TURTLE THOUGHTS

Remember, It's Only Okay If You're a Republican

Some conservatives are outraged, OUTRAGED, I tells ya, because Barack Obama dared show respect to the emperor of Japan by following protocol and bowing when they greeted one another and shook hands. It purt near gave Bill Kristol and Bill Bennett the vapors on the Sunday gasbag programs.

"I don't know why President Obama thought that was appropriate. Maybe he thought it would play well in Japan. But it's not appropriate for an American president to bow to a foreign one," said conservative pundit William Kristol speaking on the Fox News Sunday program, adding that the gesture bespoke a United States that has become weak and overly-deferential under Obama.

Another conservative voice, Bill Bennett, said on CNN's "State of the Union" program: "It's ugly. I don't want to see it."

"We don't defer to emperors. We don't defer to kings or emperors. The president of the United States -- this coupled with so many apologies from the United States -- is just another thing," said Bennett.

Good, I hope THAT'S settled. God knows George W. Bush would never have done anything like that.

Tennessee State Representative Still a Moron

State Representative Stacey Campfield of Tennessee is one odd dude. Not only has he introduced legislation to grant a death certificate to each abortion granted in Tennessee, he's also been under scrutiny for being an alleged slum lord and falsely claiming that a political rival had been arrested several times for drugs. But you get a better sense of what kind of buffoon the guy is when you realize the fear-mongerer has never successfully passed a piece of legislation.

 
Now there's word that Campfield was escorted by security out of the stadium on October 31st when the University of Tennessee hosted South Carolina in Knoxville. Despite the 'no masks' rule enforced at the football stadium on that Halloween day, the State Representative--who is now running for a State Senate seat---argued with security officers who asked him to remove his luchador (or Mexican wrestler's mask...no word on why he chose this outfit.) Campfield complied by taking off the mask, but he continued to give the officers a hard time. When they asked to see his ticket, it turned out he wasn't even seated where he was supposed to be. His ticket was for section LL, but he'd been sitting in section B. So he was invited to take his luchador and go home.

Haggis Quits Scientology Cult

Academy Award winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis is making a very public break with the Church of Scientology because of the cult's bigotry and homophobia. Haggis is the first person in more than half a century to win back-to-back Oscars for screenwriting (for "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash", the latter of which he also directed.)

Haggis said he was forced to speak out against the Church of Scientology because of its refusal to publicly condemn its San Diego branch for homophobic statements it made during last year's Prop 8 campaign to take away the rights of some Californians to marry. In a detailed letter dated August 19, 2009 to Co$ spokesman Tommy Davis, Haggis wrote:

"I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. You promised action. Ten months passed. No action."

He added: "The church's refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent ... I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology."

A spokesman for Haggis says the letter was meant to be private. Despite that, it got out and has been circulating on the web for weeks.

The last few days have been a difficult time for Tommy Davis. Last Friday he stormed off the set of "Nightline" when questions about the kooky cult started to get under his skin.

The Scientology spokesman was irked when interviewer Martin Bashir asked: "Do you believe that a galactic emperor called Xenu brought his people to earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes?"

Davis immediately bristled to hear Bashir make reference to part of a Scientology scripture derived from the writings of church founder L. Ron Hubbard. The church has reportedly attempted to keep the Xenu story secret from a non-Scientologist public, fearful it will serve to discredit the religion.

"OK, Martin, I am not going to discuss the disgusting perversions of Scientology beliefs that can be found commonly on the Internet and be put in the position of talking about things that are so fundamentally offensive to Scientologists a that's all," he said.

Bashir persisted, and Davis stormed out.

Wake up, dumb celebutards. Don't do like Haggis and wait 35 years before you realize what a sham this Scientology cult is.

Suzanne Somers Still A Dingbat

Fresh off her remark that it was chemotherapy, not cancer, that killed actor Patrick Swayze back in September, celebutard Suzanne Somers is hawking a book hyping 'alternative' cures for cancer. Dr. Somers, best known for her role as Chrissy the Dingbat on Three's Company, is proving again that God took the wrong castmate when he snatched John Ritter away six years ago. (And it's not like He didn't have other options.)

Fortunately, not everybody's buying Somers' latest load of horse droppings.

     

Suzanne Somers, M.D.

Louisiana Official Refuses to Grant Marriage License to Interracial Couple

I wished this kind of news surprised me, but it really doesn't. A Justice of the Peace in Louisiana has refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple. Terence McKay, who's black, and Beth Humphrey, who's white, ended up getting married by another JP.

Meanwhile, Keith Bardwell, the elected official who refused to give the couple a marriage license, says he's not racist. No, he's just worried about the children. Get that?   Not granting them a license is for their own good. Bardwell doesn't believe it's right, so he's not upholding his duty as an elected official. His personal and religious beliefs trump the American rule of law. As an individual he can be as stupid and racist as he wants, but as an elected official of Tangipahoa Parish, he must treat all citizens equally and fairly. Since he won't, he should lose his job.

....and on a related note:

Those Innovative Al-Qaida

What's worse than being blown up with plastic explosives? Being blown up with plastic explosives that have been packed inside the bomber's rectum, of course. I've heard of blowing it out your ass, but I never thought of it literally.

How Could That Possibly Be Dangerous?

    

There is a chain of bars called "Coyote Ugly" across the country based on a 2000 movie of the same name. It's customary at these places for female patrons to climb atop the bar and dance. (Believe me, it's not nearly as hot as you might hope.)  Last year, a Kentucky college student named Brittany Barnes went to the Coyote Ugly in downtown Nashville with some friends. At the end of the night, she clambered atop the bar to boogie and get her picture taken.

Lo and behold, this tipsy girl tipped over backward and fell to the floor, smacking her head. Now it's lawsuit time. Barnes' attorney, Rob Shelton, is acquiver with indignation. He talked to the Nashville Tennessean.

Shelton claims the bar should do more to protect those who venture up to the bar top, especially when they've been drinking. He said Barnes "had had a few drinks" but was not drunk.

"When you've just been invited to get up on a bar by the owners of the bar, I think you can presume it would be safe to get up on the bar," he said

The law is the law, of course, but the laws of physics are the laws of physics. Just because an establishment lets you climb onto its damp bar when you've been drinking doesn't mean the bar owner has made a deal with God to suspend the law of gravity till you get down safely. So now Barnes is hoping to get half a million dollars for being stupid.

But the best part?

Shelton said Barnes had lost her sense of smell as a result of her head injury.

Well, she should have been paying attention to her sense of touch when she was pulling herself up on that slippery bar. Or her sense of sight. Hell, she'd obviously lost her sense of taste already or she'd never even walked into that bar. So I'm thinking she just didn't have much sense from the outset.

                 

It all looks perfectly safe to me.

 

 

 

Thanks, Joe!

If you're an obstructionist Congressman who hates the president, why not scream out that he's a liar during the middle of a joint session of Congress?  One reason not to do that is because it will enrich your election opponent by more than $200,000 in just a few hours.

That's what South Carolina GOP Representative Joe Wilson is learning today after his disrespectful outburst during last night's presidential address to Congress. Wilson, sitting among a pack of smug Republican Members, apologized almost immediately, but the damage has been done. Along with raising money for his opponent, Rob Wilson, he made himself and his party look like shrieking babies.

     

UPDATE: Rob Miller has now raised $600,000.

Sites That Make Me Laugh

My friend the priest sent me this photo today from the website uglydress.com. He thought it might be one of my Mississippi relatives. The answer is no...My cousins just wear pistols strapped under their wedding gowns. Machine guns are gauche.

                  

Another site I enjoy is People of Walmart, which includes rude pictures of Walmart shoppers.

          

Not Your Typical Policy Debate: Man Gets Punched Then Bites Off Opponent's Finger

If the people on both sides of the healthcare insurance reform debate keep at it like this, they'll need to start bringing doctors and medical supplies to the rallies. Forget healthcare. They need triage.

          

Some Men Say Having STDs Makes Them Feel More 'Manly'

Have you ever wondered who was smarter, men or women? The answer is in this study in which some men reveal that having a sexually transmitted disease makes them feel more manly. I know nothing could make me feel more butch than having itchy, oozy man-parts.  

                                 

When Is a Racist Remark NOT a Racist Remark?

Why, when a Republican says it, of course.

The reason the GOP isn't in power has a lot to do with the fact they say stupid shit like this.

"Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope." 

   

--U.S. Rep Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)

The DC Disconnect from the Rest of America

If you're looking for a good example of why the DC Villagers are out of touch with the rest of the United States, just click over to the Washington Post website where you can read all about "poor" families barely getting by on just $300,000 a year. And it's not a tongue in cheek kinda story but a full-blown, miss-the-mark, WTF-were-you-thinking kinda story. Here's a sampling of the comments:

Is this satire ?? Are you kidding me ??
Please tell me that this is a joke ... please, please
The reality that someone in a position of responsibility in a FINANCE company is so far moved from financial reality ... I'm speechless! Someone needs to send this article to her employer.

I keep looking for a point in the article where the Post goes "Yeah, we know this sounds like we are the most out of touch morons since Thurston Howell the Third" but there doesn't seem to be one. If it was a joke, then yes, they managed to fool me into thinking they somehow consider the travails of someone that has gotten *down* to merely ten times the average salary in the U.S. as somehow tragic. Are they are out of their pointy little heads?!?!

I agree with Brandip_77: this was insulting for the Post to waste 40 inches of newspaper space, countless hours by reporter/photog to write an article on a woman who has SO MUCH MORE than most Americans have or will ever have. Please -if the economy is taking a bite out of the Steins lifestlye , cut a bunch of s*** out of your ifestlye (i.e Nanny, cell phone for kid, gardner, etc).
The Post should keep writing stories about those REALLY struggling, not wasting precious newsprint and newspaper space on a ridiculous story like this. An editor approving this story idea missed the boat

This article points out a major problem with the media. How many WAPO reporters identify with Ms. Steins more than they identify w/a single mom making less than $100k living in PG county or any other less prosperous area?

Our media members no longer help provide the checks and balances to protect those who have less power. Everyone is cynical and everyone wants money.

Some New Obama Conspiracy Theories to Consider

If you have real questions about Obama's birth, you owe it to yourself to read this piece. If nothing else, at least you won't look like a complete idiot when someone brings it up.

Even though there's evidence proving Obama was born on American soil, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other Obama conspiracies to keep the wingnuts busy. See for yourself.

 

GOP Forces TN State Senator to Resign Over His Affair With Intern

It took about a week of behind-the-scenes arm-twisting, with plenty of name-calling, hair-pulling, and finger-pointing no doubt--but Senator Paul Stanley (R-Germantown) has finally decided to call it quits. He'll be stepping down effective August 10th. This comes after the ex-boyfriend of 22-year old legislative intern McKensie Morrison allegedly tried to blackmail him. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Joel Watts demanded $10,000 or he'd release the nude pictures Stanley had taken of Morrison when she was in his Nashville apartment.

Stanley had stepped down from a major committee chairmanship when the scandal first broke, but that wasn't enough, so it surprised few when he announced Tuesday night that he'd be leaving the General Assembly altogether. (h/t to the News Ho)

Is Ann Coulter Comparing GOP Senator Jim Inhofe to a Klansman? (yes)

If you're so rightwing-batty that even Ann Coulter thinks you're crazy, then you can rest assured you're paving new ground in the Completely Insane department. Coulter was talking about the 'Birthers' and their obsessive contention that the president is not an American. As she told Geraldo Rivera on Foxnews...

"So for CNN or MSNBC, or you Geraldo, the liberal on Fox, to be bringing this out as if it's an issue, you know, it's just a few cranks out there," said Coulter. "It's like when networks bring on the three remaining Klanners in America, on TV."

I can't decide which pleases me most...Is it that Coulter compares Republican Senator Jim Inhofe to a Klansman; or that she is blaming the liberal media for the Birthers' hystrionics.

                                                                         When even this nutjob thinks the whacked-out theory that Obama is an undocumented alien is crazy, well...rest assured, it's frickin' certifiable.  

Tennessee State Senator and Family Values Advocate Paul Stanley's Sex Scandal

How do you tell when a politician is setting himself up for a messy sex scandal?

Well, first of all, you loudly proclaim that you're a Family Values dude, and you sponsor inexplicable legislation (like banning pornography in moving vehicles), and hateful legislation like preventing loving gay and lesbians from adopting children. (Also, don't forget to do a little wife beating along the way.) Then you sanctimoniously tell a pro-choice constituent that you will not support Planned Parenthood because you support abstinence and you are dead-set against young people having sex before marriage.

Okay, you got all that? Now that you've laid the ground work, it's time for the fun part: Having sex with a 20-year old girl who's working as an intern with the Tennessee General Assembly. You need to take lots of nudie pictures of her in your Nashville apartment while you're at it. Then wait for her boyfriend to blackmail you for $10,000. 

It's all pretty straightforward, really.

And, no, it's not THIS Paul Stanley...

              

...But THIS Paul Stanley. (I know, I was disappointed too.)

                       

Sens. Brownback and Landrieu Legislate Against Mermaids, Centaurs, Gorgons

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback is very proud of his legislation that would outlaw human-animal hybrids. He, along with Louisiana Blue Dog Mary Landrieu, are very concerned that the science of cloning will lead to nightmarish, Dr. Moreau-like results, and, by God, they're on the case to prevent that from happening. I just wish they'd acted in time to spare us from these:

  

David Brooks Lets a U.S. Senator Get to 2nd Base Then Gushes About It on MSNBC

Here's an item for the Things I'd Just As Soon Not Know but Tell Me Anyway category. New York Times columnist and PBS/NPR commentator David Brooks told MSNBC that he sat next to a Republican Senator at a dinner during which the senator kept his hand on Brooks' inner thigh throughout the evening.

Brooks wouldn't say who it was (my money's on Lindsey Graham, but there are just so many possibilities, who can say? Yeah, I know Crist isn't actually a Senator, but he's running, so I included him.) 

I wonder, why the heck would Brooks say this? Does he really want us to cogitate on the thought of him letting somebody grope him all night, even if that person was a United States Senator?  Are we supposed to admire his restraint or be disturbed by his nonchalant attitude? And doesn't he seem to have the oddest bit of pride about the whole thing? If it had been the president, would Brooks have let him go all the way? (Well, we all know the answer to that question.)

When the news mannequin asked him if he'd had a couple of drinks, Brooks said he was just trying not to be too dignified and stuffy. Well done, David! Well done.  After whoring for these guys in your columns all these years, you're finally getting some recognition for it.

 

 David Brooks relaxes at home (left) and but butches it up for work (right).

Palin Rumors Abound: What's the Real Story?

We all knew that Sarah Palin had a screw loose, and that was confirmed by her incoherent news conference in which she announced she'd be stepping down as Alaska's governor because...well, I still don't know. I think it has something to do with her being an idiot, but I can't know for sure.

There are DFH types speculating that she's under federal investigation and about to be indicted. She's threatening to sue an Alaska blogger/radio host who mentioned this rumor on MSNBC over the weekend.

One commenter wondered whether she's pregnant again, and that's the reason she's stepping down, but that doesn't make any sense because she already had a child while serving as governor, so what would stop her from doing it again? Some people think she's just so thin-skinned that she's had enough with being the butt of jokes and wants out of the limelight. That's laughable to me because Palin thrives on attention and doesn't strike me as the type of person who'd give up power no matter how many bad things are written or said about her.

                           

My money's on the indictment theory or some comparable scandal about to bubble over. If that's the case, we'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I hope Sarah Palin keeps going in front of the cameras and spouting her disjointed crazy talk. She's a hoot.

Obama Thinks Gays Are Idiots

So Obama quickly throws together some lame signing event for a piece of half-ass policy that does absolutely nothing except show his contempt for my intelligence. "Domestic partner benefits for federal employees!  Yay!" Well, if you don't count health insurance as benefits, that is. What else is left? Retirement benefits? No, that's out, too. All it amounts to is some dumbassery about relocation expenses and other meaningless and insulting symbolism.

The only reason he even did that much is because a lot of high profile (rich) gays have pulled out of a DNC fundraising event later this month that's to commemorate Stonewall. They did so to protest the president's inexcusable record on GLBT civil rights.

Obama has done nothing about Don't Ask Don't Tell. Since he's been president, more than 250 gays and lesbians have been kicked out of the military for being honest about who they are.

Obama's Justice Department is defending the Defense of Marriage Act with a legal document comparing marriage equality to incest and pederasty. And his administration is standing behind that evil language.

And his spokesperson is using DOMA as the reason Obama isn't giving federal employees full domestic partner benefits. Many attorneys who know what the hell they're talking about say nothing in the DOMA language would prevent the president from getting around that if he really wanted to. He doesn't.

"Wait," I hear. "Just wait...the time isn't right. He can't do too much at once because it might piss off the religious right."  I'm sick of waiting. I wish I could take my vote back. Obama has yet to fulfill a single campaign pledge he made to lesbians and gays. He got plenty of our money for his campaign, but he's not going to be able to tap that well again.

 

And to hell with Barney Frank for giving him cover.

 

 

              

             The President unloads his campaign promises to gays and lesbians.

     
UPDATE: I edited this post to dial back some of my spittle-flecked rage. Yeah, I know, it's still pretty bad, but I'm so weary of being told that my relationship of 16 years is inferior and isn't as meaningful or important as, say, Brittney Spears' 55-hour marriage to her first husband. Give me a friggin' break!  Oh, there I go again, gettin' uppity and expecting equal treatment under the law. Where do I think I am, America or someplace?

Another Hypocritical "Family Values" Politician Finds He Is His Own Worst Enemy

One of the truisms of public life is that the louder and more self-righteous a politician gets about someone else's "morality", the greater the chance that the finger-pointer is just doing what the psychology types call projection.

The latest example?  Nevada Senator (and until today, potential 2012 presidential candidate) John Ensign, who today admitted that he had an extra-marital affair with one of his campaign staffers--a woman whose husband was also an Ensign staffer. So in addition to being an adulterer, he's also stupid as hell. Screwing around with an employee who's also married to another employee is just askin' for trouble. (And it appears he got that trouble...Politico is reporting that Ensign started the affair while separated from his wife. When he and the wife reconciled, Ensign broke off the affair. Then the other woman's husband is alleged to have asked the Senator for a boatload of money to keep quiet.)

So what about the projection thing? Here are a few of the statements Senator "Family Values" Ensign has made over the past few years.

“I believe that marriage should be defined as that between one man and one woman. You want to do what is ideal for children and all of the studies show that the ideal for children is to be in a household with a father and a mother.” [4/19/09]

“Mr. President, I rise today to speak on a topic that is very important. That is the preservation of the most important structure in our society.” [7/13/04]

"There's too many people that paint with a broad brush that we're all corrupt, we're all amoral. … And having these kinds of things happen, whether it's a Republican or Democratic senator — we certainly have had plenty of Democratic scandals in the past — we need people who are in office who will hold themselves to a little higher standard." [10/18/07] 

Sen. John Ensign (R-Adulteryville)

It Was Either This or Cornrows

Just got my hair cut Saturday. I really should start checking the back before I pay that guy.

                                            

Call the EPA! Does Something in the White House Drinking Water Make President Lie?

Wow, it sure was nice getting a Democrat in the White House, right?  Maybe nice for lots of people, but not so much for gays. On the same month that Barack Obama releases a proclamation commemorating LGBT Pride Month, his Department of Justice compares the desire of loving couples of the same sex to get married as akin to incest and pederasty. 

While the haters react predictably against the proclamation, they are railing against a meaningless gesture. It's what Obama hasn't done for gays that should make the haters happy.  On an issue that's actually relevant to the lives of LGBT Americans, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (which Obama opposed when he was a candidate) is now a law that his DOJ is defending. And not just defending, but doing so with the most offensive language imaginable.

So when did Barack Obama decide to let a diehard Mormon Bush appointee speak for him on an aspect of marriage equality?  Candidate Obama (you know, the one who promised to do away with Don't Ask Don't Tell and who has gone on record as being "unequivocally" for gay marriage before realizing, conveniently after the election, that maybe he's not)...anyway, Candidate Obama had my respect and support. President Obama is putting his reputation at stake. Maybe he really *is* trying to 'Sistah Souljah' the gays.

                     

Who Would Jesus Shoot?

During the same week that the Tennessee General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to override Governor Phil Bredesen's veto of a law which allows guns in bars, in neighboring Kentucky, there's an even more inexplicable event coming up--Bring Your Gun to Church Day.

If you find yourself in Louisville on June 27th, don't miss the Open Carry Celebration at the New Bethel Church. Here's their sign:

 

Bring some canned food, have a picnic, and maybe win a free handgun!  Woohoo, Buddy, sign me up!

Happy Fist Bump/"Terrorist Fist Jab" Day!

                 

It was June 3, 2008 when Michelle and Barack Obama exchanged what one Fox News Mannequin called "a terrorist fist jab."  Meanwhile, normal people thought it was a great moment that showed true camaraderie and genuine affection between the now-First Couple. Whatever. It's just hard to believe it's been a year.

                         

Olbermann Tires of Waiting for Hannity to Keep His Word

Keith Olbermann is donating $10,000 to the group Veterans of Valor as a result of a rightwing talk radio host allowing himself to be waterboarded--only to jump off the table after seven seconds.

Chicago talkshow host Erich "Mancow" Muller of WLS-AM 890 said he'd expected to last at least 30 seconds. Moments after he called off the waterboarding, Mancow admitted that, sorry to say, waterboarding is indeed torture, no way around it.

Since Sean Hannity is pretending he never agreed to be waterboarded for charity, thereby denying a worthy group some of Olbermann's money, the Countdown host decided to pay in honor of Mancow's seeing the light. Nobody's gonna make any money betting that Hannity will ever go through with his pledge.

Uncharacteristic Silence from Lying Coward Sean Hannity

It's now been more than a month since Keith Olbermann offered Foxnews mannequin Sean Hannity a thousand dollars for every second Hannity could withstand waterboarding--all for a good cause, of course.

It was Hannity who first volunteered to be waterboarded, saying he'd do it for charity, and his boast led to some intense interest, like the site waterboardseanhannityforcharity.com.  Sadly, no word yet from big brave Sean about when he'll put his lying behind on the table. Olbermann made a pretty safe bet.

                                                               

Harry Reid May Have Been a Boxer, but He's No Fighter

The Democrats control the White House, the House, and the Senate. What does that mean?  Jack squat, at least as long as US Senator Harry Reid (Tool-NV) is Majority Leader of the Senate. Reid, speaking as if he had George McConnell's forearm stuck up his backside, provided a disjointed and incomprehensible reason why we can't "release" Guantanamo prisoners into America.

When an uncharacteristically cogent reporter asked what that meant exactly, Reid turned into Abe Simpson and lapsed into a tall tale about the war. No, I'm sorry, it was no where near as coherent as that. Reid seems to be under the misguided impression (one fostered by Republicans) that should Guantanamo be closed down, its prisoners would be armed and parachuted into innocent communities across the Homeland where they would terrorize good decent Americans.

I understand Reid was a pretty good boxer in his youth. I'd prefer Barbara Boxer--hell, I'd take a rescued boxer from a puppy mill if it could remember that Dems are in the majority and don't have to capitulate to the frothing right wing fear-mongerers all the damned time. Especially when Obama was elected in large part to shut down the facility where torture was sanctioned. It appears to be among the few campaign promises he's tried to keep, and the clueless Senate Majority Leader goes and mucks it up. No wonder Reid is so lowly regarded among the people who know him best--Nevadans.

                                

NYT Columnist Maureen Dowd Plagiarizes TPM's Josh Marshall

If you think that all the relevant, salient insights are coming from the blogosphere as opposed to the traditional mainstream media, here's some more confirmation.

New York Times columnist/gossip-girl Maureen Dowd stole a significant piece of her latest column from a blog post Josh Marshall wrote on Talking Points Memo last week.

She's apologized, of course, now that everybody knows about it and she has no choice in the matter. 

                                                     

Here's some more on Dowd from Politico's Michael Calderone who emailed her about it.

Whizzing In the Pool: A Summertime Tradition

                                                   

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and that means summer will be on top of us before we know it.  Are you one of those people who lives to hang out at the pool all season?  If so, you might want to dip yourself in Clorox before having a dip. Turns out one in five people admit to peeing in the pool. Is that all? 

The CDC encourages people not to swallow pool water, and they unnecessarily add 'Don't swim if you have diarrhea.'

Oh yeah, and please don't pee in the friggin' pool!

Obama Is Getting On My Damn Nerves

I am an Obama supporter, but that doesn't mean I agree with everything he does or says. I'm a realist, so I don't expect that would happen even under the best of circumstances. What I do expect, though, is that he will keep his campaign promises. Something about an open, transparent government that actually shows it respects the rule of law? Ring a bell? 

But today the Obama administration decided to break Obama's promise by siding with the Bush administration in trying to keep damning torture photos from coming to light. This is a great idea, you see, because hiding the truth is how we do things here in good ole Amerka, right?  After all, as a more insightful thinker than I has said, it's not like witnessing a crime in progress can actually shed light on the crime itself, right?  <where's my 'dripping with sarcasm' key?>

So, Mr. President, what happened to transparency?  Why did you break your promise for openness, accountability, and rule of law--by insisting that photographs of torture done in my name stay secret?  

How can our national security be safer by hiding these photos when doing so simply shows the world that we don't hold ourselves to account for international lawbreaking? I voted for a Constitutional law professor for president. Whatever happened to that guy?  It's like he's changing before my eyes.

                                  

Arlen Specter's Clueless Arrogance Is Going to Cost Him His Senate Seat

*UPDATED BELOW*

US Senator Arlen Specter, Democrat-turned-Republican-turned Democrat, is having a political meltdown--and he doesn't seem to be all that cognizant of it. There are some who say he's just old or out-of-touch, but I think the real problem is that he's so insulated from reality (and has been for so long) that he truly believes the PA Senate seat he holds actually belongs to him. 

After switching from the GOP to the Democratic party, Specter went on Meet the Press to say he never promised to be a loyal Democrat, an about face from what he allegedly told President Obama. After his switch, he voted against the president's budget and pledged to continue his opposition to EFCA despite the strength of labor unions in Pennsylvania. (Though it appears he's wavering on that...maybe his political survival instincts are kicking back in after all.) 

And in the latest bit of dumbassery, he says Republican Norm Coleman--who by any reasonable measurement lost the MN Senate election to Al Franken--should be seated in the Senate.

                                

               The new Benedict Specter portrait...ready-made for Republicans and Democrats alike.

It didn't take too long for Specter to back away from his remarks. Said he 'misspoke'. He wants MORE Dems in the Senate, it turns out.  Apparently, he forgot which side he's on.

And when it's that easy to forget a thing like that, it's understandable why critics see him as an unprincipled, selfish opportunist. It was his stupid remarks about the Coleman/Franken race that convinced his fellow Dems to take away his seniority, at least for the rest of this Congress. That means that the 29-year senator is now among the least powerful Democrats on the Hill. 

Here's to Specter's arrogance and big mouth keeping him from winning the PA Senate Dem primary.

*UPDATE* In a brief interview today with CNN's Dana Bash, Specter seemed stunned by having his seniority taken away.

Dear Cokie Roberts, Retire Already

Thank God for this piece from Jack Shafer in Slate about useless glassy-eyed DC Village Idiot Cokie Roberts. After working with Sam Donaldson to kill "This Week" after David Brinkley left the show, she still guests there as one of the Comment Blatherers at the end of each program. In addition to that, she also 'analyzes' the news each Monday morning for NPR.  I'm relieved to learn I'm not the only one who finds her commentary stupid.

If Roberts' vacuous segments seem phoned-in, it's probably because they are. She does them from her home. In 2000, she told the New York Times that her "dog barking during a show" presented the "biggest problem" doing the early-a.m. spot, adding that her pup's NPR airtime had made him "something of a cult figure."

If only the dog barked a little more—the segment might have more going for it. I can think of no comparably sized media space that's as void of original insight and information as Roberts'. Her segments, though billed as "analysis" by NPR, do little but speed-graze the headlines and add a few grace notes. If you're vaguely conversant with current events, you're already cruising at Roberts' velocity.  

                                                  

I generally like NPR, but when Cokie comes on, that's my cue to channel surf.

 

"Mission Accomplished"

It's been six years--May 1, 2003--since an empty flightsuit swooped onto an aircraft carrier to declare "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.  Whatever happened to that guy?