Morning Joe, with lies stirred in

When I read what Joe Scarborough recently said about McSame's ties to religion, as well as Obama's, I didn't believe it until I actually heard it. I thought to myself that surely Scarborough can't be this myopic, inaccurate and flat-out wrong.

He is.

Scarborough:

John McCain has never attached himself to these people on the far right, that say 'If you're gay, you're going to hell, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.' [By the way, someone needs to tell Scarborough how to pronounce "et cetera."]

Maybe some of the drugs we've all recently heard about that are in our public water supply have found their way to Scarborough's tap. I've got a pictorial response to Scarborough's assertion...

This one says it all. McCain the Maverick is long dead, circa 2000, who called the likes of Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance," now embraces them to get elected. (The above picture is of Falwell and McCain at Liberty University's commencement in 2006, long after his rants against gays, lesbians and people who perform and have abortions two days after 9-11.) [For the record - I know a few days ago I wrote that the above picture is from '07 - my mistake.]

But, let's not get facts in the way, right? God, I love the Internet - it's awfully hard to get away from video clips.

Kudos to Rachel Maddow for bringing up even more examples of the right's intolerance, specifically following Hurricane Katrina. Scarborough's response was beyond absurd - that "that sort of argument is good for Air America Radio versus Rush Limbaugh." But, I guess that's the best that lukewarm Joe could come up with in light of facts, not opinions.

The pseudo-scandal of Jeremiah Wright

(Photo from The New York Times)

I'm loathe to bathe in the sewer of he said/she said stuff of the various supporters of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from the past week, but it's a pretty big issue, and I'm full of anger about it, so here goes. ...

First, presidential candidates cannot possibly be held responsible for what their various supporters say, feel and do. When some of those things happen to be idiotic, the candidates will distance themselves, and rightfully so.

I have some pretty strong opinions about the pseudo-Jeremiah Wright scandal. And YES, I'm calling it a "pseudo-scandal," dug up by the GOP's official disinformation station, Fox News, and some other networks of the so-called "liberal media." ABC News purchased many of Wright's sermons following his retirement when they were offered for sale, reportedly to look for "controversial material."

This is a stupid, transparent attempt to find dirt on Barack Obama, a powerful and popular candidate, who will likely be the Democratic presidential nominee.

First, what has Wright said that's so controversial? Plenty, and much of it I find outrageous and despicable. But not all of it.

Wright has said that Zionism has elements of "white racism," and that the 9/11 attacks were a consequence of violent American policies and proved that "people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West went on its merry way of ignoring Black concerns."

Yikes. First of all, I'm sick and tired of the Antisemitism that is lobbed by the Jew haters in America and around the world, most notably by people like Louis Farrakhan, linked to Obama via Wright. Does that make Obama an Anti-Semite? Hardly.

Wright's reasoning that 9/11 is a consequence of violent American policies has more than a kernel of truth in it, but I don't feel America's policies in the past in any way justifies the attacks. No way. It does, however, partially explain them. Of course, this is unfashionable to say, especially in the eyes of many neocons, who are wrapped, packaged, draped and cloaked in belligerent patriotism.

Recently on CNN, the bloated, gambling addict William Bennett, a GOP talking head, was visibly miffed when someone (Michelle Obama) insinuated that America isn't the greatest country in the world. "It is," harrumphed Bennett. I'm so tired of that empty statement, and I'm even more tired of people accusing someone who won't go along with it of being unpatriotic. There are many things I don't like about America, and if you don't like that or think I'm unpatriotic, then I've got some suggestions about where you can go and how to get there.

Many African-American churches are pretty angry at how blacks have been treated in this country for, oh, about 300 years. Even a blind man can see that African-Americans still suffer some social injustices and have disadvantages in this country. Sure, some progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go. Our country has a long, painful history of racism and sexism - since our country's founding, Native-Americans, women and African-Americans all have plenty of stories to tell over three centuries of being mistreated, discriminated against and even murdered. Because I'm pointing out the obvious doesn't mean that I hate America, despite what some who disagree with me would undoubtedly say.

Sure, Wright has said some stupid things, no doubt designed to stir up his audience into a frenzy. Obama has publicly condemned those comments.

From a April 30, 2007 article in The New York Times (Subscription Required to access NYT archives):

"The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification," [Obama] said in a recent interview. He was not at Trinity the day Mr. Wright delivered his remarks shortly after the attacks, Mr. Obama said, but "it sounds like he was trying to be provocative."

"Reverend Wright is a child of the 60s, and he often expresses himself in that language of concern with institutional racism and the struggles the African-American community has gone through," Mr. Obama said. "He analyzes public events in the context of race. I tend to look at them through the context of social justice and inequality."

Despite the canceled invocation, Mr. Wright prayed with the Obama family just before his presidential announcement. Asked later about the incident, the Obama campaign said in a statement, "Senator Obama is proud of his pastor and his church."

Does that disqualify Obama to be president? Surely it does not. The last time I checked, you can be proud of someone and have a relationship with someone without agreeing with everything that person says or does. But, as far as the neocons are concerned, this isn't possible if you're a presidential candidate. (Click the above link - I blogged about this yesterday - while I was growing up, the pastor of my church had some personal issues, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person or that I wouldn't associate with him today. But, that doesn't mean I think adultery is acceptable, either.)

For instance, I'm proud of the fact that I voted for Bill Clinton twice, in 1992 and in 1996. Am I proud of the fact that he had an adulterous affair with Monica Lewinsky and lied about it? Of course not. But, does the fact that I voted for Clinton, and that I am to this day, an admirer of his make me a believer in adultery? Please. Am I proud that I twice voted for him? You're damn right I am. Hopefully, you see how stupid this argument quickly becomes upon reasoned analysis.

Speaking of analysis, let's do a little of it that you won't see on Faux News (or probably another other network, for that matter). Are Wright's comments any more offensive than some of the radical religious right's comments following 9/11? Specifically on September 13, 2001? Well, let's listen to them, shall we? ...

Both Jerry Falwell's and Pat Robertson's comments are despicable, outrageous, inexcusable and yes, unforgivable. Of course, the next day a contrite Falwell apologized, but I think few took that apology sincerely, considering his track record of repeatedly spewing intolerant stuff like this and then subsequently apologizing when enough people were angry. I hope Falwell, rest in peace, is keeping Timothy McVeigh company.

How is any of this relevant to the Wright pseudo-controversy? You tell me...

In 2000, McCain rightfully called Falwell and those like him "agents of intolerance," but the 2007 version of McCain (when the picture above was taken) will pander and do anything to become president.

If Obama (or Hillary) is smart, during the fall campaign, if Fox and the right wing noise machine keeps up with the Jeremiah Wright propaganda, the picture above ought to be used extensively in political ads, along with the video of Falwell and that idiotic rube Robertson offering up their 9/11 blame games.

Anyway, does McCain's public embrace of Falwell disqualify him to be president? Nope - no more than Wright's comments disqualify Obama, and they don't.

Is there any chance that we could get back to the issues that are affecting tens of millions of Americans any time soon? That would really be nice.

In addition to the War in Iraq, where American deaths are now on the brink of 4,000, we have a mounting debt, an impending economic crisis, and a million other problems that are getting zero play in the press. More on what issues I consider important in a bit.

If anything, both the Obama and Clinton campaigns have not been nearly forceful or timely enough to distance themselves from the stupid remarks of their supporters. Hopefully, these are lessons that are learned and applied to the fall campaign, because one thing's for sure - if it's this ugly now, it's going to be infinitely uglier in the summer and fall.

It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Bill Maher on Ron Paul & Jerry Falwell

On Friday night, Bill Maher had plenty to say about Rep. Ron Paul's remarks during Tuesday's GOP "debate."

Maher and his guests were right on the money - lots of interesting points from this discussion.

Paul discusses what other GOP candidates (or DemocratIC ones, for that matter) won't, and that's the root causes of 9-11. As Maher so adeptly points out, Paul is the only current Republican Presidential Candidate who doesn't readily accept the prepackaged pap the the Bush administration has been poisoning our political discourse with since 9-11.

To hear Republicans tell it, and Giuliani was the first to pounce (since he thinks he owns the 9-11 "franchise"), you'd think that Paul lit an American flag on fire while shouting "Hail Osama!"

The fact is, no one has really taken the time to evaluate in any meaningful way why 9-11 happened in the first place. (If any of our politicians have, they haven't discussed it publicly that I've heard.) It's simply easier to say, "They hate us for our freedoms and our way of life. We're good, they're evil."

Giuliani did it first, and now others are trying to spin what Paul said by implying that he meant we invited 9-11 (Giuliani did this right after Paul's remarks during the debate). That's NOT AT ALL what Paul said. What Paul meant by his remarks is that by sticking our noses arrogantly into so many other country's business, we have made ourselves a prime target. Paul was not being unpatriotic. Republicans are now trying to Al Gore Paul with another "I invented the Internet" moment.

What's most outrageous of all is the Republican movement to exclude Paul from future debates. How... American!

The fear and war mongering from this debate is about what I'd expect from a group of Republican Presidential Candidates, but Tuesday's debate took it to a whole new level. Mitt Romney's suggestion that we need to "double the size of Guantanamo [the detention center at our Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where we are holding enemy combatants and prisoners of war]" is the most asinine thing I've heard so far in this young 2008 campaign.

I'm already sick of the line "they'll follow us here," which is being used ad nauseam by this administration to scare the living shit out of people. Bush's cabal has been doing it since 9-11, and to often dramatic success. Actually, this is a toned-down version of what Cheney was saying over and over and over again while campaigning around the country prior to the '04 election - "We are the only party that can keep you safe," or a close variant of that.

If there's any hope for this country at all, then that type of absurd political lying is over. At the very least, I'd like to think that this country is sick and tired of Karl Rove's brand of politics. We'll know soon enough.

Maher also points out one other interesting aspect of Tuesday's debate - health care, education and environment questions were all not surprisingly absent from the debate - not ONE question from any of those categories. Yet, those are three of the most important topics that we must address in aggressive ways in the next administration.

Of course, the WSJ's John Fund points out, "that's [due to] the moderator," and Maher quickly shot back "like a presidential candidate can never answer a question that isn't asked." True enough.

And if you want to stick with Fund's moderator argument, the debate was hosted by Fersatz News, so of course the questions were going to play terrorism and homeland security to the hilt.

One other quick clip from Maher's show - his tribute to Jerry Falwell...

Line of the night (by Maher): Jerry Falwell found out that you could launder your hate through the cover of God's will.

A-men.

Hitchens pees on Falwell's grave

I filed this one under "I was thinking it, he said it." Christopher Hitchens, a noted anti-religious activist (at least organized religion), spoke of the late Jerry Falwell in pretty stark and altogether unflattering terms the other night on Anderson 360.

Quite frankly, I don't disagree with a word Hitchens says in this interview. Falwell was a pickpocket and a charlatan. The only thing funnier was that millions of people believed him.

Hitchens makes a number of good points here, and I won't recount them all, but the most spot on is that if you have "Rev." in front of your name in this country, you sure can get away with a whole lot. And I'm not just talking about people on the right, either. Al Sharpton is also a disgrace, and I'm not the biggest fan of Jesse Jackson, either. But, these two have done comparatively minor damage to our political discourse when compared to the likes of Ted Haggard, Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the rest of the right-wing fanatics.

Well said, Mr. Hitchens. I'm looking forward to reading his book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything sometime soon.

A booming, intolerant voice falls silent

Updated...

Jerry Falwell is dead. This morning, he was found in his office of Liberty University, unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Forgive me if I don't cry out in pain. This is a man who made great, gleeful sport out of slandering those who didn't subscribe to his strict, literal religious ideology. As Richard Nixon once most famously said: "Our job is to protect this country from its enemies, and sometimes those enemies are within these walls [he was referring to our borders, not the White House *snicker*]."

Falwell was once of those enemies. Quick now - who did more damage to our country - Saddam Hussein or Jerry Falwell? Those words may anger some, but frankly, I don't care. His words and actions have caused much pain, too, and sometimes the truth stings.

I feel badly about a 73-year old man leaving a family behind while dying at a pretty young age. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, including Falwell. However, most reasonable 73-year olds wouldn't say that 9-11 happened because of gays and abortion, so I'm not sorry that one of the most intolerant voices in my lifetime can no longer slander and debase gays, abortion or anyone who dared disagreed with him.

Other than that, I'll write nothing more, because whatever I say about him will add nothing but someone's ability to call me a hate monger who kicks dirt on the dead, and I am neither.

However, I will let Falwell's record and legacy speak for itself. The Carpetbagger Report has a very good chronology of his lies, defamations and hateful remarks.

After reading his "rap sheet," it's hard to feel anything but contempt for him. I write these words because in death, there's a great tendency to gloss over a person's misdeeds, and that's appropriate, 99 percent of the time. This is not one of those times. I'll never forget what he did to Bill and Hillary Clinton in the 1990s. I wonder how those two feel today? I'm sure they aren't dancing an Irish Jig, but I sincerely doubt that they are doubled over with waves of grief, either.

Unfortunately, there will be some people who will insist that Falwell "never said that about 9-11, that's not true" or "he was taken out of context." You be the judge...

I don't know if there's a heaven and a hell, but if there is, let's just say that Falwell has got some explaining to do today.

AP File Photo

John McCaned - straight talk express derailed

I've been waiting for a video compilation like this for a looong time. (I need to work on getting some video editing skills so I can do these myself.)

When are politicians going to learn that one hasn't been able to get away with lying about your past positions since the dawn of the video tape era? Presidents and politicians of both political parties are just a few examples in a long list of people who haven't learned this valuable yet simple lesson.

I've been saying for months (wait, check that - since I started this blog a little over 10 months ago) that judas john mccain is a turncoat sellout who has done more flip flops than 10 John Kerrys and will say virtually anything to be elected president.

Well, here's a pretty good compilation to prove it (above). It's part of a pretty good Website that you should check out - lots of mccain double-speak and outright lies.

Politicians must think the American people are pretty stupid, thinking we'll forget about some of this stuff. Well john, we're not stupid, and many of us don't forget, either.

The only drama left regarding mccain is whether the mainstream media will continue to lick his boots by referring to him as a "straight talker" and "maverick." I'm betting yes.

Hey mccain - do yourself a favor and don't resign from the Senate - because if you do, you won't have a seat to sit in when the music stops in '09.

So long, sell out.

Okay, he'll probably still make a run, and maybe even a strong one, before the Republican primaries are over next year, but I don't think he'll get the nomination. To be honest, my dream ticket for the Republicans is mccain/Lieberman. That would be money, prove endlessly entertaining, and also pretty damn beatable in '08.

Haven't had enough of the straight talker? Okay, here's more...



This one is a bit of an oldie, but it's still a goodie. It's from last fall regarding the North Korean crisis. This clip is of mccain and college dropout Sean Insanity griping about what we gave the North Koreans in the early 1990s during the Clinton administration, and also mccain telling everyone, in effect, to just shut up and stop criticizing the president.

What's funnier -- mccain blaming the North Korea crisis on President Clinton, or Insanity griping about the approximately $1 billion we gave North Korea?

When Clinton was in office, at least we had a dialogue with North Korea, and we were actually in the country. We can say neither now.

And the $1 billion? That's about 1/400th of what we've spent in Iraq, and there's no end in sight to that particular disaster. Of Bush's stupidly titled "Axis of Evil," who is the biggest danger to us now - North Korea, Iran or Iraq? A distant third would be Iraq, and that was true even before we got rid of Hussein.

We invaded Iraq for a quick triumph - we needed a feel-good victory dance following 9-11, because Bush reasoned we needed to celebrate our military might (and show it to the world) after the embarrassment and tragedy of 9-11.

Guess we got a little more than we bargained for, eh, Mr. President?

Okay, one more, just because it's so fun. This is addictive...



Here's a recent Meet the Press clip where mccain claims that Jerry Falwell is not an "agent of intolerance," a 180 degree switch from his position in 2000. I love how host Tim Russert uses mccain's own words from six years ago against him.

Keep in mind, since 2000, Falwell has blamed 9-11 on homosexuality and abortion. He's more of an agent of hatred and intolerance than ever, yet there's mccain, bowing down to Falwell and the radical religious right.

My favorite moment is when mccain opines that "a visit to Liberty University [which Falwell founded] is no different than a visit to Ohio State." The only explanation I can come up with is that judas john is off his meds. Can a visit to Bob Jones University be far behind? When is the David Duke endorsement? (A quick aside - am I the only one amused by the fact that one of the most conservative, religious schools in the country is known by the acronym "BJU"?)

Anyway, is there any constituency on the right with a butt too small for mccain to kiss to try and win the nomination?

Nope.

McCain's misguided Iraq proposal

Here's judas John McCain pontificating on how we are going to win or lose in Iraq in the next "several months" on Sunday's Meet the Press. What a truckload of crap. I'm sick and tired of hearing politicians say we can win in Iraq, all for political gain. There IS NO WINNING IN IRAQ, period, and the sooner our leaders realize it, the better. What, exactly, would constitute a victory? The terrorists laying down their arms and pledging not to kill any more Americans or Iraqis? That will never happen.

McCain is insane if he wants to send in more troops to that hell hole. An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the move, and in this case, I think the opinion polls have a point. McCain correctly points out that you can't conduct foreign policy from opinion polls. I'd add "most of the time" to that phrase, though. And in this case, I'm afraid the American people are right.

What are more troops going to accomplish? More combat deaths. It's funny, as I listened to the whole episode of MTP, I was struck by the overtones of Vietnam in McCain's choice of words, i.e. - using phrases like "sweep and hold" and talking about the need for more troops. His reasoning, that chaos would spread in the area if we pulled out, is reminiscent of Vietnam; the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations all felt that if Vietnam fell to the communists, then all of Southeast Asia would fall to communism. This "domino effect" never happened, and we paid for that mistake in a tragic amount of American blood - over 58,000 war dead. I hope and pray that we don't ever make that same mistake again, but we may be on the verge of doing just that. I feel analogies to Vietnam have been wildly overdone in the press, but it seems like we get closer and closer every day to that analogy becoming all too real.

What really riled me was when Russert pressed McCain on why the American people should believe him, or believe that his strategy would work, the Senator replied that people should trust him because of his military background. Spoken sotto voce, McCain is implying that because he spent 5 1/2 years in the Hanoi Hilton, we should trust his foreign policy proposals? Sorry, I ain't buyin' it. I'm not Swiftboating McCain here - he's a hero and I can't even begin to imagine what he went through as a POW. But, that doesn't qualify him to set Iraq policy, or be president.

Just as an aside, where were the Democratic Senators on MTP on Sunday? I realize that Harry Reid, the soon-to-be Democratic Senate Majority Leader, was on Face the Nation, but I'm sure Tim Russert could have found someone from the Democratic side of the aisle. Joe Lieberman barely qualifies, since he's a self-identified "I.D.," as in "Independent Democrat," as he told Russert.

I wax and wane on whether I like Russert or not - it depends on the week, the guests, and the show, but most times he does a pretty effective job at taking politicians to task on their answers, especially when it differs from their past answers on the issues. One thing's for sure - Russert is always prepared, researched and ready to interview his guests, and most of the time, he's not afraid of the hard-hitting question, and that applies to Democrats and Republicans alike. Journalists of his ilk are in shockingly short supply these days.



Just a quick blast from the past. This is McCain on Meet the Press earlier this year, explaining that Jerry Falwell is NOT (emphasis mine) "an agent of intolerance." The Senator has a nice dodge at the end of this clip, too, when Russert asks him if he thinks Falwell is just that: "I think Jerry Falwell can explain his views on this program when you have him on."

I sure hope Democrats store away this video clip for the '08 campaign - this is shameless pandering to the far right for votes, and it sickens me. I won't even waste my time explaining why Falwell is so despicable, save for one example: following the 9-11 attacks, he opined that gays and abortion doctors were part of the reason the attacks happened.

Does that sound like intolerance to you?

Senator McCain, please run. Please.

He'll get torn to pieces, if the Democratic Nominee has any backbone.

Meet neo-Falwell, with breasts & anorexia

Ann Coulter - Is this detestable, vile, hate mongering piece of shit even worth our attention? Yes. Many of you might just say, "RJ, why even bother?" Because of all the things she is, irrelevant is not one of them. Why would I, someone who despises her even more than Bill O'Lielly and Rush Limbaugh (and that's saying a lot, believe me), call her relevant? Because her new, idiotic screed, Godless, now ranks #3 on Amazon's list of top selling books (and at various times in the last week, it has been #1) AND it debuted #1 on The New York Times bestseller list (although it's not in the top 5 as of tonight). So, people are paying attention to her, and it's pretty clear that more than a few wayward souls are buying into this shit. (Oh, and for those of you who think I got the above photo from some obscure Web site, I did - AnnCoulter.com.) You've just got to love someone who admires Joe McCarthy.

So, what's the dustup all about? Well, it's not the usually typical right-wing bullshit that she serves up this time that has attracted such controversy. It's what she said about the 9-11 widows. And when confronted with her remarks, she just becomes more bellicose, belligerent and defiant.

First, on the Today show, when Matt Lauer called her on some of the more controversial remarks in her book, Coulter took to the offensive, talking about "liberal infallibility" and how these women were being used politically. The best part about it is that Lauer came right back over the top of her. "So grieving widows aren't allowed to have a political opinion?" Coulter then started to stutter and stammer. She's used to sycophants interviewing her with softball questions. Not this time. She then proceeded to reiterate that the 9-11 widows are "enjoying their husbands' deaths." Too bad Matt didn't really prepare for the interview, or he could have cut this hate monger to pieces. Fitting that this interview took place on 6.6.6. Coulter would have been cast great opposite Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate instead of Connie Nielsen.

Anyway, in case you missed Coulter's appearance on Today, here are a few of her quotes:

Coulter: "These self-obsessed women [9-11 widows] seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing Bush was part of the closure process."

And...

Coulter: "To speak out using the fact they are widows. This is the left's doctrine of infallibility. If they have a point to make about the 9-11 commission, about how to fight the war on terrorism, how about sending in somebody we are allowed to respond to> No-No-No. We always have to respond to someone who just had a family member die."

If anyone can suggest a more contemptible c--- on this planet, I'm taking suggestions.

Just a few comments, and then I'll end this post. Criticizing her is a waste of time, and frankly, too easy.

First, I wonder if she would criticize these 9-11 widows if they cut commercials for Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign? Duh. Of course not. Coulter's just pissed that Bush couldn't use his pet cause and #1 topic to demagogue the American people, terrorism, to full effect in the last election and that these widows wouldn't automatically support the self-anoited "Wartime President." The 9-11 widows have every right to be pissed - our ports are wide open, as are our borders, and anti-terrorism funding is a fraction of what it should be, and our troops and resources are being diverted for a moronic and idiotic war in Iraq (to say nothing about the tragic loss of American and Iraqi lives). But, let's keep those tax cuts rolling, Mr. President - war and anti-terrorism costs be damned.

Second, what makes her words even more hateful is that she seems to be picking up speed as the outrage growns. She responded to the criticism by spewing even more venom in a Time Magazine interview, calling the widows "harpies" and "witches."

Third, this is just a blatant attempt to sell books and get publicity. She's Limbaugh sans the penis and blue M&Ms. However, there's plenty of evidence her outrageous statements are working, if her book ranks #3 on Amazon book sales. I guess the old adage of "any publicity is good publicity" applies here. There are vast amounts of people who are easily manipulated in the American electorate, and Ann's getting rich off them. Many of these same people probably think their most important vote is the one they phone in for American Idol. Now, I can hear some of you already - "That's just what I hate about liberals - they think they know what's best for the country; I'm tired of their conceit." You know what I say to those people? Fuck you. Who am I referring to? People who actually believe even two syllables of Coulter's tripe; people who don't vote in elections yet sit around and bitch about which way the wind is blowing in America; people who never miss one goddamn episode of American Idol, yet can't tell the difference between Brittany Spears and a broccoli spear. Wake up, people.

One last thing that annoys me to no end, and I can rarely keep my mouth shut when I hear it. ... To combat criticism of Coulter, people just bring up someone from the left, "evening" the score in their minds. It goes something like this:

Liberal: "Can you believe what Ann Coulter said? What an evil person."

Conservative: "Yea, people like her an Al Franken are what's wrong with America."

I defy anyone to name me a liberal or someone on the left, no matter how far left, who has written something like this lately. And when I say that, I mean find me someone of Coulter's stature; she sells millions and millions of books - find me an equivalent on the left. And I don't mean someone who has made some offhand, foolish, regrettable remark, I mean someone who has said something even remotely this hateful, then, when offered the chance to recant or backtrack even a little, has refused, as Coulter has. Yea, get back to me - your search is gonna take a while. If you find one, write me, and I'll denounce them with equal fervor on this blog.

Conservatives of the world, you may not like Al Franken, Bill Mahr, or the such, but if you are putting them in the same class as Coulter, or even Bill O'Lielly, you're pretty misguided.

I'll have more on O'Lielly soon in a future post - this guy lies so much, it's easier to point out the few instances when he's told the truth than it is to point out all of his lies. He's been caught red-handed lately, too, and when he does, he just gets more belligerent. And it's awfully enjoyable to watch.

Instead of going on more of a rant on Coulter, I thought I'd just share some more cartoons and pictures of her. Is it degrading? Yep. Am I lowering myself to her level? Hardly, but sometimes it just feels soooo good to be mean spirited, doesn't it, Ann? The big difference is that I'm being mean spirited about you, not 9-11 widows who have lost husbands, have families to raise on their own, and who you degrade just because they don't happen to share your political extremism.


Ann as she appears for a photo shoot, above. Okay, skanky, but not totally hideous.

But take a look at Ann without makeup! Ewwww.

Okay, I was just having fun. This is an artist's depiction of what Ann Coulter would really look like without makeup. I can't imagine waking up next to that.


A humor piece that pokes fun at Ann AND Rush? Gold.

I love Newsweek. The magazine always hits the nail on the head, and these two cartoons are no exception. Look at how the artist drew her above! I laughed for like five minutes when I saw it.

To hell with Coulter and all who are like her. Time to watch some hockey.

John McCain - a sellout coward

Does anyone see the ultimate irony in this picture? Republican Arizona Senator John Sidney McCain III, presidential wannabe, (left) with the Reverend Jerry Falwell at Liberty University's commencment in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday, May 13, 2006. This turncoat coward will do virtually anything to get votes.

Flashback: Spring of 2000, before the South Carolina primary. Deeply conservative Republican voters are push polled; called in the middle of the night and asked "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" The group is quickly tied to then Texas Governor George W. Bush's campaign. (McCain and his wife adopted a baby from Bangladesh.) Also, bear in mind that South Carolina is arguably the most racist state in the country; the first to succeed from the Union in December, 1860, and the last state to fly the Confederate flag. You think all of this is coincidence? Karl Rove and Bush knew exactly what they were doing.

Why am I bringing all of this up? Because in 2004, when Bush was airtight to be the Republican party's nominee as the incumbent president, look who's hugging Bush on stage?



"Can I puleeze be president?!?"

What the hell happened to McCain? I dunno. I loved and welcomed his maverick streak, his independence, his no-nonsense style and his keeping his priorities straight. McCain has always been someone who wouldn't just tow the party line. If he disagreed, no matter what the issue, a party leader wasn't getting his vote. His military record is impeccable - he's a flat-out war hero. (I wonder aloud how outraged Republicans would be if McCain got Swiftboated by the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee?!? Just a thought.)

But it seems to me that he'll do just about anything to be president now, and in the process if he whores himself out, emotionally, intellectually or otherwise, so be it. How else can you explain this piece of shit hugging an even bigger piece of shit after what Bush and his team did to him in South Carolina? It makes no sense. The only thing I can gather is that McCain will get Bush's support in '08. It's the only way I can figure it. The sad thing is this - I really liked the guy. Notice the tense - likED. Depending on his opponent, I may have even voted for him in a national election.

As if his embracing Bush weren't enough, we have to witness him shaking hands and hugging Jerry fucking Falwell at a commencement address. It's enough to make one wretch up bile and blood.

I don't even need to get on too much of a rant about Falwell - I've got better things to do with my time than shoot ducks in a barrel - but, briefly, here is a guy who:

Tried to completely destroy President Clinton. It's tough to forget, much less forgive Falwell in regards to The Clinton Chronicles. From Wikipedia.com:

In 1994, Falwell released the straight-to-video documentary "The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton." The description on the box read:

"For the first time on video, a documentary that puts together the whole story! -- The names and faces of the key players who Clinton used to build his Circle of Power... as well as those who got in his way and lost their jobs, reputations, virtue, and lives! From Whitewater to ADFA... From millions in drug smuggling in Mena, Arkansas, to money laundering with the BCCI... From Gennifer Flowers to Paula Jones... From Vince Foster's "suicide" to the gangland slaying of private investigator Jerry Parks.

THE CLINTON CHRONICLES uncovers the shocking truth the controlled media and Clintons don't want you to know!"

Falwell's infomercial for the 80-minute tape included footage of Falwell interviewing a silhouetted journalist who was afraid for his life. The journalist accused Clinton of orchestrating the deaths of several reporters and personal confidants who had gotten too close to his illegalities. However, it was subsequently revealed that the silhouetted journalist was, in fact, Patrick Matrisciana, the producer of the video. "Obviously, I'm not an investigative reporter," Matrisciana admitted (to investigative journalist Murray Waas), "and I doubt our lives were actually ever in any real danger. That was Jerry's idea to do that ... He thought that would be dramatic."

In an interview for The Hunting of the President, Falwell admitted, "To this day I do not know the accuracy of the claims made in The Clinton Chronicles," but nevertheless failed to condemn the poor research and false statements.

##

It's also tough to forget Falwell's comments about homosexuals, and also the reasons why 9-11 happened. Take a quick read:

Falwell: The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way—all of them who have tried to secularize America—I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

You might ask again - Why am I bringing all of this up, ? It's obvious - McCain is hugging Falwell at his university's commencement. Is this all in the name of forgiveness? I seriously doubt it. I firmly believe that a vast majority of politicans are liars, cheats and/or opportunists. McCain is probably all three.

Allow me one more quick flashback: Here's McCain, verbatim, in February 2000:

"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outreaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farakhan and Al Sharpton on the left, or Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson on the right. "

On May 13, at the commencement of Liberty University, Falwell had this to say:

"He could, in fact, co-opt the religious conservatives in the country, in the same way George Bush did, to help him get to the White House."

This morning, when pressed by Katie Couric on Today about his visit to Liberty University, McCain shrugged it off, saying (I'm paraphrasing here) that he doesn't live in the past, and he was honored to have the opportunity to speak to students on an important day in their lives.

The other night on Larry King Live, McCain explained his visit to Falwell's Liberty University this way:

"Well, first of all, a lot of things happen in political campaigns. You know that as well as I do, and campaigns get tough, and things are said in campaigns. But most importantly, as far as my life has been concerned, I put all of the things that happened in the 2000 campaign, except for the good memories, behind me. There's no reason for me to hold a grudge against people. It's not appropriate, and it's not good service to the people of Arizona. So, when Reverend Falwell came to my office and wanted to put our differences aside, I was more than happy to do that."

So, in other words, I'm happy to forgive if I can win an election and it will get me votes. I'm glad that Osama bin Laden doesn't have a university here in America - perhaps McCain would give the commencement address there, be seen on stage with him, and say, "We have our differences, but I don't hold grudges." I hope and pray that most American voters, both Republicans and Democrats alike, are a little bit smarter than this, and can see his appearance at Falwell's school for what it was - a textbook case of rank opportunism.

I often hear Republicans bitch and moan about the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and in some cases, rightfully so. I despise religious extremism on both sides of the political spectrum. But when is the last time you heard someone from the left making despicable comments like those of Falwell and Pat Robertson? I hope I live to piss on both of their graves.

Everyone should remember the picture of McCain hugging Falwell. Because you know what? In the spring of 2008, during the heart of primary season, John McCain sure as hell won't remember it. Let's make sure we do. Students at The New School in New York City sure weren't fooled (see below).

It's a baby girl for TomKat!*

* - Who gives a shit.

Am I the only one nauseated by all of the media coverage of the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes love child? Puleeze. This guy has gone from hero (okay, not exactly hero, but for rhyming purposes, go with me) to zero in just a few years. It used to be that I never missed a Tom Cruise blockbuster movie. Now, not even under threat of taser shock or decapitation would I go see any of his movies or contribute to his success.

His ill-conceived (pun intended), misogynistic comments on postpartum depression and psychiatry are mostly the reason. But how about this - I just flat out don't like the guy. I'm sick of Scientology, and I'm flat out bored with all of the press coverage on this... this... "religion." I'm simply placing Cruise in the category he so richly deserves: with all of the other religious zealots who deserve zero attention and even less credibility. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Tom Cruise. Yes, he fits in there nicely. The best thing the press could do would be to just ignore this egomaniac. Okay, I know that's not going to happen, but I can dream, can't I?

Top Gun, The Firm and A Few Good Men seem like a million years ago, when he was my favorite actor.

One more word on the TomKat baby - don't people have anything better to do? People can blame the media all they want, and many do, but the sad truth is that magazines, newspapers and TV shows clamor for news on these celeb babies because it's what their audiences want. I've got two words - pathetic and sad. With so many more important things going on in the world around us - this is what the media spends its time on? I think we've finally settled back into the pre-September 11, idiotic mindset, brought to you by the same people who gave us endless coverage (and even perpetuated some of the stories) of JonBenet Ramsey, Chandra Levy and Gary Condit and, oh yea - Monica Lewinsky. People, the planet is warming at a dangerous rate, a gallon of gas will soon cost more than a drink in the city, Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear power, and our young men and women are being struck down in the prime of their lives over in Iraq and Afghanistan every single day. That's what's important - not this rubbish. But, I digress.

Anyway, back to my friend Tom for just a second. Instead of a rant, I'm just boycotting him. He's now on my list which includes AOL, Cingular Wireless and Circuit City. (I won't get into the those now, other than to say their customer service stinks to high heaven.) I'm putting my money where my mouth is - no Mission Impossible 3 for me, or any other movie starring Cruise for that matter, until he changes his tune. Yea, I'm just one person, but at least I can do something about it - I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Empowering.