely be fine.
 

Barack Hussein Obama vs. Willard Mitt Romney

No contest. President Obama may not have won every fight in his first 3+ years, but Mittt. . .well, Mitt is just a liar.

ALEC is Losing Major Members (Pepsi, Coke, Kraft)

Have you noticed the spate of similar draconian laws enacted all across the country on a variety of subjects? "Stand your ground?" "Voter I.D.?" "Collective bargaining" removal? Doesn't it seem weird that a dozen or more states would have the same idea at the same time? That a whole bunch of newly strongly Republican states would enact very, very similar laws? While people like me warned of GOP overreach should they win in 2010, I really had no idea that there really was a vast, right-wing conspiracy!


ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) is kinda sorta the definition of fascism. The union of government and corporations. Not exactly of course. ALEC has no legislative weight. But they're enormously influential. It works like this: Business writes laws, hands them to governors or legislative bodies, and the laws are enacted by (at least right now) hugely skewed state governments, overreaching from their 2010 victories. It was kind of a perfect storm.

The hardcore right--the FReepers--can square ALEC into their "small government/free market" world view. They'd lap up whatever Rush Limbaugh and FOX "News" fed them, with no quarrel and not a second thought. But the less hardcore, the less partisan among us would likely be appalled if they knew the scale of ALEC's influence. Thankfully, people are starting to catch on. Big people ("Corporations are people, my friend!" --Mitt Romney) like Pepsico, Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods. Uh oh.

[Excerpt]


BREAKING: Kraft Becomes Third Corporation To Drop ALEC

Following Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, tonight Kraft became the third major corporation to announce its departure from the right-wing business front group ALEC. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Mac Bug Infects Hundreds of Thousands

Image from source, TPM, which is for some reason showing some
really old Macs. They don't age well, do they?

I'm on my second Mac, if my PowerBook counts (it didn't say "Mac" anywhere), in addition to my regular Intel PCs at home and at work. Other than brief ownership of an iPod Nano and the Apple IIe we used in high school, that's pretty much the sum total of my experience with Apple products. So far--though I'm pleased with my MacBook Pro, I'm just not in love. I don't understand the otherwordly allure the brand has for so many. No way in hell would I wait in line overnight for the latest iGizmo.

But the one thing Apple is supposed to promise is that their products are virtually impervious to viruses, adware and the like. It hasn't turned out that way, I have on two occasions landed on pages that I had to force quit my way out of (in one case, it took several reboots, and a freeware program to dispose of it). I'm starting to think that Cult of Mac fanatics are covering for Cupertino. Especially when you read this:

[Excerpt]


Mac Botnet Has Infected Over Half a Million Computers

A long time ago, one of the reasons to get a Macintosh computer was that there were few nasty viruses or other malicious junk floating around that could affect your machine. However, this kind of attitude can only lead to trouble and now the Russian security company Doctor Web says that one particular trojan called Backdoor.Flashback.39 has infected over 550,000 Apple computers. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Conservative Word of the Day: "Thug"

Why "thug?" Here's why. . .

She's not wrong.

"If you turned on Fox News today, you’ll see the word “thug” repeated so often that you’ll think you’re watching a gangsta rap retrospective on MTV2. Between Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Karl Rove, the rightwing echo machine is throwing the word “thug” around more than Tupac, Biggie, and Trick Daddy rolled into one. 

From RandiRhodes.com

Why “thug”? Because terms like “bully” just don’t have that extra zing of racism that the rightwing wants. The way they’re using “thug,” it’s a racial slur, and a vicious one at that. They shouldn’t even be allowed to say the word “thug” out loud. It should be called the “T-word.” And when Karl Rove uses the term, it definitely becomes a racial slur. Of course, that’s true of an awful lot of words." 

-- Randi Rhodes

Marlo Thomas Interviews Michael J. Fox

That Girl! and Marty McFly! Image from HuffPo.

I've always had a special place in my full-of-pop-culture heart for Michael J. Fox. My grandmother always thought I looked like him. He played Alex P. Keaton from Columbus, Ohio on Family Ties. I was from Columbus, and was the same age as the character at the same time. Fox is actually five years older than his character, so though he is almost 51, Alex P. Keaton will always be my age (currently nearing 46), assuming he didn't die in an unaired "very special episode."

When Fox announced that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, that also had resonance, as The Other Half's* father also had the disease. But Fox was in his early 30s at the time, and his announcement made me think that I was lucky to not be afflicted with any major ailments. Yet. See, I was following him by five years. It was one of my first real "mortality moments," as odd as that sounds. There's not any particular reason that I should identify with Fox, maybe it's just that his celebrity occurred at the same time I was soaking it up--Family Ties, Back to the Future (I, II & III), etc.--and that grandma thing. Oddly enough, my mother had a That Girl hair cut and my first step mother sounded almost exactly like Marlo Thomas. . .who interviews Michael J. Fox in the article excerpted here. And I'll just shut up now, and share my favorite part of the interview.

[Excerpt]


"The Givers": Who Inspires Michael J. Fox? A Very Personal Interview

Marlo: . . .I stumbled on that video clip of Rush Limbaugh doing his unspeakably cruel imitation of what he said you look like when you speak. People everywhere were enraged by that clip, but you remained calm. How do you rise above this kind of thing? Do you have some sort of Zen secret that we can learn from?
Michael: No, no -- really I'm five-foot-four, I've dealt with bullies my whole life. He came after me when I was speaking out in support of stem cell research, and the candidates who supported it. . .At the time, I was actually more than just symptomatic -- I was dyskinetic, as a result of the medication I was taking. And Limbaugh decided that I was faking.

Marlo: So his agenda was political, as well. Did that make his offense even more irritating to you?

Michael: It honestly didn't bother me to have my integrity questioned by someone who doesn't have integrity. And it didn't threaten me. So I just blew it off, because I knew it wasn't going to change what I was doing. . .Frankly, I was more offended by Limbaugh's recent attack on [Georgetown law student] Sandra Fluke, calling her a slut and a prostitute after she testified in Congress about contraceptives. . .But remember, the bully always appeals to the lowest common denominator. And he won't prevail. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post


*And apropos of absolutely nothing, in researching this article, I found out that my husband is one day older than Michael J. Fox.

Republican Rehab: Obama and the Supreme Court

So, President Obama had a few words the other day about the Supreme Court, and its pending decision on the Affordable Care Act (known often derisively as Obamacare). His words were measured and fairly mild, but certainly indicated that he didn't think that the Supremes should overturn the law. Well, many conservatives went apeshit, acting like Obama pitched a bitch at SCOTUS. Over on FreeRepublic.com, they're talking contempt of court and impeachment! Honestly, righties, get ahold of yourselves!

Arizona Bill: Life Begins Two Weeks Before Conception?

Yep, you may not have even had sex yet, but you're
pre-pregnant! Image from Raw Story.

Is there something in the water in Arizona? This is bananas.

[Excerpt]


Arizona bill would declare pregnancy 2 weeks before conception

A measure that passed Arizona’s Senate claims that it would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but experts say that the bill is far more restrictive, effectively banning abortions after 18 weeks and declaring that a woman could be pregnant 2 weeks before she even had sex. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Lt. Uhura Meets President Obama

Why? Because I'm a huge Star Trek and Nichelle Nichols fan, mmkay?

I think the Prez has the Vulcan salute down better than Nichelle, but that's okay. Source: Wonkette

ChrisTwire Attempts to Salvage Santorum's Name with Easter Products

One of the many fabulous products
available from the geniuses at
ChristWire. (Click to embiggen)

Okay, kids, we won't have Rick (don't Google me) Santorum to kick around much longer. . .well, unless he's delusional, but, you know. So, we have to get our licks (ewww) in right now, while the frothy mixture is hot! ChrisTwire has come up with a genius way to salvage the name that the filthy Dan Savage has rendered unspeakable. And they may be on to something!


[Excerpt]


This Easter, Help Take Rick Santorum’s Good Name Back With This Delicious Santorum-Flavored Holiday Meal!

Senator Rick Santorum has devoted his life to promoting Christian love and charity in America. For his humble efforts, liberal media operatives have branded him with a libelously offensive label that defies decency, reason and any foundation of compassion. One man in particular, notorious pervert Dan Savage, has led the charge. Hacking into Google’s internet search engine technology, Savage was able to effectively defame the good Senator. . .

Read more at: ChrisTwire

So, Mitt Romney is Going to be the GOP Nominee

Mitt's the one! Whoopee? Image from CBS News

After a very long--and morbidly entertaining--primary season, Mitt Romney is going to be the GOP nominee for the 2012 presidential election. We've kind of known this for a little while, but after Tuesday's smattering of primaries, it's in the bag. It will be a little while longer before Rick (don't Google me) Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul finally bow out. But it's pretty much a done deal. So, here's your guy, conservatives! The guy who lost to the guy who lost to Barack Obama. Good luck with that.*


[Excerpt]


As delegates stack up, Romney has an eye on November

On the heels of decisive primary victories in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C., Tuesday night, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney inched ever closer to closing out his GOP competitors in the race to the nomination. . .

Read more at: CBS News



*Actually, the "good luck with that" is disingenuous. And I don't for a minute think that the fall election is a walk for President Obama. But I also don't for a minute believe the "tea party" base is happy about this outcome. Not one bit. So my good luck message is really aimed at the different factions of the Republican Party squaring this with their worldview.

President Obama Slams Ryan Budget Plan

Image from source, NY Times

Good! And he should. It's another in a long series of take from the poor, give to the rich plans that, frankly, Republicans ought to be embarrassed about by now. Many--including me--are seeing this as the opening salvo in President Obama's re-election campaign. If he keeps up like this, he's going to make his voters very happy.

[Excerpt]


Obama, in Talk, Calls House G.O.P. Budget the Work of Rightist Radicals

President Obama opened a full-frontal assault on Tuesday on the federal budget adopted by House Republicans, condemning it as a “Trojan horse” that would greatly deepen inequality in the United States, and painting it as the manifesto of a party that has swung radically to the right. . .

Read more (with video) at: New York Times

Keith Olberman "Screwed Up" Going to Current TV

I have enjoyed Keith Olbermann's television show greatly in the past. But because he puts on a good show doesn't mean he's a nice person. It would seem he leaves a trail of disgruntled employers in his wake, and that can't all be their fault. Here, Olbermann takes responsibility. . .for starting his program at Current TV, not for it's ignoble end. I hope he lands another venue, because I enjoy his output. But maybe he needs to try self employment.

[Excerpt]

Keith Olbermann on his stint at Current TV: ‘I screwed up’

During an Tuesday night appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, liberal political commentator Keith Olbermann addressed his abrupt exit from Current TV. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Lawrence O'Donnell Rewrites Mitt Romney's Mormon Question and Answer

It remains an open question, whether or not the South and other Bible-belt areas turn out for Mitt Romney. Will evangelical voters turn out for a Mormon? Will their distaste for Mitt outweigh their distaste for the (black) other guy? Well, amazingly enough, the LDS portion of Mittens' narrative has been kept on the margins for most of this contest. Probably partially because of the confusion of having to otherwise choose two Catholics Newt Gingrich, and  Rick (don't Google me) Santorum who for some reason is acting like Pat Robertson Jr. Aren't Protestants supposed to distrust Cathol. . .oh forget it.
But don't count on the Mormon Thing to continue to stay in the background. People who loathe the President, but think Mormonism is a cult may start to get itchy. They may start to act out. Like the guy who brought it up just recently. Check it out.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Chris Christie Takes Israel

Favorite quote from Wonkette comments section: "Whaling Wall?"--Extemporanus

It has been some time now since there were rumblings of a Chris Christie for president movement. And we can't mention Christie and rumblings in the same sentence together (or a host of other words) without stumbling into a discussion of his weight. That's because Christie isn't merely overweight. Hell, I've been overweight. Rick (don't Google me) Santorum is overweight, but nobody noticed until the unflattering swimsuit photo. It isn't because Christie is fat. Newt Gingrich is fat, but it is several steps down the list of negative things about him.

No, Christie is morbidly obese. And I find it peculiar that a person so heavily (there I go again) in the public eye, for so long, hasn't done something about it by now. Surely he has a gym at his disposal. Surely he also has access to nutritionists, personal trainers, lap band surgery. . .I'm just saying, he knows he's really big, he's acknowledged he really needs to lose weight. But these long months after he was prominently thrust into the public consciousness, he's as big--and on display--as ever. So, pardon me if I don't believe any of the Christie for VP rumors.

Or, maybe Christie is counting on a constantly growing America to see him as one of their own? I doubt it. I really don't think that America will vote for an extremely overweight president.

[Excerpt]


Chris Christie Does Jerusalem: Vacation Pix!

The Good Governor Sandwiches of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is in Israel, on his first official overseas trip as head of an American state. (He’s making up for President Obama, who refuses to visit Israel because he Hates Jews.) How many unionized public school teachers will he yell at on YouTube while there? We await the final tally. Until then, let’s check out some photos from his visit to the Western Wall. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Obama is the One Taking Our "Freedoms?"

I think this guy was a mistake. Image from LA Times

Since early 2009--practically the day of President Obama's inauguration, possibly earlier--conservatives have been saying that Obama is taking our "freedoms" away. Rarely do they enumerate these freedoms that have allegedly been removed, and when they do there are usually flaws in their arguments.

But what is the right doing when our freedoms really are being taken away? Republican Governors all over the country have been stomping on a woman's right to choose whether or not to remain pregnant. And even if you disagree that there is such a right (though it was acknowledged by the Supreme Court), what about the forced vaginal probes? That would seem to be a freedom stomping right there. Or, how about whole towns in Michigan that have their vote taken away, and their elected officials replaced with "emergency managers?" Indefinitely?

Those are just a couple of areas. There are many other examples, including the orchestrated attempt by the GOP (and their owners, ALEC and others) to systematically reduce the number of registered Democratic voters through a series of laws. They use excellent smokescreen justifications for Voter ID laws and other measures, but the aim is very clearly voter suppression. And what is more fundamental than the right to vote?

How about the constitutionally guaranteed right to not be unreasonably searched or seized? Because the Supreme Court of the United States has just made it a-okay for citizens to be strip searched if they have been detained by police, for any reason. You don't have to be guilty, you don't have to be charged, just detained. The guy at the center of this case was detained for six days on a bogus charge, and strip searched twice. He broke no law, and was suspected of no contraband, but they did it to him anyway. And the conservative five on SCOTUS says they're cool with that.

[Excerpt]


Supreme Court upholds strip-searches for jail inmates


The Supreme Court refused to halt routine strip-searches of new jail inmates, including those arrested for minor offenses, saying the need to screen out weapons and drugs outweighed the right to privacy.
The 5-4 majority ruled it would be "unworkable" to require guards — who at large county jails must screen hundreds of new inmates — to spare those who may not appear dangerous. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Blast from the Past: Bad 80s Songs!

Some people might argue that "Bad 80s Songs" is redundant. There were some great 80s songs, and putting a list of those together might make for a shorter and easier list. But the 80s was a decade of some real audio tragedies, and since it was the era of MTV, it was complete with video too.

So, let's dive in, and see what we can find. . .

1. We Built This City by Starship - I liked this one at the time. Starship--a spinoff of Jefferson Starship, which was spun off of Jefferson Airplane--had several slabs of cheese served up as songs in the 80s. As a Top 40 fan, I didn't know any better. Apparently, neither did Grace Slick.

2. Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin - I don't know if this song is really bad, or if I just heard it so many times back in the day, that it is forever tainted.



3. Mr. Roboto by Styx - Styx was always cheese. Well respected cheese. Rock god cheese. But still cheese. Still, they topped themselves with this oddity.

4. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler - This song was like a 70s Meatloaf cheesfest thrown into 80s "style." Tragic, but compelling.



5. Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie - Richie is harmless 70s and 80s fluff for the most part. But this one was just awful.

6. We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off by Jermaine Stewart - This song seemed to be a young gay man singing to his "girlfriend", making up excuses for not sleeping with her. And I don't know why I can't find a video for it.



7. Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block - Truthfully, I could have put anything in here by this group.

8. Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley - Again, just about anything by this artist, but this--the inspiration for Rick Rolling--certainly takes the cake.

And that's it for now. Happy Monday!

In Case You Missed It, Over Time with Bill Maher, March 29, 2012

Ep. 243: March 30, 2012 - Overtime