Those Damn Far Lefties

I still see this shit all the time about "far lefties" in Congress and that "far left" Obama.

Get this straight, you stupid fucks. The political spectrum isn't linear like a ruler. I'm pretty far left (and pretty conservative in many areas), and if you were to place me on a 12-inch ruler, I might even be right (or left?) on the convenience hole which allows you hang it from a nail in the wall, the one to the left of the one-inch mark.

I keep looking for these "far left" members of Congress, and seriously, I'm not seeing many, from my perspective. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin was pretty cool until he got beat on Tuesday. Yeah, he was the guy involved in that campaign finance reform with that other "far left" guy: John McCain.

So, when these idiot people starting bitching about the "far left," I think they are actually bitching about the moderates. Lo and behold, we have something in common!

The political spectrum isn't linear like a ruler, thankfully, because life would be pretty boring and simplistic if it were. It's more 3-dimensional actually, which must be quite a challenge for these folks who like to keep it left vs. right. Or at the very least it's like a box, with a left and right as well as a top and a bottom. (I won't blow your mind right now with depth perception.)

So, heed my advice. If you want to be taken seriously in your critique of current politics, get a perspective of where you are on the linear "playing field." Because a politician on your 5 1/2" mark isn't far left. In fact, you have no idea how left left can be.

Just saying. And I'm right.

Things that get my dainty white lacy Queer panties in a tight little knot.

Say whatever you want about climate change. Go ahead; call it a hoax. Say it's a mass conspiracy by the scientific community to drum up support for grant money. Call it a natural cyclical phenomenon.

You can even drag your religion into it, if you feel you must. I've got no problems whatsoever with evangelicals who want to argue that our earth is God's creation and it is our duty and responsibility to treat it with respect.

Make the case that we have a duty to wean ourselves off oil imports from unfriendly producers like Iran even while steadfastly making the case that it's not a reaction to global warming.

Whatever.

Just do me one favor, please. Don't ever say this:

“I read my Bible,” Mr. Dennison said. “He made this earth for us to utilize.”

Because if you truly believe it is our God-given duty to burn through every resource on the planet, burning anything that will move a vehicle in the process, then you are simply an idiot.

Blinded by the Right

I ran across this letter to the editor which was printed in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. On one level it is so outrageous it's comical. On another more important level, it's simply disturbing because he is not alone. There are lots of like-minded individuals out there whose brains have been stirred to mush by an overdose of Faux News, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.

Families are under seige

Once upon a time the Democratic Party was for the American family. We stupid, ignorant, dumb Americans have allowed our country to be taken over by the “hate American families” national media, American Civil Liberties Union, illegal aliens, gays, drunks and druggies.

We have elected a social-experiment president who apparently hates Americans and loves Muslim terrorists. Blanche Lincoln, our senior U.S. senator, apparently wants illegal aliens to take jobs from our families. We have three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who also apparently hate America.

Wake up, America, and take our country back from the “hate American families” fringe group called Barack Obama’s Democratic Party. Contact your senators. We don’t want a racist on the Supreme Court.

SID DENNEY
Bella Vista

The irony is that it is people like Sid Denney who are the real Hate America contingent, the "stupid, ignorant, dumb Americans" who allow themselves to be manipulated into believing nonsense.

If Mr. Denney would take the time to examine the facts in the context of American politics as a whole, he would learn that Arkansas' three US Representatives and two US Senators who are Democrats, can best be categorized as moderates who tilt to the right once for every two tilts to the left.

With that being said, I hope I have adequately corrected this reoccurring gross distortion promoted by the likes of Sid Denney. Probably not.



Click the graphic to see how your state's delegation is ranked.

Source: National Journal, which isn't particularly slanted to the left.

Speaking of Instant Karma

The ranks of the unemployed just increased by two after this absurdly stupid stunt in which a couple of employees at a Dominoe's shot this video and uploaded it to YouTube.

I just wonder how stupid people can be. Did they not have a clue that retribution would be swift? The woman shooting the video probably didn't realize just what an understatement she was uttering when she said this:

"I think our boss lady may be coming out here soon."

They have been fired today. And thanks for giving gay people another bad rap, assholes.

The Icing on the Political Cake

Not only did we make history on this day last week, we elected the better team to move us forward. And we unearthed some rather ugly facts about the electorate which hails from what I call America's red vein.

Fear of the politician with the unusual name and look did not end with last Tuesday’s vote in this rural red swatch where buck heads and rifles hang on the wall. This corner of the Deep South still resonates with negative feelings about the race of President-elect Barack Obama.

The New York Times provides us with some visual imagery. No offense intended to hunters and fishermen (or is it fisherpeople?) who happen to have supported Obama I'm sure.

The idea of a "waning" South has me as excited as the outcome of the election. And it's about damn time.

The region’s absence from Mr. Obama’s winning formula means it “is becoming distinctly less important,” said Wayne Parent, a political scientist at Louisiana State University. “The South has moved from being the center of the political universe to being an outside player in presidential politics.”

[...]

Alabama, for example, experienced a heavy black turnout and voted slightly more Democratic than in 2004, but the state over all gave 60 percent of its vote to Mr. McCain. (Arkansas, however, doubled the margin of victory it gave to the Republican over 2004.)

[...]

By leaving the mainstream so decisively, the Deep South and Appalachia will no longer be able to dictate that winning Democrats have Southern accents or adhere to conservative policies on issues like welfare and tax policy, experts say.

That could spell the end of the so-called Southern strategy, the doctrine that took shape under President Richard M. Nixon in which national elections were won by co-opting Southern whites on racial issues.

All I can do is applaud and shout, "good riddance" to that negative and racist influence. I do not understand how some of these people even get through the day. What a miserable and pathetic life.

One white woman said she feared that blacks would now become more “aggressive,” while another volunteered that she was bothered by the idea of a black man “over me” in the White House.

Factoids from the Deep (South)

Breaking news: The anti-Christ has arrived!

My mother spent the weekend with relatives in northeast Mississippi, many of whom are in their 80s like her, and some of them informed her that the anti-Christ has arrived.

He even has a website. No decent anti-Christ would be without one of those. And yes, naturally, the anti-Christ would be a black man.

Sigh. I guess if those coloreds had just kept drinking the designated colored water instead of pushing for equality, we would not now be fearing for our very existence. The anti-Christ is out to kill us all and destroy civilization.

(Does anyone need to ask why I haven't been to visit relatives in Mississippi in over 20 years?)

One Nation Under Ignorance

I have come to the conclusion that a good number of European immigrants who settled this land were not exactly the best representatives of their gene pool.

Granted, I already wasn't in a great mood this morning after rolling to the edge of the bed and planting my feet squarely into a pile of cat vomit as I arose from my not-so-peaceful slumber.

And the sight of an 18-inch tapeworm hanging from Sweet Pea's anus was another bad start to the morning.

All that aside, walking out to the street to pick up the Sunday New York Times would ultimately prove to be the most annoying aspect of my morning.

I simply cannot grasp the concept that so many Americans are straddling the political fence between Barack Obama and John McCain. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. How many people do you know who are undecided on key issues such as abortion, gay rights, Iraq, and the economy?

The differences between the two candidates are as stark as night and day, or if you prefer, black and white.

And yet, I read quote after quote from Americans in this article who simply can't decide. Am I asking too much to expect a little common sense? It's as if there are no issues, only empty, meaningless labels such as "maverick." Just read this.

Judith France and her daughter Holly France-Kremin have been torn about their choice for president ever since Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lost the Democratic nomination to Senator Barack Obama. Now Senator John McCain has made up their minds, but in different ways, by his surprise pick of Sarah Palin, the little-known Alaska governor, as his Republican running mate.

“It made me like McCain a little more,” said Judith France, 62, of Thornville, Ohio. “They always say he was a maverick, and this made me think, well, he really is. He went all the way to Alaska — there aren’t that many people up there, they don’t have that many electoral votes — and he picked this person. I know people will say she’s inexperienced. But she’s been a governor for 20 months. That’s more experience than Obama has.”

Judith needs to brush up on her facts. Or maybe the Republicans will seize upon that inaccurate statement and use it in campaign ads. Who knows. But Barack Obama served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until 2004 and has been a US Senator from Illinois since 2004. Do the math. That's a hell of a lot more than 20 months. Maybe Judith doesn't know the difference between months and years.

Thank God her daughter seems to have a brain and is putting it to good use.

Ms. France-Kremin, 36, who lives nearby in Dublin, an affluent suburb of Columbus, likewise has qualms about the seasoning of Mr. Obama, a first-term United States senator after eight years as a state senator. But she also strongly favors abortion rights, and Ms. Palin — more prominently than Mr. McCain — does not.

“That sealed my decision,” said Ms. France-Kremin, who added that she would no longer consider voting for Mr. McCain.

For our next exhibit, we go to another suburban outpost where a vacant mentality apparently abounds.

Shopping at a suburban mall in Michigan on Friday, Cathy Gates, 40, a registered Republican and a mother of two who calls herself a “football mom,” said that the Palin pick was “a big risk” but that it “makes me feel a little better” about voting for Mr. McCain.

“She does appeal to me,” Ms. Gates said. “You would feel she has the same values as you. Having a child with Down syndrome, and being the governor, and she calls herself a hockey mom. I was impressed. She’s very pretty and seems very smart. I hope it works out.”

Some Democratic-leaning women, as well, welcomed Mr. McCain’s barrier-breaking choice as some consolation after their dashed hopes of having a woman at the top of the ticket.

“I wish the Democratic Party had the courage” to pick a woman, said Kimberly Myers, a retired transit worker in Pittsburgh who supported Mrs. Clinton in Pennsylvania’s primary and said she now planned to vote for Mr. McCain.

Ms. Myers said she also saw a bonus in the choice of Ms. Palin: “The fact that she’s a working mom will send a message to America that you don’t have to choose children over career.”

Pardon me, but there's a county to run here. This should not be about thinking a candidate is cool because she calls herself a soccer mom and you're a football mom. But she's "very pretty" so there you have it.

As word of the Palin choice spread, some women said they were intrigued by what they saw as her unusual mix of last-frontier pioneer and suburban supermom. She is a sportswoman, hunter and onetime local beauty queen who married her high school sweetheart, as well as a self-described hockey mom and PTA member.

"Supermom?" Please. This all might be relevant if she was running for mayor again. It is not relevant for someone running for governor and it's sure as hell not relevant for someone on a VP ticket in these trying times.

But wait. There's more! By the time I was near the end of the first section of the paper I was prepared to breathe a sigh of relief and I ran head-on into Peter Applebome's Our Towns column, and this excerpt made the milk in my coffee curdle instantly.

Michelle Drury watched Barack Obama’s speech Thursday night and she swooned.

“I think the guy’s amazing,” Ms. Drury, a registered nurse from nearby Beacon Falls, said on Friday over the low buzz at the Valley Diner in Connecticut’s blue-collar Naugatuck Valley. “I thought he gave a great speech. To be honest, I can’t turn my eyes from him when he’s on. For a 41-year-old, getting-divorced woman, he’s a hottie. I thought he laid out a phenomenal plan and finally told us a lot about himself.”

And whom will she be voting for in November? John McCain.

“I’ve loved watching Obama emerge and evolve, but I don’t vote based on the swing of the fever,” said Ms. Drury, a mother of three who said she thinks of herself as a liberal Republican. “He put out a lot of great words, but we live in a very dangerous world, and I just don’t think Obama’s ready yet. I think he will eventually be a great president, but not yet.”

A liberal Republican, huh? What does that mean exactly? Because from where I stand in the political spectrum, Barack Obama is closer to a liberal Republican than John McCain. Part of the reason we live in a dangerous world is because of the failed policies of President Bush. And John McCain vows to continue trotting down that path. And this "liberal Republican" lives in Connecticut! Wait until we get to some thoughts of the non-so-liberal Republicans in the deep South.

The idea of a member of our armed services not even paying attention is baffling. I suppose that's worse than the tendency to ignore the fact that we have issues facing us.

And then there were the customary wonders of American indifference. Mike Palmieri, 23, is in the Army at Fort Drum in upstate New York and then headed to Afghanistan. You might think he’d have a stake in things, but he said that politics was not his thing and that he was not paying attention. There was the woman who declined to give her name who didn’t know who was running for president.

The person most in limbo seemed to be Geraldine Peter of Ansonia, a Clinton voter in the primary who’s not sure if she will vote for Mr. Obama. She said she would take a longer look at the Republicans with Mrs. Palin on the ticket.

Whatever. This makes me want to cancel my subscription and live in a cave.

William Safire alone is reason enough.

A stern editor could have improved the 4,500-word acceptance by cutting a thousand words of populist boilerplate and partisan-pleasing shots that offend centrists.

Asshat.

Tyrants Who Want Their Country Back

txrad was the lucky recipient of an email blast from his sister. Contrary to the normal courtesy of forwarding it on to everyone you know, he just forwarded it to me and that's where it'll die as far as we're concerned.

It begins with this picture -- the typical red-blooded American. You know, white and male. Friendly, jovial, and happy... as long as you agree with his views. And if you don't, the American thing to do is pack up your stuff and get your sorry ass on the next plane with a one-way ticket bound for some backwater Socialist state like Sweden. Whoever wrote this harangue and others like it are clearly living in fear of something.

Here's the entire piece for your enjoyment. The large bold font of the first line is how the entire diatribe was delivered. I can only hope the font size was chosen because the vast majority who hold these opinions are old and have bad vision. But I have my doubts.

I Am the Liberal-Progressives Worst Nightmare. I am an American.

• I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some Liberal governmental functionary be it Democratic or Republican!

• I'm in touch with my feelings and I like it that way!

• I think owning a gun doesn't make you a killer, it makes you a smart American.

• I think being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything.

• I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, do it in English.

• I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.

• My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and whoever canceled Jerry Springer.

• I know wrestling is fake and I don't waste my time watching or arguing about it.

• I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you! So, shut up already.

• I believe if you don't like the way things are here, go back to where you came from and change your own country! This is AMERICA.

• If you were born here and don't like it you are free to move to any Socialist country that will have you.

• I want to know which church is it exactly where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution. Can I get an AMEN on that one?

• I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry rear if you're running from them..

• I also think they have the right to pull you over if you're breaking the law, regardless of what color you are.

• And, no, I don't mind having my face shown on my drivers license. I think it's good... And I'm proud that 'God' is printed on my money.

• I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don't want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.

• I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making 'donations' to their cause.

• I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents.

• I believe 'illegal' is illegal no matter what the lawyers think.

• I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed in AMERICA!

• If this makes me a BAD American, then yes, I'm a BAD American.

• If you are a BAD American too, please forward this to everyone you know.

• We want our country back!

And then it finishes with the obligatory American flag followed by “We need God back in our country.”

I could turn this into a lengthy post with all my opinions rolled into one big rant. But is it worth it? No.

I will say this. However you want to define God, or not, my definition of God has never left our country. God is in every atomic particle of everything that exists on this planet and beyond. The bark of a tree, the air, the water, the nuclear waste sludge piles, the dinosaur shit you pump into your SUV, and the cat poop I need to scoop out of my litter boxes. God is in the air you exhale as you speak English, German, Portuguese, Samoan, or Spanish.

“God” does not need to be printed on money because God exists in the paper fibers of the currency. God is distributed evenly throughout the world and that is impossible to disturb.

Apparently, I am an American’s worst nightmare. I am a free-thinking, intelligent, liberal-progressive. And you narrow-minded fascist bigots who compose crap like this should know I will fight with every ounce of my being against this tyranny of the so-called majority whose objective is silencing dissent and clamping down on a broad swath of freedoms.

You can get a big AMEN from me on that one.

"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." -- Thomas Jefferson

And would someone please tell me what the French call a Big-Mac? Last time I was at a McDonald's in France it was called le big-mac.

I'm Calling 911 Because I Can't Get No Sex

I may not be the brightest human on the planet but at least I never called 911 because I lost my ass in a casino playing slots.

Hell, the idea is for the casino to make MONEY, right?

They call 'em "one-armed bandits" for a reason.

I'd like to know how much that slot "stole" because I could have a case against the Frontier Hotel & Casino... wait.. I don't think that's there any longer. Never mind.

And then there's the Subway sandwich guy. Click for video.

Jesus. Gas prices are taking a toll on the American psyche. No?

But wait, there's more.

(Because the video I had here would autoplay every time my page reloads I am replacing it with a link.)

Some of us need Jesus. Yeah, right. Some of us need a padded cell.

The Running Man

You know, I consider myself to be a busy person, especially these days with my new job. Hell, I was busy before I took this new job. But never, EVER, in my life have I been so busy that I needed a headset that worked at this speed:

Pardon the flash reflection, but you get the idea. This was included with the shipment of my new office phone and it makes me want to puke.

If you can't manage your time, then you have a problem.

If you have to run while talking on the phone, then you have a problem.

Deal with your problem FIRST, and then pick out your phone.

That's my suggestion. Fucking stupid ads.

As for me, I'll continue to work FAST, while sitting on my ass.

No running necessary. Thank you very much.

Fuel-Related Pet Peeves

It's bad enough listening to the people wanting politicians to "do something" about the high cost of fuel. Here's what I'd do: tax the shit out of it. Assholes who spend $60k, $70k or more for an SUV in this day and age should be able to afford it. And use that tax money to improve public transportation for the rest of us, and provide rebates to those near the poverty level who have no choice but to drive. However, I do realize any kind of government program that has to track and manage rebates for a certain group is going to end up costing as much to manage as it collects in taxes, if not more.

I just get tired of listening to stupid people (who are financially doing OK) complaining about what it costs to fill up a vehicle which they themselves made a conscious decision to purchase it, and knowing up-front the pathetic fuel economy of the vehicle.

Bryan Carisone, a heating and air-conditioning contractor in Raritan, N.J., “absolutely loves” his new GMC Denali XL, an extra-large sport utility vehicle with televisions built into the leather seats. But in June, one week after he bought it, he pulled into a station on a near-empty tank and watched the total climb higher and higher — to $109.

“It just about killed me,” Mr. Carisone said.

Oh my God. I am just filled with pity for the guy. Here's a suggestion: you made a mistake; deal with it. I feel pity for the people who need trucks and vans for their work; not so much pity for the Hummer drivers who use it to run to the supermarket for a $25 bag of groceries. Nor do I have much pity for the "soccer moms" who thought buying a behemoth to haul the brats and their equipment to soccer practice would make them part of some elitist club and they could feel equal to their peers. I'm sorry, but fuck that shit.

What is really starting to yank my chain is the emphasis on what it costs to fill a tank vs. actual gas mileage. Like all tanks and all vehicles are equal. Check out this next bit of insanity.

Families that were accustomed to the convenience of sport utility vehicles are having to cut back as well. Colleen Hammond of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, loves packing her three kids and all their soccer gear into her 2000 GMC Yukon XL. But she hates paying $160 to fill the 38.5-gallon tank. Last month, she parked the Yukon in her driveway and borrowed her friend’s Toyota Land Cruiser.

“I don’t know if it gets better gas mileage, but I like her car because it costs $100 to fill it,” said Ms. Hammond, 40. “I think $100 for a tank of gas is cheap now.”

Hello!!? Does anyone sense a disconnect here? Switching from a Yukon XL to a Land Cruiser because it only costs $100 to fill it means absofuckinglutely NOTHING! It means the tank doesn't hold as much; the gas isn't any cheaper! Jesus H. Christ, people are stupid. You fill it up more often! For god's sake, TAX these idiots!

Many consumers whose tanks would easily swallow $100 worth of gas refuse to pump that much at once, just to avoid the trauma.

“Usually I don’t let it get real empty so that I don’t have to see that $100 on the pump,” said Bob Hammond, 61, of Chesterland, Ohio, who drives an Avalanche. “It’s a mental thing.”

Yes, it's a mental thing and it's called insanity.

Sigh... sometimes I feel like I need to bang my head against a brick wall.

I Have a Lot to Say

But it'll have to wait. I'm tired.

But I do find it interesting that in a moment when we could make great strides by taking advantage of hardships, we take the low road. It sorta takes all the fun out of the suffering.

Let's use 9/11/01 as an example. Name a positive we have achieved since that date. We have to go out and buy special 3 oz. plastic containers for shampoo and conditioner just to get on a fucking airplane, and we have suspended or put the Constitution through a cheap paper shredder.
We have made the lives of millions miserable.

Now fast forward to 2008. While all the aforementioned shit is still going on, now we have $130-$140 a barrel oil. We could be focusing on mass transit, alternative fuel technologies, etc. But what direction are we headed?

The low road.

Senator John McCain said Wednesday that he wanted 45 new nuclear reactors built in the United States by 2030, a course he called “as difficult as it is necessary.”

[...]

He said his ultimate goal was 100 new nuclear plants.

Idiot.

And he isn't the only idiot, I'm sorry to say. McCain's fuck buddy isn't the brightest lantern on the streets of the idiotless village.

George W. Bush has his own ideas for solving our problems.
President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling and open a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration, asserting that those steps and others would lower gasoline prices and “strengthen our national security.”

[...]

Mr. Bush sought to take full political advantage of soaring fuel prices by portraying Republican lawmakers as imaginative and forward-looking and the Democratic majority in Congress as obstructionists on energy policy.

"Imaginative and forward-looking?"

I'm totally losing confidence in our collective intelligence.

It's quite comical watching a society collapse before my very eyes. "We" could stop this madness, but you know, there's bigger threats to our survival.

The Westboro Baptist Church and others of their ilk can keep us abreast of those threats. And we certainly trust them to do so.

Yeah, like believing "on" Jesus is going to solve our problems. It must be nice living in fantasy land. Perhaps I should give it a try.

Run along now you little brainwashed brat. We've got a country to save so you don't live a life of absolute hell before you turn 18. You might be eating poop yourself when you can't afford corn or rice. Fucking idiots.

Fuck.


Crossposted at Big Brass Blog

In Austin, We Have a Disdain for Stupidity

Yep, I am proud to live in a "stinking hellhole of putrification." And here are a few choice words from one who has "overcome" the intellectualism which has apparently destroyed this lovely city. That and the old "hippie stuff."

I think I'm going to make this a regular Saturday evening fixture on this blog -- sharing some stuff related to Austin. You like?

And what a great start!

Latrobe, PA: Hotbed of Important Political Issues

Every so often, there will be an article in the paper with a political focus of a town or region in the US along with viewpoints of local residents. That's always a guaranteed joyride along the bumpy road of American stupidity.

With the Pennsylvania primary coming in just over 2 weeks, we get to wallow in a New York Times piece today with quotes from the intelligentsia of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Latrobe is a former steel city and ex-home of Rolling Rock beer prior to its acquisition by a larger beer conglomerate which moved all operations to Newark, NJ, resulting in the loss of good-paying jobs in the Latrobe area. But there are far more important issues on the minds of the townsfolk.

Ask whom she might vote for in the coming presidential primary election and Nash McCabe, 52, seems almost relieved to be able to unpack the dossier she has been collecting in her head.

It is not about whom she likes, but more a bill of particulars about why she cannot vote for Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

“How can I vote for a president who won’t wear a flag pin?” Mrs. McCabe, a recently unemployed clerk typist, said in a booth at the Valley Dairy luncheonette in this quiet, small city in western Pennsylvania.

[...]

“I watch him on TV,” Mrs. McCabe said. “I keep looking for that lapel pin.”

Never mind that our economy is collapsing; you just keep on looking for that lapel pin because God knows that is the true measure of the best man or woman to lead this nation.

Asked the same question this week at a sports bar, Bob Stano, an engineer and a hunter, cradled his chin for a long minute.

“I really do like Barack Obama,” Mr. Stano said, mentioning Mr. Obama before anyone else. “Except for his politics, he seems like a good thing for the country.”

His "politics" happens to be centered on the 2nd amendment in Mr. Stano's mind. Yep, the one about guns. Because if we're going to shred the constitution, all the other amendments are disposable except THAT one.

“I don’t say this because he’s black, but the guy just seems arrogant to me, the way he expects things to go his way,” said Harry Brobst, a truck driver who had never registered to vote until this year.

Excuse me? Arrogant? Is this the same level of arrogance which led us into a war in Iraq? And what about Hillary? Oh, no arrogance there!

Arrogance isn't Hillary's problem though; it's her.. {ahem}.. emotion.

Deb Friedline, an insurance agent here, said Mrs. Clinton was too likely to make decisions based on emotion, but when asked if that was because the senator is a woman, Ms. Friedline said, “No, I honestly don’t think of her as a woman.”

Anyhow, it's so refreshing that Latrobe, a city where the residents are 99% white, isn't showing signs of racism.

Gail Delsordo, who said she would vote for Mr. McCain, added: “I don’t see Obama as a ‘color,’ but I do think he needs to get away from mimicking Dr. Martin Luther King. I’m not degrading Dr. King. I liked what he stood for, and it’s a shame what happened to him. But Obama needs to be his own person.”

I am 1,456 miles from Latrobe but somehow I can still smell bullshit. What an extraordinary olfaction I have.

“When I worked in the steel mill, there were always a few guys who were black,” Robert Bradish said. “But you wouldn’t even know they were black, we got along so well.”

But back to that ex-brewery, home of Rolling Rock:

A new company came in that employs fewer people, mostly at lower wages.

“I’m making $5 an hour less than I did before,” said Rick Musick, who parked his truck outside the brewery just before the 5 p.m. shift.

Like almost everyone interviewed in Latrobe, Mr. Musick said he was worried about the economy, health care and the price of gasoline.

He said he did not “know what to make of Obama.” Mr. Musick said he had liked the senator but then decided that he did not “for a bunch of reasons.”

“It’s not about race,” he added. “It’s about a feeling I have.”

I have a feeling as well. Most of the people interviewed for this article are idiots with terribly misplaced priorities.

Ya'll have fun on April 22 and remember: it's all about God, Guns, Flags, and Feelings. All our other problems will self-correct over time.

Crossposted at Big Brass Blog

It's an ATM, Not a Voting Machine

Hello! There's a paper trail you idiots!

A cash machine outside a supermarket in Hull in northern England began giving out double the money requested for several hours on Tuesday, drawing a crowd of hundreds eager to take advantage of the error.

[...]

“People were calling their mates up and telling them to get down there,” a passer-by told The Hull Daily Mail. After several hours the machine ran out of money.

Yes, that would tend to happen when hoardes of imbeciles are lining up to withdraw $1200 and be given a receipt for a $600 withdrawal. Maybe the local economy got an unexpected stimulus boost until charges are filed against those making withdrawals.

Governor Rick "Goodhair" Perry of Texas Is An Idiot

FYI, if you Google "Governor Goodhair" the 2nd match is a link directly to the official website of our esteemed Texas governor. He had this to say in Sunday's New York Times Magazine about the efforts to keep gays out of the Boy Scouts of America:

I am pretty clear about this one. Scouting ought to be about building character, not about sex. Period. Precious few parents enroll their boys in the Scouts to get a crash course in sexual orientation."

He said "period!" I am not kidding.

And it is so refreshing to be reminded that being gay is ALL about sex and nothing else. I frequently forget while I'm out in the world doing normal stuff, or writing a blog post, I'm supposed to be spread-eagle in the bed or perhaps on the kitchen table getting my ass pounded constantly -- preferably by a steady stream of men I don't know who are lined up at my door for their turn. So I'd like to send a big Thank You to the fine Governor for reminding me.

That's really what being gay is all about you know. It's one of the major differences between gays and heterosexual men -- sex is just not a big part of their lives.

The Bush Effect

Pardon me for cropping the head off an ass.

“At this moment, somewhere in the world terrorists are planning attacks on our country,’’ President Bush said in a brief, televised statement from the Oval Office this morning. “Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison.

Last night when I saw a video clip of Bush warning us that the terrorists were ready to unleash more terror on our shores that would make 9/11 pale in comparison unless he gets what he wants (telecom immunity and wiretapping abilities), I can't even tell you in this space what I said to txrad. It wasn't any kind of threat in any way whatsoever. In fact, it was a short question, very bluntly put forth during a spontaneous fit of outrage.

Sometimes Bush makes me so angry I instinctively have a verbal fuse-blowing event. There was no way in hell I could put those feelings into words. Thankfully, I don't have to. Melissa already did it fucking brilliantly. She ripped him a new asshole which is a far kinder thing than my speculative question last night.

Obama/Edwards '08?

I keep fantasizing about my dream ticket. txrad predicted last year we would have a Clinton/Edwards ticket and I would certainly have gone for that. But a Edwards/Clinton ticket would be far more palatable.

Now that we in entering a right-wing freak-out mode over the possibility of a Osama bin Laden Saddam Hussein Barack Obama nomination, complete with email smears circulating and other negative tactics being put into play, I'm having second third fourth thoughts.

My brother forwarded me an email he received. It's one of those nasty chain e-mails intended to inject fear and prejudice, and basically smear the shit of out the most-feared candidate. And you guessed it, it's directed squarely at that half-white guy from Illinois.

OBAMA'S BACKGROUND CHECK !!!!!!
If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to
all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us
here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and
share it.

If I were the praying type, I'd pray for these stupid assholes to seek mental health counseling, which is a far nicer thing to say than what I first typed and then deleted because it would be cruel to inflict my gut-desires on their inbred offspring. It's a damn good thing they have the Muslim issue to rail against, otherwise they'd have to resort to just plain old racism. And that's soooo ... 2007.

Who is Barack Obama?
Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu , Hawaii , to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel , Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHIEST from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.? When Obama was! 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia . Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school."

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy..

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own!!!!

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading our country?...... NOT ME!!!

Yes, please forward to everyone you know. Because we need to know who the stupid pricks are. Personally, this is all it would take to strike a name from my list of "friends."

I was going to highlight all the keywords in red, but since the author of this asshattery put those in CAPS, it saves me some time.

These nutbags are obsessed with Obama's middle name being Hussein, and they use it as often as possible in their warped craving to cast Obama as a {ahem} dark demon. Christ, I wish the Republican nominee's middle name would be Hinckley. Because it's the same issue: irfuckingrelevant.

It's gotten to the point where I almost prefer a nominee on the Democratic side who is going to cause the biggest meltdown of the lunatic fringe whackjobs who circulate this bullshit. Perhaps they would suffer mental breakdowns rendering them incapable of thinking (they seem to have surpassed that level already), speaking or writing. That would also be a much-needed positive change for the country.

Well, Aren't We In a Foul Mood Tonight?

Why, yes we are.

txrad just deleted AmericaBlog from his favorites list. I told him I never go there. Haven't been there in 4 months at least. Don't even miss it.

As for me, I've had an unpleasant day dealing with corporate red tape. And if I get dealt much more piles of shit, I may delete my job.

I have bent over backwards and busted my ass for more than 8 months now. I never let anything drop through the cracks and I work long hours. I have no qualms whatsoever about working over the weekend. I'll do what it takes because I like what I do and I play for the team.

The only problem is my laptop is a piece of shit with a small screen and poor resolution. A few months ago I asked for and received a docking station with a pedestal for a nice monitor which is so much easier on my eyes than using the laptop alone. I've tried using the laptop by itself at home, and while I can do it, I can't be at the same level of productivity as I am when I have the monitor and a full-size keyboard. So I found a box in the mail room, and managed to fit all the components of the docking station into it perfectly.

I brought it home with me on the Thursday & Friday when I had to be here for the carpet installation, and I worked over the weekend. I brought it home on two other weekends. The most recent was last weekend, after we received instructions at the end of Friday which needed to be implemented as early as possible on Monday. I worked Sunday afternoon from 2:00 until 9:00 in the evening.

It's a bit of an inconvenience to box that stuff up and take it to and from work. I asked my boss today if I could get another docking station to just have here at home so I'd only need to bring the laptop, dock it, and do what I needed to do.

The reply was something along the lines of "we do not provide docking stations for when you opt to work at home."

That's the way things are at my place of employ. No explanation. No "I'm sorry but.."

They're just abrupt and to the point.

I replied, "OK, I'll just go on Ebay and see if I can find one cheap."

At least my boss had the courtesy to reply with a comical line: "Good idea. If it's any consolation, we have executive VPs who don't get docking stations at home."

I felt better. For awhile.

Later, I bumped into an IT person. I had emailed her earlier this week asking about getting a 2nd docking station, since there was obviously a glut of unused ones (supposedly over 100 people have given notice and left in the past month).

She started to apologize and I explained to her what my boss told me and I said I'm fine with it. I told her I'd just buy one off the internet.

Seriously, I never thought this was a big deal. I've researched them on Ebay and I can get the docking station & monitor pedestal for $99 plus shipping. We're not talking gold bricks here.

I continued my conversation with the IT person and she suggested I speak to someone else and maybe he'd approve it. Ahhhh, exceptions can be made. Imagine that.

But honestly, I'm all about convenience and getting my work done. I don't even need the $99 pedestal. I have found port replicators on Ebay that would work with my laptop for anywhere from $19 to $30-something. I have an extra monitor and I'd be all set.

I thought this was the end of my dilemma until I received an email from the IT supervisor late this afternoon. It went something like this:

I could not help but overhear a conversation in our IT department today about you and your docking station. Would you mind if I ask you how much equipment you have removed from [contrived new company name] on a regular basis?

OK, konagod, get a grip.

Knowing what I know about corporate culture, and it's been a long while since I have been in corporate culture, and I've NEVER been in one as big and corporate and bullshitty as this one, but I can see the writing on the wall. This guy was probably gathering data so he can load his guns. Shit is probably about to hit the fans.

If I am called into a meeting and presented with a piece of paper to sign which in any way casts doubts upon my intentions or my integrity, I am going to think long and hard about making their lives utterly miserable.

I am not a thief. What I do, I do because I am trying to manage an account as effectively as possible. I have huge responsibilities. I am solely responsible for about 30% of a major telecommunications giant's television ad campaign. And I'm getting shit over some plastic docking station and a cheap monitor?

My God. I can barely read this post without exploding.

If I were to walk out, they would need to hire 3 people to replace me. And that's no joke.

What is a joke is that they don't seem to know that simple fact.

Bumper Sticker of the Week Award

Goes to the stupid bitch in our neighborhood who drives the Toyota SUV with the asinine bumper stickers:

1. Peace - The Old Fashioned Way (a bomber over an American flag was the imagery accompanying the punch line.)

2. If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.

Now, pardon my French, but what the fuck? What soldier can claim responsibility for me reading in English? And what difference does it make what language I'm reading as long as I can read? And if I couldn't read her stupid-ass sticker, should I not thank a soldier? What if I could read it in English but didn't know what I was saying? What if I could read it in English and didn't know what the fuck she was on about?

I'm so very confused.