Society: February 2009 Archives

I already knew I knew this but it sure is nice to have confirmation.

I figure a check of the folks busted by Chris Hansen are also card-carrying GOP members as well.

An honest observation on the disconnect between power and responsibility, crime and punishment, public trust and the failings of the rule of law.

Alan Keyes is running around saying Obama will destroy America so basically the military should stage a coup. Hell, read it for yourself if you don't believe me.

Meanwhile, the lunatic fringe is discussing all kinds of madness, up to - and including - civil war.

Maybe I wasn't too idiotic to have bought some extra ammo and stuck it in storage around the election after all.

This is the BS caused by so-called "moral" imbeciles.

You know, Christianity used to involve some form of forgiveness and charity. Too bad the "compassionate conservative" crowd are too busy looking to burn people at the stake to see that.

Mark Cuban provides more sobering proof that, yes, you can be duped by a scumbag and STILL come out better than someone trusting the capitalist system.

So I was on a food run the other night and caught the World Service version of this story.

It is frightening to know that we still have folks in this world who have to go through this kind of work just to get food on the table. I hope to hell that India gets it's own infrastructure stimulus going and start making it possible for folks to not have to do this kind of work under those conditions anymore.

Ah, if only most religious folks had both the courage and conviction of Indian Muslims, the world might be a better place.

Just a reminder: we've been here before as a nation and are still around to talk about it.

Seeing as my faith in so-called believers is currently in question, I find this to be lethal to our democracy. Can anyone really provide a serious argument as to why people of no faith would do WORSE of a job than the Talibangelicals we've had in charge of late?

Get serious.

THIS is what passes for social commentary at the New York Post. If you are missing the obvious post, these neocon asswads would like to shot Obama dead in the street. Oh yeah, Obama is apparently subhuman.

But hey, they aren't alone. Here's Asian Reporter Michelle Coulter-Malkin with a Palinite awhile back:

And we're supposed to take your Kluckers seriously? Forget it.

I had to go run some errands yesterday and ran into some repeated stories on the radio. Good stuff I never got around to linking before so here goes:

- Marketplace did a little blurb on how some companies are charging the same amount for products in reduced or deceptively shaped packaging. You know, because, as the GOP tells us repeatedly, corporations have our best interests at heart. HA!

- Fresh Air played a repeat of an interview with Michael Pollan, who has some interesting ideas on changing our food policy.

- also on Fresh Air, and possibly not a re-run, an interview with Stephen Waldman who discusses the lack of religious input into our Constitution. A decision made on purpose to separate Church and State.

Oliver Willis points out yet another reason more people of color reject the Republican party.

Um, maybe it's because they think they are the Confederacy? Which is really weird in a historic sense until you realize all the racist Southern Dems defected to the GOP in 1965 and apparently took it over.

"Kellogg's had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone. To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that's safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people."

- Rob Kampia, Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

There's some truth in the above statement. Pro-pot folks are pointing out the hypocrisy of how we treat alcohol abuse versus drug use of any kind.

You know, for a poll, this has some pretty good comparisons.

Turns out we weren't always fundamentalist anti-weed maggots. Some words from the Founding Fathers and others.

I'm not saying everyone should drop everything and get high. I'm just wondering why tens of thousands can die in drunk driving incidents while guys who get caught with a fifth of an ounce are doing the same amount of time in prison as those who committed manslaughter.

Good.

I knew if I waited long enough, someone would put my thoughts into words.

I don't give a rat's ass if some athlete/celebrity/whatever smokes weed. They aren't driving a school bus or operating heavy machinery. They aren't making anything I'm going to eat or wear and I'll likely never interact with them.

So Kellogg's decides to get all fundamentalist about this? Screw them. I probably won't go on a fanatical "never buy another thing from them" binge, but I'll take a few moments to look for alternatives so I don't give them as much money as I otherwise would.

More coverage here.

I found a list of Kellogg's items on Reddit. I figure you could just read a box here and there, but it might help.

Also, and this is just for fun, Subway has no issue with keeping Phelps as a spokesman. Yea sammiches!

There has to be some Fifth Columnists over at the New York Times.

Last week they wanted us to feel sorry for gold diggers who weren't getting presents anymore. Now we're supposed to lament bankers who come begging to the government and might be forced to have their salaries cut to half a million dollars. According to this article, $500,000 is not enough money to maintain their lifestyle.

One, fuck them. If they failed and have to take a handout, they should suck it up and get on with it. Humility should be an implied response to such a situation.

Two, I don't care how much it costs to live in New York City. If you don't like it, move.

Three, the WHOLE POINT of punishing those who FUCK UP is EXACTLY to get them to change their ways. So Muffy loses her tennis coach and Biff doesn't get a free Mercedes? GOOD! Maybe they'll learn to be better people. And half a million is still MANY times more than the average American family makes.

DailyKos takes a crack at this without resorting to frothing at the mouth, which is basically where I'm at.

And Where. The. Hell. is the argument that can rationally explain why *anybody* deserves a bonus after driving a company into the ground? Because I sure haven't heard it yet, despite all the blathering going on.

I'm not so sure when the dap became exclusively associated with Obama, but if Joyce isn't going to do anything that Obama does, I can suggest that she also stop peeing indoors, eating with utensils, taking regular showers and, well, breathing.

Some of these Rethugs are losing their damn minds. Read this article that evaluates the increasing, um, unhingedness?, of some neo-con scum.

As Day to Day comes to an end, they have put out some quality stories of late, including this one about the consequences of listening to Rethugs who think putting up walls is more productive than actually addressing issues like illegal immigration. Sure, they're splitting up families, but they aren't white families so who gives a shit. Right?

I'm calling this the Firehouse Dilemma.

I love Firehouse subs. But I absolutely loath the fact that they have FAUXNews on all the time. I had the same issue with a joint called Mi Casa over at the Silverton. That said, most of their issue was that they wouldn't change the propaganda station over to a proper baseball game.

Anyway, here is a decent read concerning confronting the owners of pro-FAUX establishments and kindly asking them to change the channel.

They certainly don't have to. I also certainly don't have to keep giving them my money, either.

I doubt Firehouse will change their channel. And Mi Casa doesn't do lunch most days now either.

With the GOP wanting our economy to fail to score political points, I can't see myself willingly giving money to a place that endorses this kind of action.

So I guess I'm gonna go without a Hook and Ladder sammich from now on.

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with the Air Force?

For years it has been some Talibangelical outpost among our military, and now Aire Force personnel are essentially pushing Hate Jesus and a not-so-veiled form of treason.

Can we PLEASE clear out these zealots and get our military back to a force that protects the American people instead of foments rebellion?

I'm confused

How can 2,000,000 blacks get into Washington, DC in 1 day in sub zero temps when 200,000 couldn't get out of New Orleans in 85 degree temps with four days notice?

THAT is what passes for GOP humor these days. And not just any kind of Rethuglican, the Florida kind. Yeah, hateful AND dumb.

The bitch who sent said email is completely unapologetic and blames whoever outed his bigotry as some kind of traitor.

Meanwhile, the 90% of the GOP pissed that the RNC head is a black man are possibly looking to create a splinter party. Sure, you have to consider the source as it is David Duke, but I really do love that he can say that 90% of the GOP are bigoted racists. I mean, I honestly don't think it is above 60% on a bad day, but if he says it is so, then IT MUST BE TRUE!

Meanwhile, GOP Texas Rep. Pete Sessions wants to emulate the Taliban in order to stop Barack Obama. So...you want to kill women who want to read and create a violent insurgency against our elected government, in the hopes of creating a theocracy in our land? Well, I've been saying it all along, but no we have confirmation from the party.

The Republican Party: Ninety percent racist and ready to start a religious civil war. They are saying it themselves.

This is what passes for "justice" in the state of Texas. Racist, lying bullshit. I heard this story pulling in to work this morning and it sickened me.

I guarantee you I know what political party those officials belong to. And so do you.

Land of the free?

Not so much.

Granted, this happened in Texas, but it could happen anywhere else I imagine.

For all their bleating about freedom, the conservatives sure do a very selective job of allowing it. You know, when they aren't rigging ballots, torturing people, and cramming religious dogma down people's throats.

Wait a minute? What possible connection to freedom and democracy DO these people have?

In any case, this stinks of the problems this country continues to have in letting people be free to be in a consensual, loving relationship. Meanwhile, of course, the GOP is more interested in letting old men marry a dozen teenage girls than in letting two same sex adults be together in public.

Figures.