Month: November 2008

Uncategorized3 Comments

A Shared Experience

For me the Friday after Thanksgiving will always be about a shared cultural experience that might be the last of its kind. In 1984, CBS aired a college football game, featuring the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes against the upstart Boston College Eagles. In a back-and-forth affair that had each team scoring more than 40 points each, BC trailed 45-41 after Melvin Bratton scored his fourth touchdown of the day for Miami. It left QB Doug Flutie just 28 seconds to take the Eagles 80 yards for the winning score. After two short passes and one incomplete, Flutie had pushed … Continue reading A Shared Experience

Uncategorized2 Comments

Quitting Time Booster Shot

There is nothing on earth worse than a sick toddler. Bar none. The Midget has a fever and The Missus has stomach troubles. Seeing the two of them curled up on the couch watching “Maggie, Beast and Hamilton” (as The Midget calls it) is one of the most pathetic sights ever. Other than being grateful for the day off, I’m grateful for having dodged whatever ails them at this point… Here’s the post-Turkey bloat boost: – When I was a kid, I had to go with Mom to the Black Friday sales. As an adult, I swore, I’d never go … Continue reading Quitting Time Booster Shot

LOL9 Comments

I Apologize For What I’m About To Do

But I can’t not share with you the commercial that plays during EVERY football game here, at least nine times a quarter: Why are all local car commercials universally of the suck? This is a particularly egregious example but there’s a remarkable uniformity to the shittiness of production values, ineptitude of spokespeople and general assiness of appearance in these things that crosses locations, brands, etc. Do they all get together in one place each year and say, “Let’s make something so horrendously annoying that while it accomplishes the aim of having people talk about it, it will also inspire them … Continue reading I Apologize For What I’m About To Do

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood4 Comments

Extreme makeover, FEMA edition

During his campaign, President-Elect Obama repeatedly promised to overhaul FEMA and now those promises have apparently become a plan, as reported by  Washington Post’s Al Kamen.  Back in February, Obamaspoke to the residents of New Orleans: If catastrophe comes, the American people must be able to call on a competent government. When I am President, the days of dysfunction and cronyism in Washington will be over. The director of FEMA will report to me. He or she will have the highest qualifications in emergency management. And I won’t just tell you that I’ll insulate that office from politics – I’ll guarantee … Continue reading Extreme makeover, FEMA edition

Uncategorized6 Comments

Jesus

Awful: A raging fire and explosions struck one of the hotels, the landmark Taj Mahal, shortly after midnight. Screams could be heard and enormous clouds of black smoke rose from the at the century-old edifice on Mumbai’s waterfront. Firefighters were spraying water at the blaze, and plucking people from windows and balconies with extension ladders. The attackers specifically targeted Britons and Americans, witnesses said. Officials said at least 200 people were wounded. The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed onIslamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July … Continue reading Jesus

So Called Liberal Media5 Comments

The False Choice

PAPER VS. INTERNET VS. PAPER VS. INTERNET! CAGE MATCH! SMACKDOWN! SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY! This piece could have been titled Just Kill Me Now. I would pay for subscription services, which would give me good, trustworthy news that I trust has been fact-checked and all that. So I do think subscription services will work, but that’s for upper-middle class and above. I think we’re going to see a return to the sponsorship model that we saw in the ’50s and ’60s on TV. Of course, that may be just because I’ve been watching “Mad Men” too much… I do think we … Continue reading The False Choice

Uncategorized3 Comments

I Think I Might Love Aaron Brown A Little Bit

Don’t hurt me: Dream bigger. That’s really what I think, and I suppose what worries me as well. The problem is not that students don’t dream – they do. The problem is that students too often fail to dream big. If you are going to dream, why waste it on something small? I’m not sure students are to blame for this. I suspect this is something we, their parents and teachers have done to them. Our intent was to protect them from hurt. We forgot there are things far worse than disappointment. So my advice to students (and that includes … Continue reading I Think I Might Love Aaron Brown A Little Bit

Diary9 Comments

Let’s Not Talk At All

Amanda: What Nate and Rick are onto explains why a lot of us are going to have to strap on our dance shoes and tip-toe through the holiday season. Because anyone who has a “mixed” family (Democrats and Republican base voters) knows, conservatives in families usually have license to rant and carry on and even pick on liberals, but it’s considered impolite if not scandalous for liberals to push back. [snip] Of course, a lot of the double standard depends on other patriarchal double standards—family conservatives tend to be older and more male than family liberals, and thus they are … Continue reading Let’s Not Talk At All

Economy5 Comments

Column: Everybody Wants A Bailout

Where do you stop? You don’t. You start fixing the real problems: Of course, $25 billion to the car companies isn’t going to change the fact that the roads they drive on are crumbling, that the people who drive them are barely making the payments and that the people who make them aren’t paid a fraction of what their CEOs presently pleading poverty can boast. President-elect Barack Obama called on Saturday for the type of massive public works program that would in the long term solve the kinds of problems that lead to economic collapse. “We’ll put people back to … Continue reading Column: Everybody Wants A Bailout

Economy8 Comments

Echidne, Natch, Says It Better

I should just outsource: Following the discussion about who deserves a bailout is fascinating, because Detroit and its car-makers don’t deserve one, never mind that the industry is one of the largest employer in the country, but banks, those halls of marble and pillars, do deserve one, because they have us all by the short and curly. They are too big to fail! Or rather, their failures will hurt all the little gals and guys much more than it will hurt the rich, and that is how the rich got saved, once again.I am not belittling the need to do … Continue reading Echidne, Natch, Says It Better

Uncategorized2 Comments

Study: Katrina Kids are sickest children in the U.S.

FromFacing South: Hurricane Katrina’s youngest survivors are now the sickest children in the United States, according to areport released Monday by the New York-basedChildren’s Health Fund and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Facing South has the specifics. And here is a quote from the above link to really think about: “The recovery from Katrina was actually handled far worse even than the initial response,” study author Irwin Redlener, a professor at Columbia’s School of Public Healthtold the New York Daily News. “It’s just disappeared from public view with an assumption that whatever was done is over.” And people … Continue reading Study: Katrina Kids are sickest children in the U.S.

Political Crack3 Comments

Racism Is Dead

Ugh: The 19 days since Barack Obama was elected as our first African- American president have generated a wave of conflicting emotions across the country. Many people are still pinching themselves at the gleeful wonder of it all. Others are flying their flags upside-down in distress. And some just can’t get past the race issue. A distressing number of that last group have called or written here to unburden themselves, some of them stunning in their narrow-minded fury. It would serve no purpose to repeat any of the truly offensive diatribes – it’s embarrassing enough just listening to them – … Continue reading Racism Is Dead

Political Crack7 Comments

I Would Like Barack Obama To Not Suck

Progressives vs. liberals vs. true liberals vs. anti-Obama liberals vs. dreamers vs. pragmatists vs. OMFG WE’RE ALL GONNA DIEEEEEE. I cannot take the meta anymore. ViaShakesville, which: Regular readers may recall that although I supported Clinton’s candidacy, I frequently said that I’d be more than happy to vote for either of them. I wasn’t just saying that to be nice, nor was it a “any Democrat will do” kind of thing. It’s because I (no political expert to be sure) could see quite clearly thatthey’re not that different. I don’t mean that there weren’t policy differences between them (although, really, … Continue reading I Would Like Barack Obama To Not Suck

Political Crack5 Comments

The Presidency, In Many Ways, Cracks Me Up

I mean, honestly: President-elect Barack Obama visited Manny’s Cafeteria and Deli in Chicago today to pick up two cherry pies and three corned beef sandwiches — including one for himself and one for White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. President-elect Obama ordered his sandwich on rye bread with mustard. What KIND of mustard, though? We need to know! A. Continue reading The Presidency, In Many Ways, Cracks Me Up

So Called Liberal Media7 Comments

The Little People

Wow. Just … wow. Talk about a sign of the times in the journalism industry. Staffers at theLongmont Times-Call recently received an internal e-mail inviting them to work as valets at a private Christmas party for the Lehman family, who own the paper. And at least two employees have already accepted the offer. The party honors Ed Lehman, who’s currently in his 51st year as theTimes-Call‘s publisher, and his wife Connie — and Dean Lehman, the paper’s editor and president (and Ed’s son), says valets are needed because many of the guests are elderly and may need a little extra … Continue reading The Little People

Stupid Republican Tricks5 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession With The Freeperati – it just keeps getting better!

Good morning, everybody! I’ve got brand-new sparkly-clean iso suits for everybody. Let’s get them dirty, shall we?

First up –“Karl Rove is a RINO! Who knew?”

Edwards, Rove agree when topic turns
to Palin
ap ^| Friday, November 14, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. | JASON
DEAREN
Posted onFriday, November 14,
2008 8:53:42 AM bywinoneforthegipper
“But if she wants to
run for president she’s gonna have to get somebody to move to Anchorage, Alaska
and help her take her game to another level,” he said smiling. “Let’s be clear
about this … it’s really cold there most of the year.”

To: winoneforthegipper
Mr. Rove needs to find another party and another job. He called
the presidential race at 11:00 oclock in the afternoon for Obama. Give me a
break, He was the mastermnd of the pro-illegal alien strategy, he is no friend
of Republics. He needs to give it up and get lost.
He is the PAST failure, we
are moving FORWARD.
He is smug and arrogant.

4 posted onFriday, November 14, 2008
8:57:50 AM bychicagolady
(Mexican Elite say: EXPORT Poverty Let the American Taxpayer foot the bill !)

To: winoneforthegipper
Edwards said Palin’s inexperience was too much for John
McCain’s campaign to overcome. “The problem was, over time, particularly
in the vice presidential debate … it was fairly obvious she wasn’t ready to be
president, and that made people nervous,” he said.
Sounds likethe
liberals (Rove and Edwards) fear Sarah and both are throwing bombs at her to
continue the attempt to derail her future national aspirations.Very telling of
the liberal RINOs.

7 posted onFriday, November 14, 2008
8:59:04 AM bynewfreep
(“Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink.” – P.J. O’Rourke)

You know, it just doesn’t get any funnier than that.
They’re so desperate to lay the stinking carcass of the conservative movement’s failure elsewhere that they have actually started calling Rove a “liberal”. Have mercy.

More alternate reality after the jump.
You might as well…

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession With The Freeperati – it just keeps getting better!”

Uncategorized5 Comments

And Through The Bars That Hid The Stars

I know not whether Laws be right, Or whether Laws be wrong; All that we know who lie in gaol Is that the wall is strong; And that each day is like a year, A year whose days are long. –Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol Someday we’ll be asked why they hate us: Even in a courtroom that was closed to the public and the press, and with the detainees allowed access to the proceedings only by telephone, the court could find no reason to hold these men. This decision makes it clear once again that even with … Continue reading And Through The Bars That Hid The Stars

Uncategorized3 Comments

Predictable

Keepthis in mind when they start bitching about gridlock: This is the Senate GOP that obstructed practically every major bill that Democrats tried to bring up for the last two years. That’s not going to stop, regardless of how many Republicans are planted in the Cabinet or throughout the federal bureaucracy. And you know, I’m not naive, I get that part of the reason you want to put Republicans in the Cabinet and the bureaucracy is for media purposes, but this just continues the Democratic 19th Century SOP which assumes your punditry paid attention to what was actually going on … Continue reading Predictable

Of Interest11 Comments

Some People Are Too Fucking Stupid To Breathe

Yeah, like this, but without the excuse of being a dog. You’ll probably get a kick out of this. I have a dear friend who just told me that some schmuck at work has started harassing her. You know, in the sexual way. Now, that’s fucking stupid enough, but it gets dumber. He’s a manager (not directly her boss, but a manager). Okay, that’s really amping up the stupid. But wait! It goes to eleven: My friend is the human resources rep. Now, dear readers, we have entered the realm of epic, epic fail.  Or, in my friend’s words: Honest … Continue reading Some People Are Too Fucking Stupid To Breathe

Political Crack10 Comments

From Whence The Ongoing Freakout Came

Reading around, I see a lot of ZOMG HILLARY and ZOMG THIS TREASURY DUDE and insta-analysis and joy or disappointment and predications about what this REALLY MEANS for the coming Obama presidency which seems like it’s in its fifth year already, is how this is stretching out. I’m almost happy the holidays are almost here, because even though I’m not done with my shopping it will give all the crack squirrels in the world something to do other than freak out about this appointment versus that one. Part of it’s that there isn’t an Obama presidency yet. Part of it’s … Continue reading From Whence The Ongoing Freakout Came