Oh, and Arizonans?

Not you, Sarah Palin. Only real ones that get their mail here need apply.

VOTE.

I think we're all forgetting something here.

The eleven men who died will receive no compensation, even though their claims are about as "legitimate" as they get. BP is going to use that adjective to screw the guys whose businesses they destroyed, whose environment they destroyed, and whose lives they killed.

It will be just like the Exxon Valdez.


And here's how the Supreme Court, who says that corporations are people too, decided to screw the little guy.


Some are dead, and died without compensation of any variety.

"They're going to be hurt. Those people are going to be suffering because their economy is going to be shot for a year or so," he said. "It took 20 years before the final round was played out with Exxon, in terms of lawsuits, and then they cut back the initial amount. Not many people got much. A lot of people in 20 years have died, lost their boats and permits. It just really screwed up a lot of people's lives."

At least Louisiana knows what's coming.

Igor Panarin: U.S. Will Collapse By Next Year

Sarah Palin must be laying low with her secessionist-helpmeet Todd teh First Dud, since this is the zaniness catching my eye today.

"Panarin argued that Americans are in moral decline, saying their great psychological stress is evident from school shootings, the size of the prison population and the number of gay men."

I kinda snarfed the coffee on that one, no lie. These things are all controversial, and it's a good list, till ... gay men??

There are several reasons why gay men are a boon to American society, and I shall lay out some reasons that the male gay population may be the salvation of the American Dream, and should be thus revered:

1) The gay man always seems to have a female friend during high school (whether either of them know he's gay, or closeted, or whatevs) which leads to sincere, emo-laden conversations when they should be doing their trig homework. This increases the emotional quotient of both, and trig causes a rash anyway.

2) Without the gay man, Broadway's lights would have dimmed years ago, and then what would housewives from Iowa do in New York, go to the Warsaw and rock? psh.

3) And let's not forget that every gay couple doesn't produce another human, thus working in their own buttsecksy way to trim the population before we hit 11 billion by the year 2100

So, just based on this alone, it's obvious someone's been spiking the Russky prof's vodka with Rush Limbaugh's Oxycodone.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Psychology Today Says It's "Here to Help"

SarahPAC has gotten started, and is the brainchild of a group of Republicans who think that this woman is actually a viable candidate for the national stage. I don't know how anyone can feel that way for anything other than purely ideological ideas. It can't be based on job performance, since the woman is so absent from the job she's got that the legislature famously wears these buttons:
I don't know about you, but her vacuity and ravening hunger for fame and time in the spotlight enrages me enough to keep pounding the drum to expose her for the willing tool she is.

Just because anyone CAN run for office doesn't mean that everyone SHOULD. She ought to go home and take care of her Down-syndrome baby.

or at least just go home!

Pulled from A Field Guide to Narcissism:

Deep desire to be at the center of things is served by extreme self-confidence, a combination that makes narcissists attractive and even charming. Buoyed by a coterie of admiring friends and associates—protected by the armor of positive self-regard—someone with a mild-to-moderate case of narcissism can float through life feeling pretty good about himself. Since they feel entitled to special treatment, they are easily offended, and readily harbor grudges. Yet narcissists are often very popular—at least in the short term.

The beauty of being a narcissist is that even when disaster stares you in the face, you feel neither doubt nor remorse. In a study, researchers asked a pair of participants to undertake a task that was rigged to fail. Most people tend to protect their partner, sharing either the credit or the blame. "But the narcissists would say, 'It's totally the other person's fault.' They're completely willing to step on someone," says narcissism researcher Keith Campbell, associate professor of social psychology at the University of Georgia.

Intensely narcissistic people often live tumultuous lives, as few people can tolerate them for long. But having a milder version of the personality type comes with many side benefits. Subclinical narcissists are happy. They are less likely to be depressed, sad or anxious, and rate their subjective well-being more highly. They're less reactive to stress, and recover more rapidly from it.

1. Buoyed by a coterie of admiring friends and associates—protected by the armor of positive self-regard—someone with a mild-to-moderate case of narcissism can float through life feeling pretty good about himself.

example:

Meghan Stapleton - Once a beloved and respected Channel 2 News anchorwoman (I’m sensing a theme here), and whose only dreadful performance before working for the McCain campaign was literally getting run over by a Christmas reindeer on television, her fall to the dark side can only be described as extraordinary. Known now as Meghan Stapletongue, because that’s kind of what it feels like when she talks, she was front and center with McCain’s “Truth Squad.” As Orwellian as it sounded, the function of the “Truth Squad” was to stand in front of the media with charts and graphs complete with circles and arrows, and connect anyone and everyone that spoke out for accountability in Palin’s ethics investigation, with…(ominous chord)..Barack Obama….(insert high pitched scream here). Another favorite activity was sullying the name and reputation of ex-Commissioner of Public safety Walt Monegan, a dedicated and competent public servant (who refused to illegally fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law) by calling him a “rogue” and accusing him of “insubordination.” Nice.

2. The beauty of being a narcissist is that even when disaster stares you in the face, you feel neither doubt nor remorse.

Finding Number One

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah

Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive

Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides

"The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a

public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest

through official action is a violation of that trust."

Palin's reaction:

"If you read the report, you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member," Palin said as boarded her campaign bus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You got to read the report."

Palin violated state ethics law by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from the state police, a state investigator's report for the bipartisan Legislative Council concluded Friday.

Sarah Palin Wants To Run in 2012- When the Mayan Calendar Ends. I'm Just Sayin'.

Sarah Palin has a PAC now. I can only hope that the body politic of America will expel this infection from itself so that we can continue to undo the damage of the Neocons. However, in the meantime Sarah gets to run all over the country (read: NOT in Alaska) promoting whatever the hell her political agenda (read: self-aggrandizing horsesh*t) actually is.

From Alaska Daily News:

... it {also} allows Palin to more easily differentiate between her political activity and her gubernatorial duties, Pryor said. She can use the money raised by the political committee to donate to other like-minded candidates or to incur travel expenses on behalf of them. She also can use it to pay for her own political activities unrelated to her official job.

So Palin, for example, can use money raised by the committee to attend two upcoming political events outside Alaska, Pryor said.

Really, how much time has this woman actually spent in her state, running the people's business? Not so much, according to The Mudflats:

I think it’s time to dust off those “Where’s Sarah?” buttons. The legislature has worn them before to acknowledge Palin’s Juneau-phobia. And yes, both the Alfalfa/RNC trip and the CPAC trip will happen during the 90 day Legislative session.

So even if she's not tapping the Alaskans for her trip money, she's depriving them of the services of an active governor. And what about her damned kids not being high-school dropouts, really?

In the wee hours of 2008, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wanted everyone to know that both daughter Bristol and her fiance, Levi Johnston, parents of Palin's new grandson, Tripp, are not high school dropouts. "You need to know that both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent and going to school and working at the same time," the former Republican vice presidential nominee told People magazine in a phone message on New Year's Eve. "They are certainly not high school dropouts."

Palin was also in touch with the Associated Press and the Anchorage Daily News to complain about what she said were erroneous reports that Johnston had dropped out of school. The source of those reports? Possibly Levi himself. In October, the Associated Press interviewed Johnston and reported that he had left school to work as an apprentice electrician. Palin issued a statement Wednesday clarifying that Johnston is "continuing his online high school work" while he does the apprentice thing.

Pft!

Palin's $180,000 Campaign Clothes "Stuffed In Trash Bags" At RNC Headquarters: NewMajority (VIDEO, SLIDESHOW)

Ahhh, Sarah. If only we DID see your borrowed feathers auctioned off and the money used to feed the rural villagers in Alaska! Unfortunately, she is far too self-absorbed as a media whore to pay attention to the job she was actually hired for- that of the stewardship of Alaska. This is why we won't need to worry about her in 2012- she'll lose her gubernatorial bid in 2010, and then maybe we'll by Christ be shut of her.



The more she's around, the better I like it- every time she opens her mouth she shows thinking people what a fool with a microphone looks like.
About Slideshows
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Where's My Pony !? *stamps foot*

He must be ordering as we speak.

Things I like that happened on his first day:
1. GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — The Guantanamo Bay war crimes court came to an abrupt halt Wednesday as military judges granted President Barack Obama's request to suspend proceedings while he reviews his predecessor's strategy for prosecuting terrorists. (huffpoo)

update: WASHINGTON — The Obama administration intends to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center within a year and halt military trials of terror suspects held there, according to a draft order obtained Wednesday. The executive order was one of three expected imminently on how to interrogate and prosecute al-Qaida, Taliban or other foreign fighters believed to threaten the United States.(huffpoo again)

2. Obama decides to stack the deck against torture, as opposed to for it:

Lederman, [another] former Clinton Office of Legal Counsel lawyer, is perhaps the most prominent of several high-profile opponents of the Bush Administration's executive power claims joining Obama, a mark that he intends not just to change but to aggressively reverse Bush's moves on subjects like torture. With hires like Barron, Johnen, and Lederman, Obama is not just going back to Democratic lawyers: These are anti-Bush lawyers.

Damn straight. Lederman has been a leading opponent of Bush's torture policies, and the legal reasoning behind them. He's even suggested that the former administration officials committed crimes in this area. Now, thankfully, Lederman is headed to the OLC. (the Washington Monthy)

Now, I spose I could keep to the high road, but it's too damned much fun to sink into the morass of spiteful mockery. We gots two to mock today:

1. Dick Cheney or Jeffrey Lebowski? Gentle Reader, YOU decide! *snicker guffaw*

2. Sarah Palin just won't go away, and at this point, the more she's around, the better I like her:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is going on the offensive against news organizations and bloggers she says are perpetuating malicious gossip about her and her children. But political observers say the former Republican vice presidential candidate can't have it both ways: trotting out the children to showcase her family values, then trying to shield them from scrutiny.

Palin's criticism also raises questions about her motivations because she has said she is open to a presidential run in 2012.

"I think she's positioning herself. She's attacking the media as a way to generate support among a base she hopes will support her," said Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of communications at American University in Washington and an expert on the presidency.

Palin shied away from interviews during the campaign, although her children often accompanied her on her travels, including her oldest daughter, Bristol, who was pregnant at the time.

But in recent weeks, she has personally reached out to media outlets such as People magazine and The Associated Press to complain about information she claimed is wrong. (God Bless the Huffpoo!!)

Just keep talking, sweetheart, just keep talking...

McCain Employing GOP Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud

So, the Rovian attack technique has been honed so sharp it's cutting itself. Every time the McCain campaign points a finger at Senator Obama, it ends up pointing itself right into trouble. First, there were the Reverend issues; Wright ended up looking mighty sane and stable after seeing Hagee and the witch doctor's separate antics with both halves of the Republican ticket. Then, when that didn't stick, they trotted Bill Ayers out. This didn't work, since McCain has G Gordon Liddy hanging around his neck, and Sarah pals around with (read: married to) a member of an organization whose sole purpose was to secede from the union! If that ain't anti- American, then there is no such thing. Finally, the voter fraud issue: Acorn, whose paid flunkies tried to weasel out of actually working to register voters, filled out a bunch of crap. They handed the crap in and got their eight bucks an hour, whatever. The difference is that Acorn handed all the forms in, whereas this asshole's organization actually threw registrations they didn't like (read: Democratic) into the trash.

If McCain were to shut up, maybe he could stop the precipitous slide into hell that his campaign has become; every time he tries to open his mouth he just punches himself in the face. Sad.
About John McCain
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Sarah Palin Broke the Public Trust!

Ladies and gentlemen, can we really stomach the idea of a Vice President who has been found to have abused her power in the Governor's Office of one of the United States of America? For all those who aren't taking this seriously enough to see beyond her "hotness," I hope this crosses the line.

Here's a passage from the Branchflower Report.

Ye gawds. I shudder to contemplate the remaining wingnuts who would actually cleave to such a candidate as this.

Responsible Media Management

Hi kids, it's time to play "watch what you step in!" I'm your host, Lavender Pitt, and I'm here to tell you a little story about what happens when you express your opinion. First, a little background:

Anti-Palin rally organizers receive threats

by Lori Tipton
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Opponents of Gov. Sarah Palin's policies are being threatened.

Alaska Women Reject Palin, a local group that opposes the Republican vice presidential candidate, on Wednesday announced plans to host an anti-Palin rally this weekend.

Since that announcement organizers say they've received intimidating messages.

A press release for the Reject Palin rally went out to practically every media outlet in town Wednesday. And one talk radio host decided to share the names and phones numbers of the two contacts on-air.

That decision has left organizers feeling somewhat fearful of practicing their First Amendment rights.

KBYR talk radio host Eddie Burke admits he is a conservative and a "Palinista."

But on Wednesday Burke resorted to name calling when he found out Alaska Women Reject Palin planned to host a Saturday rally.

"They're a bunch of socialist maggots, that's what I'm going to call them -- socialist maggots, that's what they are, a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots," said Burke.

Please feel free to click on the title for a link to the full story; however, this is not the point of the story. I emailed the station casually with the following email:

From: Rai Goldin

To: myopinion@kbyr.com

Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 5:09 PM

Subject: Eddie Burke's right to swing his fist

end's at the tip of people's noses, ans he is responsible for every harrassing phonecall those women reveived. He had no right to give out those people's phone numbers and he should bloody well be fired for working against the public's safety.

Rachel Goldin
Tucson AZ

Please note that all embarrassing punctuation mistakes on my part have not been edited out of this edition; sometimes veracity trumps accuracy! I figured I'd get no reply, or at best a boilerplate generic acknowledgment. Instead, this is what I got:
From: "myopinion@kbyr.com"
To: Rai Goldin
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 8:55:53 PM
Subject: Re: Eddie Burke's right to swing his fist

weaaaaa....y dont you cry a little more....it is called free speech for a reason....go cry to your mom...not to us

I was floored by this response, as it confirmed my worst-nightmare fears about the kind of wing-nut loonies they let play with the transmitter when they get snowed in up there. Alaska's finally getting the kind of attention that one of the fifty United States ought to get; some journalists are blossoming under the light, but other media outlets seem to wither under the glare. I thought I'd have to write this one off, and sent a reply indicating as such:

From: Rai Goldin

To: myopinion@kbyr.com

Cc: senchirai@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 4:45 AM

Subject: Re: Eddie Burke's right to swing his fist

Wow, are you representing a broadcast radio show? Or do you let staffers' middleschoolers answer the mail?! I thought I was reaching a media outlet; sorry, my mistake.

This was, as I figured, the end of the nonsense; but lo, another email just fluttered my way, from the general manager of the station:

Rai,

I do not know who sent that message, I will check our records and see who was here then. But it is station policy not to give out numbers and Eddie will be punished accordingly.

Again sorry for the previous email.

Justin McDonald-GM

I thanked him for his concern in the matter, and let him know I was very interested in the follow-up for the conclusion of the matter. If and when I receive any more correspondence, I shall let you know.

A few points:

1. Eddie Burke does not have the right to give out people's numbers on the air with an implicit go-ahead to call them up and give them a hard time
2. This is an abuse of the freedom of speech- any emotional wear and tear these anti-Palin organizers got as a result of Mr. Brke's actions are a responsibility that is at his feet.
3. The anit-Palin organization was bigger than her welcome -home rally, and is being under-reported as of this hour by the mainstream media.

*sigh*