Joe the Turkey Slaughterer

Please God, let Sarah Palin run in 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032...

Why Sarah Palin Still Matters

Read this and then read it a second time and then forward it to everyone you know.

Andrew Sullivan:

Some readers think my continuing attempt to expose all the lies and flim-flam and bizarre behavior of Sarah Palin is now moot. She's history - they argue. Move on. I think she probably is history. Even Bill Kristol and his minions in the McCain-Palin campaign may not be able to resuscitate her political viability now. But even if she is history, she is history that matters.

Let's be real in a way the national media seems incapable of: this person should never have been placed on a national ticket in a mature democracy. She was incapable of running a town in Alaska competently. The impulsive, unvetted selection of a total unknown, with no knowledge of or interest in the wider world, as a replacement president remains one of the most disturbing events in modern American history. That the press felt required to maintain a facade of normalcy for two months - and not to declare the whole thing a farce from start to finish - is a sign of their total loss of nerve. That the Palin absurdity should follow the two-term presidency of another individual utterly out of his depth in national government is particularly troubling. 46 percent of Americans voted for the possibility of this blank slate as president because she somehow echoed their own sense of religious or cultural "identity". Until we figure out how this happened, we will not be able to prevent it from happening again. And we have to find a way to prevent this from recurring.

It happened because John McCain is an incompetent and a cynic and reckless beyond measure. To have picked someone he'd only met once before, without any serious vetting procedure, revealed McCain as an utterly unserious character, a man whose devotion to the shallowest form of political gamesmanship trumped concern for his country's or his party's interest. We need a full accounting of the vetting process: who was responsible for this act of political malpractice? How could a veep not be vetted in any serious way? Why was she not asked to withdraw as soon as the facts of her massive ignorance and delusional psyche were revealed?

The Palin nightmare also happened because a tiny faction of political professionals has far too much sway in the GOP and conservative circles. This was Bill Kristol's achievement.

It was a final product of the now-exhausted strategy of fomenting fundamentalist resentment to elect politicians dedicated to the defense of Israel and the extension of American military hegemony in every corner of the globe. Palin was the reductio ad absurdum of this mindset: a mannequin candidate, easily controlled ideologically, deployed to fool and corral the resentful and the frightened, removed from serious scrutiny and sold on propaganda networks like a food product.

This deluded and delusional woman still doesn't understand what happened to her; still has no self-awareness; and has never been forced to accept her obvious limitations. She cannot keep even the most trivial story straight; she repeats untruths with a ferocity and calm that is reserved only to the clinically unhinged; she has the educational level of a high school drop-out; and regards ignorance as some kind of achievement. It is excruciating to watch her - but more excruciating to watch those who feel obliged to defend her.

Her candidacy, in short, was indefensible. It remains indefensible. Until the mainstream media, the GOP establishment, and the conservative intelligentsia acknowledge the depth of their error, this blog will keep demanding basic accountability.

My point is not to persecute or hound some random person. I wish I had never heard of Sarah Palin. I wish this nightmare had never happened. I wish totally innocent by-standers, like Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston and Heather Bruce and Trig Palin, had not had their lives disrupted by this circus. It's distressing to everyone, which is why most journalists left many aspects of this charade alone. But Palin is claiming vindication, is on every cable show, is at the National Governors Association Conference, and is touted as a future leader of the GOP. There comes a point at which you have to simply call a time out and insist that this farce cease and some basic accountability and transparency be restored to the process. Since no one else seems willing to do so, the Dish will stay on the case. So where are those medical records anyway?

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

I wish Jeremiah Wright would shut the hell up

Barack Obama's former pastor is at it again. Today on a radio broadcast of one of his sermons he said "...God will destroy America and God should destroy America"

I totally understand what so many on the right have been saying for months now. That Barack Obama sat in the pew of this man is indefensible.

I am so glad I heard this today. It puts it all in perspective for me. In fact, I may change my vote due to the disgusting things this man represents and that Obama listened to for so many years.

What?

Huh?

Oh my God! You mean to tell me that was not Jeremiah Wright I was listening to? It was who?

A man by the name of Laurence White, you say?

Who is Laurence White?

He was the featured speaker today on the radio broadcast of Focus on the Family in a sermon entitled "For Such a Time as This". And he said that God SHOULD destroy America if abortion continues. In context, that is pretty appalling but taken out of context and people could question Dobson's patriotism, his associations and his affiliation with the Republican party.

I wish our side would fight as nasty as their side and take out an ad highlighting this and saying that Sarah Palin, by associating with James Dobson, believes God should destroy America.

Furthermore, at this years so-called "Values-Voters Summit", hosted by The Family Research Council and perennially primped choir boy Tony Perkins, a choir sang the song "WHY should God Bless America" sung to the tune of "God Bless America". The words were:

Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back
On everything that made her what she is

Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sin and heal our land

The courts ruled prayer out of our schools
In June of ‘62
Told the children “you are your own God now
So you can make the rules”
O say can you see what that choice
Has cost us to this day
America, one nation under God, has gone astray

Why should God bless America?
Shes’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is

Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land

In ‘73 the Courts said we
Could take the unborn lives
The choice is yours don’t worry now
It’s not a wrong, it’s your right

But just because they made it law
Does not change God’s command
The most that we can hope for is
God’s mercy on our land

Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is

Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land

And these people have the audacity (that's a Jeremiah Wright word) to say that liberals are the ones who are unpatriotic.

What point in time would they prefer we as a country return to?

This is the key difference between liberals and conservatives:

Conservatives envision America as she was. Liberals envision America as she could be.

I'll take the latter. Every. Single. Time!

PALIN-eroles: Profiteroles for election night

This is cross posted at Jon-Marc's baking website, BakeItTilYouMakeIt.com

Below you will find my twist on profiteroles, the PALIN-eroles, perfect for your election night party.
Why are they called "PALIN-eroles? Well, as I say in the video below,

1. They're easy, just like a Palin
2. They're cheap (unless you are using other people's money. Then you can buy top notch)
3. They are nice looking, but inside they are empty (and must be filled)
4. They require a lot of hot air in order to be effective

So, without further ado, here I am making the PALIN-eroles, where I also discuss Palin, James Dobson, prop 8 and more. The recipe is after the vid

PALIN-eroles:

• 1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• ½ cup milk
• 4 large eggs

Equipment:
a small (about 1 1/2-inch) ice cream scoop; a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip

Make profiteroles:
Chill a small metal baking pan in freezer. Form 18 ice cream balls with scoop and freeze in chilled pan at least 1 hour (this will make serving faster).
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with Silpat or parchment.
Bring butter, water, and milk to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. At the boil, remove from heat then add flour mixture and combine
Return to heat and, with a wooden spoon, stir in figure eights until mixture looks like mashed potatoes, about 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool slightly, stirring until mixture is 180 degrees.
Add eggs 1 at a time, stirring to combine after each addition.
Transfer warm mixture to pastry bag and pipe 18 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches wide and 1 inch high) 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
Bake until pastry begins to rise, 10minutes. Reduce heat to 350, prop oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Cool on sheet on a rack.

For chocolate sauce (recipe from Gourmet Magazine March, 2008):
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy (optional)

Make chocolate sauce (recipe from Gourmet Magazine March, 2008):

• Heat sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling pan occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber.
• Remove from heat, then add cream and a pinch of salt (mixture will bubble and steam). Return to heat and cook, stirring, until caramel has dissolved.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate, whisking until melted, then whisk in vanilla and Cognac (if using). Keep warm, covered.
Serve profiteroles:
• Halve profiteroles horizontally, then fill each with a ball of ice cream. Put 3 profiteroles on each plate and drizzle generously with warm chocolate sauce.

Queen Esther called. She wants her lipstick back! II

Max Blumenthal, one of my favorite people in all the land, has a disturbing new video about Sarah Palin, the Queen Esther of the religious-right. After the video I have amended and reposted something I wrote on September 28 about Palin's Esther complex:

For a moment let’s say John McCain picked Mitt Romney as his running mate instead of Palin. Romney, with an ego the size of his bank-account, will do anything and say anything to be elected as demonstrated by his failed bid for the presidency.

But if Romney became the iceberg to McCain’s ship that Palin has become, Romney might consider dropping out. He would strategically consider the implications his staying in the race had on him. He would drop out in an act of pure selfishness in order to preserve some hope of future political aspirations.

Romney may be slick but he has no delusions as to who he is. Though his ego is big, he would never presume to be chosen by God. Not even Mittens is that presumptuous.

Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is that presumptuous. She is cut from the same cloth as George W. Bush and she believes that God has brought her to this moment. Some of her staunchest supporters have even likened her to Queen Esther of the Bible.

There is no way Palin will drop out. No way in hell…literally (speaking of literally, why does Joe Biden use the word literally in every other sentence? It gets on my literal nerves!). It's the same reason Bush couldn't withdraw from Iraq. Hell, even Todd Palin cannot fathom withdrawal as evidenced by his five children.

It's the fundamentalist God-complex

James Dobson and his traveling band of hate believe that Sarah Palin has been sent by God “for such a time as this”. These are the same people that believe Bush “won” the presidency for such a time as that.

The people that James Dobson leads believe it is them against the world. They cannot accept that they might be wrong. Therefore, once Palin was anointed by the evangelical pope and his posse, the time for speculation was long gone.

If Palin appears unqualified, it’s the media’s fault. If Palin can’t answer a simple question, it’s the question’s fault. If Palin seems like the worst pick that one could imagine, it’s the liberal’s fault. But it is never, under any circumstances, Palin’s fault.

How could it be? After all, since they believe that Palin has been plucked from her igloo by God, then if they were to fault Palin they would be faulting God. And since they seem to want to speak for God ALL THE DAMN TIME, they can’t backtrack. “Oops, we were wrong. We thought we knew what God was trying to say but it turns out it was just acid-reflux. We promise to be more careful next time. Pinky swear!”

And when all else fails, they hide behind the Bible. They cite verses that speak of persecution of Christians as an explanation for perceived attacks against them or their candidates. What they do not realize is that very few are attacking them for their faith.

Instead, people are angry at them for using their faith as a substitute for their minds.

And sadly, those that still cling to the notion that Sarah Palin is the right choice are a disgrace to their faith, their minds and to a God that gave them both.

Mark Green, bin Laden and the election for the presidency of the United States

The other day Mark Green, former mayoral candidate and public advocate for New York City, wrote in the Huffington Post that an “October Surprise” might materialize in the form of Osama bin Laden injecting himself into the elections here in the United States. I have written before about an October Surprise by Bush concerning the capture of bin Laden. But the scenarios that Green lays out in his article are just as ( and maybe more) likely.

I have often thought how bin Laden and Bush needed the other (or the ideological equivalent of “the other”) in order to achieve their respective goals. Without one or the other playing the role of agitator, the other loses the warrior status among the people they lead.

A militaristic-by-default United States helps bin Laden by ensuring that whatever he does, be it video showing he is alive or a terror attack here or abroad, the United States will overreact and over extend its reach. Bin Laden’s goals are further advanced by a United States that excessively retaliates and, in pure panic, responds without regard to consequences.

If, by appearing on video tape or, God forbid, another attack here in the United States, bin Laden gets the United States to respond with “decisive action” rather than deliberative action, he knows that the decisive action will surely include collateral damage. Collateral damage, of course, is just a nice way of saying “innocent civilians killed”. Every time the United States' responds militaristically and collateral damage occurs, the terrorists are ensured new recruits to their cause.

Conversely, the Bush administration, as well as their Republican ideologues running for office, benefit when bin Laden moves from the periphery to the center of the American psyche. Though an appearance by bin Laden or an attack on US soil by the Taliban does reinforce that bin Laden has not been captured “dead or alive”, it also reinforces something far more significant. It reinforces the idea, falsely to be sure, that Republicans are best at fighting the “war on terror” and are tougher in their response. If bin Laden magically appears on our television screens just before an election, as he did in 2004, it reminds the public at large that he is still a terrorist that needs to be dealt with. And a scared public tends to believe the Republicans are the best at dealing with such a terrorist.

That is why the recent line of attack by Sarah Palin could devastate the Obama campaign. The attack, void of fact, thoroughly debunked and done in a vacuum, will not be effective. But, should bin Laden appear, Palin’s assertion that Obama “pals around with terrorist”, becomes fatal. The parasitic claim does not need to be true in order to spread and become fatal. It simply needs a secondary host from which to feed. And that secondary host is bin Laden.

So what are we to do to blunt the effectiveness should an attack or video tape materialize in the next few weeks? I echo Mark Green’s suggestion that we get ahead of the curve and make it clear, through our voices via conversations with friends as well as posts such as this, that we fully expect bin Laden to inject himself in this presidential race just as he did in 2004. And we need to make sure that people understand that bin Laden has been on the loose now for over seven years after two wars, countless lives and a trillion dollars later and he has still not been caught. And all those efforts were done under a Republican administration that took their eye off the target and made the world a far more dangerous place.

Just as we need to keep telling people that the Republicans failed us economically, we need, also, to tell people that their ideas have failed us militaristically. And that if McCain were to win, his flair for drama and his tendency to overreact would be devastating to this country. We also need to highlight that if something were to happen to McCain, the control of our military would be in Sarah Palin’s hands. And Sarah Palin, no doubt, would be more than willing to hasten her vision of eschatology.

Start talking about these scenarios people. Otherwise if or when they happen, we as progressives will be left flat footed and the result will ensure a McCain / Palin victory.

Sans-a-Blink Sarah blinked

She sucked eggs. Big ‘ole moose eggs (Do moose have eggs?).

What?

You want me to give her credit for what? For not melting on stage? For not being able to answer a question? For thinking the sub-prime mess has something to do with energy? For wanting to expand the powers of the vice-presidency even though she has, by her own admission, no idea what the vice-president does?

I said before her convention speech that if she got her name right it would be considered a success. That’s how low the bar was then.

And she managed to lower it even more in the month since that time. Hell, the bar was so low that even Bristol’s supposed unborn child could have crawled over it. It was so low even a drunk George Bush could have bellied up to it.

So by those standards she did what she needed to do. But I would like anyone who thought it was a success to consider one thing.

Sarah Palin has said that she admires both Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro. Imagine if either of those women were on stage last night and turned in the performance that Sarah Palin did. They would have been laughed off the stage before it was even over.

Just because she made it through means nothing. She had a stack of three-by-fives she was reading from. And she could barely read those.

She’s a failure. Get over it. And Republicans need to get in the business of finding a woman with brains to represent their brand. Sarah Palin proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that simply having breasts and a vagina is not enough. She is an insult to women everywhere and it was the most blatantly sexist pick John McCain could have made.

Palin Paranoia

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. This is not unusual as I probably have undiagnosed insomnia. What is unusual is that I was up thinking about how the incompetence of Sarah Palin is just a ruse. Granted it is far fetched but Joanna McKane has been all about drama and Palin could be following the narrative in order to spring a big gotcha on the public. What if on Thursday she not only makes a little bit of sense but she floors everyone with her quick wit and grasp of the issues?

The recent news that Palin may be planning a public wedding for her daughter, Bristol, just a few days before the election in order to whip some extra votes is pretty far out there as well but it’s apparently true. Though I am not exactly sure how that is going to work since, in my mind, all it does is amplify that abstinence education (if in fact Bristol is pregnant. That's a big if!) doesn’t work and getting married at a young age is a recipe for disaster.

So her idiocy might be part of a bigger plan. And if it is, could it work? A couple of years ago there was this guy who worked for me who just didn’t seem to get it. He was always struggling, always unable to understand just the basic fundamentals of the job. But just about a month before he was up for a review he miraculously turned everything around. He not only got what his job was, he excelled and put even the best employees to shame. I did not buy his little stunt of stupidity and made sure his review reflected his poor behavior for eleven months.

But the American people have short memories. Really, really short memories. And all it would take is one stellar jaw dropping performance from Palin to negate everything up to that point.

Of course this entire election season I have sold the American people short. It seems this cycle they are paying attention like never before. And perhaps they wouldn’t be fooled by an all-of-a-sudden coherent, intelligent Palin.

I know, I know. I am probably paranoid. But I really don’t think she could possibly be as stupid as she seems (could she?). In some sort of way I feel like we might be getting punked.

Queen Esther called and she wants her lipstick back!

There has been quite a lot of buzz on the ‘internets’ the past couple of days speculating as to whether Sarah Palin will withdraw. The growing opinion by some on the right is that Palin is not up for the job. Kathleen Parker, a columnist and darling of the right, was the first to speak the truth that dare not speak its name in Republican circles. She was followed by others on the right who echoed her sentiments.

Parker, originally a Palin cheerleader, is known for her Coulteresque venom towards democrats. For instance, there’s this gem:

"These bastards like Clark and Kerry and that incipient ass, Dean, and Gephardt and Kucinich and that absolute mental midget Sharpton, race baiter, should all be lined up and shot.

So when Parker says Palin should take her lipstick and high-tail it back to her igloo, that’s saying something. That’s saying a lot actually. But unfortunately for Parker it is not saying enough. With people like Palin, it will never be enough.

For a moment let’s say John McCain picked Mitt Romney as his running mate instead of Palin. Romney, with an ego the size of his bank-account, will do anything and say anything to be elected as demonstrated by his failed bid for the presidency.

But if Romney became the iceberg to McCain’s ship that Palin has become, Romney might consider dropping out. He would strategically consider the implications his staying in the race had on him. He would drop out in an act of pure selfishness in order to preserve some hope of future political aspirations.

Romney may be slick but he has no delusions as to who he is. Though his ego is big, he would never presume to be chosen by God. Not even Mittens is that presumptuous.

Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is that presumptuous. She is cut from the same cloth as George W. Bush and she believes that God has brought her to this moment. Some of her staunchest supporters have even likened her to Queen Esther of the Bible.

There is no way Palin will drop out. No way in hell…literally (speaking of literally, why does Joe Biden use the word literally in every other sentence? It gets on my literal nerves!). It's the same reason Bush couldn't withdraw from Iraq. Hell, even Todd Palin cannot fathom withdrawal as evidenced by his five children.

It's the fundamentalist God-complex

James Dobson and his traveling band of hate believe that Sarah Palin has been sent by God “for such a time as this”. These are the same people that believe Bush “won” the presidency for such a time as that.

The people that James Dobson leads believe it is them against the world. They cannot accept that they might be wrong. Therefore, once Palin was anointed by the evangelical pope and his posse, the time for speculation was long gone.

If Palin appears unqualified, it’s the media’s fault. If Palin can’t answer a simple question, it’s the question’s fault. If Palin seems like the worst pick that one could imagine, it’s the liberal’s fault. But it is never, under any circumstances, Palin’s fault.

How could it be? After all, since they believe that Palin has been plucked from her igloo by God, then if they were to fault Palin they would be faulting God. And since they seem to want to speak for God ALL THE DAMN TIME, they can’t backtrack. “Oops, we were wrong. We thought we knew what God was trying to say but it turns out it was just acid-reflux. We promise to be more careful next time. Pinky swear!”

And when all else fails, they hide behind the Bible. They cite verses that speak of persecution of Christians as an explanation for perceived attacks against them or their candidates. What they do not realize is that very few are attacking them for their faith.

Instead, people are angry at them for using their faith as a substitute for their minds.

And sadly, those that still cling to the notion that Sarah Palin is the right choice are a disgrace to their faith, their minds and to a God that gave them both.

OMG OMG OMG OMG

This isn't even funny anymore. This is downright scary. This woman cannot be elected VP of the United States. And if you do vote for the McCain/Palin ticket you are not patriotic. You are a traitor!

No person who loves this country could vote for a person so ill-equipped. She is an insult to the office she seeks.

OK, take her back to her igloo

Watch CBS Videos Online

Ok, we get it. We really get it! She is not ready for prime-time. Take her back to her igloo now! We will no longer request her presence.

It's also apparent why John McCain suspended his campaign. He did not want this train-wreck dominating the news.

This is so unbelievable that I often think I am dreaming. Seriously, I have to call people to ask them if it is all true.

Well, at least this Katie Couric interview proves one thing. No matter how bad the brand, and no matter how mindless the candidates, there are just people that will vote Republican because they are stubborn. I never thought there would be a national candidate more inept than Bush, but it appears I was wrong.

At least if McCain / Palin do somehow win we will have four years of non-stop comedy because they have proven that they are nothing more than a joke.

Let there be no doubt...

Sarah, repeat after me "In. Over. My. Head"

Watch it to the end. If elected this person will be? Everyone repeat after me...

One. Heartbeat. Away.

McCain's attempt to smear Andrew Sullivan will backfire. Big time!

This may be the most facinating development in the entire Sarah Palin / Trig Palin saga.

Today Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post wrote an article in which he included e-mails that Andrew Sullivan had sent to the McCain campaign. The two emails read:

"I'm very sorry to say, it's come to this: can you confirm on the record that Trig Palin is Sarah Palin's biological son? . . . Since this is a crazy idea, it should be easy for you or someone to let me know, the most popular one-man political blog site in the world, what the truth is."

"I asked a simple question akin to asking whether you can confirm that the sky is blue. Here's the question in case it got lost: can you confirm on the record that Trig Palin is Sarah Palin's biological son? Can I please get a response of some sort, even if it is that you will not respond?"

So how did the McCain campaign respond? By passing Andrew’s inquiries on to Kurtz to publish. They did not respond to Andrew, did not supply any evidence as to the birth of Trig. They simply attempted to smear the messenger and ridicule his legitimate questions.

Anyone, ANYONE that does not now believe that McCain campaign is the sleaziest in modern history is either asleep or dead . And the attempts to humiliate Andrew are nothing more than further evidence that the campaign has become a bunch of unhinged henchmen ready to destroy anything that gets in their way.

Something is brewing, I assure you. And the McCain campaign is in pure panic mode. Whatever delusions they once fostered have been replaced by overwhelming, toxic fear. Fear, the basest of human emotions, causes humans to react in the basest of ways.

When historians reflect on the exact moment the campaign slipped beyond the reach, overwhelmingly they will conclude that the campaign’s utter contempt for, and disregard of, a free and unbridled press was the decisive point of no return.

Responding to cries of more transparency with increased opacity only leads to two things: The first is heightened suspicion and the second is a steely resolve to affirm that suspicion with evidence.

If this is the game the McCain campaign wants to play, that is certainly their prerogative. But it is a game they will most certainly lose.

Therefore, I will include a post from last week since none of my questions from that post have been answered:

As many have said before, the reason Sarah Palin is so important, and the reason that there is such a focus on her, is because she shows how reckless John McCain’s judgment is and her lies, as we are discovering each day, prove that she was not vetted AT ALL.

Andrew Sullivan has done a wonderful job at disseminating all the facts on Sarah Palin.

But there are more questions that need to be answered. Let’s start with these:

** Bristol Palin, the 17 year old unmarried pregnant daughter of Sarah and Todd, was out of school for a significant amount of time last year (anywhere from 5-8 months) with “mono”. The maximum a child is normally out of school for such a thing as mono is less than three months. Did she have a rare strain? Was she, as one would assume, quarantined so as to not infect others? If so, could someone find out the dates she was out of school? Surely, with such an infectious disease, she would not be having sex while infected? She has been pregnant for, what, five months according to Sarah Palin?

** When Sarah Palin realized she was going into labor, why did she go ahead and make a speech at a governors’ conference in Texas? She says she was leaking amniotic fluid? Who is her doctor and why did they tell her it was ok to make an eight hour trip back to Alaska, on a PLANE? Did Sarah tell any of the flight attendants she was in labor? Did the pilot know? The governor of Alaska was five weeks premature with a special needs child and yet all the powers that be told her it was A-OK for her to travel? On a plane? Leaking amniotic fluid? Why wouldn’t they, for the sake of the baby, do what is in the best interest of the child and deliver in Texas so as not to risk more harm to little Trig? Todd Palin said they wanted the baby to be born in Alaska because “You can’t have a fish picker in Texas?” First of all, what does that even mean? And secondly, they were willing to risk further harm to the baby just so he could have Alaska as his place of birth?

** When she arrived back in Alaska, why weren’t there medical personnel waiting there to whisk away the governor? Why did she drive an additional 45 minutes to get to the hospital when there were others closer?

** Where are Trig Palin’s birth records? This is a legitimate question. After all, Trig had his own webpage on the governor’s state-run website. Where are Sarah Palin’s medical records? Mat-Su, the hospital where Palin gave birth, does not even list the birth of Trig the day the Palins claim. They don’t list the birth at all. Why is this?

** Sarah Palin returned back to work just three days after giving birth to her 5th child. Did her doctor, the one that is apparently MIA, allow this too? Or did Sarah go against her doctor’s wishes? I admit, I am no Sarah Palin. I’m a sissy-boy faggot that can barely move after a week with a slight cold. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, can shoot 437,000 caribou before dusk. But it seems to me that just 72 hours after giving birth to a child with special needs and she returned to work? Am I the only one that finds this not only remarkable, but also hard to believe?

I am sure there are very obvious answers to all these easy questions. Could people just give them to me? In the comments please list the answers if you have them. List the source as well.
Psst. Snopes does not count as a “source”

Also, if there are more questions that I have not listed, list them in the comments.

Oh, and I am fully prepared for the comments calling me crazy, unhinged, reckless. Say what you will. I don’t give a shit. I just want the answers. We deserve the answers. And one way or another, the answers will come out.

Bill Clinton endorses McCain on The View

Bill Clinton just practically endorsed John McCain and Sarah Palin on The View.

I know this is not popular among my Democratic brothers and sisters but I really can't stand Bill Clinton.

My dislike of him is what we call being consistent in one's own values.

I have said for some time I am no fan of Bill Clinton and I have been consistent. That is why I can't stand phony Christianists that pledge allegiance to anyone in the Republican party as long as they are x (insert any single hot-button issue). It allows, as we have seen with Bush, the candidates or elected officials get away with anything as long as they maintain they are x.
And the candidates know they can get away with anything with certain groups as long as they they toe the line on that single issue. It is dangerous and it is wrong. Single issue voting is wrong and a case can be made that it is immoral.

But anyway, why didn't Bill just wear a McCain / Palin t-shirt on The View? I have never heard such a clear, yet indirect, endorsement of a ticket in all my life. Clinton makes my skin crawl.

When I lived in DC I used to go to the same church as the Clintons. I remember a particular Sunday which happened to be the day after the Paula Jones' deposition and the day before the Monica Lewinsky story broke. Clinton, who was always composed, was squirming in the pew the entire hour. I went home that afternoon and said to my roommate "The president was acting totally weird today at church. Something big is about to happen. I don't know what, but it's something."

It turned out he was squirming for a reason and I was right. No, I don't believe the witch hunt against Clinton was justified. But he did lie to me and to every other American. He lost my trust. I felt a lot like Nora Ephron did in this essay.

The headlines tomorrow should all read "Bill Clinton endorses McCain / Palin". I assure you the New York Post already has something in mind. In fact, the endorsement wil probably be a new McCain ad.

If McCain wins Bill can solidify his legacy of blowing it, pun intended, for the Democrats.

700 billion bailout to rescue Wall Street: Bush cements his legacy of failure

First off I should repeat my joke from yesterday, since I am determined that it make it on Letterman by the end of this week.
Q:How many zeros are in 700 billion?
A: 12, if you count Bush!
(David Letterman et al. can use the joke as long as they say attribute it to Jon-Marc McDonald. I'm a riot!)

Now I know that a 700 billion dollar bailout is the kind of story that causes a great many Americans to shrug their shoulders. Though the number is staggering, the story does not have real world application that they can relate to like, oh I don't know, selling a plane on eBay or telling the big boys in Washington thanks but no thanks.

But unlike the eBay and "bridge to nowhere" stories, the proposed 700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street is actually true. And its consequences will be felt from Washington to Wasilla. Though the bailout might not warm the cockles of ones heart the way a former POW and a hockey mom do, people better start paying attention to what the bailout means not only to them, but future generations as well.

Let's get down to brass tacks for a moment. The bailout that the president has proposed is at a cost of $2,333.00 for each and every man, woman and child in this country. That's the price tag for which even babies born yesterday will be responsible! And, to make matters worse, it's nothing more than a glorified version of rearranging the deck chairs while the Titanic that is Wall Street sinks.

That's right. Two thousand three hundred and thirty three dollars. 2333 . That is how much this bailout will cost each American alive today. Let that sink in!

Got that? A man who cut taxes during wartime, wanted to privatize social-security (by turning it over to Wall Street, I might add), and spent more time on the Terri Shiavo dramedy than he has speaking to the American people about this impending crisis now wants everyone of us to pony up 2,333 dollars to clean up his deregulated mess.

Let lesser individuals fiddle with the Neverland fantasy that is Sarah Palin. Let them hitch their wagon to the falling star of space debris that is the McCain/Palin ticket. It is time for those of us who love this country to take a stand, fight like hell and make sure that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States.

What can we all do? A lot! And we all better start doing so quickly!

First, make sure you are registered to vote. Then, make sure all your like-minded friends are registered. Then go quickly (today kind of quickly) to the Obama website and find the campaign office nearest you and pick up a sign and bumper stickers. If there is not one near you, make your own signs. Plant them in your yard, slap them on your cars (I don't care if you think bumper stickers are tacky), put them everywhere.

After that, begin the hard work. Talk to everyone you know and explain to them why Obama is the right choice. Study where he stands on the issues, what his plans are and how he intends to fix our broken country.

Also explain to them why McCain is the wrong choice. Explain to them why the reckless pick of Sans-a-Blink Sarah automatically disqualifies McCain for the office he seeks. Study where he stands on the issues (which you might have to do on a daily basis as he tends to change his mind...or forgets where he stands...on the issues as frequently as he soaks his dentures).

And finally, above all else, don't lose hope. We all have witnessed the smears McCain has thrown at Obama and we have seen those smears tilt the polls. But we have also witnessed Obama weather each and every temporary drop with nerves of steel. Borrow a lesson from his playbook. Keep your eyes on the prize and don't give up. Stay focused.

We're almost there. This "long, national nightmare" is almost over. Fight for this harder than you have fought for anything in your entire life. The stakes are too high to be a passive observer!

Andrew Sullivan on Real Time with Bill Mahar

Andy does it again! Watch the whole thing.

Say what you will about Andrew Sullivan. As I have written before, his are often the loneliest positions to take. And though I do not always agree with him, I respect him immensely. I wish there were more vocal conservatives like him that saw Palin for the farce she is.

Stay strong, Andy! And "never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or conviction" Dag Hammarskjold

Bush wants 700 billion dollars to rescue Wall Street. Just how many zeros is that exactly?

Answer: 12 if you count Bush.

Hahahahahaha. Thank you, I'll be here all week. And I expect credit for the joke, dammit!

Seriously though, the fundamentals of our economy are not strong and John McCain cannot shed his republican skin for political expediency. He is a republican. Republicans got us into this mess. This is not one of those situations where we can say that they are all crooks, both the democrats and republicans. The blame rest at the feet of those that controlled congress for ¾ of the last eight years and at the feet of a president who can barely control his presidency.

This, above all else, is the failure of single issue voting. People who felt Bush was placed in office by God, as Richard Land, the head of the public policy entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, said, need to step out of the spotlight for a minute (or eternity) and seriously consider the impact such statements have on the kingdom of God. However, if there is one thing that is consistent about these people, it’s that they do not learn and now they are saying the same thing about Sans-a blink Palin.

These times are far too serious for Cracker-Barrel politicos who think that spitting out a few key phrases like “sanctity of life” and “sanctity of marriage” is all they need to win. We are now on our knees, on the verge of collapse, about to fork over 700 billion dollars of our money to Wall Street fat-cats and where, I ask, will this money come from?

This may be the end of this great country. And if it does collapse I want those responsible to take the blame. No get out of jail free card by blaming the gays or the liberals or anyone else. Those that voted for Bush better claim their votes. Stand up and tell us who you are. You are to blame.

And for those who are looking for God in all this. Let’s see, once again, what God might be trying to say.

“How much more do I have to reveal to you before you awake from your kool-aid induced slumber? These people who claim my name like it’s a brand on the shelf at Wal-Mart bungled relief efforts with Katrina, took you all into a immoral war based on lies, fleeced your country while they got rich, ruined your economy while they slept, lied to you time and time again. And I have shown it all to you. But instead of standing up and saying enough, you continue to cling to them. Sarah Palin came out of no where and I told you, be careful, don’t get caught up in the hype. She is not what she seems. And then I revealed to you all of her lies. And yet you still will vote for her. Well vote for her if you must, but do not invoke my name while doing so

“It is not pro-life to vote for people who ruin the lives of thousands in war, it is not pro-life to vote for those that would ruin the lives of millions for their greed, it is not pro-life to vote for those that would ruin countless lives by ignoring the environment” --God

Stand up and be counted, Bush admirers. This country’s blood is on your hands. This country’s demise is due to your vote.

And you know what would go a long way? I’m talking to the “character-counts” crowd who rambles about character ad infinitum. Your talk about character has turned to blather because you cannot admit the failures of the last eight years. I assure you it would go a long, long way if you all would simply say “We were wrong. Completely wrong. We are sorry.. And we are going to be a hell (heck, heck’s ok for those wary of the word hell) of a lot more careful in the future when attributing God to individuals”.

But you won’t . You won’t because you are all cowards. Cowards hide behind their decisions even when their decisions are demonstrably fatal. I just pray courageous individuals will be able to clean up this mess you cowards have made.

I pray there is still time.




zeros, zeroes, bailout

Rangel calls Palin disabled

In an interview on Friday, September 19th, Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem) said "You got to be kind to the disabled" when asked what he thought of Sarah Palin. His comments are outrageous and cannot be defended. Disabled people the world over should be insulted that Rangel would attempt to compare them to such a slimebag like Palin. It would be like someone calling Bushie gay. That would be a grave insult to the entire gay community.

Rangel, who is currently embroiled in controversy over his failure to report income taxes on a beachfront property, should shut the hell up.

Calling her: a pathalogical liar, idiot, unfit, in over her head, Bush in a dress, neophyte . Those are fine because they are all true but disabled is unfair. Let the republicans throw around words like "retarded" and "disabled" as insults. They are best at it. It's part of their culture to look down on those that are different.

And republicans are probably going to try and get mileage out of this the next few days. Here's the problem, though. It's the kind of problem the boy had when he cried wolf.

The twisted republicans used their outrage quotient up by feigning outrage -- shock, utter shock -- over the whole lipstick / pig controversy. And while they were using up that outrage they were spreading absolute, 100%, no shred of of truth, blatent lies about Obama.

So now they are going to try and run with this "disabled" comment and it won't work. It especially won't work since the economy may be headed for a "complete meltdown" within the next few days. People are going to see through the republican's attempts to change the subject and it's going to look rather cynical if they feign outrage...yet again... over Rangel.

That's the problem with crying wolf. When you skid your skivvies over things that don't matter, the time comes when they actually do and your skivvies are already stained. And, at that point, there's no one left to wipe your ass.

And, like I said earlier, given Palin's soon-to-be implosion, calling her disabled is an insult to the disabled. Not the other way around

Charlie Rangel calls Sarah Palin disabled

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Jim Bramlett , coming to serve Kool-Aid at a church near you!

I'm going to let this email making the rounds in evangelical circles speak for itself. The only thing I have to add is that this email is talking about a woman who cannot even tell the truth on the little things. So according to this man, presumably written by Jim Bramlett who says he records angels singing and that the "Lord began to shout it" to him that we were in the end-times in 1993, God has raised up a pathological liar out of Alaska for such a time as this. When do these people get their pink-slips? I mean this is the same sort of crap they said about George W. Bush, another person who has an allergy to the truth.

Dear friends:

Barack Hussein Obama has taken the nation by storm. From obscurity, with zero executive experience, or much of any kind, he has vaulted into the position of Presidential frontrunner. It is stunning. On the surface, it appears attributable only to his eloquent oratory and his race. But an invisible factor may be a strong spiritual force behind him, causing some people to actually swoon in his presence...

Last week at Obama's acceptance speech, that spirit exalted itself in front of a Greek temple-like stage, and to a huge audience like in a Roman arena. Obama was portrayed as god-like. His voice thundered as a god's voice.

At the end, Democratic sympathizer Pastor Joel Hunter gave the benediction and shockingly invited everyone to close the prayer to their own (false) gods. This was surely an abomination, but it was compatible with Obama's expressed theology, and Hunter's leftist leanings.

God was not pleased...

Enter Governor Sarah Palin. With incredible timing, the very next day, Sarah Palin also appeared out of nowhere...

We quickly learned that Sarah is a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, attends church, and has been a ministry worker.

Sarah is that standard God has raised up to stop the flood. She has the anointing. You can tell by how the dogs are already viciously attacking her. But they will not be successful. She knows the One she serves and will not be intimidated.

Back in the 1980s, I sensed that Israel's little-known Benjamin Netanyahu was chosen by God for an important end-time role. I still believe that. I now have that same sense about Sarah Palin...

Only God knows the future and how she may be used by Him, but may this noble woman serve to bring renewal in the land, and inspiration.