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.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Dear Cabinet Members
Jake McIntyre aka Trapper John over on Daily Kos had a really funny post. I hope that he doesn't mind that I ripped it off because I'm giving him full credit...
MEMORANDUM
To: Anyone who sent his or her resume to my transition team
From: The President of the United States
Please pay your taxes. We kinda need them, what with the financial crisis and the massive stimulus spending and whatnot. Thanks.
____________
PS: In case you're confused -- personal gifts are things like sweaters and bottles of wine, or -- if you're really lucky -- maybe a Wii or Sox-Yanks tickets or something. If you're honestly deluded enough to believe that daily use of a goddamn Town Car and a goddamn chauffeur is a "gift," you're probably too divorced from everyday reality to work for the people of the United States.
kthxbai, POTUS
Great Words - Humor
“How about President Barack Obama’s first primetime press conference last night? He was cogent, eloquent, and in complete command of the issues. I’m thinking to myself, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?” –David Letterman
“How about this? A celebrity birthday. Today is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s birthday. I’m not saying how old she is, but from her house, she can see 50.” –David Letterman
“Yesterday, when President Obama — this is true — was getting into his helicopter, he accidentally bumped his head on the door. It was in the news, and when he heard about it, President Bush said, ‘See, it’s complicated, right? It’s not so easy. Doors are hard.’” –Conan O’Brien
“How about this? It’s a good example of how strange things are and how time flies. On this date in 2006, then-Vice President Dick Cheney shot his buddy in the face. Tell me again why he’s not in jail? How did that work?” –David Letterman
“And in Minnesota, Republican Norm Coleman, who is in a legal fight with Al Franken over who won the election for Senate, said, ‘God wants me to serve.’ But here is my question. How bad a candidate are you if you can’t win an election when you have the creator of the universe on your side?” –Jay Leno
“And an elderly man in Boynton Beach, Florida, was arrested after he called 911 to report that the Burger King he was standing in had just run out of lemonade. It is so sad to see what’s happened to John McCain since the election.” –Jay Leno
“How about this? A celebrity birthday. Today is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s birthday. I’m not saying how old she is, but from her house, she can see 50.” –David Letterman
“Yesterday, when President Obama — this is true — was getting into his helicopter, he accidentally bumped his head on the door. It was in the news, and when he heard about it, President Bush said, ‘See, it’s complicated, right? It’s not so easy. Doors are hard.’” –Conan O’Brien
“How about this? It’s a good example of how strange things are and how time flies. On this date in 2006, then-Vice President Dick Cheney shot his buddy in the face. Tell me again why he’s not in jail? How did that work?” –David Letterman
“And in Minnesota, Republican Norm Coleman, who is in a legal fight with Al Franken over who won the election for Senate, said, ‘God wants me to serve.’ But here is my question. How bad a candidate are you if you can’t win an election when you have the creator of the universe on your side?” –Jay Leno
“And an elderly man in Boynton Beach, Florida, was arrested after he called 911 to report that the Burger King he was standing in had just run out of lemonade. It is so sad to see what’s happened to John McCain since the election.” –Jay Leno
Maybe It's Just Me....
Maybe it's just me - where I grew up (northeast US), the church I attended, my parents, etc. but I find some of the southern religious stuff really very funny. It is just so incongruous to me. All you need to see where I'm coming from is the headline from Raw Story (click the link to read the article).
Arkansas considers allowing concealed weapons in churches
Arkansas considers allowing concealed weapons in churchesHeh. Talk about the shoot-out at the O.K Corral - we might next have a movie about two folks getting pissed off about the way they each said the Lord's Prayer and having a shoot-out at the Abraham First Baptist Bible Church. Whooppee!!
Another Crooked Politician
A Democrat this time. Why do they do this? Are most people crooks to some defree, or is just that politics attracts most people with the tendency to be crooks? Maybe they're really good people who get tempted by the big money available when you're a politician?
I don't know but I don't like it. This from the Boston Globe...
I don't know but I don't like it. This from the Boston Globe...
Cosmetics executive John Walsh and public works contractor Jay M. Cashman were among the members of Boston's business elite who gave former state senator Dianne Wilkerson contributions to help her pay off personal debts, according to people who have been briefed on the transactions or questioned by federal authorities.
Wilkerson had previously said that any financial help she had received to pay off federal tax debts came from personal friends. But in the case of Walsh, Cashman, and some others previously identified, the donors also had major financial interests in the workings of state government, raising questions about their motives for giving checks as large as $10,000 to the powerful senator.
Walsh, in particular, received key help from Wilkerson when he found himself in a high-profile battle to gain entry into an exclusive Beacon Hill co-op. When residents of the building blocked him from buying an apartment, Wilkerson added her name to Walsh's cause - adding some credence to his allegation that he was the victim of discrimination.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Great Words
With Republicans uniting with a fury against Obama and his approach to solving the current economic problem, one has to wonder - are they really interested in trying to help America and Americans, or they still only interested in their own selfish designs on the government? They have NEVER been conservative, yet they scream about wanting conservatism. They are partners with the rich and business owners and will remain so at all costs - no matter how many average citizens starve to death or die of illnesses that could have been cured had there only been money to treat them.
But this is not the first time, apparently, that the members of the GOP stood against progress. The following was posted by Jed Lewison over on Daily Kos. I don't reference their (Kos) posts often because any liberals reading this tiny blog would most likely be reading Daily Kos - but this is such a profound find, given the times, that it is worth repeating here. A part of a speech given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he campaigned for his second term of office in 1936. FDR makes reference to the Republicans who stood opposed to his programs to pull us out of the depression...
But this is not the first time, apparently, that the members of the GOP stood against progress. The following was posted by Jed Lewison over on Daily Kos. I don't reference their (Kos) posts often because any liberals reading this tiny blog would most likely be reading Daily Kos - but this is such a profound find, given the times, that it is worth repeating here. A part of a speech given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he campaigned for his second term of office in 1936. FDR makes reference to the Republicans who stood opposed to his programs to pull us out of the depression...
For nearly four years you have had an Administration which instead of twirling its thumbs has rolled up its sleeves. We will keep our sleeves rolled up.
We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.
I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Great Words - Humor
“Man, here’s something chilling. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is now warning that there will be another terrorist attack. He got that information by waterboarding himself.” -David Letterman
“This week in Washington, President Obama took time out from his busy day to read a book to a group of second graders. Did you see that on the news? It was a fairy tale about a cabinet nominee who once paid all his taxes.” -Jay Leno
“Another one of President Barack Obama’s nominees is having tax issues, which proves one thing: The Democrats like raising the taxes, but they hate paying them.” -Craig Ferguson
“Hey, listen to this — according to ‘The Wall Street Journal,’ the city of Las Vegas wants to use $2 million worth of the economic stimulus package for neon signs. I just hope it doesn’t make the city look tacky.” -Jay Leno
“I don’t want to just ruin everybody’s day, but there is discouraging news everywhere. Unemployment is high. Foreclosure rate is high. Michael Phelps is high.” -David Letterman
“This week in Washington, President Obama took time out from his busy day to read a book to a group of second graders. Did you see that on the news? It was a fairy tale about a cabinet nominee who once paid all his taxes.” -Jay Leno
“Another one of President Barack Obama’s nominees is having tax issues, which proves one thing: The Democrats like raising the taxes, but they hate paying them.” -Craig Ferguson
“Hey, listen to this — according to ‘The Wall Street Journal,’ the city of Las Vegas wants to use $2 million worth of the economic stimulus package for neon signs. I just hope it doesn’t make the city look tacky.” -Jay Leno
“I don’t want to just ruin everybody’s day, but there is discouraging news everywhere. Unemployment is high. Foreclosure rate is high. Michael Phelps is high.” -David Letterman
Are We A Center-Right Country?
The Republicans claim that we are and that the elections of 2008 were just an aberration caused by Bush inadequacies. The polls show differently, in this time of recession...
GOP Donors To Pay Fines
Still more scandals within the Republican Party, from AP (click on the link to read more)...
Seven GOP contributors have agreed to pay civil fines for making illegal contributions to President Bush's re-election campaign, the Federal Election Commission said Monday.The fines are part of a wider political scandal involving Ohio fundraiser Tom Noe, who in 2006 pleaded guilty to federal charges that he illegally funneled about $45,000 to the Bush campaign.
Shoot Your Gun For Jesus
What is there about fundamentalist Christians and guns? Totin' heat must have something to do with how religious you are and how much Jesus will love you. After all, Jesus would want you to defend yourself from heathens, gays and abortionists. I guess.
This isn't from the mainland - it's in Jamaica, but
it's still pretty funny. Jamaica Observer...
This isn't from the mainland - it's in Jamaica, but
it's still pretty funny. Jamaica Observer...Sort of adds substance to that old religious creed, "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out."Bishop Herro Blair, pastor of the Faith Cathedral Deliverance Centre in Kingston and the country's political ombudsman, said that having a firearm for self-protection was no different from having a knife, Labrador or a Pit bull to protect one's home, as all were equally lethal.
He said there was nowhere in the Bible which said carrying a legal firearm was wrong. "The axiom says God helps those who help themselves and in the same token I believe God protects those who protect themselves," said Blair, who has been the subject of debates regarding the carrying of a legal firearm.
Scandal - In the Judicial Branch
Nothing like a good scandal. This one involves a couple of judges and some private companies operating juvenile detention centers. Don't you just love it when Republicans rant about how much better private businesses run things than government does? I don't think there's a whole lot of difference, myself.From Carolina Naturally...
Two senior Pennsylvania judges have been sentenced to seven years in prison forHere's more from The Legal Intelligencer.taking bribes from juvenile detention centers -- in exchange for the bribes, the judges turned in guilty verdicts for the teens who appeared before them and sent them to 'juvie', thus enriching the operators of the kiddie gulag. For this, the judges received $2.6 million in kickbacks.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
It Figures
You must have heard about the peanut butter plant in Georgia that was distributing tainted products all across the nation - and the fact that they knew that there was a good chance the food was poisonous. Well, there's a bit more to know, truth be told. From Crooks and Liars - click the link to read more, but here's a clip...
The president of the peanut company linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak serves on an industry advisory board that helps the U.S. Department of Agriculture set quality standards for peanuts.
Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corp. of America, based in Lynchburg, Va., was first appointed to the USDA’s Peanut Standards Board in July 2005 and was reappointed in October for a second term that runs until June 2011, according to the USDA.
Great Words
Quote of the Day
"The Republicans set the economy on fire
and now they're blocking the fire trucks."
~ Paul Begala,
and now they're blocking the fire trucks."
~ Paul Begala,
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Look Back
President John F. Kennedy used a lot of humor in his press conferences. Here's a taste...
Senator Vitter To Be Challenged
Senator David Vitter, Republican from Louisiana, caught in the DC madam scandal for paying for sex a little over a year ago, may get challenged in his bid for reelection by an unusual candidate. She's pretty well spoken.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Scandal!
You know that I love covering scandals. The word I'm reading is now that Bush is out of office and some new lawyers will be taking over as US Attorneys, there will be some more action on the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal of a couple of years ago.
Here's an AP filing that provides us with a taste of some more to come...
A second former staffer to an Alaska congressman has been implicated in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation as the scandal sweeps up a growing number of ex-Capitol Hill aides and lobbyists.Fraser Verrusio, who worked under Republican Rep. Don Young when the congressman chaired the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, figures in plea deals reached recently by two former Abramoff associates and a one-time congressional aide.
The photo is of Jack Abramoff.
Newspaper Recovery in France?
I read Gawker pretty regularly and lately they've been reporting on the decline of the American newspapers. It's not unlikely that a lot of small-town - and maybe even some big-city - newspapers will fold in the current economic climate. Advertising is down - way down - and newspapers are cutting staff deeply. Will we perhaps wind up with just a handful of newspapers that are distributed regionally or even nationally like USA Today? Could be.
I've seen one interesting report, repeated on several sites such as Carolina Naturally, that the French are experiencing similar problems. In order to battle this problem, French President Sarkozy is going to give free, one-year newspaper subscriptions to 18-year-olds. His actions will add subscriptions to the newspapers, but will hopefully also encourage younger readers to take up the newspapers once their free subscriptions have run out.
Some folks have ridiculed this, but I think it's a pretty clever idea that's at least worth a try.
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Ken Salazar: Riding To The Rescue
From the MOJO Blog...
Remember the Interior Department's sex, drugs, and oil scandal? After investigating, the Interior Department released a September 2008 report that concluded Minerals Management Service (MMS) employees “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” Several employees were terminated, but only there were only two subsequent convictions. (Read more about MMS corruption here and here.)Well, the new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar plans to reopen the MMS investigations. From the Denver Post:
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday that he has ordered a re-examination of the scandalized Interior Department division based in Lakewood, including why the U.S. Justice Department did not pursue more criminal prosecutions....
Religion in the States
Photos copped from the J-Walk Blog...
From my standpoint, I'm sort of amazed that New York State isn't one of those lists.
From my standpoint, I'm sort of amazed that New York State isn't one of those lists.
Score: Spitzer - Zero, Madam - 6 Months
Our laws really do discriminate against women. There's no justice in this report from the Washington Post...
A college student who managed the prostitution ring that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison.
Political Ad: Limbaugh Wants Us To Fail
Obama is now the President of the United States. Hoping that he fails is tantamount to treason.
Great Words
“Right after Sunday’s Super Bowl, President Barack Obama placed a congratulatory phone call to the Steelers from his BlackBerry. Meanwhile, John McCain called the Cardinals from his ham radio.” -David Letterman
“You’ve got to love a guy like John McCain, but stuff is not going his way. He had a huge Super Bowl party, but people started clapping. And every time they did, the lights would go on and off.” -David Letterman
“Happy birthday to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is now 68 years old. So you know what that means? He beat the spread.” -Jay Leno
“Today is Groundhog Day, and I don’t know why this stuff always goes haywire in Alaska. Here is what happened. A little bit of trouble. Groundhog comes out of its hole. Sarah Palin shoots it.” -David Letterman
“And the half brother of Barack Obama, a man named George Obama, has been arrested in Kenya for allegedly having drugs. See, here we go again with the dumb presidential brothers. Remember Billy Carter? Then there was Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton’s brother. See, we never had that problem with President Bush. He was already the dumb brother. ” -Jay Leno
“I do want to say a quick word to anyone out there who wants to bring change and hope to a deeply divided and suffering America: Pay your f**king taxes. We’re not asking you to be perfect. You want to be in the Cabinet? We’re not saying you can’t throw a little under the table to the Guatemalan nanny. You’re not saying you can’t accept a couple thanks-for-your-help fruit baskets from the boys down at Local 238. But Tom Daschle? Obama’s pick for Health secretary? $128,000 in taxes. That’s not $128,000 for a car and driver. That’s $128,000 in the taxes on, like, $400,000 of drivers. If you’re paying $300,000 to $400,000 for a driver, you’re driving too much. What do you wake up in the morning and have to go to the bathroom and go, ‘Driver? To the toilet.’ That’s how much money it would be for Miss Daisy if her driver was actually Morgan Freeman. So Tom Daschle, pay your taxes. And stop having Alfred bring you to work in the Batmobile. It’s too much money.” -Jon Stewart
“President Obama’s busy. He’s fighting very hard to get his stimulus package passed, and one of the senators resisting President Obama’s stimulus package the most is John McCain. John McCain’s resisting the package, yeah. Apparently, McCain’s biggest problem with the package is that it’s not in a larger font.” -Conan O’Brien
“And because of our huge budget crisis, California’s now going to delay paying your tax refunds, to which Tom Daschle said, ‘That’s why I didn’t pay them in the first place.’” -Jay Leno
“And former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele has become the first African-American Republican National Committee chairman ever. Black Republicans said they were thrilled. Both of them.” -Jay Leno
“Michael Steele is the new RNC Chairman! …You know, Republicans, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here. He’s your voice of change, your Barack Obama. But, you know, it’s not as simple as that. I know you want to take his fight to the Democrats. But Michael Steele, he’s like, remember when your kid really wanted a Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas? But all the stores were sold out, so you went to Chinatown and got him a Giggle-Time All-Mo. Michael Steele is the Republican Party’s Giggle-Time All-Mo” -Jon Stewart
“Nation, we all know that the march toward socialism continues. Last Tuesday, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter law, which makes it easier to sue your employer for pay discrimination. … Now folks, I say this Ledbetter legislation is unfair. Women are the ones who get discriminated against the most, which means they’re going to benefit from this law more than men. That is sexist. Not to mention that many in the business community say ‘the measure could … discourage employers from hiring women.’ Exactly. If you can’t discriminate against women, what is the point in hiring them? I guess the only reasonable answer is to hire nothing but women and pay them all equally horribly. Well, Obama signed the bill on Thursday, which means I can no longer discriminate legally. From now on, I’m going to have to discriminate under the table, which will be difficult, because that’s where I usually do my harassment. It’s going to get very crowded down there.” -Stephen Colbert
“You’ve got to love a guy like John McCain, but stuff is not going his way. He had a huge Super Bowl party, but people started clapping. And every time they did, the lights would go on and off.” -David Letterman
“Happy birthday to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is now 68 years old. So you know what that means? He beat the spread.” -Jay Leno
“Today is Groundhog Day, and I don’t know why this stuff always goes haywire in Alaska. Here is what happened. A little bit of trouble. Groundhog comes out of its hole. Sarah Palin shoots it.” -David Letterman
“And the half brother of Barack Obama, a man named George Obama, has been arrested in Kenya for allegedly having drugs. See, here we go again with the dumb presidential brothers. Remember Billy Carter? Then there was Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton’s brother. See, we never had that problem with President Bush. He was already the dumb brother. ” -Jay Leno
“I do want to say a quick word to anyone out there who wants to bring change and hope to a deeply divided and suffering America: Pay your f**king taxes. We’re not asking you to be perfect. You want to be in the Cabinet? We’re not saying you can’t throw a little under the table to the Guatemalan nanny. You’re not saying you can’t accept a couple thanks-for-your-help fruit baskets from the boys down at Local 238. But Tom Daschle? Obama’s pick for Health secretary? $128,000 in taxes. That’s not $128,000 for a car and driver. That’s $128,000 in the taxes on, like, $400,000 of drivers. If you’re paying $300,000 to $400,000 for a driver, you’re driving too much. What do you wake up in the morning and have to go to the bathroom and go, ‘Driver? To the toilet.’ That’s how much money it would be for Miss Daisy if her driver was actually Morgan Freeman. So Tom Daschle, pay your taxes. And stop having Alfred bring you to work in the Batmobile. It’s too much money.” -Jon Stewart
“President Obama’s busy. He’s fighting very hard to get his stimulus package passed, and one of the senators resisting President Obama’s stimulus package the most is John McCain. John McCain’s resisting the package, yeah. Apparently, McCain’s biggest problem with the package is that it’s not in a larger font.” -Conan O’Brien
“And because of our huge budget crisis, California’s now going to delay paying your tax refunds, to which Tom Daschle said, ‘That’s why I didn’t pay them in the first place.’” -Jay Leno
“And former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele has become the first African-American Republican National Committee chairman ever. Black Republicans said they were thrilled. Both of them.” -Jay Leno
“Michael Steele is the new RNC Chairman! …You know, Republicans, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here. He’s your voice of change, your Barack Obama. But, you know, it’s not as simple as that. I know you want to take his fight to the Democrats. But Michael Steele, he’s like, remember when your kid really wanted a Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas? But all the stores were sold out, so you went to Chinatown and got him a Giggle-Time All-Mo. Michael Steele is the Republican Party’s Giggle-Time All-Mo” -Jon Stewart
“Nation, we all know that the march toward socialism continues. Last Tuesday, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter law, which makes it easier to sue your employer for pay discrimination. … Now folks, I say this Ledbetter legislation is unfair. Women are the ones who get discriminated against the most, which means they’re going to benefit from this law more than men. That is sexist. Not to mention that many in the business community say ‘the measure could … discourage employers from hiring women.’ Exactly. If you can’t discriminate against women, what is the point in hiring them? I guess the only reasonable answer is to hire nothing but women and pay them all equally horribly. Well, Obama signed the bill on Thursday, which means I can no longer discriminate legally. From now on, I’m going to have to discriminate under the table, which will be difficult, because that’s where I usually do my harassment. It’s going to get very crowded down there.” -Stephen Colbert
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