Mock, Paper, Scissors

Apparently, hot enough for a dog to try to bring its pool into the house.

Yikes.

h/t Tom Myer

Stay cool scissorheads, and please check on your neighbors who may need assistance.

So ….. Ike was a liberal and now Obama is leaning left while appearing to lean right. Uhhh …. OK.

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

Completely non-political, but I’ve had a helluva afternoon and am ready to carve my ex a new watermelon-size hole, so I am relaxing by watching teh silly.

This one needs a caption. And maybe some dialogue. And title. And someone hand that cutie pie a spoon and a napkin please!

Oh, and who stole the contest category??? Back to silly videos, at least until Bluegal’s chat salon begins in exactly an hour and 23 minutes.

Update: CHAT SALON IS OPEN

Also, first prize is your choice: a cute baby or slightly less cute watermelon.

I just want to cry.

h/t Southern Beale

Matt Osborne has explained the BP Oil Catastrophe in terms that even an American can understand.

In related news …. Attorney General Eric Holder said today that federal authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.

image via https://www.cartoongallery.com

Complete the analogy.

Libertarians : Daffy Duck as ____ : Bugs Bunny

Pencils down.

In case you missed it, Rudy 9/11 Ghouliani made headlines this week for forgetting to mention 9/11 and assorted other terrorism events while criticizing President Obama’s handling of the Fort Hood shooter and the “Fruit of the Boom” panties bomber. (Credit for that term goes to Xeni Jardin.)

The NY Daily News described Rudi’s forgetful moment this way.

Rudy Giuliani forgets 9/11 when suggesting President Obama take cues from Bush on fighting terror

Rudy Giuliani has been teased for only having three words in his vocabulary – a noun, a verb and 9/11 – but yesterday “America‘s Mayor” seemed to forget about 9/11.

The embarrassing flub came as Giuliani hit the morning news shows to suggest that President Obama needs to take more cues from ex-President George W. Bush when it comes to fighting terror.

“One of the right things [Bush] did was treat this as a war on terror,” Giuliani told “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos.

Then Giuliani proclaimed, in words he would soon regret, “We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We’ve had one under Obama,” referring to November’s shootings at Fort Hood by a radical Army psychiatrist.

If you had to guess which TV talk show host would set the record state quickly and effectively, you’d guess Rachel Maddow, right? Of course right.

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

Laffy at Political Carnival has an excellent description and has transcribed much of the segment.

Excellent snark. Excellent PSA.

via TPM & MoveOn.

Take-away line? Join us in the fight to look out for our Insurance Company Profits.
Excellent video

Transcript via Citizen of Earth:

BILL MOYERS: The editors of THE ECONOMIST magazine say America’s health care debate has become a touch delirious, with people accusing each other of being evil-mongers, dealers in death, and un-American.

Well, that’s charitable.

I would say it’s more deranged than delirious, and definitely not un-American.

Those crackpots on the right praying for Obama to die and be sent to hell — they’re the warp and woof of home-grown nuttiness. So is the creature from the Second Amendment who showed up at the President’s rally armed to the teeth. He’s certainly one of us. Red, white, and blue kooks are as American as apple pie and conspiracy theories.

Bill Maher asked me on his show last week if America is still a great nation. I should’ve said it’s the greatest show on earth. Forget what you learned in civics about the Founding Fathers — we’re the children of Barnum and Bailey, our founding con-men. Their freak show was the forerunner of today’s talk radio.

Speaking of which: we’ve posted on our website an essay by the media scholar Henry Giroux. He describes the growing domination of hate radio as one of the crucial elements in a “culture of cruelty” increasingly marked by overt racism, hostility and disdain for others, coupled with a simmering threat of mob violence toward any political figure who believes health care reform is the most vital of safety nets, especially now that the central issue of life and politics is no longer about working to get ahead, but struggling simply to survive.

So here we are, wallowing in our dysfunction. Governed — if you listen to the rabble rousers — by a black nationalist from Kenya smuggled into the United States to kill Sarah Palin’s baby. And yes, I could almost buy their belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, only I think he shipped them to Washington, where they’ve been recycled as lobbyists and trained in the alchemy of money laundering, which turns an old-fashioned bribe into a First Amendment right.

Only in a fantasy capital like Washington could Sunday morning talk shows become the high church of conventional wisdom, with partisan shills treated as holy men whose gospel of prosperity always seems to boil down to lower taxes for the rich.

Poor Obama. He came to town preaching the religion of nice. But every time he bows politely, the harder the Republicans kick him.

No one’s ever conquered Washington politics by constantly saying “pretty please” to the guys trying to cut your throat.

Let’s get on with it, Mr. President. We’re up the proverbial creek with spaghetti as our paddle. This health care thing could have been the crossing of the Delaware, the turning point in the next American Revolution — the moment we put the mercenaries to rout, as General Washington did the Hessians at Trenton. We could have stamped our victory “Made in the USA.” We could have said to the world, “Look what we did!” And we could have turned to each other and said, “thank you.”

As it is, we’re about to get health care reform that measures human beings only in corporate terms of a cost-benefit analysis. I mean this is topsy-turvy — we should be treating health as a condition, not a commodity.

As we speak, Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, has been fined a record $2.3 billion dollars as a civil and criminal — yes, that’s criminal, as in fraud — penalty for promoting prescription drugs with the subtlety of the Russian mafia. It’s the fourth time in a decade Pfizer’s been called on the carpet — and these are the people into whose tender mercies Congress and the White House would deliver us?

Come on, Mr. President. Show us America is more than a circus or a market. Remind us of our greatness as a democracy. When you speak to Congress next week, just come out and say it. We thought we heard you say during the campaign last year that you want a government run insurance plan alongside private insurance — mostly premium-based, with subsidies for low-and-moderate income people. Open to all individuals and employees who want to join and with everyone free to choose the doctors we want. We thought you said Uncle Sam would sign on as our tough, cost-minded negotiator standing up to the cartel of drug and insurance companies and Wall Street investors whose only interest is a company’s share price and profits.

Here’s a suggestion, Mr. President: ask Josh Marshall to draft your speech. Josh is the founder of the website talkingpointsmemo.com . He’s a journalist and historian, not a politician. He doesn’t split things down the middle and call it a victory for the masses. He’s offered the simplest and most accurate description yet of a public insurance plan; one that essentially asks people: would you like the option — the voluntary option — of buying into Medicare before you’re 65? Check it out, Mr. President.

This health care thing is make or break for your leadership, but for us, it’s life and death. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. President. We need a fighter.

great pic of Tom Ridge stolen from From The Left.

On tonight’s show, Rachel Maddow interviewed Mr. Rainbow Homeland Security and schooled him on why the repiglicans don’t have the trust of the country due to his stance on the decision to invade Iraq.

He continues to blame our allies and the faulty intelligence, and she insists that it was a political decision in which the intelligence was cherry-picked to match the decision to invade.

Go Rachel!

Or Not.

Glenn Beck jokes about poisoning Nancy Pelosi

from Raw Story Breaking News

Fox editorialist Glenn Beck joked on Thursday night that his effigy of the Speaker of the House should drink a deadly cocktail of wine and poison that he personally prepared.

I just hope Nancy’s getting some decent protection by the FBI & the capitol police.

Some are suggesting that he’s advocating child abuse. Is he? What do you think of his suggestions? What’s the story here?

Laffy has some of the reaction to the speech.

NAACP is 100 years old.

(more…)

A) Sessions?

video via huff po

transcript of Sessions’ questioning here.

B) Kyl?

story & video via huff po

C) Graham?

via TPM

D) All of the above.

(Can you tell I missed Coburn’s questioning?)

Beautifully done. Just listen.

And let’s stand by the people of Iran as they ask for fair elections.

snarkish UPDATE: Via Andy Borowitz:

Furious at Jon Bon Jovi for making a new recording of “Stand By Me” in solidarity with the Iranian people, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei today announced that he was deleting Mr. Bon Jovi’s songs from his iPod library “forever.”

“This is an irrevocable decision,” the Ayatollah said. “I did not merely uncheck the tracks, I deleted them permanently.”

The Ayatollah said that he had once considered making “Livin’ on a Prayer” the Iranian national anthem, “but no more.”

For his part, Mr. Bon Jovi remains undaunted, announcing plans today to record a new song about the Ayatollah, “You Give Authoritarian Theocrats a Bad Name.”

I’m not sure this is a solution, but it’s fascinating. I’d much rather see the homeowners facing foreclosure get help with their medical bills, their credit card bills & their mortgages so they don’t need to face homelessness and criminal behavior. In the meantime, however, this is certainly an interesting way of handling it.

From PBS Now:

(The Flash video was crashing Safari browsers, so please click the link to the PBS Now site. I am removing the video – Tengrain)

Homes for the Homeless?

What to do with foreclosed houses—How about letting homeless families move in? An innovative idea that’s also illegal.

American streets are littered with foreclosed houses, but one daring advocate says these homes shouldn’t go to waste. He encourages and facilitates homeless squatting. It’s an idea that addresses two issues at once – homelessness and foreclosed homes—and it’s also illegal.

This week, NOW travels to Miami to meet with Max Rameau, an advocate for the homeless. Rameau’s organization, Take Back the Land, identifies empty homes that are still livable, and tries to find responsible families willing to take the enormous legal risks of moving in.

Rameau, who considers his mission an act of civil disobedience, says it’s immoral to keep homes vacant while there are human beings living on the street. But while these squatters have morality in their hearts, they don’t have the law on their side.

With the faltering economy separating so many people from their homes, what’s society’s responsibility to those short on shelter?

Related Links

Take Back the Land

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

if only I’d realized …..

Of course I probably wouldn’t have posted a slideshow like I do when I attend other kinds of protests. Or maybe I would have, but wouldn’t have included any pix of myself.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a member of the traveling press corps on an Obama trip overseas? Christina Bellantoni shows us.

And for your reading pleasure ….

from Huff Po by Robert Naiman

U.S. policy in the broader Middle East over the next four years will be judged in the region according to whether the pledges that President Obama made in Cairo today are kept.

So it’s important for Americans to know what those pledges were. Because when right-wing voices in America try to undermine those pledges, they’ll be undermining U.S. national security by trying to force President Obama to break faith with the Arabs and Muslims of the world to whom he made those pledges today.

The text and video are here. I encourage Americans to watch the speech in addition to reading the text, because in watching the speech, you also get the reaction of the audience – in particular, the vigorous applause – which has the effect of underscoring the pledges that President Obama made.

In what follows, I will highlight some of the President’s statements on the Palestinians, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and democracy, and what the President said about extremist violence.

(more…)

Video of Barack Obama’s comedic performance this evening at the white house correspondents’ dinner. I loved it.

And survives!

And then plops into a hot tub!

From

It does seem like it was eons ago. Can anyone remember back that far?

Check here to see if transcript has been posted. Not up as of 11 AM.

I Kent Jones!

Doncha just love it when their own words come back to bite them on the waterboard?!

Bush’s Promise On Torture

Andrew Sullivan for The Atlantic

From al Arabiya, after Abu Ghraib:

It’s important for people to understand that in a democracy, there will be a full investigation. In other words, we want to know the truth. In our country, when there’s an allegation of abuse … there will be a full investigation, and justice will be delivered. …  It’s very important for people and your listeners to understand that in our country, when an issue is brought to our attention on this magnitude, we act. And we act in a way in which leaders are willing to discuss it with the media. … In other words, people want to know the truth. That stands in contrast to dictatorships. A dictator wouldn’t be answering questions about this. A dictator wouldn’t be saying that the system will be investigated and the world will see the results of the investigation.

Bush personally authorized every technique revealed at Abu Ghraib. He refused to act upon the International Committee of the Red Cross’s report that found that he had personally authorized the torture of prisoners, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention on Torture and domestic law against cruel and inhuman treatment. A refusal to investigate and prosecute Red Cross allegations of torture is itself a violation of the Geneva Accords.

h/t Peanut Butter

Damn I hope so! Two links from the NY Times:

Obama Open to Inquiry in Interrogation Abuses

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, PETER BAKER and SCOTT SHANE 1:16 PM ET

President Obama left open the door to creating a commission to investigate the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques.

and

Pressure Grows to Investigate Interrogations

By PETER BAKER and SCOTT SHANE

Despite his assurances to the C.I.A., President Obama may not be able to avoid an inquiry into interrogation tactics used under the Bush administration.

(more…)

image via http://www.southbaygifts.com/images/bears/teaparty.jpg

But I never realized that they were playing the games of four-year-olds.  What I don’t understand is why the little boy bear is sitting on the little girl bear’s face.

Maybe Rachel can explain it:

A facebook friend of mine linked to this. Notice the complete lack of facts or supporting evidence that Obama is

A) a socialist

B) controling anyones thoughts

or

C) indoctrinating kids.

Won’t even comment on the Anti-Christ thing. Oy!

UPDATE: Look who may have inspired this “parody”. From da Huff Po:

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she fears the Obama Administration will set up “re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically-correct forums.”

I love Rachel’s humor, but I am far more impressed by the eloquence with which she can get to the meat of any matter.  Like torture.

From Friday evening:

Video: Why Guantanamo accountability matters

from MSNBC.com: Source/Rachel Maddow Show

April 3: Rachel Re: Current TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee are still in North Korean custody after being arrested near the border. They could face up to 10 years in prison for what the North Korea government calls “hostile acts.” Does the U.S. have enough credibility in the wake of Guantanamo and torture revelations to get them back?

How many good teachers should be worth the pay of one Wall Street Greedy Bastard? 20? 200? Zero?

Start listening at 7:50

From the transcript (via Huff Po)

STEVE KROFT: Do you think that the people on Wall Street and the people in the financial community that you need trust you, believe– believe in you?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Part of my job is to communicate to them, “Look, I believe in the market. I believe in financial innovation. And I believe in success.” I want them to do well. But what I also know is that the financial sector was out of balance. You look at how finance used to operate just 20 years ago, or 25 years ago. People, if you went into– investment banking, you were making 20 times what a teacher made. You weren’t making 200 times what a teacher made.

STEVE KROFT: 1There is a perception right now, at least in New York, which is where I live and work. BARACK OBAMA: Right.

STEVE KROFT: That, um, people feel they thought that you were going to be supportive. And now I think there are a lot of people say, “Look, we’re not going to be able to keep our best people. They’re not going to stay and work here for $250,000 a year when they can go work for a hedge fund, if they can find one that’s still (LAUGHTER) working–
BARACK OBAMA: 19:30:14:22 Well, that– that–
STEVE KROFT: 19:30:15:21 –and make a lot more.
BARACK OBAMA: I’ve told them directly. ‘Cause I’ve heard some of this. they need to spend a little time outside of New York. Because– you know, if you go to North Dakota, or you go to Iowa, or you go to Arkansas, where folks would be thrilled to be making $75,000 a year– without a bonus, then I think they’d get a sense of why people are frustrated.

Please note that the California Teacher of the Year got a pink slip because of the economy.

Lots of controversy over President Obama’s chat with Jay Leno last night, especially about his comment comparing his bowling abilities to the special olympics.

Even the governor who recently rejected the portion of the stimulus money devoted to special education had something to say.

Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin said she was “shocked to learn” about Obama’s comment. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world,” said Palin, whose son, Trig, was born with Down syndrome last year. “These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will.”

(more…)

the Madoff Scandal.

Should I laugh or cry?