Nation Of Declining Earnings

Over at Ilovecharts they had a great link to this Atlantic Story.   It's worth a read. (Link here)

Greed Zombies

Yes, the creation of fictional wealth, out of derivatives, collateral default swaps, modeled future behaviour, mergers & acquisitions, as well as the legalistic BS, political BS, and promotional marketing that surrounds these imaginary concepts are all far more important than making actual, real, quality products.  Far more important than teaching our young people how to learn to build and fix and improve real things.  Far more important than helping other citizens to improve their lives.   The pursuit of infinite wealth, gained from imaginary & conflated concepts, without any trace of humanity or scruples, has taken over not just the US, but on a global scale.

I used to worry that someday my grand children will inherit a polluted environment, ruled by greedy bastards, who have corrupted the world.  But I've stopped worrying about that, and I've begun to come to grips with the realization that maybe I won't have any grand children at all - a thought that used to depress me, but now one which is perhaps the least sad out-come.

Silly Brandeis

The very Conservative, Partisan Roberts court ruled in "Citizens United" that you are very very wrong.  We have a nominal democracy in which the voters are herded, driven, flooded with ads paid for by the richest 0.01% of the 1%.

Wanna Gut Social Security?

Thanks to Crooks and Liars for this nice link and phone number. I want to get something back out of Social Security from the thousands I've been putting in to it. and NO, I do NOT want to privatize it.  Here greedy banker and hedge fund manager, take all my money please? Hell no.

Credit: Strengthen Social Security

Hands Off Social Security

Today is National Social Security Call-In Day. Call your Senators today to tell them not to touch it, please. Via Campaign for America's Future:

The following is from the Strengthen Social Security coalition, of which Campaign for America's Future is part:
We need you to call your Senators and demand that they vote for the Sanders/Reid Social Security Protection Amendment.
Senator Sanders and Majority Leader Reid are leading the fight in the Senate to protect Social Security from drastic cuts.
Their amendment simply says:
Social Security benefits for current and future beneficiaries should not be cut and Social Security should not be privatized as part of any legislation to reduce the Federal deficit.
Call your Senators RIGHT NOW at 1-866-251-4044. You’ll be given a choice of which of your state’s two senators to be connected with. Call BOTH of your senators if you have the time. It only takes a minute each.
Tell the person who answers the phone:

• I am a voter/constituent living in [your state]. I am calling to tell the Senator:
• I oppose all cuts to Social Security and
• I urge them to vote yes on the Sanders/Reid Social Security Protection Amendment.
• Please take the time for this very important effort today. This is for all of us who depend on Social Security.

Call Today: 1-866-251-4044.

I called, it took all of 2 minutes....  take action my friends.

Wanna Help The Wisconsin Union Protesters?

Buy them a Pizza.  PRI's "The World" ran a story on how Ian's Pizza in Madison has been getting pizza orders for delivery to the protesters, from every continent - including Antarctica!  Crooks and Liars has a nice story on it here: (link) from last Sunday.  "The World" doesn't update their website until 5pm Pacific Time... so I can't give you a link here.

Supposedly the "Macaroni & Cheese" pizza is the Most Popular flavor being ordered by concerned fellow world citizens, for the union members in Madison with whom the Governor and Republican Legislature refuse to have a dialogue.

If you want to help to feed fatigued, entrenched protesters, by ordering a pizza or two online, read on:
"Monday, February 21 (12:15pm)
Thank you all so much for visiting!
If you are here to learn how help feed the protesters in Madison, here's how you can do that:
Call us at 608-257-9248, then press 1. As we have just three phone lines it may take a while to get through, and we apologize in advance for that.
For online ordering we have partnered with both badgerbites.com and campusfood.com to process our online orders. If you would like to order online, please put 115 State Street as the delivery address, and add in the notes that you would like to help feed the protesters.
While we thought about it, we will not be setting up a Paypal account, even though we realize that would make it easier. Please understand it's not because we don't want to help you out; we really just don't want to over-promise & under-deliver. "

Glenn Beck & MLK, Accurately Contrasted

A tip of the hat to JustJoeP blog follower Norine P, for this hilarious, and accurate Crooks & Liars post comparing Martin Luther King and Glenn Beck (link here) (the former alcoholic, morning radio "shock jock" DJ, Scottsdale resident, and Mormon, now self-delusional demagogue and spokes-person for the Goldline scheme). Some of Norine's tweets are so funny, I might have to get a twitter account.

For a LARGER version of this micro-time line (if you're not looking at it on a big screen LCD or Plasma TV) go to the Crooks & Liars link.

Krugman's Advice On How To Counter Republican Social Security Nonsense

Paul Krugman has some valuable tips on how to counter-act Republican fear mongering and lies about "The Social Security Crisis" by using facts. Link here. It's worth a read.

Crooks & Liars sums it up best (link here):

"The math is wrong and so is their attitude

Social Security’s attackers claim that they’re concerned about the program’s financial future. But their math doesn’t add up, and their hostility isn’t really about dollars and cents. Instead, it’s about ideology and posturing. And underneath it all is ignorance of or indifference to the realities of life for many Americans.

What crisis?

So where do claims of crisis come from? To a large extent they rely on bad-faith accounting. In particular, they rely on an exercise in three-card monte in which the surpluses Social Security has been running for a quarter-century don’t count — because hey, the program doesn’t have any independent existence; it’s just part of the general federal budget — while future Social Security deficits are unacceptable — because hey, the program has to stand on its own.

What's really going on here?

What’s really going on here? Conservatives hate Social Security for ideological reasons: its success undermines their claim that government is always the problem, never the solution. But they receive crucial support from Washington insiders, for whom a declared willingness to cut Social Security has long served as a badge of fiscal seriousness, never mind the arithmetic.

There's much more to Krugman's article, all worthy of attention. Bottom line is easy: Social Security should not be on the table", doesn't need to be on the table, and has no business on the table of rational, fact based, realistic Americans. At all.

Whiny Little Sessions, STFU

...and each time I hear racist little Jeff Sessions whine on the radio or TV about Kagan's "lack of judicial experience", I want to take him on a canoe trip up the Chattahoochee in neighboring Georgia where he can squeeeeal.

Clueless lapdog Harriet Miers was fine with Jeff. But highly qualified Elena Kagan is not? Hypocrite.

Jeff Sessions, STFU

You are no longer relevant. Accept the FACT that you were REJECTED for that Federal judgeship years ago, and get on with your life, little boy.

Republican Obstructionism vs. Homeless Veterans

Why do Republican Senators Tom Coburn and Mitch McConnell hate US Military Veterans who have served honorably?

Nicholson on Palin

This is pretty accurate, and funny: (thanks to CrooksAndLiars)

(it's a whole 12 seconds long... but doesn't need to be longer)

Another reason I hate CINOs: Psalm 109.8 for Obama

If you're gonna choose to be a Christian, that's fine. I'm happy for you, and I won't hold it against you if you really live your life like the new testament Jesus did - the world would be a better place with more non-materialistic, socialist leaning, philanthropic, tolerant Jesus emulators. But when you say you're a Christian, and then you pray to make Michelle Obama a widow and his daughters childless... you're a CINO (Christian in name only) of the lowest order.

Let His Days Be Few, And Let Another Take His Office
Let His Children Be Fatherless, And His Wife A Widow.

Rachel Maddow had this nice story (link here), illustrating the evil that CINOs are now propagating.

It saddens me to see "Christians" sink so low. I do understand count-downs to the end of a Presidential term in office, sure... but to wish Old Testament severity upon the nation's overwhelmingly popularly elected Chief Executive... I don't get.

How to Speak Tea Bag

Fiore is a genius. Thanks to Crooks & Liars for this link.

"How to Speak Tea Bag" - Nazi! Nazi! Nazi! Obamunists! Baby Killer! LOL!

and while you're there, check out "Time Flies" from earlier this month too! =)

Joe's Blog Round-up & Random Anecdots

A collective of many short entries, for your information and amusement:

Rufus Blooter - flame throwers & hearing
http://rufusblooter.blogspot.com/2009/11/selective-hearing.html

Hyperlipid - Lardo, mmmmmm
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2009/11/food-lardo-real-thing.html

Crooks and Liars has Wanda Sykes mocking Ann Colter
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/cspanjunkie/meet-president-obamas-new-where-go-and

Pharyngula shows evolution in 2 minutes
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/11/evolution_in_two_minutes.php

Huffington Post's take on how Goldman Sachs got H1N1 virus vaccines before health care workers, kids, and pregnant women.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/08/seth-meyers-amy-poehler-g_n_349895.html
which SNL & then Lewis Black ranked on as well on the TDS.

...and a random but humorous old SNL skit on Bar Flies:
http://www.morethings.com/fan/saturday_night_live/jon_lovitz/devil_in_peoples_court.htm

Guano - (a new category here): Bachmann's cluelessness
http://zaiusnation.blogspot.com/2009/11/rally-against-health-care-reform-was.html

Wingnut militias - describing an video game to promote civil war against "Obama's Coup"
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/militia-madness-online-game-based-am

TDS Again Skewers Main Stream "News"

Several weeks ago, The Daily Show eviscerated the former news network CNN with their pathetic "leave it there" tag line and lack of actual fact checking & substance. CNN used to be the "standard" in cable news when they first started. Now, they're a vacuous pop-culture joke that rivals TMZ or E!

Last week, TDS recapped how Fox News intentionally confounds "News, Entertainment, and Opinion" after Fox News Senior Vice President Michael Clemente's claim that 'Fox's designated "news" hours are from 9AM to 4PM and 6-8PM.' Oh really? Too damn funny! And absolutely true! If you have not seen the poignant clip, the link is here.

"Opinutainment" - for those who love the kool aid.

It's a sad statement that it takes a COMEDY SHOW to point this out, but it is a credit to the fastidiousness that TDS's writing staff and researchers repeatedly, consistently demonstrate.

Shepard Smith, update your CV

A rare, rational presenter on Fox, Shepard Smith is likely not going to remain on Rupert's network for long. He should really polish up his CV and start looking for employment at an actual news network that doesn't rely entirely on jingoisms, hype, and hysteria to try and get ratings. Crooks & Liars has a good story on him here, as he denounces the Faux party line about the maligned 'Public Option'.

Kentucky Loves the Feds

Despicable. Being a census worker should not be fatal.

10 Lessons for Tea Baggers

Crooks and Liars has this awesome summary. Link here.
1. President Obama Cut Your Taxes
2. The Stimulus is Working
3. First Ronald Reagan Tripled the National Debt...
4. ...Then George W. Bush Doubled It Again
5. Republican States Have the Worst Health Care
6. Medicare is a Government Program
7. Barack Obama is Not a Muslim
8. Barack Obama was Born in the United States
9. 70,000 Does Not Equal 2,000,000
10. The Economy Almost Always Does Better Under Democrats

"Back in April, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart offered some sound advice for frothing at the mouth Tea Baggers, "I think you might be confusing tyranny with losing." Now five months after their Tax Day outburst, thousands of vein-popping Obama opponents descended Saturday on Washington for Tea Party II. But while Glenn Beck's furious followers alternately slandered the President as a "fascist," a "communist" and worse, they remained unencumbered by either the thought process - or the truth."

Classic!

Fundamentalist Extreme Straw Grasping

Crooks & Liars has this hilariously ludicrous piece, about how BHO was called out as the Anti-Christ, by Jesus[TM] himself!

A good laugh before bedtime! LOL!

Comedy writers could not make this kind of stuff up!

You Betcha!

"A significant lapse in judgment" - T.Purdum
If you don't want to read the 10,000 word Vanity Fair article on how wrong of a selection the McCain campaign made when Palin was chosen, see this short video summary from Crooks & Liars.

Oh please oh please, run in 2012 Sarah! I want everyone to know that dinosaurs were on the ark, global warming is imagined, you didn't really sell your jet or give back the bridge to no where money, you wanted your daughter to marry a fertile red-neck simpleton, you support making rape victims pay for their own rape kits, how Wasilla is the meth capital of Alaska, how easy it is to get residents to like you when you pay each one $3K a year to be in your state. Repressed Conservatives cannot resist you (anymore than they can resist Argentinian women, Minnesota bathroom boys, or congressional pages)!!

If you're not sick, we're not doing our job.

This Real Time with Bill Maher ad for the AMA is priceless - and at the same time, disgustingly accurate. Dr Desert Flower and I have had all of the situations that the ad mocks happen with our employer provided health care plans.

And yes, the MAJORITY of Americans agree, that the private market, profit driven, US health care system, is not working. Yes, most medical doctors (who are not consultants or directly employed by insurance companies - ergo, "between you and your physician") are good people trying to do a good job to help their patients. It's just the American system that is preventing them from doing so, cost effectively.

"Reform? Messing with a system this good is a recipe for disaster. The AMA, 'If you're not sick, we're not doing our job.' "