Saturday, July 17, 2010

What Birthers Believe

I've kind of tried to shut off much of the news today just for a mental break, but had this sent to me from a Facebook friend. Since I was actually laughing out loud as I watched it, I felt compelled to share it. It's hilarious! You gotta love the witch doctor! Whoever put this video together did a fabulous job. Sadly, much of what they incorporated into this are things that are commonplace on many Tea Party signs. http://www.tlgmedia.com/

Friday, July 16, 2010

My Nomination for a 2010 Darwin Award

This guy is living, breathing proof that you can't fix stupid.  I don't care how drunk you are, anyone in their right mind would not climb over a fence and attempt to ride a 16 foot, 1800 pound crocodile! Michael Newman, 36, said on Wednesday he just wanted to pat the massive reptile, known as Fatso, to know what its skin felt like. It's reported that the man scaled a fence and climbed into the crocodile enclosure in Broome, Australia at Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park after being ejected from the pub next door for being drunk.

"I thought to myself, `Well, I will jump the fence and go from behind its tail and pat it and sit on its back'... And within like one split second before I even slightly touched its back, it already had me by my leg ... ,''
Sgt Roger Haynes said, "He has gone to a reasonable effort to get in and he is extremely lucky. Not too many people escape from between the jaws of a five-metre (16 feet) crocodile…they are not renowned for letting people go...No person in their right mind would try to sit on a 5m crocodile."

The video below is a compilation of various reports about this lucky to be alive nitwit.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Capped? Matt Simmons says BP covering up MASSIVE HOLE miles away

We were told that BP finally choked off the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday — 85 days and up to 184 million gallons after the disaster began.  We were also told there would be a 48 hour watch to see whether the capped-off well would hold or blow a new leak.  Reports seemed to be finally moving in a positive direction.  I was feeling pretty good that the damn gusher was stopped and was hoping that we would soon be entering the clean up phase.  Then I came across this damning report.  If true, we're being duped into believing that oil is no longer gushing into the Gulf.  Unfortunately I can't find the entire interview video, but this certainly captures Matt Simmons outrage towards BP and what they're getting away with.

Monday, July 12, 2010

The GOP Says Deficits Don't Matter if Helping the Wealthy

Senate Republican Jon Kyl (R-AZ) says that Congress should extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans regardless of their impact on the deficit. Meanwhile, he and other Republicans are blocking unemployment insurance extensions over deficit concerns! We've been at this rodeo before. The unpaid for tax cuts for the rich at the expense of working people is the same backwards policy Republicans used to put the nation in this hole, and it's the same policy they promise to return to if put in a position of power again. As exasperating as the Democrats can be, we can not let Republicans back into power.

In an election year, you'd think the framing of this argument couldn't be more advantageous for Democrats.  However are Democrats going to act like Democrats always have and cut a deal in which getting unemployment benefits extended will come at the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts as well or will they finally show some backbone and say not this time?!

Rachel Maddow made several great points yesterday on Meet the Press while debating both former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ed Gillespie and former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (who seemed shocked she took on the other "Dem" at the table) when they sang the praises of tax cuts.
"When Republicans have had the reins, this is what they've done: two wars not paid for, prescription drug benefit not paid for, two tax cuts that mostly benefited the rich not paid for." They put all that stuff on the deficit, $1.3 trillion sitting there as--in a deficit when Obama took over, after the previous Democratic president had handed him a surplus. If you talk about--if Republicans want to run as this fiscally responsible party, it's neat, but it's novel. It's not how they've actually governed."
Several moments of back and forth with Gillespie and New York Times columnist David Brooks beating their chests on how conservative policies are awesome and drooling over new New Jersey, Governor Christie (R) and how he is taking on the government employee unions there. Funny how they didn't mention how Christie handed out $1 billion in tax cuts to families who earn more than $400,000, the richest two percent and cut that same amount from education spending ($800+M) and other social programs which help the middle class and the poor.  I wish Rachel had brought it up because David "Bushy" Gregory sure wouldn't.  Then she continued...
"I think that most Americans also, though, understand the basic arithmetic that when you're talking about pushing tax cuts that do mostly benefit the wealthy and you're simultaneously talking about getting tough on the deficit, you're talking about a world in which math doesn't work the way most people think it works. If you're going to talk about tax cuts--I mean, Harold, you, as a Democrat, proposed some very significant tax cuts when you were thinking about running for Senate in, in New York, a huge corporate tax cut, a big payroll tax holiday, and then said simultaneously, And we got to get serious about the deficit."
"Tax cuts hurt the deficit."

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The View From The Deck - Week Ending 7/11/10

Joe Hagan of New York Magazine describes the John McCain of 2010 as a frustrated, anxious and at times insecure man, engaged in a desperate struggle for his political existence. Really, this was worthy of an article? Most of us have watched his continuous meltdown since he lost the 2008 election.

Rand Paul said tea party activists have been mischaracterized as "right-wing lunatics." No, I'd say for the most part that's a perfect description.

Andrew Napolitano: "Bush and Cheney should have been indicted for torturing, for spying and arresting without warrants." I'm surprised the judge is going to be allowed on Fox after making the statements he did about Bush and Cheney during the interview with Ralph Nader on CSPAN2. Or will he lose his new gig for speaking the truth?

Pyscho Republican Senate candidate from Nevada, Sharron Angle stands by her abhorent position that that abortion should be outlawed universally, even in cases of rape and incest. She insisted that a young girl raped by her father should know that "two wrongs don't make a right. Much good can come from a horrific situation like that," Angle added. "Lemons can be made into lemonade." This is so infuriating my head wants to explode. If Harry Reid can't beat this lunatic, I so fear the thumpers and fundies that want this country ruled by theocracy. And I don't believe for one minute, if there is a God, that he'd want to force further punishment on a victim by making her carry the violaters' child to term. This woman and the people who think like her are sick...sick heartless monsters.

And I close on a lighter note: All right Jimmy Buffett! You pissed off Fox and Fiends and that's good enough for me!!! Rock on!!!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Results Are In: Reaganomics Won and America Lost



This graph really explains the redistribution of wealth...upwards!  For the anti-tax teabaggers who aren't smart enough to understand they will most likely never be in that top 1% or any interested intelligent person, let me provide a link to a little educational history on American tax rates. Taxes are at historic lows; and yet the middle class which runs the economy is disappearing.  The country hasn't been in worse shape since the depression. In the year that I was born, 1962, the top tax rate was 91%!  In fact during many of the most prosperous years in the US, when the middle class was flourishing, the top tax rates were very high.  Yet the low- to middle- income conservatives continue to vote against their own best interests.  They vote for politicians that will continue to push legislation that will continue to allow that gap to grow wider and wider just by speaking of God, guns and gays.  Thanks to the abundance of ignorance, the deficiency in education and plain lack of intellectual curiousity, our country really is on the road to oblivion.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Front Lines in Afghanistan

Rachel Maddow, on the ground in Afghanistan speaks with Chris Matthews about whether Afghan citizens are willing to fight for their country after the United States leaves.  I thought the questions and answers provided gave some basic insight that we never hear about.  The show Rachel did last night (another show will air live from Afghanistan tonight) got even deeper into the weeds, but this 10 minute synopsis was well done by both anchors.


Sunday, July 4, 2010

The View From The Deck - Week Ending 7/4/10

During the hearings for Elena Kagan's SCOTUS nomination, Lindsay Graham (SC-R) asked Elena Kagan where she was during the Christmas Day underpants bomber threat, her response was, "Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant". Good for her for having such a quick wit to such a stupid question. She also was continuously badgered by Jeff Sessions about military recruitment during her time as Dean of Harvard Law School. Keith Olbermann quite possibly had the funniest response saying, "How a hearing to decide if a Supreme Court nominee will be confirmed is turning into a hearing in which the Senator from Keebler elves tree self-destructs." Adding he "all but called Solicitor General Kagan a liar in her hearings, says he knows better than she did what happened at Harvard while she was at Harvard and he was still up in the tree baking the fudge-covered shortbread." Going into this, I wasn't a huge Kagan supporter, I'm still not really, but after listening to some of the asinine questions from Republican Senators I found myself rooting for her.

Rachel Maddow left for Afghanistan Friday where she will team with Richard Engel, NBC News Chief foreign correspondent. She will be broadcasting live from there Tuesday and Wednesday. Below, Rachel gets instructions on saving her life -- or someone else's -- in case they're hit by enemy fire. She better stay safe!

Final instructions from The Rachel Maddow Show on Vimeo.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

How Dummies Protect the Small People

Since I can't really get my focus away from the disaster in the Gulf and there's really only so much I can say that hasn't been said, I really appreciate the link that someone posted to this video on a Facebook page I frequent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!