I've got some news, Shakers.
I have been offered and have accepted a position as the Netroots Coordinator for John Edwards’ presidential campaign, joining an outstanding internet team that now also includes Pandagon's Amanda Marcotte, with whom I'll be working closely. (Watch out, world!)
To answer what I imagine are the immediate questions: I'm not relocating nor leaving Shakes, and Shakes won't become the all-Edwards all-the-time blog. In fact, I'll be blogging about the campaign at the campaign blog, not here, so you'll probably get less Edwards than you're used to! And it should be noted that while I'm blogging at Shakes in the capacity of John Edwards' netroots coordinator, none of the other contributors are. Their opinions expressed about any candidates are their own, and their content will not be limited as a result of my affiliation with the campaign.
So, basically, you'll still be getting the same old shit around here, Shakers. And I hope you're as happy about that as I am.
As for The Big Question: Why Edwards? A lot of reasons, none of which I've been too shy about sharing as my personal support for him has increased over the last months, although you can read more in my first Edwards blog post here. I will, however, mention the three little words that ultimately got me: "I was wrong." That's how John Edwards started his Nov. 13 op-ed in the Washington Post, referring to his Iraq war vote. "I was wrong," he said, and more than that: "I take responsibility for that mistake. It has been hard to say these words because those who didn't make a mistake—the men and women of our armed forces and their families—have performed heroically and paid a dear price. … [A] key part of restoring America's moral leadership is acknowledging when we've made mistakes or been proven wrong—and showing that we have the creativity and guts to make it right." I don't need a president who never makes mistakes; those don't even exist. I need a president who's willing to admit them. Those have been in short order as of late, you may have noticed.
Quite some time ago, a staffer for another then-potential presidential candidate called me to pick my brain about what it would take to get my support. One of the things about which I was most adamant was that the candidate had to say, quite plainly, that s/he was wrong on Iraq. The staffer ran a couple of options by me: "What if s/he said this? What if s/he said that?" I said what I wanted to hear was "I was wrong."
John Edwards gave me what I wanted. And I believe he offers America what it needs.
Shakes on a Campaign
Daily Highlights
Shakes: The Curious Incident of the Soldier at the Protest
Shakes: Sad, Sad Bill O'Reilly
Litbrit: Tampa Officials Apologize to Jailed Rape Victim
Paul the Spud: Biden Unleashed!
Paul the Spud: Your Gutbuster of the Day
Shakes: Jim Sinegal Rulezzz
Litbrit: What Are We to Make of This?
Shakes: Aloha
Shakes: Goody Gumdrops!
Waveflux: A Delayed Sentence
Paul the Spud: Biden Unbound!
Nightshift66: Al and Molly
Maybe Franken can find the joke, somehow
...but I doubt it. I just heard on CNN that Al Franken will run for the Democratic nomination for the Minnesota Senate seat in 2008 current held by Rethug Norm Coleman. That pleased me enormously.
The very next story was that Molly Ivins has died today. I have enjoyed Ms. Ivins' work for years, and this is damned depressing. RIP, Molly.
That these events were reported in consecutive order on CNN is evidence that the universe has a twisted sense of humor.
Biden Begin Again
Josh has been posting on the Biden/Obama story for most of the day, and he now has an audio clip of the interview. The argument now is that a bad transcription is the actual culprit here, not Biden's choice of words.
Take a look and listen.
What do you think? Does the "period" change anything? As Lesly pointed out, it does seem rather odd that Biden went from talking about Clinton's policies, and Edwards' policies to how "articulate" and good lookin' that Obama is. (Although later he does say “I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.”)
Frankly, given Biden's past dancing on the racism tightrope (and an incredibly poor choice of words in this case), I'm not all that ready to say there's nothing to these (Biden's) comments, but some of you may feel differently.
A delayed sentence
Look upon his works, ye Mighty, and despair
One of the last times I found Doonesbury...well, you know...funny...occurred in the wake of the death fatwa issued by Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie for supposed blasphemies in The Satanic Verses. The fatwa was described by Nobel literature prize awardee V.S. Naipaul as "an extreme form of literary criticism." Such a notion certainly informed Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, who launched a storyline in which the wholly-fictional "Islamic Book Critics Circle" handed out literary judgments that were harsh indeed:
To Sidney Sheldon, for The Sands of Time, a sentence of death!
The comic strip's intrepid-yet-witless TV news correspondent, Roland Hedley, offered this breathless bit of commentary to his anchor back in studio:
Ooh, a pan! That's got to hurt, Peter!
All this is to say that the sentence has finally been carried out - by God, if not by man.
Note: Feel free to pay for the privilege of digging through the voluminous archives of ancient Doonesbury strips, if you like. I elected to rely on memory: one of the greatest curses of the human race, as someone or other once said.
("New" Blogger...she blows! Er, cross-posted.)
Blurrgghh
I have a heinous migraine.
Can someone come hit me in the knee with a tack hammer to distract me from the THROBBING MADNESS going on inside my head?
I don't get migraines often, but when I do...zoinks. Aleve, take me away.
Goody Gumdrops!
Gonzo consents to abide by the law. Aren't we all grateful for the magnanimity of our attorney general?
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday he will turn over secret documents detailing the government's domestic spying program, ending a two-week standoff with the Senate Judiciary Committee over surveillance targeting terror suspects.So what was the big hold-up? Oh, I'll give you one fucking guess.
"We obviously would be concerned about the public disclosure that may jeopardize the national security of our country," he said. "But we're working with the Congress to provide the information that it needs."I love the idea that Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senator Arlen Specter, who will receive the records, might just go haywire and start wantonly disseminating information that would put our national security at risk. It would be just like those two kooks.
Gonzales described the decision to release the documents to Leahy and Specter as the result of ongoing negotiations between Congress and the administration. He said lawmakers most likely will not have to review the documents at the Justice Department, which keeps a tight grip on classified information, but offered few other details.It's so simple! Why didn't those wacky Senators ever think to just ask before?! They should have saved themselves the trouble of taking the issue to federal court and shit!
"It's important for us that they understand what we're doing," Gonzales said. "All they have to do is ask."
Why am I living in a cuckoo clock?
Are They Lying About The Truth Now While Telling The Truth About The Lies Then?
What are we to make of this? WASHINGTON, D.C. — A plan by the Bush administration to release detailed and possibly damning specific evidence linking the Iranian government to efforts to destabilize Iraq have been put on hold, U.S. officials told FOX News. Officials had said a "dossier" against Iran compiled by the U.S. likely would be made public at a press conference this week in Baghdad, and that the evidence would contain specifics including shipping documents, serial numbers, maps and other evidence which officials say would irrefutably link Iran to weapons shipments to Iraq. Now, U.S. military officials say the decision to go public with the findings has been put on hold for several reasons, including concerns over the reaction from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — as well as inevitable follow-up questions that would be raised over what the U.S. should do about it.
Let me make sure I have matters correct here: military officials were about to fill us in on exactly what Iran has been up to since the United States turned Iraq into The Academy For Lil' Terr'ists, but they've decided not to because it might draw an unpleasant reaction from Iran's leader? Since when has concern for another leader's reaction stopped BushCo et. al. from doing whatever it wanted? And oh, those pesky "inevitable follow-up questions" about how the U.S. should solve a problem like Mahmoud--can't people just let the Decider be the Decider? But wait, now there are senators asking stuff, too:
During pointed questioning, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told Negroponte, "What I think many of us are concerned about is that we stumble into active hostilities with Iran without having aggressively pursued diplomatic approaches, without the American people understanding exactly what's taking place."
[.....]Obama, a candidate for president in 2008, warned during the hearing that senators of both parties will demand "clarity and transparency in terms of U.S. policy so that we don't repeat some of the mistakes that have been made in the past," a reference to the intelligence questions still dogging the administation's decision to invade Iraq.
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a possible presidential candidate, asked Negroponte if he thinks the United States is edging toward a military confrontation with Tehran. In response, Negroponte repeated President Bush's oft-stated preference for diplomacy, although he later added, "We don't rule out other possibilities."
Uh-oh. When a Bushie like Negroponte says something about "other possibilities", it's time to run for cover (bolds mine):
Negroponte, a career diplomat who is leaving a higher-ranked job as the nation's top intelligence official, gave only a mild endorsement of the administration's diplomatic hands-off policy toward Damascus and Tehran.
Negroponte would lead the department's Iraq policy if confirmed, as expected. He said Syria is letting 40 to 75 foreign fighters cross its border into Iraq each month and repeated the charge that Iran is providing lethal help to insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq. Iran and Syria are not helping promote stability and peace in Iraq and understand what the United States and other nations expect of them.
"I would never want to say never with respect to initiating a high-level dialogue with either of these two countries, but that's the position, as I understand it, at this time," Negroponte said.
And of course, Dear Decider plays along, pretending to share our skepticism even as he shovels another 20,000+ young Americans into the Big Oil Profit Protection pipeline:
"I'm like a lot of Americans that say, 'Well, if it wasn't right in Iraq, how do you know it's right in Iran,'" the president said.
Uh-huh.
Crossposted at The Last Duchess.
I 
Jim Sinegal
Who the heck is Jim Sinegal? He's the CEO and founder of Costco, who "yesterday became the most prominent member of a new organization of business owners and executives pressing Congress to approve an increase in the federal minimum wage."
"The more people make, the better lives they're going to have and the better consumers they're going to be," Sinegal said in an interview. "It's going to provide better jobs and better wages."Costco is the nation's largest wholesale club. That may suggest progressive economics aren't the impediment to progress conservatives would have us believe. Ahem.
…Sinegal is one of dozens of business owners and executives who … are lending their voices to an effort called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a project of Business for Shared Prosperity, an organization of "forward-thinking business owners, executives and investors committed to building enduring economic progress on a strong foundation of opportunity, equity and innovation," according to the organization's Web site.
…Costco, of Issaquah, Wash., would suffer no direct impact from a higher minimum wage because its lowest-paid employees now make about $11 an hour, Sinegal said, adding that the average worker in the company's 504 stores in the United States makes $17 an hour.
Wednesday Blogwhoring
Sock it to me, Shakers!
My Friend Joe says to me: "New Blogger sucks as bad as the old Blogger." I concur.
Your Gutbuster of the Day
Put down your drink.
Bush: Link Executive Salaries to Performance
NEW YORK - President Bush took aim Wednesday at lavish salaries and bonuses for corporate executives, standing on Wall Street to issue a sharp warning for corporate boards to "step up to their responsibilities" and tie compensation packages to performance....said the most unsuccessful, incompetent, irresponsible "CEO" this country has ever seen.
[...]
The president does not endorse any government role in reducing those packages. Instead, Bush highlighted new federal rules that the administration thinks are a better path toward wise compensation decisions by companies.
"Government should not decide the compensation for America's corporate executives," he said. "But the salaries and bonuses of CEOs should be based on their success at improving their companies and bringing value to their shareholders."
In effect starting last month, the rules give investors access to clearer and more detailed information from public companies on their top executives' pay packages and perks. Their impact will become apparent as corporations begin issuing 2006 annual reports.
"America's corporate boardrooms must step up to their responsibilities," Bush said. "You need to pay attention to the executive compensation packages that you approve. You need to show the world that America's businesses are a model of transparency and good corporate governance."
Hoo-Boy
One thing I really hate about the primaries is the inevitable in-party bashing. Not only do I find this rather obnoxious, I also just think it's a stupid move, politically. Look at Bush and McCain.
Joe Biden's come out swinging, and he's already put his foot right smack in the middle of his yapper:
On Obama:Yeah, he's the first articulate African-American in politics. The rest of "those people" are always just talking in that darn street lingo.“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
But—and the “but” was clearly inevitable—he doubts whether American voters are going to elect “a one-term, a guy who has served for four years in the Senate,” and added: “I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.”
And apparently, they don't bathe, either.
(Tip 'o the Energy Dome to Atrios.)
Update: Tampa Officials Apologize To Jailed Rape Victim
After the story was picked up by every news outlet, from CNN to Salon.com to England's The Guardian, Tampa Police spokesperson Laura McElroy, along with Tampa's mayor Pam Iorio, apologized yesterday to the college student who was raped shortly after the Gasparilla parade on Saturday, then incarcerated by Tampa Police and denied emergency birth control medication by a jail worker:
And of course, the finger-pointing begins, with police and jail employees all denying the medication denial."In this case the victim was not treated properly, and we don't want this to ever happen again," said Mayor Pam Iorio.
"We feel remorse that she ended up in jail," said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy, offering an apology on behalf of the department.
At the jail, a nurse refused to give the woman a timely, important second dose of a "morning-after" pill to prevent pregnancy.
The woman's attorney said a jail nurse refused to give the medication because of religious objections. On Tuesday, the nurse's attorney said she refused not because of religious objections but because dispensing medication that is not listed on a medical chart violates protocol.
McElroy, the police spokeswoman, said Tampa police Officer Lisa Cordero told several jail employees about the woman's situation and specifically told them she needed the medication.
When something turns out to be such a huge, snarly ball of wrong, one can't help but think the Bush family must somehow be involved. Which, as nitpicker points out, (thanks, DBK) is actually dead right:The mother, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter's identity, says a jail nurse cited religious objections for withholding the emergency contraceptive.
"I was in total disbelief," the mother said. "You just can't imagine the fury that was going through me. How dare that person force their religious beliefs upon my daughter in such a way that it may harm her?"
Jennifer D'Angelo, attorney for the nurse, said the nurse didn't administer the pill because it wasn't listed on a medical chart.
"It had nothing to do with any religious preference or beliefs," D'Angelo said. "I think it might have been a miscommunication. Clearly the poor girl was distraught."
The nurse said only that she would do what she could to help, regardless of her personal beliefs, D'Angelo said.
The nurse is employed by Miami-based Armor Correctional Health Services, which supplies medical care for the jail. A spokeswoman said the claim that medication was withheld on religious grounds is false.
"All medications are administered to patients as prescribed," said spokeswoman Dana Clay. "A person's individual beliefs would not interfere."
Sheriff's officials declined to comment, citing an internal investigation.
Tampa police said several jail employees knew of the woman's situation and of the medication.
The medical services at the jail are run by Armor Correctional Health Services an affiliate of Medical Care Consortium, Inc., which has donated $18,000 to Republicans and $4,000 to conservative Democrats since its founding in 1998, according to opensecrets.org.After a long, sad sigh, what is left to say? Perhaps the tourism board should stop beating around the, ah, ex-governor, and adopt this new slogan:
One lobbyist for MCCI is Sports Illustrated writer Don Yaeger, who was suspected of doing favors for Jeb Bush's second Secretary of Corrections, James Crosby. Why would he do such a thing? Because they wanted the big state contracts being offered up by Jeb's drive to privatize the whole friggin state apparatus. There was a requirement, though, that a company had to manage the health of 10,000 inmates for a year. Managing Hillsborough county's jail was just a step along the path to a bigger payday, and MCCI tried to get the state to lift the 10,000 head requirement based on the Hillsborough gig--which Armor bid on three days after being founded and won despite not being the lowest bidder for the job and submitting MCCI's financials instead of its own. Hillsborough is, of course, where the young woman was detained and denied the medical treatment prescribed by her doctor. It was also inside Katherine Harris's old district and one of her biggest supporters, both politically and financially, was Don Yaeger.
[.....]
What does this all mean? It means that a near-maniacal belief in the power of privatization to make life better, the appointment of corrupt bastards, connections to dirty lobbyists and fucking over the people you're supposed to help aren't simply aspects of the George W. Bush administration. It seems to run in the family.
Florida--you'll come for our politicians; you'll stay for our privatizin'!
(Blurbex examines the differences between Tampa and St. Petersburg in terms of how leaders in each city handled recent PR crises: the Mayor Baker-ordered destruction of the homeless tent city followed by days of stonewalling and deflecting blame vs. the Mayor Iorio-ordered apology and revisions to police policy that immediately followed a day of media interest in the Tampa rape/arrest case. Hat-tip to griftdrift)
Sad, Sad Bill O'Reilly
"Olbermann can't kill him enough." — Don Imus, on Bill "This Sonofabitch" O'Reilly's awesome offer to send one copy of his book to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan for every book purchased. Come on, people! Buy Billo's stinking book, or the men and women risking their lives on the front lines might never know who's looking out for them, or what it's like to be a brave, brave culture warrior.
Seriously, you know you've hit the bottom of the fricking barrel when you're offending the sensibilities of this douche-sack:
John also reminds us "Limbaugh tried a similar trick of trying to make money off the troops with his 'Adopt a soldier' scam."
Question of the Day
Suggested by Spudsy: "What's a more absurd suggestion to combat global warming than GIANT SPACE MIRRORS?"
I say cow corks.
Daily Highlights
Shakes: Impeach Him Now
Paul the Spud: The Gift That Stops Giving
Shakes: Grrls Gone Wild
Litbrit: Victimize Her Twice
Misty: Shaker Gourmet!
Paul the Spud: Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine!
Shakes: Shut Up, Crybabies
Paul the Spud: Quote of the Day
Paul the Spud: It Is To Laugh…and Then To Cry
Shakes: Gayken
Shakes: Seconded
Shakes: The Adventures of Georgie
The Adventures of Georgie
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a decidin' man, no time to talk.
Georgie decided to visit the Caterpillar Plant in Peoria,
Illinois, where they make biiiiiiiiiiiiiig machines!
"Cool!"
Really big machines.
"Hey—can I drive it?!"
That's when the trouble started.
Touring a Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Ill., the Commander in Chief got behind the wheel of a giant tractor and played chicken with a few wayward reporters. Wearing a pair of stylish safety glasses--at least more stylish than most safety glasses--Bush got a mini-tour of the factory before delivering remarks on the economy. "I would suggest moving back," Bush said as he climbed into the cab of a massive D-10 tractor. "I'm about to crank this sucker up." As the engine roared to life, White House staffers tried to steer the press corps to safety, but when the tractor lurched forward, they too were forced to scramble for safety. "Get out of the way!" a news photographer yelled. "I think he might run us over!" said another. White House aides tried to herd the reporters the right way without getting run over themselves. Even the Secret Service got involved, as one agent began yelling at reporters to get clear of the tractor. Watching the chaos below, Bush looked out the tractor's window and laughed, steering the massive machine into the spot where most of the press corps had been positioned. The episode lasted about a minute, and Bush was still laughing when he pulled to a stop. He gave reporters a thumbs-up. "If you've never driven a D-10, it's the coolest experience," Bush said afterward. Yeah, almost as much fun as seeing your life flash before your eyes.
The President then explained why he insists on behaving
like a bratty child instead of the leader of the free world.
Not good enough.
Grow up, asshole.
LOL!
Who the Hell is Johnny Isakson?Totally.
A complete wanker, a senator from Georgia, and the occasional reminder that as much as I pay attention to this stuff there are senators whose names I just do not know.
Gayken
I just had a serious WTF Moment when I saw this on Yahoo's front page:
Clay Aiken wants to know that? Why? Survive how? Is this about abortion? Snowflake babies? Is Gloria Gaynor somehow involved? Are there organized Americans who are committed to preventing children from surviving that we must fight? What the hell's going on?
It took me a good 7 seconds of wondering into what weird universe Clay Aiken would lead me if I clicked the link before I saw the itsy bitsy UNICEF tucked into the corner of the photo.
He looks deeply concerned and in need of a good burp.
But, sir, every plant in town will die. Owls will deafen us with incessant hooting. The town sun dial will be useless!
This is what happens when you watch nothing but FOX. Not only will you be less informed and fed a constant diet of Republican lies and fabrications, you may even begin believing what you see on one of their animated programs.
And that, my friends, leads to goofy shit like this:
The US government wants the world’s scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be “important insurance” against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a major UN report on climate change, the first part of which will be published on Friday.Yes, rather than do something simple like, oh, reduce emissions and require business to clean up their act, let's do something business friendly, like create GIANT SPACE MIRRORS! Why, I'll just bet that Halliburton already has blueprints!
To quote Steve:
Hmm, blocking sunlight… I seem to recall an episode of The Simpsons on this very subject.
Meet the administration’s new climate change czar: C. Montgomery Burns.
As if ripping off Mister Burns isn't bad enough, they're also directly cribbing from another Fox show:
I'm amazed they didn't suggest dropping a giant ice cube in the ocean.
Quote of the Day
From "Republicans: Stop Thinking About Gay Sex:"
"It seems to me Republicans spend more time thinking about gay sex than any other group of people in the known world even more so than gay people trying to find other gay people with whom to have sex."The rest of it ain't bad, either.
Shut Up, Crybabies
Glenn Greenwald makes the case against whiny-ass titty-babies like National Review editor Rich Lowry and erstwhile Congressional Republibot Newt Gingrich complaining that Bush and his rubberstamp GOP Congress have tarnished the good name of Conservatism:
The fabled Goldwater/Reagan small-government "conservatism of doubt" which [Andrew Sullivan] hails — like the purified, magnanimous form of Communism — exists, for better or worse, only in myth.This is largely right, and I'd add that there are non-mythical, small-government, flesh-and-blood Goldwater conservatives scattered across America, people who quite genuinely support same-sex marriage, reproductive rights, and the tax cuts—and every one of them I've met hated Bush from the get-go because they saw the Schiavo-style meddling coming from a thousand miles away. The problem for these people is the truth in what Glenn says—that a conservative movement reflective of those principles is truly nonexistent. And they know it.
While it is true that Bush has presided over extraordinary growth in federal spending, so did Reagan. Though Bush's deficit spending exceeds that of Reagan's, it does so only by degree, not level. The pornography-obsessed Ed Meese and the utter lawlessness of the Iran-contra scandal were merely the Reagan precursors to the Bush excesses which Sullivan finds so "anti-conservative." The Bush presidency is an extension, an outgrowth, of the roots of political conservatism in this country, not a betrayal of them.
All of the attributes which have made the Bush presidency so disastrous are not in conflict with political conservatism as it exists in reality. Those attributes — vast expansions of federal power to implement moralistic agendas and to perpetuate political power, along with authoritarian faith in the Leader — are not violations of "conservative principles." Those have become the defining attributes of the Conservative Movement in this country.
That is why [conservatives] bred and elevated George Bush for six years, and suddenly "realized" that he was "not a conservative" only once political expediency required it.
They're voting Democrat these days.
Related: The Ownership Society.
Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine
Ladies and Gentlemen, your Liberal Media at work.
With Hillary announcing her bid for the Presidency, the Right has immediately gone into "smear all Clintons" mode. Remember "The Path to 9/11," the ABC "docu-drama" produced by Evangelical Activists, designed to blame Clinton for 9/11, that was so full of distortions and lies that even conservatives were criticizing it? Well, for some reason, Sean Hannity has decided to wave this sloppy attempt at fingerpointing in our faces again. And what better way to do this then by having the filmmaker on his show, unchallenged, to defend as truth the very misleading scene he already admitted to fabricating. (Bolds mine)
So, why drag this up now? Gee, do you think it could have anything to do with trying to tie together "Clinton" and "9/11?" Could it be to help paint Clinton as a desperate bully, "forcing" ABC to make edits on scenes he doesn't want you to see? (Shriek! Scream!) Could it be that Hannity is so desperate for a smear, that he'll dredge up this crap after it didn't work the first time for another attempt to blame 9/11 on a Democrat... any Democrat? Especially a Clinton?As advertised, the January 28 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America featured the unedited version of a scene from part one of ABC's deeply flawed "docudrama," The Path to 9/11, in which Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger is shown abandoning an opportunity to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Discussing the scene, host Sean Hannity, Path to 9/11 screenwriter and producer Cyrus Nowrasteh, and CBS terrorism analyst Michael Scheuer all asserted that the unedited version was a more accurate representation of history, even though both versions of the scene depict an event that did not happen and Nowrasteh himself has acknowledged that the scene was fabricated.
As Media Matters for America noted, Fox News advertised that the January 28 Hannity's America would feature "the video Bill Clinton doesn't want you to see," adding that Clinton "forced ABC to cut out an entire scene" and that Fox News would "expose the clip at the center of the controversy." While Fox News did not specify which scene it would broadcast, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Berger scene was among the "outtakes" from the film that Fox News obtained "by taping a public talk" that Nowrasteh "gave to a World Affairs Council chapter."
Hannity aired both the edited and unedited versions of the scene, which depicted Berger refusing to authorize a raid on an isolated compound in Afghanistan, known as Tarnak Farms, to capture or kill bin Laden, even though CIA officers and Afghan fighters were in position just outside. The most dramatic difference between the two versions was a shot of Berger hanging up on then-CIA director George Tenet as he asks for authorization -- that shot was edited out at the last minute by ABC. Even with the edit, the scene still falsely portrayed Berger abandoning the opportunity to act against bin Laden. According to the 9-11 Commission report, Tenet stated that "he alone had decided" to abort the mission on May 29, 1998 -- weeks before the target date of June 23. The report further noted that both intelligence and military officials had serious doubts about the likelihood of its success. It also noted that the operation had been planned out and rehearsed, but gave no indication that CIA or Afghan personnel were in position and ready to conduct the operation when it was canceled.
You know, I think it just might. Remember, America: Everything is the fault of a Clinton.
HANNITY: And for a more in-depth look at these cut clips and the truth behind the story, we're joined by the writer and producer of ABC's Path to 9/11, Cyrus Nowrasteh. And former CIA senior intelligence analyst and current CBS News terrorism analyst Michael Scheuer is with us. All right, Cyrus, let me begin with you. First of all, you know, you based this -- you felt what you had in there originally was true. Tell us about the political pressure to edit it.An attempt to "suppress history." So, in other words, pointing out intentional misrepresentation of fact is "suppressing" history.
NOWRASTEH: Well, you know, I wasn't privy to a lot of that pressure. I mean, it was sort of a national hysteria at the time, and I think there was just an attempt to sort of suppress history.
There's more "you poor, censored boy!" bootlicking in the story, if you can stomach it.
It's bad enough that we have Americans that remain willfully ignorant of history and matters of political importance in this country. The fact that Hannity and his ilk are allowed to spread outright lies and distortions of history on a national level, completely unchallenged, is disgusting and shameful.
Shaker Gourmet!
Today's recipe comes from Maurinsky of the blog, Laughing Wild. Without further ado:
Maurinsky's Shepherd's Pie
I always wash my hands well before I start
2 lbs. ground meat (sirloin, turkey, lamb, whatever)
3 lbs. potatoes (Yukon gold is my favorite)
half & half
1 large onion chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 big leek, chopped & carefully cleaned
petite peas, cubed carrots, pearl onions - whatever
kind of small veggies you like
fresh rosemary, pulled off the twig, roughly chopped
if you prefer
Worcestershire sauce
wine or broth, about 2 cups, divided
a cup or so of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
olive oil
2 tb butter
2 tb flour
salt & pepper
Peel potatoes and chop into smallish cubes (or don't
peel, however you like it). Clean, cover with water,
and put over high heat. Heat a large skillet over
medium heat, and add a little olive oil to the pan.
When it's hot, add the onions, leeks & shallots. (You
can leave out any one of those, I often exclude the
leeks because the price of leeks is highway robbery
around here when they aren't seasonal). When they are
soft, add the garlic. A couple of minutes later, add
the ground meat. Brown.
When the meat is brown, push everything to the side
and mix half the wine or broth with the flour and add
to the pan. Cook that for a minute or two, then add
the rest of the liquid - and you can add more than I
listed, I just eyeball everything - and bring it to a
boil. Depending on the appearance of the gravy and how
that affects you emotionally, you can add Gravy Master
to darken it up.
When it boils, add the peas, rosemary and a couple of
shots of Worcestshire sauce, lower the heat, cover and
simmer as the gravy thickens.
When the potatoes are boiled and you can pierce them
easily with a fork, drain the pot, add the butter,
half & half (or milk or skim milk, whatever floats
your boat), and cheddar cheese, salt & pepper, and
start mashing. You can replace the butter with olive
oil, you can add sour cream. Mash those spuds until
they are the desired lumpiness and consistency.
Put the meat mixture into a large casserole dish or
baking pan, cover with the potatos, and put under the
broiler for a few minutes, until the tops of the
potatoes start to golden.
When I make these with leftover mashed potatoes, I
cook the whole thing for 10 minutes or so in a 375
oven before I turn the broiler on.
If you would like to be a part of Shaker Gourmet, email me at: fire.of.psyche (at) gmail.com
Victimize Her Twice: Shame On Tampa
Tampa's version of Mardi Gras is called Gasparilla, and every January, the festival's attendant parade, parties, pageants, and over-the-top bacchanalia get splashed across newspapers and television screens like so much spilled rum and scattered beads. Then there's the big mess to clean up and at least a few car thefts, DUI arrests, and minor bits of drunken pirate-related mayhem to report, at which point most of the region reverts to Normal mode until football season begins.
Not so fast with the reversion to normalcy this year, however. Not for one woman (bolds mine):
TAMPA - First, police say, a 21-year-old woman was raped at Gasparilla. Then, she was handcuffed and jailed - for two nights and two days.Never mind that the woman believes she paid the fine in question; forget that her arrest took place when she was a juvenile; set aside the fact that this woman was not armed or dangerous. What is so shocking about this case is that both the Tampa police and a jail worker were all able to interrupt and then deny a woman--a crime victim--the proper course of medical care, prophylactic birth control medication, and ongoing counseling she needed at the very time she needed them most.A jail worker with religious objections blocked her from ingesting a morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy, her attorney says, keeping her from taking the required second dose for more than 24 hours longer than recommended.
[.....]
The premedical student attended Saturday's Gasparilla parade and veered off from her friends shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said. The Times is not naming her because police say she is a victim of a sexual crime.
As she walked north on Howard Avenue at Swann Avenue, she was grabbed by a man with crooked teeth and raped behind a building, McElroy said.
After the assault, the man ran off. The woman walked to her car, which was parked on the University of Tampa campus. At 3:40 p.m., after finding her vehicle, she called police.
As police assisted her, taking her to a nurse examiner's clinic, and processing her report, an officer found two outstanding warrants for the woman in Sarasota County.
Attorney Virlyn "Vic" Moore III of Venice said his client was seated in the front seat of the police cruiser, on her way to the scene of her attack when the officer learned of the warrant, cuffed her and placed her in the back seat.
"To stop the rape investigation and instead victimize her again," Moore said. "I'm aghast, astonished and outraged. I have never, ever heard of this happening."
The officer arrested the woman at a sergeant's instruction, McElroy said.
The student had failed to pay $4,585 restitution after a 2003 juvenile arrest, McElroy said. Moore said his client is convinced that she paid the fine and that the warrant was probably the result of a clerical error.
Let's say the crime in question wasn't rape, but rather, an assault and battery on a man. The victim calls the Tampa Police and reports that he was walking down the street in the middle of the afternoon post-Gasparilla, when suddenly he was ambushed by a large man and his fierce dog. The man beat and robbed the victim, and the dog bit him several times on his arm as he tried to fend off the attack. When the police and ambulance arrive, they take the victimized man to the nearest emergency room; while he's being treated, though, they read his name on their report and decide to run it through the computer. It turns out this man owes the City some $4,585 in unpaid restitution for a crime he committed four years ago, and the police take him to jail, despite his needing follow-up antibiotics the next day to prevent infection. In the morning, the victim waits for his lawyer to sort things out; meanwhile, a jail worker, based on his beliefs as a Christian Scientist, refuses to give the man his antibiotic pills.
Does anyone seriously believe the above scenario would happen? Of course not. The victim might wind up in jail, but not until his medical care was complete--certainly, he wouldn't be denied medication even if he was transferred from hospital to cellblock within hours. Yet I must ask this: Why? Why is this so? Because rape is not the same thing as a real crime like assault and battery? Because women are not the same things as men? Because wanting to protect oneself from impregnation by a rapist is somehow less noble than wanting to protect oneself from infection from a dog's bite?
I wish this unfortunate woman well. I also wish--and for this, I wish hard--that Tampa would use this opportunity to openly address the issue of requiring compassionate, comprehensive, and ethically proper treatment of rape victims by city and state personnel.
Crossposted at The Last Duchess.
Something tells me…
…Joe Francis isn't too thrilled with girls going wild when those girls are feminists.
Well... That's Different
So, I'm driving to work this morning, listening to the radio, and I hear this... unusual advertisement.
Valentine's Day is coming up, so of course we're being bombarded with ads telling us to buy this or that for our significant others; everything from handmade teddy bears to cars is fair game. Buy her a diamond ring! Buy her flowers! Even "warming" K-Y jelly is getting its time in the sun.
So, this one was a little weird.
This year, for Valentine's Day... get her a vasectomy.
Yeah, it was for a local vasectomy clinic. Now, I'm all for vasectomies. Frankly, I think the world is overpopulated enough as it is. But hearing a vasectomy advertised as a romantic gift was a little bizarre, even for me.
"If your family is complete... why not a vasectomy?"
Edit: I should have mentioned that the procedure is described in the ad as "virtually painless." Yikes.
Impeach Him. Impeach Him Now.
— President Bush, December 18, 2000
A president can dream—and this president can also sign an executive order that gives him "much greater control" over rules and policies regarding public health, safety, the environment, civil rights, and privacy.
In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.In other words, Don Bush is sending a capo to run every federal agency.
This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.Because, having lost control of Congress, it's more important than ever to have the powers of a dictator.
…Besides placing political appointees in charge of rule making, Mr. Bush said agencies must give the White House an opportunity to review "any significant guidance documents" before they are issued.
…Peter L. Strauss, a professor at Columbia Law School, said the executive order "achieves a major increase in White House control over domestic government."
"Having lost control of Congress," Mr. Strauss said, "the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch."
Impeach him. Impeach him now.
Question of the Day
When was the last time you felt totally, absurdly pathetic?
My girlfriend Miller just sent me an email that reminded me of a sad lament I directed at the eminently patient Mr. Shakes recently. One of my wisdom teeth only ever came in halfway, and about three weeks ago, it decided to come in a wee bit more. My entire jaw radiated with pain, and I was practically drooling with an overflow of saliva. In other words, I was teething. And it had put me in precisely the same mood as it does a baby.
In a moment of great, pitiable crankiness, I whined: "I'm teething, my face is broken out, and I've got gray hair coming in. I don't think it's remotely fair that I must address the complaints of infancy, adolescence, and old age all at once."
And then I burst into tears.
Daily Highlights
Shakes: Molly
Shakes: McCain's a Belligerent Prick
Shakes: The Marines Want YOU—and Your University's Happy to Help
Misty: Laura Mallory Strikes Again!
Waveflux: We are fated to live in times that are difficult to parody.
Shakes: Anonymous Man-Seeking Missile Seeks Nasty Man to Fear and Hate
Shakes: Ow!
Shakes: Oh My
Shakes: Caption This Photo
Shakes: Quote of the Day
Shakes: Read-Ems
Shakes: Wow
Read-Ems
TikvahGirl: "Mom, Dad - I'm Pregnant"
David Neiwert: D'Souza D'Liar
The Progressive Truth: This is What Democracy Looks Like
The Reaction: This is What a Racist Looks Like
Bilerico: Another Reason to Root for Da Bears
Yeah, they're homobigots.
Quote of the Day
"I'm not that good at pronouncing words anyway." — President Bush, on referring to the Congressional Democratic majority as the "Democrat majority" during his State of the Union address.
Runner-up Quote of the Day:
"There is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." — Also President Bush on the same topic.
While he might not be "that good" at pronouncing words, he's fuckin' spectacular at elevating distrust.
Caption This Photo
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Heh heh.
President Bush walks in blustery, cold temperatures to greet supporters after landing in Cambridge, Md., Friday, Jan. 26, 2007, where he was going to make remarks to the House Republican Conference. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Oh My
Evidence of the Left's paranoid delusions? That they refuse to recognize evidence of Saddam's WMDs.
October 2004: "Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were there." — President George W. Bush.
Unless Bush is suddenly part of the American Left, I think what we have here is a serious case of projection.
The. End.
You Have GOT to be Kidding Me
Why does this article, written by an anonymous woman "whose mother helps her find dates on Match.com," even exist?! The only thing I can figure is that the WaPo is conspiring to make my bloody head explode once and for fucking all.
Jennifer Aniston. Christie Brinkley. Sheryl Crow. Teri Hatcher. Either dumped or cheated on in a most humiliating and public way.Um, no. I haven't ever thought that. And I really should have just stopped reading this pile of honking horseshit that the WaPo tried to pass off as an "essay" right bloody there, but I didn't, because I am evidently a glutton for heaping mounds of excruciating punishment.
Every woman in the dating world has thought, "If it can happen to her, it can happen to me." While he's snoring away, we think quietly at night about what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen to us.
We respond by trying to make our stomachs flatter, our boobs bigger, our faces prettier, and our clothes tighter and more revealing. We do everything possible to please our man. You prefer French cooking? Mais oui, mon cher! You want my hair long? No problem, I'll get a hair extension. Spending part of your vacation with buddies? Go have a good time. You don't want to be with my family on Christmas? I'll see you on New Year's Eve. Is that OK or would you prefer some other time? Do you like my mani-pedi'd, spray on tanned, liposuctioned, Pilates body? Can't commit? Oh, that's right. You're just not that into me. Or her. Or her. Or her.The only thing worse than this insecure, mindless automaton suggesting that every woman in the world is as equally void of character and independence as she apparently is, is blaming this state of affairs on "Match.com and other online dating services," which, according to her, "have given men access to thousands and thousands of women in every city who look just as great in jeans and a little black dress (the requirement in every man's profile), a smorgasbord of women each one more delicious to devour than the next."
Yet, then, almost instantly, she instead redirects the blame onto women, and provides a list of "fairly simple but self-respecting dating principles for women." This list includes such gems as "Be honest about your age and size"—not because lying is, ya know, doesn't lay the best groundwork for a trusting relationship, but because "you're simply wasting his time and yours if you lie"—and "Keep in shape and look your best but don't dress too provocatively." Okay, Meddling Granny—I'll keep that in mind.
More good advice from Anonymous Man-Seeking Missle:
If you're a giving person, give. If you're into cooking, cook. If you're busy, stay busy. If you're not into sports, don't fake it. And watch your alcohol intake.Etc. etc. etc. Constantly vacillating between the sublimation of one's preferences, traits, and desires rooted in a seemingly intractable self-hatred, and a knee-jerk, condemnatory judgmentalness rooted in a deep distrust of men being masked by borderline hatred. Between the self-loathing and the man-loathing, is it any wonder this gal hasn't found a love connection? Yeesh.
…If you don't receive flowers by the fourth date, dump him. Poor hygiene, bad manners, or sloppy dress are also grounds for dismissal.
…Absolutely allow him to chase YOU.
It would be funny if only it weren't so pathetic.
Don't reveal too much, and certainly never ever discuss past relationships. Men love a mystery. Again, do not bring up your exes, reveal your dark secrets, constantly complain, or interrupt - simple stuff but amazingly ignored by women and men.This sad recommendation ultimately served to remind me of one of my favorite scenes from The Office (US), which absolutely breaks my heart every time I watch it. Jim asks Pam what her fiancée Roy thinks about something that's bothering her.
Pam: "I don't know—I try not to bother him with stuff like that."
Jim: "You mean stuff like your thoughts and feelings?"
Pam: "Yeah."
So this is what they mean by "An army of one"
We are fated to live in times that are, shall we say, difficult to parody.
Fortunately for us all, America's finest news source™ is still up to the task. And no, I don't mean CNN.
Bush Commits One Additional Troop To AfghanistanIn an effort to display his administration's willingness to fight on all fronts in the War on Terror, President Bush said at a press conference Monday that American ground forces in Afghanistan will be aided by the immediate deployment of Marine Pfc. Tim Ekenberg of Camp Lejeune, NC.
"I want the American people to know that I have not forgotten that our battle for freedom began in Afghanistan, rooting out the extremists of al-Qaeda and the Taliban," Bush said. "Today, I am ordering the deployment of the 325th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Private Tim Ekenberg, to the embattled Kandahar region."
"We will take whatever measures necessary to win," Bush added. "Isn't that right, Tim?" [...]
Ekenberg's most vital assignment will be to patrol approximately 1,200 square miles of volatile territory on the Afghan–Pakistani border and conduct search-and-destroy missions on the estimated 40,000 caves where U.S. intelligence sources believe Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda operatives could be hiding.
In addition to truthiness and pointyness, great satire requires you-too-ness. Let's hear it for the loyal opposition.
Some prominent Democrats have expressed cautious support of Ekenberg's deployment. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) applauded the Bush administration for "at least meeting [our] demands 1/20,000th of the way.""This is where we should have been sending troops all along," Clinton said. "It's a promising sign that the president is finally willing to unleash on Afghanistan the full force and military might of the United States Marine Corps Private Tim Ekenberg."
Fair and balanced. All hail The Onion!
She speaks!
Just try not to laugh or yell too loudly at the computer. Anyhow, Laura Mallory has decided to publish a piece defending her position in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:
Today's generation faces evil like no other in history, with its bombardment by violent, sexual and occult images through our modern mass media. I think perhaps we are so desensitized, we couldn't recognize evil even if it were on the plate in front of us.
I'm pretty sure most of us can recognize abject dumbassery though. She goes on to try and offer "truth" to some "myths" about the case. First "myth" up is that she's trying to ban the books:
This case first began when we noticed the books in our son's elementary school classroom. We were then told by the school that anything in the school library may be used in the classroom. The original request of August 2005 asked that the books be removed from the classrooms and libraries due to the extreme evil and violent content, the promotion of witchcraft (Wicca) and the age-inappropriateness. We are not trying to ban Harry Potter. The books may of course be purchased in bookstores or checked out at public libraries, but need not be encouraged, assigned and read aloud in our children's schools and classrooms. Are they ready to put the Bible and prayer back in our schools and classrooms and read it aloud?What you're saying is that you are trying to ban the books--only from schools. So this is, in fact, not a myth.
Next "myth" up is that she is the only person fighting against the books:
I have never been alone in this "fight." There are hundreds and even thousands of other parents who have stood up against the Harry Potter series and its paganization of this generation. The American Library Association reports Harry Potter books rank No. 1 on the list of most challenged books of the 21st century, having received more than 3,000 challenges nationwide. Additionally, there have been numerous people who have become dear friends who have written, called and helped with their love, encouragement, prayers and donations. Without them, I could not have continued this case.Ok, not to be picky or anything, but we were talking about this case. So who else is fighting with you? And, by the way, saying Harry Potter is paganizing anyone just adds more proof that you are a complete and total idiot. The books have NOTHING to do with Wicca, as you seem to "think" (which is a term I use loosely). You might know this if you'd actually, you know, read the books.
Then we have some more demonizing of witchcraft and nattering on about how it's not just fantasy with some bonus craptastic grasp of history included:
First, yes, she really did encourage people to read and do research. The audacity is nigh unbelievable, isn't it? Personally, I find the ignorance of our country's basic history sad. Perhaps a bit "dangerous" in that people who believe such tripe tend to be the sort to ban books and vote against civil rights for people. Then there's part where she says: "witchcraft a real religion, subtly intriguing and luring our children and teens in unprecedented numbers, but it is also a dangerous one, often leaving its followers in darkness, depression and even suicidal"--and backs it up with all of two people. Well, if a teenager and one random family counselor say so, it must be true! WTF. Yes, you did read her invoke the Columbine shootings in her self-defense. Here is why:This is perhaps the greatest myth of all. America's desensitization to the occult is not only sad, but dangerous. We are in serious need of revival and a return to the traditional Judeo-Christian roots upon which our blessed country was founded.
I cannot count the times I have been told that these books are "just fantasy." But if you would like to know the truth, please keep reading and do your own research.
Not only is witchcraft a real religion, subtly intriguing and luring our children and teens in unprecedented numbers, but it is also a dangerous one, often leaving its followers in darkness, depression and even suicidal. This was verified by a teenager from Lawrenceville and Mrs. Marsha McWhorter, a registered nurse and certified marriage and family therapist, both of whom testified at the Gwinnett County hearing on April 20, 2006, coincidentally, the anniversary of the tragic shootings at Columbine High School.
Oh that's not all. She goes on to babble:I had planned to read a portion of the testimony by the father of Columbine martyr, Rachel Joy Scott, but due to the hearing's time restraints, I was unable to do so. That father, Darrell Scott, spoke before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime in Washington, D.C. on May 27, 1999.
Here is a small portion of that speech, a poem and an expression of what was in his heart and is also in mine.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
When the Bible and prayer were removed from our schools, in effect, God was expelled. So we've raised a generation not to know Him. Now our schools and society are filled with violence, drugs, gangs, addictions, perversions, and we wonder why?Sad and dangerous, indeed.We need God in America again. He's the One who says don't lie, steal or murder — for our own good. Likewise, He's the One who says witchcraft, including the casting of spells, is an "abomination," meaning: detestable, repulsive, loathsome, vile, abhorred, (Deuteronomy 18:10-13), and we call it good reading material?
Nice
Arlen finds out that his university, without his permission, gave his contact information to the Marines, who are now trying to recruit him.
Not News
John McCain is an short-fused and ill-tempered man. Not news, but still fun to see published as often as possible. Thanks to Oddjob for passing that along.
UPDATE: And more McCain fun passed on by Angelos. The Real McCain and the Straight Talk Express indeed. Viva la maverique!
Molly
If you're the praying sort, pray for Molly Ivins, whose breast cancer has returned "with a vengeance" for the third time.
Dumbass du Jour
All men are created equal. And maybe some women too. Whatever you do, don't bring any of your life experience to the Supreme Court. When you sit there, you should be judging the law by the law. Don't give us any of this sensitivities crap.
Take it away, Captain Ed. Let's set sail on the Ocean of Dumb by way of the Bay of Confusion.
. . . a jurist's job isn't to formulate or enforce policy; it's to render judgments based on the law. Especially at the level of the Supreme Court, "sensivitivities" shouldn't enter into decisions about the Constitutionality of a law or whether proper procedure was followed by a trial court. "Sensitivities" interfere with the dispassionate evaluation of whether the law was applied properly and whether it passes Constitutional muster.
From the Department of Some of My Best Friends Are Women on the Supreme Court: Women on the court are great, just so long as they don't remind us they are women. Or act like women. Every woman has a chance to be first rate First Mate. Listen, hon, whatever you do, don't read anything more into this. What was it that Captain Ed read who then got all red?
Of herself and O'Connor, the court's first female justice, Ginsburg said: "We have very different backgrounds. We divide on a lot of important questions, but we have had the experience of growing up women and we have certain sensitivities that our male colleagues lack."
Sounds like Ginsburg said she and O'Connor were um different. Then Ginsburg ruined it by mentioning this sensitivity stuff which some were surprisingly sensitive to, so goes off. Almost sounds like he took a quick kick in the dick. But in a most manly way. The experience must be a bitch. Jump, Ed, jump. The pain will dissipate soon enough.
What Ginsburg says in this statement is that she sees the judiciary as a rightful means in which to impose policy outside the legislature and in a manner that is almost impossible to undo. It's a cri de coeur for judicial activism, and I suspect her actual isolation comes from the receding support for such judicial overreach.
Dumbass du Jour? What Ginsburg said is in the article as quoted. She said nothing more. But Captain Ed sure did. Ginsburg didn't say she sees the judiciary as a rightful means in which to impose policy outside the legislature and in a manner that is almost impossible to undo. Dumbass Captain Ed did. Captain Ed, not Ginsburg, is having the cri d coeur (watch that French stuff, Ed) and don't get too judicially hyperactive. It must really be all about you, dude.
And the dumbest thing of all? Captain Ed quoted the entire article on Ginsburg, but the last line.
Ginsburg, 73, did not elaborate or take questions afterward.
Elaboration? Why should the sensitive Ginsburg elaborate when manly Captain Ed can do that for her? Dumbass du Jour? Who is looking dumber to you?
hey people!
If you'd like to participate in Shaker Gourmet and have your recipe(s) featured on the blog, don't forget to email me at: fire.of.psyche (at) gmail.com
Please include clear instructions and a link to your blog, if you have one.
There is no love sincerer than the love of food. --George Bernard Shaw
Inspector Clay is Dead... Murdered. And Somebody's Responsible!
Just in case you were wondering where Shakes is going to be for the rest of the day, she and I are heading up to Evanston to sit through B-Fest, the annual 24-Hour Crap-A-Thon hosted by Northwestern University. You can see Shakes' roundup of our experience last year here.
The picture to the left shows one of the B-Fest traditions; the great paper plate fracas. See, every year, the classic Ed Wood masterpiece, Plan 9 from Outer Space, is shown at midnight. Every time the wobbly flying saucers appear on screen, people throw masses of paper plates into the air... think of the toilet paper gag when people see "Rocky Horror." Of course, the witty B-Movie scalawags have written hilarious quips on the paper plates, so it's always fun to quickly read them before you whip them up into the air in the next flying saucer scene. (The plate in the picture, by the way, reads "what we have here is a failure to communicate." My favorite one of the evening had a large, lizard-ish footprint drawn on it, with the warning, "Gojira!")
One of the tricky things about B-Fest is figuring out when you're going to sneak in a few winks. Staying awake for 24 hours is a bit much for my tired old ass, so usually there's one or two flicks that you don't have much interest in, where you can snooze for a bit before waking up for something you really want to see. (Last year I konked out for most of Gas-s-s-s-s! and Tromeo & Juliet; although I did catch bits of the latter and enjoyed what I saw.)
The problem is, this year's lineup is so incredible, I have no idea where I'm going to get any sleep. Around 3AM is where I usually start to slow down... but I can't possibly miss Street Trash at 4:45! And at 6:15, we have The Hypnotic Eye, a movie that I've been dying to see for years. What to do, what to do?
Invasion of the Star Creatures, a painfully bad sci-fi "comedy" is at 3:15... I actually own this on DVD (shut up), so I'm hoping to get a quick nap in there. But... it'll be on the big screen! Oh, the temptation!
Anyway, we're going to try and get some photos and maybe even a video clip or two of our experience. Have a great non-geeky weekend, and we'll see you on the other side!
UPDATE: Shakes & I will try to get to a computer to add the Virtual Pub this evening; if we're not able to do it, feel free to use this post as a pub/open thread. The virtual pub will run as scheduled; Mister Shakes will be posting it later!
Friday Blogwhoring
The password is: braunschweiger.
Recommended: The Meaning of Marty Peretz.
I'm off now, until Sunday... I'm sure others will pipe up in the interim, but I'll wish you a happy weekend now!
Friday Cat Blogging
space into which they can tuck themselves and be all snuggled up together:
And a special guest appearance today by Kelley's
adorable Miska, who is Tils' and Livs' #1 fan:
Nell Hamm Rules
I want to be Nell Hamm when I'm 65:
Wildlife officials credited a woman with saving her husband's life by clubbing a mountain lion that attacked him while the couple were hiking in a California state park.
Jim and Nell Hamm, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next month, were hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park when the lion pounced, officials said Thursday.
"He didn't scream. It was a different, horrible plea for help, and I turned around, and by then the cat had wrestled Jim to the ground," Nell Hamm said in an interview from the hospital where her husband was recovering from a torn scalp, puncture wounds and other injuries.
Nell Hamm said she grabbed a four-inch-wide log and beat the animal with it, but it would not release its hold on her husband's head.Mr. Shakes forwarded the article to me with the message "How cool is this chick? I can totally imagine you doing something like this if I were attacked"—which is totally one of the best compliments I've ever gotten.
"Jim was talking to me all through this, and he said, 'I've got a pen in my pocket and get the pen and jab him in the eye,'" she said. "So I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would."
When the pen bent and became useless, Nell Hamm went back to using the log. The lion eventually let go and, with blood on its snout, stood staring at the woman. She screamed and waved the log until the animal walked away.
"She saved his life, there is no doubt about it," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game.
And, btw, I so would.
Geekgasm
Final scene from Star Wars acted out using hands. It's way better than that sounds.
I love that shit.
Via Chris.
It's So Lonely Without You
The Supreme Court's sole remaining woman since Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, misses her departed colleague:
"The word I would use to describe my position on the bench is lonely," Ginsburg, 73, said in an interview with USA TODAY.The story mentions their friendship—that they were confidants and each other's support in times of trouble—but also that the pair moved the court beyond tokenism. When Ginsburg laments that they never "thought this would happen again," she means only one seat on the nation's highest court being filled by a woman.
"This is how it was for Sandra's first 12 years," she said, citing the time from O'Connor's appointment in 1981 to Ginsburg's arrival in 1993. "Neither of us ever thought this would happen again. I didn't realize how much I would miss her until she was gone."
Ginsburg is … disconcerted by the look of her own court. She said with O'Connor, the message was: "Here are two women. They don't look alike. They don't always vote alike. But here are two women." The former women's rights lawyer fears the message now is that a woman justice is a "one-at-a-time curiosity, not the normal thing."Worse than that, I fear the message is that more than one woman justice is not the normal thing—that we're meant to be grateful for our token representation, and not expect more.
A Tale of Two Stories
See if you can spot what they have in common…
Story #1: "Vice President Dick Cheney exerted 'constant' pressure on the Republican former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee to stall an investigation into the Bush administration's use of flawed intelligence on Iraq, the panel's Democratic chairman charged Thursday. … [Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia] said that it was 'not hearsay' that Cheney, a leading proponent of invading Iraq, pushed Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., to drag out the probe of the administration's use of prewar intelligence. 'It was just constant,' Rockefeller said of Cheney's alleged interference. He added that he knew that the vice president attended regular policy meetings in which he conveyed White House directions to Republican staffers."
Story #2: "Memo to Tim Russert: Dick Cheney thinks he controls you. This delicious morsel about the Meet the Press host and the vice president was part of the extensive dish Cathie Martin served up yesterday when the former Cheney communications director took the stand in the perjury trial of former Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby. Flashed on the courtroom computer screens were her notes from 2004 about how Cheney could respond to allegations that the Bush administration had played fast and loose with evidence of Iraq's nuclear ambitions. Option 1: 'MTP-VP,' she wrote, then listed the pros and cons of a vice presidential appearance on the Sunday show. Under 'pro,' she wrote: 'control message.' 'I suggested we put the vice president on Meet the Press, which was a tactic we often used,' Martin testified. 'It's our best format'."
Question of the Day
Since I just announced that Michele Bachmann is my new favorite wingnut, I guess an appropriate QotD would be: Who's your favorite wingnut—y'know, the one you just love to hate?
Bachmann Yearner Overdrive
Daily Highlights
Shakes: Thanks, John Kerry
Shakes: Smooches!
Shakes: Feel the Warmth
Shakes: Rummy's Long Goodbye Stretches On…
Paul the Spud: Hearts and Minds
Shakes: The McClellatron Returns
Paul the Spud: Daaaaaamn
The Heretik: The Battle of Hollywood
Shakes: Cool—Rare Footage of Live Frilled Shark
Paul the Spud: You're Stuck Here, Suckers
Shakes: Cultural Quagmire
Shakes: Why We Don't Like Him
Shakes: Caption This Photo
Shakes: You're Stuck Here, Suckers (Part II)
Shakes: My New Favorite Wingnut
OMG—I Love Michele Bachmann
She is totally my new favorite rightwing extremist.
Not only will she make a ridiculous spectacle of herself pawing the president like Lennie Small going after a newborn pup, but as Shaker Pilotweed reminded me in comments, she's also the dingaling who, in 2005, pushed for an amendment to the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage while she was a Minnesota State Senator—and was photographed crouching in the bushes outside the Capitol, watching opponents rally, after the measure failed.
I had totally forgotten about that. Of course I had to immediately head to YouTube to find some more highlights in Bachmann history—and I was eminently pleased to discover that she's not just a superb Congresswoman; she's also an expert on all kinds of things! Here she is giving her diagnosis of Terri Schiavo:
And here she is talking about global warming:
And evolution (I had no idea there were "hundreds and hundreds"
of Nobel Prize winning scientists who believe in Intelligent Design!):
And on gay marriage—talking points galore!
Wow. She is one smart lady.
Go on with your bad self, Grabby Grabberson!
