Republican Maniacs

Death threats. Lynching jokes. Poisoned wine. Angry mobs. Racist bluster. Shouted lies.

If the Democrats ever acted like these Republican maniacs when they are out of power, do you think the mainstream media would notice? Of course they would. And poll numbers would descend to the basement.

Fortunately there's always more enlightenment on the Democratic side of things and we at least have basic respect for the rule of law and the responsibilities of citizenship. And yet, whether it's just that they like a good story, or you just tend to go more leniently on the deranged, the media isn't taking the Republicans to task like they should.

It was depressing to wake up in the Bush years and see the Republicans running roughshod over our values. I thought now that we had a respectable Democratic president and Congress that the Republicans would maybe do some introspective soul-searching and see how they might come back, let's say via the route of responsibility and true conservatism. But instead they're regressing to the point of that you expect their next platform to simply read "Civilization be damned, so there." They're even worse now than during the Bush years. It's all roughshod running 24/7.

Personally, I think we may need to fight fire with fire. How exactly that will work I don't know. But our leaders have taken oaths, I believe, to fight enemies foreign and domestic. And what we're getting from the other side, as someone in a WaPo column today called it, is "political terrorism." The Republicans are making themselves an actual enemy of America. Weird turn of events, huh, for all their USA chants? How else do you explain the talk of seceding from the union and all the violent extremism against our institutions and way of life? When they break the law, prosecute. Let the so-called Responsibility Party finally take responsibility for their actions.

Democrats obviously tend to be more mild-mannered, but somehow we're going to have to pull out the stops and get our fellow citizens back to a sane middle if that's possible. The Republicans are like a rabid dog in the corner, foaming at the mouth. And in the long run that's not good for any of us.

Ludicrous

May the Republicans riot themselves right into oblivion.

Some kind of riot is being reported at a health care event in Tampa. People associated with Glenn Beck and right wing interests...

If these people are being violent they need to be arrested, given police records, the whole bit. We have a system in this country that you need to be a good citizen, not a thug.

The Republicans at the top need to get this thing under control.

Bolton Decries Journalists' Release

Goodness, how can this man, John Bolton, be so consistently stupid?

It just reminds us, if we need reminded, that there's no enjoying the silver lining without someone looking for the cloud. If Bolton won a million dollars in the lottery, it should've been two.

The two journalists were released from North Korea, Bill Clinton went over and personally got them, all was a happy ending, right? Wrong!

We have to have this twerp John Bolton, who for some reason always steps forward of this kind of stuff with his own spin, to say it's no good. That North Korea got a propaganda victory. Oh boy, what would've been better, for the two to stay in a labor camp for the next 15 years so we could say "We really showed them this time!" ?

No good deed goes unpunished. And with the Republicans, they're always right there to make sure injustice is meted out each time!

Sticking With Obama

There's an article that says the GOP, having virtually given up all hopes of making inroads with Hispanics, African-Americans, and virtually all other living creatures, are going to stick with the only group they've had success with, whites. (That would include me, and guess what, whatever they're selling, I ain't buying!)

The Republicans though haven't got anything else going for them. But if they stoke racial tensions, engage in economic fear mongering, and offer up lie after lie about President Obama's policies, The Party Of True Virtue might make some electoral gains.

While I'm not exactly quaking in my boots yet, it does make me queasy, with the same kind of queasiness you feel when you see someone approaching a dog backed in a corner. That's a dog you don't want to pet, at least until he's been pronounced free of rabies by a qualified veterinarian backed up by a half dozen second opinions.

As much as I hate the Republican party, I think it'd be good to have them around. Because let's say at some point we have only the Democratic party, it's going to split, just like you see with the Blue Dogs, and we'll be back to a two-party system. So we may as well stick with the devil we know rather than a newer model. But to stay around, could they please meet us halfway and quit being so out and out crazy? Simply being obstructionist and rooting for the nation's failure is not a positive thing.

I hope 2010 is a big year for the Democrats. And 2012. And as far as I'm concerned right now, every election year thereafter. I am definitely sticking with President Obama. I'm not disaffected in the slightest. Whatever he's proposing on any subject is better than what the Republican alternative is -- or the Republican lack of alternative.

The Republicans screwed this country over royally in the Bush years. It'd be great if they learned from their folly and could come back to be a responsible, loyal opposition.

Birthers' Crazy Crap

Well, it's happening. These people are being laughed at and are widely seen as crackpots and fools.

But you have to hand it to them -- and maybe this is just where the dementia protects them -- they go on and on with their wild theories. The latest is a birth certificate from Kenya that is an obvious fake. The guy who signed it is the name of a brand of soap! (Apparently Proctor N. Gamble was unavailable for a signature that day, so it's the name of a soap from Kenya.)

May I sign your birth certificate for you? What's your name? My name is All Temper Cheer. No, wait, that's too obvious. My name is Irish Spring. That could be an actual name. It is my actual name. I have references to prove it, including my cousin, Lucky Charms.

I wonder what they'd say if Obama's Hawaii birth certificate was signed with the name Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Do you think they'd dispute it?

This is simply crazy crap. It's bizarre, like the Republicans are so lost they aren't even making essential connections with reality. Is this the way back to trust and electoral victory? Simply to act cracked, crazy, demented, and dangerous?

At least they have Lou Dobbs on their side. Bwwwaaaaaa!

Palin-First Dude Split

If the rumors swirling around -- and they've swirled so fast and furious that even the dust bunnies on my floor are spinning -- that Sarah Palin and First Dude Todd are splitting and divorcing are true, that would be interesting. We recall he wanted Alaska to secede from the Union, now he would be seceding from their Union. Or she from it. Or both, if this is a mutual deal.

Who knows what the problem might be? They've come across as the perfect dysfunctional family all these months.

According to what I read, First Ex-Almost Son-in-Law Levi Johnson has a scandalously hot interview coming out at some point. So maybe he'll know something about this. Which makes me wonder how he became an ever running spring of information on the Palins. When he was with the daughter, what was he doing? Spying around corners and taking notes? That took some foresight.

Sleep Deprived

I've been deprived of a few hours of sleep over the last few days, each day some.

So I'm feeling a little lost -- meaning I need to do a few things and get to bed. I will try to make it to the exercise place, just to keep my streak alive, but that's it.

Do something and hit the hay.

MoveOn Targeting Blue Dogs

MoveOn is targeting Blue Dog Democrats who vote about the health care bill.

MoveOn has produced a hard-hitting ad that will be unleashed in the districts of any Blue Dog Dems who vote against the House Dems’ health care bill in committee today — a warning shot that’s intended to preview the broader ad campaign that will target Blue Dogs who continue to block reform throughout August, I’m told.

Thank goodness for MoveOn. This is exactly what should happen. If we can't depend on Democrats to uphold Democratic values, then what good are they?

This article is on the House side. But the same thing goes for the senators. These creeps like Max Baucus and Ben Nelson, what are they good for? What's it even matter if they're Democrats if we can't tell the difference between them and the Republicans? Flush 'em.

Republicans Hate Medicare

It's beyond me why anyone would vote for the Republicans period. What are they for that is of any benefit to anyone? (Time's up.)

But aren't older folks a reliable bloc of voters? I thought they were, and I'm getting up to about that age myself. I know I vote on health care issues, retirement issues, social justice, education, and all that stuff the Republicans don't think we need.

To vote Republican is to hurt yourself and the country. Witness the shenanigans they're going through during the current health care reform debate. They're obstructionists first, last, and always.

Here's an interesting article. The Republicans, in addition to hating and wanting to take away Social Security, now are after Medicare.

Weird, isn't it? The question remains, Why would anyone vote for these guys?

Birtherism

I guess the whole birther thing has had its ascendancy and is now burning out. It's kind of too bad since it's good to have the GOP deeply sidelined with conspiracy theories and wacko stuff.

I'm thinking it's about done because of Bill O'Reilly's report on the subject, reading his viewers' mail and rebutting them. I'd never seen a Bill O'Reilly video in which he seemed to be coming down on the sane side of an issue. The guy's such a loon. But in this case, he seemed positively level headed.

I don't watch his show, so this may periodically happen.

Now the nation's biggest loon seems to be Lou Dobbs. Didn't he start out as a normal guy a few years ago? Then he went on to deride Mexicans and he hasn't been the same since. I believe his first hobby horse, that I can remember, was outsourcing of jobs. Whether that's still a concern of his, frankly I won't watch his crappy show anymore so I don't know. The whole immigration hobby horse became old fast. We'd see it while flipping channels.

It's kind of like Maury's show, except Maury has nothing but DNA tests for paternity. We ought to do a mash-up, the Maury Dobbs show, DNA tests for illegal aliens. Or a mash-up of Lou Dobbs and Jerry Springer, fights with burly guys in black shirts breaking them up.

You know, if you record a Jerry Springer show and listen carefully to the bleeping, it's Morse Code for "Why are you wasting your time watching this crap? On the other hand you could be watching Lou Dobbs, so you may as well stay right here."

Now I hear that O'Reilly is going to have Dobbs on his show, maybe he already did. Now there's a match up. Get the Springer guys over there, see which one would win in a fight.

I'll tell you someone else I can't stand. Whoever Dobbs' minions are on his show, his correspondents. At least when I used to see it, it was hilarious. They were so afraid of disagreeing with Lou that they became nothing but parrots for whatever he says. "Rawwk, Mexicans are bad!"

Egypt and Fox

Here's why we're having so much trouble with the Iraq war. We're not even in the right place! Clearly we've invaded Egypt, land of the Pharaohs. Home of the great breakfast cereal, Phar-O's.

I'm not really that great at geography either. I can pick out the North Pole and the South Pole in a reasonably consistent manner. If you turn the globe upside down, though, I get confused. And I can also find my own hometown, which, unfortunately they never have on the globe.

By the way, that's what I hate about globes. They don't strive for accuracy, which is obvious because they leave off so many towns. According to the globe people there are about 10 cities in the entire United States. And I know that's wrong because I personally can name at least 20.

A great catchphrase -- like "They're Grrrreat" -- for the breakfast cereal of Egypt would be: Phar-O's! They're Phar-Out!"

Democrats and Democrats

Good grief, we have a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress. Can we please get some Democratic legislation passed?

Are our guys so seriously on the take that they're willing to screw over We The People? This is going to be a problem with long term consequences if that is so.

We wanted the power so much, for everything to be in Democratic hands. But if we botch this ... the Republicans will be the prime beneficiary.

Try your level best, you idiots, to get it right.

In Palin News

Today was Sarah Palin's last day as governor of Alaska. She sought the trust and responsibility of office from Alaskans, then with no definite plans in mind quit with a year and a half to go in her term. Some think someone with this kind of behavior is fit for higher office.

That's a laugh. Which reminds us, she's a national joke and can't resign that position.

A 1949 Nickel

I noticed a 1949 nickel in my change today. I don't usually look through my change, but I noticed it when I took it out of my pocket at the exercise place. I don't want all that change rattling around (and weighing me down) while I'm doing my best to exert myself on the machines.

So there it was, right on top. With the outlines of everything on it being clear from all the dirt at the edges from over the years. It's hard for me to believe this coin's been out there kicking around for 60 years, but who knows the story!

1949 is before my parents were married. I don't know if they even knew each other yet. Curly from The Three Stooges was still alive. (These are the big historic markers for me, what was going on with my parents and what Curly Howard was up to.)

So a 1949 nickel is an oldie but a goodie. I don't know whether to put it on my shelf (why would I do that?) or just let it go back into the wild. I probably will do that, in order to give the next guy something to think about too.