February 27, 2010

High Ground!

Massive earthquake in Chile today with a tsunami now rolling across the pacific.

Stay safe, everybody.

February 26, 2010

February 25, 2010

Or They Could Debate the Issues

I'm having a lengthy e-mail argument with my best conservative friend. It pretty much goes like this:



Only without us being Congressmen...or President.

Showdown or Show

So the much talked about White House health care summit kicks off today, right...about...now.

So today is all about the maneuvering. Republicans have staked their political futures on two goal. 1. Making sure health care fails. 2. Not getting blamed for health care failing. Republicans do not going to support any health care bill. Everyone knows this. But the GOP can't just say no, they have to at least act like they want to do something. Obama wants either 1. Republicans votes for health care or 2. Make clear that the GOP is blocking health care and wants your family dead.

Think of it like one of those dinner theater murder mysteries, with the GOP trying to kill health care and Obama trying to prove they did it.

A six hour murder mystery.

February 24, 2010

Sign Him

This seems to be the week that I pass out advice to whoever needs it, so here is today's recommendation:

Everton needs to break open the piggy bank and sign Landon Donovan to a long term deal.

Donovan been on loan (noted here) and playing great. He was voted the team's player of the month. Everton is 5-1-1 since Donovan arrived. Before that they were...much, much worse than that. Playing against the top flight of world soccer will only make Donovan better for the upcoming World Cup.

There's now a Facebook Page dedicated to this issue, so now you know its serious.

She's Back

You know, I never get tired of using Heather Graham as a metaphor for the Public Option.

Pileup

We hear a lot about how the Senate is holding up big pieces of legislation, like health care. But it turns out that the Senate is holding up a huge list of legislation. There are currently 290 bills that have been past in the House and are still pending in the Senate. Some of these bills are nothing, some are really important to small groups, like the Utah National Guard and some are important to large groups, like everyone who does drug in North American. But the point is, none of it is getting done. The great GOP stall is stalling everything.

February 23, 2010

Dick Cheney Still Has a Heart

See, its right there on the monitor.

That's five total, for those of you keeping track at home.

My Memo to the Academy

Was ready this little "think piece" from Pajiba on the importance of Oscar. I'm convinced. This is important stuff. Movies are our culture, and its important that our culture not suck, least we be judged harshly by cultural historians of the future.

So in the unlikely event that a voting member of the Academy wanders across this post, let me urge you to vote for The Hurt Locker over Avatar for best picture. This is important. Sure Avatar looks great, but The Hurt Locker easily the best picture I saw all year. I don't care what the box office says. The Hurt Locker is a deep, powerfully, well-acted, and brilliantly written movie that stays with you long after the cotton candy of Avatar has faded from your mind.

Just think about, would you voters?

February 22, 2010

My Question for John Yoo

Former White House lawyer and author of the infamous "torture memo" has been pushing a very expansive theory of Presidential Powers. Not only can the President order torture, he can have civilians massacred. He can use nukes even if Congress says no.

My question for John Yoo is this: Given this expansive view of Presidential powers, is it within the President's power to receive a blow job from a women other than his wife, and then lie about that act later? Given his power to torture, massacre and nuke, this certainly falls within his scope, correct?

Fun

Remember Scott Brown, whose election in Massachusetts completely undid the Obama agenda, and was a body blow to liberalism in American? Well, he just voted for the Democratic jobs bill. Which seems to complicate the story just a bit.

Reliable

Nothing warms my heart than stories of conservatives being lame. No matter what, we will always be cooler.

Sense of Drama

I think I've figured this out. Why Obama and the Dems in Congress are taking so long to finish health care reform. Its not about them being stupid or cowardly. Its not about the Republicans in Congress using the filiabuster to make everything grind to a halt. Its not about special interests with unimaginable money and power doing there worse to stop health care reform.

No, its all about keeping this dramatic. A nice long process, a few near-death experiences, its all about making this as dramatic as possible.

Of course, for the story to be complete there has to be a last-minute win. Otherwise we are telling a shaggy dog story that ends with people getting sick.

Pass the damn bill.

February 21, 2010

Your Olympic Moment of Zen

Ah, skeleton, the event for people that think the luge was too safe, so lets try it head first. But they do have the best helmets. Here's the aptly named Jeff Pain, pride of Canada, capturing the spirit of the National animal, the fearsome beaver:

February 20, 2010

Senator Mellencamp Votes Aye

In honor of the growing movement to draft John Mellencamp to run for Evan Bayn's Senate seat, here's Troubled Land:



Stand up and holler or lay down and die.

February 19, 2010

Crash Averse

My enjoyment of Olympic-level crashing has taken a precipitous drop recently. It used to be, some Swedish skier or German luger or French ice skater would face plant, and I would just crack up. Someone’s lifetime of work would go up in a puff of snow and I would have myself a laugh.

But these days I just can’t get into the crashing. I avert my eyes. I cry out in fear. People I shouldn’t care about, like a Finnish snowboarder or some male figure skater dressed like a peacock go down and I’m not having any fun at all. Sure, you’re supposed get upset when American golden girl Lindsey Vonn crashes out of the super combine but even strangers from strange countries crashing are making me feel bad.

Part of this is clearly the death of Georgian luger. Nothing like death to take all the fun out of crashing. But I’m also hoping this is sign I’m becoming a better person. Personal growth from the comfort of your couch!

Rules

Just to be clear, a brown guy flies a plan into a building, terrorism.

A white guy flies into a building, not terrorism.

February 18, 2010

Stomp the [expletive] Out of that Thing

Congratulations to Shawn White for once again defying gravity and any sense of self-preservation to bring home another snowboarding half-pipe gold metal.

And congratulations to his coach Bud Keene for getting some choice language out on NBC's air. Of course, this means NBC will give us even more tape-delay nonsense, but good on you coach.

Welcome to the West Wing Your Lamaship

The Dalai Lama is visiting the White House today, which alway pisses the Chinese off, so fun day!

February 17, 2010

Lost Wednesdays

What with Lost coming to an end this season, I'll be doing a bit post Lost-related stuff. Not sure if I really want to do a full recap, but I do wish to say I dig Sawyer and Not-Lock. Why do devils always argue for free will? Not-Lock has the same basic argument that Al Pacino's Satan does in The Devil's Advocate: that God/Jacob is pulling our strings and only Satan/Smoky will let us act for ourselves. This line of argument always troubles me, because I'm very big on free will and am afraid I might me taken in by line of reasoning, should I ever encounter a well spoken supernatural evil.

Has anyone worked out this philosophical problem? Free will and Good and Evil? Maybe a book or long pamphlet?

For your additional link of fun, here's a video clip of all the beating Ben had taken during the series. Truth is, he deserves them all.

CPAC

Ah CPAC. Right-wing central. Now in the tea party era, so even more crazy.

February 16, 2010

Everytime

There are certain certainties in American Political rhetoric. No one attacks Mom. No one says they will raise taxes. And everything Democrats do on matters of national defense is called "weak" by Republicans. I'm just wondering how they will end up calling this weak. Not that I doubt that they will, I'm just wondering how.

No Country for Wets

Evan Bayh is taking his ball and going home. Bayh is the style of moderate who's time has past. Painfully, desperately moderate, the sort to always try and find the exact 51% position between the 0 of conservatism and the 100 of liberalism. In a Senate where members still crossed party lines and deals could be stuck across the spectrum, Evan Bayh was the smartest, most important, best looking guy in the room. His was the key vote, the key meeting, the tipping point. If he supported something, that made it the moderate choice, and all kinds of people can support the moderate choice. But in today's Senate, where no member of the GOP will vote yes for anything, Evan Bayh is useless. He can't get any Republican votes, no matter how hard he "moderates," so his watering down good legislation never pays off. Every time he wanders off the reservation, good bills die by filibuster. In today's partisan world, the only way for Evan Bayh to get anything done would be to shut up, be a good soldier, and become just a liberal as the rest of his democratic colleges. But Bayh has spent his whole career looking at the liberals and moving to their right. He's just not wired for the way the system works now.

February 15, 2010

Nice

The uniforms for the US Olympic snowboarding? Plaid shirt and jeans. Or rather hi-tech gortex made up to look like classic slacker-wear.

February 12, 2010

Openings

The winter Olympics kick off today. Looks like Vancouver will be getting a some snow for the event, so I guess the world doesn't end this year. Basically, the winter games has everything that I love about the Summer Games, only less. Less Countries. Less athletes. Less events and less events I care about. Still, we got speed skaters with their giant legs, this year sponsored by Steven Cobert. The red-head snowboard superhero. Curling! Aerials! Hockey. Canadians!

Fun times.

February 11, 2010

Nice

So along with whole gunning civilians down in the streets problem, everyone's favorite mercenary army Blackwater now stands accused of billing the US taxpayer for the services of a prostitute. They wrote it up as "Morale Welfare Recreation."

Presidential Poker

Today's interesting little story: Presidential Poker. Turns out the current occupant of the White House is a pretty good player. Historically, both Eisenhower and Nixon were very good players. Turns out that Nixon even funded his first run for Congress with the money he won playing in WWII. As always, skill are value neutral. Its all in how you use them.

Required West Wing clip:

February 10, 2010

February 9, 2010

Your Morning Cute

Today, a tale of fat hedgehogs. It seems the little fellow spent too long at an SPCA shelter, which I imagine is a very soft life. Now they are too fat to properly roll up into spiky balls, and have to go on a special diet.

Googling Better Streets

Via EK, another Google ad, which I like even better than the cute Paris romance one that ran during the Super Bowl:



Of course once they get into office, they will have to Google "city government budgets" and "dedicated revenue streams for road maintenance" which is less fun than angry letters to the editor.

Google made a whole bunch of these videos. Check them out. But I have to wonder. Does Google really need to advertise?

Remember the Titan

John Murtha has died. At a time when no would speak up about the war in Iraq, he did.

February 8, 2010

February 7, 2010

Fat Sunday

Well the Saints are champs and justice is served for NOLA. I'll have a bourbon to celebrate. I though Peyton was going to cry after that pick. I wouldn't have blamed him.

You know what I love about Bud Light commercials? They create this elaborate alternative universe where Bud Light is a magic substance so tasty that nothing will stop people from having it. In this, the really real world, I wouldn't cross the street for a chance to drink Bud Light. Do you know anyone who would?

UPDATE: A live cam from Bourbon Street. Woo. Party.

Also:

Bet It Out

Get your Superbowl prop bets right here. How Many Times will CBS show Kim Kardashian on TV during the Game? (Over/under is 2 1/2) What color will be the gatorade bath be? (Yellow pays 2/1) How long will it take Carrie Underwood to sing the National Anthem? (Over/under is 1 min, 42 sec.)

February 6, 2010

Scenes I Love: The Judge's Game

The movie Rounders came out winter of 1998. I saw it when I was home from college. When I got back to school, everyone else had seen it, and the first thing we did was start up our own home game. It really is amazing what this movie does. It makes you want to play.

February 5, 2010

Side By Side (Lost Spoilers!)

I know some who think its too much, but love the new parallel worlds set-up on the final season of Lost. Lost is here to frak with your brain, and frak with it they will. Here's a side by side cut of the two worlds: With the crash and without:

February 4, 2010

New Rule

I'm proposing a new rule: Unless you advocate cutting some spending that you like, you don't get to complain about the budget deficit.

The world is filled with Congress-critters who go on and on and on about spending, but the moment the budget ax come anywhere close to them, they scream bloody murder. I'm sick of it.

When Mitch McConnell, (R-Coal Country) calls for ending coal mining tax breaks or Ben Nelson (D-Land of Corn) wants cuts in farm subsidies, then they can lecture the rest of on spending. Till then, shut up.

Sheep!

An early contenter for the worse ad of 2010:

February 3, 2010

Torture: Not Needed

Cooperation.

The “underwear bomber” has resumed cooperating with FBI counterterrorism agents and has provided “useful, current” intelligence, a law enforcement source told POLITICO on Tuesday.

February 2, 2010

John McCain is A Sore Loser

McCain has changed his stance on ending don't ask, don't tell:

A former war hero, McCain said he would support ending the ban once the military's top brass told him they were okay with it.

"The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to," McCain told an audience of college students during the "Hardball" college tour on MSNBC.


Well guess what? That day has come. Defense Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs both declared in hearings that DADT should end. But McCain still doesn't want to change DADT. And was a real jerk about it today. So what changed? Did gay people become less able to shoot people in the last year? He didn't get it from home, cause his foxy daughter is all for gay rights (I follow her twitter). So what changed? Well, John McCain lost an election last year. He's really pissed about it. We been over this before. You want McCain to support something? Whatever you do, don't kick his ass in an election.

For Some, War is Still the Answer

I find it amazing at this late date in history, Daniel Pipes is still out there banging the drum for war with Iran. As if the last ten years never happened, as if we still aren't dealing with the last two wars, and not well. Keep in mind, if the GOP ever gets back into power Mr. Pipes goes from "crank" to "trusted policy guy." We are always just one election away from disaster.

February 1, 2010

Oh Man

I always thought of the Mars Spirit Rover as the little robot that could, but XKCD's take on it almost made me cry:



You are home, little guy.

You are home.

Why Not Defense?

We spend staggering, mind-blowing, gob-smacking amounts of money on defense. $768.2 billion in the new budget. Everybody knows this. We spend more money than the rest of the world combined, including allies like France and Great Britain. The defense budgets of counties that might be considered enemies, like North Korea and Iran, are rounding errors to the Pentagon. We continue, at this late date, to maintain huge military presences in both Germany and Japan, despite WWII being over for a while now and both countries being under threat from no one. If someone was really serious about cutting the Federal Budget, you would have to cut defense. The point is so obvious that even GOP member of the House are forced to concede the point.