Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Mrs. Beasley for VP

Given Sarah Palin's responses to questions she clearly didn't understand, I nominate Mrs. Beasley as John McCain's new running mate. They are roughly the the same age and her answers make more sense.

Katie: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
Mrs. Beasley: Would you like to try on my glasses? You may if you wish.
Katie: Well, explain to me how that enhances your foreign policy credentials.
Mrs. Beasley: I do think you're the nicest little friend I ever had.
Katie: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
Mrs. Beasley: Gracious me! You're getting to be such a big girl!
Katie: When President Bush ran for office, he opposed nation building, but he has spent, as you know, much of his presidency promoting democracy throughout the world. What lessons have you learned from Iraq and how specifically will you try to spread democracy throughout the world?
Mrs. Beasley: If you could have 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
Katie: Do you believe the US should negotiate with Syria and Iran?
Mrs. Beasley: Long ago I was a little girl just like you.

McCain asks the most important question of this election cycle:



Q: McCain: Is that a pizza place?
A: ?

I have no idea what that was in reference to or whom he was asking? Maybe he really did want pizza....but then, one must ask, why not specify a particular kind of pizza? Why leave us guessing? What kind of pizza might McCain want?

Drive By Blogging...


Here are 4 worthwhile reads on this economic mess.



2) A behind the scenes look at the demise of an American institution.

3) An interesting (albeight somewhat flawed) take on executive salaries.

4) A great read on the need for a new New Deal.


The DOW was down around 700 points at one point today...and the House failed to pass the "bailout" package based on the caste system evacuation plan from the Titanic.
Lastly- Here is a primer on Keynesian Economic Theory...Your going to need it.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

?



Please, make sure everyone you know is registered to vote....

America the Beauty Contest




"Beauty without intelligence is an illusion that is close to disenchantment. It is like a fairy that fascinates us, as long as we look at her through the enchanting prism of her beauty. However, it disappears as soon as the light of reason penetrates beyond the place where the eyes can see." - Mercedes Cabello de Carbonera, Concerning Women's Intelligence and Beauty, 1876

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saturday Sketch

Lowlights

MCCAIN: It's well-known that I have not been elected Miss Congeniality in the United States Senate nor with the administration. I have opposed the president on spending, on climate change, on torture of prisoner, on - on Guantanamo Bay. On a -- on the way that the Iraq War was conducted. I have a long record and the American people know me very well and that is independent and a maverick of the Senate and I'm happy to say that I've got a partner that's a good maverick along with me now. [Barf.]
*************************
OBAMA: ..He even said the other day that he would not meet potentially with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't sure whether they were aligned with us. I mean, Spain? Spain is a NATO ally.
MCCAIN: Of course.
OBAMA: If we can't meet with our friends, I don't know how we're going to lead the world in terms of dealing with critical issues like terrorism.
MCCAIN: I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule before I'm president of the United States. I don't even have a seal yet. [So you know where Waziristan is, but not Spain?]
*************************
OBAMA: ..And there are folks out there who've been struggling before this crisis took place. And that's why it's so important, as we solve this short-term problem, that we look at some of the underlying issues thathave led to wages and incomes for ordinary Americans to go down, the-- a health care system that is broken, energy policies that are not working, because, you know, 10 days ago, John said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound.
LEHRER: Say it directly to him.
OBAMA: I do not think that they are.
LEHRER: Say it directly to him.
OBAMA: Well, the -- John, 10 days ago, you said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound. And...
MCCAIN: Are you afraid I couldn't hear him? [Not as afraid as I am of your policies.]

McCain (shown here) came off as angry and at times confused (or at least confusing). When he went down the list of wars or miltary actions he supported, I kept hearing War Pigs in my head. All in all, this was a close debate, with neither side delivering a knockout blow. Obama sounded more presidential and made more logical statements. McCain sounded preachy and never deflected allegations that he cares more about corporations than the average American (when not in military uniform). To read every word verbatim, go here.

A Failed McCain

Last night McMyFriends declared that Pakistan was a failed state before "The General" got on a tank and removed a democratically elected government. Thus I have decided to take the McTurd approach and just make shit up that either sounds good or is just plain fun to say. Therefore I am going to declare right now that Utah is a failed state, and so is Japan. I also think that Canada and Russia are failed states, meaning that Palin is an expert on the issue. If anyone knows of any other failed states they want to add to the list, please let me know.

UPDATE- I've been thinking this over. Either McWon'tLookAtObama does not know what a failed state is, or his mind is reaching the beginning of its end. I am not sure what scares me more.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Is anybody excited about tonight's debate?


I'd like to extend my thanks to John McCain for blessing us with his presence tonight. Obama should be thankful too. Debating one's self is a dangerous trick, best left to the likes of Stephen Colbert.

And while I'm glad the debate is going to happen, I just can't help but think that somehow it will benefit McCain. Mostly because of his constituency's creed of mind over matter. Senator McCain is the true incarnation of a faith-based ideology. Facts be damned, this is how they feel about their candidate... and nothing will prevent them from hearing what they want to hear. Even a lack of actual words can be overcome by make-believe faith. In short, McCain can just stand at his lectern tonight and say nothing, and the media will mindlessly celebrate his extraordinary debate strategy.

That aside, it is more likely that McCain will actually say something tonight. I'm obviously not referring to quality of content; rather, the volumous blathering of an emotionally-immature septuagenarian who has clearly swapped experience and integrity for callous cynicism.

What McCain has proven thus far: technically, you can say anything.

So, what will it be tonight? More POW talk? Boastful arrogance of his participation in this week's economic discussions in Washington despite his own admission of being economically-illiterate? Or will he tout some yet-to-be-unveiled deviation from the current bail-out package that's been handed to him by Carl Rove himself? Ahhh, the old rabbit-in-the-hat trick...

Maybe he'll talk about his houses and his cars. Since most of us have a house (an owned or rented place to live anyway) and most of us have cars (Bradda and Rob aside), his vast collection of houses and cars clearly makes him a man of the people. Just as you would be a man or woman of the shoe-industry if you had 3 or 4 extra feet.

So, tonight McCain will battle Obama's thoughtful and deliberate responses to Mr. Leher's questions with his typical mono-syllabic grunts and single serving sound bites (drill baby drill!!!). And we'll watch anxiously, wondering if each ridiculous assertion is going to be the one that finally does the old Senator in. But inevitably we'll find ourselves standing in front of the TV over the weekend, outraged by the media's acceptance of his garbage... and then Monday, we'll see the 5-point bump in McCain's polling numbers... sure to be up to 10-points by Thursday. And we, the suckers electorate, will have been taken for yet another ride. We'll have taken the bait again... hook, line, and sinker.

An Alternate Bailout

This is a great idea being circulated via email.

I’m against the $700,000,000,000.00 bailout of our pathetic financial institutions


Instead, I’m in favor of giving $700,000,000,000 to
America in

a We Deserve It Dividend.


To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,00 0,000

bonafide adults in the
U.S.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman

and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..


So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $700 billon that equals $3,500,000.00 .

My plan is to give $3,500,000 to every person 18+ as a

We Deserve It Divided.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.


Every individual 18+ has to pay $1,050,000 in taxes.

That sends $210,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.


But it means that every adult 18+ has $2,450,00.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $4,900,000.00.

What would you do w ith $2,450,000 to $4,900,000 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.

Buy that vacation home you have always dreamed of (or 2 or 3)

Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college – it’ll be there

Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car (or 2 or 3) – create jobs

Invest in the market – capital drives growth

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it...instead of trickling out

a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive.

If we’re going to do an $700 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.”

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party !

How do you spell Economic Boom?

And remember, this plan only really costs $489.5 Billion because $210.5 Billion is returned

instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

McCain Wins!

The Ministry of Truth is reporting that McTurd has already begun circulating evidence that he has won tonight's debate. Granted, he may not even appear, but Palin will not have to talk herself further into a political grave, so in a way he is right, he has won by her not being seen or heard.


Did anyone see the Couric interview? Clearly enough people have not, because we should be burning tires in the streets for the very possibility that a system would let a creature this daft come as close as she has come to running the country. She makes me long for the good old days of having only partially "challenged" folk like George W. Bush in power, and his reign of destruction isn't even over.

But hey, I don't want to take the spot light away from McBigCheek-- he really earned that victory in the debate that hasn't happened and that he might not attend. He won it fair and square, 10 hours before the moderator asked the first question!

He is such a maverick that he does not even respect the time/space continuum.

This man has no use for the truth, and for good reason. The truth is against him. I don't recall where I heard this (Internets syndrome- help me out if you know), but someone pointed out that McMyFriends has banked his entire run for the White House on the stupidity of the American People...And that's what keeps me up at night.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Putin rears his head

Never forget, Palin is our first line of defense against Putin's big, bald head. (Found via BoingBoing)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

McCain Tries to Delay Debates

Yes my friends, it's true. The maverick John McCain has pulled another surprising move. After all of his talk about wanting to debate Barack Obama, he now wants to delay the first debate. He says that it's cause they should be focusing on our economic woes. Hmmmm, I don't think so Johnny!

Let's see, this week McCain has dropped 12 points in the polls compared to last week, giving Obama a 9 point lead. It seems that people don't feel that the maverick is in touch with our economy. It might have something to do with the statement that he made just over a week ago in regards to the fundamentals of our economy being strong. WOW, his buddy W. is sure trying to get a lot of money really really fast for a system that is fundamentally strong.

In addition people are starting to get past Palin's newness. The public is starting to realizae that he made a big boo boo in his choice. She reaks!

Don't work big John, the economic hardships will still be here for the next president to try to clean-up. The W. theft may be enough for our leaders to deal with for decades. This urgency of a problem that has been building for 8 years is just another atempt at fraud. Congress is weary this time. They've been foold to many times by your pal's administration. Debate Obama this Friday. Take off your mask for the public. Pretending that you are in touch with reality at this point is just a waste of time. There is only 6 weeks left till the election.

The Real Cost of the Bailout


This is from MSNBC.com:

Just how big is the proposed Wall Street bailout? Let's look at how it compares to some other numbers...

-- $700 billion: proposed Wall St. bailout
-- $695.4 billion: GDP of Taiwan. If the bailout were a country it would be the 21st largest GDP, larger than most nations.
-- $653 billion: cost of Iraq war (so far)
-- $515.4 billion: proposed 2009 Pentagon budget
-- $315 billion: McCain's nuclear energy plan
-- $295 billion: amount Pentagon overspent original budgets by.
-- $150 billion: Obama's energy plan
-- $50-$65 billion: Obama's health care plan, per year
-- $59.2 billion: proposed 2009 U.S. education budget
-- $10 billion: McCain health care proposals, per year
-- $38 million: Hank Paulson's post-2004 salary as Chairman, CEO of Goldman Sachs
-- 16.1 million: number of median Ohio household incomes ($43,371 as of 2004) that would add up to the bailout -- or about THREE Ohios.


Throwing money at Bush is never the answer....

Darth Nader

Does Ralph Nader really think he's helping things or does he just want to stay on the edge of the spotlight? While there are plenty of things about Ralph Nader I like, his decision to force his name on the ballot every four years is more annoying than a Hannah Montana marathon. Now he's gonna be on almost every ballot again. Backed by GOP dollars, his role is clear: WIN THE WHITE HOUSE (for the Republicans)!!! He's like the Timmy Lupus of Washington trying to come up with the big catch. His real threat comes in swing states where he could account for up to 10% of the vote by jaded voters trying to make a difference in their own conscience. Voting for Nader makes as much sense to me as that string quartet on the Titanic that kept playing instead of seeking life preservers or a boat. If he were a legitimate candidate, he wouldn't have to sue to get on the ballot and he'd be included in the debates. He's almost like the Anti-Monty Brewster. He doesn't want you to vote "None of the Above." He wants you to vote for him, so the Empire can win.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Quote of the Day:


For those of us following the events of the day that find ourselves depressed, I offer the following:

To perceive is to suffer- Aristotle

Go Dolphins!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Quote of the Day: In honor of George W. Bush

If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you. -Mohammad Ali

Remember the Stimulus Checks?

How did that work out for us?

Tits, Tips, and Tom Brokaw

Hats off to DCUP over at Politits for a great post today and a great link. (Warning: do not click that last link if you are having a good day, bad day, or any kind of day.)

Tom Brokaw is unfit for Meet The Press. Yes, we all know this already. But it had to be said... again.

Tax Relief for the Stupid

Lets look back to some better days. Recall that Clinton left office with a budget surplus. Now, both parties want to steal yours and future generations cash to bail out the byproduct of bad policy that is being perpetuated by this bullshit bailout. Why won't anybody say it? The used car dealers that run this country are afraid of getting voted out of office and thus cannot afford to be honest with the country or themselves and enact sensible long term plans for anything except when it comes to the military, which is political suicide to oppose.

Is this mess a failure of capitalism? Partially, but more so it is a failure of democracy and the unholy need of candidates and parties to remain politically viable as a path toward staying in business. We want things and we want them now. However, we are being treated like children because we behave like children.

This bailout is bullshit. We need an economic adjustment. One of the reasons our country was so prosperous from the 1950's through the near future is because we went through the pain of the depression, and it made us stronger and more robust. Now, we are acting like a teenager that's lost his/her Oxy 10 and is a afraid to look in the mirror. We need the entire ship to sink so we can rebuild a newer and better ship that will take us into the future. Look how well Europe rebounded from two horrific World Wars? Doesn't get much worse than that. Maybe we can get the Europeans to repay us buy helping us when we the shit gets so far up our noses that we have no choice but to acknowledge what the odor is we are all smelling.

But we are not going to deal with our national mental psychosis unless we have to. We must hit rock bottom.

We have learned nothing from 9/11. Giving Bush money for anything is a disaster. The man is a saggy boob. Are we really 3 days away from 1929 if we don't give Bush a trillion dollars? If so, aren't we doomed either way?

This is a classic Republican scam--demonstrate the inadequacy of government by being inadequate keepers of it.

Ga Ga Stupid Over Palin! Family Values?

Sarah Palin has been in the spotlight for several weeks now. A lot of people are still completely ga ga stupid over her even though fact finders have proven that she has lied in regards to several of her platforms. I have a friend who told me that she really likes Palin. When I asked her what she likes about the Alaska governor, she replied, "I don't know, there's just something I like about her." I find it completely unacceptable and mind boggling that a person can fall in love with a candidate with out identifying a reason for such.

On the other hand, my wife works with some Palin supporters who have identified what they do like about Palin. One of her colleugues likes that Palin changed her mind about the "bridge to nowhere." According to this woman, it shows that Palin is a lot like her because she also changes her mind sometimes. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know (everybody who appreciates facts knows and accepts) that this is not a matter of changing one's mind.

Another one of my wife's colleugues (the one who called my wife a sexist a couple weeks ago) said that Palin's minor daughter being pregnant does not reflect Palin negatively because a lot of American families deal with that same issue. Well, well, well so much for family values, right? Both Mr. and Mrs. Palin work full time, and they have five children. I guess they hire people to raise their kids. I guess if teenage pregnancy was the goal then they certainly succeded. I realize that this is a huge social problem that plagues many families; however, education and parent involvment (in their own kids' lives) seems like the most logical course of action here, not to just say, "It happens to a lot of families, so therefore, it must be great." And what's the Palin's position? They want to push their daughter into teenage marriage to the guy who might be her baby daddy. Yeah, might be, according to Levis' (not to be confused with the gtreat jean company) myspace page which was shown on all the News stations he reported, "I am not having an F'ing baby."

And then there's her running mate John McCain. His family values are so horrendous that he had an extra marital affair, divorced his wife, and then married his mistress. You know what they say, "Once a cheater, always a cheater." The fact finders have certainly uncovered a lot of Johnny's cheats as he continues to lie to the public every time he opens his mouth, my friends.

Then there's Barack Obama on the other ticket. Barrack works a lot, and his wife works too. Surprisingly, Mrs. Obama cut back her work hours because she has two children to raise. The ga ga stupid Palin supporters must be outraged by this sexist act demonstrated by Mrs. Obama. Mrs. Obama was interviewed this weekend. When asked if she thought that it was bad that Sarah Palin is running for VP with such young children, Obama answered, "No, people have to decide what their priorities are."

Family values and priorities in America?

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Saturday, September 20, 2008

McSybil

If it worked for W, he's betting it can work again. Either that or he's the Gollum.

Dick Cheney Halts Shredding Operations

Dick Cheney has been ordered to stand accountable (at least on paper) for what exactly he has been doing for the past 8 years. A federal watchdog group has been keeping tabs on the VP and got a federal judge to enforce the Presidential Records Act which pretty much lets him know he does not have the executive privelege he claimed to possess. Whether we ultimately get vague and cryptic dribble or hard evidence tying him to his many suspected misdeeds remains to be seen. When asked to comment, Cheney appeared unphased, but hidden microphones caught him cursing, "I would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling kids."

Friday, September 19, 2008

“McCain, Palin value all life”

Here is a great letter that my brother sent to the editor of his local paper.


I agree with the author of Friday’s letter “McCain, Palin value all life”. I, too, think that their value of life is commendable. In fairness, though, I cannot recall any pro-choice individual espousing the opinion that anyone should be aborted; rather such a decision should be the choice of the individual, not the government. Also in fairness, McCain’s and Palin’s position on the value of life should be more clearly defined.


Not only are neither McCain nor Palin vegetarians, but Palin is an active hunter and as governor has offered incentives for people to kill wolves. This amends the position to the value of all human life. McCain has been a supporter of the Iraq war from the beginning and Palin recently suggested that fighting the Iraq war was doing God’s work. During this war, thousands of American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children have been killed. McCain has also rather surprisingly voted consistently against veteran's rights. So the statement needs to be further amended to “McCain and Palin value all American non-military life”.


Further, both Alaska and Arizona have the death penalty. While the Republican leadership, with McCain leading the charge, was all over the hurricane that overlapped their convention, they are nowhere to be seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Neither McCain nor Palin has been known to champion the rights or protection of children in abusive homes.


McCain’s and Palin’s exact position, then, seems to be, “McCain and Palin support all American non-military life, so long as that individual is of voting age and has not been found guilty of a crime and is not threatened by a natural disaster”. Or maybe we can simplify that mouthful and just say that, “McCain and Palin value all American pre-natal life; everyone else is on their own”. It’s beautiful, really.

More on Palin's blood lust to kill wolves:

How to pay off the bail out:

Lets sell 50% of our military equipment so we can pay off this bail out and a great deal, if not all, of our debt. Lets not make the same mistake the Soviets did by going kaput keeping our military strong beyond the point of logic or necessity.

In other news, even Fox News has turned on McCain...to a point.

I am an Idiot

Dang, I'm dumb. I haven't been living within my means. I have a mortgage. Even dumber, I can afford my monthly payments. I should have gotten more house. Uncle Sam would help me and the stank ass company that gave me the bad loan.

So this week our glorious country works towards the half trillion dollar bailout. Gonna save our financial institutions. Gonna save our economy. Gonna save our country. Gonna write another humongous blank check. Gonna finally boost our gross national debt over 10 trillion dollars!

The thing that really pisses me off the most is how the elitist upper crust has screwed us, our children, and our great (to the 20th power) grand children. These crooks were so greedy that stealing all of our country's current wealth was not enough. They figured out how to rape our entire economy for decades to come, and they are charging us tax payers with the bill (Isn't that how Palin handles rape too?) Big business took control of all three branches of our government. Remember the big corporate collapses of the early George W. Bush years? Remember W.'s tough talk about holding corporate big wigs accountable? Remember how he pardoned his corporate buddies? Remember how the administration spent more money then any other administration in the history of our country? W. will take care of his pals once again. CEO's and other upper administration folks will be receiving nice cushy severance packages. Aren't you happy that we get to help these criminals keep their multiple mansions?

I really do understand why we must bail out our corporations. I understand the bipartisan effort to save our economy. But let's do it right. Let's put these terrorists in prison. Put W. and party, and the other corporate terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. We can work on prosecuting them after we save our country.

I have the TV on in the background as I type this. A new McCain ad just aired. McCain claims to have taken on tougher guys then our corporations before. He is completely BONKERS!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

More on Spain and McCain

To me, this is one of the biggest indictments on McHoover so far. Spain is one of the most important allys the U.S. has in the world. Lets think, what countries in the world are most like the U.S. I think its fair to start with the English (or mostly speaking) English world, i.e., Canada, U.K., and Australia. Then who? I would argue Germany, France and then, even before Italy, I would say Spain.

If my assumption is correct, or at the very least close, what is more terrifying? McYutz pissing on the Spainiards or confusing them with a Latin American country?

By the way, I am considering starting a website to chronicle things larger than McDud's left cheek. Anyone want to help out if I do?

Good Point

"Just imagine if Bush and McCain had had their way and privatized Social Security. People would have seen their private social security accounts just disintegrate the last two days."
Sherrod Brown

I think that says it all.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

McCain confused about Spain


It appears Sen. McCain had another senior moment and seemed to confuse Spain with a rogue Latin American country. This mistake is simple enough, as there are only 4876.54 miles separating Madrid, Spain from, say, Bogota, Colombia. And after all, Spain does speak the same language as all those countries down there....well, except for the most populated one that speaks that similar language. I think its called Portugal...or is it Somalia? Damn it, I can't recall. What country is Obama's daddy from? Sweden?

Well, you can see how easily the bastard gets into one's head. This should be yet another game closer. Spain, a NATO ally (like Georgia--right Gov?) is one of the most important countries in Europe. However, I shudder to think how many Americans don't know, or care about the location of Spain as it relates to South America.

Ahh...the facts. They always get in the way. Well, at least for some.

It always amazes me how it takes something extraordinary, like a terrorist attack, to make us pretend we like one another other, and takes a mere election to expose our dislike and mistrust of each other.

Go Team!

Chris Matthews beats up on Eric Cantor:

Again, sorry I have just been posting vids. That will change, for what its worth. You should check this out. From time to time, C.M. is worth a damn:

More Like Goose..

If I hear the word maverick one more time, my head may just explode. If the GOP wants a vision of what a maverick truly is, they need look no further than the current president who did whatever he pleased and cared fuck-all about whether or not you liked it. The McCain-Palin ticket is a farce. They throw around words like "deregulation" and "reform" so liberally that I question whether or not their supporters really know what they mean. The original definition for the term maverick is: an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother. I know McCain and Palin are trying to pitch the nonconformist rebel image, but I think I prefer fiscally responsible, in touch and able to provide answers to questions with substance to the rhetorical canned answers they've put forth thus far. Example: Sarah Palin was asked for "specific skills" she could cite to rebut critics who question her grasp of international affairs, she replied, "I am prepared." And the place erupted. Haven't we learned what happens when we elect uneducated people to office with ties to special interests (like, say, oil?). If you are planning on voting for McCain, please read this book.

Dumb Words


I hate Republicans. No.. really. They have made it a tactic of infusing truly dumb words into popular culture which are used over and over again as a method of rallying supporters behind their cause while tearing down their opponents. "Freedom Fries" was by far the most irritating. But 4 years ago, it was "flip-flopper." John Kerry was a weak candidate and an easy target who was slightly less vague on what he intended to do in office than the current GOP candidate. But does the stupid term still apply? I am guessing, only if it applies to Democrats. As this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out, John McCain talks out both sides of his wrinkled old face when it comes to the debacle on Wall Street. I'm sure brainwashed supporters will blame the "liberal media," another favorite, for perpetrating what MUST be false statements. If they were truly honest with themselves, this year's buzzword would simply be, "Baaaaaaaaaa!" because they swallow every single shred of bullshit that comes their way no matter how obscene or far fetched. Case and point, Sarah Palin who whipped the RNC into a frenzy when 99% of them had no clue who she was or what she stood for. It wouldn't be so scary if there weren't so many of them who were so willing to goosestep to whatever beat they are told to march to. It's no surprise so many of them are against teaching evolution in school.

Thoughts?

Any thoughts on this new ad run by the Obama camp? Is he going to be deemed elitist for using thought?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Black Mesa

In 2001 the Lehman Brothers were warned by a delegation of Navajo, Hopi and Lakota that their acquisition of Peabody Coal for mining purposes would bring about dire consequences for their company and would likely upset the world balance. Black Mesa is sacred land. Desecrating it to further rape Mother Nature would upset the gods. In 1974 the Relocation Act slid through a snoozing Congress which granted the Hopi (backed by Uncle Sam) access to land traditionally inherited to the Dineh (Navajo) to offset the (orchestrated?) Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute, which ultimately led to this:


I'm not sure I'm buying Claire Heyword's Hopi accent, but here's more on her and the Hopi Land Team's response to this action. Oh yeah, this all happened in Arizona.

p.s.- the world could use more people like Roberta Blackgoat.

Perhaps the best Netroots ad I have seen:


True Leader from iocomposer on Vimeo.

New Obama/Biden Campaign Posters

Enjoy...

Does this look Presidential ?

New MoveOn Ad:

Sorry I have only been posting videos these last few days. I have something big brewing....More on that later.

This is a great new ad being run by MoveOn.org

Check it out:

New Obama Ad:

They should run this thing everyday in every swing state from now until election day, and if McHerbertHoover wins, he should run it everywhere all the time until then end of the bastards term. Its kind of silly, but this is the sort of clip that can change an election. See Dukas in the tank...Here it is:

Eskimo Tears For Sarah

Sarah Palin and John McCain have decided it would be in a shrewd political move (one might even say maverick) to completely ignore inquiry requests into the unceremonious firing of public safety commisioner, Walt Monegan. The investigation was launched back in July (before anyone knew her name) when the four Democrats and eight Republicans on Alaska's Legislative Council voted unanimously to investigate the circumstances of Monegan's dismissal. Now that she's a VP nominee, she's already assuming Bush-ian executive privelege? The GOP claims Obama is tainting the case, because apparently, it didn't stink bad enough on its own. I guess the only voters who care about this are sexist.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Iraq Illustrated

















For those who like drugs and democracy..

As being reported by many major media outlets, Sarah Palin likes to fake and bake.

One pundit dropped a tidbit today that pretty much said most of Europe wants Obama to win, but too bad they can't vote. Seeing as Sarah Palin just got her passport five minutes ago and, like most Americans, probably doesn't have the most worldly perspective of things.. I mean when she's out of her vanity capsule, I thought it fitting to regurgitate the tale from one of my new favorite sites in Latin America (wherever that is). So please enjoy the yarn as spun by Narco News.

Jill Greenberg makes McCain even creepier...

To follow up Rob's post Sunday post, here's a link to the Animal New York article that describes Jill Greenberg's photoshoot and liberal-conscience-inspired creativity with McCoffinDodger's likeness.

Here's a great clip from the article:


Although pundits are already lashing out against her "unprofessional" behavior—including the Atlantic editor who wrote the cover story— Greenberg is adamantly unapologetic, telling PDN it's the magazine's fault for not properly vetting her. "Some of my artwork has been pretty anti-Bush, so maybe it was somewhat irresponsible for them [The Atlantic] to hire me."


Ladies and Gents...... the money shot:


Ahhh, what the heck... here's another:




Jill Greenberg's professional site: http://www.manipulator.com/

It's Not a Recession, Go Back to Sleep


I am reminded of the Governator's words at a rally for W years ago when talking about the economy. He taunted those who had the audacity to question our commander in chief's perspective (and track record of being bailed out by Saudi oil money every time he bankrupted a company) on the topic by calling them "economic girlie men." Fast forward a few years and Budweiser is owned by the Belgians. Gas is running about the same as a gallon of MonaVie. And this morning, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. They've only been successfully making money for 158 years. The Bank of America, which has already acquired LaSalle and Countrywide has now made a push to acquire Merrill Lynch, another Wall Street fixture for the past 150 years or so. About 7000 homes are being foreclosed upon every day. Unemployment just hit 6.1% Everyone I know is broke, hanging by a thread or unhappy that they need to dip into their savings. How bad is it? H. Ross Perot is considering throwing his name in the hat again (not really, but he probably should). The point being.. it's a fucking recession! And if McCain doesn't start to really explain how he intends to handle the economy, I cannot see how he has any chance of getting elected into office. And spending $10B per month in Iraq is not the kind of foreign investment, most on Wall Street are thinking about.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

An Oldie, but Goodie

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I think the whole Palin "boost" is gonna unravel in the debates. She's gonna cram a lot of info into her brain, but the prompted responses are not going to fly in a real debate like they would in an interview. She has great public speaking skills, but she's really kind of a twit. At least that's the impression I get from what she's stated thus far on just about any topic you could name. She says absolutely nothing incredibly well. I got to thinking how tough it's gotta be on her right now being coached up by supposed experts on everything from foreign policy and the economy to Iraq and opponents' voting records. It reminded me of this classic tv moment:

You liked McGoat? Meet McDevil...


Clayton Cubitt (at his Siege blog) puts up a wonderful image of McCain by Jill Greenberg. Do you think this is what he looks like when thinking about Iran in private? Or, maybe he's just eying the Constitution. Or, Sarah Palin's ass...

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Clinton and Palin on SNL

For those that missed it:



Well, the SNL sketch has been removed, but keep an eye out for it. In the meantime chew on this:

Great Video

Trolls

Trolls are creatures that live under bridges, in cardboard boxes and occasionally they seek residence on the internet. They are spiteful creatures by nature who spend their many idle and uninspired moments spewing hate and overt jealousy. They tend to drink ~ a lot. They are hairy and mean and often difficult to understand because they have swollen tongues. Dick Cheney's great-grandmother was half troll. While all trolls can appear scary, (I mean, shit.. they swallow bones, right?) some trolls are just toothless and sad. Commonly of low morale, ettiquette and intelligence, they compensate for their myriad of inadequacies by hurling barbs of anger as loudly as they can in their rough (and difficult to interpret) language. On rare occasions, some trolls show signs of frustration that manifest into a series of consecutive angry episodes. At these times, they will express their rage and disappointment in a masturbatory string of barks and grunts. Usually saying the same thing over and over in different ways. When these tantrums eventually cease, the troll is left only half as exhausted as those in his wake. And at the end of it all, the troll is no better and has done nothing to improve his position in the world because trolls are inherently lazy and pessimistic. There ARE ways to get rid of trolls, of course, but that is another matter...

Friday, September 12, 2008

John McCain's ads are LIES. Here's the video proof.

Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

I would be named "Snowshoe Man Palin" if Sarah Palin were my mother. Enjoy: http://www.personal-space.com/palin/index.php

Oh, and please post your Palin family name in the comments section.

Palin Around

Sarah Palin's blog: http://palinaround.tumblr.com/

Palin: "Get Raped-Pay Up!"

Palin's town billed rape victims to get evidence

By MARY PEMBERTON – 16 hours ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, the city billed sexual assault victims and their insurance companies for the cost of rape kits and forensic examinations.

Palin had been in office for four years when the practice of charging rape victims got the attention of state lawmakers in 2000, who passed a bill to stop the practice.

Former Democratic Rep. Eric Croft, who sponsored that bill, said he was disappointed that simply asking the Wasilla police department to stop didn't work. Croft said he doubts she was unaware of the practice. (click here for more)


In her defense, she did I have a source that said she told him "Hey, at least I didn't charge murder victims family's to process their family member's body, though I probably should. Why should Alaska tax payers pay because someone else got killed?"

She also told my source that she likes to "carpet bomb" wolves, moose and Jews in their natural habitat. I just report it the way I hear it.

And here is a video of Obama on McCain's Plan to Nowhere:




And here is a great bit from ABC asking McCain to please stop lying.

And here is another great video:



Furthermore, apparently Obama's new strategy tag line is that McCain would rather lose his integrity than an election. Keep it tuned...I will be building this thread all day and night.

Two great ads:

This one is great and I hope every voter in America sees it:



This shows some progress:

New Obama Ad: McCain doesn't know how to use a computer

Enjoy:

Heads Up: McCain is already messing with ballots in Ohio

I guess the early bird steals the worm:


The Columbus Dispatch reported the McCcain campaign sent out a million of the applications statewide.Already, more than 740 ballots in Hamilton County have been invalidated because of the mistake."I think this is not only a problem in Hamilton County, I think this is a problem in the whole state of Ohio," Hamilton County Board of Elections Deputy Director John Williams said. (click here for more).


Two things stand out here: A) If turnout is high, McCain loses. B) If McCain loses Ohio he loses.

Sick Already

I live in an area domintated by GOP sheep. All of a sudden drilling for oil is more brilliant than Einstein's theory of relativity and (per Karl Rove) we're winning the war in Iraq! For the price, we better be. Every day I am forced to hear blathering idiots ramble on and on about Sarah Palin. How hot she is (I didn't know America had a secret librarian fetish), how moral she is (aren't Pentecostals the ones who dance with snakes, speak in tongues and believe God cures cancer by having a priest touch your forehead?) what a fresh face she is, how entertaining she is, blah blah blah. What they don't say is what she TRULY is. Here's a clue:

1de·coy
Pronunciation:
\ˈdē-ˌkȯi, di-ˈ\
Function:
noun

1: a pond into which wildfowl are lured for capture

2: someone or something used to lure or lead another into a trap; especially : an artificial bird used to attract live birds within shot
3: someone or something used to draw attention away from another

The Republicans are so ga-ga about her that she overshadows her running mate. Old What's His Name. And what's worse is most of these fervent supporters don't know diddly about who this chick is (yeah.. I said it. Play the sexist card GOP swine.) So here's more on this little firecracker and what she truly believes (hint: it doesn't explain dinosaurs). If Barack is Superman, then McCain is Bizarro and she's his Bizarro Geraldine Ferraro. America. Please evolve before you cast your vote (pun intended).

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Michael Moore and Hunter Thompson's Letters from 9/12/01

From www.michaelmoore.com:

September 12, 2001
Death, Downtown

Dear friends,

I was supposed to fly today on the 4:30 PM American Airlines flight from LAX to JFK. But tonight I find myself stuck in L.A. with an incredible range of emotions over what has happened on the island where I work and live in New York City.

My wife and I spent the first hours of the day — after being awakened by phone calls from our parents at 6:40am PT — trying to contact our daughter at school in New York and our friend JoAnn who works near the World Trade Center.

I called JoAnn at her office. As someone picked up, the first tower imploded, and the person answering the phone screamed and ran out, leaving me no clue as to whether or not she or JoAnn would live.

It was a sick, horrible, frightening day.

On December 27, 1985 I found myself caught in the middle of a terrorist incident at the Vienna airport — which left 30 people dead, both there and at the Rome airport. (The machine-gunning of passengers in each city was timed to occur at the same moment.)

I do not feel like discussing that event tonight because it still brings up too much despair and confusion as to how and why I got to live… a fluke, a mistake, a few feet on the tarmac, and I am still here, there but for the grace of…

Safe. Secure. I’m an American, living in America. I like my illusions. I walk through a metal detector, I put my carry-ons through an x-ray machine, and I know all will be well.

Here’s a short list of my experiences lately with airport security:

* At the Newark Airport, the plane is late at boarding everyone. The counter can’t find my seat. So I am told to just “go ahead and get on” — without a ticket!

* At Detroit Metro Airport, I don’t want to put the lunch I just bought at the deli through the x-ray machine so, as I pass through the metal detector, I hand the sack to the guard through the space between the detector and the x-ray machine. I tell him “It’s just a sandwich.” He believes me and doesn’t bother to check. The sack has gone through neither security device.

* At LaGuardia in New York, I check a piece of luggage, but decide to catch a later plane. The first plane leaves without me, but with my bag — no one knowing what is in it.

* Back in Detroit, I take my time getting off the commuter plane. By the time I have come down its stairs, the bus that takes the passengers to the terminal has left — without me. I am alone on the tarmac, free to wander wherever I want. So I do. Eventually, I flag down a pick-up truck and an airplane mechanic gives me a ride the rest of the way to the terminal.

* I have brought knives, razors; and once, my traveling companion brought a hammer and chisel. No one stopped us.

Of course, I have gotten away with all of this because the airlines consider my safety SO important, they pay rent-a-cops $5.75 an hour to make sure the bad guys don’t get on my plane. That is what my life is worth — less than the cost of an oil change.

Too harsh, you say? Well, chew on this: a first-year pilot on American Eagle (the commuter arm of American Airlines) receives around $15,000 a year in annual pay.

That’s right — $15,000 for the person who has your life in his hands. Until recently, Continental Express paid a little over $13,000 a year. There was one guy, an American Eagle pilot, who had four kids so he went down to the welfare office and applied for food stamps — and he was eligible!

Someone on welfare is flying my plane? Is this for real? Yes, it is.

So spare me the talk about all the precautions the airlines and the FAA is taking. They, like all businesses, are concerned about one thing — the bottom line and the profit margin.

Four teams of 3-5 people were all able to penetrate airport security on the same morning at 3 different airports and pull off this heinous act? My only response is — that’s all?

Well, the pundits are in full diarrhea mode, gushing on about the “terrorist threat” and today’s scariest dude on planet earth — Osama bin Laden. Hey, who knows, maybe he did it. But, something just doesn’t add up.

Am I being asked to believe that this guy who sleeps in a tent in a desert has been training pilots to fly our most modern, sophisticated jumbo jets with such pinpoint accuracy that they are able to hit these three targets without anyone wondering why these planes were so far off path?

Or am I being asked to believe that there were four religious/political fanatics who JUST HAPPENED to be skilled airline pilots who JUST HAPPENED to want to kill themselves today?

Maybe you can find one jumbo jet pilot willing to die for the cause — but FOUR? Ok, maybe you can — I don’t know.

What I do know is that all day long I have heard everything about this bin Laden guy except this one fact — WE created the monster known as Osama bin Laden!

Where did he go to terrorist school? At the CIA!

Don’t take my word for it — I saw a piece on MSNBC last year that laid it all out. When the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, the CIA trained him and his buddies in how to commits acts of terrorism against the Soviet forces. It worked! The Soviets turned and ran. Bin Laden was grateful for what we taught him and thought it might be fun to use those same techniques against us.

We abhor terrorism — unless we’re the ones doing the terrorizing.

We paid and trained and armed a group of terrorists in Nicaragua in the 1980s who killed over 30,000 civilians. That was OUR work. You and me. Thirty thousand murdered civilians and who the hell even remembers!

We fund a lot of oppressive regimes that have killed a lot of innocent people, and we never let the human suffering THAT causes to interrupt our day one single bit.

We have orphaned so many children, tens of thousands around the world, with our taxpayer-funded terrorism (in Chile, in Vietnam, in Gaza, in Salvador) that I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised when those orphans grow up and are a little whacked in the head from the horror we have helped cause.

Yet, our recent domestic terrorism bombings have not been conducted by a guy from the desert but rather by our own citizens: a couple of ex-military guys who hated the federal government.

From the first minutes of today’s events, I never heard that possibility suggested. Why is that?

Maybe it’s because the A-rabs are much better foils. A key ingredient in getting Americans whipped into a frenzy against a new enemy is the all-important race card. It’s much easier to get us to hate when the object of our hatred doesn’t look like us.

Congressmen and Senators spent the day calling for more money for the military; one Senator on CNN even said he didn’t want to hear any more talk about more money for education or health care — we should have only one priority: our self-defense.

Will we ever get to the point that we realize we will be more secure when the rest of the world isn’t living in poverty so we can have nice running shoes?

In just 8 months, Bush gets the whole world back to hating us again. He withdraws from the Kyoto agreement, walks us out of the Durban conference on racism, insists on restarting the arms race — you name it, and Baby Bush has blown it all.

The Senators and Congressmen tonight broke out in a spontaneous version of “God Bless America.” They’re not a bad group of singers!

Yes, God, please do bless us.

Let’s mourn, let’s grieve, and when it’s appropriate let’s examine our contribution to the unsafe world we live in.

It doesn’t have to be like this…

Yours,
Michael Moore

mmflint@aol.com
Michael Moore Home




Here is Hunter:
It was just after dawn in Woody Creek, Colo., when the first plane hit the World Trade Center in New York City on Tuesday morning, and as usual I was writing about sports. But not for long. Football suddenly seemed irrelevant, compared to the scenes of destruction and utter devastation coming out of New York on TV. Even ESPN was broadcasting war news. It was the worst disaster in the history of the United States, including Pearl Harbor, the San Francisco earthquake and probably the Battle of Antietam in 1862, when 23,000 were slaughtered in one day. The Battle of the World Trade Center lasted about 99 minutes and cost 20,000 lives in two hours (according to unofficial estimates as of midnight Tuesday). The final numbers, including those from the supposedly impregnable Pentagon, across the Potomac River from Washington, likely will be higher. Anything that kills 300 trained firefighters in two hours is a world-class disaster. And it was not even Bombs that caused this massive damage. No nuclear missiles were launched from any foreign soil, no enemy bombers flew over New York and Washington to rain death on innocent Americans. No. It was four commercial jetliners.

They were the first flights of the day from American and United Airlines, piloted by skilled and loyal U.S. citizens, and there was nothing suspicious about them when they took off from Newark, N.J., and Dulles in D.C. and Logan in Boston on routine cross-country flights to the West Coast with fully-loaded fuel tanks -- which would soon explode on impact and utterly destroy the world-famous Twin Towers of downtown Manhattan's World Trade Center. Boom! Boom! Just like that. The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now -- with somebody -- and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives. It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy. Osama bin Laden may be a primitive "figurehead" -- or even dead, for all we know -- but whoever put those All-American jet planes loaded with All-American fuel into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon did it with chilling precision and accuracy.

The second one was a dead-on bullseye. Straight into the middle of the skyscraper. Nothing -- even George Bush's $350 billion "Star Wars" missile defense system -- could have prevented Tuesday's attack, and it cost next to nothing to pull off. Fewer than 20 unarmed Suicide soldiers from some apparently primitive country somewhere on the other side of the world took out the World Trade Center and half the Pentagon with three quick and costless strikes on one day. The efficiency of it was terrifying. We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once. Who knows? Not even the Generals in what remains of the Pentagon or the New York papers calling for WAR seem to know who did it or where to look for them. This is going to be a very expensive war, and Victory is not guaranteed -- for anyone, and certainly not for anyone as baffled as George W. Bush. All he knows is that his father started the war a long time ago, and that he, the goofy child-President, has been chosen by Fate and the global Oil industry to finish it Now. He will declare a National Security Emergency and clamp down Hard on Everybody, no matter where they live or why.

If the guilty won't hold up their hands and confess, he and the Generals will ferret them out by force. Good luck. He is in for a profoundly difficult job -- armed as he is with no credible Military Intelligence, no witnesses and only the ghost of Bin Laden to blame for the tragedy. OK. It is 24 hours later now, and we are not getting much information about the Five Ws of this thing. The numbers out of the Pentagon are baffling, as if Military Censorship has already been imposed on the media. It is ominous.

The only news on TV comes from weeping victims and ignorant speculators. The lid is on. Loose Lips Sink Ships. Don't say anything that might give aid to The Enemy.

Palin Interview on ABC News

I won't spoil it for those on the West Coast, ect....but if she is acceptable, anything is acceptable. She looked like she was taking an oral exam and wishing she had an extra day to cram.

Really, if this a passable, I give up. It reminded me of this classic interview with GWB* only it may have been worse. Anyone that votes for the McCain/Palin ticket hates America and their children. There is no other answer.

Everyone should rightfully beat up on her for this, which will play into her being swallowed by a tsunami of sympathy, and probably getting a boast in the polls. I repeat, we are proving Aristotle right-- democracy is a crude and base form of government.

* - A clip of this interview can be found on the Huffingtonpost.
* * - Read some transcripts here.

The bar has been set so low for this person that a yard lizard couldn't do the limbo under it. Some pundits just said that she beat her low expectations. Why do we put up with this?

Great Read by Roger Ebert: Sarah Palin: The American Idol candidate

This is very well put and sticks to the themes I mentioned in this morning's piece. I strongly recommend giving it a read:

I think I might be able to explain some of Sarah Palin's appeal. She's the "American Idol" candidate. Consider. What defines an "American Idol" finalist? They're good-looking, work well on television, have a sunny personality, are fierce competitors, and so talented, why, they're darned near the real thing. There's a reason "American Idol" gets such high ratings. People identify with the contestants. They think, Hey, that could be me up there on that show!

My problem is, I don't want to be up there. I don't want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn't repeat bald- faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn't appoint Alaskan politicians to "study" global warming, because, hello! It has been studied. The returns are convincing enough that John McCain and Barack Obama are darned near in agreement. (click here for more)

Feminist for Life

It's been a long time since I've posted, but Puddy suggested - after I regained my motor skills, which were mostly lost due to apoplexy upon reading about this - I mention this bit on Sarah Palin that I found via Steve Benen at Washington Monthly. Apparently, while the so-called "Feminist for Life," Palin, was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, it was the only city in the state that required victims of rape to pay on their own for the use of rape kits, which can cost anywhere from $300-$1200. Due to the practice, the Alaska state legislature stepped in and passed a law banning the practice. There's no record of Palin's stance at the time victims of violent crimes were being charged for a service every other city in the state was already paying for, but the police chief she had appointed is on the record for opposing the state's legislation.

A friend of mine who was a Hillary supporter, and more than a little bitter that Obama won the nomination went on the warpath over the Palin nomination when it was announced. "How stupid do they think we are that they can put up a woman who stands for everything Hillary or any other Democrat is against and expect to gain women's votes?" I mocked the whole thing as just a stupid idea on the part of the McCain campaign as well. Now - and I can't believe it took me so long - I'm just disgusted.

Feminist for Life... As if feminist is just a term. It's taking action to support and further the advancement of equal rights for women. So, while her spokesperson has said Palin "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test." Her silence and failure to stand up for women on this issue, even as the police chief she appointed was dangerously on the wrong side of this issue, is deafening. All I have left to say is this, and I'll put it in terms Republicans can understand since they only know how to read mischaracterizations and distortions of comments by the Obama campaign... You can put all the lipstick on Phyllis Schlafly that you want, but in the end, you've still got a pig. And it's name is Sarah Palin.

If Obama does not win...

...it will partially be because progressive 527 goups won't go after McCain with an ad outlining this. The Repubs would use it, ala the Swift Boats, and that's why they usually win.

Furthermore, it will be because McCain is able to get away with this sort of thing:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized two of his future running mate's hometown projects in broadsides in 2001 against congressional "pork-barrel" spending, records from the Arizona senator's office show.

McCain and running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have criticized such spending as a central part of their campaign for the White House. McCain has made pork-busting a centerpiece of his maverick pitch for years.

But when Palin served as mayor of her hometown of Wasilla, outside Anchorage, she obtained about $27 million in federal "earmarks" during her last four years in office, according to the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

In a 2001 statement opposing a transportation spending bill McCain singled out for criticism about $3 million worth of those projects. McCain's list of "objectionable" spending included a $2.5 million road project for the town that then had a population of 5,500, as well as a $450,000 appropriation for an...

Palin's Pipeline in the Sky

Do you remember Palin's pep rally at the RNC? Remember the self-congratulatory part of her speech when she bragged about the natural gas pipeline that she's made so much progress with? Here's a reminder:

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history.

And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly 40 billion-dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.


As it turns out, there's a little more to the story - and a little less to the pipeline. A NYT article, surely to be dismissed by Palin's supporters, outlines the actual progress of Palin's pipe.

Here's just some of the fun:

Certainly she proved effective in attracting developers to a project that has eluded Alaska governors for three decades. But an examination of the pipeline project also found that Ms. Palin has overstated both the progress that has been made and the certainty of success.

The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Ms. Palin’s relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs.


On those in Palin's camp...
Of the Palin aides familiar with TransCanada from those earlier negotiations, Ms. Rutherford had an unusually close connection. For 10 months in 2003, she was a partner in a consulting and lobbying firm whose clients included Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., a subsidiary of TransCanada.

Ms. Rutherford said in an interview that after TransCanada submitted its pipeline proposal to the Palin administration, she and the governor never discussed whether her role on the team might be viewed as improper or give the appearance of a conflict of interest.


On progress...
Under the most optimistic circumstances, dirt is not expected to be turned for years. TransCanada’s plan calls for it to file an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the end of 2011, and to have the pipeline operational by late 2018. The company is not obligated to proceed with the project even if it clears all the financial and regulatory hurdles.


So, that's it. Palin's greatest professional accomplishment and its really nothing more than a blueprint that's been around since the Carter administration.

But on the bright side - Palin's supporters will never have to know about any of this because it's written in a newspaper using words... eh, fuck 'em all.