Headlines - Saturday

GOP bill would eliminate middle income tax by eliminating middle class income

Washington - In response to the current economic crisis, Senate Republicans introduced a bill today that would simultaneously eliminate the income tax and the income for the so-called 'middle class,' which the senators identified as those American households earning less than $100,000 a year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill "accomplished a difficult objective, difficultly." The bill may face tough opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate, although that is unlikely due to the fact that many Democrats are known to have no fortitude of any kind. [keep reading the goodness…]

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Blagojevich's 'Otter' defense in Animal House: A 'blotter' on our society

"The issue here is not whether I broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with laws against bribery and corruption; I did. (winks) But you can't hold a governor responsible for his own sick, perverted behavior. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole whole State of Illinois, including its favorite sons Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama? And if the whole State of Illinois is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of all of our states and institutions in general?  Isn't this an indictment of our entire American society?  Well, you can do what you want to me, but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bad-mouth the United States of America! Gentlemen!"

And here's a YouTube "mix" of Blago and Otter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA2EFi-C7ug&eurl=http://satiricalpolitical.com/

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h/t Dick 

Turkey's prime minister has returned home from the World Economic Forum in Davos to a warm welcome after he walked out of a televised debate on Thursday with Shimon Peres.

Before storming out, Erdogan told Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: "You are killing people." http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/01/20091303153967187.html

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Michael Steele, new RNC chair, with a straight face:

We're gonna bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community and we're gonna say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of this, we want you to work with us, and for those of you who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over.'"

The irony is hilarious.

If you're a Republican, you should probably be disturbed that the new chairman of your party spent his last campaign pretending to be a Democrat.  If you're anyone else, you should probably be disturbed that the Republican Party's new chairman has a history of being completely dishonest and underhanded. Remember how newly-minted RNC Chair Michael Steele spent his failed 2006 Senate campaign pretending to be a Democrat?

And remember how the Steele campaign passed out a bunch of "Democratic Sample Ballots" with his name (and the name of Governor Rod Erlich, who Steele served under as Lieutenant Governor) on them instead of the actual Democratic candidates? 

And how the Steele campaign hired a bunch of homeless people from out of state to hand them out?

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Chimpy surfaces at a basketball game

"Why yes, I am the one that screwed your future!"

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- 3.8% GDP? No problem, just divide by four: http://www.blah3.com/article.php?story=20090130211312116

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Sponsor an Executive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDC0qcf0kzE&eurl=http://www.cogitamusblog.com/

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The last Republican strongholds are mostly huddled together in the center of the nation. For the most part, they're far from the coasts, where people stubbornly insist on living in the real world. The coasts of America are godless places, where people believe in evolution, accept human-caused global warming, are pretty damned sure invading Iraq was a very expensive mistake - in more ways than one - and that the economic policies that brought us to the brink of an honest-to-goodness depression should probably be abandoned. With the exception of Alaska, America's coasts - along with most of the rest of the nation - are lost to the Satanic forces of liberalism. Woe be unto the realm.

This is what Crazyland looks like today, according to Gallup:

Click for fullsized map

The familiar red/blue breakdown of the states shows a whopping four red states out of fifty - Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Alaska - as solidly Republican, with Nebraska leaning. Every other state is either blue, leaning blue, or a toss up. Those red spots on that map are the only places where voters who identify themselves as Republican are the majority.

Coincidentally, the lower 3 states that vote Republican also have the highest percentage of people who believe in magic underwear. And Alaska, well they've got that Sarah Palin thing going on.

I'm just glad that I don't live in one of those red states. Oh wait ...

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Minneapolis man files brutality case against officer for tasing him in 2005 - he is then killed in 2008 after being tased by the same officer

Story here.

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Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has an interesting trickle down theory. According to Giuliani, the outrageous bonuses for Wall Street figures (many paid for by public funds) are a vital part of economic recovery for the average New Yorker. According to Giuliani, the relatively few super rich recipients are a major source of money for the thousands of people who serve their whims and fulfill their wishes for exotic foods, fast cars, and impeccable service. It is basically the same economic theory advanced by that pre-Friedman scholar Marie Antoinette in the eighteenth century but under Giulianiomics, we don't let the peasants actually eat the cake . . . just serve it. Story here.

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First Geitner, and now Tom Daschle.  

Are there any high caliber Democrats who play by the rules and pay their taxes, or do they all just resemble what we hate about Republicans? 

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"We have this thing called impeachment and it's bleeping golden and we've used it the right way." -  Illinois state Sen. James Meeks (D), mocking former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's expletive-laden words as captured by the FBI on a wiretap.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce works to kill a "Buy American" campaign because it has angered U.S. trading partners - reuters canada

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Cost of barely surviving guide

The american institute for economic research released their (barely surviving) cost-of-living guide yesterday.

 

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The Alaska Volcano Observatory said in a statement Friday volcanic tremor has increased in amplitude at Mt. Redoubt in Alaska, and 'wouldn't be surprised to see it erupt at anytime.' cnn

 

Too bad most Americans aren't aware of the pacific ring of fire, as science is such a bad thing to teach these days. They would understand that it's back, and it's bad. 

 

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A military judge at Guantanamo has 'refused' President Obama's "request" to postpone or 'freeze" military commissions trials of accused illegal combatants in the US invasion, conquest, and occupation - not to mention 'rape and pillage' of Iraq.

Really. Army Judge Won't Stop War Court

 

Please, someone, when did obedience to the "request" of the Commander-in-Chief (in this case, it's relevant) become 'optional'? Does anybody remember how the military brass dissed the Clenis, virtually to his face?

Generals are mostly Republicans. Coincidence? You decide.

 

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How do you spell futility?

It's spelled W-I-N-G-N-U-T.

Thus far, wingnuts have filed over a dozen lawsuits alleging that the birth certificate provided by the State of Hawaii showing that Barack Obama was born there and is thus a natural born citizen is fake. After a brief consultation with the Hawaii birth registrar on the part of each judge, each and every one of these lawsuits has been dismissed. It doesn't matter whether the judge in question was appointed by Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush, every single judge has agreed that these lawsuits are so silly that they must be dismissed as frivolous lawsuits, and every appeal of that decision to higher courts has resulted in the stamp of approval to that judge's decision, whether the appeal was to the "liberal" California District court of appeals or to the "conservative" Washington D.C. court of appeals or to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has twice refused to hear any appeal from lower courts.

And now I hear, from World Nut Daily, that yet *another* lawsuit has been filed, against Congress this time claiming that Congress didn't verify President Obama's citizenship before accepting the electoral college's vote. At some point you'd think that the wingnuts would get it through their thick stubborn heads that if 12 out of 12 judges look at the available evidence and conclude that Barack Obama meets the natural born citizen standard set in the Constitution, well, maybe Obama is a natural born citizen. But every time one of these judges hands down his decision, they just cluck and squawk and start pecking bugs off the ground and pretend they're too stupid and bird-brained to understand what they were just told.

Oh wait...

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Check out this cartoon by right-wing 'humorist' Glenn McCoy (hat-tip to Deeky over at Shakesville):



Pretty terrible - don't you think? I sure as hell do. I mean – just look at the messages here – a shifty-eyed President Obama ushers a (white) woman in the latter stages of pregnancy in to see a mob-like executioner with blood on his clothes hulking next to a cash register. A nearby news stand proclaims Gitmo will be closed while the erstwhile 'fetus' asks "Couldn't you just waterboard me instead?"

Nice, huh? Believe me when I say this kind of thing will get worse as we go along. The right wing is only beginning its assault on America (and President Obama). For the next 8 years we will be inundated with bullshit like this. I don't even know where to begin to register my discontent, but emailing that moron McCoy (a former Playboy cartoonist, wouldn't you just know it) might be a start: glenn@glennmccoy.com 

 

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I've been noting with interest the change in coverage of the California Octoplets and their mother over the last few days. On Wednesday morning, all the morning chirp shows recruited other parents of large numbers of multiples to kvell over the still-unusual birth and muse on what's involved in doing diapers for five or more babies at the same time. Up until yesterday, the media meme on this birth was that it was a wonderful thing, a blessing, a miracle. Because everyone loves babies, right? Isn't that the weapon that the fetophile forces in this country use, even to the point of suggesting that Barack Obama's mother would have aborted him if she could have in an ad that a Catholic group actually wanted to run during the Super Bowl? After all, it's all about the BayBeez, isn't it?

Well, yes -- until the mother turns out to already have six children, be apparently unmarried, living with her parents who have already declared bankruptcy in a 2 or 3 bedroom house - and the topper is that she is apparently an Iraqi. 

That sound you hear is that of wingnuts' heads exploding. For what do you do when you're a pro-fetus conservatives who thinks we should turn Iraq into a sheet of glass when presented with something like this?
Keep reading: http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/2009/01/when-motherhood-to-eighth-power-stops.html

 

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Not surprisingly, the White House has no comment on this one: President Obama's half-brother George Obama has been arrested in Nairobi for possession of marijuana. Read it at Political Ticker

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Well, color me surprised! People who drive Hummers receive almost five times as many traffic tickets as the average driver, according to a new study.

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Senate Republicans may filibuster Obama's stimulus package

Last year, the Roadblock Republicans of the 110th Congress set the all-time filibuster record. Forcing 104 cloture votes by October 2008, the Senate's GOP MINORITY easily eclipsed the old mark of 61 filibusters. And now, fresh on the heels of "elated" and "celebrating, House Republicans' refusal to provide a single vote in support of President Obama's $825 economic recovery package, Senate Republicans are now suggesting they will filibuster the stimulus bill.

That's the word from Think Progress: http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/senate-republicans-may-filibuster-obama-s

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What country would do this?

For the first time, TSA Behavior Detection Officers, who are trained to observe characteristics indicating a person is about to engage in wrongdoing, will patrol the Super Bowl. TSA will also deploy their Visible Intermodal Protection and Response (VIPER) teams and additional National TSA resources.

In plain English:

For the first time Sunday, federal behavior-detection officers will team with local police to use a controversial technique on people heading to a major event, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says. The officers usually work in airports.

A flagged person gets a casual interview from an officer who determines if he or she should be formally questioned or arrested.

Welcome to the New America.

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Dear sweet Jesus, shoot me now:

SAO PAULO — General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker.

According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to "complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012."

"It wouldn't be logical to withdraw the investment from where we're growing, and our goal is to protect investments in emerging markets," he said in a statement published by the business daily Gazeta Mercantil.

Good thing we bailed them out.

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As you know, there's a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Contributions may be made to Doctors Without Borders (US) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (International).

Contributions may also be made through the American Red Cross International Response Fund (US), remember to designate the contribution "for Gaza", 1-800-REDCROSS (English) or 1-80… (Spanish) or online at redcross.org.

Contributions may also be made through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Magen David Adom (MDA).

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I think we need a reminder of "the most famous [Arizona] Cardinal" that won't be playing in the Super Bowl tomorrow, when his team takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers:

I speak, of course, of Corporal Pat Tillman, who left the NFL after 9/11 to serve in the Army Rangers. Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. For months after his death, he was used as a propaganda tool to glorify Bush's failed wars. The exposure of the truth behind Tillman's death has since turned him into a symbol of the duplicity of the Bush Administration, the fight for the truth, and the futility of the war itself.

The New York Times writes that Tillman will not be forgotten this weekend. Soldiers will watch the game "from a U.S.O. center in Afghanistan that bears Tillman's name and was built with money donated by the N.F.L. in his memory." Tillman's jersey, emblazoned with his number 40, is the best selling item on the team's website. "It's great," said former Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer, who was Tillman's college and Cardinals teammate and a close friend. "But in the grand scheme of things, it all kind of stinks because he's not around."

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Bush's Chief of Staff, Andy Card, goes on the Michael Medved show to say:

"And yes, I'm disappointed to see the casual, laissez faire, short sleeves, no shirt and tie, no jacket, kind of locker room experience that seems to be taking place in this White House and the Oval Office."

Here's Andy, being all respectful at the White House: 

 

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As you no doubt heard, last week former Republican House majority leader Dick Armey set off a firestorm when he responded to an argument by Salon.com editor Joan Walsh with the sexist comment, "I'm so damn glad that you can never be my wife." Appearing on Mike Gallagher's radio show today, Faux News host Chris Wallace said this:

GALLAGHER: Now, now, feminists are very angry that he said, "I'm glad you couldn't be my wife." I mean…

WALLACE: It's pretty funny actually.

GALLAGHER: It's hysterical. Do you know how many times a week I say, "thank God I don't have to wake up next to her." I mean some of these callers, these shrews that call.

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Of for the love of God, just throw his ass in jail already!

House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers has agreed to a request from Karl Rove's lawyer to delay the deadline by which Rove must appear in response to a subpoena from his committee.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Conyers_defers_subpoena_showdown_with_Rove_0130.html

I'd like to know what Karl Rove has on this guy.

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Passing through razor-wire cordons and police checkpoints, Iraqi voters Saturday took another step in the nation's quest for stability in provincial elections that were carried off without major violence: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/31/kurds-protest-in-disputed_n_162768.html

Having 1 million dead and 4 million are displaced cuts down the odds of violence a little, I would think.