Fred Thompson drops out

Damn it all to hell, Fred dropped out.  He was the only person on either side I was going to vote for.  Now I am looking at who I have to vote against.  The very idea of John McCain as the republican nominee makes my brain hurt.  I may end up voting for a Masshole country club socialist Republican just because I so dislike McCain as a politician.  or I may not vote at all, because I am infinitely disgusted by virtually every...no, not virtually.  I am disgusted by them all, on both sides.

Damn you, Fred.  You should have fought harder for this.  We needed you...and all you did was split enough people off so that Huckabee and McCain got traction. Then you abandoned us.  You’re the Ross Perot of the 2008 election.  Thanks for that.

Posted by JimK at 06:18 PM on January 22, 2008
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Categories: News,  Politics
Tags: Politics Election 2008 Politics

Bush DOJ tries to screw us on Second Amendment

Bill Quick on David Hardy’s post about the amicus brief filed by the DOJ:

We have the first chance in almost eight decades to see the Second finally, legally established an an individual right (and all that potentially entails for liberty) and the farking George W. Bush compassionate conservative administration steps in and stabs us in the back!!!.

...

That’s it. I simply won’t vote for a moderate/liberal GOP candidate trying to masquerade as a conservative. I’ve had enough Bushes (father and son) to last two lifetimes. I want an actual conservative to vote for. If the GOP can’t provide me with one, then the GOP won’t be getting my vote.

Enough is enough.

I’m right there with you.  This has been a hot button issue for me for some time now, and I thought it was going to be a non-factor in this election cycle.  Leave it to Bush and his crew to find a way to poison the Republican/conservative base in yet another way.  I assume that the crew behind Dubya’s rise to the White House are thinking that if they can’t run the place - and they will not with Fred or Romney or Obama or Hillary in the big chair* - then no other conservatives should be allowed.  Therefore it’s in the country’s best interest if they fuck it up for the rest of us.

There’s no need for Bush Derangement Syndrome.  There is so much for which you can legitimately hate this man.  No conspiracy or over-statements or fudged numbers needed.  He’s a divider and a betrayer, and about as conservative as Medea Benjamin.

*Note the “front runner” name I left off: John McCain.  John will make a deal with anyone in order to attain that seat.  He wants to be President more than anything in the world, and anyone who wants this particular job that badly shouldn’t get it.

Posted by JimK at 03:38 PM on January 12, 2008
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Categories: News,  Politics,  Guns - 2nd Amendment
Tags: firearms guns Second Amendment Politics

Iraqi death toll significantly lower

Interesting.  In the fall of 2006, you couldn’t throw a rock online without hitting a politically-themed blog either discussing or trumpeting the fact that the U.S. was responsible for over 600,000 deaths in Iraq, making us worse than Saddam.

It seems that number, as was stated by many a “right-wing rethuglinazi,” was highly inflated.  I just did a date-filtered Google News search, and since January 4th, maybe a hundred news stories about this have been published.  Most of those are wire service recaps of one or two versions.

Odd, isn’t it?  This 600,000+ number was used to sweep Democrats into Congress all over the country.  Turns out it was more lie than truth.  When the news was as horrible as one could imagine, the story was A-1, above the fold, right next to the seven million stories about how we were failing, losing the war and committing atrocities on a wide scale.  Like most media corrections, however, the story now seems to be running on page D-26 , right next to the seven million stories about how the “surge” is actually working, it looks like we might achieve a real, honest-to-goodness victory of sorts and many of the atrocity stories were made up.

Oh, that liberal media

Posted by JimK at 03:34 PM on January 11, 2008
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Categories: News,  Politics,  The Middle East,  The Fourth Estate,  War,  U.S. Military
Tags: Election 2008 Politics military war iraq

Dear Voters,

I know that you are already worn out from this never-ending political season.  I feel your pain, I truly do.  I was worn out twelve months ago.  That having been said, please allow me to remind you of something that many of you seem to have forgotten.

Change simply for the sake of changing isn’t progress.  It’s madness for a nation and in an individual, it can be a sign of a serious mental instability.

Do not believe anyone that promises change without detail.  Do not accept that someone who has been a lifelong politician and lives solely for the trappings of power is truly trying to “create change.” In fact, don’t let anyone get away with using the word unless they define what it is they want to change, why it needs to be changed, and precisely how they want to change it.

Change for it’s own sake is useless, dangerous and stupid.  Try to remember that.

Yours,

Sick of Change Without Meaning

Posted by JimK at 03:11 PM on January 08, 2008
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Categories: News,  Politics
Tags: Election 2008 Politics

Why were CNN cheerleading for Dodd?

While I was at the gym earlier today (for three freaking hours!), I noticed that one of the TVs was showing something about Dodd doing well in the Iowa sideshow/freak act.  I couldn’t hear it, but what I saw of the closed captioning was nothing but praise.

For a guy that has less of a Q score than Tucks Medicated Pads.

I mean, Chris Dodd?  He’s still actually running?  Really?  He’s taking money from people and spending it on like, a campaign?  Hard to believe, considering you probably know more about your mailman than you do about Chris Dodd, but I swear, he’s still running.  And CNN is in love with him.

So I go to CNN to see the Iowa caucus results for Dodd.  With 12% of precincts reporting, Dodd has...drumroll please...nothing.  nada.  Zip.  Bupkis.  Both jack and squat.  Oh, wait!  Another 2% just reported!  No...nevermind, nothing for Chris.

If you want to track the dog & pony show that is Iowa, here’s CNN’s pretty useful stats page for Iowa.  When I say “useful” I mean “updated frequently, well-designed and easy to navigate, even if the data being reported is about a circus.”

What was with the CNN strokefest?  Did anyone else see that earlier, around 6 PM-ish?  In fairness, they did mention that if he gets less than a certain number (which I think was 14%?) then he’ll throw his support and delegates to Obama.  Which is kind of like throwing good money after bad, really.

Anyway, all of that was by way of saying that the Iowa caucuses are ri-goddamned-diculous, and the media is ever so out of touch with/trying to re-shape reality.  I know, big revelation there.  It’s brilliant analysis like that what keeps you coming back to read my wordsmithery.

Posted by JimK at 09:35 PM on January 03, 2008
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Categories: News,  Politics,  The Fourth Estate
Tags: media Election 2008 Politics Chris Dodd

Ron Paul hates evolution, loves the Creator

I thought...I’m confused by this.  I thought he was the “sensible” one that wasn’t a God Squadder?

There’s a jump edit in there, in fairness.  Still, I don’t like this, and it’s just one of a long list of things that make me dislike this man and more so his online hordes.

Hat tip: Samizdata

*UPDATE*

Full version.  Context doesn’t change what he said in any way.

Posted by JimK at 02:20 PM on December 28, 2007
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Categories: News,  Politics
Tags: Election 2008 Politics Ron Paul

‘Tis the season, so shut up

Question: WHEN DO THE POLITICIANS GO ON CHRISTMAS BREAK?

I may not be posting about much of it, but I *am* reading it all, and I am so well past fed up that if some crazy bastard rode through my town on a horse yelling that the revolution was on, I would probably frigging join him.

Posted by JimK at 01:18 PM on December 18, 2007
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Categories: News,  Politics

The “Protecting Children from Indecent Programming” Act

Well here’s a real doozy of a bill that needs defeating.  The name alone makes me hate it. PCIP?  Is this supposed to somehow align it with SCHIP and other “for the children” legislation?  It;s all a load of billshit.  That’s right, billshit.  That’s my new word for legislation that is utterly full of crap.

This bill is designed, and I quote, “To require the FCC, in enforcing its regulations concerning the broadcast of indecent programming , to maintain a policy that a single word or image may be considered indecent.” Wow.  Just...wow.  That entirely removes the concept of context altogether, and gives them the power to declare the word “ass” indecent when used to describe a pack animal used for ferrying goods.  Hell it can render the double entendre dead in the water.

This is just ridiculous.  Are we so pathetic that we are determined to roll over and become servants to a small group of overly moralistic nannies, determined to filter the world through whatever narrow prism they’ve decided is right and good?

ENOUGH.  When you vote for candidates that support crap like this - and immediately Hillary leaps to the forefront as she is the leading Presidential candidate on either side supporting censorship legislation of all kinds, although I will freely admit she is far from alone in this - you are enabling AND SUPPORTING censorship.  You are personally destroying the concept of free speech.  There is no way around it.  If you know about this and you still support politicians like this, you are personally eroding the First Amendment.

Think about that.  Maybe Ron Paul isn’t so crazy.  Well, not all crazy, anyway. :)

Totalitarian legislation is not just the purview of the right wing, my friends.  This little “minor” alteration to Section 16 of the Public Telecommunications Act of 1992 was crafted by a Democrat.  You know who wants it passed, though?  Donald Wildmon and the “American Family Association.” That alone should be enough to make you oppose it.  I just got an “action alert” from them.

It couldn’t be clearer that the broadcast networks are irresponsible stewards of the public airwaves and the FCC needs passage of S.1780 to have the authority to reel them in.

Wildmon wants everyone to “Please call Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) at 202-224-3934 and Ranking Member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) at 202-224-3004” and puch for this bill.  I say call them and tell them how much you oppose it.  In fact, contact all your Congresspersons.  You will find a box at the top right-hand corner of that site.  Enter your zip code and get the latest contact data for your Senator(s) or Representative(s).  Let them know that enough is enough with this faux “protect the children” crap.  Old people in Washington should not be the arbiters of what writers can (or even should!) put on TV.  YOU are supposed to be that arbiter.  YOU decide with your viewership and your spending habits.  You should have the freedom to decide what is appropriate for your child, not some old people in Washington.

Parents of this country, I beg you, stop asking the government to parent your children, and if you are not asking, then stop allowing it to happen.

Posted by JimK at 04:29 PM on December 03, 2007
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Categories: Entertainment,  Television,  News,  Politics
Tags: Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Congress Politics FCC

Robert Novak’s “Prince of Darkness”

I needed a new bathroom book, so I threw the “uncorrected proof” copy of Robert Novak’s ”The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington” into the bathroom.  I’m about a third of the way through this ponderous tome.  Here’s what I know so far.

1. Novak is seemingly proud of the number of times he’s subverted journalistic integrity in order to cultivate as a source, protect or destroy any given politician.  I’m only up to 1968 and he’s done it any number of times.  Bragged about it, in fact.  Shown remorse for falsifying a single fact in a single story exactly once.  Amazing.

2. Bob Novak can’t write to save his life.  If the stories being told were not compelling (and potentially false or exaggerated, I suppose) then I would have thrown this book in the trash a week ago.  The book, like his life’s work, is packed full of opinion and information, but it’s also very poorly written.

3. He’s amazingly cavalier about meeting, marrying and divorcing his first wife, and routinely tells stories about abandoning his second wife, or dragging her through South America while she was three minutes from labor, all to get a story. 

4. Most of his reporting in those days was done over drinks and feasts and so forth as he so constantly reminds the reader.  Trips to Vegas, long liquid lunches at DC eateries.  Oh, and also he uses the word “luncheon” all the time.  I know it’s technically correct, as “luncheon” literally means noon meal designed to meet or entertain guests.  What I am saying is the constant use of the word is ponderous and pretentious, much like Robert Novak himself.

There’s some interesting stuff in there about Nixon, LBJ, The Kennedy boys (John & Bobby) and Barry Goldwater though.  It’s a bit hard to figure out what’s true and what’s invented and what is simply an old man’s memory creating a reality he can live with, though.  The problem I now face is, aside from struggling through the rest of this thing, is that I will have to read other books by other writers about each of these men just to try to figure out what’s real.

He starts the book with an account of the Plame incident, if that interests anyone anymore.  If Novak is telling the truth, the whole thing was just a bunch of people that assumed the open secret wasn’t a secret anymore.  Valerie Plame had long been declassified, so to speak, and wasn’t managing any assets in the field.  He’s no fan of her hubby either.  It’s another side of the story, in any case.

The really odd thing is, as bad as the book seems to be so far, I can’t stop reading it.  I suppose that counts for something…

Posted by JimK at 02:44 PM on December 02, 2007
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Categories: News,  Politics,  The Fourth Estate
Tags: Robert Novak media memoir

Bill Richardson has probably been anal-probed

Wow.  And people think of voting for this guy for anything?  I mean, I wouldn’t elect him dog catcher.

If he wins his bid for the White House, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson may be just the man to get to the bottom of the 60-year-old Roswell UFO mystery.

Answering questions at a townhall meeting Friday, a Dell employee asked Richardson about the 1947 incident in which many people still believe a flying saucer landed near the eastern New Mexico town.

“I’ve been in government a long time, I’ve been in the cabinet, I’ve been in the Congress and I’ve always felt that the government doesn’t tell the truth as much as it should on a lot of issues,” said Richardson, who is governor of New Mexico.

“When I was in Congress I said (to the) Department of Defense ... ‘What is the data? What is the data you have?’ “

He was told that the records were classified.

“That ticked me off,” he said, as the crowd laughed.

“What do you want me to do? You want me to open up all those files?” he asked the alien enthusiast, who answered that he did.

“I’ll work with you on that.”

He’s either pandering to nuts on purpose, which is pretty sad, or he is a nut in the style of Alex Jones and so forth.  Which means he’s not capable of leading a parade, much less the country.  Add this new lunacy to his untenable stance on immigration (amnesty, closer ties with Mexico’s government, more easily obtained visas and no border fencing) and you get a nutburger of the highest order.

Of course, being a Democrat, he’s got about as much chance of beating Obama as I do of winning Miss World.  And since Obama couldn’t beat Hillary with a hockey stick even if she were tied down and blindfolded, I think we’re safe from Bill “The Aliens Have Landed” Richardson.

Hat tip: Jules Crittenden via Ace.

Posted by JimK at 03:55 PM on October 28, 2007
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Categories: News,  Politics
Tags: Election 2008 Politics Bill Richardson