Tuesday, May 22, 2007

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NBC's "Today" attacks Limbaugh's parody of Barack Negro song

Al Gore Interview With Dianne Sawyer

Bye Melinda Doolittle! Gray is the New Black! TOP 3 RECAP

What to Watch May 21 - 27 - TV Squad

What to Watch May 21 - 27 - TV Squad:

"Here are AOL Television's top picks for the week."

Best Week Ever » Blog Archive » Watch Stephen Colbert Not Playing Stephen Colbert

Best Week Ever » Blog Archive » Watch Stephen Colbert Not Playing Stephen Colbert:

"Ever wonder how Stephen Colbert preps guests before they have to endure
one of the more surreal interviews of their lives? Check out this
behind-the-scenes video from John Kerry’s appearance on The Colbert Report.
Colbert visits the dressing room to say hi and prep the senator for their chat.
Colbert’s first warning: “You know when I’m in character that I’m an idiot.”
Cutting right to the chase, he is. This video isn’t funny, which is why it’s
kinda interesting. You get a look at what Stephen Colbert is like when he’s not
blustering about as Stephen Colbert. "

Daily Kos: Food Insecurity

Daily Kos: Food Insecurity:

"Mr. Kulongoski, who said he had not tried to skirt a strict limit of $21 for
the week — the average amount allowed Oregon food stamp recipients — claimed
that his only goal had been to raise awareness of hunger here and of a need for
the federal government to preserve the current level of stamp benefits....
By the end of the week, not only had Mr. Kulongoski’s relatively spare entry
on Wikipedia been updated to reflect the developments, there was also a sense
that the 5-foot-9, 155-pound governor had set a high standard for other elected
leaders who profess to care about the needy. In Washington, the House Hunger
Caucus asked members of Congress to undertake a similar challenge in May. "


From my experience people use food stamps to buy candy bars so they can spend their money on beer. I don't mean to say that is true for 100% of the people on food stamps, but a lot of them. If well spent $21 can go a long way, I don't think it is meant to be the only source of income for food.

Crooks and Liars » Bush Wants Full Control Of Government During Catastrophic Attack

Crooks and Liars » Bush Wants Full Control Of Government During Catastrophic Attack:

"With scarcely a mention in the mainstream media, President Bush has ordered up
a plan for responding to a catastrophic attack.
Under that plan, he entrusts
himself with leading the entire federal government, not just the Executive
Branch. And he gives himself the responsibility “for ensuring constitutional
government.”
He laid this all out in a document entitled “National Security
Presidential Directive/NSPD 51” and “Homeland Security Presidential
Directive/HSPD-20.”
Other than a discussion on Daily Kos led off by a
posting by Leo Fender, and a pro-forma notice in a couple of mainstream
newspapers, this document has gone unremarked upon.
The subject of the
document is entitled “National Continuity Policy.”"


President Bush really trusts himself to save America, and to save the world - but I don't.

Crooks and Liars » Reconsidering Ashcroft — or not

Crooks and Liars » Reconsidering Ashcroft — or not:

"Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised his “fidelity to the rule of
law.” The Wonkette Web site posted the headline: “Ashcroft Takes Heroic Stand.”
Under a similar headline, “John Ashcroft, American Hero,” Andrew Sullivan
expressed astonishment on his Atlantic magazine blog that “John Ashcroft was way
too moderate for these people. John Ashcroft.” […]
“He was a voice for
moderation on a wide range of issues that he never got credit for because he did
it the right way, behind the scenes,” said another former official who asked not
to be named. “On many, many issues the administration has gotten itself in
trouble on, if they had listened to his advice, they would have been better
off.”"


Is it really breaking news that people are more complex than the black and white pictures that are common in the media?

American Thinker: Immigration, National Security and Federalism

American Thinker: Immigration, National Security and Federalism:

"The failings of the executive branch in the past decades to perform its
basic tasks under the Constitution stands in stark contrast in the public mind
to the increasingly productive and consumer-friendly models in the private
sector. Contrast Amazon.com's remarkable ability to track customers'
preferences, to take one example, to the inability of the FBI to devise a
computer model that met the agency's needs despite the countless millions spent
on this necessary upgrade.

Let's put a moratorium on all new federal
legislation of sweeping import until Congress does its most important job: a
systematic review of all existing programs in all of the federal government,
determining which are significant, truly federal functions that should be
retained, and which programs should be scrapped as a waste of time and money, or
beyond the federal government's responsibilities. "


Well Said.

US embassy in Baghdad to cost $592m and is size of Vatican - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

US embassy in Baghdad to cost $592m and is size of Vatican - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

"When will this kind of insane spending come to an end? With the increasingly
regular and effective attacks on the Green Zone, this beast will be a magnet for
problems. There are just too many important items that could be addressed with
$600m back home in the US to keep throwing money around like this in Iraq. If
the government wants to invest overseas there are also plenty of better places
to spend our money to build for the future."


While I agree with the President on the war in Iraq, and our need to stay the course until the country is stable, this is a waste of money. I think that we should do everything we can to set up the government of Iraq, focus all our money on doing that. Maybe we could offer the troops that 3.5% raise instead of throwing the money into a building that stands a fair chance of being destroyed after the troops leave.

Media Matters - On MSNBC, Cramer asked if Carter "play[s] for another nation" or "his own fifth column"

Media Matters - On MSNBC, Cramer asked if Carter "play[s] for another nation" or "his own fifth column":

"On the May 21 edition of MSNBC's Jim Cramer Live, while discussing former President Jimmy Carter's criticism of President Bush, host Jim Cramer asked: 'Who does he play for, Carter? Does he play for himself? Does he play for another nation? Does he play for his own
fifth column?' According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, a 'fifth column' is a
'clandestine group or faction of subversive agents who attempt to undermine a
nation's solidarity by any means at their disposal.'On the May 21 edition of MSNBC's Jim Cramer Live, while discussing former President Jimmy Carter's criticism of President Bush, host Jim Cramer asked: 'Who does he play for, Carter? Does he play for himself? Does he play for another nation? Does he play for his own fifth column?' According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, a 'fifth column' is a 'clandestine group or faction of subversive agents who
attempt to undermine a nation's solidarity by any means at their disposal.'On
the May 21 edition of MSNBC's Jim Cramer Live, while discussing former President Jimmy
Carter's criticism of President Bush, host Jim Cramer asked: 'Who does he play for, Carter? Does he play for himself? Does he play for another nation? Does he play for his own
fifth column?' According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, a 'fifth column' is a
'clandestine group or faction of subversive agents who attempt to undermine a
nation's solidarity by any means at their disposal.'"


One of the strongest reasons that I think that political attacks are so negative is that they lead to more political attacks. I think it was not right for Carter to speak the way he did about Bush, and I think it is not right for Carter to be addressed in this tone. Where has the respect gone in our national dialogue?

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Chertoff: Some people think anything less than capital punishment is amnesty; Update: Chertoff does it again

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Chertoff: Some people think anything less than capital punishment is amnesty; Update: Chertoff does it again:

"I missed this on Thursday in the aftermath of the deal being announced,
but NRO didn’t. Here’s Bush’s own secretary of homeland security displaying raw
contempt for the wishes of his party’s base by floating a derisive laugh line
that would have fallen flat even on dKos. "

I think it is good to know that someone who is supposed to be protecting our nation feels this way. If we are not going to enforce our laws, and guard our borders, what are we going to do?

I think that a system needs to be set up that allows people to come here,/ One that allows the government to know who they are. One that makes it easy for those who are honest and good people to become citizens. At the same time though it needs to protect America from those what would come here to cause harm. This bill does not do that.

Media Matters - Pinkerton falsely claimed CNN showed photo "still" juxtaposing Falwell and Hitler

Media Matters - Pinkerton falsely claimed CNN showed photo "still" juxtaposing Falwell and Hitler

On the May 19 edition of Fox News' Fox News Watch, Newsday columnist James P. Pinkerton asserted that, during its coverage of Rev. Jerry Falwell's May 15 death, CNN featured "a picture of Falwell and [Adolf] Hitler together" as "kind of their idea of what he [Falwell] ought to be." When host Eric Burns asked Pinkerton what CNN "sa[id] when they ran the picture," Pinkerton responded that "[t]hey didn't," adding, "[A] picture is worth a million words." Pinkerton also said, falsely, that the image was a "still" of "Falwell and Hitler together." In fact, the image to which Pinkerton referred appeared in archived footage of a demonstration in which protesters held placards featuring the faces of Falwell, Hitler, and other prominent political figures -- each emblazoned with the word "GUILTY." CNN aired the video as part of a broad segment on Falwell's supporters and opponents. CNN did not, as Pinkerton suggested, air photographs of Falwell alongside those of Hitler, in an attempt to equate Falwell with the former leader of the Third Reich.



Sometimes I fear that honest debate is dead in this country.

Michelle Malkin: Catch-and-release still rules

Michelle Malkin: Catch-and-release still rules:

"It is not the number of illegal immigrants that concerns Burgoyne and Bise as
much as it is the way the federal government treats them.
In each of the 98
cases in Ohio County, representatives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) office in Pittsburgh have identified each individual as illegal, set a
court date, and then released them.
'And what do you think the odds of them
showing up for that court hearing, especially since most of them are set two
years down the road?' [Ohio County Sheriff Tom] Burgoyne said. 'One time we
arrested four illegal immigrants, and they were sent to ICE in Pittsburgh. After
their hearing with ICE, they were set free so they took a taxi back to Wheeling
so they could look for their car.
'They even came to my house after asking
around, 'Where does the sheriff live?' But when I asked them if they would be
back in this area for their court date, they just all smiled real big and said,
'Si, senor,'' he said. 'I'm sure most of these folks are hardworking people who
are just trying to survive, but the laws are the laws.'"


I think it really comes down to respect for the law and respect for the country that they should have a guests here. Should they all be thrown in jail, no. Should they all be sent back, no. I think that a clear point was made when it was said, that if we make it so they can't work - they will leave on their own.

Bill Maher's Blasphemy: Comparing Gay Sex to Holy Communion | NewsBusters.org

Bill Maher's Blasphemy: Comparing Gay Sex to Holy Communion NewsBusters.org:

"“Gay men, don’t say you're life-partners, say you’re a nunnery of two. We
weren’t having sex officer, I was performing a very private Mass, here in my
car. I was letting my rod and my staff comfort him. Take this and eat of it, for
this is my roommate, Barry. ...
'And for all those who truly believe there
is a special place for you in Kevin. And speaking of Heaven, one can only hope
that as Jerry Falwell now approaches the Pearly Gates, he is met there by God
Himself, wearing a Fire Island muscle shirt, and nut-hugger shorts, and saying
to Jerry in a mighty lisp, ‘I’m not talking to you.’”"


I posted this video the other day, well the right is getting upset about the comments made by Maher. Seems they don't understand what comedy is.

Rosie Personally Attacks Elisabeth; Rants Against 'Crappy Cable Shows' | NewsBusters.org

Rosie Personally Attacks Elisabeth; Rants Against 'Crappy Cable Shows' NewsBusters.org:

"'But I didn't say it. You know who said it? Those crappy cable shows
said it. The ones Elisabeth watches. Those shows.'"


It is becoming painfully clear what a bully Rosie is. She doesn't seem to know how to make a point without putting someone down. Later she asks Elizabeth is she can hold two concepts in her head at the same time, as if it is Elisabeth and not Rosie that is doing the double speak. You have to understand that if you ask who the terrorists are after putting out trumped up numbers of killed in Iraq, it will be assumed that you are talking about our troops. Rosie is blind to all ideas other than her own, and while she had made Elisabeth a stronger debater, I think the show will be better without her.

Reporter Hints Silent Clarence Thomas an Intellectually-Challenged Jurist | NewsBusters.org

Reporter Hints Silent Clarence Thomas an Intellectually-Challenged Jurist NewsBusters.org:

"Yet rather than leaving Thomas's silence to his quiet demeanor or
personality, Doyle went on to suggest to readers that the taciturn Thomas was
not intellectually engaged in his work (emphasis mine):"


I think the judges of The Supreme Court deserve more respect than this.

The Word

The BRAD BLOG : EXCLUSIVE: Proposed Bush Pay Raise for Troops Serving in Iraq, Afghanistan Violates Federal Law

The BRAD BLOG : EXCLUSIVE: Proposed Bush Pay Raise for Troops Serving in Iraq, Afghanistan Violates Federal Law:

"Although Democrats have been arguing for the 3.5% raise, what neither they, nor
any news organization seems to have thus far noticed, is that the
Administration's meager compensation plan would be, in fact, illegal."


I don't understand how this war that is the struggle of our life times, is going to be waged while we are talking paying the troops so little. If this war is so important, and these heroes are making a sacrifice for freedom in Iraq, America and around the world, why not pay them for it. The troops deserve better.

Mike Huckabee Strikes Out In Favor Of Failed Abstinence Only Education [Oliver Willis: Like Kryptonite To Stupid]

Mike Huckabee Strikes Out In Favor Of Failed Abstinence Only Education [Oliver Willis: Like Kryptonite To Stupid]:

"Abstinence education provides a valuable counterweight to peer pressure and the
message young people get from the popular culture encouraging casual
relationships and separating sex from love, commitment and marriage. I do not
believe in teaching about sex or contraception in public schools. That is the
responsibility of parents. 'I am disappointed that funding for abstinence
education is not likely to be renewed by the Democrat Congress. This reversal
only emphasizes how important it is for Republicans to take back Congress
and win the White House with an authentic conservative in 2008."


I think that teaching abstinence only is like teaching you child to drive safely, and then teach them that they don't need to use a seat belt because they will drive safe. I understand that teaching children to say no is important, but you have to teach them about safe sex because biology is stronger than education. It is the impulse of teen bodies to have sex, teen males are driven to get teen girls pregnant by biology. Does that mean that we shouldn't attempt to control teen sex behavior, no. It can be dangerous on a number of levels and that makes teaching teens to say no is important. It is just a level of understanding reality that teen sex happens, and they need to be taught to do it safely.

Tom DeLay.com - Home - A Dangerous Sellout on Immigration

Tom DeLay.com - Home - A Dangerous Sellout on Immigration:

"But, as John McCain declared, 'This is what the legislative process is all
about' -- and in the sense that it's a sloppily drafted bottomless pit of
unintended consequences on a potentially cosmic scale whose sweeping 'reforms'
will inevitably require even more sweeping reforms of the reforms in a year or
two's time, he's quite right. Also, as Senator McCain says, 'This is what
bipartisanship is all about.' ... I'm not a fan of 'bipartisanship' for its own
sake. This is a very divided political culture in which bipartisanship is all
but nonexistent on everything else, starting with war and national security. So,
when the political class is in lockstep bipartisan mode, that's sufficiently
unusual all by itself. When it's in bipartisan mode on an issue on which the
public is diametrically opposed, that looks less like bipartisanship and more
like the lockstep myopia of an out-of-touch one-party state. "


While I do give more credit to bipartisanship, I think that there are a couple good points made in this. One is that agreement just for agreements sake makes me think of what was said about neutral parties in a war. They always lose, because they can neither share the pain of the defeated or the glory of the victor. When you agree to agree just to agree you end up with a position that almost no one agrees with. The other is that this is a bill that creates more problems than it solves.

Zaki Chehab - Jon chats up journalist Zaki Chehab....

Godfather IV

100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

Chaos In The Streets - Lebanon

Vehicle Slams Office

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