Skippy Bush Apologia

Egypt protests show George W. Bush was right about freedom in the Arab world: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

After Shrugging, A Check

Ayn Rand Railed Against Government Benefits, But Grabbed Social Security and Medicare When She Needed Them | | AlterNet:

"Ayn Rand was not only a schlock novelist, she was also the progenitor of a sweeping “moral philosophy” that justifies the privilege of the wealthy and demonizes not only the slothful, undeserving poor but the lackluster middle-classes as well.

Her books provided wide-ranging parables of 'parasites,' 'looters' and 'moochers' using the levers of government to steal the fruits of her heroes' labor. In the real world, however, Rand herself received Social Security payments and Medicare benefits under the name of Ann O'Connor (her husband was Frank O'Connor)..."

Bad Boeing

WTO Lowers Boom on Boeing - WSJ.com:

"The World Trade Organization Monday ruled formally that U.S. federal and local governments gave billions of dollars in illegal subsidies to airplane maker Boeing Co.

The finding is similar to that of an interim report released in September and marks the beginning of a complex end-game that will help determine the future of the $1.7 trillion passenger aircraft market..."

No Global Warming On Fox

Fox Tries To Debunk Global Warming, Fails Miserably | Media Matters for America:

"In an article titled, 'Five Reasons the Planet May Not Be Its Hottest Ever,' FoxNews.com sought to debunk the fact that Earth has warmed over the past 30 years, as well as the notion that human activity has contributed to the warming. But Fox largely ignored climate science and botched basic facts in the article, portions of which 'are utter nonsense' and 'do not make sense' according to climatologists consulted by Media Matters, including one of the skeptics cited by Fox..."

So what else is new?

The Rich Get Richer

Bumper pay rises for Goldman Sachs bosses as profits slump 38% | Business | The Guardian:

"Top executives at Goldman Sachs collected a bumper increase in pay and bonuses last year in defiance of public opinion, and despite a 38% slump in the bank's profits.
Michael Sherwood, one of the heads of Goldman's British and European operations is being awarded free shares worth $14.4m (£9m). That represents a 60% increase on the value of the stock award he received in 2009. Goldman does not reveal whether Sherwood is also a recipient of a cash bonus..."

More Bachman Reaction

The Tea Party Wags the Dog - NYTimes.com:

"...This time we were spared a “You lie!” But once Obama segued into a rambling laundry list and the “prom night” bipartisan photo ops lost their comic novelty, the night’s storyline inevitably shifted to the reliable diva antics of Michele Bachmann, the founder of the House’s Tea Party Caucus. For all the Republican male establishment’s harrumphing, it couldn’t derail her plan to hijack the party’s designated State of the Union response with one of her own. More Katherine Harris than Sarah Palin, Bachmann is far more riveting television bait than Paul Ryan, the bland congressman officially assigned the Bobby Jindal memorial slot after the New Jersey governor Chris Christie was savvy enough to take a pass.

The G.O.P. grandees’ consternation was palpable. Earlier in the day Bachmann had dispatched an e-mail announcing that her speech would be carried live by Fox News. But when the time came, Fox relegated the live feed to its Web site, forcing viewers to scurry to CNN, of all places, and delaying its own television recap until after prime time in the East. Rupert Murdoch’s other major organ, The Wall Street Journal, toed the same line, burying Bachmann’s speech in a half-sentence in its print edition the next morning. By then, John Boehner, seconding the disdain of Eric Cantor, was telling reporters that he hadn’t watched Bachmann because of “other obligations...”

Who Will Run Egypt?

Mubarak or Muslim Brotherhood not Egypt's only choice: Experts - Faith & Reason: "Will the next government that emerges from the tumult in Egypt be Islamic or Islamist? There's a critical difference, say experts, who caution against knee-jerk fears that Mubarak might be replaced by Islamists -- Muslim political extremists..."

Let's hope there is another option.

Dead From Text Message

Would-Be Suicide Bomber Killed by Unexpected SMS From Mobile Carrier | Threat Level | Wired.com: "An unexpected and unwanted text message from a wireless company prematurely exploded a would-be suicide bomber’s vest bomb in Russia New Year’s Eve, inadvertently thwarting a planned attack on revelers in Moscow, according to The Daily Telegraph..."

Georgia Spanish Nazi Accusations

Critics slam Georgia paper for doctored photo of governor as Nazi - CNN:

"A Spanish-language newspaper in Georgia has drawn bipartisan criticism for publishing a doctored photograph depicting the state's new governor as a Nazi..."

This is not the same thing as issuing death threats against your political opponents.

Bad Teabagging

AMERICAblog News: Maine's teabagger Governor plans to use state employees for his reelection:

More Beck Death Squad Activity

Glenn Beck's Ranting Sparks Death Threats Against 78-Year-Old Sociologist:

"Glenn Beck has been railing against 78-year-old CUNY professor Frances Fox Piven for weeks now, claiming she co-authored a devious plan to overthrow the government in the 1960s. Now, some of his fans are issuing death threats against her.

According to the New York Times, Piven has been receiving death threats after being villainized on Beck's show. "Somebody tell Frances I have 5000 rounds ready and I'll give My life to take Our freedom back," wrote one user on Beck's news site, The Blaze..."

Senate Rule Changes

'Bout time --Senate leaders agree on filibuster changes:

True Colors Test Upcoming

Logistics Monster: "Constitutional conservatives and Tea Party Patriots have an opportunity arriving soon to change the course of the nation yet again by making your feelings KNOWN to your representatives when it comes to extending provisions of the (fascist) Patriot Act which was passed unread, by a progressive congress, and signed by a globalist president. Even though I disagree with Dennis Kucinich often, as a close friend of mine has said in the past, ‘even a clock is right twice a day’, and continuing to allow this government this kind of power is absolute insanity. Here is one of those ‘line in the sand’ opportunities that we must not allow to pass us by..."

We'll see how many Tea Partyers are, in fact, patriots, and how many are just Tea Baggers, surfing along a wave of incoherent fear to line their own corrupt pockets. I predict most will not buck Obama or the Righteous Right but will endorse not only extensions but enhancements of the patently unconstitutional Patriot Act.

When Rabbis Attack...

To target Fox News over 'Nazi' label, rabbis make use of Murdoch's other media: "A coalition of rabbis wants Fox News chief Roger Ailes and conservative host Glenn Beck to cut out all their talk about Nazis and the Holocaust, and it's making its views known in an unusual place..."

Palin Dropping

CNN Poll: Palin unfavorable rating at all time high – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs: "A new national poll indicates that 56 percent of all Americans have an unfavorable view of Sarah Palin, an all-time high for the former Alaska governor. That 56 percent unfavorable figure is up seven points from just before the midterm elections, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday morning..."

With Michele Bachman as a tailwind, there's only one way to go.

Bachman's Alternate Universe

In additional to not knowing the history of the Founding, Michele Bachmann also missed out on recent American history.

Michele Bachmann's Tea Party overdrive mocked for Obama response | World news | The Guardian:

"...Even more ridicule was heaped on Bachmann for comments at the end of her statement, where she sought to conclude on a rousing patriotic note. As the backdrop changed to the famous photograph of the American flag being raised over the Pacific island of Iwo Jima she talked about the 'miracle' of America's creation, referring to the battle of Iwo Jima at the close of the second world war as 'a battle against all odds'.

David Frum, a former speechwriter for George Bush, was one of many to highlight the historical inaccuracy of that statement. He tweeted: 'Did Bachmann really say that Iwo Jima was a battle against the odds? For the Japanese I guess …'

Note: She's not from nor does she represent any part of the South.

Why 3D Sucks

I wondered why I've been far less than impressed with 3-D, and now I have good, clear definitive answer. Why 3D doesn't work and never will. Case closed. - Roger Ebert's Journal: "...So: dark, small, stroby, headache inducing, alienating. And expensive. The question is: how long will it take people to realize and get fed up?..."

Somebody Shoulda Failed American History

Bachmann: Founding fathers ‘worked tirelessly’ to end slavery | Raw Story: "Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said the United States was founded on racial and ethnic diversity and that the founding fathers were responsible for abolishing slavery..."

Death Threat Parade

In case you think right-wing blowhards don't cause the crazies to crow, read through this post--Glenn Beck's Rhetoric Inspires More Death Threats | Media Matters for America:

On The SOTU Address

Barack Obama, In Breeding Alert! : NO QUARTER: "...It would be one thing if the President was actually not able to speak to the American public. Hell, even Obama (who is kept inside a protective bubble by his Chicago aides) is out doing public speeches almost weekly. There is a strong case to be made that he is terribly over exposed. Getting his mug on the tube tonight will not slow the pace of home foreclosures or quicken a turnaround in the economy. Obama just wants to look competent, avoid gaffes and do the equivalent of kiss the cute baby. His only job tonight is to speak in soothing tones and try to ingratiate himself with the viewing audience."