This blog will focus on political images I have found all around the Internet, though I will intersperse some commentary and quotes that I find interesting.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Turn-about Is Not Fair Play
Summary: Rush Limbaugh has called the MoveOn.org "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" advertisement "contemptible" and "indecent," but months earlier, on his radio show, he told his audience that he had a new name for Senator Chuck Hagel: "Senator Betrayus." Though Limbaugh has taken exception to accusations that he has attacked the patriotism of his political opponents, the "Senator Betrayus" remark is one of several instances in which Limbaugh has done so.
From Media Matters
The Surge is Working!
Yep - Iraqis are surging out of their country, looking for asylum...
From Air America
According to the Iraqi Red Crescent, there has been a massive increase in the amount of Iraqis forced to abandon their homes in August. The majority of Iraqis are leaving in order to escape the violence and many are trying to find a new life all the way in Brazil. Palestinian Ghazi Shaheen, who lived with his family in Iraq, left the country "because there was no safety. You never knew who was going to knock on your door and try to kill one of your family."
From Air America
She's Not That Way
Hillary Clinton denied rumors posted by the right-wing douchebags of the world that she's a lesbian.
It's an interesting little article - well written - at Wonkette.
While Mrs. Senator Clinton doesn’t share a house with another woman, has never been caught soliciting sex from women in a bathroom, has never been accused of molesting pages or junior staffers, and has yet to be caught strangling a mistress or hiring hookers or divorcing her spouse in the hospital or during a press conference, a strange group of angry old white people — who, with the notable exception of Richard Mellon Scaife, are all kind of poor and fat — have spent the past two decades obsessed with “Hitlary” and her many crimes against nature and god, such as supposedly being a lesbian (because any woman married to a man who has affairs automatically “becomes” teh gayz) and murdering dozens of people, mostly brave Arkansas state troopers and Vince Foster.
It's an interesting little article - well written - at Wonkette.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Say What?
I think this cartoon is a little misguided. It's the Republicans who can't get past the "gay" issue - attempting to outlaw gay marriage all the while hiding their own sexual deviations from the their religious code. The philosophy of most Dems on this issue is "live and let live."
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Empty Promises
Not so much a surprise, but amusing, nonetheless...
From Telegraph.co.uk
President Bush may like to be seen as a swaggering tough guy with a penchant for manly outdoor pursuits, but in a new book one of his closest allies has said he is afraid of horses.
George W Bush saddles up,but where is the horse?Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, derided his political friend as a "windshield cowboy" – a cowboy who prefers to drive – and "the cockiest guy I have ever met in my life".
From Telegraph.co.uk
Ready For More Internment Camps
Yep, it looks like some of the Republicans are looking to set up internment camps, much as we had for the Japanese during WW II. I think they forget what we fight wars for - to protect our liberties, not to deny them.
From Politico.com
New York Rep. Peter King, a prominent House Republican, said there are “too many mosques in this country” in a recent interview with Politico. “There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam,” King said. “We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them.”
From Politico.com
Without A Doubt - Make It Up
Presidential candidates like to look cock-sure about everything. How awful if they waffle on an issue (look at how the Republicans beat up on John Kerry over his flip-flopping in the run-up toe the 2004 election). But here's a good one from Hollywood Fred just over a couple of weeks ago.
From the Washington Post's Fact-Checker
"If you look back over our history, it will not take you long to realize that our people have shed more blood for other people's liberty than any other combination of nations in the history of the world." -- Fred Thompson, stump speech in Iowa, September 6, 2007.
Fact Check: While heavy, U.S. military casualties are still relatively low in comparison to the military casualties of its World War II and World War I allies. In World War II alone, the Soviet Union suffered at least eight million military deaths, or ten times the number of U.S. deaths in all wars combined.
From the Washington Post's Fact-Checker
History Repeated
Although Lyndon Johnson was a liberal Democrat, he was saddled with an unpopular war and felt pressure from the military to continue the fight. He got as defensive with the war protesters as does GWB now.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Another One
Yep, another "holier-than-thou" hypocrite caught in a sex scandal. Must be the season for assholes to come out of their burrows.
Read more at Click On Detroit
A U.S. Justice Department official has been arrested on suspicion of traveling to Detroit over the weekend to have sex with a minor.
John David R. Atchison, 53, an assistant U.S. attorney from the northern district of Florida, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Detroit Monday afternoon.
Read more at Click On Detroit
More Republican Hypocrisy
I keep the focus here on the hypocrisy of the Republicans...they really don't believe in anything. They just blow whichever way the political winds blow them...
From Daily Kos
Now:
"It's bad enough when politicians turn their backs on a war they voted for and supported when it was popular," Cheney said Monday. "But no one in politics, regardless of party, should hesitate to object when an American soldier at war is mocked and insulted."
Then:
Delegates to the Republican National Convention found a new way to take a jab at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam service record: by sporting adhesive bandages with small purple hearts on them.Do they even believe the shit they say?
From Daily Kos
Political Poster
Perhaps I'm a bit thick - I don't get the relationship between the "Careless Talk" bit and the "Terrorism Funding" bit - looks like a poor mash-up to me. Maybe one of you can explain this?
Alan Greenspan - It's All About The Oil
Crooks and Liars has a neat little take on Alan Greenspan's new book, and caps it off with this gem...
Read the entire (short) report on Crooks and Liars...
Without elaborating, he writes, “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.”
Read the entire (short) report on Crooks and Liars...
Monday, September 24, 2007
Reminiscing
In 20 years, will this be the way we remember the Iraq war? The Republicans think so - pacifism is defeat, in their view.
Who's To Blame?
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is, after blundering your way into a mistake, to blame someone else for the problem and to point the finger at someone else for not coming up with the solution?
From Yahoo News.
Iraqi lawmakers said on Saturday that Washington should take responsibility for the turmoil in Iraq and stop blaming Baghdad, Iran and Syria.
Frustrated by criticism from the United States over their slow progress towards political goals meant to foster national reconciliation, Iraqi leaders said Washington would be better served by examining its own progress in the unpopular war.
From Yahoo News.
Who Is God?
God plays such an important part in the history of the world - just what sort of guy is He? Is He kind? Is He loving? Is he vindictive and mean? Hmmmm...
More Bad News
The Republicans offer lots of positive OPINION on how things are going in Iraq, but is there ever any good NEWS?
From Yahoo News
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The political movement loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr quit Iraq's ruling Shi'ite Alliance on Saturday, leaving Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition in a precarious position in parliament.
The move further weakens the ruling coalition, which even before the defection had failed to push through laws aimed at reconciling Iraq's warring majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Arabs.
From Yahoo News
Iraqi Vote
Cox and Forkum produces cartoons representing the conservative view of American politics. In this one, I do believe they thought that the Iraqi elections would put down the violence in Iraq. Could it be that the conservatives were wrong AGAIN? How could it be? How can they be wrong every time?
Flip-Flop
Hmmm - let's see. Never allowing new information to influence your opinion on a subject sounds Republican. But then, there's this...
Friday, September 21, 2007
Coalition Crumbles
The Coalition of the Willing continues to fall apart. This sad news from TPM Muckraker...
We had come so close to finding 34 of President Bush's 36 countries with troops in Iraq. But now it appears we won't be at 34 for long: next month, Iceland, part of the NATO mission to Iraq, is pulling out its one lone soldier.
Crazy Fundamentalists
If you've read my blog before, you know I dislike religious fundamentalists - I think they're nucking futz. Here's more proof of my theory...
From WZZM13.com
Two officials at a Christian boot camp in Texas face charges after they allegedly tied a 15-year-old girl to a van with a rope and dragged her after she fell behind during a run.The two officials with Love Demonstrated Ministries face aggravated assault charges for the June incident.
Authorities say Charles Flowers ordered camp worker Stephanie Bassitt to run alongside the girl after she fell behind. When the girl stopped running, Bassitt allegedly yelled at her and pinned her to the ground while Flowers tied a rope to her. A witness reported seeing the girl being dragged on her stomach at least three times.
From WZZM13.com
More Republican Crimes
No need to ask why, on the following story. We all know the answer - because Republicans believe in the private enterprise system, and that system includes using your government influence to steal for your family and friends...
Read more at Raw Story.
An independent watchdog agency has asked the Department of Education to investigate why President Bush's younger brother, Neil, has received money earmarked for the president's signature education initiative to sell a curriculum program that has not been subjected to the rigorous evaluation it deserves.
Read more at Raw Story.
Trashing the Dems
This does NOT represent my brand of politics, but it is funny in a very gross, disgusting way.
Can You Tell The Difference?
They have both started wars, they have both told lies, they both appear on TV and they both are religious fanatics. Is there very much difference?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Charities Serve Themselves
Always be careful of the charities to which you donate. I've been cautious about the Red Cross ever since we had a tornado pass through our town and a number of local folks donated to the Red cross to help out the local victims. We soon learned that the organization does not, in turn, help the victims to rebuild. They make financial loans, pass out some food and blankets and then a lot of the money goes into a general fund to pay those in their corporate headquarters who earn huge salaries.
The following bit is from the New York Post which does tend to sensationalize stories, so read with some skepticism...
Read more at the New York Post
The following bit is from the New York Post which does tend to sensationalize stories, so read with some skepticism...
A charity that tapped the influence of former President Bill Clinton and ex-Sen. Bob Dole and raised more than $125 million to send the children of 9/11 to college is stiffing families it promised to help, The Post has learned.
Read more at the New York Post
Good Aim!
I am not responsible for the grammatical error in the text photoshopped over this photo, but the point is that the US managed to kill a lot of civilians with their smart bombs during the two Iraq wars.
Say It Ain't So, Al!
I'm not sure what point the right-wing nutjobs were trying to make with this mashup - there's no reference to the environment, or to the Presidential election of 2000 - but for the plain old fun of disparaging someone, this works.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Fred Stumbles
Unh-oh. This isn't going to help creepy Uncle Fred very much....
From Wonkette
In another blistering attack on conservative “values” voters, Hollywood Fred Thompson told South Carolina Republicans on Sunday that he isn’t a member of a church and only attends services when he visits his elderly mom in Tennessee. Even worse, Thompson says he won’t talk about religion while campaigning because it creeps him out — remember that George Bush Junior only won the reluctant support of Republican primary voters by jabbering about Jesus all the time.
From Wonkette
Education:The Truth
Myths About U.S. Students
Taking issue with data released last year by the U.S. Department of Education, The Washington Post refuted five myths about how American students are really performing on the international circuit:
Myth #1: U.S. students rate poorly compared to students in the rest of the world.
Truth: This is only the case if you pick and choose the results. In subjects like math and science, U.S. students performed in the middle of the pack - not great, but hardly a crisis. By the same token, no country scored higher than the United States in civics. And in reading, American students outperformed 87 percent of the students in other industrialized nations.
Myth #2: U.S. students are falling behind.
Truth: As the "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies" (TTMSS) shows, American eighth graders actually boosted their scores in math and science in 1995, 1999, and 2003, despite an increasing, percentage of diverse learners. Nevertheless, focus is often placed on where American students rank instead of on their improvement. This makes it seem that other countries are doing better.
Myth #3: U.S. students will be ill-prepared for the 21st century workforce. This myth is part of the never-ending notion that U.S. schools are in crisis.
Truth: This concern has been around since the turn of the 19th century when business leaders blamed schools when workers weren't adequately prepared. What's more, in the 20th century, headlines such as "Crisis in Education" and A Nation at Risk caused people to wonder whether America could possibly have a single citizen capable of producing or inventing a thing.
Myth #4: Bad schooling has undermined America's competitiveness. Truth: Last year the World Economic Forum dropped the United States from first to sixth place in its survey of international economies. This decline had nothing to do with school performance but rather with trade deficits, a low savings rate, tax cuts, and the federal government's increased spending on defense and homeland security.
Myth #5: How we stack up on international tests matters, if only for national pride.
Truth: Indeed, we are a nation of achievers and take pride in being number one. But if being first in education is our goal, shouldn't we also want to be first in other things linked closely to academic achievement, such as providing quality health care to every child, trimming the obesity problem, or wiping out homeless-ness? Making the quality of life better for all children is the target, no matter whether the United States is first on the SATs or not.
Source: The Washington Post
Taking issue with data released last year by the U.S. Department of Education, The Washington Post refuted five myths about how American students are really performing on the international circuit:
Myth #1: U.S. students rate poorly compared to students in the rest of the world.
Truth: This is only the case if you pick and choose the results. In subjects like math and science, U.S. students performed in the middle of the pack - not great, but hardly a crisis. By the same token, no country scored higher than the United States in civics. And in reading, American students outperformed 87 percent of the students in other industrialized nations.
Myth #2: U.S. students are falling behind.
Truth: As the "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies" (TTMSS) shows, American eighth graders actually boosted their scores in math and science in 1995, 1999, and 2003, despite an increasing, percentage of diverse learners. Nevertheless, focus is often placed on where American students rank instead of on their improvement. This makes it seem that other countries are doing better.
Myth #3: U.S. students will be ill-prepared for the 21st century workforce. This myth is part of the never-ending notion that U.S. schools are in crisis.
Truth: This concern has been around since the turn of the 19th century when business leaders blamed schools when workers weren't adequately prepared. What's more, in the 20th century, headlines such as "Crisis in Education" and A Nation at Risk caused people to wonder whether America could possibly have a single citizen capable of producing or inventing a thing.
Myth #4: Bad schooling has undermined America's competitiveness. Truth: Last year the World Economic Forum dropped the United States from first to sixth place in its survey of international economies. This decline had nothing to do with school performance but rather with trade deficits, a low savings rate, tax cuts, and the federal government's increased spending on defense and homeland security.
Myth #5: How we stack up on international tests matters, if only for national pride.
Truth: Indeed, we are a nation of achievers and take pride in being number one. But if being first in education is our goal, shouldn't we also want to be first in other things linked closely to academic achievement, such as providing quality health care to every child, trimming the obesity problem, or wiping out homeless-ness? Making the quality of life better for all children is the target, no matter whether the United States is first on the SATs or not.
Source: The Washington Post
Republican View of Environmentalists
Since the Republicans can't really dispute the facts about global warming, one of their strategies is to attack those who deliver the message they don't like. This (see below) actually makes no sense unless you are brain-cell deprived.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Political Joke (and I Don't Mean George Bush)
Laura Bush bought George a parrot for his birthday. She told Dick Cheney, "The bird is so smart, George has already taught him to pronounce more than 200 words.
"
"Wow, that's impressive," Cheney said. "But you do realize he just says the words; he doesn't really understand what they mean."
"That's fine," Laura replied. "Neither does the parrot."
"
"Wow, that's impressive," Cheney said. "But you do realize he just says the words; he doesn't really understand what they mean."
"That's fine," Laura replied. "Neither does the parrot."
Sunday, September 16, 2007
James Dobson Retreats
A year or two back I got cornered, in a booth in a restaurant, by a Dobson fanatic. I had to listen for 20 minutes (I didn't want to be rude to this acquaintance who was lecturing to me) to the virtues of this nutjob Dobson. I wonder just how dumb you have to be to think that Dobson is the one true voice of Christian family values in this world?
James Dobson’s batshit organization lays off 30 people because nobody’s giving money anymore because nobody hates fags or believes in Jesus enough.
From Wonkette.
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