Friday, October 31, 2008

November 5th Drudge Pledge


I admit it--I look at the Drudge Report everyday. Its a strange breed of obsession that would require a painful form of self-reflection for me to truly understand. I tell myself that everyone in D.C. looks at it daily (which is sadly true)so I need to peruse its content to keep up. After all, I am a professional.

But that would be the easy way out, and I am learned enough to know that virtually everything that is easy is also bad, and most bad things (especially destructive habits) necessitate an ugly cleansing process.

So here is my pledge: Obama wins on Tuesday and I swear off Drudge's bullshit site forever. No need for a double take, I said FOREVER, and I urge anyone else with my affliction to do the same.

Vote Obama as many times as you can. If not for the country, than out of spite to destroy that pervert-hat wearing twit that would be cleaning highways if the right people were running the show.

Remember, when it comes t Drudge, if we don't look, he won't eat.


- Lastly, is anyone else pissed that this, of all weekends, is the one that we get an extra hour?

GOP TRUST

I had just opened this article that details how the right are going to get nasty, the same moment a group called the GOP Trust ran a Rev. Wright add here in Florida. Granted, it occurred in the middle of 5 Dem ads, and was on behalf of a "blockhead" of a candidate that has virtually no chance of winning, but still, it was terrible. Kind of like getting rocks on Halloween.

Also, we are going to be having a "blog pool" for the Electoral College on Monday, so stay tuned.

Till then:


Stevens found NOT GUILTY

At least according to himself. In a debate last night he announced that he has not been convicted of anything, despite a difference of opinion with the judge and jury that convicted him earlier this week on 7 counts of corruption. 


He will probably think McPalin will be in the White House come January as well.

My guess, for what its worth, is that he will get re-elected, because Alaskans are mavericks. 

Dear McPalin: Boo! The Economist endorses Obama

The center-right leaning British publication, the Economist, has come out for Obama, and done so in what I think is a, quite frankly brilliant way. Three things stand out for me about this endorsement that make it more striking than any of the others I have come across. Heres why:

1) The Economist has some of the smartest and best researched material political material on the international circuit. It challenges the average reader and forces he or she to elevate their game when consuming their writing (much like this site!). They don't dumb down to reach a broader audience. Instead they choose to reach out to intellectuals and aspirants of intellectuality throughout the world.

In order to do so they must understand the world or they will have no readers. So this endorsement further spotlights a world behind Obama. The Economist, as a whole, understand the geo-political temperatures better than any other publication I have come across-- be it academic or commercial.

2) A center-right publication is classic McTurd territory, and this just deepens the sketch of the Arizona Senator as a man that has at the very least lost his political soul, if not his moral compass.

3) The way they framed their endorsement was powerful and forward thinking. They ask us to examine what the next 8 years might be like, as opposed to merely (and appropriately) mocking the eight that we are about to conclude. Here is an excerpt:


The immediate focus, which has dominated the campaign, looks daunting enough: repairing America’s economy and its international reputation. The financial crisis is far from finished. The United States is at the start of a painful recession. Some form of further fiscal stimulus is needed, though estimates of the budget deficit next year already spiral above $1 trillion. Some 50m Americans have negligible health-care cover. Abroad, even though troops are dying in two countries, the cack-handed way in which George Bush has prosecuted his war on terror has left America less feared by its enemies and less admired by its friends than it once was.

Yet there are also longer-term challenges, worth stressing if only because they have been so ignored on the campaign. Jump forward to 2017, when the next president will hope to relinquish office. A combination of demography and the rising costs of America’s huge entitlement programmes—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—will be starting to bankrupt the country. Abroad a greater task is already evident: welding the new emerging powers to the West. That is not just a matter of handling the rise of India and China, drawing them into global efforts, such as curbs on climate change; it means reselling economic and political freedom to a world that too quickly associates American capitalism with Lehman Brothers and American justice with Guantánamo Bay. This will take patience, fortitude, salesmanship and strategy.

At the beginning of this election year, there were strong arguments against putting another Republican in the White House. A spell in opposition seemed apt punishment for the incompetence, cronyism and extremism of the Bush presidency. Conservative America also needs to recover its vim. Somehow Ronald Reagan’s party of western individualism and limited government has ended up not just increasing the size of the state but turning it into a tool of southern-fried moralism.

The selection of Mr McCain as the Republicans’ candidate was a powerful reason to reconsider. Mr McCain has his faults: he is an instinctive politician, quick to judge and with a sharp temper. And his age has long been a concern (how many global companies in distress would bring in a new 72-year-old boss?). Yet he has bravely taken unpopular positions—for free trade, immigration reform, the surge in Iraq, tackling climate change and campaign-finance reform. A western Republican in the Reagan mould, he has a long record of working with both Democrats and America’s allies.

If only the real John McCain had been running

That, however, was Senator McCain; the Candidate McCain of the past six months has too often seemed the victim of political sorcery, his good features magically inverted, his bad ones exaggerated. The fiscal conservative who once tackled Mr Bush over his unaffordable tax cuts now proposes not just to keep the cuts, but to deepen them. The man who denounced the religious right as “agents of intolerance” now embraces theocratic culture warriors. The campaigner against ethanol subsidies (who had a better record on global warming than most Democrats) came out in favour of a petrol-tax holiday. It has not all disappeared: his support for free trade has never wavered. Yet rather than heading towards the centre after he won the nomination, Mr McCain moved to the right.

(For more click here)


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Great Sign

Hats off to Andrew Sullivan for posting this...

PSSSST...He's Black

I am a white guy. I'm not bragging or complaining, I'm just saying I'm white. One thing that I have noticed consistently over the years is that white people try to conceal when they use the descriptive term "black" when talking about black people. It goes like this. A white person tells a story and gets to the part to describe a black person. At this time White Person forms an L with his hand and places it along side his mouth, thumb along bottom of chin and forefinger pointing up along cheek. It is now safe for White Person to say "black" in a very soft voice. White Person's bigoted actions do not go unnoticed. Black Person notices the gesture of White Person's secret pose and feels the heavy eyes glancing in his direction. Of course White Person says, "Don't Look", which makes the recipient look more. This is going to surprise some of you, Black People Know they are Black! It's not a secret. I imagine that it is not offensive to black people to be referred to as black but is very offensive to hear people say "black" as though it's a bad word.

Democrats and Republicans have come across the aisle in mass bipartisanship agreement in regards to George W. Bush being one of the worst, if not thee worst, president of all times. They agree that W. has the Midas Touch in reverse. Everything the guy does turns to portapotty shit. It can't be flushed. It piles up. It smells really really bad. John McCain brags about having agreed with Portapotty Bush more than most of his Republican colleagues.




On the other hand, Obama is thoughtful, rational, and reasonable in his thought, ideas, and clear opposition of what Portapotty Bush has done to our country. So why isn't Obama further ahead in the polls?



In the primaries when the Clintons bashed Obama for his relationship with his reverend, Obama addressed the ongoing race tensions and unequalities in our country brilliantly. He delivered the most powerful civil rights speech of my lifetime (Sadly, Dr. King was assassinated before I was born.) Obama has already made major strides in getting people talking about major issues that plague our nation, such as negative race relations. Obama is opening people's minds to accept great ideas that will move our country forward positively across the board. I don't expect neo-nazis to embrace him, but all of them would benefit from his leadership. These extremists rather be raped by greedy white control than prosper under sound, fair, black leadership.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Rubber vs. Glue: The Final Showdown

The McCain ticket (particularly Momma Maverick) needs to grow up. They're grabbing at straws and riling up the race card votes. Their campaign isn't even about winning anymore. It's all for polar diva seizing her moment in the spotlight and jockeying for her next endeavor. I actually had a McCain sticker put on my car today. Even my faded old piece of shit car felt degraded. What is most disgusting is that this party is gung-ho for this stance that is so obvious and childish. They chose to name call instead of discussing the issues. Because they either have bad ideas or only rough sketches of what they think they might kinda understand better if they weren't so unaware or misinformed about what they were supposed to be overseeing. Or something like that.

I went to foxnews.com for about 5 seconds last night and I nearly vomited. Every headline was skewed hate. Even the font was chunky and weird. I got dizzy and zipped over to my emergency website and picked up a Wally to bring me down. Helped save a Koala in the process.

At any rate, John McCain lost his way on this stumble to the White House and should promote a message that provides solutions or challenges the topics instead of all this nonsense. And Sarah Palin is a dumb cunt. I'm sorry, but it's true. She knows shit from shinola and is milking this close up for all its worth. She's not For the people. She's for herself. And she is projecting a racist message. When unbiased news sources (or the law in her home state) dig into her past it's the liberal media bullying, but she can stand at a podium and send this ignorant message that vitalizes people like Timothy McVeigh and this guy. There is no dignity in what they are doing.

New Obama Ad:

No sound required:

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Aunt Thomasina: An NFL debacle (Jerry? YES! Condi? NO!)

Condoleezza Rice is a minion of evil.

And she needs to stay the hell away from the NFL. Spending 4 years hiding behind a curtain then 4 years in the spotlight as the relief pitcher in the bullshit World Series [starting rotation: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Tenet and Bush - Powell lost for the season] does not mean you deserve a job in the NFL. I'm a bigger NFL fan than her and I don't deserve it either. It's great that she is a refined and cultured black woman and the fact that she achieved this position is a symbol of progress in Equality. It would be more commendable if she weren't completely unqualified to do this job. Aside from the fact that her accomplishment is about to get completely overshadowed by someone far greater than her, she was a robotic mouthpiece for the misinformation hate machine. A puppet on a string. A guilty party. Her appointment was not as bad as the joker at FEMA, but she is forever linked to this catastrophic administration. Does that ever wash off?

Plus she has designs on taking over a high-ranking and influential role in NFL. Anybody who has been following the twists and turns of the CBAs knows how delicate the situation is. And she cannot possibly help. I'm okay with the economy being in the shitter and gas being $4, but if you take away my football, I'll go postal. Surely there must be some other organization she could infiltrate and ruin.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Have you hugged your fuck up kid lately?

Somebody hasn't. And if you consider yourself a supremacist, shouldn't you look supreme in some way?

Here is some more unchecked racism at a Palin rally:



Notice that the crowd is more offended by the suggestion that we end up like the oppresive Swedes than the usage of the "N" word.

$150,000 Redneck from a place that goes months without sunlight?



9 Rabid McCain Supporters


He's outfoxed Obama by targeting a demographic that just may be old enough to vote for him before he expires.

Seriously.. how bored are these kids?

8 Day, 5 hours till the first polls close...




Chin up everyone. I am still getting this pending sense of doom permeating from so many, much like an FSU kicker about to try for a game winner against Miami.


We are going to pull this out!


The math is still very much on Obama's side. Remember, many of the undecided voters are probably going to break for McPalin.


Don't fret!


Obama does not need a single one of them. NBC's Chuck Todd estimates that 7/10 undecided voters will break for McPalin. Obama gets to 306 (270 needed) in the E.C. without picking up a single voter, and even if a few states are off, he should have no problem getting to 270.

The facts speak for themselves. The overwhelming majority of leaks and defections that have occurred over the last few weeks come from the McPalin camp. Few, if any, have come from the Obama side. The Obama camp appears poised and together. McPalin's looks confused and disgruntled. If this were Rock-N-Roll, Obama would be a Stone's concert, McPalin would be a Wham cover band playing in a garage somewhere in Alberta.

In my opinion, the following scene from Spinal Tap featuring Duke Fame and the Flame Throwers best articulates the state of the two campaigns:

Crazed female fans shriek.)
David: Uh-oh- look out, here they come....
Derek: Hold your breath.
Fan: Duke! Duke! Can I have your autograph?
Nigel: It's Duke.
David: Duke! Duke!
Terry: Get your hands back.
David: It's OK, we know'm, it's Spinal Tap.
Terry: Sure.
David:
David St Hubbins, Spinal Tap; Derek Smalls, Spinal Tap;
Nigel....
Terry:
Look, we gotta get going here.
David: Listen, uh...uh...where
you playing in
town?
You you playin' here?
Terry: We're doin'
the...uh...Enormodome
whatever it is. It's
terrific, it's a good
house.
We sold it out.
David:
Oh yeah big place outside of town.
Terry:
Very nice.
David: That's a big
place. You sold it out?!
Nigel:
What's that, twenty-thousand seats?
Terry: We really should
run, you know...
Ian: Good heavens. How are you,
laddy?! Great to see
you, Ter!
Terrific to see you.
Terry:
Uhhhhm...Liam!
Ian: Ian.
Ian.
Terry: Ian. Yeah, listen, we'd love to
stand around and chat,
but
we've gotta...sit down in the lobby and wait for
the
limo.
Derek:
OK.
David: OK. Great. Duke, great to see you. Great
to
see you again
Terry.
Derek: We'll catch up with you on the road.
Duke: Cheers.
David: Duke! Great to see you. See ya. See you, Duke. Good
days.
Good days!
Fuckin' wanker.
Nigel: What a wanker.
David:
What
a wanker.
Derek: Total no talent sod.
Nigel:
He's got this much
talent -- this much if he's lucky.
David: We carried
him. We had to
apologize for him with our set.
Derek: That's right.
Mick: That's
right,
yeah.
David: People were still booin' 'im
when we were on.
It's all
hype. It's all hype. It's all bought.


See for yourself:









The pending doom. I addressed it last week. Everyone is losing sight of one item of serious note--and that is proud reality that GWB is about to leave office. If nothing else, keep that in mind when we hit the inevitable bumps of the next few days.

I'll say it again: no terrorist attack on US soil, or no nuke exploding in the next 8 days, Obama wins by 9pm EST.

Also, stay tuned, as I am thinking on that Tuesday of next week to have an E.C. prediction game of some kind....a "blog pool" of sorts.

Happy New Week:


Monday Poster Alert:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Nightmare: McPalin Win!

I am watching a local county commission election, which is very sad as I already voted. In about 2 weeks I think I'm going to take a break from politics, well, as much as I can since I teach this shit for a living.

That being said, please, if you never carry out any of my generally silly or reactionary requests again, give this a read, and do what you can to get the folks you know to vote and vote Obama. Otherwise, we will all be living in a tube.

Thank you, I really appreciate you reading our blog. The depth of your questions is always impressive and inspiring. I feel blessed for your loyalty. If you give me a chance, I will serve you very well in the coming years. I have the right experience and commitment to serve you, our reader. G-d bless you, G-d bless Leon County, and G-d bless America.

Muslims for McCain



I know it sounds like Jews for Jesus, but they're the reasonable ones. In this example at least.

Drive by rant...

Why do the same people that advocate small government want a large military? Palin's handlers are programing her to say that Obama advocates the government taking the people's money and property from them to share with all, and that he wants to use government to take care of us. Keeping to her master's logic--should they wish to be consistent-- then shouldn't we then replace the military with a citizen militia?

Go Dolphins.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Double Reverse Maverick

Just when you thought it couldn't get any maverickier, it did. Momma Maverick has gone maverick from the Maverick ticket.

The Easily Duped - A Video Archive

These people should be put in the zoo, so I could throw peanuts at them.



Part 2.. Rise of the Uninformed...

What does McCain beat?

Friday, October 24, 2008

Am I the last person to know????


So, the whole thing was a hoax?

Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker.

What kind of fucking world is this? ...making up a story about a 6 foot 4 black dude pinning you down and carving a 'B' into your face for being a McCain supporter?

Is this the most disgusting form of rascism we've seen this campaign or what?




Dear Ashley Todd,

You fucking asshole. It's understandable that you are upset about the fact that your candidate sucks. You are frustrated that your political party put forward such a pathetic character to represent your beliefs, of which you clearly care deeply about... apparently, to the point of insanity.

But did you have to fulfill every non-Texan's stereotype about the horrific rascism, ignorance, and apparent lunacy of the average Texan (Austin residents excluded)?

Furthermore, are you even aware of the hatefullness that your actions imply? That you'd fictionalize such a horrific act despite having to endure self-mutilation to accomplish your ruse?

This is futile... I don't have the ability to craft a letter that could possibly express my frustration.

I hope that you have plenty of time in jail with plenty of nice incarcirated African-American women that can explain the folly of your actions to you.

Best of luck douchebag.

Do it for the Fonze

Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli: Don't you understand, your brain is clay and I gotta SQUEEZE it!



See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

I'm never quite sure how effective these ads are, but hey, he is the Fonze, and he still cooler than you....

Friday laughs...

Laugh it up fuckers... despite impending continuing financial doom:



(h/t to Urantian Sojourn)

Vote Early

In this stunning video, one guy made all the difference. Vote as soon as you can and urge all of your friends, colleagues, and enemies do so too.


FLASH POLL: DOW < 8,000???

Yes or No?

I will say no. Its at 8,190 as of 9:35 AM EST, down more than 500 points. Follow all the action live right here!

Good Morning--Your Broke!


Enjoy that cup of coffee, it may be the last you are ever able to afford. Predictions are that investors are going to get a big "B" carved in their cheeks by a bunch of thieves this morning. Japan closes down 10%. Germany, at the moment, down almost 11%. This could be the day that seals the deal for Obama. History tells us that when Americans are afraid to lose their homes their homes they tend to vote Democrat--when they are afraid of their homes being blown up they tend to vote Republican.

So their is the game laid out for ye. If we don't have a major attack on U.S. soil, or something akin to a "nucular" bomb going off in London or Tel Aviv, Obama will win this thing by 9pm EST at the latest (on Nov. 4, not tonight). He is tied or ahead in 10 states that Bush won in 2004. States like Florida, Iowa, and Ohio make sense for they represent traditional battle ground territory. But North Carolina? Hell, North Dakota? This is looking like a landslide that I think will grow if the stock market does what many say it is going to do today (though I have a hunch stocks will close up today. Then again anyone that's ever been to Vegas with me knows my hunches are seriously and painfully flawed). Remember, many people will be getting their October 401K statements in the mail around the 4th of November. And, as the video below explains, its never good when the ideologues that ran your economy for over a decade are referred to as "3 Bill Buckners" in public to no rebuke.

For the Ladies..

The Wrong Message

The way to sway young voters is NOT to mug them and carve letters in their face. I only say that because it's the truth and the freedom to vote for whoever you want to is perhaps the greatest perk this "greatest, best country God ever gave man" has left. Also, I live on an island of freewill and independent thought surrounded by a vast sea of W, McCain and Palin bumper stickers and I coulda been on the receiving end of this violent foolishness. A better tactic for trying to get a voter, especially a young one, to validate their decision or potentially change their mind is to ask them questions and to challenge them on what they THINK they know about their candidate.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Matt Drudge Sucks

Just for the record. But Bob Dylan rules:



To understand you know too soon there is no sense in trying.

Are you there God? It's me, Dick.

Atheists in Great Britain have united for a unique cause; spreading the message that God, unicorns and Iraqi WMDs have a lot in common. I like this for a couple of reasons. First off, the message says "relax." Too often when people are wound up or motivated by fear, they make rash decisions (or allow rash decisions to be made for them). It tells people not to take things so seriously and to take advantage of the time they have, because, in all likelihood, this is all the time they'll ever have. The other thing I like about this message is that it saves lives. Gods (under any religion and in any form) have been responsible for more killing, oppression, discrimination and outright hate than any other issue or entity. From the Crusades to Muslims who hijack their religion to justify jihad against all those who think differently than they do. From the Holocaust to the Christian terrorism of the IRA. People latch on to the beliefs of a religion or God to save them from their mundane or unsatisfactory lives. Whenever people involve themselves with organized religion, there is the risk that they will encounter one of the countless predatory clerics and ministers who live high on the hog by duping the deperate and weak-minded. That includes anyone who adores a Pope as God's anointed. Popes have been the greatest abusers of this "executive privilege" since way back. Religion, or more importantly Faith, should not be all together discredited as it does lay the foundation for morals which so very many Americans truly lack. There is a Truth out there which is universal and flows throughout all cultures. But religion has become synonymous with Control. If you practice a faith rooted in the King James Bible, you're living life with a redacted perspective and you probably think Jesus was white.

(Did that come off as too Marxist?)

SAVE ME--VOTE TODAY


Please vote today and urge everyone you know to do the same. If you live in a state that does not allow for early voting, get an absentee ballot and send it in right away. Again, urge everyone you know to follow your lead.

I am noticing that my lifestyle is taking a nasty turn for the worse. I am exercising less, drinking more and sleeping in strange shifts without any congruence to the normal patterns of a 24 hour cycle. I'm not even sure what that means but trust me, it ain't good. I can't even figure out the tag that Helen gave me yesterday (which I want to do) and my performance at work is dismal. Lets not even begin to discuss my performance in the bedroom...

I must not be alone in this. Please, someone else tell me their life is in an unhealthy spiral for no reason other than this election, and the pending bipolar emotional possibilities its outcome promises to deliver.

So I propose this: if everyone votes today--one way or the other--(and I am talking 100 percent turnout) there must be no reason to wait until Nov. 4 to await the results. Right? It seems it would just have to work that way. We can end this campaign, and we can end it today if we can get everyone to vote before election day.

I think I am going to buy a gym membership that begins on Nov. 5, because this can't stand. Life should not be about deciding which "news" show I am going to have on in the background while I decide which article I am going to read while I think about what I want to write about this election on this blog. I should not be able to converse with near strangers at length about remote congressional districts in Minnesota or bellwether counties in Colorado. Win, lose, or draw--there is something waiting on the other side of the fifth of November and I want to get there asap.

Please forward this plea to everyone you know and urge them to act.


My life is in your hands.

Pot Calls Kettle Black


(but it's not a racial thing) In a terribly un-fascinating interview with NBC, Sarah Palin called Barack Obama naive and dangerous for America. Oh yeah.. McCain was there too. I find it curious that the Republican ticket clings to this notion that bad-mouthing Dems and fear mongering will carry them to the Oval Office (again) despite the fact they laid an incredibly vague and unappetizing platform. In 4 debates, I heard no satisfactory commentary from the GOP on the economy or healthcare. Drilling and energy? You betcha! That's why they lost all 4 debates. Now it's Palin's "experience" as top dog of a tiny town in the middle of frozen nowhere that should put her over the top as VP? It'd be a more convincing argument if she answered ANY fucking question directly without the rhetoric, name calling or winking. I am hoping to God that there are more of US than THEM that get heard over the next two weeks.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Widespread Panic Police Brutality

I live in a great small city. Tallahassee, Fl. Yep, that's right, the city of lights. I was with a friend this evening at a great Widespread Panic concert. I danced the Donkey Kong and then sat down for a slow minute to get lost in the music.

Suddenly, a police officer walked in front of me. He pointed to a guy up one row, "Come here!" The guy simply walked over. Then out of nowhere the ass hat grabbed the concert goer by his shirt with both hands and body slammed him onto the seats directly in front of me. The concert goer did not resist at all. He simply listened and obeyed the orders that Officer Ass Hat barked at him. Then Ass Hat slapped cuffs on one wrist and demanded that Concert Goer give him his other hand. The only problem was that Ass Hat had Concert Goer pinned down so hard he couldn't pull his other arm out. Ass Hat then threatened to shoot Concert Goer with his taser if he did not give him his hand immediately. Another concert goer helped Concert Goer and then Ass Hat toted him away.

I don't know why Ass Hat brutalized young Concert Goer and did not read him his Miranda Rights. As much as I could tell the guy got brutalized for taking a puff of marijuana. I realize the stuff is illegal in Florida but come on. Concert Goer will most likely have back problems for life from that brutal body slam onto chairs. We need to stand up for our rights in this country. The home of the free, right?

Hail, Hail Subway Maps


So that you know how many more stops you have to sit next to some dickhead.

Best CAD Wishes To All...

I beg my fellow blogger's pardon for this intrusion upon Cartographer Appreciation Day... but I just can't help it. I'm pleased with the traction that this crazy upstart holiday is gaining, and i applaud Sal "the Butcher" for his effort in making this an exceptional day. I guess... I don't know, I'm just depressed.

CAD, as the cool PBR-drinking kids are calling it, is a grand day for sure, but why has this become such an overwhelming success where so many of our past ventures have failed?

Virtually nobody showed up for Free-Bris and Brie Day. And now there are literally dozens of left-over triscuits and band-aids. And that Moyel will probably never speak to me again.

Larry Csonka Day was another huge disappointment. What with the death of the porn-stash and all...

I suppose I should be more appreciative on this day of appreciation. I certainly do hold cartographers among the highest respect.

So, in honor of this day, I would like to put bipartisanship aside as was requested by CAD founder and resident blogger Sal "the Butcher", to offer this map of Hell to John McCain and Sarah Palin. I have no idea what the intricacies of the image mean, but the general idea as well as my intentions are clearly defined.

Furthermore, a shout-out to Strange Maps (h/t to Frederick via L'ennui mélodieux).

Happy CAD ya'll. Be sure to tie one on for your favorite map-maker.

One Hell of a Map

I want to personally thank whoever came up with this one:

Notice how it provides a clear shot of both poles and has a color prism? I love the portrayal of Greenland. I hear its really not that green, by the way...

Hug a Map Maker!!!

Admit it...You love knowing where you are and where you can go!!!


This is hard, under appreciated work!!!


Making maps is sexy!!!

Quick Thoughts on the Palin Spree

As many of you by now have heard, Politico is reporting that the RNC has spent roughly 150,000 U.S.D. on clothing and makeup for Palin and her clan. I have mixed thoughts on all of this. In the scheme of things, this is a non story. Clearly, in my opinion, there are far more important matters to be discussed, and a tidbit like this cheapens them by not giving such topics their proper place in the public discourse.

But in fairness, in the cosmic scheme of things, none of this stuff matters in the face of questions related to the size and purpose of the Universe or the meaning of life. In other words, this is an issue that warrants discussion, as it portrays, once again, what a fraud this hockey mom is and how inept McCain has been at managing a campaign. A candidates campaign offers us the best preview of how they would run an administration, and I think this story speaks to the stark contrast between the Dem and Repub candidates.

Lastly, could you imagine if you were an inspired "Joe Six Pack" or even a "Joe the Plumber" and you spent your Pabst cash on a small donation to the McPalin campaign and found out that, instead of using it toward air time to take on your well financed opponent, they used that money on a shopping spree? Oh gosh, say it ain't so Joe...

Anyway, enough of the hit chat- Happy Cartographer Appreciation Day!!!

Republicans say he darnedest things..

The Daily Kos had a nice piece on Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) denying the latest dumb thing to come out of his trap, that "liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God."

According to the latest Republican doublespeak, even though I work at least 55 hours a week, I don't attend church regularly, so I must not be a real American. I live in a city, and real Americans live in towns the size of a Norman Rockwell painting. I ask questions about how my government is run, so I'm a liberal, which by rule, makes me utterly un-American. Am I the only one who finds the sheep mentality of the GOP terrifying? Hayes basically followed Palin's lead on "real America" and tried to deny it once she revised her statement when it was openly blasted as a divisive comment. When did independent thought become so unattractive?

Monkey See Monkey Don't

So a bunch of fired up Americans calling themselves Red Pill staged a moronic protest by trying to block a moving motorcade bringing Sarah Palin to a rally in Colorado. Not only could a couple of these people been killed or seriously injured in this stunt. (What a dumb way to go.. killed protesting a candidate who will lose anyway..) But the whole incident was about as effective as a fart. If they really wanna piss off Sarah Palin, make Colorado a Blue State. Period. Acts like this actually garner sympathy for people who don't deserve it. Martin Luther King knew how to stage a protest. These people just wanted to be on tv. While I agree with the principal, the execution was sloppy and poorly planned. And it gives fodder to the the endless line of GOP pom pom wavers. This is a volatile America, but those with the capacity to do so must keep cooler heads than this. We need to stay focused on what matters.. counting votes accurately, so we don't have another presidency stolen from us. We don't need any distractions. Here's a quick look at Red Pill's failure.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

McHate leads to bear's death


This is just another sad byproduct of what the McPalin camp are brewing in their desperate clawing...er....grasping of any string that will allow them to squeak into the White House. Please, if you can, vote as early as you can. Don't do it for me, do it for the bear. 

Monday, October 20, 2008

A funny thing happened on the way to Kabul..

That's a lie. Nothing funny ever happens on the way to Kabul.

Kabul was captured by the Red Army on Christmas Eve, 1979 and became the nerve center for all Russian military activity against the Mujahideen for the next decade. Barely nine years after that, even those democracy lovin' Americans abandoned its Embassy there. Mohammod Najibullah's government fell in '92 and even though there was intense friction as to the rights of arms smuggling and the narcotics trade, a Sharia-based state was unanimously created. In 1996 the Taliban seized Kabul, publicly lynching Najibullah and his brother, and soon after the measure of offenses that needed to go punished for the love of Allah was severely amplified. A month after 9/11, America democratized Afghanistan in the name of freedom.. and justice.. and Dick Cheney who installed Hamid Karzai as the face of the new puppet government. But the Taliban still rules much of Afghanistan. I only mention this because I am truly trying to understand how we (or Sarah Palin) can ever get to a point of reason with these people. I just posted days ago on the "well timed" visit of Saudi King Abdullah to discuss peace and the Taliban's breaking away from al Qaeda. Since then, they seized a bus and executed a couple dozen people and killed a foreign aid worker for preaching. What is wrong with these people? (aside from being psychologically tormented for a generation or two) Apparently not enough because now the US military wants to get involved. Stay tuned. And it's never a bad time to remind people to visit http://www.rawa.org/ where they can learn about womens' rights in Afghanistan and choose their favorite restriction for women. I'm still stuck between the ban on hearing a woman's footsteps and the ban on women riding bicycles. And Kabul is not so bad today. There the women can actually attend University so long as they don't mind the risk of being beaten or raped without reprisal. For more on Kabul, you can read The Kite Runner, but bring a box of tissues.

Well, I just voted


Obama picked up at least two votes in Florida today, as the wife and I "pulled the lever" for the good senator from Illinois. There was about a 20 min line to do so. Looked like a mostly Obama crowd based on the parking lot stickers and shirts and hats folk attached to their bodies.

I live in a college town in the Pan Handle, and our county is 2-1 Dem-Repub. We went to a campaign party yesterday and they are really intent on getting out the vote as early as possible. I also signed up to drive people to the polls on election day. If you have the time and means, you ma want to consider doing so.

Some other interesting tidbits:
- I can't recall the last time I saw a McPalin ad, while Obama is on seemingly every commercial segment possible. Having moved here after living in "safe states" like California and Mass, I find this fascinating.

- Someone in line told me that Florida A&M University, the traditionally African-American university in town, will be closed on election day. If that is true that would be really cool. When I was at the Michelle Obama rally there last month she said the campus has 100% registration for those that live in the dorms. That could be worth a few thousand votes.

- I was just in COSTCO and heard an Obama ad there too.

- Joe the Plumber is a turd.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

My name is Dick and I'm an addict..

The McAnus camp is blasting a NY Times article that takes pot shots at Cindy McCain's past addiction to pain killers. While I find Cindy McCain to be somewhat icy and all together uninspiring, I kinda agree that this has little to no bearing on the price of arms in Taiwan. I do find it curious, and quite hypocritical, that the same party that brought us the war on drugs keeps finding themselves (or their cheerleaders) hooked on 'em. The Rush Limbaugh oxycontin fiasco was publicized well enough for him to shut his pie hole for about 12 minutes. W's coke habits were well documented and as roundly overlooked by GOP supporters as his track record for bankrupting companies and getting bailed out by Saudi oil money (who could've predicted we'd be broke by the time he left office?) I am reminded of the 1945 Billy Wilder classic, The Lost Weekend in wondering when America will finally decide to face the monster it sees in the mirror each day. We are hopelessly addicted to foreign oil (and drilling is not salvation no matter how many Alaskan fembots you send to tell me it is). We are slaves to reality tv, whether it be the carefully edited soundbites of The Biggest Loser or The Hills or the carefully edited soundbites of The Situation Room or the O'Reilly Factor. And we are a nation overrun by the cast off and uninformed. Only in America do we overlook common sense, wisdom and intelligence when electing our highest post. W is about as dumb a president as we've ever had, yet much of America is ready to support Sarah Palin as opposed to the intellectually sound Barack Obama who thrived in a completely different Ivy League environment to the one W experienced. As someone who lived in DC for a decade, I can tell you alcohol is overwhelmingly the drug of choice followed closely by power, greed and prescription drugs. While publicly demonizing drug use, Republicans all too often find themselves caught up in it's sticky web. To be fair, Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. was a Democrat. The point being, everybody has flaws and every household I know of has at least one person that at some point has faced unhealthy habitual use of drugs or alcohol. There are so many better reasons to dislike Cindy McCain (she steals recipes from the Food Network and posts them word for bloody word as "family secrets", witholds tax records, let's her man call her the C word, the list goes on) and this ticket, which I feel can only gain from this matter resurfacing.

The Fear


I have spoken with so many Obama supporters that are afraid of something. Some fear the mythical Bradley effect, some a sudden slip in the polls, some assassination. I even had a student say to me "What if Obama wins and he is not good? What happens then?"

Democrats, and unaffiliated progressives have been bullied for years by Republicans. I have been saying to anyone that will listen that one of the primary weakness of the progressive movement in this country is that liberals don't take the time, for a variety of reasons, to learn how their political enemies think. In many cases they don't think of them as enemies either. These have been two fatal mistakes. (I should point out that Bill Clinton, the last Democrat to win AND take office, did not make this mistake too often, and when he did, he paid dearly for it.)

However, these are not mistakes the Obama campaign, which has been nearly flawless, has made thus far this cycle. Not to mention he raised 150,000,000 USD last month. He could and should probably just buy Fox News for the next two weeks with that kind of cash.

Baring anything unforeseen, Obama will win. The mythical Bradley effect only accounts for undecided voters (and McCain will probably get most of those racist bastards), and Obama does not need, according to the math, a single one of those at this point. He could lose all the remaining undecided states and still win by 16 Electoral votes. Yes, he could lose Florida, Ohio, Indiana (which he will) Missouri (where 100,000 people came to see him speakyesterday), Nevada, and N. Carolina at this point and still win. Please note, he is ahead in all of those states (Indiana aside) and could very plausibly walk away with 364 Electoral votes. Remember, all he needs is 269 to win, because a tie goes the House and Obama is POTUS 44.

Obama is going for the throat right now and hopefully, something big aside, he is going to go for the conservative movement's soul by Nov. 4.

This is about political capital at this point--and the more he wins by--the more of it he will have.


Fear not! At this point, and baring anything unforeseen, the worst case scenario on Nov. 4 is a slim Obama victory of 286-252 (someone check my math- I went to an American public school).

- On a separate note, please visit our friends over at Zombo.com during the next 2 weeks if you get tense. Once you do you will understand why.

- Ticketmaster is evil. More on that after the election.

Friday, October 17, 2008

OK... Time to post.

Its been a while... and a lot has happened since my last post. Among those events:



But to me, the most impressive thing that has happened is the complete turn-around of FUX NEWS. Look, I am a red-blooded MSNBC fan. I appreciate what Olbermann does and I adore Rachel Maddow... but, to be honest, I feel like I could write MSNBC's script at this point. This is no shot at MSNBC, just the effect of having watched their campaign coverage for WAY too long.

So, I cheat.

I've been turning on FUX NEWS quite often to get a peek at what I expect to be a republican bloodbath. Guess what? These morons are bashing McCain almost as much as we are. Last week I saw Brit Hume's enormous head ripping McCain for his complete lack of legitimate policy content... and just last night Bill O'Reilly was defending Obama against some twit's obsession with Bill Ayers. O'Reilly even went so far as to say he believes Obama's statements on the issue!

Up is down left is right and cats love dogs!

Look, I don't know what comes next in this crazy campaign. I mean, Obama's leading in Virginia after all. But FUX NEWS rallying the base against John McCain? No sir, didn't see that one coming.

Please, somebody explain this strange world to me...

This is what stupidity looks like:

McCain- Bush only worse video:

For the Republican this holiday season:


Click here to order.

Letterman doesn't let McCain off the hook..

Here's an intriguing look at McPlain's appearance on Dave. I like that the Paul Schaeffer band played "I Can't Explain" as he came out. And wow... what a great way to get people excited about politics.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Voters

These are American LARPers. Their particular brand of escapism is commonly mocked as pointless or dumb. At least some thought went into it though.



I cannot tell you how many McHeinous supporters I know who have absolutely no idea what his policies are or what he stands for. They worship Sarah Palin like kids do Santa Claus. They don't know a whole lot about her practices, beliefs or credentials, but they are obsessed with her. Alaska and Anthemoessa both start and end with an A. That's all I'm saying.

At any rate, no matter how dumb people are perceived as being, they only get one vote a piece. I refuse to believe the pundits who say Obama has the election sewn up, especially now that Lou Dobbs, laughably, is bitching about voter machines being inconsistent and inaccurate in swing state, Ohio. (Where were ya 8 years ago you smug blowhard prick?) I want to believe that there are less dumb voters than there are informed voters, but faith isn't something you get, it's something you have. Until Obama himself says he'll officially be the next president, I'm limited to brief visions of hope that are tempered by the realization that elections can and have been stolen. So long as Dick Cheney has a pulse, his black magic is capable of unspeakable evil.

And that's why I'm wearing my +2 chain mail to the voting booth on November 4th.

Cops beating Vets at last nights debate

Live from New York:




Click here for more...

This is just sad:



My prediction, by Cartographer Appreciation Day 2008, McTurd will be out with an ad that just says " I really want to be president. I always have. Please vote for me because I really am down in the dumps. My friends, Cindy even called me Obama the other night when I was giving her the blue pill goods. I was tortured, but this is just wrong."

On another note, I guess things are going well for Obama, since I just overheard two conservatives wondering where they can go to escape once he wins...

Rednecks on Obama

These Jacksonville Jaguars fan's opinions about Sen. Obama are for informational purposes only, and do not represent those of the staff or readers (hopefully) of i.E. We just want to document that its out there. Also, this may or may not be safe for work. I couldn't make it through for I am at work (unless you are my boss, in which case I am home and this is just being posted on an 8 hour delay due to increased internet traffic).

Sadly, people like this are not found just in the south, though they tend to be in an abundance around certain areas--like Gainsville, Florida during Gator games. I have also seen folk like this in the midwest and Utah and Riverside, California and they always smell like Basic cigerrettes, P.B.R. and canned fish.

Well, here it is:



Redneck Woman Rails on Obama - Watch more free videos

McFlabbergasted

Debate Highlight

Came during the end of the evening when the judges were making their decisions:

GOP Halloween Ideas


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Professional Campaigns = Yawn

Well, I'm off to watch the judges and see what they thought, but I don't even think this thing is worth commenting on. More soon....

So..

I read this article. And the flood of thoughts that hit my mind was astounding.

1. Freedom of speech is a really good thing.
2. 400 people. Can we end the notion that it is a wise investment to build a wall to keep out people who are already here?
3. Only in Iowa, where travesty dwells. The town of Parkersburg was leveled by a tornado. Another tornado killed 2 boy scouts and injured another 42. Plus they helped spawn nu metal.
4. Wow. That's a lot of child labor violations.
5. Nice timing.
6. How many Jews actually live in Iowa?
7. How will this impact the price of kosher food?
8. Sweat shops are loathesome (which it appears to be), but this "solution" is bullshit.
9. Where can I get me some of those free social security numbers?
10. That's got to be a lot of hungry Guatemalan kids.

Debate Part III: Revenge of the Sith


McTurd has turned to his old friend Phil Collins for this evening's strategy: Because tonight, tonight, tonight/We're gonna make it right/Tonight, tonight, tonight. Ohh!
My friends, get ready, for this will be another beacon of light in the world of drab political mechanics and punditry. I have no illusions that Obama will do what he "should" and run the ball up the middle. McTurd will try and throw the deep ball, and if you've seen his arm, you know he is more Chad Pennington and less Vinny Testaverde.
But enough of the sports analogies- these are serious times. Obama is a very serious person, but we don't like serious people, it is boring, and lets face it, boredom is the greatest sin in the lexicon of the American spirit. It is antithetical everything red, white and blue. And lets not forget, we have never had a president that wasn't at least one of those three colors, so Obama's people had better watch out, because we have seen the race card played in both directions in the past, but its been a long time since we have seen the hate card played the way the Repugs are about to play it.
You may want to try some play action passes tonight Sen. Obama. I am afraid a 10 point lead won't be safe for at least 3 weeks.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Thanks Europe!


For the whole temporarily bailing out the world economy because our bungling leadership can't seem to do anything quickly (except take that first step into Iraq without any real proper cause). How can one NOT be skeptical of Paulson who profited greatly from this mess when he jumps in with the endorsement of W to take aggressive, swift and non-negotiable action? His bull-headedness has been an impediment to progress and, yet again, we look like an incompetent government. Bush was quoted a couple days ago as saying, "I have a lot of work to do" before leaving office.

Is that irony, a warning or a bad joke? What's the last thing this guy touched that didn't turn to shit?

Monday, October 13, 2008

W.W.J.V.F.?

People see Jesus everywhere. On toast. In ultrasounds. On rust spots. Even on a dog's ass. Seeing as Jesus has some pull in the polls I asked myself, Who Would Jesus Vote For? The first place I looked is at the more conservative, moral right. I think the below pics provide a fairly accurate cross section. Sarah Palin spent over 20 years in a Pentecostal Church but somehow eludes being labeled Pentecostal by Fox News. She supports a ban on ALL abortion. That would have to be considered. But since she kills just about all of God's other creatures for sport... eventually you have to deduct points. John McCain is Irish. And old Irish people are really into religion. But they also believe in leprechauns so... (and the whole killing Americans for oil thing isn't popular in heaven either). Then I look at Joe Biden. Anyone who's lived in Delaware for that long has shown great penance. His work on civil liberties would likely impress too, so that's favorable. And Barack Obama. Well.. there's just something so-oooooooo familiar about him. What is it? The tanner hues? And he has done more volunteer work than the whole ticket combined. There are some tough things JC would have to consider. In the end, I'm thinking he'd vote Obama (if only there were an interview with Jesus I could consult to support my theory). But in the end, I truly feel most bible thumpers would vote for the Republicans despite Joe Biden's incredibly biblical looks.

More Racist Hate from the McFalin' Camp

Please write a caption:


I'll start- My friends, as you can see, I support the right of a woman to urinate, and I support the right of a man to urinate. My opponent wants your sons and daughters urinating all over each other in the same room and its time we stood up and said "This....Is....Wrong" so stand with me and fight for gender segregation of the urinals! (WILD APPLAUSE AS PALIN AND TOM DELAY SNEAK OUT OF THE WOMAN'S ROOM TOGETHER, BOTH BUTTONING THEIR SHIRTS)

Monday Sketch:


Sunday, October 12, 2008

4 out of 5 Nazis support Palin

Sarah Palin has pissed off yet another demographic. Librarians. Surprising since this former beauty queen has adopted their look. But those who know her history in the state of Alaska reveal her to be someone who uses her influence to try to enforce her interpretation of God's will. And God hates fags (her words, not mine). Which explains her attempt to ban a book called "Daddy's Roommate" from the Wasilla Library. The thought of putting this woman in a position of authority makes me cringe. Only the Almighty himself knows what new guidelines, practices and regulations she'd try to slip through the five-hole as our VP. For a glimpse of what America would look like in a Palin led future, we need only look at this 1986 vision of censorship and bigotry.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Full Troopergate report

Read the full report here.

In sum, it says she is not a criminal-- just an archfiend.

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Wounded GOP Ticket Died Today


John McCain




My friends, today the maverick himself ousted many of his prime supporters by defending Obama. His constituents booed him!


Sarah Palin


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A legislative committee investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has found she unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state's public safety commissioner.

My favorite part happens 51 seconds in. A woman accuses Obama of being an Arab she can't trust. McCain shakes his head and says, "No Ma'am." and takes the microphone away from her. How many points will the McCain/Palin ticket lose from today's news. Five? More?

Fixing the economy.. one scumbag at a time.

My political opinions tend to lean to the left as far as most issues go. Economically, I feel that the government should be fiscally conservative. The other area where my beliefs have a definitive slant to the right has to do with the death penalty. I absolutely hate that my tax dollars are spent on filling our prisons to maximum capacity. I pay for food and lodging for murderers, rapists and thieves. So do you. And the legal system pretty much allows my taxes to support the lowly existence for this sleaze indefinitely. Unless you are a wealthy criminal in which case, you can likley get off. I read an article today about a guy named Richard Cooey. He threw a concrete block over an overpass which struck a car driven by two University of Akron students. He then approached the young women under the pretense that he was there to offer help. He and an accomplice then took them to a remote location, robbed them, raped them and beat them to death. The accomplice was 17 at the time and taxpayers will pay for him to live the rest of his years in prison. This happened in 1986. For 22 years this guy has lived on our dime. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection, but then filed a motion to have a stay of execution on the grounds that he was so obese it would be impossible for a lethal injection to do it's job without causing pain since his veins are too deep. A judge rightfully told him to go fuck himself. How many times have you read about a rapist who spends years in jail, gets out and rapes again? Or how about a murderer who kills again? And there is no such thing as a rehabilitated pedophile. If they have committed a crime that is heinous enough to warrant the death penalty why do we have to wait for over a decade to end their lives? The economy would see a swift rebound if we instituted a plan of action that let the punishment fit the crime, and delivered justice more swiftly than a quadraplegic in quicksand. Guys like Richard Cooey don't deserve this much time to reflect on their deeds, certainly not long enough to plump up to the point that they come up with this last ditch effort to extend their pathetic lives. Why wait longer than a month for them to sort out their parting moments? The victims never got such luxuries. The money we'd save as a nation if we stopped paying for junior level criminals to get the prison education that develops them into career criminals would be more than enough to cover our immediate debt. The next step in my utopian view would be the mandatory placement of white collar criminals in the same facilities as sociopathic killers and thugs. If we want to truly fix this economy, we can start by putting ALL prisoners to work on chain gangs or work programs (not cruel and unusual). Prison isn't supposed to be a dormitory for crooks. And we can stop the myriad of unnecessary delays before terminating the lives of those who don't deserve to live.

Great new videos



McCain urinates of the very idea of ethics

His campaign has embraced racism, violent extremism, and unblemished xenophobic hate in hopes of achieving power. He is the worst kind of scum. He is worse than Bush, who made no illusions about being a fraud. McCain puts country in his crusty and wrinkled ass--and he does it first.

I wish McCain was still captive in Nam. I said it and I mean it and if you support the bastard and his softball cheek, I hope you are as pissed as I am, because I fear that the 1860s may be here again....

These words may sound extreme today, but they will sound mild by next week, when McCain officially declares the race wars as on...Get out of the country- fast. And bring your books before Palin sets them ablaze.

By the way, can we stop allowing people to say that those in Iraq are protecting our freedoms? Does anyone think we would not be free had we not gone into Iraq?

*UPDATE* I take back some of what I wrote before:

Guess the Number

I am going to say that the big 30 on the NYSE will fall 475 points today. Anyone else want to take a guess? Person who gets it closest gets a free bike courtesy of Puddy.

Sketch of the Day:


Thursday, October 9, 2008

Perspective

Remember when $750M seemed like a lot of money? That's not even 20% of what Iceland, a nation of 320,000, has petitioned Russia to loan them as their financial institutions feel the ripple effects of this global banking collapse. The $700B infusion of Treasury money is not the "tourniquet" McMatlock claimed it would be. Even those who would seem to be in a better situation than, say, me, are losing their shit. In the end, those who have money are so scared of their stock portfolio's nosedive, that they are hoarding cash . That money desperately needs to flow through banks and channels of commerce for the world to recover. Eventually, this needs to come to a head. One way or the other. I am reminded of the poetic words of Lemmy Kilmister (no relation) when he said, "Come on baby, eat the rich Put the bite on that son of a bitch Don't mess around, don't you give me no switch C'mon baby, eat the rich." I have always been of the opinion that cannibalism should be reserved for alpine plane crashes, but when I hear about a junket of fewer than 10 high ranking executives from AIG spending nearly half a million dollars to celebrate their temporary salvation from bankruptcy, I question our morals as a nation. Greed of this sort should be punished, but it rarely is. One of the highlights of the Obama campaign, for me, is that his tax plan basically tells the upper crust that they are indeed their brother's keeper. Seeing as they have set up a system which overly compensates those who are already well compensated, they shouldn't mind. When this all shakes out, they'll just find a new way to stick it to the little guy.

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