The "New" Faces of the GOP

Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. Now there's a group of up-and-comers with new and fresh ideas! Three pasty, chubby, old gray-haired white guys. Never change, GOP!



Found at: AmericaBlog

What's the 411 on 420?

Image from source, Huffington Post

Yes, I realize I'm a couple of days late with the 420 story, being that it is now 4/22. But whattayagonnado? As a signmaker, I was first made aware of the "420" business when we started to notice that we had to make--and remake, and make again--room number plaques in hotels with that number.

There were a whole lot of guesses as to what it means. Former and current stoners will insist that they know what it means. But most of them are wrong. The irony of the origins of this phenomenon is that while kids of today use the code as though they're getting one over on the older generation, the whole thing started with their parent's age group!

Anyway, in case you didn't already know. . .

[Excerpt]

What 420 Means: The True Story Behind Stoners' Favorite Number

. . .Depending on who you ask, or their state of inebriation, there are as many varieties of answers as strains of medical bud in California. It's the number of active chemicals in marijuana. It's teatime in Holland. It has something to do with Hitler's birthday. It's those numbers in that Bob Dylan song multiplied. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

West Running Out of Water?

Photo from source, New York Times

Yikes. . .and I thought property values in Las Vegas were bad now. Do you suppose running out of water in the Mojave Desert might depress them a little further? Wanna buy a house?

[Excerpt]

West Is Told to Expect Water Shortfalls

The Colorado River is a critical source of water for seven Western states, each of which gets an annual allotment according to a system that has sparked conflict and controversy for decades. But in an era of climate change, even greater difficulties loom. . .

Read more at: New York Times

Quote of the Day: Michael Steel is a Bottom

Image from source, Joe.My.God

Oh, the poor GOP. They've got a cast of cartoon characters in their highest profile spots. And they seem to both have no sense of humor, and no knowledge of sexual double entendres. We've had 2M4M (Two Million for Marriage), "tea bagging," and now Michael Steele admits that Republicans are "bottoms!" Knew it all along. . .

[Exerpt]

He says the GOP has "bottomed and we hope that's the case. But whether or not you've bottomed or not, you better have something to say to the American people. . ."

Source: Joe.My.God

Funny or Die: A Gaythering Storm

I don't think that the "National Organization for Marriage" had any idea what kind of storm was gathering when they came up with their anti-gay "Gathering Storm" ad. What they got was a storm of ridicule, and parodies of the ad itself.

Here's one of the better parodies, starring Sarah Chalke, Jason Lewis, Lynne Stewart, Alicia Silverstone, Lance Bass, Liz Feldman, Sophia Bush, Drew Droege, Mike Hitchcock, Daniele Gathier, Jay Lay, Erin Foley, George Takei, and Jane Lynch.

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

Jonathan Turley: Bush Era Torture and its Remedies

I don't really agree with the title of the video below, but I enjoyed watching its contents. I am not a constitutional scholar, so it is comforting to hear a guy who is talking about this whole torture disclosure thing, with some authority. I don't think President Obama is so much setting Eric Holder up, as giving him the reigns.

Newt Gingrich is a Hypocrite. Surprise!!!

Newt Gingrich seems to be the de facto head of the Republican Party these days. There is competition of course, but they're kind of a cast of cartoon characters. Not that Newt--who sounds like and is named like a Muppet--is that far away from a cartoon, frankly. So, please enjoy this "leader" looking like a total butthead, contradicting himself.

Jon Stewart: Disclosing Torture is Worse than Doing It?

I was of the same opinion as Jon Stewart, when hearing that conservatives were up in arms about Barack Obama's disclosure of Bush Era torture documents. Somehow, the conservatives seemed to think that talking about torture is worse than actually having done it. Again, bizarre.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
We Don't Torture
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Torture Should Be a Mystery, Says Peggy Noonan

When I heard Madeline Kahn sing, "Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you!" in Young Frankenstein, I never considered that she might be thinking of torture, though I suppose you could view it that way. But apparently--at least to conservative reporter Peggy Noonan--the subject of torture, and whether the Bush Administration should be accountable for doing it, is better left undiscovered. Her conclusion was, at best, bizarre.

[Excerpt]

Noonan: Torture memos should have remained one of life’s mysteries

On Monday, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart poked fun at how conservative politicians and pundits are reacting to the release of four Office of Legal Council Memos that authorized the use of torture on detainees under President Bush. Stewart notes that some pundits are disturbed more by the release of the memos than by the fact that torture was okayed and then deployed.

“Apparently, everyone is not upset about the fact that we torture. They are upset about the fact that we now know about it,” said Stewart. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Norm Coleman Still Appealing (Not in a Good Way)

Unappealing photo from source, Huffington Post

In truth, Minnesota's former Senator, Norm Coleman is thoroughly unappealing. But he continues his pointless fight, in order to stall Al Franken from taking over his seat. There is no "greater good" to be gained here, and slim hope of Coleman actually somehow regaining his seat. This is simply an effort to put a stick in the spokes of the Democrats. If the shoe were on the other foot, the Republican noise machine--as creaky and rusty as it is--would be screeching at full volume. It is long past time for Democrats to do the same.

[Excerpt]

Coleman Appeals Election To State Supreme Court

As expected, Norm Coleman formally appealed the results of the Minnesota recount election to the state's Supreme Court on Monday, adding another stage to an already lengthy electoral process.

The former Senator's legal team hosted a conference call late Monday afternoon to announce their much-anticipated move. They would not rule out the idea of taking the case even further: the U.S. Supreme Court. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Obama is Letting Bush & Co. Off the Hook. Or Is He?

I've been highly irritated with the continued buzz from the Obama Administration about letting the Bush Administration get away with torture, and other war crimes. I can't wrap my brain around it. I have theories of course. Like maybe too many Democrats would go down with the ship due to complicity or lack of action. Or maybe Obama is afraid of the right-wing noise machine.

But I have thus far been willing to cut Obama a little slack. He's a smart guy. And he knew what he was doing back in the primaries, and in the general election. Maybe this is part of a master plan that we don't quite see yet. Maybe by laying the groundwork that he himself doesn't wish to prosecute anyone from the Bush Era, he frees up the Justice Department and Congress to do it themselves, while Obama is working on the rest of his agenda? I sure hope it's something like that.

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

Newt Gingrich, Wrong Again!

Images from source, Think Progress

I already ran a post that refutes Newt Gingrich's assertion that past Presidents didn't "But we didn't rush over, smile, and greet Russian dictators." But it just so happens that the excerpted post below has a treasure trove of past Presidents doing just that. Gingrich is wrong again, which comes as no surprise to me. What surprises me is that he seems to have become a leader in the Republican Party again.

[Excerpt]

History Professor Gingrich Falsely Claims U.S. Presidents Don't 'Smile And Greet' Russian Leaders

Yesterday, President Obama shook hands and briefly chatted with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, explaining in a press conference afterwards that he was trying to move towards a "more constructive" relationship with the South American country. . .

Read more (with video) at: Think Progress

Apostrophe Abuse Again

As a sign maker, nothing is more frustrating than correcting a client's sign request, only to have them insist that we make it incorrectly. This often involves the incorrect usage of apostrophes.

Now, as a blogger, I'm confident that I've misused an apostrophe on occasion. But trust that when I do it, it's a genuine mistake. A typo made from haste. But I do know the rules. And one of them is: "Men's" never has an apostrophe after the "s." Neither does "Women's." "Boys'" or "Girls'" are appropriate, because they're plural possessives. "Men" and "Women" are already plural. Got that? Good!

Source: Kenneth in the (212)

The Young Turks: Glenn Beck Talks Secession

How is it that the very same type of person who impugned all liberals' patriotism for the last eight years, are now promoting the ultimate un-American act? Oh yeah and Glenn Beck is nucking futs.

Top 10 Conservative Idiots (Late), April 13, 2009

I was away last week, and totally forgot to link to Democratic Underground's "Top 10 Conservative Idiots" column. Since it is now published less frequently, if you are used to being reminded about it here, you may have missed it too. And it's always a fun read. So, here you go, one week late. . .

[Excerpt]

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 362

April 13, 2009

Storm In A Teabag Edition

This week we've got Teabaggers (1) and Freepers (10) and all kinds of conservative idiots in between. . .

Read the list at: Democratic Underground

Faux Outrage: Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez

President Obama needs to learn this: there is nothing he can do or say that won't provoke--as Rachel Maddow called it--Republican poutrage. Absolutely nothing. He no longer needs to consider their opinions, or how they respond. Because it would make no difference. As another of my favorite people, Bart Simpson, would say, "Can't win, don't even try."

[Excerpt]

Gingrich: "We didn't rush over, smile and greet Russian dictators"

Found at: AmericaBlog

Nevada's Ban on Same-sex Marriage to Stay

I didn't have a blog back when Nevada voted (in successive elections) to add a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution. I was forced to gripe by way of letters to the editor (one of which was published), and arguing with the local right-wing talk radio hosts via their message board. It was all for naught, and the measure passed.

It was a tremendously short-sighted, and--as is typical of these things--dishonest campaign. The usual "won't somebody please think of the children?!?" cries were heard, though how they rationally applied were never clearly spelled out. It boiled down to a religious argument, which should be insufficient to pass a law, let alone a constitutional amendment in the United States. To top it all off, the biggest argument used was "the sanctity of marriage." In Nevada. Primarily in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Remember, this is the state where Britney Spears famously got married--and then unmarried--on a whim. This is the state with marriages officiated by Elvis impersonators. This is a state with drive-thru wedding chapels. And lest we forget, this is a state that hosted a game show, where the lucky winning woman won a husband. So using "the sanctity of marriage" as an argument here was at best disingenuous, and at worst outright lying. The man who spearheaded the amendment, Richard Ziser, succeeded in that dream, but was crushed when he tried to leverage his big win into a run against Senator Harry Reid. Short story: epic fail.

Years have now passed, and the times? There a-changin.' Same-sex marriage is now legal in four states, and remains in flux in a fifth. There are a few others out there toying with the idea. And Nevada? The state that turned weddings into an industry? Apparently, we're stickin' to our guns. For some reason. Too bad, since the revenue generated by making it legal would probably be bigger than in any other state. We're party central, after all. Stupid.

[Excerpt]

Experts: No change in sight for state’s gay marriage ban

Local experts say Nevada probably won't be legalizing same-sex marriage any time soon, following recent decisions affirming gay marriage in Iowa and Vermont, but the emerging trend could help turn public sentiment here.

This issue sparks the passions of those opposed to gay marriage on the basis of conservative religious values and gay marriage supporters, who seek validation and equality. . .

Read more at: The Las Vegas Sun

U.S. Marine Arrested With Weapons In Luggage At Boston Airport

Yipes!

Happy Birthday to Me: All About April 19th

Today is my birthday, though for some reason it doesn't really feel like it yet. Perhaps it is because there hasn't yet been an office party, or maybe it's because I got birthday wishes a week ago when I was back home in Ohio. Whatever it is, I'm still a year older, officially, than I was yesterday. 43. Forty-three.

It really doesn't sound so bad. I can still play the doubling game, where you figure out how old you'll be at twice your age: 86. Not entirely likely, but not impossible either. I could get there. And most of my friends and co-workers are older than me, so 43 sounds just fine.

April 19th isn't a particularly happy day in history, despite its meaning to me. Here are just a few of the bad and/or very serious things that happened on my birthday:

- 1775: "The shot heard 'round the world," the first shot of the American Revolutionary War fired. Sure, it ended up OK, but somebody was on the other end of that shot!

- 1861: Baltimore Riot in the American Civil War.

- 1927: Mae West sentenced to ten days in prison for indecency!

- 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion.

- 1989: 47 soldiers killed on USS Iowa.

- 1993: Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas is raided, then burns to the ground.

- 1995: Domestic terrorism of Oklahoma City bombing.

Then again, some good and/or interesting things happened on April 19th too:

- 1775: That American Revolutionary War thing is good, of course.

- 1892: First automobile driven in the United States.

- 1935: Actor Dudley Moore born.

- 1946: Actor/singer Tim Curry born.

- 1971: Charles Manson sentenced to death. . .so why is he still alive?

- 1987: The Simpsons debuts as a short, recurring cartoon within The Tracey Ullman Show (on my 21st birthday, and I was watching!).

- 2005: The current Pope was named. Ambivalent about this one.

Other birthdays today include Kate Hudson, Jayne Mansfield, Hayden Christensen, Ashley Judd and Suge Knight. Deaths on this date include Charles Darwin (1892), Pierre Curie (1906) and Benny Hill (1992).

And did you know that my birthday is also: Bicycle Day, Venezuala's Independence Day, "Feast Day" of several Roman Catholic saints, and this year it's Orthodox Easter! My birthday has occurred on ordinary Easter three times during my life, and never will again, unless I live to be 105. Fancy that!

Source for much of this frivolity: Wikipedia.org

Quote of the Day: On Patriotism, Obama, Secession & Tea Bagging

Photo from Crooks and Liars

"Isn’t threatening to dissolve the union over the stimulus package a little less American than failure to wear a flag pin?"

--Gail Collins, NY Times Op-Ed Columnist

Read her entire (excellent) article on the "tea parties" at: New York Times