Yesterday, Eddie Izzard completedthe last of 43 marathons he’s run in 7 weeks in order to raise funds and awareness for theSport Relief charity. Izzard raised more £200,000 (more donations are likely), doing six marathons a week for a total of 1,100 miles, on a route through England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He’s definitely “an action transvestite” now. He’s also dropped hints he may run for Parliament at some point in the future. Continue reading Well done!
Shouldn’t it be for something that matters, and not for some bullshit half-a-loaf piece of crap bill that won’t do a third of what we need doing in this country? I mean, I’m just saying, even if you take the tack that this is some kind of incremental approach, we all have a limited amount of time on this planet. We do not have time to listen to the YOU LIE Party anyway, but we flap around pretending to do it so maybe they’ll vote for our thing? What fourth grader couldn’t tell you they were never gonna vote for … Continue reading If They’re Gonna Screw You Over Anyway
That’s my friend Kevin Allman’s pet name for Arianna Huffington nee Stassinopoulous. Hismain beefwith Satan’s Botoxed Handmaiden (hereinafter SBH except for when I need a laugh) is that she talks a “progressive” game whilst “borrowing” content and not paying for it while making a packet herself. I am no longer able to see Arianna without thinking of her as SBH. Thanks, Kevin. Me, I have other gripes with Arianna. She’s a trendhopping opportunist who gives my ethnic group a bad name. I’m only half Greek but olive oil, lamb’s blood and Grecian hyperbole flow in my veins and I find … Continue reading Satan’s Botoxed Handmaiden
Yes, it’s true. So, a friend was having a debate about health care via the Internets the other day. She shared with me the following quotes that the anti-health-care-for-everyone douchebag was using to buttress his position. Here they are: “You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln “Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have … The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.” -Thomas Jefferson “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent … Continue reading Quote This, You Prick
Thanks to Athenae for the invite and the warm welcome. She just did something either foolhardy or semi-brilliant by inviting me to join the gang at First Draft. I’ll let you be the judge of that. For my own part, I’m happy to be here: I’m a longtime reader, occasional commenter and sporadic passenger in the crack van. Love that shag rug, A. I hope that Scout will still bring the ham… I’ve lived in New Orleans (aka Debrisville) since 1987 and have been blogging asAdrastos since December 2005. I suspect you can figure out what inspired me to start … Continue reading Greetings From Debrisville
I started off as one of those wanting to move on after the entertainment value of Confederate Joe Wilson’s outburst ended. But his colleague from South Carolina, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, is advancing a theory that’s not unlike putting a dog’s nose in its mess as a proper punishment: Clyburn also said that cracking down on Wilson is a matter surviving in the cut-throat politics of South Carolina. “In South Carolina politics, I learned that the olive branch works very seldom,” said Clyburn. “You have to come at these things from a position of strength. My father used to … Continue reading Jim Clyburn On Rebuking Joe Wilson
Click for a larger image. Wanted: Allison Hantschel, a.k.a. Athenae Crime: Attempted Homicide Details: Ms. Hantschel has repeatedly used the Internet to attempt to murder journalism. See the above screen shot for details. If you see Ms. Hantschel, consider her smart-alecky and dangerous. The very future of the Republic depends on stopping her murderous rampage. p>No, seriously. Look at that shot. There’s what, one news item there? CNN basically wins the Stupid Olympics with this. In fact, they take all the medals. The only thing it’s missing is more tut-tutting about that ill-mannered Serena Williams. On their front page, they … Continue reading Wanted: Athenae
It seems to be 9/12 sign day here at First Draft. My post was finished and waiting in the bullpen beforeAthenae threw that hard slider so I added this wee intro. This group blogging thing is harder than it looks. Speaking of groups: The original Beck-Olawas a 1969 elpee (you know, one of those round black vinyl doohickeys with a hole in the middle) by the Jeff Beck Group whereon the guitar god was joined by Rod Stewart and Ron Wood to make some heavy blooze rock.<cue power chords>Beck essentially created the template for Led Zeppelin and countless others but … Continue reading Beck-Ola 2009
“Now girls and boys, please, behave yourselves. Keep your shirts on. There is enough of me for everyone to enjoy.” A. Continue reading Happy Howard Photo
Guys? SEVEN FREAKING HUNDRED FREAKING DOLLARS. When I put upa post asking for donations for a care package for leinie’s son and his fellow servicemen and women in Afghanistan, I thought maybe we’ll raise a hundred bucks. Get a few pounds of coffee, some phone cards, a video game, put it in a box and send it over there with a note saying we’re thinking of you and please come home safe to your parents. When we got to $250 that first day, I thought holy shit. And I thought hey, let’s see if we can raise it to $300, … Continue reading Care Package Update
Hunter: Conservatives and assorted hangers-on want to represent the 9/11 anniversarytheir way, to such an extent at this point that they’re not even willing to share the sameday as the rest of the nation. On their day, they can say vicious things, and be as reactionary and bitter as they want, and take all the birthers, teabaggers, deathers, immigrant-bashers and all the other bottom rungs of ultra-conservative society and lump every political grievance all together into something that both is and is not explicitly about 9/11. Because it’s notour 9/11, not the one the nation knows, but adifferent 9/11 of … Continue reading Ours
Nice company we’ve got there. Click for a larger image; found atprisonpolicy.org. So I’m sure everyone’s readthis New Yorker article about Cameron Todd Willingham. If you haven’t, please do. It’s some sad, sad shit. Basically, the state of Texas almost certainly killed an innocent man in 2004. A friend sent methis article from Salon the other day; like most Salon articles lately, it really pissed me off. Go ahead, read it. I’ll wait. Back yet? Good. Now, I agree with what he says, but, in this fucking country, you can’t make statistical inferences like that. There’s always some yahoo who … Continue reading You’ve Got To Go To The Lonesome Valley
Everybody say hi toAdrastos, who will be joining First Draft as of whenever he gets up this morning and checks his e-mail. He’s been blogging from NOLA since forever, and I’m thrilled he’s decided to come on board. A. Continue reading New Poster
They don’t credit their sources! 1. Not citing blogs is “company policy”. As Ginsberg wrote:You did a fantastic reporting job. All I had to do was follow your steps (and make a few extra phone calls). 2. Ginsberg writes …Although I would note that another Times policy would prevent them from actually printing the name of your blog… I have erected a mirror site with a much less objectionable url (www.thatgreenpointblog) for just this reason. Yet the plagiarism persists. It has become all too clear that “offensive” blog urls are a red herring. 3.Looking forward to “amplifying” more of your … Continue reading Blogger Ethics
Good morning, campers!Let’s get into our iso suits and spin that airlock wheel, shall we? This week we have a bumper crop of crazy to entertain and amuse us, so let’s leave no tern unstoned! This one made me do a triple-take, and then email Athenae to ask if this was as crazy as it looked, and not some kind of parody.Her response? “Oh. Mah. Gawd.” Buckle in, everyone – this goes way past simply shouting at clouds.Clown Hall-disruptor-wannabes are nowscreaming at photographs of their Congresscritters. Man Calls for Resignation of Maine Senators Snowe and Collins – Video freedomslighthouse ^ … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “Bumper crop of crazy” Edition
Post away. The popcorn eating deer giraffe thing demands it. A. Continue reading Saturday Blogwhoring Thread
This is what happens when you let jackasses who don’t know the Internet and understand the Internet use the Internet: But the worst part of the NBC performance wasn’t the mistakes or the photo. It was the preposterous way it wrapped its arm around anyone who read its story and said, tell us how you’re feeling. The story about the fatal accident was accompanied by a poll that asked readers if it made them “furious,” “sad,” “bored,” “thrilled,” “intrigued,” or “laughing.” “We are . . . ” reads a column alongside the story, announcing the running results in large type, … Continue reading 85 Percent
(This conversation needs to be happening in the Oval Office right-frickin-now.) I spent the past several days watching the parent-in-the-store-with-whiny-kid approach Obama’s been taking toward health care reform and pretty much anything else. The kid is screaming and threatening and punching and the parent is doing the “now, now” thing. As a parent of a “dramatic” child, we’ve got a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to this kind of stuff: first time, it’s “Midget, you need to stop this right now.” Second time, it’s “You will stop this now (complete with parent eyes and pursed lips).” Third time, the … Continue reading We’re stuck in neutral
DIscussion of our perfect national unity on 9/11 make me crazy. I was at work on 9/11 and at work every day or just about thereafter, and while the TV news was covering heroic efforts to save the dying and recover the dead or sweet stuff about schoolkids writing letters to firefighters, all we were writing about wasthis kind of stuff: On the afternoon of Saturday, 2001-SEP-15, a gunman killed the 49 year old owner of a gas station in Mesa, AZ. He was a Sikh. His family believes that he was killed because he “looked Middle Eastern.” Additional shots … Continue reading National Unity
I asked you guys to getthe care package fund to $300 and you got it to$400!!! I’m afraid to even mention thepossibility of $500. You all might break Paypal. I will be keeping this reminder up until Monday, at which time I’ll be shutting it down and going on the world’s biggest shopping spree with a camera, Mr. A, the ferrets, and possibly a forklift. This is gonna be a lot of awesome. Way to go! A. Continue reading So, About How You ROCK …
The Interwebs strike again. A. Continue reading Killing Journalism One Sports Column at a Time
Joe Wilson of South Carolina, yelling outTHAT’S A LIE during the president’s speech. Per Keith. Imagine, if you will, what would have happened if Dennis Kucinich had done the same thing to Bush. A. Continue reading Asshole of the Evening
If I say it was agood speech, will you promise not to hit me? Seriously, the man can talk a good game, I think we all know this by now, but what was actually in there for me? Was good, bad, and ugly. The good: 1. Ending recission (seriously, it’s so outrageous sometimes I think we forget it’s not already against the law and that ending it will be a huge fucking deal): Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this … Continue reading The Speech
I love the Internets. A. Continue reading Joe Wilson Kissed Your Husband on the Mouth
From2Millionth Web Log But that’snot for alack of trying as Diaper Dave does his dance. Dave’s alsokeeping up the death panel/scare the shit out of grandma nonsense, as if we needed any additional confirmation that he’s not just a lying scumbag but also holds his own constituents in the deepest possible contempt. Meanwhile, I think Charles Boustany received a nice little participation trophy before being escorted off-stage to the back bench where he belongs…along withCongressman Joe Wilson, who proved there is such a thing as badpublicity. Continue reading He’s No Fred Garvin
Briefly revisiting something I brought up in response to A’s excellent “Um, YEAH” post yesterday, about historical precedents for politicians going against the tide in order to accomplish something and being repaid in political capital. This, unsurprisingly, as it relates to the debate on health care reform. Also unsurprisingly I’m going to drag Robert Caro off the bookshelf again. Sorry folks, the Caro series on LBJ is just that good. Even if you despise the very idea of LBJ, don’t let that keep you from reading the series because it’s about so much more, about the the whole freaking nation, … Continue reading “It got bent when I was still young”
All right. Posts in the van belong to their posters. First Draft is not responsible for anything, ever. No kittens were harmed in the making of this socialist death panel van. Play nicely. Update: Van closed. Thank you to all who stopped by, and don’t forget to hit the care package thread below. A. Continue reading Crack Van Comes Alive
Just a quick update of GOD DAMN SON for the Care Package project. You raised $250 yesterday! Holy crap. How awesome are you? Do a dance of joy for the giant box of fun, caffeine and sweets that will be going to Afghanistan soon. Let’s make it to $300 worth. Hit the tip jar. Put “care package” in the comments field. A. Continue reading Hit That
It’s been a while but the van rolls tonight for the POTUS health care address. 6 p.m. Central. Be there! Continue reading All aboard the First Draft Crack Van tonight!