We are so fucked.

So, here's this today. The link is to Zandar vs. the Stupid, but it's making the rounds. Anyway, scientists now say that the average world temperature will raise by 6.3 degrees by the end of the century, and the current proposals, even the most progressive proposals, are not Nearly enough to stop it.

So, this sort of ties into my whole view of the environmental movement in general. Good luck, godspeed, we're fucked. I don't mean to belittle, and I respect the people out there trying desperately to change the tide. But seriously, we are just fucked. The human race is just not attuned to this sort of thing. If it is a choice between convenience today vs. assurance for tomorrow, we will pick today every time. Of course the human race will not die out, that's ridiculous, we are too resourceful. But decimation is hardly out of the question. In fact, reverse decimation. Decimation is killing off a tenth, I think ninety percent is more the ticket. Good season for undertakers.

Watching the G-20, or whatever, address this is just the darkest of comedy. It's the equivalent of watching a mime stand in front of an Amtrak Express bullet on the rails at a local stop with his hands out. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt I am. Our only hope is for another Ice Age, which could maybe help us balance out our global warming tendencies with a good Arctic blast and a glacier or two.

Of course, on the opposite side of this are the Conservatives saying that since we're all fucked anyway, why do we have to go through this whole effort. Now, of course, they do not have the courage of their convictions. They don't believe in Global Warming to begin with, so to say that it's no big deal is no big deal to them. It'd be exactly the same as if I were to laugh off alien invasion or, better, the Rapture, since I know it's not going to happen, what do I care. But, in their idiocy, they do have a point, but it's because of people like them that it's futile. Perhaps, maybe, if everyone, not Americans, all fucking 7-billion of us, became a bicycle-riding, recycling, environmentally-conscious hippie overnight we might, MIGHT, have a chance. But as a species, we're still arguing over whether Mohammed or Jesus had better magic powers, so fucking forget that.

Anyway, this is probably the penultimate generation of the human race as undisputed heavy-weight champs of the Planet Earth. So, I say, Enjoy it. Kick back, turn on the AC and have a drink. You deserve it. It's not every species that gets to rule the planet. Plants ruled, lizards ruled, mammals ruled. I say, give the cockroaches a chance.

Christ, you all say apocalypse like it's a bad thing.

Anyway...

Damn Dirty Hippies Pt. 2

Ok, we are almost at the one week anniversary of the already legendary 9-12 Protests. 

So, where are we? Well, nowhere really. Left Blogs are still pretty much insisting that the DC parks service estimate of 70 to 80 thousand is the number of attendees, a lot of Right Blogs claimed right at the beginning that there were 2 million, and I doubt very seriously that they will change that estimate.  Seeing pictures, one thing is clear, there were a shitload of people there. This guy, probably never see his site again, has some pictures. How many are accurate I don't know (there's been some dispute), but he doesn't seem to have too much of an axe to grind.

Anyway, I don't care who was there or how many, really. I've already decided these people are crazy and dangerous and fucking Everywhere, and I really don't care how many of these fuckers tood the weekend off to slither down to the D.C. Mall to protest, they probably All Vote and that's the bigger problem. But I digress. 

What I wanted to talk about is this infinitely infuriating and hilarious post entitled 'Conservative Woodstock'. Yes, this was the Woodstock for the Rightys; you didn't get Jimi, but you did get... Glenn Beck? You win!

First point, Woodstock was NOT a political rally. That shouldn't really need saying, but clearly it does. I know it taken on that identity, but it wasn't, and anyone that still thinks it was I wouldn't take very seriously. Just because the one surviving idiot from the Doors is still going around bleeting about how music 'changed things' doesn't make it fucking true. No right-winger ever quotes the times Bob Dylan has claimed songs don't change shit, and he should know a thing or two on the subject. 

It's very telling though that these idiots would compare this to Woodstock, because Woodstock, a FUCKING MUSIC CONCERT (30+ Years ago!) is their touchstone for all things leftist. How about comparing it at least to the Iraq War demonstrations or the Obama Inauguration? (Actually, a few of them, bravely, were trying to do that. But I think they're inflating numbers a bit.) (Sorry, I usually try to do links, but I'm writing this shit a week late, and I don't have the energy to search things up.)

Anyway, this is my favorite bit:

There were notable differences though, in the behavior of these attendees. Although the legend of Woodstock is that there was a friendly atmosphere of camaraderie, the truth is that most people were there for the drugs, sex and rock and roll. Today in D.C. there was a true kinship amongst these people based on shared values and intellectual understanding of what America is and how its future is imperiled by big radical government.

No one was having sex in the Reflecting Pool let alone the mud, and I saw no one projectile vomiting on the steps of the Capitol. There were no warnings to avoid the bad acid which would send you on a trip to the hospital. Not just a different era, but a different level of civilized behavior and thought. Oh, and by the way, these people didn’t leave tons of garbage behind when they left. Actually they left no trash behind at all.

Yes, most people were at Woodstock for the Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, because it was a FUCKING ROCK CONCERT! Those are the sort of people that go to a three day Rock Festival. I went to Burning Man and there were a lot of people there for the Sex and Drugs (I know I was). But guess what? A ShitLoad of people voted for Obama that wouldn't come within MILES of Burning Man (Literally, it was quite out of the way.) Yes, I'm sure there was a lot of Lefty Political Ranting at Woodstock, because at the time people that went to that sort of thing were probably aware of a little war I like to call Viet-fucking-nam. 

And Further, since when are Sex, Drugs and Rock-n-Roll NOT Shared Values? Some of us take those Very Seriously. (You try to take away my Alcohol (they tried it once, remember) and you just watch me go Charlton Heston on your Government Asses.) And, again, you get this Conservative Twat Babble "we're civilized because we're clean, we don't have sex and we don't need Drugs to get High on life!"

These people are deranged First Graders. Forgive me, but if I walked amongst you, I would be amazed if I could find ONE of You that would stand up against Torture, Extraordinary Rendition and the habeas corpus, so forgive me if I don't let you take the Moral High Ground on this one, Kay? Kay.

By the end of the Nixon era, a Majority of this country was completely fed up with Vietnam, but the ONLY people that matter to these Idiots are the Dirty Hippies with their Dirty Sex and Dirty Drugs. STILL. I would bet anyone 1000 dollars that you couldn't find 1 person in 100 at the fucking Tea Party Rally that would either a) disagree with those two paragraphs, or b) even question them. 

Everyone that disagrees with a teabagger is a dirty hippy. Still. Vietnam has fucked up this country permanent until every baby boomer that remembers it is under ground. Period. 

Anyway...

Damn Dirty Hippies, Pt. 1

So, the 9-12 Rally really brought out true beliefs of the Wingnuts, not that they were that far below the surface to begin with. Here's this from Gateway Pundit. Basically it's Dirty Hippies vs. Krinkly Klean Konservatives... wait, Oh, that was so not fair of me.

So, the post shows a picture of the Washington Mall after the 9-12 protest, and I have to say, they were very clean people, which is a good thing. And then he (she?) runs several pictures of DC after the Obama rally and the place is pretty much trashed. Of course, there actually WERE a Million Plus people at Obama's Inauguration, not the Pretend Million at the 9-12 Protest. Now, I don't want to belittle the 9-12 Protest, but Gateway's bringing it up. They had a good turn out, crazy people unite! I'm a liberal, protest is American, even if you don't really have a coherent agenda... or worldview. But, you know, there really WERE a Million+ people at the Obama rally, the logistics are a bit different. Anyway, here's Nate Silver's take on the Disappearing 1.5 or so million people.

Seriously though, my gentle readers, I implore you, take a quick breeze through the comments. Oh, hell, let me play you some of my favorites:

That pretty much sums up the differences. Our mothers made us clean up after ourselves and taught us to treat others as we would have them treat us. Something about a "golden rule"...

FedUp

Hey! I know the 'golden rule', that's why I've never locked up anyone indefinitely without trial and/or hooked a car battery to anyone's testicles. Golden Rule, Baby!

It's a matter of maturity. Liberalism is a form of delayed adolescence.

Karen

Heh. Can't really argue with this one. Speaking for myself, of course.

Great comparison. I bet their brains are as dirty and filthy too. Lol
Winston

I certainly hope so! ROTFLMFAO! 

The mess pretty much sums up the Obama Presidency.
justpassingthrough 

Or, you could view it as the mess left at the tail-end of the Bush Presidency. 

Seriously, check it out. I love these people. Absolutely hilarious.

Anyway...

9-12, day late and a brain short.

So, I don't know too much about Glenn Beck's 9-12 project except that he cries like a bitch when he brings it up. However, what I do know is this, they are meeting tomorrow, and estimates range from Democrats hoping to inflate the outcome (2 million) to Republicans hoping to deflate it (20 thousand). Personally, I kind of agree with Zandar, bring these idiots on. Give the country a full fledged honest view of the hatred and insanity. Hopefully they reject it, if they don't, well, I'm still fine with moving to Vancouver. 

But that's such a Librul response, isn't it? I mean, I sort of admire these wackos. For 8 years Liberal Americans suffered under the insufferable Chimp and at best threatened to leave the country and at worst just took it like a bitch and stayed. After merely 8 months of relatively uneventful rule Conservatives are ready for Revolution. At the very least you have to admire their chutzpah. 

Speaking of Chutzpah, here is a clip of the Glennster playing the Kennedy death for laughs and invoking Paul Wellstone (if you can stand to watch it). 

So, basically here's the summary. Shallow, soulless radio/TV personality can exploit the deaths of 3000 people that affected ALL Americans (no matter how much Conservatives want to pretend Liberals don't care), but apparently Liberals cannot be inspired by the death of a Congressman that died very young who inspired thousands and a Senator who was the Political Touchstone for HealthCare for  over 40 years which is on the brink of passing............ Gotcha. Glenn, you are a colossal Fuck. Hope you don't mind me saying. The next time you go to confession I hope the priest pisses in your face. 

But wait, I've digressed. Anyway, I've gone to the 9-12 page. NO MENTION of what these 9 Principles and 12 Values are. Seriously, that's what this is based on, why are they so hard to find on the fucking Website. If someone else can find them, please leave a comment on this post. I would love to know. I looked. Honestly. But, first, it's fucking stupid. There aren't 12 Values and 9 Principles. What are you, the employee supervisor for Wal*Mart? Circuit City? 

To quantify something like Values and Principles is the hallmark of an unserious person. OR an opportunistic person looking to take advantage of the rubes, but that couldn't possibly be you, could it, Glenn? You want to make a list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, fine. You want to make a list of the 9 greatest Principles, go fuck yourself. In fact, that sounds fine. Glenn, go fuck yourself. 

Hope you have a good turnout tomorrow. You fucking fuck.

Anyway...

Out of the closet, spies!

Today Bill O'Reilly had his usual Friday column in the NY Post, which I would link to, but the Post website fucking blows, always has, and I'm becoming convinced, always will. Anyway, he covered this on his show, and here's a clip. Apparently there is an organization called The John Adams Project (not nearly as popular as Alan Parsons') which is going around trying to snap pictures of CIA officials who tortured. 

Now, I'm genuinely conflicted about this. Granted, anyone who tortured is an amoral monster. I'm sorry, but you are. I couldn't torture somebody no matter what (excluding Glenn Beck). And I do believe these people that did this torturing should be brought before a court of law. But, showing photos of potential torturers to potential terrorists just seems like a bad fucking plan. I'm sure it's more carefully thought out than Bill'O presents it, but still, seems a bit careless.

However, I also understand the frustration of people on the forefront of this war. The Government will not co-operate, it will never co-operate, they need the CIA too much; they know all the good secrets. But imagine you are a lawyer trying to find the truth of this torture debacle.  Unlike soulless douchebags like O'Reilly you believe passionately that Torture is wrong. How do you get information for your clients? Clients which presumably are innocent until proven guilty in accordance to our values and beliefs, correct?

But I'm getting sidetracked on an issue that can not be resolved (particularly on this blog, which I have on good authority is managed by a drunken asshole). The main thing here is that in his column, Bill O. complains that there is not the same amount of outrage with the John Adams Project as there was in the Valerie Plame case. Well, to be blunt, no fucking shit, Bill.

Valerie was outed because the Bush Administration was trying to discredit someone who disagreed with them. They were exuding EXTREME political pressure (i.e. ruining careers of government employess) to get a result they wanted, to get the WAR they wanted. A few zealous Americans running around trying to photo a few other Zealous (how else could you torture) Americans is hardly the Government. 

Further more, despite what I am sure is Bill'O and the Gang's fervent desire to link Obama to this mess, apparently the Government IS looking into this, according to Media Matters, which I'm sure Bill'O does not consider a legitimate source. 

The point is, once again, Bill completely misses the point. The outrage was over the Government exercising Extreme Pressure to get a bogus result they wanted. Many on the left, I'm sure, are not big fans of the CIA, but Many of us recognize their importance and do not want them killed. However, my compassion for the difficulties of their job does not necessarily extend to sociopaths willing to torture. Many serious people were saying then, and are still saying now, that torture does not work. The FBI, I believe, wanted no part of the torture, which partly led to the CIA handling this shit to begin with. 

Basically for a few years this country was led by a bunch of idiots who took '24' a Little Too Seriously, and I fear Bill'O is one of them. Should we be showing pictures of agents to terrorist suspects, probably not. Should we be outing CIA agents because they disagree with the Government rational for a war that might potentially... No, wait, DID kill thousands of people; NO. 

Anyway...

Why I fucking swear

Glenn Greenwald has a good post today about the whole Joe 'You Lie' Wilson episode. It is part of a larger meditation about a) who is considered 'serious' by the establishment (one of Glenn's popular themes for those unfamiliar), b) why people who swear are considered 'unserious' and reactionary, and c) why people who speak politely can advocate torture, extraordinary rendition and preemptive war and still get on CNN rather than being run out of town on a rail. 

Apparently the whole thing boils down to how people view being polite. It is not polite to swear, but it's fine to agree that hooking up a man's balls to a car battery is a reasonable course of action, so long as you refer to said 'balls' as 'testicles'. 

This is, of course, fucking insane. I agree that one should not swear all the time. Job interviews before it's explicitly made clear it's appropriate, for example. I don't think children should swear around their parents, not necessarily out of respect, but it's great training. You should have people in your life you don't swear around. I don't really have that right now, and haven't for about a decade, so when I DO get in situations where I should hold my tongue it takes a lot more effort.

But I digress. My point is... Read Glenn's post(and also the link to the post Glenn calls one of the greatest ever, it's a goody), and also this one by Zandar. We live in a world where people like Glenn Beck can say the most hateful ridiculous things possible, but somehow are not ostracized from the community. We live in a world where a Vast number of pundits talk about Torture like it's an intellectual exercise. It's fucking ridiculous, but if you say it's fucking ridiculous, well, you're not serious. Now, maybe we should hold our tongues. But sometimes only a good fuck will do. You know? It amazes me that even after all this time some people don't realize that societies' clowns are often its most serious people. Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks both swore like surprised and injured sailors and, I assure you, they were both dead fucking serious.

Anyway...

A Reasonable Man

So, Tim Pawlenty, Republican Governor of Minnesota, has received a bit of attention today. Here's Steve Benen's take. Apparently he was asked about 'Death Panels' a grand total of four times today by a VERY patient reporter. Eventually he walked back his comments a bit, but he started out very much in favor of the Death Panels. You know, it's that secret plan of Obama's to turn the U.S. into some kind of real-life working model of Logan's Run. 

Now, I am personally against the Death Panels, have been since the beginning, despite all the tireless efforts of the 'Death Panel' accusers to try and prove how much the planet would improve if they were put in front of said panels and received a Nay vote. 

However, my personal opinions aside, here is the main point. Pawlenty is considered a Reasonable Conservative and even he has to pander to this shit. If you read his post, Steve Benen says he almost feels sorry for Pawlenty having to speak things he almost certainly thinks are untrue just so he doesn't have to annoy the morons who make up his base. 

Personally, I don't know how to feel. I certainly don't feel sorry, though. Obviously all politicians lie, you have to. And the bigger the office the more you have to lie, but it doesn't really invoke my sympathies. It's the nature of the job, and it's one thing to tell a stretcher, another thing to change your mind, and quite another to just fucking lie outright. But the amount of shit you have to swallow to appease the Republican base these days really is astounding. Basically you can't agree with Obama in any way, shape or form or you're a traitor. That's a tough position to be in, especially because Obama is often fairly reasonable. 

Well, it's a rough life if you want to be President, and Pawlenty might just be enough of a lying, dithering fuck to make it. Good luck to you, sir.

Anyway...

Alternate Realities

There was something else that struck me in Mr. Taranto's post (see my previous). Of course, he states it in the most douche-baggy way possible. (Again, see my previous post where I prove, conclusively, that Mr. Taranto is, for the time being, a douche-bag.) He writes:

The Post is right to say the debate is "irresolvable." History does not allow for controlled experiments, so there is no way of knowing if innocent Americans would in fact have been killed in terrorist attacks had the CIA treated KSM with TLC, as now seems to be U.S. policy under the Obama administration.

 Ok, let's deal with a couple points here. First, KSM, the 9-11 mastermind, is a douche-bag on a level that Mr. Taranto can only dream and, I'm thinking, perhaps cannot comprehend. KSM is a fuck, a delusional fuck, a religious shitbag that deserves any and everything he has coming to him. And somehow, we made this guy somewhat sympathetic. Why? Because we waterboarded him to within an inch of his life... Almost 200 Times. We damn near killed this fucker, and had we done that what would we have done without all the information he allegedly started spouting after the 186th trip to the waterboard?

I want to ramble on about the douche-baggy phrase 'kids-gloves' (again, OBAMA WILL KILL US ALL), but I'll digress. Anyway, he is right to say, to a certain degree, that this is an insolveable debate, using his VERY narrow definition. What he is asking is did the policies of Bush/Cheney prevent an attack on Actual US soil. After all, the only human lives Republicans give a shit about seem to be American lives, even though we're all humans. This is a distinction I try not to make, and yet I somehow remain proud of my country and happy that I live here. But, we don't know. Would the Gore administration have prevented 9-11 altogether? Would Bush/Cheney have been able to prevent any further terrorist attacks without the harsh techniques? We actually don't know. (Though I have theories.)

But, in another context I've wished we had this ability. Not just for Terror subjects, but just in general. Lately a lot of idiot Republicans (Cantor, Jindal, McConnell, I'm looking at you) have been publicly criticizing the stimulus plan, but going around their respective states, praising and taking credit for jobs created by stimulus funds, but not mentioning the Stimulus. Some people might find this hypocritical. Not me; I find it fucking, psychotically hypocritical.

But, I do wish we received feeds from FOX, MSNBC, and CNN from a parallel dimension. I wish they were on Cable channels 501-503.  I wish the feed was from a dimension in which John McCain won the election. I wish this feed was from a dimension where he followed through on his campaign promises. I wish it was from the dimension where the Republicans followed through on their insane idea of a 5 year federal government spending freeze. I'd love to see that dimension where Republicans, in the shape the party is in now, had control for another Four years after the Bush Debacle. I'd feel sorry for those other dimensional sons-of-bitches, but I'd love to have a concrete frame of reference.

I think, had we these channels, it would shoot Obama's approval rating into the 80s. Unfortunately, we don't. So preach on Mr. Taranto, we're a captive audience, I guess.

Anyway...

Another Dick for President

So, I have to say, I started this modest blog and I am now proud to say that I have a following at the Wall Street Journal! Well, at least, I'm assuming I do, as what else would explain someone at the WSJ publishing an Editorial that A) so responded to my post, and, b) so PISSED ME OFF.

Anyway, click at your own risk. After writing my last post about what a dick Dick was, this was literally the first thing I read about at Political Animal the next morning. It was a bad start to the morning.. 

For context, see my last post about how DICK Cheney has not kept us safe. However, apparently there is nothing that will dissuade his supporters from wishing he was President. Yes, the man that brought us the most Catastrophic Vice Presidency In History still has people wanting him to be Top, not Penultimate, Banana.

Anyway, James Taranto had a post with the WSJ (which I'm assuming he was paid for... PISSED) about how Dick would make a great president, IF they could convince him to run (Here's Hoping!), because again and fucking always "He Kept Us Safe." Again, this is not true for a number of reasons, but the most prominent is NINE-FUCKING-ELEVEN! How does the Bush Administration NOT get the rap for that?! We fuck around in the Middle East ALL the time! We had a report BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO ATTACK! There are Very Vengeful Assholes over there! Now, I said before, and I stand by it, you can't lay 9-11 Entirely at Bush/Cheney's feet, BUT, and it's a But as big as a Sir-Mix-a-Lot DayDream, you can lay a ShitLoad of it at their feet, and, more importantly, you can lay the resulting odious foreign and domestic policy decisions on them. And still, this dimwit wants Cheney to run. 

Mr. Taranto goes on to say that if there is "HEAVEN FORBID" another attack "Obama will have failed in his most basic of presidential duties." Now, I'm not saying that Mr. Taranto is a douche-bag. I'm sure he's loved by... someone. Mother, something... body, I meant somebody.  Anyway, regardless of his douche-bag status ONLY a Douche-Bag would say that. First, I suspect one of the main reasons we have NOT been attacked again (domestically, discounting that Anthrax kerfuffle) is because provoking a Mid-East Holy War was very much on Bin Laden's wish list of reactions. I love how people say Cheney kept us safe. Do soldiers not count as US? I think plenty of US have been taken out. Secondly, and this really is the main point, by that standard... Didn't Bush FAIL in his BASIC PRESIDENTIAL Fucking DUTIES on NINE-FUCKING-ELEVEN? Jesus. 

Second, the main point of all this douche-baggery is just setting up Obama for the fall. The reason why I don't blame Bush and Cheney entirely for the terror attack is because the world is a big and complex place and it's hard to stop every small group of nuts out there. Sure it could be Bin Laden again. Or it could be some psycho in Kansas with a free weekend and 500 gallons of gasoline burning a hole in his pocket. It is much easier to destroy than create. So, basically, Mr. Taranto is placing preemptive blame on Obama for ANY attack that occurs on his 'watch'. Because, suddenly, terror attacks count as the fault of the Current Administration. Funny how that works. Now, I'm not saying if there is an attack that Obama should not be scrutinized. However, if it is determined that the attack wasn't out of a result of Gross Negligence and Hubris (cough, Bush, cough, CHENEY) then I'm thinking we can give him a pass. Not that the douche-bags ever will.

So, Mr. Taranto, I'm afraid you're a douche-bag until you can say something to prove otherwise. Good luck to you, all my best.  Also, if you didn't read Steve Benen's post about all this (linked above), please do, he's good.

Anyway...