Keating 5

Important video about the making of a financial crisis, specifically deregulation and how much power corporations have over politicians like John McCrazy.

Enjoy, and please pass it along.

Daytime at the Convention

Sorry kids- its like the Superbowl or the Olympics- but it actually matters.

I don't think the MSM is covering Daytime events/ speakers at the Convention. Some of the best speeches have taken place with no coverage! Dont get me wrong...Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Kennedy certainly hit it out of the park- their speeches will go down in Democratic history. Still, here are some other favorites of mine.

Wake Up America! Representative Kucinich

Failed Bush Policies Governor Ted Strickland

Hey did Bill Richardson get bumped? WTF?

Faux News at the DNC

Oh, delightful justice.

Liberals aren't going to take shit slinging, lying right wing tools seriously. And yeah, we are a little contemptuous. Look at the economy, the war, our educational system and our general quality of life. Its down the shitter, and Faux news et al are directly responsible. So dont be surprised when we return some of those strong arm tactics.



FUCK FOX NEWS! Invoking your free speech rights at that moment was misplaced. Hope he gets his ass kicked.

There is always a down side I suppose- Denver anticipated protesters. Subversive ideas=time spent by innocent people in manufactured cells. God damn those plastic cuffs are teh fucking suck. Ya know, Im sure there was a time in this Country when we could peacefully assemble with fear of incarceration as our Constitution guarantees. There may have even been a time when people detained by the law didn't need the ACLU to intervene and ensure toilets, water and basic needs were met. Im positive there was a time when networks like FOX couldn't masquerade as a legitimate news network when in fact they are a propaganda factory for the fascist right.

Today is not that day. But at least I can laugh at "FUCK FOX NEWS" being aired live for thousands of ill informed Fox fans.

John McCain is stupid

My brother is a dumb jerk. He postulates that Senator McCain (henceforth known as John McCrazy or Grampy McPain) is not dumb- contrarily- he is quite intelligent. After all, having made his way up the ranks from a lowly POW to Senator of the great state of Arizona, he must be sharp.
If anyone was paying attention- Grampy's campaign would be over due to the fatuous and ignorant comments this guy makes on a weekly basis. Look it up- its AT LEAST a gaffe a week this guy. This week, it was two gaffes in a day.

For my brothers benefit, I'll make a quick list of my favorites. Whilst you peruse- try picturing a Democratic candidate floundering around witlessly in the same manner.

Story Telling = Plagiarism Also, from this week (that makes three if your counting. McPain tells a moving story about his internment in the Hanoi Hilton to a crowd of supporters. Turns out, the story was most likely lifted from Nobel prize winning novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. An excerpt from Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago" matches Grampy's sob story to the letter- minus the different bad guys.

Sunni? Shia? You all look the same to me now get off my lawn! He confuses Somalia with Sudan, and Afghanistan with Iraq. Yipes!

Confusing Time lines The surge is working so well it sparked the Anbar awakening! Too bad the surge occurred after the Anbar awakening.

Grab a map- and please point out the Iraqi- Pakistan border. Take your time.

Czechoslovakia You cant act like you know SHIT about foreign policy and refer to countries that ceased to exist 20 years ago. You just cant.


Top of the graduating class? Try 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. 894th out of 899 students. He even jokes about it. Only the best and the brightest for the good old US of A! After all, old Bushie was a C Student in college.

This is just a few. I could write pages on McPains confusion. Its not even flip flopping- its as though he seriously cannot recall statements he has made. Maybe its Alzheimer's?

Incidentally, The other M just forwarded me this youtube link detailing several of Grampy McSame's cognitive slips and blunders. Take a gander, and please forward the video to as you see fit.



Last item for my bro- the media covers Barack more often. HOWEVER!!! He receives more bad press i.e Obamas on air evaluations are negative 72% of the time. Take a moment to read the study conducted by the non-partisan Center For Media And Public Affairs.

Yes, brother, I am older and wiser. And prettier. Please take this PWN and STFU next time.

Drunk History

I love Current TV. I saw this pod today and thought I would share its barfy goodness with you.



Premise- Get drunk- I mean really inebriated- and narrate historical events while your friends record it. When the puking is through, re-enact event with rented costumes and comrades like Jack Black.

Note- they have a channel on youtube that contains all of their videos. I highly suggest you crack open a bottle of plum wine (my curent addiction) and watch them all.

Chocolate covered frustration

My ass is big. Why? My main coping mechanism is food- specifically, chocolate. John McCain opens his trap, I turn to nestle. Another poll reflecting the presidential race is tie- its off to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Polar Bears? Time for Betty Crocker.

House Republicans are douche bags. I know we should elevate the conversation, but those jerks are directly responsible for my consumption of 2 chocolate bars and an ice cream sandwich. Watching their little 'sit-in' on the adjourned house floor today started the binge. What a debauchery- they have had control- nay a filibuster proof majority for at least a decade and now all of the sudden there is an urgent need to ease Americas oil woes? I had to throw in some cinnamon bears and chocolate covered raisins when the news reported that yet again- Americans have caved to the culture of fear and now resoundingly support offshore drilling. Incidentally, they support offshore drilling, even though most believe it wont lower gas prices.

Someone suggested that I should not underestimate the intelligence of the American populace. My response? LOLZ where is my chocolate fudge brownie Ben and Jerry's? We are referring to a population of people who voted for someone they could have a beer with and ADDED BONUS we don't have to next door to married homos and we can continue to infringe on Woman's reproductive rights (by writ of the great wizard in the sky.. you filthy heathen). Fear numbs the mind. Perhaps we have been numb so long we cant see reality anymore.

Between mouth fulls, I made phone calls to anyone and everyone who would listen. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Baca were obviously not in, but I left them messages urging them to remind their Republican counterparts that Exxon Mobil reported record profits yet again, while decreasing production (even though demand is increasing). I reminded Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer that pursuing green sources of energy will provide new American jobs and energy independence- in half the time (10 years) it would take to save a few pennies on domestic oil production (20 years). Hey Governator! It would actually take 10 years to even begin more drilling domestically.

For more fun energy crisis facts, please see my previous rant.

As my hips continue to expand, I wonder why I didn't choose the blue pill.

Talk Radio VS Main Stream Media

AKA Shit I WOULDN'T know if I weren't a dork that listened to talk radio.

The main stream media has taken apart Barack Obamas Life. We have heard about his early childhood education in a madrassa
, his childhood in general, previous experimentation with drugs and alcohol, past business alliances, and even his wife's educational background, specifically her thesis. In fact, Michelle's thesis dominated the headlines for several days- prompting Captain Oxycontin Limbaugh to choke on his housekeepers stash while on air in his home studio. I kid. He has yet to choke on his own vomit. Unfortunately.

The main stream media has outright neglected the McCains. I had no idea Cindy McCain was a beer heiress until Stephanie Miller and her mooks made cutting remarks her fortune. I didn't even know the values voters great hope had been married previously. Not only is he a divorcee, but the war hero abandoned his ailing wife for someone 18 years younger than him. Mr. marriage-is-so-sacred-gays-cant-do-it began cohabiting with Cindy long before his first marriage was dissolved, applying for a marriage license before the divorce was granted. John and Cindy McCain were married less than a month after the ink was dry on the marriage dissolution.

While CNN was reeling about the news that Mrs. Obama had made grammatical errors on her masters thesis, no one dared mention Cindy McCains addiction to painkillers. Not only was she a pill popping junkie- SHE WAS STEALING PILLS FROM HER OWN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. I guess republicanism and addiction are par for the course.. how else would they sleep at night? Mr. And Mrs Obama answered questions about how they obtained their family residence from a shady Chicago real estate man while Cindy McCain still refuses to make her tax returns public. Surprisingly- I found a piece on the Wall Street Journal about how Mr. McCain will profit from the acquisition of Anheuser by InBev. Funny I didn't hear about that little tid bit during the extensive coverage of the buy out on MSNBC, the msm is hard pressed to connect the McCains to the wealthy beer producer on any occasion.

Moral of the story- cable news has its place. However, it is imperative to draw on every available resource for information these days. Our media has failed us.

Poultry

I'm not a chick. There is no fowl in my genetic lineage that I am aware of.

In fact, I have nothing in common with a chicken. Chickens are lower animals with very small brains. I am no farmer, but I believe the word chick is a reference to a baby chicken.

Please do not call me a chick. Do not reference any of my female friends or colleagues with the word chick. We are WOMEN, not barnyard infantilized creatures.

Thank you.

Coming to terms with FISA reform

People usually have to come to terms with death and disappointment. I have philosophical meltdowns about CSPAN.

To preface- I'm in love with Barack Obama. He sweeps me off my bitter, cynical feet and has done so ever since I read The Audacity of Hope. He has the power to make me feel optimistic and hopeful.. which doesn't typically happen to me without ingesting synthetic substances. He has done things that disappoint me, like you know- attending church. But nobody is perfect and there has yet to be a candidate that matches up perfectly with my crazy left wing tree hugging ideals.

Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed HR6304 which included criminal immunity for telecom companies who illegally wire-tapped American citizens in the wake of September 11th. Its being heralded as a bi-partisan compromise- lauded by our venerable Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She expressed a sense of urgency- and although she have "preferred" an earlier bill (one that DID NOT) include immunity- the new bill was apparently the best our democratic majority could muster.

I was infuriated. My very own representative, Mr. Joe Baca, voted for the bill. Damn it I called the guy at least 3 times last week! the thought of our 4th amendment right to privacy has been pissed on over and over again... we as American people have a right to know exactly what crimes were committed by the white house and they must be held accountable!

The next step of course is for the Senate to rubber stamp the bill and send it off to King Bush and viola! the pillaging is complete. To my greatest disappointment, senator Obama has voiced his support for what can only be described as a democratic capitulation to FEAR. Once, I was livid. And heart broken. It seemed my philosophical love affair with Mr. Obama was coming to an end.

I get it. Senators like Obama are afraid of appearing weak on terror. Who wouldn't in this era of 30 second CNN soundbites about fist-pumps by candidates wives and yet another he said, he said religious test squabble. Issues? Nobody talks about issues- we cant touch the growing plutocracy, the carpet bombing of congressional election funds by telcos the day BEFORE and AFTER voting on the bill took place, or anything substantive for that matter. Obama, Pelosi, and other compromising dems claim that the new bill will put some structure into place. Since the old FISA expired the white house has no regulation on spying whatsoever, even via secret court. Besides, people can still pursue civil litigation.

It doesn't speak to accountability. We are allowing this to happen. I cant not NOT vote for Obama come November, there is simply too much at stake. The senate vote has been delayed until next month due to mavericks like Chris Dodd and Patrick Leahy. In the meantime, there is outrage building and action is being taken.

Sign the ALCU petition

What you can do- courtesy of alternet

My constitutional rights

To my surprise, I still have a few.

Apparently, there are certain amendments that the American government DARE not tamper with. The first of which is my right to own a gun. A split Supreme ruled that the District of Columbia's ban on guns violated the second amendment. Gun enthusiasts all over the country are hoisting their confederate flags and breaking open the bud ice in celebration! Their main contention is, of course, you can't mess with the constitution. I wonder- where were those gun enthusiasts when the Congress elected give immunity to telco companies who violated their 4th amendment rights? Do you think they will put down their semi-automatic rifles to phone their senators and urge them to vote against yet another FISA capitulation?

Secondly, the supreme court ruled that child rape does not warrant the death penalty. More importantly, the death penalty cannot be used in non-capital offenses. Rape should be a capital offense. Another topic for another day.

Did anyone else notice that on the same day the court ruled on the highly emotional child rape case they also decided to let Exxon Mobil off the hook? My my, how the profit margin doth swell! In any case, I noticed, because IM PAYING ATTENTION.

One way ticket to Holland please.

To drill or not to drill...

Of course not. A resounding NO even.

The repugs talking points are business as usual. Lets go through a few and see if we inject a little reality into the mix.

Lifting bans on offshore drilling will boost our supply- Neo-Con Linky Strike one repugs! Drilling more in America and we see a decrease of about a penny per gallon in 20 YEARS! Link 1 Link2 Link3 Link4

The Chinese are already drilling off of Florida's coast, so we should join in the action! FALSE. And whats worse, they all know its false. I watched the subcommittee on CSPAN this week when house democrats showed pictures of the alleged patch of ocean- its just a patch of ocean. There is nothing there but saltwater.

Drilling at home will spur the "Arabians" to produce more oil! Liberals cry HORSE SHIT! Saudis have already agreed to produce 200,000 more barrels a day to meet increasing demand for the next 30 years. Iranian sanctions certainly wont help. Neither will Israeli nukes on Iranian soil, but that's another post for another day.

Fact- Oil prices are high due to "speculation". Predictions about violence by our allies in the middle east. It has nothing to do with domestic production.

Fact- Our oil sucks anyway. The good stuff is in the middle east. It simply isn't worth devastating pristine Terra firma and displacing/killing endangered species to get to.

Fact- Oil companies have barrels of the stuff 'capped' (1, 2) right here in the good old U S of A. They drilled, and rigged, and then let it sit.

Fact- A republican controlled congress could have lifted the bans AT ANY TIME during their 6 years as a majority. They had a filibuster proof majority, and yet they did nothing.

Instead of crying about high gas prices, we need to be pushing for energy independence. Its within our grasp. We can tackle global warming and rid ourselves of the oil conglomerates that are presently running our lives via campaign contributions to prominent members of the party.

We will see how this unfolds. Are Americans willing to destroy their home and ultimately drive this country into the ground so they can have their 1.80 a gallon gas prices back? Is an endangered species worth your SUV? I wont even touch how we could grow our local economy with green energy jobs.

Gotta love run on sentences and the plethora of linky goodness.

Zeitgeist

One of the most important movies I've seen in awhile.

There are three parts, the first is most imperative if you would like to understand the origins of organized religion and the new consciousness. Apparently, parallels between modern Christendom and mythical figures like Gilgamesh and Horus are NOT common knowledge. They should be.

The last two parts highlight the 9/11 conspiracy theories and globalization. These should certainly not be new. If they are, please read more books.


http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm

Freedom Isn't Free

I was faced with this slogan today on a young mans t-shirt. Its an army recruitment shirt I suppose, with a lovely if not diluted, fear tactic emblazoned on the back. The slogan is a powerful one- bringing to mind men on a blood soaked battle field risking life and limb for liberty and justice. Except... thats not what its really all about is it? We don't fight for freedom with guns and bombs anymore- we fight with words and legislation.

FISA. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The executive and legislative branches of our government have been battling over our constitutional rights in regards to FISA for several weeks now. Battle lines have been drawn- the executive branch maintains that government MUST have unfettered access to citizens communication (your phone calls, emails, etc) in order to prevent terrorism. Further, The King threatens to veto any legislation that does not include retroactive immunity for telecom companies (AT&T, Verizon and Sprint) who cooperated with big brother sans warrant to spy on American citizens. Theres one small* problem, the Constitution of the United States forbids agencies to spy on Americans without probable cause (See Fourth Amendment). This is, in fact, why the FISA courts were created, so that government agencies with valid evidence could quickly obtain warrants in pursuit of justice.

Most FISA warrants can be obtained in less that 10 minutes. Most FISA warrants are granted, with approvals in the 90 percent range. The King and cronies in Congress claim that the telco's acted in good faith and have broken no laws. They are patriots! Esteemed members of the party who do not consider that silly piece of paper more important than security.

They want us to choose between Freedom and Safety. The party wants us to believe that if we don't abandon our principles, our children will not be safe. We will not be safe. There will be bigger and more devastating attacks on American soil. Its a false choice- a hypothetical that doesn't exist. There is no dichotomous relationship between privacy and liberty. To imply otherwise is to employ the fear tactics we have subjected to for the past 7 years. Its working. Both houses have already passed bills that include conglomerate immunity for trespasses against the constitution.

I've been emailing, calling and writing letters to pertinent individuals in the House and Senate for weeks now. It only takes a moment to make a phone call. House representatives will discuss the matter of telco immunity today March 14.

We dont need guns to fight for our freedom, we just need a voice. Call your represntative and leave them a message letting them know you DONT support telco immunity, and these people should be held responsible for violating the constitution.

Its really that simple. Find your rep here http://www.house.gov/

Carried Away

It happens to the best of us. I cant help but be filled with rage and a sense of powerlessness sometimes. A moment of clarity as it were, came upon me today, the 35th birthday of my (tentative) legal right to make my own reproductive decisions. Blanket statements are typically prejudiced and fallacious, albeit cognitively convenient. Every single person on this planet with testicles doesn't hate women. Hugo Schwyzer seems to empathize and raise up the feminist movements. After reading several of his blog entries Ive deduced he has a firm grasp on reality- he understands the patriarchal rape culture, his role and privilege in it and how to address these issues. Men Can Stop Rape is another brilliant organization founded and run by members of the patriarchy that works in the community to raise awareness and address their role in the degradation of women. Women and men must work together and tackle the inequalities that we all suffer from in a gender biased society.

In any event, here we are, 35 years later, and my right to a safe abortion still up for debate. Legislation passes dangerously close to law that restricts our rights, and people came out is droves today in support of the "Anti Abortion" movement. Oh the horror- most of these people are women. Not only do we have to fight the sex hierarchy, we have to fight each other.

Imagine if those people protested the war instead of rallying together to oppress themselves. Epiphany.