Wednesday, March 31, 2010

sick

Catholic League: Church Abuse Scandal Is A Crisis Of ‘Homosexuality,’ Not ‘Pedophilia’
(Think Progress)
---
No, preying on children is pedophilia, no matter how you try to disguise it.

well, of course not

Bush Official Dan Bartlett Admits Authorizing Offshore Oil Drilling Will Be Unlikely To Win Over Any GOP Votes
(Think Progress)
---
Obama can't possibly be naive enough to think that it would, can he? Seriously, he can't still be thinking that he is going to get any kind of bi-partisanship on anything he does, can he? I mean, obviously, he is a smart man - he can't be this gullible, right? Right? Please tell me that he's not!

guess this proves something

a major "WTF?"

doing what bush did is not going to win elections!

HHS Contracts With PR Firm Responsible For ‘Propaganda’ Videos During The Bush Administration
(Think Progress)
---
We want a change from bush and his anti-American policies, not a continuation of them! That's why we voted for the Dem instead of the Repug!

Again, tell me why anyone thinks this administration is even slightly left-of-center?

and how does anyone think this man is "liberal"

Obama clears way for oil drilling off US coasts
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I think that in most countries he'd be considered right-of-center, if anything.
At most, he is centrist - he sure isn't a left-wing liberal by any stretch of the imagination!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

once again, showing how out of touch he is in regards to our military

at least they are being consistent in their extremism

Tea party leaders say they would ‘absolutely’ abolish Social Security.
(Think Progress)
---
I have to laud them for their consistency (as opposed to many of the Tea Partiers' hypocrisy) in their rhetoric, but good luck getting this nation to support something this extreme.

of course, it's only ok when a repug does it

RomneyCare ‘Sort Of Similar’ To ObamaCare, But Only Obama Will Acknowledge It

In an interview with President Obama today, NBC’s Matt Lauer wondered how the historic health care reform legislation that Obama signed last week “could be good for the American public in general when it didn’t receive one single Republican vote.” Obama responded by noting “that the Republican party made a calculated decision, a political decision, that they would not support whatever we did.” He then added that the bill “incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas” and is similar to what Mitt Romney did in Massachusetts:

OBAMA: And I think that’s unfortunate because when you actually look at the bill itself, it incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas. I mean a lot of commentators have said this is sort of similar to the bill that Mitt Romney, the Republican governor and now presidential candidate, passed in Massachusetts. A lot of the ideas in terms of the exchange, just being able to pool and improve the purchasing power of individuals in the insurance market. That originated from the Heritage Foundation and…

Noting the “middle of the road, centrist approach” of the reform legislation, Obama said that he was “frustrated that Republicans” who “had an opportunity to help shape this bill declined that opportunity.” “The overall architecture of it was actually something that was right down the middle,” said Obama.

(Think Progress)
---
I'm glad that Obama is stressing that this reform was very centrist and middle of the road and far from extreme. Hell, it didn't even include highly popular programs like the public option, so it isn't exactly radical.

not even trying to have a serious argument

Beck guest host Doc Thompson: Tanning salon tax makes health care reform a ‘racist law.’
(Think Progress)
---
Obviously, this is a (stupid and offensive) joke, but how can we even have a serious debate when this is the level that the opposition stoops to?

But, of course, they don't have any serious arguments so all they can do is spout nonsensical hyperbole.

it really is embarrasing how backwards our country is compared to other industrialized nations

Sarkozy lauds the U.S.: ‘Welcome to the club of states who don’t turn their back on the sick and the poor.’

Yesterday, as a part of a two-day trip to the United States, French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke to students and faculty at Columbia University. At one point in the speech, the French President lauded the United States for passing a health care bill that extends coverage to millions of uninsured, welcoming our nation to “the club of states who don’t turn their back on the sick and poor”:

“Welcome to the club of states who don’t turn their back on the sick and the poor,” Sarkozy said, referring to the US health care overhaul signed by President Barack Obama last week.

From the European perspective, he said, “when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it’s difficult to believe”. [...]

Then to hearty applause, he added: “If you come to France and something happens to you, you won’t be asked for your credit card before you’re rushed to the hospital.”

Sarkozy also explained during his speech that it was “astonishing” to the French that a “violent debate” erupted in America over the notion that “the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them.” Sarkozy is a member of the conservative UMP party in France and is considered to be well right-of-center in the European country. His reaction to the health bill stands in stark contrast to leading conservatives in the United States, who claimed that it would damage the country more than 9/11 and constitute a great assault on freedom.

(Think Progress)

because it's different if you're a repug

passing the buck

Health insurance CEOs conspire to blame Democrats for increasing premiums.
(Think Progress)
---
Typical - blame the people who are helping instead of the people who are causing the problem.

Franken confronting conservative lies about his lies

Al Franken Takes On Jason Mattera (VIDEO): 'You Have To Shut Up Right Now'
(Huffington Post)
---
I'm kind of amazed that Mattera has posted this video as if it was a good thing for him. Mattera just comes off as a stupid, uninformed ass, while Franken just gets frustrated because he can't get two words out without being interrupted, but still manages to point out that Mattera was lying.

Is this really the best that they can do as an argument against health care reform?

headline of the day!

stating the obvious

because schools don't care or they side with the bullys

Bullying expert: Mass. school didn't use advice

BOSTON – An anti-bullying consultant says school officials in western Massachusetts didn't follow all the advice she gave them months before a harassed freshman girl committed suicide.

Barbara Coloroso told CBS' "The Early Show" on Tuesday that schools need procedures to protect victims and punish perpetrators, and programs to prevent further problems. She says South Hadley schools "had policies, but the procedures need to be toughened up."

Coloroso said she consulted with parents and administrators months before 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself in January. Authorities say she endured months of verbal assaults and threats, mostly in school and in person, although some of the bullying occurred on Facebook and in other electronic forms.

"This is a wake-up call, and I think it will happen," Coloroso said.

Nine fellow students face charges in connection with her death, including two teen boys charged with statutory rape and a clique of girls charged with stalking, criminal harassment and violating Phoebe's civil rights. School officials won't be charged, even though authorities say they knew about the bullying.

School officials have not returned messages left by The Associated Press.

Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who announced the charges Monday, said the events that occurred between September and Phoebe's death Jan. 14 were "the culmination of a nearly three-month campaign of verbally assaultive behavior and threats of physical harm."

Scheibel said the case is still under investigation and that one other person could be charged. It's unknown whether the teens who have been charged have attorneys.

Schiebel refused to discuss the circumstances of the rape charges.

No school officials are being charged because they had "a lack of understanding of harassment associated with teen dating relationships," and the school's code of conduct was interpreted and enforced in an "inconsistent" way, Scheibel said.

"Nevertheless, the actions — or inactions — of some adults at the school are troublesome," she said.


---
Some things never change...Schools will really look into bullying until it's too late - if even then. They just don't care and usually side with the bullys, because they think the "outcasts" who are picked on deserve it for being different.

Some day we'll evolve into caring people, instead of the cro magnons that most people still are...

finally!

Obama signs health care reconciliation bill
---
Yes, it is flawed, but at least we finally made a baby step towards reform. Hopefully, our leaders will build on this and some day we'll be as fair and evolved in our treatment of our fellow countrymen as other civilized countries.

more violent, anti-government, right-wing nut cases

Feds: Militia plotted for anti-government revolt

WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Members of a rural Michigan-based Christian militia who believed a battle with the Antichrist was coming were plotting to attack police officers in hopes of fomenting a violent uprising against the government, federal prosecutors alleged.

Seven men and one woman believed to be part of the group called Hutaree were arrested over the weekend after raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The ninth suspect was arrested Monday night after a search in southern Michigan and was expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

FBI agents moved quickly against Hutaree because its members were planning an attack sometime in April, prosecutors said. Members had been undergoing paramilitary training, including learning how to shoot guns and make bombs, since 2008, according to an indictment. Authorities seized guns in the raids but would not say whether they found explosives.


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Boy, who could have predicted anything like this? Oh yeah! The Dept. of Homeland Security report from last year that the right-wingers denounced so effectively!

It sure seems like this country has far more to fear from home-grown terrorists than from any outside groups these days. These nuts aren't simply opposed to the governments policies, as most of us were during the bush years, but want to actually murder the people who are implementing the policies - policies which, for a change, are actually good for the people and the country.

F'k'ing sick looney-tunes....

And here's yet another one!
White Supremacist Plotting To Kill Obama Pleads Guilty

(Huffington Post)

Monday, March 29, 2010

this is something that I can "get behind"

Stop The Sag: Lawmaker Uses Video, Billboards In Campaign To End Saggy Pants
(Huffington Post)
---
I do think that there is a direct correlation between the fad of baggy pants and the increase in violence in young people. They're just pissed that they look so bad!

a slight difference

I've been trying to post today's strip and blogger won't let me do this for some reason, so you'll have to take my word for it, but...

After seeing this Doonesbury strip this morning (3-29-10) and this post at First Draft showing CSN&Y doing their song "Ohio", I realized that there is a major difference between today's "Tea-Baggers" and the hippies/yippies/what-have-you from the 60's and early 70's - today the government is not murdering the protesters in the streets. And, of course, I'm not talking about the mythical "pull-the-plug-on-grandma" nonsense, but actual armed military shooting down peaceful protesters in cold blood.

These days the threats of violence are all from the crazed right-wing nut-case protesters, not from the government, who seems to have learned their lessons. The armed, violent crazies are the tea-baggers, not the security.

freeloading off fo the government so they can protest the government

Tea Party organizers are out of work
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Do they not understand the irony or just not care?

nice going

if this comes as a surprise to anyone, I have a bridge I'll like to sell ya

strange argument

consistency is not their strong point

incredibly blatant lies

because Dems would work with repugs, though the opposite is obviously not true today

jeez - maybe a little over the top?

Rep. Nunes calls Hill aides ‘staff thugs,’ compares Pelosi to Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabe.
(Think Progress)
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Y'know, it is hard to take anyone seriously when their rhetoric is this far over the top. But, of course, the repugs don't want to actually have a discussion, they just want to insult and smear.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

even tho they don't have the power to repeal and have given no ideas at all for a replacement

is he finally learning?

Obama announces 15 recess appointments, scolds GOP
---
I hope that he is finally realizing that the repugs are not going to cooperate with anything so he needs to start not even considering them any more, instead of bending over backwards for them only to have them spit in his face every time.

Friday, March 26, 2010

does she really think this is something to be proud of?

typical repug - victims are responsible for actions taken against them

other bizarre conspiracy theory debunked (though I'm sure it won't go away)

consistency (as well as sanity) is not their strong point

another violent repug - where will it stop?

Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee.
(Think Progress)
---
Of course, during the bush years, unlike now, many of us had good reason to be violently enraged, but no one did anything like the repugs are doing now. And, the repugs are mad because the Dems are trying to help people - including the ones who are upset.

Makes no sense whatsoever, but crazies rarely do, I suppose...

no kidding!

GOP congressman: Palin’s ‘reload’ map with crosshairs targeted at House Democrats is ‘inappropriate.’
(Think PRogress)
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He was reluctant to do so, but at least he admitted it - with a lot of prodding.

Brown picked the wrong person to scapegoat

Thursday, March 25, 2010

a good first step, but it just needs to be repealed

this is hilarious

Scott Brown On Rachel Maddow: 'Bring Her On'
(Huffington Post)
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Saw this on her show last night. Brown has imagined that Maddow wants to take his seat - which she very clearly has said that she has no interest in - and is challenging this fantasy of Maddow that he has concocted in his mind.

Of course, repugs rarely live in the real world with the rest of us...

once again, the repugs show that they do not support the military at all

repugs admitting that they are full of shit

Bachmann a lying hypocrite? What a surprise!

repugs continue their health care lies

more right-wing violence and threats

Tea Party Blogger Hints That Pelosi’s Life Is In Danger, Warns Of ‘A Thousand Little Waco’s’
(Think Progress)
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I sure hope that the FBI has these psychopaths under surveillance.

gawd forbid he pisses off any of her fans

McCain refuses to condemn Palin’s ‘reload’ rhetoric.
(Think Progress)
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Wasn't his campaign slogan "Politics First"?

typical of Fox

from Harry Reid - reconciliaton bill passed!

On Tuesday, President Obama signed health insurance reform into law. And just a little while ago, the Senate made good on its promise to fix and finish reform by passing the reconciliation bill 56-43.

In the end, over 37,000 people added their voices to mine in support of getting this done. Reform would not have been possible without so many amazing Nevadans, and Americans, calling for change.

This was a long, tough road - but it was the right path for America. You can read about how health insurance reform will impact you by clicking here, and I encourage you to go there today and read about the many important aspects of reform that are now the law of the land.

Thank you, once again, for all your support throughout this long process. The only way this was going to happen was by sticking together. There truly is no more powerful force in politics than dedicated Americans working together for change.


---

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

well, I should hope so!

FBI investigating threats to Democrats
---
I hope that the FBI prosecutes these domestic terrorists to the fullest extent possible! Their lunacy and violence is pretty damned terrifying - these are truly insane people who are pissed off because of blatant lies that they are dumb enough to fall for. Violent and stupid is a bad combination...

another positive move

House passes bill to fund infrastructure, tax cuts

WASHINGTON – Local governments would receive billions of dollars for construction projects and welfare programs under a bill passed Wednesday in the House, the latest in a series of election-year jobs bills Democrats are pushing in Congress.

The bill combines $13.2 billion in interest subsidies for local construction bonds with $3.6 billion in tax cuts for small businesses and $2.5 billion in aide to states to pay for expanded welfare programs through September 2011.

The House passed the measure 246-178, with nearly all Republicans opposed. It now goes to the Senate.

The Democrats aim to pass a series of modest measures to address unemployment as congressional elections approach in November. With unemployment hovering near 10 percent, jobs and the economy are sure to be big issues in elections.

Last week, President Barack Obama signed a bill that offers tax breaks to companies that hire unemployed workers. On Wednesday, the House also passed a bill that would provide $5.1 billion to fund local disaster relief projects, including some that date back to Hurricane Katrina, and $600 million for summer jobs programs. The bill passed 239-175.

Democrats said the economy is starting to rebound, but with high unemployment persisting, they will continue to work on the issue.


---

good news!

the obstructionist repugs using every trick in the book to stop any work from being done

and even more vicious, violent, sick repugs

hardly surprising - and I bet he doesn't care

needs to be done, but not holding my breath

Latino Group Pushes Petition To End Tea Party Hate-Spewing
(Huffington Post)
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These nutz are the repugs' base - they aren't going to risk antagonizing the only people who are still on their side.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

hahahahaha

McCain: Don't expect GOP cooperation on legislation for the rest of this year
(The Hill)
---
"The rest of this year"? They have cooperated on a gawddam thing since Obama won! How will anyone tell the difference?

WTF? How about we just stay out of it?

bigotry compounded upon bigotry

more looney-tune rhetoric based on lies

reacting with violence, as usual

more insane reactions to health care reform

Right Wing Reacts With Rage: Health Care Will ‘Do More Damage Than 9/11,’ ‘Freedom Has Been Assaulted’
(Think Progress)
---
I have yet to hear any of these bizarre conspiracy theories explained....

good luck with that!

it's too bad that no one was fighting bush's actual un-constitutional behavior

13 attorneys general sue over health care overhaul
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These people are completely insane and have no basis in reality, but wouldn't it have been nice if we had had people fighting all of bush's (actual) unconstitutional actions and policies instead of just rolling over for him?

I mean, these claims are absurd, but what if people took legal action against the Patriot Act, which was blatantly unconstitutional, or against other illegal activities, like warrantless wire-tapping? Bush was obviously breaking the law and we know that for a fact, but instead of legal action or impeachment, he was cheered on.

Sick what passes for politics these days...

new poll shows that repugs are crazy and easily duped

Scary New GOP Poll

NEW YORK – On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say "he may be the Antichrist."

To anyone who thinks the end of the health-care vote means a return to civility, wake up.

Obama Derangement Syndrome—pathological hatred of the president posing as patriotism—has infected the Republican Party.


---

you would have thought they had done this by now, but better late than never

Monday, March 22, 2010

to repugs, increased racism shows that racism is dead

kinda funny in a sick, sad way

not like everyone doesn't already know this

Fox ‘News’ cheerleads for Tea Party protesters.
(Think Progress)
---
Fox has been the biggest sponsors of these silly "tea parties" since they were first conceived. Their hatred for Obama knows no bounds and they will do anything to undermine him and the good he is trying to do for our country.

Of course, they can't admit how wrong they were throughout the bush years, so they have to attack any attempts to repair the damage that bush did to us.

yeah, somehow I don't think that removing benefits is going to go over big once people have them

ever-increasing right-wing violence and lunacy

Tea Party sign threatens gun violence if health care passes.
---
Tea Party protesters reportedly spit on one lawmaker, call others ‘faggot’ and the n-word.
---
GOP lawmaker shrieks ‘baby killer’ at pro-life Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak.
(Think Progress)
---
And these are the people who think they are speaking for the majority of Americans? Do they really not understand how insane and extreme they sound and act?

and repugs want you to believe this will be bad for you

Ten immediate benefits of HCR

Here are ten benefits which come online within six months of the President's signature on the health care bill:

1) Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday

2) Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions

3) No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage

4) Free preventative care for all

5) Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.

6) Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.

7) The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.

8) Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.

9) Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.

10) AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can't lose your insurance because you get sick.


(Crooks and Liars)
---
FAR from perfect, but obviously an improvement to the status quo. Hopefully, this will continue to be worked on over the coming years until it is a bill to be proud of.

This will be the biggest selling point for the Dems this election year. Only the crazies, who would not vote for them anyway, will be mad about any of this items.

Friday, March 19, 2010

sure, that makes sense

too bad none of these people in Congress listened to those of us who said this 7 years ago

the repugs have lost their racist minds

Rep. Paul Broun: The ramifications of health reform will be like ‘the Great War of Yankee Aggression.’

As the vote on health care approaches, Republican lawmakers are attacking the legislation with increasingly bizarre and hateful comments. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), a far right lawmaker who has led much of the opposition to health reform, took to the floor of the House of Representatives last night to deliver a diatribe against health reform. Previously, Broun had compared President Obama to a dictator who would impose martial law. But last night, Broun out-performed his reactionary colleagues and even his own track record of absurdity. Bellowing into the microphone, Broun said that “if ObamaCare passes,” a “free insurance card” (which is not in the bill) will be “as worthless as a Confederate dollar after the “Great War of Yankee Aggression“:

BROUN: If ObamaCare passes, that free insurance card that’s in people’s pockets is gonna be as worthless as a Confederate dollar after the War Between The States — the Great War of Yankee Aggression.


(Think Progress)
---
Just when you think they couldn't get any wackier with their rhetoric, they come up with something this bizarre...

freakin' insane

Sen. Lindsey Graham and Glenn Beck Agree: Health Reform Is Like A Japanese Bombing Attack
(Think Progress)
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Trying to keep people healthy is like bombing them? Hmmm....

WTF?

because this is the repug policy, they think that everyone else does it, too

I sincerely hope that no one in the WH was surprised by this rudeness from Fox

oooh...scary....

‘Holder-in-Chief’ Coburn issues far-fetched threat against Democrats who switch votes in favor of health reform.
During a GOP press conference today, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) issued a far-fetched threat against those Democrats who are considering switching their votes to support health reform. “If you voted no and you vote yes and you lose your election and you think any nomination to a federal position isn’t going to be held in the Senate, I’ve got news for you, it’s going to be held,” Coburn said. Calling Coburn the “holder-in-chief,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) said, “I look forward to those holds.”
---
To be clear, Coburn — who has placed holds on everything from veterans benefits bills to sanctions against a mass-murdering African militia — is targeting the small number of Democrats who switch their votes, and then are subsequently defeated, and later nominated by President Obama for a Senate-confirmed federal appointment. In other words, Coburn’s threat pertains to a highly improbable event. “There is no limit to what the other side will do to protect the insurance companies,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

(Think Progress)

talk about a no-brainer

County OKs plans for solar power plant near Primm
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Yes! Let's harness the Nevada sun! How has this not been done out here decades ago? This is one of the sunniest places in the country - seems pretty obvious to me...

I would hope that she had many, many regrets

repugs continuing to be repugnant

Thursday, March 18, 2010

psychopaths

Rep. Steve King and Glenn Beck agree: Voting for health reform on Sunday is ‘an affront to God.’
(Think Progress)
---
1 - I think that Jesus was for caring for the sick
2 - They do realize that not everyone is christian, don't they?
3 - As TP points out, the repugs passed a bill to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo on a Sunday - something that was far more unpopular and controversial than trying to help the American people to stay healthy.

Bachmann continuing to show how insane she is

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

SOP for repugs

conservatives causing a rise in HIV infections

As conservatism rises, HIV infections are too, U.N. official says

NEW YORK – New HIV infections are increasing among homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes who don't seek help because of laws that criminalize these practices, the head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday.

Michel Sidibe, the head of UNAIDS, said "it is unacceptable" that 85 countries still have laws criminalizing same sex relations among adults, including seven that impose the death penalty for homosexual practices.

He called a proposed Ugandan law that would impose the death penalty for some gays "very unfortunate" and expressed hope it will never be approved.

At a time when UNAIDS is scaling up its program and seeking universal access to HIV treatment, Sidibe said he was "very scared" because bad laws are being introduced by countries making it impossible for these at risk groups to have access to services.

"You have also a growing conservatism which is making me very scared," Sidibe added.

"We must insist that the rights of the minorities are upheld. If we don't do that ... I think the epidemic will grow again," he warned. "We cannot accept the tyranny of the majority."

Sidibe told a group of journalists at a luncheon hosted by the United Nations Foundation that in countries from China to Kenya and Malawi, about 33 percent of new HIV infections are in men having sex with men, a significant increase.

By contrast, he said that in the Caribbean where most countries don't have repressive laws, only between 3 and 6 percent of HIV infections are in male homosexuals.


---

isn't this the best way to deal with nutcases?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

the Conservative News Network at it again

more utterly bizarre extremist rhetoric

Holding up the health care bill, Rep. Gohmert shouts, ‘I brought an abortion to show you today.’
(Think Progress)
---
He also goes on about "demons"...Is this man sane?

c'mon - does he do this on purpose?

Rove: Obama ‘let a cowboy president…violate a fundamental principle of the Constitution.’
(Think Progress)
---
He can't possibly be that self-unaware, can he?

completely crazy

she can't actually be an elected official and be this ignorant, can she?

good

except in all the ways that it does

bigotry and harassment at work

wow - christians acting like christians!

not exactly a good argument against health care reform

I always thought that jogging was bad for you

everyone agrees, but for some reason Obama won't act on this

this is news?

Republicans assail Democrats on approach to health bill
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File under: "so, what else is new?"

Saturday, March 13, 2010

much sympathy to Keith Olbermann

Friday, March 12, 2010

not even trying to tie his thoughts together any more

Glenn Beck Knows That The Maoists In The WH Are Getting Secret Messages From That Communist Woody Guthrie. Huh?
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Very odd that Beck condemns "This Land is Your Land" while complaining about some plot of the government to "take over" lands. Of course, Beck is babbling about some crazed conspiracy theory of his that has no basis in reality (designating land as national monuments apparently to him means taking land away from the American public), but - if I can grasp some semblance of logic in this rant - he is actually, sort of, trying to say the same thing that Woodie Guthrie did - that this country should be for its people, not for a select few.

But, who knows what he was really trying to say - I doubt that even he knows...

funny that they don't explain how this is constitutional, since it clearly is not

because lies are all they have...

I don't see how the ACLU could not win a case this obvious

tying themselves into knots in order to justify their smears

Thiessen’s Inconsistency Undermines Claim That Detainee Lawyers Can’t Be Compared To John Adams
(Think Progress)
---
From what I've seen, Thiessen is a complete ass who only wants to smear lawyers who are upholding the laws of the land - which I know that conservatives no longer believe in.

Pretty damn despicable...

I didn't realize that bigotry was now a family value

C'mon - they don't really believe this nutcase at Fox, do they?

chaos in Pakistan

this is good - but why hasn't he been doing this for the last year?

wow - the media actually pointing out Limbaugh's hypocrisy

Why Rush Limbaugh would go to Costa Rica if Obama's healthcare plan
passes

San José, Costa Rica – Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.

That might sound like an unusual choice, since this is a country with one of the longest standing socialized healthcare systems on the planet. Everyone here (including resident foreigner), are required to pay into the government-run health system, whether they use it or not.

But Limbaugh’s choice may also serve to advertise what many Americans traveling here for medical treatment already know: Costa Rica is a fabulous place for medical tourism.

Life expectancy in this little Central American country surpasses that of the United States and at one point, back in the early 2000s when the World Health Organization rated countries’ general health, Costa Rica ranked higher (No. 36) than its northern neighbor (No. 37), despite spending 87 percent less on health care per capita.

Some who've studied Costa Rican health care consider it better overall, and attribute that to the fact that free coverage extends to 86.8 percent of the population.

But the Cadillac-style private hospitals at Chevy Aveo prices are what really draw 25,000 Americans to Costa Rica every year.

“People travel to Costa Rica (and) receive the same quality of medical services for a fraction of the cost,” said Jorge Cortés, president of the Council for International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine and medical director of Hospital Biblica, one of three internationally-accredited private hospitals in Costa Rica. “When people see they can get the same surgery for three or four times less, they decide to get medical care abroad.”


---
I guess that we should thank Limbaugh for pointing out that a country that actually has socialized medicine has better medical services than America does.

Of course, the crazies who are against the public option won't understand this, but maybe some sane people who jsut haven't understood what has been debated might finally realize that this could be a great thing for this country.

Of course, the Dems are too wimpy to capitalize on this free publicity for the public option and we won't get it, but one can dream...

Thursday, March 11, 2010

jeez, I sure hope not!

best wishes to the Reid family

Reid's Wife, Daughter Hospitalized After Car Accident

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife and daughter were being treated in a hospital Thursday for serious injuries they sustained when their
vehicle was rear-ended by a truck, a spokesman said.

Reid's wife, Landra, 69, broke her back and neck in the accident, Reid spokesman Jim Manley said.

She and the couple's adult daughter, Lana, were being treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital in suburban Virginia. Neither woman's injuries appeared to be life-threatening, Manley said.

"While driving on a Washington, D.C., highway, their vehicle was rear-ended by a semi-truck," Manley said in a statement.

"Mrs. Reid has a broken nose, broken back and broken neck. Lana has a neck injury and facial lacerations. Both Mrs. Reid and Lana are conscious, can feel their extremities, and according to doctors their injuries are non-life threatening," Manley said. "Sen. Reid has been to the hospital and appreciates the support he and his family are receiving from Nevadans and his colleagues in the Senate."

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(Huffington Post)

more advertisers deserting Beck

the Conservative News Network at it again

lying repu hypocrite - in other ways, a standard republican these days

another reason why the repugs don't want this to pass

Senate Health Bill Would Cut Deficit By $118 Billion Over Decade
(Huffington Post)
---
Because the repugs care far more about politics than the health of this country or its inhabitants, so they would destroy this bill because it would be good for the Dems.

school cancels prom rather than allowing one lesbian couple

Miss. school prom off after lesbian's date request
---
Well, sure - that seems reasonable! Jeez! What the hell is the big deal - let the couple go to prom and that's that.
It's amazing the lengths that people will go to in order to maintain their bigotry.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

the "reality" they created in their own minds

going back on his word - and now endorsing public health systems!

and New Zealand apparently has its share of silly people, too

New Zealander auctions "ghosts" in a bottle

WELLINGTON (Reuters Life!) – A New Zealand woman sold two vials that she said contained the ghosts of an old man and a young girl for almost NZ$2,000 ($1,410) after a fiercely contested online auction, local media reported.

Avie Woodbury from Christchurch told TVNZ that she captured the spirits after an exorcism session of her house and for which she paid roughly $100.

Woodbury then put the ghosts into holy water and stored them in separate vials before deciding to auction them.

The web page for the sale attracted more than 200,000 views before the auction ended on Monday after a week. Woodbury said all proceeds from the auction, minus the exorcist's fee, would be donated to an animal charity.

"I would get things like the jug boiling itself, touching on the back of my neck, voices from other rooms, and items going missing then turning up in weird places," she said.

"I just want to get rid of them as they scare me. But someone might like these to play with," she said.

Woodbury said she felt a better vibe in her house after the exorcism. "Whether it is psychological or not but I definitely felt a new vibe in the house," she told TVNZ.

The winning bidder was an electronic cigarette company, which local newspapers said was now asking for ideas on what to do with the vials.


---

most Americans are rather silly

no longer even pretending to operate in the real world

more standard repug hypocrisy

not much of a surprise

Public scorn for Congress sharpens, support for Obama holds
---
Neither is very surprising - Obama is still charismatic and likable, even though he has failed to do most of what he promised in his campaign. Congress just sucks all around right now - the Dems are wimps who capitulate to every repug whim, while the repugs sole strategy is to block everything the Dems want to do, no matter how watered-down.

I've gotten pretty sick of the whole thing, myself...

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

repugs win again

Senate Drops Funding For Summer Jobs Program And Enhanced Subsidies For Poor Families With Children
(Huffington Post)
---
And the Dems continue to go down a path guaranteeing that they never get elected ever again...

Iraqis are really trying to change their lives

62 percent: Turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, “higher than in last year’s provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 39.”

(Think Progress)
---
I have to say that this is mighty impressive and shows that the Iraqis are truly trying to make some positive changes for themselves.

Hah! We should be so lucky

Limbaugh vows to flee the country if health care passes.
(Think Progress)
---
Yes, I'm certain that he would really do this. It's not as if his platinum insurance policy would change in any way, shape or form no matter what passes. And, it's not as if we are getting any real reform with whatever passes, anyway...

a blow to bigotry in DC

that's not exactly the point, though, is it?

Vatican: sex abuse not just a church problem
---
I don't think that anyone has ever said that no one outside of the church has ever been involved in sexual abuse. That's doesn't excuse the church from taking part in it and covering it up, though!

more restrictions on abortion

A policy change on abortion, but how radical?
---
So, instead of just having insurance cover abortions and if you don't want one or need one you just don't get one, they are asking people to get special insurance and pay extra for "abortion coverage". As if this is something that you anticipate and plan for! No one wants, expects or plans for an abortion - it is something that is needed if something goes wrong, not if things work the way you want them to!

Will this country ever start moving forward instead of backwards?

moving in the right direction

Monday, March 08, 2010

and I'm sure that they do not understand the sick irony of this

can the Dems really be this spineless (no, I don't really want to know the answer)

common sense Dem

Democratic congresswoman proposes pay cut for members of Congress.
(Think Progress)
---
If we had more member of Congress like this one, they would be a lot more popular.

getting wackier and wackier all the time

Sarah Palin: God Wrote Notes On His Hand, Too
(Huffington Post)
And, in the same article, a quote from the National Post newspaper outlining her hypocrisy:
She complained about the "establishment," this woman who once ran to be second-in-command of the largest establishment in the world; she mocked the press, speaking as a correspondent to America's biggest news network; she chastised critics who dwelt on her children's lives, after introducing to the audience her daughter, Piper, who spent the duration of the speech fidgeting near the stage. And the politician who championed the average working man and woman spent an hour before her appearance locked away in a private VIP reception posing for photos with guests who had paid hundreds of dollars for the privilege; after her speech, she was hustled by handlers out a back door. If these were contradictions, they were forgiven readily. As is surely the case with so many of her audiences, Ms. Palin's unpretentiousness and charm, and her deeply held conservatism, counted far more.

---
I guess perception really is reality to many people...

but, of course, she doesn't want anyone else to have this kind fo access

Palin Crossed Border For Canadian Health Care
(Huffington Post)
---
Why is it that the harshest critics of anything - be it national health care, abortion, gay rights, etc - are usually the ones who have had access to this themselves, but don't want anyone else to?

I am still naive enough to be startled by the amount of blatant hypocrites in the world...

more twisted bigotry

Florida Lawmaker Attempts To Deny Tax Credit To Movies Filmed With Gay Characters
(Think Progress)
---
Loons are continuing to try to have everyone depict a world that never existed outside of their own minds - and to penalize anyone who doesn't think the same way that they do.

Bizarre bigotry...

I laughed out loud

the world is angry at our stupidity

heartless cretin

Sunday, March 07, 2010

but good news for America regarding Iraq

Romney becomes another serial liar repug

Romney refuses to say if his health care plan for Massachusetts is Constitutional

disgusting bigotry

while lying about the Obama administration, Perino calls the bush administration a "repressive regime"

Forgetting The Bush Record, Perino Criticizes Obama Administration For ‘Creating’ Their Own News
(Think Progress)
---
The hypocrisy coming from the bush administration continues to astound me. We know for a fact that they did indeed create their own video news stories and feed them to the media, as well as paying reporters to pitch their policies.

Of course, Obama has done nothing of the sort, so Perino lies about Obama while ignoring her own role in the real scandal in the bush administration.

They really have no shame at all...

continuing to set back education

Top home-school texts dismiss Darwin, evolution
---
Wow - this is an actual statement in a science textbook! -
The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its "History of Life" chapter that a "Christian worldview ... is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is."
---
How backwards is our country becoming?

continued chaos in Iraq while striving for progress

Friday, March 05, 2010

is there anything that he has not flip-flopped on?

and even more violent right-wing crazies

Christian Hate Group ‘Repent Amarillo’ Terrorizes Texas Town, Harassing Gays, Liberals, And Other ‘Sinners’
(Think Progress)
---
I certainly hope that the local police crack down on these loonies before they seriously hurt someone - because that is sure to be next.

another violent anti-government loonie

Angry anti-gov't writing linked to Pentagon gunman
---
And in a silly part to the story:
Officer says God shielded him from Pentagon gunman

I guess god didn't do a very good job as he still got shot! I think being missed at point blank would have been more of a miracle!

More from Crooks and Liars:
'Lone wolf' anti-government extremist opens fire at the Pentagon. But let's not call it terrorism.
---
Still more from Think Progress:
Pentagon Shooter Was Right-Wing, Anti-Government Terrorist
---

Obama is really trying to piss off his followers

WH considering military trials for 9/11 suspects
---
Obama is really going way too far bending over backwards to try to please the conservative repugs who will never be happy with anything he ever does.
He really should just do the right thing and let history judge him, rather than the repugs. If he would actually do the things that he promised to do in his campaign he would be one of the most popular presidents in history.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

too funny

not like this is news in any way

Leaked documents reveal GOP plan to use scare tactics to raise money
---
I guess the only reason this is a story is because someone found black and white documentation of their strategy. It's not as if everyone - including the repugs - don't know this is their only strategy these days.

insanely out of touch

Mitt Romney Calls Emergency Rooms "Entirely Free Care"
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Could he possibly believe this? Can anyone really be this mind-bogglingly ignorant?

typical repug hypocrite

Michele Bachmann votes to promote the census after leading smear campaign against it
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Her constituents must be very confused...

even though no other bill has ever required this?

Barrasso: Health Care Bill Should Require 70 or 80 Votes to Pass
(Crooks and Liars)
---
What makes this so super-duper special that repugs think that they can demand a ridiculously high majority that nothing before has ever required?

Just how insane are these freaks?

yet ANOTHER gay repug hypocrite

Roy Ashburn ARRESTED: Anti-Gay State Sen. Got DUI After Leaving Gay Nightclub, Sources Say
(Huffington Post)
---
Are there any anti-gay repugs who are NOT gay themselves?
How self-loathing can you get?

with "friends" like these, who needs enemies - a Dem anti-choice nut

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

she IS trying to be a comedian

why would anyone think that this was a good idea?

Rep. Patrick McHenry proposes replacing Grant with Reagan on the $50 bill.
(Think Progress)
---
Has any currency ever carried the likeness of a politician this recent and this controversial (and roundly hated throughout the world)?

A bizarre and somewhat crazy idea...

admitting the obvious

he's a hypocrite - what a surprise!

offensive and ridiculous

Outrageous revisionism: Breitbart's Big Government compares ACORN to Ku Klux Klan
(Crooks and Liars)
---
So now, some crazies are trying to say that ACORN, who helps minorities to vote, is the same as the Klan, who murdered minorities so that they couldn't vote!

Do they actually think that anyone would believe this idiocy or are they just trying to be outrageous?

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

the crazies are out in force

because lies are all they have

wha?!?!?!

Limbaugh compares Pelosi to a terrorist for saying passing health care is more important than re-election.
(Think Progress)
---
Gawd, he's a psychotic who will say anything to be as outrageous as possible.

seriously? BUSH is considered "pro-life"?!

Rick Perry to Bush: ‘There is no way to tell how many lives were protected by your fearless pro-life efforts.’
(Think Progress)
---
Sickly ironic considering how many (living, breathing, human) people died because of his policies.
I wonder how many women's lives were destroyed by his anti-choice policies...

another IRS attack?

because there is no answer

Alan Colmes asks: 'What freedoms are being taken away?' Fox's Megyn Kelly doesn't answer.
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Excellent question which has no answer because no freedoms have been compromised in any way, shape or form.
But that won't stop the repugs from saying so!

heartless

Sen. Kyl: Unemployment Benefits A 'Job Disencentive'
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Yeah, the millions of unemployed have no jobs just because they are living the high life on unemployment benefits!
How out of touch are these repugs? Or are they simply heartless scumbags? Or both?

Monday, March 01, 2010

Fox again lying for the repugs

funny that it hasn't "ended the Senate" when it was used repeatedly before now