Pulling to the Left

Psychology Today: Why Atheism Will Replace Religion

2012-01-30T22:34:00.001-08:00

Atheism is on the rise in the developed world, and is growing faster than religion.

First, as to the distribution of atheism in the world, a clear pattern can be discerned. In sub-Saharan Africa there is almost no atheism (Zuckerman, 2007). Belief in God declines in more developed countries and is concentrated in Europe in countries such as Sweden (64% nonbelievers), Denmark (48%), France (44%) and Germany (42%). In contrast, the incidence of atheism in most sub-Saharan countries is below 1%.
The question of why economically developed countries turn to atheism has been batted around by anthropologists for about eighty years. Anthropologist James Fraser proposed that scientific prediction and control of nature supplants religion as a means of controlling uncertainty in our lives. This hunch is supported by data showing that the more educated countries have higher levels of non belief and there are strong correlations between atheism and intelligence (see my earlier post on this).
Atheists are more likely to be college-educated people who live in cities and they are highly concentrated in the social democracies of Europe. Atheism thus blossoms amid affluence where most people feel economically secure. But why?
It seems that people turn to religion as a salve for the difficulties and uncertainties of their lives. In social democracies, there is less fear and uncertainty about the future because social welfare programs provide a safety net and better health care means that fewer people can expect to die young. People who are less vulnerable to the hostile forces of nature feel more in control of their lives and less in need of religion.

No political opposition allowed

2012-01-29T09:49:00.001-08:00

Allen West, whose former chief of staff said, "If ballots don't work, bullets will," and himself said that his followers should make his political opponent "scared to come out of his house," now says that anyone who disagrees with him shouldn't stay in America.

West believes that anyone who disagrees with him should either leave the country, threatened, or shot.

This is what freedom means to right wingers like Allen West: NO political opposition allowed.

The sad thing is that kicking liberal opponents out of the country is actually a “softening” of his rhetoric.

“We need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and my dear friend the chairman of the Democrat National Committee (Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz), we need to let them know that Florida ain’t on the table,” he said. “Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.”

USA! USA!

2012-01-29T00:45:00.001-08:00

So. The USA is a country that arrests reporters for covering protests. If you don’t feel a sense of horror at that, there’s something wrong with you.

Obama sign

2012-01-28T21:33:00.001-08:00

Jobs

2012-01-27T20:31:00.001-08:00

Conservatism is stupid

2012-01-27T18:58:00.001-08:00

Stupid people gravitate to conservative ideologies, according to a new scientific study. Well, duh. Anyone who’s been watching the Republican primaries, the teabaggers, and the audiences they draw, should have already figured that out.

The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.

Polling data and social and political science research do show that prejudice is more common in those who hold right-wing ideals that those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience. [7 Thoughts That Are Bad For You]

Jan Brewer's story is falling apart

2012-01-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

Jan Brewer has a big problem. She was seen berating the President, jabbing her finger in his face and yelling at him. But she claims the only reason she did that was because Obama was "threatening" to her. Yeah, look at the photo: Obama really looks "threatening." What it REALLY looks like is a photo from another era -- a Plantation owner's wife berating an errant slave.

She's been trying to cover her ass by claiming that Obama was "tense" and prickly with her. The only problem is that her story is NOT holding up, as other eyewitnesses to the encounter weigh in with their version.

Out of the three officials who met President Obama on an airport tarmac near Phoenix earlier this week, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) is now the only one who has characterized the president as anything other than cordial.
In numerous TV and radio interviews since the meeting, Brewer has said the president was “tense to say the least” and took issue with a book she wrote last year. She said Obama walked away from her while she was in mid-sentence and even told one Phoenix television station she felt “a little bit threatened” by the encounter.
But Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who was standing just feet away from the president and the governor on Wednesday during their now-infamous encounter, told TPM that Obama seemed calm the whole time.
“He wasn’t tense at all,” Stanton said on Friday. “The guy’s a pro.”

That backs up the story from another eyewitness.

Uh oh, Newt

2012-01-26T15:44:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich attacked Ronald Reagan on the House Floor. And it's, like, on the record and stuff.

It would be easier for Newt to recover from a tape of him saying, "Fuck Jesus Christ, that pussy!" than this.

Stop doing stuff

2012-01-25T11:20:00.001-08:00

Your food contains human fetuses!

2012-01-24T22:04:00.001-08:00

Teabaggers, religious nuts and hardcore right wingers... Sometimes they reach levels of insanity that make you just have to laugh.

One idiot is convinced evil hordes of liberals and feminists are putting aborted fetuses into our food supply. And he wants it STOPPED!

(Or, most likely, he's proposing a bill as a back-door method of banning stem cell research.)

An Oklahoma lawmaker is convinced that some food coming into his state contains portions of human fetuses.
According to the KGMG talk radio, state Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) has filed a bill that bans foods or products using aborted human fetuses.
“There is a potential that there are companies that are using aborted human babies in their research and development of basically enhancing flavor for artificial flavors,” he said.
Shortey said the decision to file was based on his own research. However, he didn’t provide any examples of food companies engaging in the practice.

Newt demands applause

2012-01-24T21:52:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich is threatening to boycott any further debates unless audiences are allowed to applaud and cheer how awesome he is.

CTREBO

2012-01-24T21:43:00.001-08:00

Credit: Cognitive Dissonance from Cognitive Dissonance's Tumblr.

The greatest American president

2012-01-24T21:28:00.001-08:00

In any other era Obama would be the most successful president in history. He's latched onto truly bipartisan ideas and common sense issues that appeal to the vast swath of the great American majority, of both Democratic and Republican persuasions.

But because of the poisonous political culture created by the right, especially since the end of the Fairness Doctrine in broadcasting, the Republicans would rather destroy the country than even agree with their own proposals Obama's adopted.

Only in Georgia

2012-01-24T08:30:00.001-08:00

A judge in Georgia has ordered President Obama to appear in court this week in a lawsuit challenging whether he is a natural-born US citizen qualified to be president.

Fine. I want Mitt Romney to appear in court to prove he is not a robot. I want Newt Gingrich to appear in court to prove he didn't get a blowjob in a parked car from one of Sarah Palin's daughters. After all, I have as much evidence backing those claims as the birthers do that Obama is not a citizen.

Comparing Obama’s and Romney’s taxes

2012-01-24T08:25:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney earned 12 times as much as the President, but only paid nearly half the tax rate.

I endorse Newt Gingrich

2012-01-24T07:56:00.001-08:00

I hereby formally and officially endorse Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination. And here's why I'm so excited to endorse him:

As he prepares for his third State of the Union address--and, he hopes, not his last--Barack Obama's likelihood of reelection has soared in the last few days to 56.8 percent, the highest it has been since last July. This movement is correlates with Newt Gingrich's increased likelihood of gaining the Republican nomination, now at 29.7 percent, up from about 5 percent. But, this upward trend is also correlates with a simultaneous downward movement of Mitt Romney's likelihood of winning the presidency if he wins the nomination, now at 44.0, down from about 48 percent. We utilize prediction market data for these likelihoods.

Likelihoods from 2012 Presidential Election
Sources: Betfair and Intrade

Romney paid the Mormon Church 15%

2012-01-23T23:54:00.001-08:00

Democratic staffer's family cat mutilated

2012-01-23T14:15:00.001-08:00

A Democratic campaign staffer came home with his family one night and found the family cat on the porch. It had been murdered, its head bashed in, and the word "LIBERAL" written on its body.

(WARNING: GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING PHOTO AT THE LINK. BE PREPARED.)

If this is a true story, I do not wish to say publicly what I think should be done to the person or persons who did this, as I would probably get arrested.

I need a very long vacation from humanity now.

Why they love Newt

2012-01-23T07:52:00.001-08:00

Why do the hardcore right wingers and teabaggers love Newt? Because he ratchets up the violent rhetoric and appeals to the sex dream fantasies they have of killing or lynching Obama and his family.

Fox News knows this too, that's why they use the violent imagery they do. They know the faithful get massive erections from it.

Giffords to resign from Congress

2012-01-22T11:18:00.001-08:00

Sad news. Gabrielle Giffords, nearly murdered by an assassin's bullets, has posted a video announcing she'll resign from Congress this week.

Armed teabaggers everywhere are smiling smugly today, feeling vindicated that calling for violence against liberal politicians "works."

Teach a man to fish…

2012-01-22T07:58:00.001-08:00

"Give a man a fish" vs. "Teach a man to fish."

What, I'm just supposed to teach a man for free? Hell no! If I teach a man to fish, I want him to pay me all his fishes for the rest of his life! Goddamn socialist!

“Dictatorial religious bigots”

2012-01-22T07:49:00.001-08:00

Newt blasted "dictatorial religious bigots" during his speech. Apparently, that's anyone who doesn't believe in the threesome-loving, car blowjob getting, serial adulterer Jesus he believes in.

The emerging new meme from the right is that the poor, powerless religious "minority" is being "persecuted" by liberals and President Obama. Yeah, that poor 80% majority of people in this country, thank the gods Newt's going to protect them. Newt is going to stand up (provided he's not getting a blowjob in his car at the time) against religious bigotry.

By, you know, stopping Muslims from building a mosque.

Mitt-bot to release one tax return

2012-01-22T07:33:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney says he'll release only one tax return, 2010, on Tuesday, along with his estimated taxes for 2011. Will he change his mind on releasing returns a fourth time before then?

"I was planning on releasing them in April when they have been released by other candidates in the past," Romney said to the show's host Chris Wallace. "But given all the attention that has been focused on tax returns, given the distraction that I think they became in these last couple weeks -- Look, I'm going to make it very clear to you right now, Chris. I will release my tax returns for 2010, which is the last returns that were completed. I will do that on Tuesday this week."
"I will also, release at the same time, an estimate for 2011 tax returns," Romney added. "So you will have two years, people will have a good look at it. We will put it on the website. And you can go through the pages. I think we just made a mistake in holding off as long as we did. It was a distraction. We want to get back to the real issues in the campaign."

For historical comparison, here are the released tax returns for a few presidents.

What Newt’s victory means

2012-01-21T17:37:00.001-08:00

Right wingers can never, ever preach “family values” again.

Mitt-bot speaks

2012-01-21T17:14:00.001-08:00

Watching Mitt-bot speak after losing South Carolina to Newt Gingrich.

Lots of evil laughter. He loves that.

Mitt keeps talking about decline, but every indicator shows improvement. Are Republicans blind, or just blinded by hate of Obama?

GOP: "Fuck Obama for trying to make sure more poor people can have access to health care! THIS MUST BE STOPPED!"

That's right, Mitt. President Obama does not have the experience in firing people and destroying companies like you have. You've certainly got him beat in that department.

OH GOD YES! LET'S COMPARE OBAMA'S RECORD OF JOB CREATION NEXT TO ROMNEY'S! ANY DAY!

Mike Huckabee falls for a very old April Fool’s joke

2012-01-21T13:14:00.001-08:00

Good lord, could right wingers get any more stupid than they are? Mike Huckabee is still out there promoting, with a straight face, something from a very old APRIL FOOL'S JOKE!

Obama Derangement Syndrome makes you stupid, Mike.

Huckabee appeared on The O’Reilly Factor Friday evening to discuss the growing story of Mitt Romney unveiling his tax returns, saying the GOP candidate should do that based solely on one condition.
“Let him make this challenge,” he said. “I’ll release my tax returns when Barack Obama releases his college transcripts and the copy of his admission records to show whether he got any loans as a foreign student.”
Huckabee’s bizarre view of Obama stemmed from a 2009 email, based on an Associated Press April Fools joke, claiming Obama received a scholarship for foreign students while he attended Occidental College.

Question for Newt

2012-01-20T17:37:00.001-08:00

Has anyone asked Newt Gingrich yet if his current marriage (his third) is an open one?

Cop beats dementia victim

2012-01-20T16:04:00.001-08:00

Technicians in Florida have recovered dashcam video of a white Melbourne police officer beating a black 66-year-old man who suffers from dementia. The officer had apparently tried to disable or damage the recording.

An attorney for beating victim Albert Flowers told Florida Today that his client was prepared to sue the city of Melbourne.
“He should be fired,” attorney Paul Bross said of Officer Derek Middendorf. “Anyone who’s being pulled over by this officer should be terrified.”
“It’s clear (Officer Middendorf) tried to destroy all the video in this case. He thought he had turned off the camera, and that’s why he acted the way he did.”
The video clearly shows Flowers calmly walking towards the police cruiser before Middendorf suddenly delivers a kick to his midsection. Before Flowers is able to get up, the white cop drops to his knees and pounds his fists into the African-American man’s face.

Obama sings

2012-01-19T22:38:00.001-08:00

President Obama sings some Al Green at the Apollo Thursday night. Watching the current crop of Republican candidates, he’s got reason to sing.

Mitt-bot angered by peasant

2012-01-19T16:45:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney does NOT like to be questioned by the peasants. A questioner triggered Mitt's anger program, which provided a pretty good approximation of a human emotion.

Romney was signing autographs outside his campaign headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina when a man asked, “What will you do to support the 99 percent, seeing as how you are part of the 1 percent?”

Romney quickly turned and pointed his finger towards the man’s face. “Let me tell you something,” the candidate said angrily. “America is a great nation because we’re a united nation. And those who try to divide the nation, as you are trying to do here and as our president is doing, are hurting this country seriously.”

MSNBC host Martin Bashir suggested that the exchange could be a sign of things to come for the former Massachusetts governor.

“Is it possible that a candidate worth close to a quarter of a billion dollars, who refuses to release his tax returns and who reportedly has millions stashed away in the Cayman Islands, is having trouble connecting with the common man?” Bashir wondered.

President to speak at Disney World

2012-01-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

Other presidents have spoken at Disney World. But when Obama does it, OMIGOD OMIGOD IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!! GAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

GOP doesn’t care about jobs

2012-01-18T08:17:00.001-08:00

Republican candidates and congressmen don't care about jobs. They don't even care enough to PRETEND to care.

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 250 of the nation's mayors will be in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss some of America's most pressing issues, including jobs and the economy. These men and women are on the front lines of figuring out how to encourage job creation with limited resources.
"Mayors have an interesting outlook because one thing that is true is that at our level of government, you cannot kick the problem down road," said Scott Smith, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., and second vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represents cities with populations exceeding 30,000. "Mayors have to act, we have to deliver services and we have to do it within a budget."
Yet at the 80th Winter Meeting of the Conference of Mayors this week, none of the Republican presidential candidates -- all of whom are going around the country and talking about how they would create jobs -- will be there to share ideas and listen to the mayors' advice. Neither, for that matter, will the House GOP leadership be in attendance.

Christie calls on Romney to release his tax returns immediately

2012-01-18T07:51:00.001-08:00

Release the ~~Kraken!~~ tax returns!

Chris Christie, who recently endorsed Romney and defended him with a misogynistic slapdown of a female voter who dared to ask a question, is now calling on him to release his tax returns now.

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Chris Christie is urging political ally Mitt Romney to immediately release his tax returns rather than waiting until April.
The New Jersey governor told NBC's "Today" show Romney should "put them out sooner than later because it's always better to have full disclosure."
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Christie expanded on the tax returns issue. "I've released all of my tax returns, and I did it during the campaign," he said. "I think that's the right way to go and that's what I'd tell Gov. Romney to do. He says going to release them in April--I'd hope he does."

Of course, Mitt is now saying he's only going to release his CURRENT tax return, the one his huge legal & accounting staff his working on now – presumably giving them time to "pretty it up" before release. He's steadfastly refusing to release any of his earlier returns.

ACT NOW TO STOP INTERNET CENSORSHIP

2012-01-18T07:26:00.001-08:00

Email your Representative and Senators.

Tell them you don’t support SOPA/PIPA or the politicians who do.

Jon Stewart illustrates the Republican lie about “regulations”

2012-01-17T07:57:00.001-08:00

Watch this. You'll learn more about business, taxes and regulations in 5 minutes of comedy than you will from hours of politicians yapping.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

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Mitt Romney is a serial killer

2012-01-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

Stephen Colbert illustrates by example why the Citizens United ruling is bad for our electoral process. In this Super PAC-funded commercial, he calls Mitt Romney a serial killer. (Actually, he makes a good rhetorical point: If Mitt really believes corporations are people, and Mitt has engaged in destroying corporations to make himself rich, then yes, he is a serial killer.)

The Colbert Report
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Get ready for more Obama Derangement Syndrome

2012-01-13T09:07:00.001-08:00

President Obama has revealed proposals to sharply reduce the size of the federal government.

Watch the Republicans suddenly pledge their lives to oppose them.

When Romney Came To Town

2012-01-12T08:01:00.001-08:00

A devastating expose on how Mitt Romney got rich has been released on the web, produced by a former Romney campaign strategist.

Just how sick is Rush Limbaugh and right wing media with Obama Derangement Syndrome?

2012-01-11T18:34:00.001-08:00

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Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Malice in Blunderland

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Who’s the job creator?

2012-01-10T21:38:00.001-08:00

It is claimed that Mitt Romney's Bain Capital (a company-destroying, job-killing company) created 10,000 jobs.

But President Obama's bailout of the auto industry (which Republicans say they oppose, and Mitt Romney said we should have let the auto industry go belly up) has created 170,000 jobs since 2009.

You say you're for job creation? There's only one candidate for you, then. And it ain't Richie Rich Romney.

Allen West talks sedition, again.

2012-01-09T18:17:00.001-08:00

Allen West, teabagger, is once again talking sedition. He says our military should be “very careful about blindly following a commander in chief…” In other words, he’s suggesting that our soldiers not follow the orders of our president.

Why do teabaggers love talking sedition and insurrection? Why do they hate America so much? I just don’t get it, and I don’t get why they’re not being called on it.

Last week, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said that President Obama didn’t consult with the military when formulating the new global strategy he announced last week. “I have heard some rumination” that Obama ignored military leaders, West said (of course this is not true).
The next day, talking with right-wing radio host Mark Levin, West went a bit further, saying that military commanders should consider whether or not they follow the president’s orders:
LEVIN: Seems to me if I’m one of the highest ranking generals or admiral in the Navy, and this was being done to my force structure – that is, to my men and women in uniform, I might think about stepping out. You know what I mean? Moving on to another career.
WEST: I absolutely understand what you’re saying. And you know I’ve had a lot of people ask me about that because the responsibility of our senior generals has to be to the men and women in uniform. They have to be very careful about blindly following a commander in chief that really does not have the best intent for our military. And I think that when you understand that President Obama said he was going to fundamentally transform the United States of America, you’re seeing him destroy our economy, and now you’re seeing him destroy our military capability.

Mitt will say anything

2012-01-08T22:41:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney will say anything to get elected. He'll even flip flop in the space of a few seconds. First, he denies seeing the Super PAC attack ads on Newt Gingrich. Then, seconds later, he describes them in detail, point by point, these ads he says he's never seen. And all in the space of 14 seconds.

No one says anything.

Pat Buchanan out at MSNBC?

2012-01-08T09:15:00.001-08:00

I wondered just how many lines Pat Buchanan had to cross with his blatant racism before MSNBC realized he needed to go. It appears that he has crossed that final line.

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan has been suspended indefinitely from MSNBC, according to a statement from that network’s President Phil Griffin. An Associated Press article on CBSNews.com blames reaction to Buchanan’s latest book Suicide of a Superpower for his ouster from the cable network, as well as a campaign by the advocacy group, Color of Change.
The former Nixon aide has long courted controversy. In April of this year he said that President Obama’s path to the White House was the result of “Affirmative Action all the way.” In 2009, he asserted that the U.S. “has been a country built, basically, by white folks.”
MSNBC’s Griffin apparently believes, however, that Buchanan’s newest work has crossed a line. Suicide of a Superpower came out in October and features chapters with titles like “The End of White America” and “The Death of Christian America.”
The AP quotes Griffin as saying, “Because of the content of the book, I didn’t think it should be part of the national dialogue, much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC.”

Sunday morning debate

2012-01-08T09:07:00.001-08:00

Irony meters all over America just exploded when Rick Santorum criticized Iran for being a theocracy.

And Mitt Romney just bemoaned the fact that under Obama labor relations boards actually include people who represent the needs of laborers. I guess he wants the only people to have any say at all be corporate CEOs.

And seen on Twitter this morning: "Taking a cue from the Cylons, the GOP will have a debate every 33 minutes until we all die."

Santorum: Obama is uppity

2012-01-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

Rick Santorum is playing the “uppity” card against Obama. But that’s not the most outrageous thing – you won’t believe WHY Santorum says Obama is uppity. Rick is accusing the President of “hubris” and “snobbery” for wanting all American kids to attend college.

I was so outraged by the president of the United States for standing up and saying every child in America should go to college. Well who are you? Who are you to say that every child in America should [go to college]? I mean, the hubris of this president to think that he knows what's best.
I have seven kids. Maybe they will all go to college. But if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto-mechanic, good for him. That's a good paying job: using your hands, using your mind. This is the kind of snobbery that we see from those who think they know how to run our lives. Rise up America, defend your own freedoms. And overthrow these folks who think they know how to orchestrate every aspect of your lives.

I love how Santorum decries Obama allegedly wanting to “run our lives” and “thinking he knows what’s best” for us, when little Ricky wants government to ban birth control, abortion, pornography and gay sex.

Chrysler adding jobs

2012-01-06T08:10:00.001-08:00

Chrysler is adding 1100 jobs and another shift at their Detroit plant as demand for Jeep surges. Just imagine, that wouldn’t have happened if Romney were president. He opposed the auto bailout.

Jobless rate falls to 8.5%

2012-01-06T07:56:00.001-08:00

This news is a stab in the heart of Republicans this morning, who have pinned their electoral hopes on the economy remaining bad so they can blame it on Obama.

Employers added 200,000 jobs last month, and the jobless rate has fallen to 8.5%. Those figures surpassed economists' expectations and it's the lowest unemployment rate since February 2009. This also marks a 6-month stretch in which the economy added 100,000 jobs or more -- and that hasn't happened since April 2006.

Quit squirming

2012-01-05T19:22:00.001-08:00

H/t Godlessliberals.com

Taking us back to the 13th century

2012-01-05T19:12:00.001-08:00

Republicans really do want to take us back to the 13th century... 1215 to be exact.

New Hampshire Republicans are set to introduce a bill that would require all bills and laws to find their origins in the Magna Carta.

Yes, you read that right.

"All members of the general court proposing bills and resolutions addressing individual rights or liberties shall include a direct quote from the Magna Carta which sets forth the article from which the individual right or liberty is derived," is the bill's one sentence.
The Magna Carta, while famed as the first major declaration of rights under English monarchy, is a bit outdated in its actual prose. The overarching idea of personal freedoms and liberties served as a benchmark for framers of the American Constitution, but most of the feudal barons' 63 demands of King John of England dealt with the tedium of the day. The document, translated from its original Latin, includes such passages as:
"If anyone who has borrowed a sum of money from Jews dies before the debt has been repaid, his heir shall pay no interest on the debt for so long as he remains under age."

The winner of the Iowa GOP caucus is...

2012-01-04T10:00:00.001-08:00

Obviously, President Obama won the Democratic caucus in Iowa last night. But who could have imagined that he'd win the GOP caucus too?

With Mitt Romney squeaking by with a win margin of only 8 votes, the eventual nominee is the weakest party standard-bearer ever. And if the teabaggers have their way and manage to make Santorum the nominee, that's yet another win for Obama.

The Obama camp has to be in high spirits so far in this election. That's not to say it'll be easy, or that Obama supporters can relax, but the election season does indeed look brighter for the president, whether the weak Romney takes the GOP crown or the religious extremist Santorum does.

Pat Robertson says God told him a secret!

2012-01-03T13:49:00.001-08:00

Pat Robertson says God told him who the next president is going to be, but conveniently he says he's supposed to keep it a secret. That way he can say "I was right!" after the election.

But he sure makes it sound like God doesn't like Obama much. How odd that God's political leanings EXACTLY match Pat's!

Newt breaks his vows

2012-01-03T07:09:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich's pledge to not engage in any negative campaigning has apparently the same value as any of his multiple wedding vows.

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Onetime Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich called on campaign rival Mitt Romney Tuesday to "just level with the American people" about his moderate political views.
Asked point-blank in a nationally broadcast network interview if he was calling the former Massachusetts governor "a liar," the former House speaker replied, "Yes."

Cantor can’t admit Reagan raised taxes

2012-01-02T11:45:00.001-08:00

It's like trying to talk someone out of a cult: Eric Cantor, even when confronted with the facts, could not admit that his messiah Ronald Reagan raised taxes. It happened during his interview on 60 Minutes.

Stahl then mentioned to Cantor how his “idol” Reagan compromised his principles by raising taxes during his presidency. Cantor tried to deflect the focus by mentioning that Reagan cut taxes, but Stahl reiterated her point.

Upset at the reporter, Cantor’s press secretary yelled off camera, “That’s not true, and I don’t want to let that stand.”

No matter if Cantor, his staff or conservatives at-large want to deny that Reagan raised taxes, what Stahl said is completely true.

After his huge tax cut in 1981 slashed all tax rates to 23 percent, sparking a budget crisis, Reagan realized he’d also have to raise taxes in the years that followed. He raised taxes four times between 1982 to 1984, increasing the payroll tax, broadening the base of Social Security payees, applying the income tax to higher earners and rolling back corporate and individual tax breaks.

Reagan’s historic tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, whose rate went from 70 percent to 28 percent during his administration, ultimately forced the president to raise taxes on more people than any other U.S. president during a time of peace, according to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

In total, Reagan raised taxes 12 times during his two terms in office.

Rick Santorum: “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better…”

2012-01-02T11:38:00.001-08:00

Rick Santorum: "I don't want to make black people's live better..." To him, welfare = black people.

Speaking to Republicans in Iowa on Monday, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) said his administration would reform welfare to the point that it would offer no welfare at all.
After suggesting that an expansion of Medicare is really just a plot to make voters more “dependent” on Washington, Santorum added: ”I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money.”
“I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn their money and provide for themselves and their families,” he added. “The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling.”
One thing he likely overlooked: white Americans account for the largest percentage of welfare payments each month, mostly because they make up the largest sector of the population.

Michele Bachmann says “divine intervention” will cause her to win Iowa

2011-12-31T17:53:00.001-08:00

Michele Bachmann says "divine intervention" will cause her to win miraculously the Iowa caucus. Okay, you're on, Michele. If your god doesn't come through for you, will you shut up?

Michele Bachmann told ABC News she expects to defy her dismal poll numbers with a “miraculous” result in the Iowa caucuses.
“We’re going to see an astounding result on Tuesday night — miraculous,” Bachmann told ABC News in an interview at her Iowa campaign headquarters surrounded by young supporters from her alma mater Oral Roberts University.
“We’re believing in a miracle because we know, I know, the one who gives miracles,” Bachmann said.

Congressional wealth distribution

2011-12-31T12:52:00.001-08:00

(h/t The Daily What)

Ron Paul’s extremist views on display

2011-12-30T10:07:00.001-08:00

Among the things Ron Paul opposes and criticizes are equal pay for women, AIDS patients, and laws protecting civil rights. And it's all in a book available for anyone to buy. (And we haven’t even brought up Paul’s little racism problem.)

In his 1987 book “Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years,” ominously flanked on its front cover by police in SWAT gear, Paul attempts to outline what has happened to the enforcement of the nation’s core laws and principles, and, in his view, where it has gone off track. But among the passages found in his 157-page tome, Paul takes issue with people suffering from AIDS, workers targeted by sexual harassment and the very basis of the Civil Rights Act, suggesting that using government to protect these individuals runs counter to the nation’s founding document.
The book was first released before Paul’s run for the presidency as a libertarian, then re-released again in 2007 ahead of his second shot at the nation’s highest office.
“Victims demand health care as well and scream ‘discrimination’ if insurance companies claim they have a right to refuse to issue a policy to someone already infected with the AIDS virus,” Paul wrote. “The rights of the insurance company owners are not considered, while legislation is passed forcing insurance companies to provide the insurance demanded by the victims. The individual suffering from AIDS certainly a is victim — frequently a victim of his own lifestyle — but this same individual victimizes innocent citizens by forcing them to pay for his care.”
He also wrote that the government should not have the power to demand equal pay for equal work, a core principle feminists have fought for over the course of decades.

Gingrich LOVED Romneycare

2011-12-27T10:21:00.001-08:00

Oops. After spending this entire primary campaign season attacking Mitt Romney over Romneycare, a Gingrich memo has surfaced where he praises it.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich praised the health care law that his rival for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, signed in 2006 as governor of Massachusetts, according to a newsletter unearthed by the Wall Street Journal.
"The most exciting development of the past few weeks is what has been happening up in Massachusetts. The health bill that Governor Romney signed into law this month has tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system," reads "Newt Notes" from Gingrich's former consulting company, the Center For Health Transformation. "We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage for all Americans." Gingrich's spokesman responded that the newsletter was not written by the former House speaker and it should it be read as an endorsement of the plan.
Gingrich has attacked the Massachusetts health care law as a presidential candidate. In an Oct. 18 debate, he said to Romney, "Your plan essentially is one more big-government, bureaucratic high-cost system." He added, "There's a lot of big government behind Romneycare -- not as much as Obamacare -- but a heck of a lot more than your campaign is admitting."

Big Pharma’s going to make lots of money

2011-12-26T21:17:00.001-08:00

Big Pharma has plans to release to the consumer market over the counter an even more powerful, possibly more addictive form of hydrocodone. They'll get rich, and isn't that the only important consideration?

NEW YORK -- Drug companies are working to develop a pure, more powerful version of the nation's second most-abused medicine, which has addiction experts worried that it could spur a new wave of abuse.
The new pills contain the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, packing up to 10 times the amount of the drug as existing medications such as Vicodin. Four companies have begun patient testing, and one of them – Zogenix of San Diego – plans to apply early next year to begin marketing its product, Zohydro.
If approved, it would mark the first time patients could legally buy pure hydrocodone. Existing products combine the drug with nonaddictive painkillers such as acetaminophen.
Critics say they are especially worried about Zohydro, a timed-release drug meant for managing moderate to severe pain, because abusers could crush it to release an intense, immediate high.

Trump dumps GOP, and Gingrich & Perry fail to qualify in Virginia

2011-12-24T01:22:00.001-08:00

Donald Trump has dumped the Republican party -- he's changed his party affiliation from GOP to Independent. I guess he wants some more attention, so he's going to pretend to be planning a third-party run, but we all know he doesn't have the money or the organization to mount any kind of presidential campaign.

Rick Perry failed to get 10,000 signatures, so he won’t be on the Republican primary ballot in Virginia. And news is breaking that Newt Gingrich has also failed to get enough signatures.

More right wing racism

2011-12-23T09:49:00.001-08:00

More right wing racism... Hate drives them, they can't help but expose what's inside their hearts.

Appearing on Fox News’ Hannity Thursday evening, Bozell talked about his usual subject of describing the “liberal bias” in the media. Angered by Chris Matthews comparing Newt Gingrich’s looks to a car bomber earlier in the week, Bozell gave Obama a not so racially friendly comparison.

“How long do you think Sean Hannity’s show would last if four times in one sentence he made a comment about the President of the United States as a skinny, ghetto crackhead?” he said. “Which by the way, Barack Obama does.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/23/right-wing-media-critic-obama-is-like-a-skinny-ghetto-crackhead/

The winners

2011-12-23T09:40:00.001-08:00

The best thing about this payroll tax cut extension fight is that it reminded Americans it's something they have, and now they can thank Obama and Democrats for the fact that they still have it.

The biggest winners: President Obama and Harry Reid.

The biggest losers: Oh come on, we all know who.

Christmas makes ODS worse

2011-12-22T08:30:00.001-08:00

Something about the holiday season seems to be making right wingers’ Obama Derangement Syndrome worse. How else to explain these head-scratching attacks on the president over Christmas?

Palin Makes Curious Charge Against Obamas' Holiday Card

McCain mad at Obama for Christmas shopping

Secret Service pays racist teabagger a visit

2011-12-21T07:39:00.001-08:00

The racist Ron Paul-supporting teabagger who called for not only the president but his children to be killed has been paid a visit by the Secret Service. But he hasn't been arrested? Are you kidding me? This dangerous fanatic needs to be taken off the street.

CARSON, Calif. (KABC) -- A failed Carson City Council candidate is at the center of a Secret Service investigation after allegedly urging the assassination of President Barack Obama in a Facebook post.
Jules Manson, 48, posted a statement Sunday on his Facebook page. His post included the word, "assassinate," referred to Obama using the N-word and referred to the president's daughters as "monkey children."
The post generated a tremendous amount of controversy on the Internet and it got the attention of the Secret Service. Agents paid a visit to Manson's home on Monday.
He has since apologized for his comments, saying he was upset and frustrated with the recent passage of the Defense Authorization Act. That act does include language that some civil libertarians object to, saying it violates civil rights in this country.
Making threats against the president is a crime. Manson has not been arrested and has not been formally charged with anything as the investigation continues.

Thanks again, Republicans

2011-12-20T11:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks to John Boehner and House Republicans, a big chunk of my paycheck and most likely yours will disappear starting in January. The completely ineffective Boehner (I predict lots of erectile dysfunction ads in his future), at the behest of his puppetmaster Eric Canter, have effectively killed the payroll tax cut extension as well as unemployment benefits.

So, thanks again, Republicans, for fucking us all over, you assholes. Hope you enjoy your long Xmas vacation.

Pat Robertson is upset again

2011-12-20T06:57:00.001-08:00

Pat Robertson is pissed off about the Saturday Night Live sketch from last weekend that had Jesus in a locker room talking to Tim Tebow and his teammates. He calls it “ugly anti-Christian bigotry.” Of course, to people like Robertson, merely having the nerve to not accept his version of Jesus also counts as anti-Christian bigotry, but what can you do.

Robertson goes on to say,

“If this had been a Muslim country and they had done that, and had Muhammad doing that stuff, you would have found bombs being thrown off!”
“And bodies on the street!” interjected co-anchor Terry Meeuwsen. “And bodies on the street!” Robertson repeated. “And we think it’s okay.”

Robertson and Meeuwsen are saying one of two things: One, that Christianity is better than Islam because they don’t react to public criticism with bombs and bodies in the street, as some Muslims react to cartoons.

Or two, they are subtly calling for bombs and bodies in the street to stem the tide of people making fun of super holy rollers like Tim Tebow.

Which is it, Roberton and Meeuwsen? Somehow, I get a little sense that it’s the latter. (One need only read the imaginings of LaHaye and Jenkins in their end times books to get an idea of how much the bloody, torturous fate of unbelievers turns them on.)

Luckily, we live in a country that has inculcated, whether Christians like it or not, a secular approach to religion in civil law. It is only the constraints of that secular civil law that keeps the bloodier fantasies of people like Robertson and Meeuwsen in check. If they had the kind of secular power that Muslims do in some Islamic theocracies, I have no doubt we’d see mass arrests and bodies in the street if anyone dared make fun of Christianity or, horrors! – actually had the nerve to say publicly they don’t believe in their particular sky-god.

Repubs to kill tax cut for regular Americans

2011-12-19T11:24:00.001-08:00

John Boehner promises that Republicans in the House are going back on their deal, and they'll kill the extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits that Republicans in the Senate helped pass.

Not only can Republicans not work with President Obama, House Republicans can't even work with Senate Republicans.
Apparently, tax cuts for the richest Americans are the only thing important to them. Tax cuts for you and me, not so much.

Christmas light nuttery

2011-12-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

Ah, Christian fundamentalists! They put the fun back into fundamentalism!

Homeowners in Hudsonville, Mich., have been singled out for displaying what an anonymous letter-writer calls "pagan" lights and decorations on their properties.

On Wednesday night, residents of Vintage Drive found a letter attached to their mailboxes suggesting that anyone with Christmas lights or decorations should re-think their beliefs, because Christmas displays honor the "Pagan Sun-God" and do not pertain to the birth of Jesus, according to ABC News affiliate WZZM.
The letters start out on a friendly note, with "Hi Neighbor, you have a nice display of lights." But the self-described "love note" quickly changes tone, explaining how the "pagan tradition" of putting up lights began.
Besides speaking against holiday lights, the note claimed that the use of mistletoe, wreaths and yule-logs were in no way representative of Christmas.

Newt goes boom

2011-12-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich's poll numbers in Iowa have gone the way of Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain -- big rise to the top, followed by a sudden plummet to the basement. Those poor, poor Republicans.

Meet Jules Manson, Ron Paul supporter

2011-12-19T08:01:00.001-08:00

Jules Manson is a rabid Ron Paul supporter and wannabe local politician in Carson, California. He’s also a blatant racist who posted on Facebook calling President Obama a “n-gger,” his children “monkey children,” and called for the president to be assassinated.

Newt Gingrich: Fuck the Constitution

2011-12-18T09:56:00.001-08:00

Newt Gingrich, the alleged political historian and supposed “intelligent one” in the Republican field, says fuck the Constitution.

Apparently, Newt is as faithful to the Constitution as he is to his wives.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is doubling down from Thursday’s Fox News debate on his vow to abolish federal courts if he disagreed with their decision.
According to The Hill, in a conference call with reporters, Gingrich indicated that it was in the president’s power as commander-in-chief to deem any Supreme Court ruling irrelevant if he or she in the White House disagreed.

Christians gleeful at Hitchens’ death

2011-12-18T09:13:00.001-08:00

Some Christians are giddy with glee at the death of famed atheist author and pundit Christopher Hitchens.

Going a step further than Bob Bennett’s portrayal of Christopher Hitchens, controversial right-wing radio host Bryan Fischer thought the focus should be on where the late author’s afterlife will be spent.
“If Christopher Hitchens is in fact in hell, he’s there because God loves him,” Fischer said. “Not because God hates him, but because God loves him.”

Democratic whining

2011-12-17T10:58:00.001-08:00

I've already seen my Twitter and Facebook feeds overwhelmed with cries of "Democrats caved again!" from my progressive friends. And I also note with some irony more than a few of them whining about Democrats "caving" had also proclaimed they were sitting out the 2010 midterm elections. Sitting out those midterms are why we have a Congress passing this crap in the first place.

Senate passage of payroll tax cut extension forces Obama to deal with Keystone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate voted on Saturday to extend a payroll tax cut for two months in legislation that also attempts to force President Barack Obama to approve construction of an oil pipeline.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation by a vote of 89-10. It is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week, and if approved, will then go to Obama for his signature.
The measure also would extend long-term unemployment benefits for another two months.

Mitt vs. Newt

2011-12-17T10:45:00.001-08:00

(h/t Think Progress)

Teabagger irony

2011-12-17T10:33:00.001-08:00

Teabagger irony: a racist accuses Michele Bachmann of hating Muslims.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) appeared on The Tonight Show Friday evening to express how his fellow presidential candidate and House colleague Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) doesn’t have warm feelings for followers of Islam.
“She hates Muslims,” Paul said about Bachmann. “She wants to go get ‘em.”

Regarding Ron Paul's racist words, here.

Should be a GOP talking point

2011-12-16T08:20:00.001-08:00

“If Osama bin Laden was alive, he’d call Obama a pussy too!”

Allen West

2011-12-16T08:16:00.001-08:00

In case anyone was wondering, Allen West is still a dick.

Christopher Hitchens, RIP

2011-12-15T21:44:00.001-08:00

Christopher Hitchens has passed away at the age of 62. He will be missed. The earth will be just a bit darker without him on it.

video platform video management video solutions video player

President Obama will sign NDAA into law

2011-12-14T23:29:00.001-08:00

Disappointing, yes. But there is some good news: at least two of the most blatant violations of the Constitution have been removed.

At one point the bill contained a provision that would have authorized the U.S. to use military force anywhere there were terrorism suspects, including within the U.S. itself. The American Civil Liberties Union described it as authorizing a “worldwide war without end.” The section was removed from the bill in July.

And fortunately, it does exempt...

... U.S. citizens from the requirement for terror suspects to be held in military custody and included language stating that the bill did not extend new authority to detain U.S. citizens.

Fox’ whipping boys

2011-12-13T08:05:00.001-08:00

Any atheist or agnostic who’s asked to appear on Fox News or Fox Business should know they’re just there to be a whipping boy. Jesus loves them more when they beat up on a nasty atheist, doncha know.

Fox Business host Eric Bolling invited an atheist to express his views on Christmas Monday — and then promptly kicked him off the show for doing so.

Last week, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) asked the Texas town of Athens to remove a nativity scene, claiming that the display violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over another.
“Even though the town is not a Christian town, many residents think it is indeed a Christian town, and that non-Christians are not welcome,” FFRF’s Dan Barker explained to Bolling Monday. “We think the nativity scene belongs on private property. … Why would the city want to exclude residents? Why would they want to put up a discriminatory and insulting image? To a lot of Americans, the nativity scene basically is an insult to human nature, that we are all doomed and damned and deserving of eternal torment…”
“I have to take exception to the way you described the nativity scene,” Bolling interrupted. “It’s not an insult, certainly not an insult to me. I’m a Christian. It’s not an insult.”
“If the town is right, that that’s just free speech as opposed to government speech, then they should not disallow us [from] putting up an anti-Christian message,” Barker replied. “By the way, why was Jesus born? To save us from our sins. What an insult that we are degraded, depraved human beings, that Jesus created a hell, a place of torture.”
“I have to stop you,” Bolling interrupted again. “This is my show. See, the name of this show isFollow the Money with Eric Bolling. I can’t allow you to talk like that on my show. You’re absolutely wrong.”
“You, sir, are denigrating the name of Jesus Christ,” he added. “I’m not going to let it happen. I’m going to say goodbye to you right now. … Bye, bye.”

Newt makes a no-adultery pledge

2011-12-12T13:02:00.001-08:00

This will make you do a spit take: Newt Gingrich has taken a no-adultery pledge... just so he can deny gay people the right to marry, of course.

When the Iowa social conservative group The Family Leader unveiled a sweeping pledge on marriage and abortion over the summer, Newt Gingrich was one of the candidates who passed on signing it.
Now, Gingrich has answered the pledge with a lengthy written response, vowing to support a federal marriage amendment, reinstate the Mexico City policy -- and, per the stipulations of The Family Leader pledge, to be faithful to his wife:
I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others.

Fun facts about Newt Gingrich

2011-12-12T07:57:00.001-08:00

[Click to enNewtheadensize] [h/t Daily Kos]

Rick Perry: Pray, or else!

2011-12-11T09:37:00.001-08:00

Rick Perry wants a constitutional amendment for school prayer (never mind that kids can pray in school all they want).

Which god does Rick Perry thinks kids should pray to? I'm betting he's thinking only one, and if kids wanted to pray to a different one, he'd have a big problem with that.

GOP debate audiences are grotesque

2011-12-11T09:14:00.001-08:00

GOP debate audiences have cheered torture, the death penalty, letting people without insurance die, as well as booing a gay American soldier currently serving in a war zone. The latest thing they love? Child labor.

Their irrational hatred of President Obama seems to be bringing the most grotesque, brutal impulses of human nature to the surface. They revel in their unthinking, animalistic and cruel drives.

The audience at Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate gave their loud seal of approval to the idea of removing restrictions on child labor.
For over a week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) has been suggesting that poor children should be in the workforce. He has said that janitorial jobs are appropriate for children, and has lauded the idea of 5-year-olds working.
During Saturday’s debate at Drake University in Iowa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) pointed to the child labor issue as an example of the difference between him and Gingrich.
“I think every person up here worked at a young age,” Gingrich declared. “What I suggested was kids ought to be able to work part time in schools, particularly in the poorest neighborhoods.”
“If you take one half of the New York janitors, who are paid more than the teachers. An entry-level janitor gets paid twice as much as an entry-level teacher. You take half those janitors, you could give lots of poor kids a work experience in the cafeteria, in the school library, in the front office, in a lot of different things. I’ll stand by the idea young people ought to learn how to work.”
With that, the Republican audience erupted with applause.

The lawlessness of right wingers and teabaggers

2011-12-10T10:42:00.001-08:00

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created constitutionally by an act of Congress, constitutionally signed into law by a constitutionally elected president, and yet the teabaggers and right wingers don't care about any of that. The only thing they care about it stopping Obama.

Teabagger Representative Mike Lee of Utah says he purposely stood in the way of confirming Richard Cordray to lead the new CFPB because he doesn’t want the agency to exist.

I have met Mr. Cordray, and my decision to oppose his confirmation by the Senate has nothing to do with his qualifications. Rather, I feel it is my duty to oppose his confirmation as part of my opposition to the creation of CFPB itself. [...] Confirming any director for this bureau would be tantamount to agreeing that we need a uniquely powerful super-agency that is not even designed to prevent a repeat of the financial crisis. Until the CFPB is reformed, I will not support it in any way.

Oops

2011-12-09T07:54:00.001-08:00

Seen on Twitter

2011-12-08T19:14:00.001-08:00

Seen on Twitter:

Rick Perry says he's not ashamed to be a Christian. He credits his success to the Father, the Son, and the... uh... it's... uh...

click.

2011-12-08T14:46:00.001-08:00

FRANTIC FEMALE CALLER: "Hello, 911? Please send help, someone's trying to break into my house! He's screaming that he wants to rape and kill me! Help!"

911: "Calm down. And let me check your files."

ON HOLD

911: "Ma'am, can I have a valid credit card number?"

FRANTIC FEMALE CALLER: "Please help me! Um, it's, um, let me see, OH GOD!! Um, Visa, 5314-298475-2255.... PLEASE HELP ME!"

911: "I'm sorry ma'am, but according to our records, the person at the number you're calling from has their credit card ending in 2525, not 2255."

FRANTIC FEMALE CALLER: "OH MY GOD! HE'S ALMOST INSIDE! LOOK, THAT'S GOT TO BE A MISTAKE, SOMEONE COPIED THE CREDIT CARD NUMBER DOWN WRONG! I'VE PAID ALL MY POLICE PROTECTION RACKET FEES ON THAT CREDIT CARD!"

911: "Sorry, ma'am. If you really cared about your safety, you would have called us to double check we got all your information right. It's your own fault. Look, I'm sending cops but only to make sure the rapist doesn't break into anyone else's house. But you'll have to deal with him on your own. You should have cared more about your own safety. It's all your fault."

click.

Clinton’s stealth campaign

2011-12-07T19:05:00.001-08:00

Here's a great article from Politicususa worth a few minutes of your time… It explains Bill Clinton's subtle stealth campaign to make GOP primary voters extremely nervous about their two frontrunners, by praising Romneycare and some of Newt Gingrich's ideas (that he's had to flip flop on). Bill Clinton: a political master at work.

When Clinton was asked about Gingrich’s claim that Obama is the food stamp president he answered, “Newt can turn a phrase. He says Obama is ‘the food stamp president. I want to be the paycheck president.’ It’s a great line. And the problem with great lines is sometimes they stop you from thinking.”

Clinton was asked whether Gingrich would be the nominee and president, and he answered, “I don’t know. I don’t know enough about their deal. I think Romney. I think the best thing Romney did in Massachusetts was the health care plan, and there’s a big article on it yesterday which pointed out inflation and health care costs have gone up less in Massachusetts than in the country as a whole since they adopted it. They cover everybody. Life expectancy is longer, the health indexes are better in Massachuettes, so now he’s sort of got to disavow it to get the nomination.”
Later President Clinton praised Newt Gingrich’s position on immigration, “Gingrich will come up with. He has some really good ideas. You know he was the one Republican who didn’t just melt in the tank on this immigration issue in the last debate. He had the best idea. Then the next day comes out and says he wants to be able to fire all the federal judges when they make decisions he doesn’t like. Wouldn’t we all, but I mean that’s not the Constitution.”
It is not a coincidence that former President Clinton has been using his media appearances to promote his new book to bring up the policy positions of the two GOP frontrunners that make Republican primary voters the most nervous. Clinton’s long answer on the virtues of RomneyCare is the last thing that the Romney campaign wanted to hear on a national morning television show.
This isn’t the first time that Clinton has helped to shape the Republican primary. He heaped praise on Newt Gingrich during an interview with Newsmax. President Clinton is engaging in a very subtle stealth campaign to help Republican voters select their nominee. GOP primary voters still loathe the Clintons, so the former President’s praise of RomneyCare only serves to confirm their suspicious about the true nature and depth of Mitt Romney’s conservatism.
Every time Clinton brings up and praises RomneyCare he is tossing another shovel full of dirt on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
What we are watching is a master at work. Former President Clinton understands how to use the media, and the fact that when he talks the press is going to listen.
President Clinton, in finest Machiavellian fashion, is doing all that he can to make sure that Newt Gingrich is the Republican nominee, and President Obama wins a second term.

Woman who attacked Obamacare apologizes

2011-12-07T18:44:00.001-08:00

A woman who attacked Obamacare has apologized after her breast cancer diagnosis and she began to benefit from the president's health care reform.

Today in a L.A. Times op-ed, a woman who was so upset with President Obama for having "let down the struggling middle class" that she switched her registration from Democrat to Independent and altered her Obama bumpers sticker to read "Got Nope" is apologizing to the President. She says that while she was angered by Obama's plan, she's suddenly come to appreciate it, now that she's benefitting from it personally.
Two years ago, Spike Dolomite Ward and her husband had to choose between paying their mortgage or keeping their health insurance. They kept the house, and now at 49 Ward has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She didn't know how she'd afford months of expensive treatment, until he discovered the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, which is part of Obama's healthcare plan. Now she's publicly "outed" herself in the hopes that she can teach ObamaCare opponents that the uninsured aren't just lazy freeloaders. She writes:
What I want people to understand is that, if this could happen to us, it could happen to anybody. If you are fortunate enough to still be employed and have insurance through your employers, you may feel insulated from the sufferings of people like me right now. But things can change abruptly. If you still have a good job with insurance, that doesn't mean that you're better than me, more deserving than me or smarter than me. It just means that you are luckier. And access to healthcare shouldn't depend on luck.

Obama’s speech in Kansas

2011-12-06T18:11:00.001-08:00

President Obama gave a speech in Kansas today that was one of the best, one of the most populist speeches I have ever heard. If this is a preview of his campaign, not only will he easily win re-election, he may lead the way for the Democrats to retake control of Congress.

You can read the whole speech here, but nothing beats seeing it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Newt fires back at Nancy, Nancy has the last laugh

2011-12-06T07:55:00.001-08:00

Newt fired back at Nancy, saying that if she released any dirty info on him she got from the ethics investigation, Nancy should be arrested because it's against the law. (Funny how Newt, who lost the Speakership because of his law-breaking is suddenly embracing the law.)

But Newt got a nasty surprise -- the ethics investigation files are public knowledge. Nancy can release whatever info she wants.

Killing Jews and atheists in the name of Jesus… for fun.

2011-12-05T22:13:00.001-08:00

A video game in which a Christian militia must convert or kill Jews and atheists in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan is due to hit the shelves in major retail stores just in time for Christmas, the time of year in which Christians purport to honor the birth of the so-called “prince of peace.”

Kinda makes you want to rush out and accept Jesus as your personal lord and savior, doesn’t it?

EDITED TO ADD: Just checked the date of the original article -- apparently this is from 2006. Still... nauseating!

A video game about a Christian militia slaughtering Jewish and atheist New Yorkers who won't be converted in the name of a particular brand of Christianity will be on the shelves of more than 10,000 American retailers in time for the Christmas season, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Circuit City, GameStop, EB Games, CompUSA, Amazon.com, Costco and numerous others. The video game is a spinoff of the wildly successful collaborative novels about "the rapture" by conservative fundamentalist minister Tim Lahaye and the guy who used to write the dialogue for the Gil Thorpe comic strip, Jerry Jenkins.

In Left Behind: Eternal Forces, kids will assume the role of a member of a "Christian" gang wandering the streets of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, killing or converting as many Jews, Atheists, and other unsavory types in the employ of the Anti-Christ as possible to get to the next level. If the heathen won't convert, the character can kill them. The company is offering a free demonstration model to churches. "We see it as a beacon of light that could shine in the dark world of video games," said Jerome Mikulich, "director of outreach ministries" for the company. "The most important thing is that it helps kids realize there is power in the spirit world, and that by praying they can endure and get through their real-life situations." Praying, and putting a shotgun in the mouth of Jews. Just like all those chapters in the gospel where Jesus preaches that the way to salvation is busting a cap into the ass of those who won't convert.

Little boy puts Michele Bachmann in her place

2011-12-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

Make sure to turn on the captions. The story about the encounter is here.

Fox News leeches off taxpayers

2011-12-05T12:11:00.001-08:00

While Fox News complains about schoolteachers actually earning a salary, here's something they probably won't be doing any reports on -- Taxpayers are paying for special police protection for Fox News!

When Occupy Wall Street protesters marched past media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s posh 5th Avenue penthouse during the “Millionaires March” on October 11, they were accompanied by a “very light police presence” according to a reporter at the scene. But down at Rupert’s News Corp. headquarters on Sixth Ave.–which has never been a terrorist or protest target of any significance–the media empire is guarded by a 24-hour-a-day New York Police Department security detail seven days a week, a patrol that one security expert estimated costs the city at least half a million dollars a year.
No other news network gets comparable NYPD protection, although a police department spokesman suggested in an email to the Daily Beast that they did. As best we could decipher a rationale for this extraordinary sentry at the gates of the Fox empire, it appears to be fueled by the security obsession of Fox News chief Roger Ailes.
The Daily Beast has observed at least two, and up to three officers patrolling the News Corp. plaza with one or two police cars stationed in front of the 45-story building on a regular basis. A security guard inside the lobby of the News Corp. building said that the police presence out front “has nothing to do with Fox News,” and is there simply because it’s a “high-profile” area. Yet cops who spoke with The Daily Beast said that they are posted at the site to protect Fox News as part of a counterterrorism initiative. Most officers explained that Fox News is a sensitive location, and one even referred to it as a “political” network. Some ex-Fox News employees attribute the patrol to the “paranoia” of Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.

Nancy Pelosi is ready for Newt Gingrich

2011-12-05T10:14:00.001-08:00

It sounds like Nancy Pelosi would LOVE it if Newt Gingrich winds up being the GOP nominee. She sounds like she’s holding on to some juicy stuff about the intrepid serial adulterer and corruption-magnet.

She may get her wish. Newt’s stomping on the “inevitable” Mitt Romney in many state polls.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that she knows "a lot" about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich because she served on the ethics committee that investigated him, according to an interview with Talking Points Memo published Monday.
"One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich," she said. "I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."
She also said she liked Rep. Barney Frank's (D-Mass.) quote on Gingrich. Frank said last week, "I did not think I had lived a good enough life to be rewarded by Newt Gingrich being the Republican nominee."
The ethics committee investigation, Pelosi said, was so sensitive that she once asked her husband to leave the bedroom at 3 a.m. so she could talk privately on the phone.
"He is such a hypocrite," she said of Gingrich in a 1997 San Francisco Chronicle interview after the ethics committee had finished its work on the case. Gingrich was sanctioned $300,000 following the investigation. However, Pelosi wanted him to be censured. "I think if a person loved the House of Representatives, if he loved his party, he would step aside," she said.

Conservative principles

2011-12-04T08:58:00.001-08:00

Pop quiz for the Republican candidates

2011-12-04T08:31:00.001-08:00

Which one of you said this?

"Sometimes the pundits and the newspapers and the TV commentators love to talk about how America is slipping and America is in decline. That's not what you feel when you're in Asia. They're looking to us for leadership. They know that America is great not just because we're powerful, but also because we have a set of values that the world admires. We don't just think about what's good for us, but we're also thinking about what's good for the world. That's what makes us special. That's what makes us exceptional."

The cowardice of the liar, Col. Michael D. Steele

2011-12-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

Herman Cain “suspended” his campaign today. Suspending means he can still raise money, and we all know that’s the primary reason he was in this thing in the first place. No doubt he can hardly wait to start his new Fox News gig, which I’m sure will be announced by next week.

Col. Michael D. Steele, the idiot who introduced him, had some interesting comments. He spoke of being accused of hate speech, just because he says he’s an American. Excuse me, Col. Steele, but I challenge you to present one bit of evidence of anyone saying that claiming to be an American is hate speech. You made that up because you’re a liar, plain and simple.

Steele also raised the old canard of “apologizing for America,” hinting that Obama and liberals apologize for America. No, Col. Steele, you’re lying again.

He also said, “No matter what Obama says, I think America is still number one!” Again, Col. Steele, you bald-faced liar, I challenge you to present one bit of evidence of where the president has ever said America was not number one.

If you can’t present one bit of evidence to back up these smears, Col. Steele, you’re not only a liar, you are a coward, and you have soiled the uniform of the United States military. You have no honor and no integrity whatsoever. Regardless of whatever “war hero” status you had before, you’ve defecated on it, just as you defiled the honor and integrity of the military, especially with the vile smears you repeated today.

In short, you’re a typical right wing blowhard. No wonder you supported Herman Cain.

This must be a dream

2011-12-03T09:21:00.001-08:00

I must be in a coma and having some sort of dream. There's no way Donald Trump is seriously moderating a presidential debate. Unless it's a Saturday Night Live sketch.

On the other hand, this whole Republican farce feels like some kind of fever dream. How else do you explain that the current favorite of religious right wingers hates poor people, is a serial adulterer who shut down the government because his pride was hurt, and who had to be KICKED OUT of the Speakership?