With Friends Like Dubya, Who Needs Enemies?

Heads up, Iran!

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, the Kowboy Koward of Krawford just told you what good friends he is with you.

"To the people of Iran: The United States respects you; we respect your country. We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture, and your many contributions to civilization. You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents, and a society that allows you to fulfill your tremendous potential. The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons."

Before you get all swoony, just remember what he said to his good buddies in Iraq, right before he invaded and started his killing spree:

Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them: If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you.

As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need.

We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free.

In free Iraq there will be no more wars of aggression against your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms.

The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.

It is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power. It is not too late for the Iraq military to act with honor and protect your country, by permitting the peaceful entry of coalition forces to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces will give Iraqi military units clear instructions on actions they can take to avoid being attacked and destroyed.

I urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services: If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life.

And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning: In any conflict, your fate will depend on your actions. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders." (emphasis mine)

Notice the eerie similarities. Note how he told the Iraqis how much he loved them; it was their nasty old leaders that had to go. Then he made sure to emphasize their assets and command that no one destroy them.

Also, notice how he was talking about torture, and war crimes. Right before he went in and decimated the country.

Look out, Iran. Your pal Dubya's giving you fair warning.

Vote Early and Often!

You must see this video about how easy it is to hack a Diebold.

Thanks to kissfan at Truespeak.

Ann Richards

I was saddened yesterday by the news that Governor Ann Richards has died. She was a true Texas hero (born and raised *ahem*) and was a powerful force for progressive change. I always hoped in my heart of hearts that she would be our first female President. She died of esophageal cancer, which is what my dad has been battling.

Jurassicpork over at Welcome To Pottersville has her famous screed on "How To Be A Good Republican".

Hilarious Video! Joe L. and George W.B.!

Why watch "The Path To 9/11" when you can watch this instead? Star A. Decise has once again sent something hilarious my way - a home-made video featuring those two BFFs - Joe Lieberman and George W. Bush. This, unlike "TPT9/11", will put a smile on your face.

It really is great. Please tell me you'll watch it - you'll thank me!

Propaganda? Easy As ABC!

Max Blumenthal has just written an article that rips the lid off of the ABC ("Annihilate Bill Clinton", "All-Bush Channel" "Altered By Conservatives") crock-u-drama "The Path To 9/11".

Less than 72 hours before ABC's "The Path to 9/11" is scheduled to air, the network is suddenly under siege. On Tuesday, ABC was forced to concede that "The Path to 9/11" is "a dramatization, not a documentary." The film deceptively invents scenes to depict former President Bill Clinton's handling of the Al Qaeda threat.

Now, ABC claims to be is editing those false sequences to satisfy critics so the show can go on - even if it still remains a gross distortion of history. And as it does so, ABC advances the illusion that the deceptive nature of "The Path to 9/11" is an honest mistake committed by a hardworking but admittedly fumbling team of well-intentioned Hollywood professionals who wanted nothing less than to entertain America. But this is another Big Lie.

In fact, "The Path to 9/11" is produced and promoted by a well-honed propaganda operation consisting of a network of little-known right-wingers working from within Hollywood to counter its supposedly liberal bias. This is the network within the ABC network. Its godfather is far right activist David Horowitz, who has worked for more than a decade to establish a right-wing presence in Hollywood and to discredit mainstream film and TV production. On this project, he is working with a secretive evangelical religious right group founded by The Path to 9/11's director David Cunningham that proclaims its goal to "transform Hollywood" in line with its messianic vision.

That's right, folks.

There has been a right-wing movement, headed by David Horowitz, to infiltrate the TV and movie business in Hollywood, to shape it from the ground up according to far-right lights. As is usually the case, it is well-funded and connected, and has been placing members of the right-wing evangelical group "Youth With A Mission" as interns in the film industry, through an auxiliary group called "The Film Institute", which is, according to its mission statement, "dedicated to a Godly transformation and revolution TO and THROUGH the Film and Televisionindustry."

Don't believe the hype - these gross inaccuracies are not "honest mistakes". They are deliberate fabrications by a far-right messianic evangelical cadre, with the blessings of the ABC/Disney group.

Why would a network go along with this? Don't forget - when Republicans are in power, tax breaks and de-regulation are the order of the day. The networks and media outlets are consolidating, with more and more outlets under the control of fewer and fewer people. Less competition=more monopoly.

That's where we're heading, friends. The consolidation of the media is the goal here, and one that can only be possible through the good graces of a Republican government. They are trying to do this as quickly as they can, before the mid-terms have a chance of breaking the total lock on power that is currently in place. And if it's messianic, who cares as long as the the media companies make the mucho buck-os. They don't care where it comes from. Their deity is the Almighty Dollar, and if they can get more from evangelical propaganda, then - Hallelujah!

Please read this for yourself - check the sources. It's chilling.

I'm going to call ABC/Disney and let them know that I will no longer be watching their programming or buying from their sponsors, and will be talking to others about doing the same. When I get a list of the sponsors of their prime-time programming, I'll put it up here.

Update on ABC/Disney contact info: This comment on Air America, while really long, has a wealth of information that covers anything and anyone associated with this digusting travesty.

Read this comment!

Mike Malloy Kicked To The Curb By Air America?!?

This is just disgusting. My favorite liberal talk show host, Mike Malloy - unceremoniously dumped by a so-called liberal radio station. This after telling him that his contract was on the way the week before, and that his program was going back on in NYC. Lily-livered weasels.

There is a petition going around to express support for Mike and Kathy and tell the weenies at AAR that we want him back on the air ASAP. He may not want to, and I can't say I'd blame him if he didn't, but I for one need to hear his strong, morally uncompromising voice on the airwaves.

Now, more than ever, we need the rage and the outrage that Mike expresses. He makes us feel that we are not alone and crazy. Perhaps we are getting a little too close to the mid-terms. Can't be getting the proletariat all riled up, now, can we?

Mike has read many of my e-mails on the air in the past, and always makes his listeners feel like they matter. He is abrasive but the truth is not comfortable. Go somewhere else if you're looking for infotainment and feel-good smarminess.

Kudos to Randi Rhodes and Sam Seder for standing up for their comrade-in-arms.

Petition is here.

A Tidbit From Gore Vidal

Pssst - Gore Vidal says that Al Gore wants to run - he just doesn't want it to be difficult. After 2000, can you blame him?

Oh, if it could be...

An Evening With John Dean And Gore Vidal

I just got back from an unforgettable evening. Our local chapter of the Progressive Dems of America, PDLA, sponsored a talk with John Dean and Gore Vidal! It was held at a private home, and was also taped by C-Span. I bought John Dean's book the day it came out, so I brought along my copy and had him sign it 'to Hooterville'; now we have another 'book premium' for Hooterville For Habitat. "Conservatives Without Conscience" is an incredible book, and it has been a key to the thinking I've been doing along the lines of authoritarianism.

John Dean is a brilliant, morally courageous man, and it was a a privilege to listen to him speak in person. And as for Gore Vidal - what can you say? He is a living legend - frighteningly intelligent, with a razor-sharp wit. They don't make his kind anymore. He is a product of an era of respect for, appreciation of, and delight in the written and spoken word - 'le mot juste'. I just fell in love with him right there. To listen to the two of them have a conversation was a marvel. If it goes up on C-Span, you should watch it if you can. I came away inspired.

Plus, I heard a great new name for the Kowboy Koward of Krawford - "The Yellow Rose Of Texas"!

Yee-haw!

'Block The Vote' Video on PBS (and an interesting coincidence)

I got an e-mail today from People For the American Way (PFAW) about a program on PBS that examines the new laws restricting voters. It's a great program, and it prominently features my namesake, Georgia State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan, who is involved in PFAW Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network.

I found out who she was in an interesting way a while back. I got an e-mail confirming a flight from Atlanta to Washington - a ticket that I had not booked. It was sent to my specific address. I was worried that someone had charged a ticket to my credit card or something, so I called the airline. They confirmed that it was indeed to an Alicia Morgan, at my e-mail address. But I knew I had not booked any flight, so I started Googling, and located an Alisha Morgan in Georgia. I called her, and she turned out to be a State Representative who was traveling to DC. I guess she booked the flight on the phone, and the ticket person must have used my spelling instead of hers, and we both have websites with our names. We had a very nice conversation, and I was thrilled (and not a little relieved) to find out she was a progressive Democrat. She is also the first African-American to represent her district.

And we found out something else we had in common. Not only do we have the same name - but so do our husbands! We both married David Morgans!

(cue the Twilight Zone theme!)

Anyhow, if you didn't see this on TV, please watch it on video from the PBS site. It's a real eye-opener, and I believe that there can be no more grievous attack on our democracy than voter suppression. Everything else is contingent upon our right to vote and to have our vote counted, and the Bush thugs and their tools on the right are doing their best to make sure that only 'their kind' of voters get to the polls.

And, check out Rep. Alisha Morgan - I definitely think she is someone to watch. I am expecting extraordinary things from her. I think you'll like her, and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from her as time goes on.

The Psychology Of Micro-Activism

As I've been ruminating on my "Preaching To The Choir" concept, I've been thinking about how we get inactive progressives to step up. One way could be micro-activism. Instead of coming up with the biggest donation you can muster, just stick a drop in a bucket.

That's what I'm talking about with the Hooterville For Habitat project - you don't have to be George Soros to make a difference. If you come across something that sparks your interest or you feel is deserving, kick in $10. Or $5. Any donation, no matter how small, is better that none. Not only that, but it gets you into the feeling of participation, which is the main purpose. Instead of throwing yourself full-time into someone's campaign, just phone bank for one night, from your cell phone. Or offer some other skill you have - for a couple of hours.

The point of micro-activism isn't the amount. It's involvement versus non-involvement. I kicked in $20 to DownWithTyranny's Blue America project. That's not going to send the accountants into a tizzy, but it means I'm supporting it with my action. It's psychological more than financial, really.

If you want to talk about a war, the war in question is a psychological one, being waged against us by the powers that have a vested interest in our capitulation, our passivity. And so far they've been winning. Look at what they've been able to do to this country (and the rest of the world) because we haven't stopped them.

This is the ultimate in Psy-Ops, and we've been trying to fight fire with wood. We have to learn and understand their methods so we can fight them effectively. The majority of Americans may not be gung-ho activists, but if we can get them to just stick their toes in the water, they'll at least be present and accounted for, which can change a lot of things. Remember, this is psychological, not logical. We have to understand that before anything can get better.

In A Stunning Upset

...my friend Lesli Carroll has surged into the lead in the quest for the coveted Greg Palast book! DivaJood, the early frontrunner, was widely expected to run away with the prize but in the home stretch, Lesli put on a sudden burst of speed and is now ensconced in first place.

Lesli, for those of you who don't know her, is my fairy geek-mother. One of my first friends when I moved to California 19 years ago, she is an incredible saxophone player, composer,arranger, and producer. I'd need another blog to list all her talents, but she's the person who introduced me to computers - she's a total Mac whiz. She is also my sister leftie from way back - we actually were working on a satirical song about the Usurper while he was still 'running'. Lesli moved to Idyllwild a few years ago, so I don't get to see her often, so it was really a treat to have her involved in our Katrina project. Not surprising, though - Lesli walks the talk in a way that many talk about and few actually do. I'm hoping she'll start a blog sometime, although she's one of the busiest people I know. She has a great voice, is fiercely intelligent, and has a lot to say.

I am so happy and thankful to my friends for helping out with this donation page. So happy, in fact, that I am going to both raise the goal to $1000, and offer prizes to everyone who donates.

The big kahuna, of course, is the book "Armed Madhouse" by Greg Palast, personally autographed by Greg 'to Hooterville'. But I have a lot of other great books that I will pass along to you guys - "American Theocracy" by Kevin Phillips, "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John Dean, and many more along those lines. I'll make up a list, and when you donate, you can pick one of the books on the list as your 'premium'. Even a $1 donation gets a book! Remember, no donation is too small! I hope you'll consider joining our Hooterville For Habitat Team - even if only for a dollar. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, as a team member you can get other people to donate to your account!

My kids have been saving change in a jar, and they came up with $48. I kicked in the extra $2 to make it an even $50.

This is also a great way to catch up on your progressive reading at very little cost to yourself, and help Katrina victims (since Dubya and Co. are too busy trying to find more folks to bomb) get homes at the same time.

Click on the graphic or here to get to our Team Page, and thanks again to DivaJood, Lesli, Karena and Helen for stepping up! Much love to you.

Have You Had Enough - Part 2

The lovely and talented Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny is the ringmaster for this particular circus, and it's fun for all ages. Check out the cool video that a supporter of Coleen Rowley made. Let me give you Howie in his own words:

The whole story of how Rickie Lee Jones and the 2 guys from The Squirrel Nut Zippers (Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher) came to record the song is here at Down With Tyranny.

We're doing our best to get it on the radio so people start to get familiar with it and we've offered it for free download at MySpace.com/haveyouhadenough/ (and in 2 weeks it will be available for free on all the big digital services). The goal, though is a little more involved. We've made 30 second radio spots out of the song. For targeted districts, with particularly terrible incumbents and particularly excellent challengers (like Jerry McNerney taking on Dick Pombo in CA-11 and Vic Wulsin taking on Mean Jean Schmidt on OH-02) we've replaced the line "it's time to throw the rascals out" with "it's time to throw Pombo out" and "it's time to throw Mean Jean out."

The districts we're targeting can all be called "dollar a holla" media markets. A very little bit of money can go a relatively long way. Our hope is to get our ads up on the radio during October. We're trying to raise $250,000, not just for these two districts but for as many of the Blue America candidates as we can help. The list is here: http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica/ And that is also a place where, if you think it's worthwhile, you can chip in some money too. Even $10, if enough people chip in, will be incredibly helpful.

It's been a real grassroots project from Day One and now supporters of candidates are doing remixes and making video clips and spreading it virally. This week a supporter of Coleen Rowley sent me a little video he made, which is up on YouTube. It's cute: http://homepage.mac.com/mmcintee/hadenough/iMovieTheater115.html/

I'm sure you know Bush and his rubber stamp Congress aren't going away of their own accord. We can expect terror alerts and God knows what else from them to sway a voting public that has become increasingly disgusted with them. It makes people feel good to take part in ousting them and freeing themselves.

Nancy Johnson and Dick Cheney - Separated At Birth?

Check it out here...

I smell Pulitzer!

Have You Had Enough? Check Out My Favorite New Song

My friend Star A. Decise over at Enigmatic Paradox has turned me on to a fabulous new song that will be in heavy rotation on my iPod.

It's by a collective of activist musicians that includes my all-time favorite Rickie Lee Jones, of whom I am a sick fan. It's called "Have You Had Enough" and it's a swingin' ditty.

I urge all of you to hot-foot it over Star's way and dig this great tune.

Go here!

We're So Close!

We're almost to our $500 goal!

Right now, DivaJood is the frontrunner, but it's still anyone's game. Don't forget, you can get friends and family to donate to your name! Greg's autographed book is still up for grabs.

Here's the link...

No donation is too small!

Katherine Harris - The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Oh, I do luv me some Katherine Harris.

Along with Tom DeLay, she merrily brushes aside the idea of the separation of church and state like so much Spanish moss.

I think I'll just let Katherine speak for herself, as she gives an interview to the Florida Baptist Witness. No other commentary can do her justice.

Green Acres, We Are There...

My long-time readers know that I've spent a fair amount of time on the question "Why?" I'm pretty clear on 'what', but the rationale for the seemingly senseless behavior of people who, as I state in my preamble, are like 'chickens voting for Colonel Sanders', has puzzled me to no end.

I can understand completely why the Bush Crime Family and the NeoCons do what they do. No puzzle there. They are the beneficiaries of this corruption. But the average working joe whose job has been outsourced, whose paycheck buys less and less every year, whose kids are cannon fodder - why would they vote for these thugs who treat them like so much Charmin? Stockholm Syndrome?

But, finally, the puzzle piece has fallen into place. I've just started reading George Lakoff, the Berkeley linguistics professor and social scientist who writes extensively about framing. He says that people tend to see the country as a one of two family metaphors, the 'strict father' (conservative) and the 'nurturant parent' (progressive - or, the hell with it - I'll say it - liberal). Of course, you may already know about Lakoff, but he's new to me.

He claims that these frames are so deeply ingrained within our personalities that if a fact conflicts with it, it simply slides off. So it really doesn't matter if Bush lies. He's the 'strict father', taking care and protecting us, and the pesky facts have no effect on these people.

It is the only explanation that makes sense to me.

But Lakoff does more than explain; he offers ways to counter this. I for one used to think that, if only the facts were out there, people would wake up and rise up against these murderers. But it doesn't work that way.

It's not just the Bush Crime Family, but conservatism itself, that is the real enemy. If you wonder why Republicans are suddenly coming out against George Bush, don't be fooled. It's because, since he can't be re-elected, he's the perfect fall guy. If they can blame every disaster that they've inflicted on us on the Kowboy Koward of Krawford, then when he's out, they'll get a 'better' conservative in. Bad Bush! Naughty Bush! Not that Bush has been anything but a brain-damaged puppet since before Day One. But you and I know it's the bigger picture - the multinational corporations, the military/ industrial complex, that is supported by this anti-democratic conservative regime. Believe me, everything is going just swimmingly for these people. No mistakes there!

Conservatism is about domination. About unquestioned authority. About punishment. About dog-eat-dog. About self-interest being the highest good. According to conservative philosophy, caring for those who can't care for themselves is immoral. Rewarding the weak by giving them something they haven't earned is not just foolish. It is immoral. Morality is represented by those with the discipline to get ahead - therefore, the good people are rewarded for their discipline and hard work by wealth. So, the wealthy deserve to be wealthy and the poor deserve to be poor.

I'll be getting into more of this, so stay tuned!

James and I On Randi Rhodes Today

Today on the Randi Rhodes Show, Randi had been subjected to the 'no fly' list on a recent plane trip, and asked for people to send in their stories to her message board.

I sent my story about my 8-year-old son, the international terrorist, which I posted here about a year ago. Then I went to work.

When I came back there were some messages that indicated that it might have been read on the air.

I downloaded the podcast, slapped it into my trusty Digital Performer 5, and scanned through till I found it.

It was! So I sliced and diced it, and popped it up on my server.

Hear it here.

Update: I wrote Mike Malloy last night, and he read it on the air today (Thursday). I didn't know about it until I got home from work and there were 2 new visitors to Hooterville who came over via Air America! Hi, friends!

Might as well put up the audio for that, too...

Hear it here.

Another New Video From Neil - 'Families'

Neil has another video from Living With War - this time it's the moving anthem "Families" that speaks to the true cost of this administration's callous decisions - our soldiers who are losing their lives in a useless war.

QuickTime

Windows Media

Warrantless Spying Smackdown!

Get ready for the blowback.

Rudely intruding (if only momentarily) on the oh-so-important JonBenét Ramsey story, U.S. district Judge Anna Diggs Taylor handed down a decision today that is already letting loose the rabid, frothing, mange-ridden junkyard dogs of right-wing demagoguery.

Her offense?

She has ruled that the warrantless surveillance of American citizens, in defiance of rules of the FISA court, is unconstitutional, and has ordered the program to be halted immediately.

David Corn of The Nation writes:

In her decision, she accused the administration of dishonestly arguing that the lawsuit filed by the ACLU and others (including journalists, researchers and lawyers) against the NSA wiretapping should be dismissed because it would expose state secrets:

It is undisputed that Defendants have publicly admitted to the following: (1) the TSP [Terrorist Surveillance Program] exists; (2) it operates without warrants; (3) it targets communications where one party to the communication is outside the United States, and the government has a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al Qaeda, affiliated with al Qaeda, or a member of an organization affiliated with al Qaeda, or working in support of al Qaeda. As the Government has on many occasions confirmed the veracity of these allegations, the state secrets privilege does not apply to this information.


She added:

Defendants assert that they cannot defend this case without the exposure of state secrets. This court disagrees. The Bush Administration has repeatedly told the general public that there is a valid basis in law for the TSP. Further, Defendants have contended that the President has the authority under the AUMF [legislation authorizing Bush to use military force against Iraq] and the Constitution to authorize the continued use of the TSP. Defendants [the Bush administration] have supported these arguments without revealing or relying on any classified information. Indeed, the court has reviewed the classified information and is of the opinion that this information is not necessary to any viable defense to the TSP....Consequently, the court finds Defendants' argument that they cannot defend this case without the use of classified information to be disingenuous and without merit.

Once more, with feeling: "(t)he court finds Defendants' argument that they cannot defend this case without the use of classified information to be disingenuous and without merit."

Of course, nothing is more maddening to that pill-poppin', doctor-shoppin' gasbag Limbaugh, the Oxy Moron and his ilk, than daring to question any fascisitic tactic that the Kowboy Koward of Krawford decides to use on his bitterest enemies, the American people. That just roasts their weenies. So fasten your seatbelts, friends, and get ready for the eruption of Mount Rush. Look out for flying furniture when the Coultergeist lets loose. Try to avoid being assaulted by howls of "Activist judges! " and "Out-of-control judiciary!" and "Here come the terrorists!" Row, row, row your swift-boats gently down the screams! You'll need more than one falafel to scrub off the spew.

Naturally, it's being appealed by the Administration, and Attorney Generalissimo Alberto "No Pain, No Gain" Gonzales boldly asserts that the government will continue to use the program.

The ACLU, who filed the suit, have all the information about it, including the decision itself, on their website. Read all about it here.

At least one judge has the courage to tell it like it is. I just hope that she doesn't have to pay too high a price, and that others will support her.

Her name is Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, and you can send her a message of support, either by phone or e-mail - Mike Malloy has the contact info here.

"The Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the Constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no power not created by the Constitution."
-- Judge Anna Diggs Taylor
U.S. District Court

Now, that's music to my ears!

Brand New Neil Young Video - 'After The Garden'

Neil Young has made a new video for the first song on "Living With War"- 'After the Garden'. It is a powerful indictment of Bush's eco-policy and makes a bold statement. More videos coming soon!

I'll put links to all the versions and you can take your pick.

Windows Media:
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QuickTime:
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1246 Days

...since we invaded Iraq.

It took 1245 days to defeat Adolph Hitler.

I'm just sayin'.

Assclowns of the Week - Via Jurassicpork

Jurassicpork at Welcome To Pottersville has a great weekly feature entitled "Assclowns of the Week". A comprehensive overview of the f***ups, foibles and flummery of the past seven days, it's worth visiting for the pictures alone (pic #6 in particular is noteworthy). But you don't want to miss out on the acerbic, insightful commentary, either.

Go there.

Betty Bowers, 'America's Best Christian' Asks -

Who's the winner of the "Crazed Dictator Look-Alike Contest"?
For the answer, and more Hollywood in-depth analysis, click here!

Mrs. Betty Bowers, via her highly-placed friends in the Eff Bee Eye, also lets us into the secret of spotting a terrorist.

Hooterville For Habitat! Win Greg's Book!

Well, at long last, I've set up my Habitat For Humanity donation site, and my contest to auction off the personally-autographed copy of "Armed Madhouse" that Greg Palast dedicated 'to Hooterville'.

I've never done much fundraising before, so I have no idea whther this will go over or not, but I'd really like to be part of contributing to Katrina relief. A year has gone by, and the region is still devastated. The Bush administration is too busy spending our tax dollars to kill men, womnen and children all over the world to pay attention to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Out of sight, out of mind - not that it was any great concern to begin with.

So, here's the deal. If you'd like to participate, sign up on the Hooterville For Habitat page, join the team, and make a donation. Use whatever name you choose, so long as I can identify the high donor! Of course, if you aren't in a position to donate a lot, donate whatever you can. No amount is too small!

We can't let our own Gulf region be forgotten about. Let's show love to our own.

P.S. - I am going to give this book away, no matter what, so if the highest donation is $10, then that's the winning ticket!
P.P.S. You can also get other people to donate to your personal page and have it count toward your amount!

OPTC on Winograd Watchdog!

Today, I attended a meeting of the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, along with Helen Wheels and DivaJood. I have done volunteer work for the Dem Party and some candidates before, but I've never actually gotten involved on this particular level. It was informative, inspiring and very educational.

Helen and Jood and I had a fabulous time. After our blistering liberal activism, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the heart of Beverly Hills.

Marcy Winograd has posted my "Preaching To The Choir" letter on her new blog, "Winograd Watchdog - Democracy's Best Friend"! I love that name. And that cute little dog on the banner is hers, too.

Shameless Band Self-Promotion, Part III

Once again, folks, it's that time! The time that I beg all my friends in the area to come see our band 'Some Like It Hot', and our friends who are not in the area to go click on our website, and through to the club we're playing at, so that many hits are registered, and the owner is pleased.

Anyhow, we will be playing at Cozy's Blues Club in Sherman Oaks on Friday, August 18 (in 2 weeks!) from 9:30 PM till 12:30 or 1:00 AM. We would love, love, love to see you if you are in the area and can make it out!
Click here for more info (and click through to the club from the front page!)

Thanks!

Smirk Of The Day

Okay - this is the second time I've gotten this e-mailed to me, so I might as well share -

Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. July 7, 2006

Bush losing support among core supporters

President Bush appears to be losing support among a key group of voters who had hitherto stood firmly with the president even as his poll numbers among other groups fell dramatically.

A new Gallup poll shows that, for the first time, Bush's approval rating has fallen below 50% among total fucking morons, and now stands at 44%. This represents a dramatic drop compared to a poll taken just last December, when 62% of total fucking morons expressed support for the president and his policies.

The current poll, conducted by phone with 1,409 total fucking morons between May 4 and May 8, reveals that only 44% of those polled believe the president is doing a good job, while 27% believe he is doing a poor job and 29% don't understand the question.

The December poll, conducted by phone with 1,530 total fucking morons, showed 62% approved of the president, 7% disapproved and 31% didn't understand the question.

Faltering approval ratings for the president among a group once thought to be a reliable source of loyal support gives Republicans one more reason to be nervous about the upcoming mid-term elections. "If we can't depend on the support of total fucking morons," says Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), "then we've got a big problem. They're a key factor in our electoral strategy, and an important part of today's Republican coalition."

"We've taken the total fucking moron vote for granted," says Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), "and now we're paying for it. We've let the Democrats control the debate lately, and they've dragged discourse back into the realm of complex, nuanced issues. So your average total fucking moron turns on his TV and sees his Republican Congressman arguing about Constitutional law or the complexities of state formation in the Middle East, and he tunes out. He wants to hear comforting, pandering, flattering bromides and he doesn't want to hear a logical argument more complex than what you'd find on a bumper sticker."

For Feeney, the poll is a dire warning that Republicans can ignore only at their peril. "This should send a signal that we have to regain control of the debate if we want the support of our key constituencies in the coming election and beyond. We need to bring public discourse back into the realm of stupidity and vacuity. We should be talking about homosexual illegal immigrants burning flags. We should be talking about the power of pride. These are the issues that resonate with total fucking morons."

But some total fucking morons say it's too late. Bill Snarpel of Enid, Oklahoma, is a total fucking moron who voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. But he says he won't be voting for Bush in 2008.

"I don't like it that he was going to sell our ports to the Arabs. If the Arabs own the ports then that means they'll let all the Arabs in and then we'll all be riding camels and wearing towels on our heads. I don't want my children singing the Star Spangled Banner in Muslim." Total fucking moron Kurt Meyer of Turlock, California also says his once solid support for Bush has collapsed. "He invaded Iraq and all those soldiers died, and for what? We destroyed all their WMDs, but now their new president is making fun of us and saying he's going to build nuclear bombs and that we can't stop him. Well, nuclear bombs are even worse than WMDs, so what did we accomplish?"

Laura McDonald, a total fucking moron from Chandler, Arizona, says she is disappointed that the president hasn't been a more forceful advocate of Christian values. "This country was founded on Christian values," she says, "but you'd never know it looking around and seeing all the Mexicans running around. I thought Bush was going to bring Jesus back into the government. Instead, Christians are being persecuted worse than ever before in history, because all these Mexicans come here and tell Christians that we have to respect their religious beliefs. So now it's illegal for children to pray in school. Soon it will be illegal for them to speak English."

Not all total fucking morons have turned their backs on the president. Jeb Larkin of Topeka, Kansas, says he still fully supports Bush. "He is doing a great job. He is a great president. He is a great decider. I have a puppy. His tail sticks straight up and you can see his butthole."

And not all Republican lawmakers are concerned about the poll. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), for one, does not find it a cause for anxiety. While he agrees that his party should not take total fucking morons for granted, they "really don't have anywhere else to go. They're never going to be able to understand someone like Al Gore or John Kerry or anybody intelligent and articulate who wants to talk about substantive issues. Just try having a conversation with one of them about global warming. They'll say, 'Oh, but Rush says volcanoes consume more ozone than humans do.' I mean, they're morons! Total fucking morons!"

"They've got nowhere else to go," Alexander reaffirms with a smile, "and they always vote."

OPTC Blog Up

I've started a blog just for "Operation Preaching To The Choir" because I feel that this is an important enough issue that it deserves its own space.

This blog will be a place to talk about reaching out to those liberals and moderates who are, for whatever reasons, staying out of the political process and inviting them to be a part of taking back our country. Without them, we may not be able to do it.

You're invited to drop by!

Operation Preaching To The Choir

Operation "Preaching To The Choir"

This is something I've been thinking about for a while. I'd like to know what you think.

I have always been a Democrat, but I have not always been involved in politics. I, like many people I know, didn't think I needed to be. Since 2000, but especially since 2004, I have become, perhaps not an activist, but definitely aware and active politically.

Until 1994 and Newt Gingrich's so-called 'Republican Revolution', although I disagreed in principle with Republicans, I did not feel attacked by them. When Reagan took office and they started gutting arts programs, that bothered me, as a member of a family involved in arts education, but politics was still on the periphery for me, something that other people were involved in. I figured people would get sick of Reaganomics and do something about it, and I went my own way, with my own life. I was a musician, not a politician. Let the people who 'did politics' take care of it. I stood on the sidelines and occasionally watched as others debated the issues of the day.


When Bush I took office, I didn't care for him but I was not afraid of him (shows what I knew!). The Gulf War was, by the war standards I remembered of Vietnam as a child, watching on television at dinnertime, over almost as soon as it had begun. It was hard to take it seriously as a war. Then Bill Clinton was elected, and I rejoiced. It seemed that we had a President that cared about the things I cared about, and had the political will and wiles to implement them, unlike Jimmy Carter, whom I loved but felt was too good a man to be an effective President. Then came 1994 and Newt Gingrich's 'Contract On America'.

That shook me up a bit. Were the American people really going to buy that crap? The blatant disrespect, hostility and opposition that Newt's Republicans exhibited towards the President took me aback. I could not recall any Congress with one party so openly antagonistic towards their political counterparts. The glee with which the Republicans attacked the Democrats was shocking to me. A line was crossed then, when we ceased to be the 'loyal opposition' and became the enemy. Instead of two parties who had different ideas about how to achieve the same goals as Americans, we Democrats were depicted as evil, immoral, unpatriotic, enemies to be vanquished, conquered, silenced, and if possible, eliminated altogether from the political process.

The hounding of Bill Clinton shocked me, too. Watching him being hunted down by the 'vast right-wing conspiracy', as then-First Lady Hillary Clinton so aptly put it (and was roundly ridiculed for doing so) was disturbing, mostly because of the fact that the rest of America just sat back and watched it. That was when I first got a twinge of fear. That was when I said to myself, maybe I ought to start paying attention here. A personal attack by what seemed to me rather extra-legal means, perpetrated by a small group of radical right-wingers, who were guilty of far worse in their own personal lives than what they were accusing the President of, was being allowed to derail our country. Not an attack on Clinton's policies, but his personal life, brought with obvious personal hostility, regardless of the cost to our country in not only dollars but Presidential effectiveness, and by extension American security - to jeopardize our standing in the world because of a personal loathing. Nevertheless Bill Clinton managed to stay in office, and he left the country in better shape than when he took office - no mean feat.

When the Residential Selection of 2000 occurred - when the most completely unsuccessful, incompetent, unfit-for-public-office candidate was handed the Presidency by clearly unconstitutional means - I began to be really afraid. The rules were changing. The processes by which Americans chose their leaders was no longer something you could count on. However, I thought to myself, "How bad can it be? This bumbling idiot, this smirking frat-boy who failed at everything he set his hand to, even when rescued from each disaster by his powerful family - what harm can he do? He'll do his term, the public will see at once what an idiot he is and he'll be out on his ear in '04." I had no idea what was ahead of us.

As he and his handlers (the real perpetrators) rampaged through this country like (dare i say) a mad elephant, I grew more and more concerned. There seemed no way to stop the carnage, both literal and figurative. I started paying close attention, learning as much about what was going on as I could. Leaving politics to the politicians started seeming less like a good idea and more like putting my head in the sand. The more I learned, the more worried I got.

But it was the Debacle of 2004 that galvanized me into doing more than worrying.

When I woke up on November 3rd, my head was spinning. I felt as if reality had been pulled out from underneath me. I began a political blog as a way to deal with the depression and frustration which had settled on me, and started reading, writing and talking politics. It became clear to me that sitting back and hoping for other people to fix things was not going to work.

But what to do?

I felt so helpless, so hopeless, so small. How can one person make any difference? Especially a person who is not rich, influential, high-profile in any way? I am not in a position to run for office. I am not a particularly persuasive speaker. My writing audience is not a large one. I can't even change the opinions of family members - how can I expect to change the minds of millions of Americans or counteract the giant propaganda machine?

The conclusion I have come to is that, however small the action I take, it is worth doing because to not take action is giving active support to those people and positions I wish to fight against. Not only is it worth doing, but imperative, or I will not be able to face myself in the mirror.

It would be great, of course, if we could be guaranteed that by following a certain course of action, we would achieve the desired results. It would be nice to know that if we called Senator X, signed Petition Y and marched at Protest Z, that our troops would come home, that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. would resign en masse, that we'd get universal health care. The reality is, in spite of our best efforts, we may not be able to achieve these objectives. But it does not mean that we are morally exempt from making our best efforts. If we really believe the way we say we do, then we have no choice but to work for what's right, even if we don't see a sure and smooth path to success. That, to me, is what morality is. So, to say, "I'm not going to do anything because it won't change things, or my vote doesn't count, or the process is corrupt" or any other excuse, is beside the point. We don't do what's right because we'll get what we want. We do what's right because it's right.

We know in our hearts what's right. We know in our hearts that it's right to care for those who need care. It's right to stop killing. It's right to work for peace, for justice. Whether we get peace and justice doesn't matter. There is something for everyone to do, whether we see it making a difference or not.

So here is what I'm proposing.

I have come to understand that there is a large segment of the population that, because of their emotional need, will follow this administration wherever it goes; that there is nothing awful enough that would change the minds of these people, if they have chosen to believe in these self-appointed authoritarians. If George Bush says black is white (and he does!) then that's what they'll believe. Facts, logic and reality have no place in their worldview. As Richard Pryor once said, "Who are you going to believe - me or your lying eyes?"

But I also understand that this segment is not the majority, and I am not going to attempt to change the minds of these people. The ones I'm concerned with right now are the people like me - the ones who believe in peace, in social justice, in America as it was intended to be, but are not active because they don't understand that it is necessary. I want to 'preach to the choir'.

When I was discussing this with Maryscott O'Connor of My Left Wing, she said, "What you're talking about is evangelizing." And, you know what? - she's right. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

The word 'evangelize' comes from the Greek word ("eu-aggelos") for 'bringing good news' (εὐάγγελος). It is used mainly in the context of Christianity, but it also can means bringing other kinds of 'good news' to people. If we can bring this discussion into the open, with our friends, our family, our co-workers - not the ones who already have their minds made up that whatever George Bush wants to do is just dandy because he's 'keeping us safe', but the ones who are disaffected, who are disgusted with politics and politicians. The ones who think that, since their vote will be stolen anyway, there's no use in voting. The ones who think that things will get better by themselves - that someone else is going to take care of it. These people aren't going to hear the truth from the traditional media, which is all most working people have time to pay attention to these days. So we need to bring the news to them, one person at a time. I carry around whatever book I happen to be reading - John Dean, Greg Palast, Kevin Phillips. When someone asks me what I'm reading, it's an opportunity to start a discussion. Most of the time, I've gotten very positive responses. I've found it to be a way for people who feel like we do to connect, to relate, to realize that they're not alone in feeling this way and that there is a network of people out there working toward the same thing. I can give them suggestions on ways to get active that are within reach, like volunteering on a local level, with whatever they have to offer. Perhaps phone banking for one night for a local candidate whose positions they support, perhaps making a call to a Congressperson about an issue they feel strongly about. Perhaps standing on a corner for an hour on a Friday night with some local peace activists. It's simply about getting involved on some level. Nothing earth-shattering or life-changing; just simple action. Any action at all is preferable to inaction.

There's no doubt that evangelizing is the way the right-wing religious conservatives have been able to solidify their base and bring about political change. Why shouldn't we do the same? We don't have to change our lives - just carry our values around with us and share them if we find an opportunity. Not only that, but it is a way to combat that feeling of helplessness, of paralysis in the face of the daunting task in front of us.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! I hope you'll join me in "Operation Preaching To The Choir".
(many thanks to Amit at Anything Else for the code to expandable post summaries!)

Thought For The Day

Oh, the Shame, the Shame...Minimum Wage Held Hostage By Paris Hilton Tax Cut

Barney Frank smacks it out of the park on this one.

(need to take the video out, as it slows down the site badly!)

1-800-LEAVE NOW!

The always-right-the-f***-on Jurassic Pork at Welcome To Pottersville has some words of wisdom for Mrs. Battered America. When will enough be enough? How bad does it have to get before we pick up the phone and get out?

Shared Values!

Via Crooks and Liars, we have a clip of our fave talking head Stephen Colbert mourning the political demise of the lovely and talented Ralph Reed, as he has his ass handed to him by the values voters of Georgia.

Alaska's Super-Voters!

One story about voting 'discrepancies' is the fascinating tale of the Alaska Super-Voters. Perhaps due to the bracing weather, the mighty voters of our northern-most state cast their votes so powerfully that the voter turnout in 16 of 40 house districts came out to more that 200%! Now, that's what I call enthusiasm. Say what you will about disaffected voters and low turnout - not in Alaska!

BradBlog, the go-to guys for all thing vote-a-licious, reports that the sore losers of Alaska's State Democratic Party, instead of being encouraged by the engagement of Alaskans in the political process, want to look at the election data from the (surprise!) Diebold machines and the state has 'flip-flopped' on whether they would release it or not. This resulted in claims by the state that any data they released would be proprietary and would belong to Diebold Elections Systems Inc. (DESI).

The above led the state Democratic party to file a lawsuit to get the data they have been requesting.

The following is from an email from Rich McClear of KUDO1080, the Air America Radio affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska:

The State of Alaska website shows 16 of 40 house districts with more than 200% voter turnout, Also, if you add up the vote totals from each district they come to more than 100,000 votes for state wide candidates than the summary reports show.

More than 7 months ago the Democrats asked for an explanation. The state said it could not release the data files because they were proprietary to Diebold.

Diebold gave the state permission to release the files.

The state still refused. The Democrats went to court, the state asked for extension after extension. Their final extension expired Thursday and they replied to the Court, in a 200 page document, that since it is a month from the primary election, they can't release the database without compromising the primary. There is not enough time to rebuild the central tabulator file if they release the data before the election.

The Democrats have to respond to the court Monday. To respond to a 200 page document would usually require the Democrats to ask for an extension but they are working throughout the weekend to get the filing in Monday. Right now I have the Democratic Spokesperson scheduled for my show Monday Morning.

The State stalled for 7 months and when they ran out the legal clock they claim it is too late to release the information because it is too close to the primary. I find it interesting that this has not been picked up by the local press yet, save KUDO.

What I want to know is, why the hell is there a 'proprietary format' for data from a public election? Why is there private software for public data? Why is public voting, the cornerstone of our democracy, privatized? And to an obviously partisan company? This is the single most important issue on the table. This issue controls everything else in our country! Our votes are what supposedly put this gang of thugs in office! We have to be able to trust our voting system. We have to be able to check the results.

What just blows me away is that we allow this to happen. I have a knot in my stomach just thinking about November.

Reap What You Sow

Well, well, well. Isn't it a pity that the Kowboy Koward of Krawford has decimated our relationships with every country in the world, to the point that we can't even speak to them directly? And that the useless and toothless UN and Kofi Annan must be appealed to? Apparently that smooth, suave, silver-tongued master of diplomacy John Bolton hasn't been able to woo other nations with his matchless charm! How shocking is that?

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Good morning! It's time for church, and no one does Sunday morning quite like Old White Lady from "It's Morning Somewhere". This morning's offerings from Landover Baptist Church (if you aren't a member, you might ask yourself just how Christian are you, anyway?) are some handy 'Dating Tips for Christian Men'. Fellas, read here and you'll be on your way to meeting the devout doormat of your dreams! And gals - even though it's 'just for men', that doesn't mean you can't peruse it to get some pointers on how to recognize your future 'lord and master' when he comes a-callin'!

Also thanks to OWL, this oh-so-timely homage to Blastocyst-Americans from Jesus' General! The comment thread is as good as the post.

Sister Nancy Beth Eczema from Edicts of Nancy leads us to a Modern-Day Beatitude. Praise Him!

More Thoughts On Madness

Follow the logic here, friends.

Bush sez:

1. He's not making it illegal, he just doesn't want the government to pay for it.

2. In his view, it's murder.

Which leads one to conclude that, although it's murder, he's not for making it illegal.

Is it murder or not? Is murder legal or not?

But, since government won't be paying for the research, who will be doing the research? Why, our good friends in the private sector!

So, any progress in the research will, as usual, go to benefit those who can afford it.

And, believe me, to anyone who thinks that every AIDS patient gets the kind of medication that Magic Johnson gets - I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. There is medicine for Joe Average, and then there is medicine for the über-wealthy. And that's how they plan to keep it, folks.

I Always Wondered...

Need a laugh today? I sure did. Please go and visit my friend Star's most excellent blog The Enigmatic Paradox (say that 5 times quickly!) and check out the video link on this post.

Star says this proves he's not a drunk. I myself don't think you can rule it out.

The Madness of King George

We are beyond Hooterville now. We have rocketed right into the Twilight Zone.

George W. Bush, the only president to advocate the killing of people who have done nothing to us - the author of the "Doctrine of Pre-emption', which says, "If I don't like you, I can bomb the sh** out of you, whether you attack me or not!", has decided to use his veto (instead of using 'signing statements' to exempt himself from adhering to the law) for the first and only time in the 6 years that he's been in office - to ban stem cell research!

This is beyond crazy.

This blood-soaked killing machine, who thinks nothing of bombing innocent men, women and children in a country that he doesn't like - people who are, may I say, already living, breathing, fully-formed humans - is suddenly the Sovereign of the Snowflakes, almost Buddhist-like in his respect for all living organisms. All creatures great and small, yada, yada, yada.

In the most hypocritical administration in the history of the United States, this has to take the cake. It is, though, consistent with the policies of these heinous criminals - raise a great righteous hue and cry over complete non-issues, such as protecting the flag (burn some cloth, go to jail), protecting the Pledge of Allegiance (a bill on the floor to advocate for keeping the phrase 'under god' in the pledge of allegiance--a phrase that is already there!) gay marriage (which poses no danger to heterosexual marriage whatsoever) or keeping brain-dead people on life support (which was the only issue ever important enough for Dubya to leave a vacation for - not Katrina, not the threat of a terrorist attack).

In this bogus concern for the 'sanctity of life' and the protection of the smallest group of cells, he doesn't seem to be so very informed about the facts. One fact is that women lose between 60 to 80% of their naturally-conceived embryos during their menstrual cycle. In an article for Reason (a magazine advocating "free minds and free markets", not a liberal rag) , Ronald Bailey points out that

This is not miscarriage we're talking about. The women and their husbands or partners never even know that conception has taken place; the embryos disappear from their wombs in their menstrual flows. In fact, according to John Opitz, a professor of pediatrics, human genetics, and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah, embryologists estimate that the rate of natural loss for embryos that have developed for seven days or more is 60 percent. The total rate of natural loss of human embryos increases to at least 80 percent if one counts from the moment of conception. About half of the embryos lost are abnormal, but half are not, and had they implanted they would probably have developed into healthy babies.

So millions of viable human embryos each year produced via normal conception fail to implant and never develop further. Does this mean America is suffering a veritable holocaust of innocent human life annihilated? Consider the claim made by right-to-life apologists like Robert George, a Princeton University professor of jurisprudence and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, that every embryo is "already a human being." Does that mean that if we could detect such unimplanted embryos as they leave the womb, we would have a duty to rescue them and try to implant them anyway?

"If the embryo loss that accompanies natural procreation were the moral equivalent of infant death, then pregnancy would have to be regarded as a public health crisis of epidemic proportions: Alleviating natural embryo loss would be a more urgent moral cause than abortion, in vitro fertilization, and stem-cell research combined," declared Michael Sandel, a Harvard University government professor, also a member of the President's Council on Bioethics.

As far as I know, bioconservatives like Robert George do not advocate the rescue of naturally conceived unimplanted embryos. But why not? In right-to-life terms, normal unimplanted embryos are the moral equivalents of a 30-year-old mother of three children.

Of course, culturally we do not mourn the deaths of these millions of embryos as we would the death of a child—and reasonably so, because we do in fact know that these embryos are not people. Try this thought experiment. A fire breaks out in a fertility clinic and you have a choice: You can save a three-year-old child or a Petri dish containing 10 seven-day old embryos. Which do you choose to rescue?

Stepping onto dangerous theological ground, it seems that if human embryos consisting of one hundred cells or less are the moral equivalents of a normal adult, then religious believers must accept that such embryos share all of the attributes of a human being, including the possession of an immortal soul. So even if we generously exclude all of the naturally conceived abnormal embryos—presuming, for the sake of theological argument, that imperfections in their gene expression have somehow blocked the installation of a soul—that would still mean that perhaps 40 percent of all the residents of Heaven were never born, never developed brains, and never had thoughts, emotions, experiences, hopes, dreams, or desires.

Yet millions of intelligent people of good will maintain that seven-day-old embryos have the exact same moral standing as do readers of this column. Acting on this sincere belief, they are trying to block biomedical research on human embryonic stem cells that is desired by millions of their fellow citizens.

Okay. How long is this insanity going to be debated with a straight face? How long are these bizarre contradictions in logic going to be treated as if they were rational arguments?

The only thing I can conclude from this is that the only 'life' the Kowboy Koward of Krawford is really interested in is life without a functioning brain.

Newspeak

Aw geez. This is just unbelievable. Frank Luntz, the master speech manipulator, lays it out. Here it is, in black and white:

(if you click on the image it's easier to read)

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

He could have saved himself the ink and paper, and just written one word: "Lie".

Orwell was a piker when compared with Frank Luntz.

Read the whole thing here.

Liberal Cartoons

As you know, I've been doing my liberal cartoons for a while now. Special thanks go out to Comments From Left Field who have been kind enough to feature them on their excellent site, along with fab comic-meister Zencomix. Dhonig at Hypnocrites has a blog devoted to his sharp-as-a-pointed-stick brand of cartoons, and has been looking, as I have, for a way to get them out and about.

So, I have decided (cuz I'm the Decider) to start a cartoon link on the sidebar. I invite you to chack out these fine liberal flamethrowers, and if you have or know of a cartoon blog you would like to see featured here, please comment or e-mail me, and I will put it on the sidebar. Drawn, Photoshopped, or a combination - whatever. Lord knows, sometimes the only way to combat the horror is through laughter. I know it's saved my bacon many times. If you can laugh, the bastards haven't beat you, and we live to fight another day.

I have transferred all the "Capitol Punishment" cartoons to a new blog of their own, and you are invited to stop by and take a look.

Let the hilarity ensue!

Birthday Prediction

My dad sent me this in my birthday card. It is a cutout from a newspaper that my grandmother put in her 'birthday book' the day I was born. A native of Massachusetts, she passed away last year at the age of 93, having been alive for both times that the Red Sox won the World Series.

All I can say is - doo-doo-doo-doo (cue Twilight Zone music...)

Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money!

GAAAAAAH!

Yes, Karl Rove got a raise.

He and all his co-'assistants to the President' received a nice little $4,200 cost-of-liv ing raise, bringing their salaries up to $165,200.

This from the party who is against a minimum wage, much less a living wage.

I recently received some comment along the likes of "If liberals say $9 an hour minimum wage is 'compassionate', then $100 an hour is extra-super-duper compassionate'" or some such nonsense. This 'logic' is supposed to point out the stupidity of having a minimum wage. Pay is supposed to be driven by the market, regardless of whether a person can survive on that pay for a full-time work week. Tough beans. Suck it up. Work harder, you lazy scum.

But, let's see here...employees on the lower end of the compensation scale - 'gift analysts', trip coordinators, staff assistants and the like - who make around $30,000, did not receive raises. Perhaps their cost of living did not go up like Karl's did.

Wait just a sec - did I hear 'cost-of-living'? You mean, getting more money not because you're doing more work, but because things cost more?

Wow. That smacks of tax-and-spend liberalism to me.

Check out the figures here.

La La La - We're Not Listening...

One question I have been asking myself incessantly is "why aren't people acknowledging what is so very obvious?" When the voter fraud is so blatant and endemic, why are people unwilling to even talk about it?

I watched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", and something he said at the beginning of the film flipped the light switch on for me. I'm paraphrasing (he said it much better) but in essence, he said that if people were to admit that global warming was indeed a real issue, then they would be morally bound to do something about it.

This is where we're at, I think. There is so much that is so wrong in our government, and if we were to really admit, really acknowledge the truth, then we would have to take action.

The idea of having to make such a major change is terrifying. Because if we do acknowledge that there was massive voter fraud in the 2000 and 2004 elections, we would have to dismantle the government. So we can't (even people of good faith and conscience) admit even the idea, the whisper, the whiff of voter fraud. No one is prepared to deal with the complete upheaval that would be required. And do you think these thugs would roll over and say, "Yeah, you're right! We'll be going now..." No, I don't think so either.

So, the alternative is to cling to the fiction. Better to relegate it (and everything else being done so brazenly, so audaciously by these criminals) to the Konspiracy Korner. Because no one is ready to deal with what would have to happen if it were admitted to be true - or, worse, if we tried to take our country back and found that we could not.

We're All Conspiracy Nutbags Now!

The first time I remember hearing the phrase 'conspiracy theory' was in grade school about Sirhan Sirhan. I didn't understand it, and I wasn't particularly interested. I've always thought of myself as rational, reasonable, not given to wild speculation. But, I find myself in the rather embarrasing position of being a full-fledged conspiracy - if not nut, then at least fellow-traveler.

It still stuns me that people can actually say the words 'pre-emptive strike' like it's perfectly reasonable! My god, if anyone would have told you in 2000 what we'd be doing in 2006, wouldn't you have thought they were crazy?

If, listening to and reading the baying media beagles relentlessly hounding Bill Clinton and his distasteful-yet-perfectly-legal affair, you were told that in 2006 the MSM would be frightened little mice afraid to make a peep about a president's wrongdoing, no matter how egregious, for fear of being accused of treason, wouldn't you have shook your head, rolled your eyes and spoken pityingly of tin-foil hats?

And now we're talking about spying on Americans before 9/11 (a fat lot of good that did in preventing a terrorist attack!) and 'foiling terrorist plots' that aren't even plots? Yes, we must arrest them for merely wanting to be terrorists! You only have to stretch a tiny bit further to get into Thought Police Land. Or, maybe it's already here. They look like they could want to be terrorists!

All the 9/11 stuff, all the PNAC stuff, all the vote-stealing stuff, the New World Order, The Carlyle Group. Skull and Bones - count me in! I believe! Anoint me, initiate me into the secret societies! Teach me the arcana and the special handshake! Nothing sounds far-fetched to me any more. The wackier and more improbable it is, the more I'm willing to consider it. Art Bell, forgive me for ever doubting you!

What crazy place are we in and how the hell can we get out?

BFF?

I'm Sorry, But This Is Too Good To Pass Up...

Found this on a page with some other very funny pix.

New Feature - Tar Baby!

Yes, lots of people have passed on during his time in office - like 2700 American soldiers...he just doesn't care who dies, does he? 'Kenny Boy' probably died of a broken heart from the way Dubya threw him under the bus.

(hat tip to Catherine at Povertybarn)

Fasting For the Troops - Code Pink

I'm not going to make a big deal of it here, but you can go to the site and find out more for yourself. I'm doing this as a personal meditation. Also, don't forget about the Kommandos! I'll be deploying some Hooterville Hellcats today.

I'm live-blogging my fast on my diary at My Left Wing.

Update: I made it for 24 hours, which was my goal.

Coultergeist Goes To Pottersville

The other day, I received a rather unpleasant e-mail from someone purporting to 'educate' me and all the other America-Hating Traitors (i.e. Democrats) who, for some unknown reason, take offense at the fascisistic, hate-filled ramblings of Ann "The Man" Coulter.

I have been slack on posting recently because family matters are taking precedence at the moment and I have neither the time or the emotional wherewithal to address this, so I passed it along to some of my blog friends to see if anyone was up to the challenge.

Thanks to Blue Gal passing it along, the redoubtable JurassicPork at Welcome To Pottersville picked up the gauntlet and did a bang-up job of exposing this execrable screed for what it is - mean-spirited wingnuttery attempting to masquerade as 'intellectualism'. Of course, when I replied to his e-mail by asking to be removed from his spam list, his reply was (and I quote:)

hey spam is commercial I am just trying to help you learn to think??

My reply was:

If you would like to help me 'learn to think', learn how to write. A statement is not followed by double question marks.

And, of course, spam is not only commercial - it is any unwanted and unsolicited e-mail. Commas, capitalization and periods would not also be amiss if one wishes to be taken seriously.

So, please stop on by at Pottersville (love that name - and it's right close by Hooterville!) and check out JurassicPork's take on it.

And thanks to those who unselfishly sullied their eyes for the cause...

Worst Album Covers Ever!

If you could use a laugh, check this out.

Income Distribution in the US

The L-Curve is a fascinating site. We know that there is a disparity between the very rich and the rest of us, but it's difficult to visualize just how vast the difference is. The L-Curve lays it out visually in a way that makes it understandable.

Check this out:

We are on the 50 yard line of a football field, representing the median U.S. family income. The income of the "Median Family" is about $40,000. The frame is 1 meter square.(A meter is a little over a yard...a meter is about 40 inches whereas a yard is 36 inches.)

We have zoomed in by a factor of 10. Meet the "Median Family," the family at the 50th percentile, the 50-yard line on our football field.

The US population is represented along the length of the football field, arranged in order of income.

Median US family income (the family at the 50 yard line) is ~$40,000 (a stack of $100 bills 1.6 inches high.)
--The family on the 95 yard line earns about $100,000 per year, a stack of $100 bills about 4 inches high.
--At the 99 yard line the income is about $300,000, a stack of $100 bills about a foot high.
--The curve reaches $1 million (a 40 inch high stack of $100 bills) one foot from the goal line.
--From there it keeps going up...it goes up 50 km (~30 miles) on this scale!

We have zoomed out by a factor of 10, so this frame is 1 kilometer square. A square representing the previous frame is visible. The tree is a Giant Sequoia. A stack of $100 bills 1 kilometer high would be a billion dollars. This country has about 400 billionaires.

We have zoomed out another factor of 10. Squares representing the previous two frames are visible. The mountain in the background is Mt. Everest. Our pile of $100 bills is approaching the $10 billion mark.

Our frame is now 100 kilometers square. The exact height of the top of the curve varies from year to year, but the total amount of money in the vertical spike continues to grow steadily. Bill Gates "wealth" was at one point estimated to be over $100 billion. The red line represents his greatest "increase" in net worth in a year. At 50 kilometers, the pile of $100 bills extends beyond the stratosphere, more than 5 times the height of Mt. Everest. $1 million is the same proportion of this income as $1 to a person earning $50,000 per year.

And these are the people who need more tax cuts...

Check out the L-Curve for yourself.

I Am Afraid

I am afraid. Do you know what I'm afraid of?

I'm not afraid of Iraq.

I'm not afraid of Islamic terrorists.

I'm not afraid of Iran.

I'm not afraid of Osama Bin Laden.

I am afraid that all the information is going to come out, that the truth will be laid bare for all America to see…and it won't matter.

That the ugly reality of what George Bush and his band of verminous cohorts has perpetrated upon us, upon our dead soldiers, upon a country who never attacked us, upon our Constitution, upon our former 'freedoms', upon our very definition of what it means to be an American, will be shown up in broad daylight for what it is…and no one will care.

That the work of people like Greg Palast, who relentlessly and tirelessly exposes the secrets of this grotesque administration both at home and abroad, will be for nothing…because it will be met with indifference.

That's really what I'm scared of.

Because that's what's happened so far.

Every day, fresh hells are revealed. Every day, more horrific abuses are uncovered, and no one seems particularly bothered, except the usual suspects - us shrill, screechy left-wing moonbats.

All along, I've been wondering just how bad it has to get before Americans will get off their asses and register some kind of discomfort with these crimes. I can only conclude that, incredibly, it hasn't gotten bad enough yet.

There was a time when I thought that it was only because we didn't know that we didn't care. I thought that, once the American people had access to the truth, that they would demand a change. That they would stand up and put a stop to the corrupt regime who is decimating our way of life to fatten their bottom line.

But, like alcoholics who stubbornly refuse to see that their drinking is destroying not only their lives but the lives of everyone who loves them, the American people are simply cruising down that river in Egypt, Denial, sipping the Kool-Aid as they float along, comfortably numb.

That is what frightens me to the marrow of my bones.

My Evening With Greg

Since I couldn't attend Yearly Kos, just down the street in Vegas, I consoled myself by going to see Greg Palast speak at a church in Los Angeles tonight. Helen Wheels and I had plans to go together - we wanted to go to the pre-speech dinner, which was cheaper for two, so she was going to be my gay date. We ran into a couple of snags, though - the dinner was sold out, and then her new puppy got sick, and she had to cancel.

I figured I could still go to the lecture, so I headed out there solo. When I got there, a guy at the door told me that I could go to the dinner anyway, that there was some room left. When I got to the ticket table, there was a lady in front of me who was also going to the dinner, but she didn't have enough cash for a meal ticket, and they didn't have a credit card machine. So she and I ended up being each other's date because she had just enough cash for her half of the couple's price, and we both saved money and had some company. Of course, the Greg Palast policy was that no one would be turned away for lack of funds. There's just something nice about progressive people. Somehow I can't imagine that kind of thing happening at an Ann Coulter lecture.

Greg Palast is a wonderful speaker, and very inspirational, as well as damn funny. Most (but not all) of what he talked about was in the book, but what I took away from it was a renewed sense of purpose as a liberal. The facts are depressing; no doubt about it. The vote stealing, the gross indifference to America and Americans, except for the 'base' - the haves and the have-mores; the power of the corporatocracy, the throwing away of countless human lives for nothing more than greed - it's all true. But at the end, he said, "If we march, we win. If we vote, we win. If they steal 5 million votes in 2008, let's register 7 million new voters. It may not be original or exciting, but it does work. And if we don't march, and we don't vote, we don't win."

That's the way I see it, too. Whatever I do as an individual may not be much, but it beats the alternative, which is inaction, and thereby aiding and abetting the thieves. The alternative is not acceptable to me.

After the lecture, Greg stayed to autograph books. He stayed until each and every person who wanted an autograph got one. His energy is amazing. I've been hearing him on every radio show I've listened to in the past couple of days, he's been traveling all over like a madman for this book tour, and yet he was so exuberant and inspirational. I brought my book that I bought the day it came out, and also the book that I got with my dinner ticket. I got him to sign one to me and the other one to Hooterville. I'm going to be giving it away here on the blog, so stay tuned for contest details!

If he's in your city, don't miss him! If not, buy the book! I wish I could have gone with all of you all - we would have had a blast.

Inspiration!

I have the solution!

I've finally figured out what to do about the Coultergeist.

Hook her up with Bill O'Reilly!

Isn't it obvious?

Ann. bless her heart, is desperately lonely and no doubt sexually - uh, under-served, shall we say? She's screaming out for love and attention with her skankulous attire (sorry, Ann, but 45-year-old women, no matter how emaciated, should leave tight little sleeveless minidresses or black vinyl to the younger gals) and her waterfall of peroxided glory which she wears like a thirteen-year-old. Her shrill, screechy, nasally whine will no doubt be a mating call to the ears of a red-blooded he-man like Bill, who is also obviously over-sexed and under-served, if his unwelcome kinky phone-calls to his underling and his pornographic novel are any indication.

Yes, Ann & Bill...a political pornographer and a plain ol' pornographer. What a cute couple they'd make. Bill would make a woman out of Ann for sure. "Oh, Bill, tell me to 'shut up' again!" Perhaps they'd be so happy with each other that they'd leave the rest of us alone!

How 'bout it, y'all?

An Observation

You know what? I just never, ever want to hear the words 'activist judges' come out of the mouth of someone who stole the highest office in the land with the help of 'activist judges'.

I just don't.

The Walk of Shame

I know - I said I was done, but I just had to add this. Our friend kissfan (whose 2-year blog-i-versary I'd like to toast) made the observation that the Coultergeist claims to be from the party of higher morals yet she dresses like she's trolling for action.

No kidding - in she sashays to the Today Show at - what - 6 in the morning? - all skanked out in a skin-tight black minidress. Girlfriend, if you're dressed like that at 6 AM, you're doing the Walk of Shame.

And, come to think of it, she was.

Since she has this idea about liberals being 'loose and immoral', she feels compelled to 'out-slut' them all. And brag about how Christian she is while she does it.

Have you noticed that there is this pathetic sense of 'one-upmanship' that Republicans seem to revel in? "Our women are better-looking than Democratic women" (which is not true!) - as if the only way they can win is for somebody else to lose; as if the life of our country is a game where there are winners and losers - "We won, so shut up and get over it" (even though that isn't true!). As though winning an election (which they didn't actually do) means that the other half of America doesn't exist!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember the Democrats being like that when they were in power. I really don't.

Update: I just e-mailed the Today Show to express my disapproval of their having her on their show; if you'd like to do the same, here's the address - today@nbc.com...

Last Mention

I don't want to give Ann "The Man" Coulter any more cyber-ink, but I'll finish with this:

Yesterday, I went to Borders to get the new Greg Palast book, Armed Madhouse. I was hoping that it would be prominently displayed among the new releases, but, sadly, no. I had to have an employee look it up on the computer and get it for me. But what assailed my poor eyes as I entered the store? You guessed it. Bam! Row upon row of the Coultergeist, glaring belligerently at me, double-dog daring me to walk by her.

What a very sad state we're in.

Ugh.

Autobiography

Well, well…it seems as if Ann Coulter (no, I'm not giving her a link) has published a new autobiography, entitled (aptly enough) "Godless".

This is the latest installment of her self-revelatory tomes:

"Treason"
"Slander"
and, of course,
"High Crimes and Misdemeanors"

Her candor is refreshing.

The Katherine Harris Campaign Video You Didn't See...

Oh, this is classic.

Please watch, won't you?