November 30, 2007

Epic Godly Violence

The 9 Most Badass Bible Verses

Trouble, they Name is Sex. Or Money.

Rudy Giuliani is facing crippling trouble. Turns out that when he was bonking his current-mistress and future-lucky-wife-#3 out in the Hamptons he was charging the City the cost. And doing so in a rather tricky way, paying for cops with money from other, obscure city departments. In fact, it seems that the NYPD was shuttling the mistress around like a taxi service. Putting your girlfriend on the public dole is pretty much the classic political sex sandal.

And this scandal cuts so deep because it breaks down the compartments of the Rudy! machine. So far he's been able to keep the bad (epic disaster of a personal life) away from the good (His term as Mayor of New York and all it includes, the drop in crime, 9/11, etc.) But here we see Rudy's personal life corrupting his term as Mayor. That cuts out the very heart of his campaign. Without the idealized term as Mayor to recommend him, Rudy is just a borderline personality whose politics don't match his party.

November 29, 2007

Fight, Fight

The Republicans have stopped being nice last night, both to each other and the evil Mexican hordes. I know some of the questions are dumb, but I still think the YouTube debates have been the most interesting on both sides. Come to think of it, these have been the only debates I've really watched

No heart for Huckabee. This guy is trouble. He's very good at this stuff, funny, friendly and nice. His is also way out there on social issues. This guy is sell bad stuff and he sells very well. Go read Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone for a good summation of the Huckabee problem.

November 28, 2007

America Today

Ok so His Dark Materials is a trilogy of novels, the first of which has been made into a movie, coming soon the theaters. These books are notable for a few things including Armored Polar Bear Warriors (Coolest. Thing. Ever.) and be very anti-religious. An evil church is the big bad they fight in the first book. In later books the big bad is God himself.

Naturally this source material leads to two things. One, the anti-religious themes of the book will be toned down in the movie so as not to offend. And two, people who's job in life is to be offended will be offended. Which pretty much much sums up America today.

The Catholic League and its president Bill Donohue will be offend no matter what. Its their whole purpose in life. So why not just be faithful to the material?

But still, Armored Polar Bears. I'm so in.

November 27, 2007

Peace in Our Time

Peace conference today. I'll be glade if the Bush administration managers to get though the day without setting the table on fire. They may be bad at war, but peace they take pleasure in screwing up. Seriously though, all three parties - Olmert, Abbas and Bush are politically crippled. I don't see how they come to an agreement that they can enforce. Better Presidents than this one have tried and failed. I'm not hopeful.

November 26, 2007

Not so Fast

Hold it there cowboy:

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday signed a deal setting the foundation for a potential long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq, with details to be negotiated over matters that have defined the war debate at home — how many U.S. forces will stay in the country, and for how long.

This is Bush trying to lock the United States into a permanent commitment in Iraq. Think of it as a way of hamstringing common sense before it can set up shop in 2009. Only problem is treaties have to be ratified by the Senate. And there is no way on God's green earth the Senate will sign on to a permanent presence in Iraq. Bush's strategy has been to stay in Iraq despite the clear desire of the American People to leave. Now, as Commander-in-Chief he can order the military to stay. But his has no power to put that commitment into law. The desire to stay in Iraq will end with his Presidency. Assuming, of course, that we keep this maniac out of the Oval Office.

Ha Ha

Al Gore to be honored at the White House today along with other American recipients of Nobel Prizes.

November 24, 2007

Fear Not

TPM has an amazing stat for you. Of New York City's roughy 500 (or less) murders this year, only 35 were committed by strangers. Think about that. Think how we are taught to fear strangers. From infancy we are taught that its people we don't know are the danger, when it turns out that its the people we know that could kill us. Think of all your friends, family and coworkers. If you don't know anyone on that list who wants to kill you, turns out that you are pretty damn safe.

Whole political movements are based around this fear. Here's LG&M knocking down a effort to turn pranks and false alarms into a global terror threat.

Terrorist are not going to kill you. Random strangers are not going to kill you. Just be nice to people you know and you will be safe.

November 21, 2007

Gunning for an Argument

The Supreme Court is going to hear arguments over a second amendment challenge to the DC City gun ban. Interestingly enough, its been over 70 since any second amendment case has gotten this far. Despite the long running debate on what rights, exactly, the second amendment is giving, SCOTUS has never ruled on the matter.
Which is really strange considering how many fights break out over "right to bear arms." Is it an indivigual right or just a right connected to military service? Count me in the latter camp, but at least this argument is going to get a hearing.

November 20, 2007

Racing

Just going to throw out some horserace numbers for you. Obama is ahead of Hillary for the first time in Iowa. Mitt is surging ahead of Rudy in New Hampshire.

The weird little States that have way too much influence in this process are doing exactly what I want them to do. I'm so conflicted.

November 19, 2007

Moment of Zen

Mike Huckabee has been endorced by Chuck Norris. The rest of them can just give up now.

November 18, 2007

Ouch

cash advance

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I really have to step things up around here. More big words.

November 17, 2007

November 16, 2007

Great

Sure, why not give Victor Davis Hanson the National Humanities Medal. Its a fitting for our times. The Bush Administration: Where no act of stupidity goes unrewarded.

Cover-Up

As always, its not the crime, its the cover-up. Barry Bonds has been indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. He is accused of lying to a grand jury about taking steroids.

Well damn. Its not just about should the record count anymore. The man is looking at serious jail time now.

November 14, 2007

Everything!

Here's a something scandalous that I'm pretty sure touches every single aspect of the United States I don't like. Judith Regan, former publisher for News Corporation, the evil empire of Rupert Murdoch (Ding!) and home of Fox News Channel, (Ding!) was fired in the wake of the OJ Simpson (Ding!)"If I did it" book scandal. She had an affair with Bernard Kerik, the mobbed-up former police commish for Rudy Giuliani (Ding!)Kerik, who came this close to being in charge of the department of Homeland Security (Ding), is now under indictment for a bunch of corruption-related activities. Judith Regan is now saying in a 100-million dollar lawsuit that a senior executive with NewsCorp encouraged her to lie to federal investigators about her past affair with Kerik in order to to protect the Presidential run of Giuliani. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!)

So if I figure this right, this whole affair has the potential to damage FoxNews, Rupert Murdoch, the Wall Street Journal, The White House, Rudy! and OJ Simpson.

Excellent.

November 13, 2007

Torn

In following the Presidential race, I've got two competing and contradictory rooting interests. I'm rooting for my preferred candidates in both parties and I am rooting against our current messed-up primary system. A few small, unrepresentative states have way too much influence, just because they vote early. But it turns out that these two interests are opposed to each other. Let me explain.

I'm still pulling for Obama. It may be that I just like the idea of Obama more than the actual man, but anyway, that's who I'm going for. Obama trails in almost all polls right now, but is very close in the first contest of Iowa. His best chance at this point is to beat Hillary in Iowa and then use the momentum from that win to overcome her national poll lead. I hate the fact that Iowa has so much influence in the current primary system. But that influence is my preferred candidate's best chance.

Likewise, the situation over in the Republican side has me all conflicted as well. Rudy Giuliani is pursuing a very unusual strategy. He is winning in national polls but losing to Mitt Romney in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. His plan is to just eat the early loses and go for the big wins in February, California and New York and so on. Now I would love for someone to win a nomination despite losing these freaky little early states. It would really undermine their influence in the future. But I don't want Giuliani to be the one to do that. The man is the best chance the GOP has in the general election. An he's a threat to the Republic.

So what is going happen? What do I want to happen? I'm so torn.

November 12, 2007

Freedom

Worth fighting for.

Of course fighting for not-fighting doesn't seem to be allowed.

November 10, 2007

Animation

Mark Ronson - Oh My God featuring a cartoon Lilly Allen.

November 9, 2007

Women in trouble.

Today in democracy promotion:

Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is preparing for talks with with the junta, but remains under house arrest.

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has just been placed under house arrest.

American opposition leader Hillary Clinton remains free, but is besieged by pettiness. But still, you have to say that she's getting a better deal than her fellows.

November 8, 2007

November 7, 2007

Maddess

Political news of the day: Pat Robertson Endorses Giuliani

I just don't get it. The whole point of Pat Robertson is to take away the right of abortion. That's the reason why he's in politics. The man started frakking social conservatism as we know it today: Anti- Gay, Choice, and Feminist.

So why on earth would he endorse the one Pro-Choice and Pro-Gay rights candidate in the Republican field? It makes no sense at all.

November 6, 2007

Department of Pots and Kettles

White House lectures Musharraf on the issue of not ending Constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism.

November 5, 2007

Striked

Writers are striking. No more Daily Show. Soaps are gone in about a week. Primetime shows last till the new year. Movies will take a while.

Pakistan Problems

Pakistan has always been neck and neck with Saudi Arabia to be the most problematic "friend" the US has. Well its making a strong case for number one as President/General Pervez Musharraf is cracking down in a big way, suspended the constitution, arresting dissidents and doing everything he can to keep the US government from pretending that he only sort of a dictator. Pakistan is of course, key in the whole fight against Al Qeada thing. Oh yeah, they have the nukes.

Here comes trouble.

November 3, 2007

Noted

Note how Timbaland adds some strange "catchness" voodoo so that the song stays in your head longer.

OneRepublic feat. Timbaland - Apologize

November 1, 2007

More Fake Fears

As has been discussed previously on this blog, there has never been a real case of a kid being poisoned by Halloween candy. Now we add a new fake fear to Halloween: Sex predators are coming for your children! Snatching them up as go about trick-or-treating! Of course, there are no actual cases of children ever being attacked on Halloween, but sense when has that ever stopped the fear mongering.