Saturday, August 23, 2008

McCain Addresses PUMAs In New TV Spot

Dick Cheney Implicated In Ted Stevens Scandal

So close to the election it can't be good news for the White House that Dick Cheney is being implicated in the Ted Steven's ( Senator "Bridge To Nowhere" of Alaska) bribery and corruption trial. Seems Stevens promised an oil services executive that he would "talk to some big wigs" and get this done. Next thing you know, Cheney's office is pushing the bill through.

Read more here on Raw Story.

NCSF Website Gets Hacked!

Hackers, the malicious kind, really make me steam. I logged on to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom's (www.ncsfreedom.org) website to find it a mess. Hackers have defaced it with thousands of keywords for Viagra and Cialis. I am guessing it's either a hack or virus designed to stear traffic to an illegal pharmacy site.

I checked with others and they see the same tning so it's not something local for me. Just a warning to anyone who has a web site, hackers can screw you up. Makes sense to keep on top of your site with regular checks and make sure your server is behind a good firewall.

Word to the wise!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Obama's Running Mate Is Joe Biden

My cell phone went off just a few seconds ago with the much anticipated news of the announcement of Obama's running mate for the 2008 Presidential election. His pick of Joe Biden had been widely touted as the choice by pundits leading up to the announcement, but nobody had the real scoop.

The Obama campaign has judiciously guarded the choice and promised supporters who signed up for a text message over their cell phones and PDAs would be the first to know. I suspect right now hundreds of bloggers are frantically typing similar words to mine.

Many people had wanted to see an Obama-Clinton ticket, but I fail to see how that could have worked. Their battle was so downright nasty in the final days of the primary I cannot imagine either of them being happy with that arrangement. Now it remains to be seen what will happen at the convention after Hillary's name is put into nomination. Hopefully the PUMAs will not cause a party split that would assure McCain of a win in November. We'll see!

McCain - Country Club Republican

McCain's Memory - What Kind of Car Did He Drive? He Dosen't Know.

McCain's memory problems are nothing new. In a 2007 interview he could not name the kind of car he drove. It was a Cadillac by the way.

With the kind of steel sieve memory John McCain seems to have, I really don't want him to be awakened by thqat 3:00am phone call!

Bush Administration Signs Iraq Pull Out Deal - Agrees To Lose In 2011

So according to the rhetoric of the right wing, Bush plans to lose the war in Iraq by 2011! That is if the deal Secretary of State Rice signed this week goes through. The "aspirational time horizon", (that's double-speak for timetable for withdrawal) was part of a new security agreement is far later than initially wanted by the Iraqi government.

Without a formal, bilateral agreement, there is no international legal basis for U.S. forces to remain in Iraq.

McCain Takes A Coffee Break - 9 Car Motorcade To Starbucks

Let's talk about elitism. I have listened to the millionaire Rush Limbaugh complain that Obama is an "arugula eating elitist". Funny how the guy smoking the $14 cigars can complain about someones choice of salad greens.

The McCain camp has tried the same tactic, but now that we know John McCain is clueless as to his property portfolio, some 7 houses scattered around the high-rent districts in the US, I wonder who the elitist really is? The LA Times reported that yesterday afternoon, while huddled in his Sedona, Arizona home, McCain got a hankering for cappuccino.

Off goes the nine car motorcade to the local Starbucks for cappuccino. And they call Obama elitist?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

New Study Says Gaydar Is Real.

I am reminded of the study that said that the pain and pleasure centers of the brain are located in the same area. The scientists made the conjecture that perhaps the new discovery was the reason people enjoyed SM. Duh!

Well in that same vein comes the startling news that "gaydar" is real. A Tufts University study showed people a series of photos and within less than a second they could judge whether they were straight or gay. The group of students scored 55% to 70% accuracy. The photos were evenly divided between straight and gay so chance would have been about 50%.

The students were both men and women, but there is no word on whether ny of the people making the judgements were gay themselves. That study would take consideribly longer for the decisiion making process allowing for the 10 minutes of "dishing" for each picture! (note to my straight readers, "dishing" is a gay thing, you wouldn't understand.)

McCain On LGBT Issues? Video

Stonewall Democrats put his together and it's terrific!

FDA Rules Penis Rings Can Be Seized At US Borders

Well sometimes a story make you able to sleep better at night. Such is the tale of the FDA inspectors allowing border agents to seize "penis rings".

The devices are sometimes sold as impotence cures, though there is little evidence they work for that purpose. Most are sold as sexual novelties and adult toys. The use of them, or at least some of them enhance the sexual experience for some men. If they are too tight they can cut off blood flow to the penis and if you are a blithering idiot, I suppose gangrene could set in.

So our government, in it's diligence has decided to seize these devices without inspection. (whatever that means)

This news should make domestic manufacturers of the sex toys delighted. One less cheap Chinese import to worry about. Meanwhile tainted toys, and poisoned food additives continue to flow unrestricted into our country until someone gets sick from the products. Way to go FDA!

Rush Limbaugh Continues To Play The Racist Card

Limbaugh, who has made his career of being almost as outrageous as Ann Coulter has continued to make racist attacks on the Obama campaign. His latest diatribe included this gem.

"I don't care how far feminism's saying, you can't hit the girl, and you can't -- you can't criticize the little black man-child."

This follows his assertion that Obama won the primary because it, "goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy".

Limbaugh is no stranger to racist comments. Earlier this year he played a parody song on his show with the title "Barack The Magic Negro". Rush has long made controversy his stock and trade, but using racist attacks just might loose him a few more stations in his dwindling media network.

How Many Houses Does John McCain Own?

From Horizons To Timetables In Iraq

Today, the Bush administration announced that Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice had made an unannounced trip to Iraq and had come to an agreement with the Iraqi government on an "aspirational timetable" for US troop withdrawal.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebaritried to parse the words more carefully. "This agreement determines the principle provisions, requirements, to regulate the temporary presence and the time horizon, the mission of the U.S. forces."

Funny that the Iraqi official is using the Bush administrations double speak and Secretary Rice is not! Either way it means that there has been some movement on the security agreement, and more importantly it means that a withdrawal of US forces is part of that agreement. There are still sticking points on immunity from prosecution of US forces accused of crimes in Iraq. That will undoubtedly be a big stumbling block.

I wonder if McCain will now accuse the Bush administration of wanting to "cut and run"?

McCain Is Not The Guy To Answer That 3:00am Call

Is John McCain really ready for that 3:00am phone call? After watching him in countless press appearances where he seems confused, a bit slow to respond coherently and sometimes outright delusional, I think not. If I were to look at the kind of person I want answering that call, it would be someone with a level head, clear mental faculties and a good idea of how to handle a dangerous situation with calmness and tact.

Hillary's 3:00am Phone Call spot was intended to scare people and it worked. However it didn't convince anyone that she was the right person to answer the phone. Now I wonder if Obama should revive the spot? McCain, who graduated in the bottom 5th of his class at the US Naval Academy had a less than stellar history of military service. One of his flight instructors said McCain was, "...positively one of the weakest students to pass our way." As a senator he backed the disastrous Iraq war and has recently voted with the Bush administration almost 100% of the time.

Do we really want someone like that being on the phone when it's really important?

Watch how quick he is to respond in the press conference and then decide if McCain has the right stuff. I think not.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones Dies

The first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, has died. She had served in the House since 1998 and had been chairwoman of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

Huron Hospital and Cleveland Clinic reported that the Congresswoman died from a brain hemorrhage. According to Associated Press reports, "Tubbs Jones, 58, suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in Cleveland Heights on Tuesday". Her condition worsened during the following days until her death tonight around 6:12 pm Eastern.

Big Foot Body - Just A Gorilla Suit In A Beer Cooler

From the moment I saw the alleged "bigfoot" that was frozen in a beer cooler, I knew exactly what it was. In his book "Blink", Malcolm Gladwell talks about thin-slicing. Basically, it is the ability to make a snap decision based on a very small set of data, yet having surprisingly accurate outcomes. In other words the science of intuition.

"It's a frozen gorilla suit", I thought to myself. I've seen too many rubber gorillas in the movies and in costume shops to buy the veracity of the find. Well guess what?

It's a frozen gorilla suit!

The hollow head and rubber feet gave it away, yet it took scientists a few days of thawing to come to that conclusion. Perhaps they had too much data?

Polls and Way Too Much Information!

After watching the latest poll numbers, I am convinced that the fluctuations we are seeing is just what statisticians call "noise". The real poll will come in November and that's the only on that counts. IN the meantime we will have to put up with the endless blabber of pundits trying to read their Magic 8 Balls by sifting through statistics ad nauseum. Glad Americablog found this great parody on the Onion.


Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

Obama - "The Middle Class First" New TV Ad

Rice Clueless About Russian Anger Over US Missiles In Poland

Sometimes I have to wonder where Condoleezza Rice got her PhD? She is supposed to be an expert on Russia and yet she is going along with the Bush plan to put missiles in Poland. Now I know the Bushies are calling them defensive missiles, but to the Russians, they are missiles within easy striking distance of Russian cities and bases. Why is seeing that this is a needless provocation such a problem for Rice?

We are treating Russia like a bear in a cage. We keep poking sticks at the bear and then seem surprised when it growls and becomes agressive. The problem is the cage is essentially useless. The bear could rip his way out easily. The only thing keeping him there is his belief that the cage is strong. That illusion is shared by our government as well.

We neeed to understand that there is no cage, and the best way to get along with Russia is to continue communicating with them and stop trying to muscle them into submission. Putin is a despot, and he will respond to being shoved around with equal force. When did diplomacy become the last resort?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Rachel Maddow Lands MSNBC Host Role!

MSNBC is fast becoming my favorite source for political commentary and news. The have just confirmed that Rachel Maddow will be hosting the 9:00pm (Eastern) slot on the network. She will also continue her radio show on Air America, so it's a win-win for her and us.

No doubt there will be lots of clamor about her being too left wing, but my response is, "so what"?
After all there is a whole network of right wing propaganda called FOX, so a couple of progressive voices certainly couldn't hurt. Besides, Rachel has been known to skewer folks from both parties.

Condoleezza Rice - Mendacity and Hubris

I would use the word hubris to describe Condoleezza Rice's pronouncement that "Military power...is not the way to deal in the 21st century" , but I am afraid it's too mild. I tossed around "hypocrite", but that just seemed a bit stale. After all almost everything the Bush administration rails against the do. Remember "we don't torture"?

Finally I settled on the favorite word of the character Big Daddy in Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, "mendacity". For the Secretary of State, of our country to denounce military action as a solution in the 21st Century is about as mendacious a statement as I can think of. It's just a plain bald faced lie.

I guess Ms. Rice forgot the whole Iraq thing, or Afghanistan, both of which were wars we started in the 21st Century. The Bush administration knows little about diplomacy that does not involve guns and bombs. The whole talking thing is just so 1900's!

Had we sought a diplomatic solution to Bush's problem with Sadaam. Iraq would still have a power grid and running water. We would have 4000+ American soldiers still at home and alive and thousands of Iraqi civilians would still enjoy the pleasures of going to work and raising their families without fear of sjuidide bombers and IEDs.

Oh yea, and then there is that guy, Osama Bin Laden. Maybe, just maybe we could have used our military to go after him had diplomacy not worked with the Taliban. We really never gave it a chance.

So now Ms. Rice condemns Russia for behaving like us. Invade first and ask questions later.

I am reminded of the time that seems so liong ago when Bush said he had looked into Putin's soul and found a kindred spirit. Yup, he sure did!

McCain's Latest Delusional Rant - Video

McCain defines "rich" as having an income of $5 million or more. His family's income is $6 million. Guess who he want's to tax?

Monday, August 18, 2008

Newt Gingrich - Inflating Tires Enriching Big Oil. Oh, Puleeze!

Right Wing Extremist, Newt Gingrich as actually arguing that inflating your tires is enriching "Big Oil" more than buying gas! This guy is as crazy as Sean Hannity who's program he was on when he made the statement.

Don't believe it? Watch!

China Still Exporting Lead Tainted Children's Items!

Even though the world is fixated on the Olympics, China continues to export tainted products for kids here in the USA. Here are a couple of the latest examples.

Faded Glory brand Lip Gloss - This set including lip gloss and a charm necklace is poisoned with unacceptably high levels of lead. Sold by , (who else) Wal-Mart 30,000 units were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here are the product and model numbers.

ItemModel NumberUPC
Frog Set6709-425072783357703
Monkey Set6709-425172783357704
Cat Set6709-425272783357705

Additional products will undoubtedly show up. China has made a big effort to look good for the Olympics. Unfortunately it's all a facade. The country's greedy capitalists continue to use the cheapest materials and dodge regulations to export products that are hazardous to children's health. With Chinese goods, the key is all about looks, the quality is secondary and safety is not even a concern at all.

Well at least they have really talented 16 year old gymnasts that look maybe 12 at best. Must be something in the air.

McCain's Iraq Plan - Keep Spending $10 Billion A Month Forever

While trying to cast Obama as someone who would "want to lose in Iraq" McCain exposes his real Iraq strategy. It is very simple.
Spend $10 billion a month on an open-ended war.
Responding to McCain's ridiculous, claims Obama made the following statement.
"All his bluster, distortions and negative attacks notwithstanding, it is hard to understand how Senator McCain can at once proclaim his support for the sovereign government of Iraq, and then stubbornly defy their expressed support for a timeline to remove our combat brigades from their country. The difference in this race is that John McCain is intent on spending $10 billion a month on an open-ended war, while Barack Obama thinks we should bring this war to a responsible end and invest in our pressing needs here at home."
Considering that the Iraqi government even wants us to leave, where does that leave Mr. McCain? I count him as one of the hard-core neocons who find no problem with channeling billions to the defense industry while getting thousands of American troops killed. That would be treason in a sensible world.

McCain Fortunes Stem From Organized Crime

I always find it interesting where rich people got their wealth. In a few cases it is from legitimate sources and in a very few it's from the sweat of their own hands, but today most of them get it through family or marriage. A few even get it through illegal activities and organized crime.

Enter John McCain. According to an article in the World Net News Daily, "John McCain's personal fortune traces back to organized crime in Arizona, through his father-in-law."

What? Who would write such things? Well it's our friend Jerome Corsi, Mr. Swift Boat himself. James Hensley, McCains father-in-law was convicted of seven counts of filing false liquor records and conspiracy to hide the people involved in an organized crime racket in Arizona. Nice folks!

It's not just Corsi who reports this, the cases are even highlighhted in an episode on the HIstory Channel in a documentary, "Rum Runners & Prohibition".

Now I don't put a lot of trust in Corsi, but his sources on this check out and I find it funny that a staunch neocon front man like Corsi is exposing his party's own guy. Guess McCain is not the darling of the right anymore?