RoguePlanet

Happy Turkee Day!

Gone for a few days. See y'all next week.

It's hard livin' with the law

Chris Whitley dead at 45.

"Living With the Law" is one of my desert island discs. Maybe THE one.

It's so noble and tough and pure to call evil by its name

which is, of course, "Evil." Some people like to negotiate with Evil and appease Evil and try to live with Evil, but not me. I kick Evil's ass, and take Evil's name. Every day.

Sure, OK, calling Evil by its name hasn't helped me defeat Evil as of yet. But still, Evil knows that I am not afraid to call it by its name. It fears me. That's why my house has not been the target of any suicide bombers, or "homicide bombers," as I like to call them, to distinguish them from peace bombers.

Inspiration for this post came from the noble Evil-defeaters quoted here at World O'Crap.

Bob Woodward headline: "Bush's Giant Cock: Liability or Huge Asset?"

This will explain all.

Sorry 'bout the vulgarity. Thass wha' happens when I drink and post.

I love

this post. The whole thing, not just the first line, which is classic.

Bush v. Door

Yes, I know, you've already seen this. I just couldn't resist that post title.

He doesn't look quite as dopey in the actual video. It's sort of unfair to focus on this, isn't it? But then a few bloggers making sport of Dumbya hardly compares to the national media sniggering over Dean's scream for a solid week.

Good thing I'm stronger than Michael J. Totten

I was a meeting last night (yes, on FRIDAY night, damn it) and things quickly got very contentious. One man in the back of the room kept shouting (in a grating Yankee accent) unfounded accusations and insults at other people. When I spoke up in defense of someone he interrupted me, screaming, "YOU MUST BE RELATED TO GEORGE W. BUSH!" My jaw dropped. It was a bizarre thing to say - the meeting had nothing to do w/politics, and the discussion, or shoutfest as it were, was completely apolitical. Or should have been. What prompted the Bush reference? Was Mr. Asshole comparing to me George W. because I was inarticulate? I doubt it, because I had gotten only a few words out of my mouth before he interrupted me and I hadn't mispronunciated any of them.

Anyway, it was appalling to realize that I share any political sentiments with this hostile, rude, loudmouthed fool. If I weren't made of sterner stuff than Michael J. Totten, I'd have turned Republican on the spot.

Ethel Freeman

Laid to rest.

Via Desi at Mia Culpa.

Shorter Atlas Shrugs

"Woo hoo! Check out my TITS!"

"How DARE you stare at my breasts, you filthy man!" [SLAP!!]


Here's the Wolcott post that started it. And don't miss tbogg.

Toolbert.

I misunderestimated Republicans, again

You know, when I wrote that last post about how Bush was claiming that "the Democrats thrust war upon us" I was kidding, sorta. But apparently that IS the actual latest talking point. The faxes and emails have gone out.

Witness this letter, which I did not make up, in today's The State (Columbia, South Carolina) newspaper:

Without a doubt, we would not be engaged in Iraq today without the groundwork laid by former President Clinton, Al Gore, Sens. John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, and the like.

Beginning in 1998 and continuing at least into 2002, these present and former leaders have spoken about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and the need to remove him from power.

With such convincing groundwork having been laid, the current administration had little choice but to continue down the road on which President Clinton and others in his administration had set out.

My hope is that the former administration was not lying or misleading the American public just to move the country toward war.

RON SHEALY

Lexington

(emphasis mine) Bejus. At this rate, next month Bush and Cheney will be marching on Capitol Hill, chanting "bring them home now!"

Do not taunt Happy Fun Bush

Shorter (and hilarious) new White House spin: "The Democrats thrust this war upon us!"


("Shorter" concept stolen from busybusybusy)

Tater

Let Annti tell it.

Why is this even a subject of debate?

Kevin Drum and his commenters and other bloggers, like the hottie Ezra Klein (follow the links from Political Animal) discuss the politics of holding doors open for people.

Well, DUH. Of COURSE you hold the door open for people behind you. It would be plain rude not to. I always hold the door for people, male or female. Unless they're on crutches.

Some men, insecure Republican men mostly, see the evil influence of hairy-pitted feminism at work when a female is insufficiently grateful for their door-holding skills. That's what happens when politics infuses your every daily interaction, I guess. I mean, if I hold the door for a guy, and he doesn't even say thanks, I don't assume he's a macho neanderthal right wing jerk - I just assume he's a jerk, period. Likewise, fellas, if a woman doesn't acknowledge your politeness in holding the door for her, it may not be because she's a feminist bitch. She's probably just a bitch (or having a bad day). Rudeness and ingratitude know no political boundaries.

Me, I always smile and say "thanks" when people hold the door for me. And when a man steps ahead of me to get the door and, in gentlemanly fashion, let me precede him through the door, I don't get all bra-burningly huffy - instead, I give him an extra big smile. I love it when guys do that. Sue me.

Another cool thing to do, guys, is when you're sitting down, and a woman approaches your table, stand up until she sits down. It's so southern, old-fashioned, and chivalrous. And if a woman has any dad-gum sense at all, she'll appreciate it. Also: if you approach a table with a woman (or lady or chick or broad), do not RACE her to the best seat. Instead, you let her pick her seat and then you suavely hold the chair for her. I taught a guy friend from up north to do that. It was alien and strange to him, but the next time I saw him, he reported that the chicks really dug it.

What other incentive do you need, fellas, to be a teeny bit old-fashioned?

But I digress. Holding the door for people behind you isn't chivalrous or old-fashioned, it's just basic decency.

Another rule of door etiquette is, if a third party is holding the door, and you approach the door a fraction of a second behind yet another party, you do not attempt to cram your person through the door before the other party. Of course, there are some people who just don't get basic door etiquette. Bless their hearts . . .

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He ain't no nice guy after all

Remember how Lindsey Graham spoke out against the United States engaging in torture? How he said, "When you are the good guys, you've got to act like the good guys?" And how you thought, even though he's an extreme right winger, maybe he has a shred of decency? Of integrity?

Well, you thought wrong.

My own opinion is that Graham has taken so much grief from the most vocal, rabid wingnuts in South Carolina for his participation in the "gang of 14" judicial nomination "compromise" - he was pilloried as a traitor to the cause by the semi-literate loons for weeks in the letters sections of South Carolina newspapers - that he now feels like he has to pander like crazy.

Sure, I could be wrong. But can you think of any other reason why he would support such un-American legislation?

And it ain't just us moonbats who think he's on the wrong side of this issue.

(See also Political Animal)

Update: The Editors show Senator Graham no mercy in a superlative post. That's why they're The Editors, and I'm not.

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford gets the national attention

he so richly deserves: "Time" magazine has named him one of America's three worst governors:

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is one of the nation’s three worst state chief executives, an article in Time magazine says.

The magazine, on newsstands today, notes South Carolina’s loss of its AAA credit rating under Sanford’s watch. And it also mentions his reputation for penny pinching.

Virtual hugs to NTodd

Who will be taking his lovely elderly kitty, Saffron, to the veterinarian for the last time tomorrow.

"There won't be any orifices in Ave Maria Town

'cause we're gonna sew'em all shut."


Via Roger Ailes, whose post about this has the best title EVER.

Sorry 'bout the light blogging this week

I was busy celebrating my BIRTHDAY.

Finally, I'm old enough to drink legally . . .

Just because you're paranoid

doesn't mean your cat's not out to get you:

[A] Washington, D.C.-area psychiatrist has found that people with schizophrenia were more likely to have had pet cats as young children, or their mothers kept the animals during their pregnancies.

In fact, your cat probably IS out to get you.

Update: It's worse than I thought. Just look at this cat, displaying his eye-dee-ology of hate . . .

{{{The beach!}}}

I went to the beach this afternoon and dolphins were frolicking everywhere. I've never seen so many. Usually you see a handful of them, maybe four or five, but today there was one huge group, and more all along the beach. They were rolling and plunging and showing off, the way they do, and one baby dolphin kept shooting straight out of the water like he hadn't mastered the rolling technique, and falling back in.

And the water was astonishingly not-cold. There were a few people swimming, and they weren't even Canadian. Tomorrow I'm wearing my bikini down there . . .

News flash

Filthy rich corporations don't actually NEED any more tax breaks:

WASHINGTON — Hoping to fend off a potential windfall profits tax, leaders of the five biggest U.S. oil companies denied before two Senate committees on Wednesday that they gouged consumers while earning recent record profits.

The Senate Energy and Commerce committees called in five oil industry captains to explain their controversial combined third-quarter profits of $32.8 billion and what are expected to be industrywide annual profits approaching $100 billion. Those profits came from American consumers who paid more than $3 a gallon for gasoline this fall and face record home-heating costs this winter.

******

To the visible shock of some Republicans, all five executives said under questioning by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that they don't need the $2.6 billion in tax credits contained in energy legislation that President Bush signed over the summer. Wyden plans to try to revoke those tax credits.

Shorter Mullah Pat Robertson

"God is a petty, vindictive bastard."


("Shorter" concept stolen from busybusybusy)

President Bush Meets With President Torrijos of Panama

Transcript reprinted from the White House web site:

PRESIDENT BUSH: -- Thankee. I'm very happy to be here. I look forward to going to the Panama Canal. I am most impressed by the management of the Canal. Those who are responsible for the Panama Canal have done an excellent job, and this is beneficial to the world. And I congratulate you for that. And I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

I'm also looking forward to paying our respects to -- by laying the wreath. I'm also looking forward to seeing some of the Panamanian baseball stars. People around here know how to play baseball, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of your stars, Mr. President. So thanks for -- thanks for letting us come. Thanks for inviting me. I 'preciate it very much.

You know, just a few minutes ago one of your -- one of your reporters asked me a question. He asked me if I thought Scooter Libby would be acquitalled.

And so I told him, I said, "I 'preciate that question, Pedro. But that's a trick question, and I'm not gonna answer it."

See, lemme just, lemme take this opportunity to explain somethin' to y'all 'bout 'Merican justice. See, in America we have this thing called "presumed innocent."

"Presumed innocent" means you're presumed innocent. That means not guilty, not guilty until a jury of your peers, twelve citizens, doin' their duty. See, in America we have what's called a "fair trial."

"Fair trial" means you get to tell your side of the story. And then the jury decides if you're guilty or innocence.

My point is this: It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. And the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

That's a sayin' we have in Texas, maybe you have it here . . . heh heh.

Anyway, that's how we do things in America. So I'm not gonna commentate or speculate on it.

Anyway, I'd like to thank President . . . President Torreejoe. I appreciate your havin' me here, President. 'Preciate it very much.

We had a very good discussion, and it's important we have discussions, because we're friends. That's what friends do, they discuss things, various matters. And one of the matters we discussed was, how do we work together to improve the lives of our respective citizens? And one way is through trade. We're in the midst of negotiating a free trade agreement with Panama. See, "free trade" means there's trade. And it's free. So that's what we're talkin' 'bout.

And I told the President this free trade agreement is important for America, as he told me it's important for Panama. And we're close to coming to an agreement, and we'll continue to work on that agreement for the good of our respective peoples.

I also told him that I was pleased with the leadership of Panama and Argentina. Twenty-nine nations said, loud and clear, it's important for us to continue to advance a trade agenda that is positive for the people of this hemisphere. And I appreciated your government's stance on that, Mr. President. You're acting in the interest of your people.

And speaking about the interest of the people, let me say that I appreciate the people of Panama. You're a good people, a gifted and talented people.

Panama's a meltin' pot, kinda like America. I see brown faces. I see white faces. Some whiter'n mine.

I see some African-'Merican faces. See, we have African-'Mericans in America too. Those are people that their, their ancestors come from Africa. The great nation of Africa. I see you have lots of African-'Mericans here in Panama too.

Matter of fact one of our fine African-'Mericans just passed on. Rosa Parks. Ms. Parks was a . . . was a fine African-'Merican lady, and we're honorin' her mem'ry. See, we honor her 'cause she wouldn't get off the bus--wouldn't, wouldn't stand up on the bus. See, a white man got on the bus. And she wouldn't stand up. So now we honor her mem'ry. Laura'n'I, we honored her mem'ry just the other day.

I do want to say something about the tornados that recently hit America. I had the -- I called the Governor of Indiana this morning and expressed my deepest condolences for the families who lost lives. I asked him if there was more federal response needed. He felt like the response that we had given was appropriate at the time. And many Americans are now asking God's blessings on those who suffered through this natural disaster.

Mr. President, I'm fully aware that 25,000 of our citizens live in your beautiful country. I can see why: It is a beautiful country. Panama City is a modern, progressive, city, and your government is a modern, progressive government. I congratulate you for your fiscal reforms. I congratulate you for the strong growth of your economy. I appreciate your transparency. I appreciate your strong commitment to fighting corruption. It sends a clear signal not only to the people of this important country, but also to people throughout the region. And it's noble, and it's important that you continue, which I know you will, your very strong leadership. I'm a leadership too, and I know how important it is to be strong.

I look forward to continuing to discuss ways for us to fight narco-trafficking. You've been strong in that. And that's important for our hemisphere, not to allow the narco-traffickers and narco-terrorists and their eye-deology of hate to be able to threaten the stability of democracies. I also appreciate your strong commitment to democracy, itself: rule of law, and freedom to worship, freedom of the press, the ability for governments to be transparent, and governments to have checks and balances so that we deal with the rule of law, not the rule of man. And it's your example, which is an important example for others to see.

And again, I want to thank you very much for your leadership. I also thank you very much for helping another part of the world become free and democratic, and that's in Iraq. And I appreciate the supervisors that you sent to help monitor the elections, to see to it that those -- the vote on the constitution is free and fair. And I congratulate you for that. It's an important gesture, recognizing that -- a gesture that recognizes that freedom is universal in its application, and that democracy is the best way to lay the groundwork for peace.

And I finally want to thank you very much for the condolences and offers of assistance you gave to our people after Hurricane Katrina. You're, indeed, a good friend, and I'm proud to be here to confirm that friendship.

Now if you all will excuse us, President Torreedo an' I got some leadership to do.

Watch this drive . . .

Like YOU care

Out of town again.

Scalpel! I said SCALPEL, bitch!

Frist was now sputtering. "This is an affront to me personally. It's an affront to our leadership. It's an affront to the United States of America!" Turning sorrowful, he vowed that "for the next year and a half, I can't trust Senator Reid."

"Mr. Leader," one stunned journalist observed, "I don't remember you being so exercised over something before."

"You've never seen me in heart surgery," the senator, a transplant specialist, replied.

Dr. Frist's patients -- not to mention the Tennessee medical licensing board -- may be surprised to learn that he had operating-room rage.

(Via Atrios)

Camel, meet eye of needle

tbogg on Jay Sekulow, filthy rich crusader for Christian rights, which as we all know are under SIEGE in this godless country.

See also Roger Ailes.

Still more news of the IRPB

Recently L.A. Times columnist Michael Hiltzik did an outstanding stint as a guest blogger at Kevin Drum's Political Animal, and now Mr. Hiltik has his own blog, Golden State. I recommend this post in particular. Mr. Hiltzik's certainly not the first blogger to blog about "the promiscuity with which reporters grant anonymity" to sources, but he is an actual journalist, which I think gives extra weight to his criticism of the practice.

Also, we are pleased to report that Desi is alive and well and has a new blog, Mia Culpa.

Michael, formerly of Public Domain Progress, has a redesigned site and new name, Informed Dissent. I think he's still working on the design 'cause you have to scroll way down the front page to find the posts. ;)

Distance celebrates its first anniversary.

Sadly, tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Satan's disappearance from the blogosphere. Can there be any doubt that Bush's plunging fortunes are a direct result of Satan's absence?

Shorter Scotty McLellan

Via Crooks & Liars: "I know I'm full of shit, and you know I'm full of shit, and I'm very comfortable with that."


("Shorter" concept stolen from busybusybusy)

Damn it, I wish I'd thought of that!

Soon to be a classic: Grace at Scriptoids has introduced a recurring feature: "The Point at Which I Stopped Reading."

NEXT!

(Via Atrios)

News of the illustrious Rogue Planet blogroll

Sure, Rogue Planet has launched many big time lefty bloggers. Duncan . . . Josh . . . Markos . . . they all got their start commenting or guest-blogging here at Rogue Planet, back when I started this whole "blogging" craze. Indeed, it has become routine for my proteges to become shining stars of the blogosphere. Still, I'm not jaded - I get a little thrill each time one of my blogrollees hits the big time. So of course I was tickled pink when the brainy and deserving Grace of Scriptoids got a link from The Editors, whom I revere. I was also tickled pink to be, like, DAYS ahead of The Editors, albeit without teh funny. Anyway: Congrats, Grace!

The lovely Desi has done R-U-N-O-F-T again. Dadgum-it, girl, you got to stop doing that!

Starting a few days ago, when one clicked on the link to Desi's former blog, Great Scat, a Blogger error message appeared. "Blog not found" or words to that effect. Then last night, the Great Scat URL yielded a weird new site . . . entitled . . . ahem . . . "Tampa Bukkake Links." Here's the link - if you DARE. The blogroll consists of links with names such as "Tampa Bukkake," "Glory Hole Girls," and "Ass Traffic." I clicked on the "Tampa Bukkake" link, thinking it was some kind of in-joke, no pun intended, and, well, the link takes you straight to a porn site. (Take my word for it, MD! Do NOT click on that site! Don't DO it, I tell you!). So I guess now I gotta scrub the hell out of my 'puter.

I don't know what's going on, but I hope Desi's OK. Drop someone a line, Des.

Anntichrist S. Coulter contributes to the New Orleans economy.

Finally, welcome Mia Culpa to the illustrious Rogue Planet blogroll!

Shorter Senate GOP "Leadership"

"We are deeply saddened that this cheap political stunt by the Democrats has distracted us from eliminating this gigantic deficit that just materialized out of nowhere through no fault of our own."