Must Reads

The Rude Pundit: Note to Obama: Recess Appoint All of Them

Jason Linkins: David Broder Is Really Into Sarah Palin This Week

Sen. Bernie Sanders: It’s Time For a Solar Revolution

Russell Shorto: How Christian Were the Founders?

Harvey Wasserman: Our Founders Were NOT Fundamentalists

Paul Krugman: Republicans and Medicare

Michael Winship: From the Annals of Sno-Cone Science

President Obama's Weekly Address - February 13, 2010

Pay As You Go

Living in Scary Times

Well doesn't this just put a crimp in your underwear?

TPC: Gregory Girard, a Manchester technology consultant, was found with a stash of military grade weapons, explosive devices including tear gas and pepper ball canisters, camouflage clothing, knives, handcuffs, bulletproof vests and helmets, and night vision goggles, say police. They believe Girard, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, was "preparing for domestic and political turmoil," and feared martial law would soon be imposed.

[...]

The Massachusetts man charged this week with stockpiling weapons after saying he feared an imminent "Armageddon" appears to have been active in the Tea Party movement, and saw Sarah Palin, who he said is on a "righteous 'Mission from God,'" as the only figure capable of averting the destruction of society.

And people wonder what the big deal is about the "pallin' around with terrorists" rhetoric.

The Trap

What a bunch of pussies.





They bitch and moan about transparency and now are afraid of the transparency that's going to make them look like idiots, the same way they looked when President Obama took them on at the House Republican luncheon. You know how the Republicans could save themselves from this "trap"? Have some actual substantive ideas.

Fred Morrison Dies at 90

ESPN Sports: Walter Fredrick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died. He was 90. 

...Morrison sold the production and manufacturing rights to his "Pluto Platter" in 1957. The plastic flying disc was later renamed the "Frisbee," with sales surpassing 200 million discs. It is now a staple at beaches and college campuses across the country and spawned sports like Frisbee golf and the team sport Ultimate.

An official disc golf course at Creekside Park in the Salt Lake City suburb of Holladay is named for Morrison.

...Wham-O adopted the name "Frisbee" because that's what college students in New England were calling the Pluto Platters. The name came from the Frisbie Pie Co., a local bakery whose empty tins were tossed like the soon-to-be Frisbee.

Quote of the Day

"Recess appointments are there. Ronald Reagan made 243 of 'em. And, remember, if Reagan did it, it automatically covers your ass because he was so fucking awesome when he wasn't soiling his diaper."

 ~ The Rude Pundit on why President Obama should recess appoint every nominee being delayed by Republicans. 

Climate Change Idiots

Okay, let's get one thing straight. If you don't believe there is such a thing as global warming or climate change, your a fucking fool. Just because there is this thing called "Winter" that comes around every eight months or so, and brings with it cold weather and snowstorms, doesn't prove that global warming is a hoax.



The idea that ridiculous conservative talking heads and media pundits are using the latest blizzard on the east coast as "proof" would be hysterically laughable if it wasn't so sad. Do you know why the latest snowstorm is so bad? Because there's extra moisture in the atmosphere. Why is there extra moisture in the atmosphere? Because of global warming.

This is called science, folks.  I know they don't teach no fancy book learning in certain parts of the country while they're waving their Bibles around, but your eyes don't deceive.  The earth is warming, which causes more evaporation of the ice caps and seas, putting more moisture in the air which has to come down somewhere, right? This in turn causes harsher rainstorms and hurricanes in summer months and if it happens to be winter where you are, harsher SNOWSTORMS. In fact, this snowstorm makes the case for climate change more than it disproves it.  You get bigger storms like this, and stronger and more frequent hurricanes like Katrina.

...Gavin Schmidt, a climate modeler at NASA: "It's all in the long-term trends. Weather isn't going to go away because of climate change."

FACT: 2000-2009 was the warmest decade on record. In January, major meteorological organizations throughout the world -- including NASA -- released reports showing that the past decade, 2000-2009, was the warmest on record. The reports undermine the right-wing media's numerous claims that recent snow and cold weather show climate change does not exist or has slowed over the past 10 years.

Is global "warming" a misnomer? Not really, but it is for the wingnuts who refuse to believe that the pollution emitted since the Industrial Revolution didn't or wouldn't have any effect on the planet we live on or the atmosphere that surrounds us. And since it snows where they are, it's proof positive that climate change is a hoax.  What's Hannity going to come up with when it's 97° in mid September?  Oh, right.  He'll just ignore it until the next snowstorm.

Boy, I sure hope that the baseball season isn't going to be cancelled  now that this snowstorm proves global warming is a lie. How are those players going to play in two feet of snow?   ... Idiots.

Adding... Stephen Colbert does it again, using that crazy thing Sarah Palin doesn't understand: satire.
 (H/T Cesca)

Don't Fuck With The Maddow

If there is one thing conservatives and Republicans should credit Rachel Maddow for, it's her ability in having absolutely no problem correcting the record when shown that she was wrong in her reporting after it's brought to her attention. But what they should fear is that they'd better be 100% right and not just base their accusation of slander on a technicality. Because if she finds that she's really right, she will fuck. Your. Shit. Up. Watch as she lays down the hammer on Republican Senator and climate change denier James Inhofe, who's office dared to complain of inaccurate reporting on Inhofe.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

BOOM!

Charlie Wilson Dies at 76

NY Times: Charlie Wilson, the former congressman from Texas whose funding of Afghanistan's resistance to the Soviet Union was chronicled in the movie ''Charlie Wilson's War,'' died Wednesday. He was 76.

Wilson died at Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin after he started having difficulty breathing while attending a meeting in the eastern Texas town where he lived, said hospital spokeswoman Yana Ogletree. Wilson was pronounced dead on arrival, and the preliminary cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest, she said.

Ultimate Hubris

I don't know if I understand this even as a political tactic.

Yesterday, House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were invited to the White house to speak with President Obama on finding a way forward with the jobs bill, the economy and the Health Care bill. And immediately after leaving the White House, while still on the White House lawn, basically told the President to go fuck himself.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It's like having a little kid you've told not to touch the crystal vase on the mantle and he IMMEDIATELY goes and touches the vase, breaks it and then when asked why he did the exact opposite of what you just asked, responds "...I don't know." And Boehner still moaning about the amount of pages in any particular bill is just infuriating.

It's this obstructionism being reverberated in the echo chamber that is Fox News which causes so much confusion and disinformation to have Republicans and conservatives frothing at the mouth when it comes to anything, ANYTHING that may be critical of their party.

Take for example the comments section in Oliver Willis' blog post about the "Miss Me Yet?" George bush billboard in Wyoming.

"Anyone else notice that the home foreclosures started the same year the Democrats took over Congress? " As if there was no precursor for this problem. If they started the same year, that means the problem happened beforehand.

"one last thing it wasnt a surplus @ the end of clintons term he was .8% over GDP"   Uh, yeah. "Over" means surplus. "Under" means deficit.

"In the current wars we are fighting – you know the ones that BO was going to stop? – BO has had the most US soldiers killed by a wide margin." Really? Seven years in Iraq and Afghanistan and Obama has already caused more military dead? Fine. Pull them out. But then he would be weak on national security, right?

"All informed and intelligent people realize that W will go down in history as one of the best presidents we have ever had the good fortune to enjoy." ...How can you argue with someone who truly believes that?

And my personal favorite: "Bush inherited 911 but I never heard him whine or blame Clinton (even though Clinton and Gore played patty-cake with Al-Qaeda for years)."
Bush inherited 9/11. But we all know where that came from.

And there is the crux of the problem. You can't have a reasoned debate or policy argument when the other side doesn't even agree on the facts. Solid, documented, hard facts. If they believe President Obama is tripling the debt in his first year, If they believe more soldiers have been killed under Obama's first year than Bush's eight years, if they believe Bush inherited 9/11, for God's sake, then there's no sense in debating them because they will refuse to believe the truth even when shown documented proof.  Even simple things like, oh, let's say, a calendar! 


The the current crop on the GOP side in Congress is no different.  Rachel Maddow sums it up nicely here.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Snowpocalypse!

Well, it finally started snowing here in New York City, and although it's predicted to be pretty bad (12"-18" and wind gusts of up to 50 MPH) I'm kind of surprised by the panicky reaction I've been witnessing. It's like some have never seen snow before!

Speaking of which, this is probably my favorite weatherman forecast EVER.

Music Break! The Beatles

Get Back

Light Blogging Today

Going grocery shopping.

Jon Stewart: Tea Party Convention = AMERIGASM!

Brilliant.

The Answer is "NO FUCKING WAY!"

Anyone care to answer in greater detail?

Here's one: "I'd rather be waterboarded, and thanks to Bush 43, that is now entirely feasible."
Here are some other answers.

(H/T Oliver Willis)

John Murtha Dies at 77

NY Times: Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, a gruff ex-Marine who was one of the most hawkish Democrats in Congress but who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, died on Monday in Arlington, Va. He was 77.

He died while under treatment for complications of gallbladder surgery, his office said.

The first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress, Mr. Murtha voted in 2002 to authorize use of military force in Iraq. But he evolved into a leading foe of the war as it was conducted under the administration of President George W. Bush.

Old Man Yells at Gay Cloud

From Frank Rich:
The arguments for preserving “don’t ask” have long been blatantly groundless. McCain — who said in 2006 that he would favor repealing the law if military leaders ever did — didn’t even bother to offer a logical explanation for his mortifying flip-flop last week. He instead huffed that the 1993 “don’t ask” law should remain unchanged as long as any war is going on (which would be in perpetuity, given Afghanistan). Colin Powell strafed him just hours later, when he announced that changed “attitudes and circumstances” over the past 17 years have led him to agree with Mullen. McCain is even out of step with his own family’s values. Both his wife, Cindy, and his daughter Meghan have posed for the current California ad campaign explicitly labeling opposition to same-sex marriage as hate.

Read the entire, worthwhile Rich column here.

Super Bowl Champs

Congratulations the New Orleans Saints. Winners of Super Bowl XLIV!



WHODAT!

Government is Just Like High School - UPDATED

Ho. Ly. Shit.

No wonder Palin continues to criticize President Obama for using a teleprompter. He hasn't mastered the fine art of scribbling on his body.  I guess because he never had to.

Even in my sleep I can tell you that "Drill, Baby, Drill!", tax cuts and smaller government are the cornerstone talking points of the GOP and conservatives.  But Sarah Palin needs to write them down on the palm of her hand like a high schooler with crib notes to get through an hour with an adoring crowd.  She's eventually going to get sent to the Principal's office.

(H/T Bob Cesca)

Update (1:45pm): A commenter at another blog posted the following regarding this story: "I honest-to-God do not get what the big deal is about this. You folks MAKE her a big deal with all the attention you pay her." ...to which I felt a response was needed.

You've got to be kidding. The "big deal" is that [Sarah Palin] is who the wingnuts have chosen to be their leader, and while she criticizes the president for using a teleprompter that presidents have been using for the last 30+ years including [Ronald] Reagan, who she mentioned at least a dozen times last night, [Palin]'s acting like a high school cheerleader writing down talking points on the palm of her hand (that everyone else can recite in their sleep) so she doesn't fail her pop quiz even though she knew the questions beforehand.

She has a Down Syndrome baby and is appalled at Rahm Emanuel's use of the word "retarded" [to the point of calling for his firing,] but has no problem with Rush Limbaugh using it and is even making excuses for him.

You don't think that hypocrisy has to be called out?!

Adding... Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg News bet wrong in her last Countdown appearance when she said of the whole "retarded" issue, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here - I think because it is a matter of the heart for her, I don't think she wears this child on her sleeve... I bet that Rush Limbaugh quickly apologizes himself knowing that she will have to treat him the same way."