Thanks to the Center for American Progress and their Daily Progress Report for this truly idiotic quote.
"'Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy — or go on Prozac?' Bush campaign worker Susan Sheybani's musings on employee options in the weak U.S. job market."
My wife was just reading an article, The Terror Web by Lawrence Wright, in the current week's New Yorker, and she pointed out a very interesting tidbit.
Just four days after the Madrid train bombings, pundits and reporters were already talking about the possibility that terrorists might try to disrupt the American election. However, Republicans have implied that this attack would come to try to influence the election towards the Democrats. In a message, written by a group claiming to be affiliated with Al Qaeda, that was sent to a London newspaper, and among other things the group wrote this:
"'We are very keen that Bush does not lose the upcoming elections', the author's write, Bush's 'idiocy and religious fanaticism' are useful, the authors contend, for they stir the Islamic world to action."
This Shamefully Idiotic Quote this week is from one of the more monumental idiots of our time. Yes, I am, speaking of course of Ann Coulter. Take it away, you idiot:
"My pretty-girl allies stick out like a sore thumb amongst the corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant hippie chick pie wagons they call 'women' at the Democratic National Convention."
This is a direct snip from The Center for American Progress' Daily Progress Report regarding some of the new problems for Faux News:
"HOUSE MEMBERS DEMAND ACTION FROM MURDOCH: According to the LA Times, more than 40 Members of Congress have already signed a letter to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch calling on him to 'actively intervene to eliminate this unfair and unbalanced coverage' and meet with legislators to discuss their concerns. Contact your Tell your member of Congress to sign the letter."'FAIR AND BALANCED' SLOGAN CHALLENGED: AP reports Moveon.org and Common Cause have filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to declare that Fox News's 'fair and balanced' is deceptive advertising, and demand the network cease from misleading consumers. AP's television writer notes that the 'fair and balanced' billing is 'a slogan no one believes but Fox News Channel devotees.'"
"A RECOVERING FOX NEWS ADDICT: Des Moines Register columnist Rob Borsellino notes satirically that 'some people actually take this network seriously – they really believe Fox News is fair and balanced.' He describes his own interest in the network, saying he is able to 'watch folks like Newt Gingrich and Ollie North - disgraced Republicans who were driven from public view in the '90s - being reborn as respected authorities with valued opinions...I could hear Bill 'Roll 'Em' Bennett lecturing me about morality and family values.' He describes how he instantly reverted to Fox News's own tactics when his wife got angry that their kids were watching Sean Hannity's lies: 'My first instinct was to get back in her face and tell her to shut up, call her a left-wing nut case who is weak on defense and refuses to acknowledge that the Bush tax cuts are fueling an economic recovery that will benefit all Americans, not just the wealthy.'"
If you didn't think the Bush administration took it hard in the gut after they found out Ron Reagan, Jr. would be speaking at the Democratic Convention, then just imagine how they are going to feel after they read this scathing piece by Reagan's daughter Patti Davis in Newsweek.
Here is an excerpt:
"A friend of mine said she didn’t want to see Fahrenheit 9/11 because she doesn’t like Michael Moore. 'Because he’s bombastic and strident?' I asked, already knowing the answer.“'Exactly,' she replied.
"I conceded that point—he can be both those things. But I tried to point out that he’s just the messenger in the film. And the message is an important one even if you don’t like the guy who is bringing it to you. Besides, he probably learned stridency decades ago and never un-learned it. What’s important is, when he stood in the kitchen with a mother from Flint, Mich., whose son had just been sent to Iraq and he agreed with her that America is a great country, I believed him. I think a lot of people did. I think my friend would too, if she ever sees the movie. That’s what I mean about his love for America—it comes through even if you don’t like his style.
"President Bush, on the other hand, says that he loves this country and, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I assume he does love his conceptualized idea of America. But I don’t think he loves us—the people who make up this land. The huddled masses. The millions of citizens who just want a peaceful, safe life. Those who want to put their kids through school and see them grow up; who want to take vacations to other countries without fearing for their lives because so much of the world hates us.
"I don’t think you lie to people you love. I don’t think you send them off into dangerous situations on the basis of murky, cobbled-together information that isn’t really information at all. I don’t think you keep them scared all the time. I don’t think you respond to horrors like public beheadings with cowboy slogans that sound like they came from old John Wayne movies."
Posted by Paul Hina at 12:23 AM
I just read this on the Talking Points Memo blog, and was so shocked by it that I had to rip off a substantial excerpt:
"A blog called BlueGrassRoots has a post up saying that the Louisville Kentucky Republican party (specifically, the Jefferson County Republican Party) is handing out signs that read 'Kerry is bin Laden's Man/Bush is My Man.'
"I put in a call to the head of the Jefferson County Republicans, Jack Richardon IV and asked him if this were true.
"Richardson told me that he'd seen a bumper sticker with that phrase on it and agreed with it heartily. 'I believe that if you look at John Kerry's voting record in the senate,' he told me, 'why wouldn't bin Laden prefer Kerry over Bush?'
"When I pressed Richardson on whether or not his party organization was distributing it, he acknowledged that they probably were handing it out on their campaign literature tables at recent events. And if it was being handed out, 'I make no apologies for it.'
"'I think it's funny how the truth not only can be amusing but also make a point," Richardson went on. 'Why wouldn't Kerry be bin Laden's man? Bush certainly isn't bin Laden's man.'"
That is terrifying.
Every week I go over to the Chicago Sun-Times site to check on Roger Ebert, and to see what he has to say about the current crop of new films. This week I was eager to check out what he thought about I, Robot. Well, it turns out that he doesn't think that much about it, giving it only two stars. So, I guess my weekend movie plans are dashed. In my hometown it is either I, Robot, something more atrocious, or something I have already seen.
Anyway, at the end of the review was this little afterthought:
"Roger Ebert will speak on making ultra-low-budget movies on the Macintosh in a free talk at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Apple Store, 679 N. Michigan."
I highly recommend travelling over to Slate Magazine and taking this test to find out if you are a "Red State" person, or a "Blue State" person. It is a fun test to take. I really enjoyed the questions. The test is 37 questions long but it only takes a few minutes, and yes, it is multiple choice. So, take the test and let me know how you did. I am curious to know how the test graded you, and I also would like to know what you thought you were before you took the test. For example, I was sure that I would be "Blue State", even though I live in a "Red State". I was surprised to find that the test graded me right in the middle of the red and blue spectrum. Actually they called me "middle", but on their spectrum I was little more red then blue. In some things being average is a bummer(intelligence, penis size, etc.), but in this case it was kind of reassuring. Enjoy!
This is convenient:
"Military records that could help establish President Bush's whereabouts during his disputed service in the Texas Air National Guard more than 30 years ago have been inadvertently destroyed, according to the Pentagon."
This from Dick Bell at the Kerry/Edwards campaign blog:
"No wonder George Bush rushed to attack John Edwards. In an overnight NBC poll after the announcement, Kerry-Edwards beat Bush-Cheney 49-41."The NBC poll undercut Bush's effort to present Cheney as more qualified to be president. In one of his typically smirking responses to a question from the press asking him to compare Edwards and Cheney, Bush replied: "Dick Cheney can be president. Next." NBC asked voters which VP candidate would make a better president. The voters picked Edwards over Cheney, 45-38.
"And to add to the angst at the White House, when asked which VP candidate was more optimistic about the future, Edwards beat Cheney, 49-28."
But just in case anybody needs more reason to dislike Cheney, here is Bob Herbert from the New York Times:
"According to Time magazine, 'The Washington Post once referred to Cheney the congressman as a `moderate,' prompting him to order an aide to call the paper's editors and `suggest they look at my voting record.'"As we've learned, there was nothing moderate about the Bush-Cheney tax cuts. They've transformed the Clinton-Gore surpluses into staggering budget deficits. And there was very little that was moderate about Mr. Cheney's voting record as a congressman from Wyoming. He opposed federal funding for abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. He voted against funding for Head Start, against subsidizing school lunches for poor children, against aid to college students and against the Older Americans Act, which offered nutrition and other services to the elderly."
I am going to post a comment I got yesterday on my "Moore's 'Farenheit 9/11'" entry. Normally I would not post a comment, but this one deserves particular attention. I just wanted to show potential readers the capacity of some of the citizens of this country. I will apologize ahead of time to all that actually read this because it is almost completely indecipherable. Well, without further ado:
"my name is ssg walker of the united states army. i am glad to know that all of our forfathers fought for our freedom so that mr moore can make a movie on ignorant stuff. im sorry but u tell me how someone who hasnt been in the service can right like he did. and it pains me to see how our world has become so pulled and to complacint. our home was attacked and i think its pretty bad that a moron whats to say we planned it and we went to war over the stuff he said in the movie. I FOUGHT IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and i for one believe it was the right descion. and if ur stupid enough to whatch this movie then u arent a american and all the leaders from washington till now are all the same. cause every war was fought for a reason. in all honesty i think its ignorant that people would rather th united states sit back and whatch other countries suffer under communism. and sit back and whatch others attack us and do nothing. it seems to me people have forgotten what the usa stands for and that flag stands for. so if u cant be american and support ur country go live under someone like saddam, bin-laden, hitler, and others like that cause they are all the same.
"everday i wake up and wonder why i continue to defend my country and it is because i am american and always will be and i am proud of my freedom and for those who fought in the past to make it possible to be free. so some people need a reality check. AND YES I WOULD GO BACK TO IRAQ i love helping the people of countries like that. so before u open ur mouth and believe the news why dont you put on the uniform and do what i do. but that want happen cause u aint aint a man ur a coward. so support your country instead of tearing apart
ssg walker"
There will be a lot of talk about Brando and his impact on acting, and on film in general over the course of this next week. However, I would rather sit back and watch that tribute develop instead of adding too much of my voice to the equation. It is not that I do not have something to offer. I certainly have a lot to say about Brando. His art has had a profound impact on how I look at art and life through a shamelessly passionate lens. He was so animalistic that you can not help but be freed, unleashed by viewing his performances.
I will try to sum up how I feel about him with this tribute. Picasso once said, "When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
I think Picasso's mother was accurate in her summation, and there are only a handful of people who changed their profession so profoundly that this quote could be appropriate for them as well, but Brando was one of them. If he had been a soldier, he'd have become a general. If he had become a monk he would have ended up as the pope. Instead he became an actor and wound up as Brando. 'Nuff said.
This was reported on Talking Points Memo today from a Bush/Cheney campaign document that was unearthed by the Washington Post:
"Send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give to a BC04 Field Rep. ... Identify another conservative church in your community who we can organize for Bush ... Receive a list from you [sic] County Chair of all non-registered church members and Pro-Bush Conservatives ... place reminder bulletin about all Christian citizens needing to vote in Sunday program or on a board near the church entrance."
That is outrageous. Absolutely disgusting. Somebody should pray for them.