New Sketch

There's a new sketch up over at Seventy Sketches, about a costume shop. Enjoy!

Blue Song

I was not looking at myself in a mirror. I was watching Mint Royale Videos. And here's one you should all watch - Blue Song.



Actually this video reminds me of a post over at Katy's Blog. Probably not entirely what she had in mind though.

Covering the Bases! Puke Edition!

Hey maggots, this is Puke. I haven't participated since you voted me off the island b back in 2004. But I'm back. McIckleson and his chick are having a country drive, Lobster is picked, Bryant is busy looking in a mirror and telling himself how pretty he is, Cheery is showing a house to a pair of jerkasses from Jacksonville. That leaves me.

You all suck by the way.

LEFT is RIGHT asks how many people who were for the war are now against it. I'm still for the Iraq war. It's stupid and wasteful and destructive. Hoo-fucking-ray for humanity. We need to stick with what we are good at.

Liberty Street has the news that John McCain, a bald dirtbag, walked around Baghdad in total safety. Because he had an army with him. Doesn't stop him from lying about it afterwords, but jerks like him get off on lying anyway.

That's all I feel like doing. Remember life is short, but it sucks anyway, so cheer the hell up!

It does you Good to Laugh

And if you want to laugh, go look at this story from the Onion. It's funny and it makes you think.

President Bush really is kind of a dunderhead.

David Limbaugh Doesn't Understand Institutional Pride

David Limbaugh's latest article is about how the Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot by resisting President Bush and trying to get our troops home(despite polls to the contrary). He finds himself wondering how Senator Reid's position could have hardened. After noting that the bill he signed along with Fiengold will cut off funding for continuing the war after March 31, 2008, Limbaugh writes;

Be aware that as recently as Nov. 30, 2006, Sen. Reid said something quite different. He said, "We're not going to do anything to limit funding or cut off funds."

What has changed since then that would warrant such an about face? How about the fact that the troop surge is showing signs of success? No, that would cut the other way now, wouldn't it? More likely it's the increasing pressure from the antiwar base and the reportedly solid poll numbers against the war.

Or alternatively it's the way the President is flaunting the power of the Congress. The President has made it clear that he thinks little of Congress's right to advise him. Nothing new there, the President isn't interested in hearing anybody who disagrees with him. But unlike most people, Congress has a legitimate claim to being heard, and Bush's dismissal of them (and forthcoming veto) is only going to stiffen the spine of Congressional Democrats and even REpublican who want to preserve the power and prestige of Congress.

Limbaugh closes his article suggesting that if and when we get our way on Iraq it will really doom the Democrats. Yeah yeah yeah. He might be right, actually, but it's still the right thing to do.

Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

Actually I am more stressed than depressed, but these days you take what you can get.

But if you want to be depressed go check out this post by John Neffinger at the Huffington Post about how undecided voters make up their minds. It's depressing as hell.

A number of scary scientific studies (some described below), a wealth of survey data, and common sense all demonstrate that swing voters don't necessarily choose the candidate whose policies they like - they choose the candidate they personally feel better about. And that's most likely your winner.

Oy. But he makes a good case, and it's worth considering. Even if it is depressing.

Update

Fixed the link to Iddybud.

Covering the Bases. An Irwin J. McIckleson Production

Greetings. This is Irwin J. McIckleson, fictional 1920's plutocrat. I don't have an excess of time today, so let's do this efficiently.

Happy Furry Puppy Story Time has some thoughts on the teaching of the Bible in public schools. Some of his suggestions make sense (such as the teaching of religions beyond Christianity); however his comments on the Old Testament are not entirely accurate. Specifically I would argue that certain of the Psalms, the writings of Isiah and Malachi, Ecclesiastes and Job all contain ideas and passages worth knowing about.

Iddybud has some thoughts on John Edwards who is suffering from a disease, but is choosing to fight on anyway. I must say this Elizabeth Edwards does sound like an admirable person to continue fighting for her goals despite her disease.

That's all for today. Have a good evening, and I will be back tomorrow.

Glenn Greenwald's Blog is Really Really Good

You already know that I think that; but this post over the weekend needs to be read and remembered. It's about the President having the power to hold people without review. Romney says that he wants to study the issue before deciding whether or not the President should have this power. Guiliani says that he will have the power, but will use it infrequently. Nice. Greenwald responds appropriately.

And the power that Guiliani is dreaming of exercising (but don't worry - only "infrequently"), and the power which Romney thinks must be subject to a grand debate among lawyers before he decides whether he has it, was found by the Supreme Court just three years ago in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld -- after George Bush exercised that power against American citizens, with hardly a peep of protest -- to be in violation of the most basic Constitutional guarantees. Explained the Hamdi majority, stating the bleeding obvious:

It would turn our system of checks and balances on its head to suggest that a citizen could not make his way to court with a challenge to the factual basis for his detention by his government, simply because the Executive opposes making available such a challenge. Absent suspension of the writ by Congress, a citizen detained as an enemy combatant is entitled to this process.

And the Court's left-wing terrorist-lover, Antonin Scalia, was joined by John Paul Stevens in dissenting on the ground that the opinion did not go far enough in proclaiming just how repugnant such a power is to our basic Constitutional framework, and Scalia explained: "The very core of liberty secured by our Anglo-Saxon system of separated powers has been freedom from indefinite imprisonment at the will of the Executive."

He then asks how our buddies on the right would react to a similar statements from Democratic Candidates.

Spoke to both Edwards and Clinton today and asked whether they intended to shut down conservative Christian churches. Edwards said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind, and Clinton said that she would want to use this authority infrequently.

There's not much to add except to make the obvious point about where the Republican Party is today. What they stand for.

Enlightening

Continuing the theme of Republican Presidential politics, if the Conservative Base has determined that Liberals like Rudy Guiliani will destroy America, who do they like in the Presidential Race 2008?

I have to admit I have kind of a blind spot when it comes to potential Republican Candidate Fred Thompson. I tend to look at the field of moderate sell out Republicans (from the conservative extremist's point of view) and put Gingrich in the role of the white knight (or black night, from my point of view), who will ride in and save the party! But he's not the only candidate for the job, as Robert Novak's latest article attests.

It's entitled "Thompson is for real" and that's almost all you need to know about it. Social Conservatives like him compared to Guiliani, McCain and Romney.

Sophisticated social conservative activists tell me they cannot vote for Giuliani under any conditions and have no rapport with McCain or Romney. They do not view Sen. Sam Brownback, representing the social right, as a viable candidate. They are coming to see Thompson as the only conservative who can be nominated. Their appreciation of him stems not from his eight years as a U.S. senator from Tennessee but his actor's role as district attorney of Manhattan on "Law and Order." That part was molded to Thompson's specifications as a tough prosecutor, lending him political star power.

I love the argument that what they really love is not his history as a legislature but a character he played on TV. It seems like a complicated way for Novak to call "social conservative activists" idiots. I mean apparently they aren't "sophisticated" enough to recognize the difference between fiction and reality.

I don't know what to think about Thompson just yet; my initial feeling is that it's not going to go anywhere. Fortunately I don't have to come up with too strong an opinion until he is actually in the race.

Interesting

Kevin McCulloughs latest article would be notable mostly for the weird formatting problems that seem to plague him and his ungrammatical title "Why liberals get it wrong (on nearly everything!" Nice use of parentheses there, poindexter. It's a list article, listing all the awful things that happened this last week. Atrocities like Chocolate Jesus, John Travolta speaking out about Global Warming while owning a lot of planes, and the very existence of Rosie O'Donnell. He concludes his list by saying that, well, he just doesn't think much of liberals.

. . . one thing becomes clear as you click from story to story, liberal thinking, philosophy, and policies will destroy our nation.

I think using would might be better here, as the use of will makes it seem like a done deal. But what do I know?

What makes it interesting is that McCullough includes former New York Mayor and current Presidential Candidate Rudy Guiliani in his list of shame for suggesting he might let his wife attend cabinet meetings. So apparently a Republican Presidential candidate (the front runner actually) is a member of this philosphy that will destroy our nation?

Yeah I think Gingrich would be a strong candidate if he got in.

Updated the Look of the Blog

Hope you enjoy.

Covering the Bases. A Space Lobster Joint

Hey my jib jabs. This be Space Lobster back from the Cayman Isles where I've been playing a few club dates with my new band, the Editorial Mandate. It's going pretty good; I play vibraphone. Anyway they asked me to fill in and so here I am.

Our first post comes from the Fulcrum, which has some thoughts on Freedom of Speech for Government Scientists. Apparently a Utah Representative isn't keen on it. For government scientists. They need to keep global warming and possibly evolution all hushed up, and government scientists are apparently spilling the beans.

Global warming might be my fault. I came to earth in a Lobstroconif 3000. I was pretty drunk. I don't remember where I parked it and, more to the point, I think I left my running lights on. But I am pretty sure it's somewhere around Venus. Or possibly Cleveland.

Grateful Dead Radio has some thoughts on the recent trials of Elizabeth Edwards and her husband. Stories like these make me wonder if you humans are even worth conquering and enslaving. I think maybe Captain Starfaller did me a solid when he prevented me from conquering you (on 15 separate occasions).

Anyway I gotta get back to practicing; these vibes are hard to play with my claws. It takes coordination. Have a great weekend and if you are near Big Al's Crab Shack and Pistol Range, stop in and see us. Tell them Space Lobster sent you.

What Rush Limbaugh thinks of the American People

Just in case you were wondering.

“USA Today’s got a poll: ‘Do you think something’s wrong about the firing of eight US attorneys?’ 72% said yes. 72% of the American people, a bunch of blithering idiots who have no idea what they’re talking about, but yet they voted, so these polls matter.”

For the record, I spend my time blathering rather than blithering.

Thanks to Think Progress for the quote.

Surrealism Sells

Apparently.

I got some spam a few minutes ago that started with these lines.

"Certainly; your wave name is learn popular, and milk expansion does honor ttiny."

In reality, when I was a ronin, I went by the name "Doshi Mitsu."

I don't know what reading those words is supposed to make me feel. Or, to quote Calculon, "I'm not familiar with the type of thing I'm seeing."

Burt Prelutsky is lazy

His latest article is about why he won't vote for Barack Obama. It can be summed up in one sentence. "He's a liberal and I don't like liberals." He gives a canned list of why he doesn't like liberals (We want to take away his guns. We want gay marriage. We want to surrender to the terrorists. So on and so forth). And there's your article. He probably only had to write maybe 25 words outside of his canned platitudes about Liberals. He doesn't even bother to point out whether or not Obama shares these positions. Just closes with a bland statement that if Obama's not a liberal, it's up to him to convince Prelutsky.

So that puts Obama in the uncomfortable position of having to convince Prelutsky that he doesn't want to "every holiday season happily attack the rites and traditions of American Christians." Or that he doesn't want to eliminate right wing media voices. Or that he does want to prevent Pamela Sue Anderson from marrying the Oakland Raiders.

Frankly i wouldn't bother trying. Given the level of craftsmanship and diligence this article shows, even if Obama made the case, Prelutsky would probably be too lazy to hear it.

My e-mail

My e-mail is politicalcombryant@gmail.com. I can't seem to remember how to make a link to my e-mail, but since i never use those anyway, I don't care that much.

Covering the Bases. An Irwin J. McIckleson Production

I note with some amusement that his feature has been entitled Covering the Bases. An Irwin J. McIckleson Joint. Joint is a piece of future jargon that I am sure my husband would not approve of, so I'm quietly changing it to his preferred word, production. I suspect that Space Lobster of the switch; he's a bit of a tricky customer.

For those who don't know, my husband, Irwin J. McIckleson, is a fictional 1910's plutocrat who contributes to this website. Currently he is doing a daily review of two or three websites. I was his chauffeur but now I am his wife, although I still usually drive him around. No point in paying someone else to do it. Today he is having to stay at work due to some union negotiations and he asked me to write for him.

My first article comes from the delightful Echidne of the Snakes who seems quite concerned with how woman are treated in the future (well your present, I suppose). I heartily approve. She also writes an interesting article about the split between the parties and the mechanisms put in place to ensure that the members of the two parties do not see things the same way.

Our second article comes from Firedoglake, the name of which I have a hard time understanding. But perhaps I am old-fashioned, from your perspective. At any rate it is an article about those making the case that the United States should invade a country I know as Persia, but you know as Iran. The article argues that the person writing it, a Michael Gordon, writes a very lazy article that relies on unnamed sources.

I considered being a reporter briefly, but decided not to for two reasons. Firstly, it was made clear to me that if I got a job at a newspaper it would be on the coffee providing/typing side of the business, not the writing/reporting side. I was uninterested in that side of the business. Secondly reporters often use the most vile language casually and lack the sort of courteousness I like to surround myself with.

First Draft has a review of the presses recent grilling of a White House spokesman, named Ms. Perino, who appears to be a woman. I suppose I should call her a spokeswoman. She does not seem to be up to the task of defending this President Bush, who I gather from conversations with my Husband, is a bit of a dunderhead.

That is all for this edition; my Husband may be back tomorrow. If he isn't than Space Lobster will be taking over for a day. Enjoy your evening.

Presented without Comment

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

New Blogs

Added some links to to the Blog List. Random Goblin's other blog, Sailing to Byzantium, and his wife's blog, Katy's Blog. They aren't particularly political blogs, but worth reading.