Questions upon arresting a polar bear.
A.
First Draft
Liberal Politics, Media Criticism & General Mayhem
Monthly Archives: June 2010
The Fourth of July in my mind
Yeah, this one’s a bit early but I only get the keys on Wednesdays.
The tiny little place where I live really goes all out on Fourth of July (and also on Halloween, but that’s a different post). Everything shuts down and everyone goes down to the town square or as close as they can get to it. That is, everyone who isn’t in the parade. It’s a toss up whether there’s more people marching or watching from the sidelines but the important thing is, everyone goes: the old people, the high school Shakespeare troupe, hippies young and old, ranchers and artists, yuppies and tourists, everyone shows up.
The video below is from a few years ago when I marched with my naturalist group — I was in the kazoo corps. We were behind a float carrying Mother Nature and a bunch of other folks sitting on bales of hay. Immediately after the parade, a huge rainstorm hit, so everyone in town was caught in it at the same time, which was almost as much fun as the parade. It was a good time and I get a catch in my throat watching this because there’s something so uncomplicated about it, even though it’s not without irony, or even absurdity.
It’s not everyone’s storybook ideal, but it’s damn close to what I used to think Fourth of Julyshould be. Even though it’s completely impossible to forget a great many things that have torn that ideal all to hell for me, I can’t help reflexively pledging allegiance to the whole crazy, raggedy, imperfect mess.
More kazoo awesomenesshere.
Several days late but still proud
This is the first year in a while I didn’t do a big bunch of Pride blogging. So as not to let the holiday completely slip by, here’s my favoritequeer comedy routine, even though I can’t embed it. The comic is Erin Foley, btw.
Thurgood or Thurbad?
Wingnut Gooper Senators really, really don’t like one of the greatest lawyers in American history, Justice Thurgood Marshall. Why?They don’t really know why but they know what they don’t like and that’s activism except when they like it as inBush v. Gore orCitizens United. They also know they don’t like Elena Kagan because she clerked for Justice Marshall and, almost as bad, Judge Abner Mivka, a known Chicago Democrat. And they know they don’t like them because they’re Thurbad or some such unknowable shit. Know what I’m saying?
It all reminds me of a Peter Gabriel era Genesis tune, which is either prog or glam. Oh well, it’s only rock and roll but I like it more than I do thatpinhead Jeff Sessions:
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Sweet Christ This Is Awesome
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:313194 | ||||
|
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A.
Best Gambit Tabloid Cover Ever
NOLA’s fine alternative weekly, the Gambithas been on a roll of late. (Hmm, what kind of roll: lobster? egg? spring? Definitely not the latter.) Their latest cover featuresJames Carville looking like an insect toon complete with steam coming out of his ears:
Photo by Cheryl Gerber. Cover design by Dora Sison.
Well done, y’all. It’s actually rather lifelike. I had steam coming out of my ears yesterday as well and felt like a character out of a Roger Corman flick…
—–
Tuesday Night Music
Tuesday kicked my ass: it was rainy, nasty and I had computer issues at the bidness. The remedy? A *really* sad song featuring the plaintive vocal stylings of the late, great Rick Danko:
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The Economy
In case anybody’s wondering people are still pretty well fucked out here.
If you’ve got extra cash, Libby andDriftglass could use support.Susie’s fundraiser’s going on. I know there are others, those are just the ones off the top of my head, so post yours or others in the comments and we’ll make this the official OMFG FUCKING ECONOMY thread.
A.
Thank God They Didn’t Register Black People to Vote
“[Blackwater] provided a bid that was underbid everyone
else by about $26 million. And a panel that we had said that they can
do the job, that they have shaped up their act.So there really was not much choice but to accept that contract.“(More in a bit on whether Blackwater, now known as Xe, has really shaped up its act.)
The CIA contract follows the news this month that the State Departmentawarded
the company an 18-month, $120 million contract to protect consulates in
Afghanistan. And even that’s not all. In December, a Blackwater
officialtold
a contracting commission appointed by Congress that the company has
training and security contracts as well as a “drug interdiction unit”
working for the Defense Department in Afghanistan.And in a must-read story published Sunday, McClatchyreported
that the Obama Administration has opted not to pursue criminal charges
against Blackwater for possible violations of sanctions in the
company’s long campaign to sell services to the government of Southern
Sudan.
Right. Not much choice. Couldn’t do anything else, like, say, NOT GIVE THEM THE FUCKING CONTRACT. Totally inevitable.
So amazing how that works.
A.
Posturing In Da Parish
These are strange times in South Louisiana. Both the national and local press are treating some of our local hack conservative pols as though they’re heroic because of the oil spill. I suppose one could call it ennoblement through victimhood. One of my least favorite local leaders is St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro whoFirst Draft readers first met when he was making like Jesus and watching the feet of guvmint employees. Taffaro was also one of the originalmalakas featured at my own humble blog abode. During a photo-op yesterday, he denounced federal officials for only showing up for photo-ops. He should have looked to his left and noticed Governor PBJ whose approach to the crisis has been to pose, posture and preen for the camera crews he invites to follow him around. They call it leadership, I call it malakatude.
Anyway, here’s Craig Taffaro who’s probably upset that Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser is getting all the pub so he did a bit of emoting for the cameras:
p align=”center” class=”asset asset-video” style=”margin: 0pt auto; display: block;”>http://www.wwltv.com/v/?i=97348059
p>I know this sounds harsh given the circumstances but I knew these bozos before the oiltastrophe and they were partisan Gooper hacks then and that has not changed. Guys like Taffaro and PBJ are contorting and twisting logic in ways that even a master pretzel maker would find difficult. (Perhaps yoga would be a better analogy:Taffaro could easily be described as a downward facing dog.) They want the spill stopped and investigated but drilling to continue and the deeper the better. They want the Feds to “lead or get out of the way” but they want federal money and logistical support. Additionally, their own spill preparations were woefully inadequate. The Jindal administration no more had a plan to deal with this disaster than BP or the Feds but PBJ knows how to pander. And he knows fromPretzel Logic:
Today’s Best Sentence on the Internet
“Never trust a sex toy site that repeatedly can’t spell ‘sexual’ correctly.”
A.
ps. Christian sex toys? Not really. They’re just the usual dildos and whatnot with the packaging removed (eww) so the people buying the “pleasure sleeves” won’t have to see pictures of naked bodies because THAT would be too much sin.
pps.This?
This hot
relationship game is a fun way to keep communication going between
couples and allow them to try new and exciting intimate actions. After
the first few years of romance, couples tend to find that naughty
lingerie and nights exploring each other’s erogenous zones can
be forgotten and replaced by arguments over whose turn it is to buy the
frozen peas. A Hot Affair brings back the art of seduction, laughter
and lust through a game so neither of you needs to be the instigator.
It really does lead to the feeling that you are having an affair… but
with your spouse!
Should be called A Future Divorce.
Rationing Your Give-a-Shit
The only ones left who refuse to believe Burge led a torture ring,
it seems, are dead-enders who are constitutionally unable to fathom –
or simply don’t care – that such a thing occurred.
Still, the media apathy is stunning.
A new bizarre excuse comes from Eric Zorn:
“Even though I normally follow criminal justice issues, I’ve barely touched on this trial,” Zornwrote
on Sunday. “The reason? I don’t want to risk vesting importance in a
not-guilty verdict which, at this writing, with the jury still
deliberating, I consider possible. Jurors can be awfully sympathetic to
lawmen, and Burge’s defense played heavily on their emotions.“I’ve read enough about these massively corroborated allegations
over the years that the opinion reached by a dozen newcomers to a
partial presentation won’t change my mind and shouldn’t change yours.”And therefore I’m not even going to discuss the evidence presented
at this trial or the ramifications for any current officeholders
including our mayor! I just don’t care anymore!“Nor, I believe, will the verdict have any repercussions either way.
The stories of torture have already resulted in all the reforms they’re
going to result in – videotaping of confessions and interrogations,
cameras on cops, greatly heightened skepticism of the wisdom of the
death penalty and so on.”Yes. All of the policy prescriptions have been taken care of!
(“Meanwhile, Representative Danny K. Davis, Democrat of Illinois, is
pushing for federal legislation that would make police torture a
federal crime without a statute of limitations,” the Chicago News
Cooperative reported on Friday.)“Nothing this jury decides will change the necessity and wisdom of
those reforms or that, in many ways, over time, justice here has
already been done.”Yes, justice has already been done. Why even hold this trial? Who
cares if Burge is imprisoned or if any of his co-conspirators are
waylaid by their own perjury charges? Who cares if the victims and
their families are left with open wounds? Zorn has seen enough. Time to
move on tomen not asking for directions andthe genius of Bob Sirott!“And why has there been no uprising of outraged citizens,” Carol Marinwrites in her SundaySun-Times column.
Just what is it citizens are supposed to do to show their outrage?
At least journalists have a platform from which to vent, analyze, and
even attempt to hold shame public officials into accountability. Why
has there been no uprising of outraged pundits?“In truth, that code [of silence] is alive and well in every corner of this city and state.”
Including our newsrooms.
Brief background for those of you who don’t live here: Cops in
Chicago engaged in what Rush Limbaugh likes to call fraternity pranks,
for years, and tortured a bunch of suspects some of whom ended up on
death row. The perjury trial of their fearless leader, which by all
rights should end with every one of these violent, racist bastards in
chains, has been going on for several weeks. Not so as you’d notice
here in Chicago, because the Cubs and Sox are playing each other in
baseball, and it’s been hot out, so that doesn’t leave much room on the
nightly newscasts for news. Fuck all this forever.
Chicago engaged in what Rush Limbaugh likes to call fraternity pranks,
for years, and tortured a bunch of suspects some of whom ended up on
death row. The perjury trial of their fearless leader, which by all
rights should end with every one of these violent, racist bastards in
chains, has been going on for several weeks. Not so as you’d notice
here in Chicago, because the Cubs and Sox are playing each other in
baseball, and it’s been hot out, so that doesn’t leave much room on the
nightly newscasts for news. Fuck all this forever.
The modern Chicago Tribune is expressly written for white
businessmen’s wives in Naperville, so I feel sort of bad joining in the
pile-on on Zorn, who really is nothing more than exactly what he needs
to be. But this is the kind of bloodlessness I’m always talking about when I talk about what’s wrong with newspaper commentary.
businessmen’s wives in Naperville, so I feel sort of bad joining in the
pile-on on Zorn, who really is nothing more than exactly what he needs
to be. But this is the kind of bloodlessness I’m always talking about when I talk about what’s wrong with newspaper commentary.
I say over all the time that too much energy is
expended rooting out political slants in news coverage and not enough
energy is expended rooting out laziness and stupidity. Add to those the
allergy to excitement, the confusion of passion with bias, and the
beaten-down attitude you get after being mindfucked daily by one
corporate asshole after the next and what you end up with is this: A
COLUMNIST FOR A MAJOR AMERICAN NEWSPAPER explaining to you why he just
can’t be bothered to get excited about a news story because hey, the
jury might come back not guilty, and then he’d look futile and small.
It’s hard for me to put into words how crazy that is, especially when
it’s said with such blithe certainty, in such a reasonable tone, by
such a sensible guy.
expended rooting out political slants in news coverage and not enough
energy is expended rooting out laziness and stupidity. Add to those the
allergy to excitement, the confusion of passion with bias, and the
beaten-down attitude you get after being mindfucked daily by one
corporate asshole after the next and what you end up with is this: A
COLUMNIST FOR A MAJOR AMERICAN NEWSPAPER explaining to you why he just
can’t be bothered to get excited about a news story because hey, the
jury might come back not guilty, and then he’d look futile and small.
It’s hard for me to put into words how crazy that is, especially when
it’s said with such blithe certainty, in such a reasonable tone, by
such a sensible guy.
I had this fight with an editor, once. He asked me if I thought a
certain public figure, exposed as an amoral, lying monster in stories
I’d written, should be called upon in our editorials to resign. YES, I
said. We should advocate for his resignation, we should advocate for
application of all legal remedies to lock this bastard up, and we
should do so repeatedly and loudly until time ground us into dust. The
editor looked confused and troubled. “What if he doesn’t resign?” If he doesn’t resign? Then he’ll still be a son of a bitch
who is going to hell, and you’ll still beright Jesus God. Isn’t that enough? It
wasn’t. It was more important that we look as though we had influence,
and if we’d called on him to resign, and he didn’t, well, then we’d
look dumb, wouldn’t we?
certain public figure, exposed as an amoral, lying monster in stories
I’d written, should be called upon in our editorials to resign. YES, I
said. We should advocate for his resignation, we should advocate for
application of all legal remedies to lock this bastard up, and we
should do so repeatedly and loudly until time ground us into dust. The
editor looked confused and troubled. “What if he doesn’t resign?” If he doesn’t resign? Then he’ll still be a son of a bitch
who is going to hell, and you’ll still beright Jesus God. Isn’t that enough? It
wasn’t. It was more important that we look as though we had influence,
and if we’d called on him to resign, and he didn’t, well, then we’d
look dumb, wouldn’t we?
This is a fundamental misunderstanding that infects every level of
every medium in which we transmit information to one another. Your
responsibility is not to WIN, and still less to look like you’re winning. It’s to speak with whatever voice you
possess about the things that matter to you. Listening issomebody
else’s job and they’ll do it or they won’t but you can’t make your whole life about the presumed actions of others, it’s a quick route to the madhouse. This is a thing writing teaches you, especially, that you
send your stories out into the world and sometimes they matter,
sometimes they change things, sometimes they inspire and uplift and
make somebody a different person, alight with courage and glory.
Sometimes they just lay there like a dead fish and nobody does anything
and nothing changes and you feel like an asshole.
every medium in which we transmit information to one another. Your
responsibility is not to WIN, and still less to look like you’re winning. It’s to speak with whatever voice you
possess about the things that matter to you. Listening issomebody
else’s job and they’ll do it or they won’t but you can’t make your whole life about the presumed actions of others, it’s a quick route to the madhouse. This is a thing writing teaches you, especially, that you
send your stories out into the world and sometimes they matter,
sometimes they change things, sometimes they inspire and uplift and
make somebody a different person, alight with courage and glory.
Sometimes they just lay there like a dead fish and nobody does anything
and nothing changes and you feel like an asshole.
And the point is, you can never tell which it’s going to be.
Should you play the odds, rationing your ink and your “emotions,” figuring out how
much to give a shit based on if there might be a big enough parade as a
result? Plenty of people do. How many times a day in our lives do we
hear this? How many times do we say it to ourselves and others? Don’t
get involved, you won’t change anything. Don’t get het up, you won’t
change anything. Don’t worry, don’t work, don’t lose sleep, don’t open
your wallet, don’t open your heart, don’t open your mind, don’t laugh,
don’t cry, for God’s sake whatever you do don’t raise your voice. Don’t
say fuck. Don’tcare. As if you have a certain amount of give-a-shit in
you, and you have to portion it out like it’s a bowl of sugar. As if
there should ever be an end to your passionate interest in and advocacy
for the betterment of the environment in which you live.
Should you play the odds, rationing your ink and your “emotions,” figuring out how
much to give a shit based on if there might be a big enough parade as a
result? Plenty of people do. How many times a day in our lives do we
hear this? How many times do we say it to ourselves and others? Don’t
get involved, you won’t change anything. Don’t get het up, you won’t
change anything. Don’t worry, don’t work, don’t lose sleep, don’t open
your wallet, don’t open your heart, don’t open your mind, don’t laugh,
don’t cry, for God’s sake whatever you do don’t raise your voice. Don’t
say fuck. Don’tcare. As if you have a certain amount of give-a-shit in
you, and you have to portion it out like it’s a bowl of sugar. As if
there should ever be an end to your passionate interest in and advocacy
for the betterment of the environment in which you live.
If you want to know what’s killing interest in commentary from
American newspapers and magazines, it’s this. Not that they’re liberal
or conservative, that they’re empty. That they reinforce with their
institutional voices that the worst sin in society today is to give
enough of a fuck about something that you get upset. Think of David
Brooks, musing in how awful it was that somebody in charge of a war was
quoted accurately. Think of Jeffrey Goldberg wanking on about the
language Dave Weigel uses to say what probably are some of the kindest
things anyone has ever said about Matt Drudge. Think of Joe Klein,
fucking up story after story on FISA but somehow, in his mind, winning
the argument because hey, his critics called him a douchebag. And I’m
about done listening to pundits blame Americans for the lack of
outrage, by the way. These were the same people who, back in 2003, were
characterizing the millions of people who protested the invasion of
Iraq as crazy fucking hippies who didn’t deserve any kind of a listen
because they wore rude T-shirts and smelled like pot.
American newspapers and magazines, it’s this. Not that they’re liberal
or conservative, that they’re empty. That they reinforce with their
institutional voices that the worst sin in society today is to give
enough of a fuck about something that you get upset. Think of David
Brooks, musing in how awful it was that somebody in charge of a war was
quoted accurately. Think of Jeffrey Goldberg wanking on about the
language Dave Weigel uses to say what probably are some of the kindest
things anyone has ever said about Matt Drudge. Think of Joe Klein,
fucking up story after story on FISA but somehow, in his mind, winning
the argument because hey, his critics called him a douchebag. And I’m
about done listening to pundits blame Americans for the lack of
outrage, by the way. These were the same people who, back in 2003, were
characterizing the millions of people who protested the invasion of
Iraq as crazy fucking hippies who didn’t deserve any kind of a listen
because they wore rude T-shirts and smelled like pot.
Your responsibility as a reporter is not to be on the side of most
people, or the most popular people, or the side you think is gonna win.
Zorn continues, after Burge’s ohheylookatthat conviction:
people, or the most popular people, or the side you think is gonna win.
Zorn continues, after Burge’s ohheylookatthat conviction:
In retrospect, my failure to invest much in the opinion of this jury looks like a bad bet, I admit.
That you considered it a bet at all makes you look much worse.
A.
Smartassery in Wisconsin
Having a sense of humor can be dangerous. The winger echo chamber is jumping all overJoe Biden’s so-called latest “gaffe.” It’s not a gaffe in my view, just banter that the literal minded are hyperventilating over. It’s not a big fucking deal:
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‘Cynical but Essentially Guileless’
A whole chapter follows parsing the advantages of selling out; it is as
torturous in its self-examination as a seminarian’s confession.
Bourdain isn’t famous because he knows so much about restaurant cooking
(though he does) or because he’s always cool (he isn’t) or even because
he hosts a popular show about liquor and piglets. Bourdain is famous
because he is vivid and real and mercilessly honest at every second —
in a sphere whose atmosphere consists of bombast, shilling, sanctimony
and the unholy alliance between marketing communications and social
networking.[snip]
You talk in the book about how you’re going to sell out, but for
some reason you still haven’t. Why not? What are you waiting for?
What did Molière say about writing being like prostitution? “First you
do it for fun. Then you do it for a few friends. Finally you do it for
money.” I’ve done “product integrations” for the show. In this brave
new world of TiVo and DVR, no one watches television as scheduled. They
fast-forward through the commercials, they delete them, they download
[shows] commercial-free. Advertisers-sponsors aren’t stupid. They know
that increasingly, the only way to get their product seen is in the
body of the show. Once I agreed to do that, for the cause, for the
budget, for whatever, I pretty much lost my cherry. As I said in the
book, it’s vanity that precludes me from doing actual ads. So far. Not
integrity. That surely will change. I think it was the Keith Richards
ad for Vuitton. I thought, Jesus! If he’s not too cool to do it, what’s
my problem?
One of the things I really like aboutNo Reservations (along with the delicious host himself, on whom I have a crush worthy of a high school sophomore) is that it doesn’t shy away from dealing with the essential poverty of many places the production visits. And when in a country, city or neighborhood that is significantly poor, when dealing with people who have been oppressed (the Laos and Cambodia episodes, I’m thinking of especially), the show doesn’t treat it or them any differently than it does the wealthy and well-connected. Everybody is viewed with the same skepticism, humor, and warmth.
Also WHAT’S A SQUEEZLE?
A.
Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “Strange fruit” edition
p>Good Monday morning, everyone! Well, the Freeperati are forever calling for a Second Amendment solution to the issue of the disenfranchised old white male. Take the country back(tm), treason, revolution, secession, yada, yada, yada and also, yada.
But just let one old white guyacton their collective fantasy?
“We don’t know nothin about birthin’(heh) no armed revolution! Those guys who take all that stuff literally are teh crazy!”
So – let’s get suited up and kick a few drums of Free Republic talk-the-talk over and see what spills out, shall we?
First up –You guys are acting like this was a BAD thing!
Birther
facing gun charges Georgia militiaman said he wanted to seize Sweetwater
TN
Knoxnews.com ^
| 06/11/2010
| Knoxnews.com
Posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:03:16
AM byThe Magical Mischief TourArmed to the gills, this Georgia militiaman declared himself ready to
die for the cause – vowing to seize control of the tiny town of
Sweetwater and round up the traitors blocking the indictment of
President Barack Obama for his treasonous turn as commander-in-chief.It
was a plan Darren Wesley Huff revealed over and over again to a slew of
people, from a bank manager in his hometown to the FBI to Tennessee
Highway Patrol troopers to a talk-radio audience.Thanks in large
part to his public confessions, Huff faces his own indictment on
federal charges of ferrying guns and ammunition across state lines with
the purpose of inciting riotous violence.
1
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:03:16 AM
byThe Magical Mischief Tour
OK, Freepers! This is what you’ve been wanting to see, and assembling your bug-out kits full of gold, ammo, MREs, and hermetically-sealed PVC tubes of seeds that won’t grow, in preparation for! It’s revolution, baby! Time to go all WOLVERINES on this corrupt Administration!Come ON!!Who’s with me??????
p>To: The Magical Mischief TourWeren’t me.
2
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:08:28 AM
byVigilantcitizen
Well, considering that this Freeper-wannabe is currently residingunder the jail, we already had that figured out, “vigilantcitizen”.
By the way, does the handle “vigilantcitizen” mean that you justwatch while othersdo, or that you spend the majority of your waking hours peeping out from behind the living room curtains?
To: The Magical Mischief Tour“Huff faces his own indictment on federal charges of ferrying
guns and ammunition across state lines with the purpose of inciting
riotous violence.”There is actually a law that says that?
3
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:10:34 AM
bybitterohiogunclinger
(America held hostage – day 393)
No, there’stwolaws that say that..
Title 18, U.S.C. Section 2101(a) – Riots
Title 18, U.S.C. Section 231
(a) Transporting in Commerce a Firearm in furtherance of a Civil
Disorder
Asked,. and – oh, shut up, Kibitzer.
To: The Magical Mischief Tour
Actually, except for the part about actually doing something you guys just talk about, he sounds pretty much like everyone on Free Republic.
To: caverDid you notice that the story managed to get “birther”, “right
wing”, and “militia” all in one sentence?5
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:12:33 AM
bybitterohiogunclinger
(America held hostage – day 393)
That’s nothing – you wackos managed to get them all on one website.
Certainly, one Freeper will stand up for this Patriot (patent applied for), who certainly must have been framed by the Eeevil Obummer Administration?
To: caverMr. Huff is being framed. He was in Madisonville Tn. to show
support for cmdr. Fitzpatrick who has for some time been in a dispute
with the local court and grand jury
concerning his charges against obama for treason.THE MAN IS A PREACHER
8
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:18:38 AM
bymanonCANAL
To: manonCANALTHE MAN IS A PREACHERSo is Fred Phelps.
9
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:20:53 AM
bycripplecreek
(Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
Heh.
And of course, there’s always denial…
To: cripplecreek
If you believe anything in a newspaper nowadays you are nuts
12
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:22:38 AM
bymanonCANAL
p>Well, certainly since Athenae single-handedly destroyed Journalism…
To: RaceBannonNot a bit surprised. There will be many more stories like this
one,
Not any aboutme, of course..
because there are those who would stand up against tyranny using
more than just a keyboard.
He says, from behind a keyboard.
15
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:32:44 AM
byMich Patriot
(Man is not free unless government is limited.)
I think you just called yourself a coward.
To: Repeal The 17thDarren Wesley Huff (to see picture, look up ‘idiot’ in the
dictionary):The only thing that I read in this article that would make me
think he is an idiot is that he went around flapping his gums about his
plans. If you’re going to do something, just do it. Don’t talk about
doing it to every Tom, Dick and Harry.
The only thing that I read in your post that would make me think you’re an idiot is…well…everything.
To: manonCANALEveryone on FR likes to talk tough about what they are going to
do but when someone actually tries to do something they call him a nut. A
lot of keyboard commandos around here.21
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:47:29 AM
bybeckysueb
(January 20, 2013. When Obama becomes just a skidmark on the panties of
American history.)
To: beckysuebWhats your problem?Do you approve of what this crazy chappy did?
27
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 7:04:35 AM
byLobsterback
(Waiting for the boom…)div class=”a2″>To: Lobsterback
I don’t approve of violence but it is going to take more than
sign carrying and flag waving to take back this country. I was only
pointing out that many of the posts here on FR are all about doing
something, civil disobedience, blah blah blah.Lots of bravado from
behind the keyboard. You haven’t been around here long enough to
understand.28
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 7:08:25 AM
bybeckysueb
(January 20, 2013. When Obama becomes just a skidmark on the panties of
American history.)
Yeah – the insanity has to simmer in the heat of hatred until it reaches a thick reduction of stupid.
To: LobsterbackOne more little tidbit.Don’t believe everything you read in the
papers. It is usually tilted very far to the left. They can make this
“chappy” sound much worse than he actually is. Look how they define the
Tea Party movement. A bunch of racist radicals who shouted racial slurs
at some guy. Only problem is it didn’t happen.35
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 7:12:24 AM
bybeckysueb
(January 20, 2013. When Obama becomes just a skidmark on the panties of
American history.)
Yeah – how could you makethis look bad, anyway?
It all started last year when Fitzpatrick, a retired military man
whose beef with the government goes back two decades when he faced a
court-martial, tried to get a Monroe County grand jury to indict Obama
for treason. The grounds? Obama, Fitzpatrick contended, was not really
born in the U.S.When the grand jury refused to consider the case, Fitzpatrick began
issuing a series of “complaints,” naming some two dozen federal, state
and local officials, all of whom he accused of misconduct for failing to
arrest, charge or remove the president from office.He and fellow “birthers” showed up in early April at the Monroe
County Courthouse to begin effecting his own “citizen’s arrests” when,
according to the FBI complaint, he wound up arrested instead on charges
that include inciting a riot.The FBI alleges Huff, a Dalton, Ga., man who claims membership in a
militia, decided to join Fitzpatrick’s cause and told anyone who would
listen – including FBI agents – that he and fellow militiamen intended
to show up at Fitzpatrick’s April 20 preliminary hearing to seize the
town if necessary to free Fitzpatrick and help him carry out his
citizen’s arrests.Huff traveled from Georgia to Sweetwater with a gun on his hip, two
more handguns and an AK-47 assault rifle in his truck, the complaint
states. When a state trooper stopped it on traffic violations, Huff, who
had a concealed carry permit, again detailed the plan, Van Balen wrote.“Huff said he was ready to die for his rights,” the agent wrote.
“Huff (said) that if necessary, they would come back and have a lot more
armed people to take over the courthouse and effect all the arrests.”When Huff and an estimated 20 others actually showed up at the
courthouse, they were vastly outnumbered by law enforcers from federal,
state and local agencies, the complaint stated. The courthouse had been
effectively shut down, with workers told to stay home, and Fitzpatrick’s
hearing cancelled. Still, the agent wrote, Huff and others prowled the
streets with guns visible.The FBI, which had been tracking Huff throughout his travels, waited
until Huff described his actions on a talk radio show and then arrested
him on charges of carrying firearms across the state lines with the
intent to incite a riot.Huff is free under terms of house arrest.
You see, he’s under…WHAAAA????
Fer chrissakes. This cane toad isn’t in jail??
blockquote>
To: muddler
He is an OATHKEEPER
14
posted onFriday, June 11, 2010 6:27:13 AM
bymanonCANAL
Colour me surprised.
And – best comment in the thread!
(drumroll)
To: The Magical Mischief Tour
Did he at least manage to seize control of a beer hall?
Robert Byrd Dies
Unlike other prominent Senate Democrats such as 2004 presidential
nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts, who voted to authorize the war in
Iraq, Byrd stood firm in opposition — and felt gratified when public
opinion swung behind him.“The people are becoming more and more aware that we were
hoodwinked, that the leaders of this country misrepresented or
exaggerated the necessity for invading Iraq,” Byrd said.He cited Iraq when he endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama for the
Democratic presidential nomination in May 2008, calling Obama “a
shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and
courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly
misadventure.”Byrd’s accomplishments followed a childhood of poverty in West
Virginia, and his success on the national stage came despite a
complicated history on racial matters. As a young man, we was a member
of the Ku Klux Klan for a brief period, and he joined Southern
Democrats in an unsuccessful filibuster against the landmark 1964 Civil
Rights Act.He later apologized for both actions, saying intolerance has no
place in America. While supporting later civil rights bills, he opposed
busing to integrate schools.
A.
Saturday Night Music
Last weekend I had Minnesota on my mind. The ultimate Jayhawks lineup of Gary Louris, Mark Olson, Patrick O’Regan, Mark Perlman and Karen Grotberg reunited for aseries of shows in Minneapolis. It’s one of many times that I wish I could do the Star Trek transporter thing although I’d rather have Chief O’Brien running it than Scotty. The latter was too irascible for my taste…
Anyway, here’s theTomorrow The Green Grass Jayhawks lineup performing live on the old Jon Stewart Show before he became a stalwart of the fake news biz. Come to think of it, Jon is pretty darn irascible too:
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