Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hasn't yet said anything publicly about her 4-day-old grandson, Tripp, but she does want people to know that Tripp's parents – her eldest daughter Bristol and her fiancé Levi Johnston – are hard at work and keeping up with school.
"You need to know that both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent and going to school and working at the same time," Palin told PEOPLE in a phone message Wednesday. "They are certainly not high school dropouts."
The former vice presidential candidate said she wanted to be clear about their continuing work toward high school degrees because any suggestion otherwise "harms Bristol's reputation and Levi's reputation and their chances for good work opportunities."
Hmm so let me get this straight.
Both Bristol and Levi have been out of school since some time last year. But that DOES NOT make them high school dropouts. Really ? So are they going back to high school? Are they working on their GED's? Because even if they are working on getting the GED they are still HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS!
That is what the term means. There are two ways to leave high school. You either earn all of your credits and graduate, or you don't and DROP OUT!
And I have news for you, just because your mother is the Governor does not mean she gets to change the goddamn definitions!
So why did Palin call to make this clarification?
....because any suggestion otherwise "harms Bristol's reputation and Levi's reputation and their chances for good work opportunities."
Well I have more news for you Mrs. Palin, they are going to ask Bristol and Levi if they graduated from high school on their job applications. Are you encouraging them to lie on those applications? Is that why you don't want the media to report that they dropped out? So that their future employers will be easy to fool?
And besides if they get their GED before they apply for a job it will not make one bit of difference to ANYBODY if they did not finish high school or not. It will not have the slightest impact on their ability to get a job or go to college. That is the very point of the GED program!
Do you know why I really think this is an issue to Sarah Palin? Because she is afraid that it makes her look bad. Her teenage daughter has a baby out of wedlock, the mother of that baby's father just got arrested for selling drugs, they are both high school dropouts, and the Governor is afraid that people will judge her based on those facts.
And you know what? She is probably right.
But have no fear Governor I will not judge you based on the choices that your daughter, her boyfriend, or her boyfriend's mother have made. Oh no, I am judging you based on the bad choices YOU made. Like firing Walt Monegan for not having your ex-brother-in-law fired. Like repeating hateful lies about our President-elect. Like saying you will cooperate with an ethics investigation and then going back on that word the minute you realized it was not going in your favor. Like making Alaska the laughingstock of the world based on your interviews with the press. Those are the things I hold against you Governor, not the choices made by your family.
Feel better now?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Today when somebody wants to insult a politician they compare them to George Bush. To insult George Bush who do you compare him to? Sarah Palin!
Lawrence Wilkerson, top aide and later chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said that as a new president, Bush was like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee whom critics said lacked knowledge about foreign affairs. When Bush first came into office, he was surrounded by experienced advisers like Vice President Dick Cheney and Powell, who Wilkerson said ended up playing damage control for the president."It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president — because, let's face it, that's what he was — was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire," Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he'd ever met.
I have received some comments lately asking why I still keep talking about Sarah Palin.
"She is yesterday's news". "Nobody cares about her anymore", "Aren't there more important things for you to focus on?".
Most of these comments come from people who DO NOT LIVE IN ALASKA.
You see though I want desperately to move on to other scandals, and other stories, I cannot.
Sarah Palin is still my Governor!
She is still making policy, deciding where our money is to be spent, and representing my state to the rest of the world. And she is still planning to run in 2012, don't think for a moment she is not.
When George Bush ran for President in 2000, he presented himself as moral, ethical, and bi-partisan. Would anybody describe George Bush in those terms today? Of course not!
Sarah Palin is also presenting herself as honest, ethical, and transparent. Do people still believe that ? Yes, they do. Unless of course Alaskans can reveal the truth before she fools the nation the same way that George Bush did in 2000.
Sarah Palin, is essentially George Bush with boobs. She is an empty vessel that can be shaped to fit any ideal the GOP wants her to fit. That is what makes her so dangerous.
On her own Palin is an uncultured, unsophisticated, embarrassment. But after the Republican machine has had a chance to tweak and shape her she may be able to fool enough people some day to actually become a Senator, or heaven help us, the President.
It is my duty, as an Alaskan and an American, to do everything I can to keep that from happening.
Republicans call George Bush a "socialist". "Warmonger", "charlatan", and "mama's boy" did not make the list.
Republican Party officials say they will try next month to pass a resolution accusing President Bush and congressional Republican leaders of embracing "socialism," underscoring deep dissension within the party at the end of Mr. Bush's administration."We can't be a party of small government, free markets and low taxes while supporting bailouts and nationalizing industries, which lead to big government, socialism and high taxes at the expense of individual liberty and freedoms," said Solomon Yue, an Oregon member and co-sponsor of a resolution that criticizes the U.S. government bailouts of the financial and auto industries. Republican National Committee Vice Chairman James Bopp Jr. wrote the resolution and asked the rest of the 168 voting members to sign it.
"We have enough co-sponsors to take this to the RNC floor" at the party's Jan. 28-31 annual winter meeting in Washington, Mr. Bopp said. "I will take it to the Resolutions Committee, but I intend to press this issue to the floor for decision."
Now the Republicans decide that Bush has betrayed their party? Only now?
He didn't betray their party when he took the nation into an unnecessary war?
He did not betray his party when he decided to eavesdrop on the phone calls of American citizens?
He did not betray his party when he failed to respond to Katrina effectively?
He did not betray his party when he allowed billions of American dollars to disappear in Iraq?
Are these examples acceptable by the GOP? They do not rise to the level of incompetence, criminal activity, or betrayal?
You know I have recently been called out on my intense dislike for the Republicans. A dislike by the way that did not exist eight years ago.
"Gee Gryphen, you cannot dislike ALL Republicans. That is not fair!"
Yes it is! Because any Republican who did not rise up against this President, this administration , and these dangerous policies, is a criminal in my opinion. Just like the guy who drives the getaway car after the bank is robbed by his pals, these Republicans have provided cover for the most dangerous anti-American policy decisions ever visited upon this great country.
The Republicans may have always been my ideological opposites in most cases, but I did not despise them. But in the last eight years they have earned my intense disgust.
Calling George Bush a "socialist" now, after eight years, just shows how out of touch these politicians are. They should instead blame him for the careless decisions that he made which caused this crisis to occur in the first place. At least now, for perhaps the first time in his presidency, he is trying to fix something that he has broken. Of course it is much too late, but at least it is something.
George Bush will go down in history as the worst President this country has ever had, a man who broke the economy, destroyed our reputation worldwide, poisoned his own political party, and spied on his own constituents, but it is very doubtful that the label of "socialist" will find any purchase.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Blagojevich to name Barack Obama successor. Update: Yep he did it!
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.
The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.
Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.
Damn Blagojevich must have balls almost as large as those freaky bangs of his!
Here he is under indictment for corruption, under intense scrutiny by the media, being vilified by his own party, and he still has the temerity to pick the Senate replacement for the next PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
Hey look I think the guy's a crook, but I am beginning to develop a grudging admiration for this little bastard.
And he chooses an African American! Which means that if the Democrats refuse to give their blessing, and then choose a white guy, they will look like they have turned their back on the black community in Illinois and will guarantee that their candidate will lose in 2010.
Well played Governor Blagojevich, well played!
Update: Here is the video from MSNBC.
Blagojevich has the Democratic party in a very unenviable position. If they reject this appointee and then hold a special election in which the seat is taken by a Republican they lose a Senate seat. If they allow this to take place then they look toothless because they demanded that Blagojevich NOT make this appointment.
If this were a chess game the Democrats queen would be in deep shit.
The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.
Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.
Damn Blagojevich must have balls almost as large as those freaky bangs of his!
Here he is under indictment for corruption, under intense scrutiny by the media, being vilified by his own party, and he still has the temerity to pick the Senate replacement for the next PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
Hey look I think the guy's a crook, but I am beginning to develop a grudging admiration for this little bastard.
And he chooses an African American! Which means that if the Democrats refuse to give their blessing, and then choose a white guy, they will look like they have turned their back on the black community in Illinois and will guarantee that their candidate will lose in 2010.
Well played Governor Blagojevich, well played!
Update: Here is the video from MSNBC.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The Democrats are definitely NOT happy!
Harry Reid: "It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic Senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety. This is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat."
And it looks like Obama agrees with the Democrats on this subject as well.Blagojevich has the Democratic party in a very unenviable position. If they reject this appointee and then hold a special election in which the seat is taken by a Republican they lose a Senate seat. If they allow this to take place then they look toothless because they demanded that Blagojevich NOT make this appointment.
If this were a chess game the Democrats queen would be in deep shit.
Zbigniew Brzezinski describes Joe Scarborough as "stunningly superficial" on the air. Oh this is a thing of beauty.
Here is what I find so delicious about this clip.
Joe Scarborough has Mika Brzezinski on the show to give him some journalistic credibility, because we all know that he is nothing more a product of MSNBC's affirmative action program in which they give Republican apologists their own shows to ward off charges of partisanship.
But in less then three minutes Zbigniew Brzezinski, Mika's father, stripped away every scintilla of credibility and laid Scarborough's defense of George Bush and his naked attempts to blame the Clinton Presidency bare for all of the world to see.
If there was any doubt that Joe Scarborough is nothing more then a Republican tool, then Brzezinski's beautiful on-air evisceration should have removed it quite effectively.
Have you been trying to figure out how Bristol Palin came up with the name Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston? We may have an answer.
This question has puzzled almost EVERYBODY who has heard this little guys name.
"How in the hell did they ever come up with that?" Is the usual refrain.
Well leave it to my friend AKMuckraker to come up with an answer. (Just click the title to visit Mudflats and read it for yourself.)
But for those who cannot wait, I will offer you the possible inspiration for the first name, and it comes to us from the Urban Dictionary which defines the word "Tripp" as:
"To engage in sexual intercourse with, usually while drunk or out of pure infatuation. Another word for having sex."
Oh....my....God!
Now we have no absolute way of knowing if this is the true inspiration, but doesn't it kind of fit with everything we know about this family?
"How in the hell did they ever come up with that?" Is the usual refrain.
Well leave it to my friend AKMuckraker to come up with an answer. (Just click the title to visit Mudflats and read it for yourself.)
But for those who cannot wait, I will offer you the possible inspiration for the first name, and it comes to us from the Urban Dictionary which defines the word "Tripp" as:
"To engage in sexual intercourse with, usually while drunk or out of pure infatuation. Another word for having sex."
Oh....my....God!
Now we have no absolute way of knowing if this is the true inspiration, but doesn't it kind of fit with everything we know about this family?
Female mutilations in the name of Allah widespread among the Kurdish people.
Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile, looking for the party her mother had promised.
There was no celebration. Instead, a local woman quickly locked a rusty red door behind Sheelan, who looked bewildered when her mother ordered the girl to remove her underpants. Sheelan began to whimper, then tremble, while the women pushed apart her legs and a midwife raised a stainless-steel razor blade in the air. "I do this in the name of Allah!" she intoned.
As the midwife sliced off part of Sheelan's genitals, the girl let out a high-pitched wail heard throughout the neighborhood. As she carried the sobbing child back home, Sheelan's mother smiled with pride.
"This is the practice of the Kurdish people for as long as anyone can remember," said the mother, Aisha Hameed, 30, a housewife in this ethnically mixed town about 100 miles north of Baghdad. "We don't know why we do it, but we will never stop because Islam and our elders require it."
"We don't know why we do it, but we will never stop because Islam and our elders require it." These are words spoken in ignorance which demonstrate an adherence to ancient superstitions and rituals that have no place in this modern world.
If you ask yourself how can anything so barbaric ever have been implemented in the first place then of course you have to understand the culture which is rampant in this part of the world concerning the attitude toward women. And you need to take into account the cover that their religion provides which allows them to continue without serious challenges. To question this practice in the eyes of the Kurds is to question the teachings of Allah himself.
Women are simply the property of the male. First they belong to their fathers who then arrange their marriage (sale) to their future husbands. The marriage is for the benefit of the man only. It is to create male heirs that will carry his lineage into the future. By taking away the pleasure that making love may provide the woman, she is reduced to nothing more then an instrument for the man's needs. And with her sexual responses crippled she is unlikely to seek carnal relations with a man who is not her husband.
Still in this day and age, with so much information available, how could this mutilation still be practiced openly? The answer to that may be found in the words of this 91 year old woman.
"I would not eat food from the hands of someone who did not have the procedure," said Hurmet Kitab, a housewife who said she was 91 years old.
Kurds who support circumcising girls say the practice has two goals: It controls a woman's sexual desires, and it makes her spiritually clean so that others can eat the meals she prepares.
Can you imagine anything so self loathing, as a woman, then to condemn your daughters to a life without pleasure? To turn them into nothing more then plastic sex dolls whose job is to allow a man to use them as a simple masturbatory aid?
And if that were not enough this old woman even refuses to eat food prepared by a female who may have had the temerity to actually enjoy the touch of her husband from the night before. As if her pleasure somehow detracts from her ability to prepare nutrition for her friends and family.
Usually it is shame and religious constraints which are used to keep the female in check. But in many parts of the world that did not seem to be enough to control the women sufficiently for the elders and these barbaric practices were introduced to keep the men in complete control.
It is my opinion that America should remove ALL aid to this part of the world, and any others who practice this form of mutilation, until they offer proof that they have put a stop to this horrific practice.
I could care less about cultural or religious sensitivity in this case. These children are being brutalized and for that there is absolutely no excuse.
And one final thought before I drop this topic and leave to shower the disgust from my body.
Any man who takes a woman's love, has never really FELT a woman's love. Any man who demands that his women submit to him, is denied the joy that exists when a woman freely gives herself to him. Any man who holds his woman in an iron grip, will never feel the softness of her loving caress. In other words to deny your woman pleasure, is to deny yourself the same.
No real man fears his lovers sexuality, he merely feels blessed when he is the recipient of her passion and her love.
There was no celebration. Instead, a local woman quickly locked a rusty red door behind Sheelan, who looked bewildered when her mother ordered the girl to remove her underpants. Sheelan began to whimper, then tremble, while the women pushed apart her legs and a midwife raised a stainless-steel razor blade in the air. "I do this in the name of Allah!" she intoned.
As the midwife sliced off part of Sheelan's genitals, the girl let out a high-pitched wail heard throughout the neighborhood. As she carried the sobbing child back home, Sheelan's mother smiled with pride.
"This is the practice of the Kurdish people for as long as anyone can remember," said the mother, Aisha Hameed, 30, a housewife in this ethnically mixed town about 100 miles north of Baghdad. "We don't know why we do it, but we will never stop because Islam and our elders require it."
"We don't know why we do it, but we will never stop because Islam and our elders require it." These are words spoken in ignorance which demonstrate an adherence to ancient superstitions and rituals that have no place in this modern world.
If you ask yourself how can anything so barbaric ever have been implemented in the first place then of course you have to understand the culture which is rampant in this part of the world concerning the attitude toward women. And you need to take into account the cover that their religion provides which allows them to continue without serious challenges. To question this practice in the eyes of the Kurds is to question the teachings of Allah himself.
Women are simply the property of the male. First they belong to their fathers who then arrange their marriage (sale) to their future husbands. The marriage is for the benefit of the man only. It is to create male heirs that will carry his lineage into the future. By taking away the pleasure that making love may provide the woman, she is reduced to nothing more then an instrument for the man's needs. And with her sexual responses crippled she is unlikely to seek carnal relations with a man who is not her husband.
Still in this day and age, with so much information available, how could this mutilation still be practiced openly? The answer to that may be found in the words of this 91 year old woman.
"I would not eat food from the hands of someone who did not have the procedure," said Hurmet Kitab, a housewife who said she was 91 years old.
Kurds who support circumcising girls say the practice has two goals: It controls a woman's sexual desires, and it makes her spiritually clean so that others can eat the meals she prepares.
Can you imagine anything so self loathing, as a woman, then to condemn your daughters to a life without pleasure? To turn them into nothing more then plastic sex dolls whose job is to allow a man to use them as a simple masturbatory aid?
And if that were not enough this old woman even refuses to eat food prepared by a female who may have had the temerity to actually enjoy the touch of her husband from the night before. As if her pleasure somehow detracts from her ability to prepare nutrition for her friends and family.
Usually it is shame and religious constraints which are used to keep the female in check. But in many parts of the world that did not seem to be enough to control the women sufficiently for the elders and these barbaric practices were introduced to keep the men in complete control.
It is my opinion that America should remove ALL aid to this part of the world, and any others who practice this form of mutilation, until they offer proof that they have put a stop to this horrific practice.
I could care less about cultural or religious sensitivity in this case. These children are being brutalized and for that there is absolutely no excuse.
And one final thought before I drop this topic and leave to shower the disgust from my body.
Any man who takes a woman's love, has never really FELT a woman's love. Any man who demands that his women submit to him, is denied the joy that exists when a woman freely gives herself to him. Any man who holds his woman in an iron grip, will never feel the softness of her loving caress. In other words to deny your woman pleasure, is to deny yourself the same.
No real man fears his lovers sexuality, he merely feels blessed when he is the recipient of her passion and her love.
Monday, December 29, 2008
There is at least one man in Barrow who does not think that global warming is killing the polar bears fast enough.
If you click the title you will learn that there are more scary things in Alaska then just Sarah Palin and hypothermia.
The picture above is just to whet your appetite. The rest of the photos will freak you out.
Well they freaked me out anyhow.
Bristol Palin's baby finally arrives!
Gov. Sarah Palin is a grandmother. The baby's name is Tripp, and he was born Sunday, People magazine is reporting.
Palin's daughter Bristol gave birth to the healthy 7-pound, 4-ounce baby in Palmer, the magazine reports on its Web site.
The full name: Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.
Eight days late, surrounded by controversy, and a member of one of the most scrutinized families in America.
Welcome to the world little Tripp! And good luck with that name.
So this baby was also born at the Mat-Su Regional Hospital, this one in Palmer instead of Wasilla. Raise your hand if that surprises you. (Hold on there may be a chance that this baby was born in the Valley Hospital in Palmer. Gee the Valley has more hospitals then Anchorage!)
Hmmm I wonder if Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson did the honors this time as well. Enquiring minds want to know.
Trigg and Tripp, only two letters make the difference, I wonder just how many genetic markers are different as well.
Palin's daughter Bristol gave birth to the healthy 7-pound, 4-ounce baby in Palmer, the magazine reports on its Web site.
The full name: Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.
Eight days late, surrounded by controversy, and a member of one of the most scrutinized families in America.
Welcome to the world little Tripp! And good luck with that name.
So this baby was also born at the Mat-Su Regional Hospital, this one in Palmer instead of Wasilla. Raise your hand if that surprises you. (Hold on there may be a chance that this baby was born in the Valley Hospital in Palmer. Gee the Valley has more hospitals then Anchorage!)
Hmmm I wonder if Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson did the honors this time as well. Enquiring minds want to know.
Trigg and Tripp, only two letters make the difference, I wonder just how many genetic markers are different as well.
Anderson Cooper on Rachel Maddow: "yelling's been replaced by sarcasm and snark- iness."
This year we saw the rise of Rachel Maddow and Campbell Brown -- very opinionated. You haven't succumbed too much. Do you have plans to? I have no plans to, no. I think those people are really good at what they do. Rachel Maddow is an incredible talent -- she's funny, and smart, obviously well researched on subjects. I'm just not interested as a viewer in listening to anchors' opinions. It seems like there's an awful lot of yelling, and this year yelling's been replaced by sarcasm and snark- iness.
Well personally I LOVE snark-iness. Hell without snark-iness this blog wouldn't even exist!
However I would have to take exception with Cooper's contention that Rachel Maddow's show is all about snark. I don't find that true at all.
Sure she often points out the absurdity of a story, but she also demonstrates a great deal of compassion and concern about many stories that the MSM really does a poor job of covering. After all it was Rachel who kept the light shining on Sarah Palin and Alaska election questions long after every other network had packed up and moved on.
In my opinion Anderson Cooper is just getting his tight fitting jeans in a bunch because he is jealous of the ratings that MSNBC has received lately, and the attention they have garnered from other media outlets. When was the last time that Anderson was parodied by SNL? But Ben Affleck skewered Keith Olbermann just a few weekends ago. Now that is fame buddy.
And let us not forget that Cooper's show replaced the infinitely more talented, but far less telegenic, Aaron Brown. Aaron Brown who did such an admirably job during and after 9-11, lost his job for no other reason then that he was not as pretty as Anderson Cooper, who garnered world wide attention by crying at the devastation of Katrina. (I am sure Mr. Brown shed a tear as well, he just did not have the dainty features to look sexy while doing it on camera.)
By the way Mr. Cooper do you see the sentence above this one? That my friend is snark. And damn good snark at that!
Now I have to go and prepare myself for the angry responses in my e-mail and comments section from the many women and gay men who adore the androgynous Anderson Cooper.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
David Letterman gives us the Top Ten George Bush moments. Can you believe we let this guy run our country?
I am torn between the desire to laugh and the desire to cry.
Obviously this list was compiled before the Iraqi shoe throwing incident. Because in my opinion NOTHING beats that!
On the Gaza strip more innocent lives are claimed in the name of religious intolerance.
Israeli jets pounded Hamas targets in Gaza for a third day Monday, continuing an operation that Palestinian security sources said has killed more than 270 people.
Hamas militants, meanwhile, had launched more rockets into Israel on Sunday. Israel has said its airstrikes are a necessary self-defense measure after repeated rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel.
The U.N. called for a halt to hostilities, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at a Cabinet meeting Sunday that the operation "is liable to continue for some time, perhaps more than can be foreseen at the present time."
Palestinian security sources said Sunday that at least 277 people, most of them Hamas militants, have been killed and hundreds more wounded.
If you were to compare the DNA of an Israeli to that of a Palestinian you would be unable to detect any substantial difference. For all intents and purposes they would be virtually identical. And yet they kill each other as if they are stepping on a bug, not a fellow human being.
They kill without regret because though they essentially worship the same God, they worship him in different ways, believe in different prophets, and selfishly accept that God has chosen to elevate their people above all others. Like two children fighting over the attention of their mother, these two destroy and kill to pay homage to their creator.
Is it any wonder that there are millions of us who are repelled by the actions taken in the name of God? When we think of religion we see divisiveness, prejudice, ignorance, homophobia, and sexism. I know that is not fair, but the examples which support that are all over the morning papers.
Gandhi once said "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no cause that I am prepared to kill for". Gandhi was a great believer in the existence of God, but he did not feel that his faith allowed for him to take the life of another human being. If more people had the kind of faith practiced by Mahatma Gandhi this world would be infinitely more peaceful and substantially more religious.
Hamas militants, meanwhile, had launched more rockets into Israel on Sunday. Israel has said its airstrikes are a necessary self-defense measure after repeated rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel.
The U.N. called for a halt to hostilities, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at a Cabinet meeting Sunday that the operation "is liable to continue for some time, perhaps more than can be foreseen at the present time."
Palestinian security sources said Sunday that at least 277 people, most of them Hamas militants, have been killed and hundreds more wounded.
If you were to compare the DNA of an Israeli to that of a Palestinian you would be unable to detect any substantial difference. For all intents and purposes they would be virtually identical. And yet they kill each other as if they are stepping on a bug, not a fellow human being.
They kill without regret because though they essentially worship the same God, they worship him in different ways, believe in different prophets, and selfishly accept that God has chosen to elevate their people above all others. Like two children fighting over the attention of their mother, these two destroy and kill to pay homage to their creator.
Is it any wonder that there are millions of us who are repelled by the actions taken in the name of God? When we think of religion we see divisiveness, prejudice, ignorance, homophobia, and sexism. I know that is not fair, but the examples which support that are all over the morning papers.
Gandhi once said "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no cause that I am prepared to kill for". Gandhi was a great believer in the existence of God, but he did not feel that his faith allowed for him to take the life of another human being. If more people had the kind of faith practiced by Mahatma Gandhi this world would be infinitely more peaceful and substantially more religious.
Gallup chooses Sarah Palin as the second most admired woman in America.
Gov. Sarah Palin was a strong second among the most-admired women, behind Hillary Clinton but ahead of television host Oprah Winfrey.Sarah Palin beat Oprah Winfrey? How in the hell does something like that happen?
How can women admire a person who wants to dictate what they can do with their own bodies, treats little Trig Palin like a stage prop, and who reinforced the stereotype that it is more important for a woman to look good then to be capable?
Sarah Palin has badly damaged the future aspirations of female candidates who will now have to fight being compared to her in the media. Even somebody as popular and capable as Caroline Kennedy was recently described as being "Sarah Palin-ized", which is a made up term that will now be in the media vernacular for any female who fails to grant interviews.
I have no idea how many Republicans were in the polling sample taken by Gallup, but if Sarah Palin's popularity has jumped the line of partisanship the future of our country may be in some serious trouble.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
I am not going to the movies anymore. I am just going to send this little girl instead and then have her tell me about them.
Cutest little girl on the planet!
I went and saw "The Spirit" today because my kids made me. I was very disappointed.
But I bet if I had sent this little girl instead and then had her tell me about it I would have been riveted.
BTW the link goes to the Top Ten YouTube videos of the year, just in case you want to watch more cool videos. But I am going to warn you that NONE of them are better then this one. (Not even the one where O'Reilly completely loses his shit on the air.)
I went and saw "The Spirit" today because my kids made me. I was very disappointed.
But I bet if I had sent this little girl instead and then had her tell me about it I would have been riveted.
BTW the link goes to the Top Ten YouTube videos of the year, just in case you want to watch more cool videos. But I am going to warn you that NONE of them are better then this one. (Not even the one where O'Reilly completely loses his shit on the air.)
Look! The Republicans went and got their own "Magic Negro"!
Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state who appears to be leading in the race to become the next chairman of the Republican National Committee, is defending a rival who distributed a CD containing a song called "Barack the Magic Negro," and dismissing criticism as a sign of media "hypersensitivity" to race.The rival, former Huckabee aide Chip Saltsman, came under fire today from the sitting Republican Party chairman, Mike Duncan, who said he was "shocked and appalled" by the move, Mike Allen reported."Unfortunately, there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race. This is in large measure due to President-Elect Obama being the first African-American elected president," said Blackwell, who would be the first black RNC chairman, in a statement forwarded to Politico by an aide. "I don't think any of the concerns that have been expressed in the media about any of the other candidates for RNC chairman should disqualify them. When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."
Hey you see that picture of the well dressed black man over there? THAT is Ken Blackwell. I shit you not!
And it just goes to prove my theory about what kind of African Americans join the Republican party. They are self loathing black people, who have been put down for so long that they have come to accept that they are indeed inferior to the white man.
How else can anybody explain why George Bush, who has single handedly set equal rights back twenty years, still managed to get 8% of the black vote in 2004? This 8% percent simply must not like black folk!
They vote against African Americans getting better jobs, they vote against them getting adequate educations, and apparently they also vote against them becoming President.
This Ken Blackwell fellow is defending an act of racism so ugly that it turns the stomach of every rational thinking American, white or black. It suggests a deep pathological hatred of your own race.
And that is probably why Mr. Blackwell is currently favored to lead the Republican party. This way the GOP can present the facade of an open, all inclusive, political party with this schizophrenic African American as their point man. His self hatred will keep him from demanding any kind of reform from the party, and he will passively allow them to continue with their racially divisive policies while providing a shield of blackness to ward off criticism.
"Hey look Democrats! We have one of those brown people leading our party too! So just go ahead an try to call us racist now!"
I hope that when Barack Obama takes office he starts an outreach program for black Republicans that will finally offer them the help that they so clearly need.
Sarah Palin calendar is the number one selling "office product" on the Amazon.com website.
Still having trouble finding just the right gift for that hard to buy for conservative misogynist? Well I think this might just be the gift giving idea for you.Here is what some of the commenter's at Amazon.com had to say about this delightful calendar.
Sarah Palin is not only an idiot; she is an idiot detector as well. This calendar is perfect. Hang it somewhere inconspicuous and if you are not sure of someone's true intellect show him or her the calendar. If they seem to genuinely respect Sarah Palin you will know that intelligent conversation is impossible, and you can move on to discussions of Survivor or American Idol.
Shouldn't we tell her? This is a "gag-gift." And aren't we being a little cruel to continue to make fun of this woman by suggesting she's a credible figure? I mean, honestly, I think she thinks this is all real! That someone, somewhere, actually admires her or takes her seriously. I think she actually believes that she's a viable politician! Can you imagine?
Hahahhaahahahahahhaa! OMG...I truly thought this was a joke! I have no choice but to award 5 stars for "pathetic". WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Of course not everybody believed this calendar was a joke.
I was so happy to have found this calendar :) Sarah is such a beautiful woman. It was nice to see pictures of her outside the political realm. She's a true maverick - and that Piper is too darn cute!
Well it is my fervent desire that by the time the purchasers of this calendar turn the page to the month of February that Sarah Palin's political career will have crashed and burned and we can move on to more important political stories.
December 27th and no Bristol Palin baby news so far! Hmmm.
Friday, December 26, 2008
RNC candidate uses racism to win acceptance by GOP. Stay classy Republicans!
RNC candidate Chip Saltsman’s Christmas greeting to committee members includes a music CD with lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro,” first played on Rush Limbaugh’s popular radio show.Saltsman, a personal friend of conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, sent a 41-track CD along with a note to national committee members.
“I look forward to working together in the New Year,” Saltsman wrote. “Please enjoy the enclosed CD by my friend Paul Shanklin of the Rush Limbaugh Show.”
The CD, called “We Hate the USA,” lampoons liberals with such songs as “John Edwards’ Poverty Tour,” “Wright place, wrong pastor,” “Love Client #9,” “Ivory and Ebony” and “The Star Spanglish banner.”
Several of the track titles, including “Barack the Magic Negro,” are written in bold font.
The song, which debuted on Limbaugh’s show in late March 2007, latches onto an opinion column in the Los Angeles Times of the same title. That column, penned by cultural critic David Ehrenstein, argued that Obama could serve as a balm to whites who felt guilty about past treatment of African Americans.
“See, real black men, like Snoop Dogg, or me, or Farrakhan, have talked the talk, and walked the walk, not come in late and won,” one verse in the song says.
Hey look I love to laugh. Ask anybody.
And I don't mind if the jokes are a little politically incorrect or bawdy. But this is not simply "politically incorrect" this is hate seeking the camouflage of humor.
If this parody were done featuring Hillary Clinton, or Laura Bush, using sexually denigrating references instead of racial ones, the women of this country would burn this guy at the stake. If he were lucky.
The truly insulting thing about this, even more so then actual recordings themselves, is the fact that these racists are hiding behind the fact that the article, which first referenced the "Magic Negro" conception, was written by a black man. (You can see Rush frantically trying to do just that in this link.)
In the same way that closet racists love to listen to rap songs in their cars because they believe that since the "N" word is part of the song it gives them carte blanche to sing it at the top of their lungs, these assholes want to make the case that you cannot be angry at them unless you are also willing to vilify David Ehrenstein for bringing the term into the current nomenclature. (I guess these guys have never heard of Spike Lee.)
However the point that Mr. Ehrenstein was trying to make, and the one that was clearly lost on Rush Limbaugh, Chip Saltsman, and this Paul Shanklin jerk, is that the idea of the "Magic Negro" is in and of itself racist. By trying to hide behind the phrase these three individuals have simply allowed their white sheets to be seen even more clearly.
However what most Barack Obama supporters have come to understand, and admire, is that Obama is not the "magic negro". He did not suddenly appear from nowhere just to sacrifice himself for the hapless white man. He ran for President of the United States to help America. ALL of America, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and every other ethnicity one can imagine.
And besides EVERY President gets the ideals of the voters projected on them. You don't think that those bible thumpers convinced themselves that George Bush was the second coming of Christ? They are still doing that very thing to Sarah Palin.
So this Chip Saltsman may think he is fooling people by hiding behind these "humor" CD's, but he is not fooling anybody. We can smell that faint odor of burning crosses from here.
P.S. By the way just in case you think I may have exaggerated the offensiveness of the song in question I hesitantly provide this link, so that you can listen to it for yourselves. Don't say I didn't warn you.
“I look forward to working together in the New Year,” Saltsman wrote. “Please enjoy the enclosed CD by my friend Paul Shanklin of the Rush Limbaugh Show.”
The CD, called “We Hate the USA,” lampoons liberals with such songs as “John Edwards’ Poverty Tour,” “Wright place, wrong pastor,” “Love Client #9,” “Ivory and Ebony” and “The Star Spanglish banner.”
Several of the track titles, including “Barack the Magic Negro,” are written in bold font.
The song, which debuted on Limbaugh’s show in late March 2007, latches onto an opinion column in the Los Angeles Times of the same title. That column, penned by cultural critic David Ehrenstein, argued that Obama could serve as a balm to whites who felt guilty about past treatment of African Americans.
“See, real black men, like Snoop Dogg, or me, or Farrakhan, have talked the talk, and walked the walk, not come in late and won,” one verse in the song says.
Hey look I love to laugh. Ask anybody.
And I don't mind if the jokes are a little politically incorrect or bawdy. But this is not simply "politically incorrect" this is hate seeking the camouflage of humor.
If this parody were done featuring Hillary Clinton, or Laura Bush, using sexually denigrating references instead of racial ones, the women of this country would burn this guy at the stake. If he were lucky.
The truly insulting thing about this, even more so then actual recordings themselves, is the fact that these racists are hiding behind the fact that the article, which first referenced the "Magic Negro" conception, was written by a black man. (You can see Rush frantically trying to do just that in this link.)
In the same way that closet racists love to listen to rap songs in their cars because they believe that since the "N" word is part of the song it gives them carte blanche to sing it at the top of their lungs, these assholes want to make the case that you cannot be angry at them unless you are also willing to vilify David Ehrenstein for bringing the term into the current nomenclature. (I guess these guys have never heard of Spike Lee.)
However the point that Mr. Ehrenstein was trying to make, and the one that was clearly lost on Rush Limbaugh, Chip Saltsman, and this Paul Shanklin jerk, is that the idea of the "Magic Negro" is in and of itself racist. By trying to hide behind the phrase these three individuals have simply allowed their white sheets to be seen even more clearly.
However what most Barack Obama supporters have come to understand, and admire, is that Obama is not the "magic negro". He did not suddenly appear from nowhere just to sacrifice himself for the hapless white man. He ran for President of the United States to help America. ALL of America, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and every other ethnicity one can imagine.
And besides EVERY President gets the ideals of the voters projected on them. You don't think that those bible thumpers convinced themselves that George Bush was the second coming of Christ? They are still doing that very thing to Sarah Palin.
So this Chip Saltsman may think he is fooling people by hiding behind these "humor" CD's, but he is not fooling anybody. We can smell that faint odor of burning crosses from here.
P.S. By the way just in case you think I may have exaggerated the offensiveness of the song in question I hesitantly provide this link, so that you can listen to it for yourselves. Don't say I didn't warn you.
To fight the war in Afghanistan America has a new secret weapon: Viagra!
The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.
Four blue pills. Viagra.
"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.
For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations.
I heard this story on MSNBC this morning, and literally did a spit take with my morning coffee.
In the old days of the Cold War the CIA would send sexy women to seduce the enemy into providing crucial information. Nowadays we simply have "hard on in a bottle". I am not sure which approach I find the more disturbing.
Four blue pills. Viagra.
"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.
For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations.
I heard this story on MSNBC this morning, and literally did a spit take with my morning coffee.
In the old days of the Cold War the CIA would send sexy women to seduce the enemy into providing crucial information. Nowadays we simply have "hard on in a bottle". I am not sure which approach I find the more disturbing.
I keep imagining these old Afghan chieftains running around with their dicks out trying to stick in any available orifice. It makes for a very comical image.
You know I am certainly not a prude, but giving men erections in exchange for information is just one of those things I guess I would rather not have known about. I would just love to see the reimbursement forms these agents must hand in.
"Well let's see Agent Smith, you asked for six Viagra pills, a tube of Ky jelly, and an inflatable sheep. You must be headed to either Afghanistan or a vacation in Las Vegas."
Well whatever will make these newly hardened men probe more aggressively for information which will allow our military to thrust deeply into the soft center of the Taliban honey pot must be a good thing I guess. (Sorry I could not resist. LOL!)
The day after Christmas news roundup and mental meandering post.
So here it is the day after Christmas 2008.I got up this morning with a truly horrific headache (Obviously too much wine), and a blanket of new fallen snow covering my neighborhood. (This is a picture of my Obama sign, and my office window just this morning. More on that later.)
A quick perusal of the internet tells me that my city has taken a serious financial hit due to the poor economy, Eartha Kitt (Catwoman) has died, and that Santa went on a murderous rampage yesterday.
All in all not a very festive end to Christmas.
So I thought I would focus instead on the positive.
For instance I was finally able to talk to my daughter yesterday on her brand new I-Phone (Yes her father loves her very much), where I was informed that she was on her way to the movies (big surprise) and that ALL of her friends were jealous of her new phone and wished that I was their daddy. Hee hee!
And on Christmas eve I was out shoveling the snow that had fallen the night before and happened to strike up a conversation with my very attractive next door neighbor, who informed me that seeing my Obama sign always made her day (I told you I would get back to the sign later) as her husband was a conservative hard liner and would not even let her talk about Obama in their house. She then moved close and whispered that if I ever needed anybody to work on any progressive issues to let her know and she would LOVE to help.
I am pretty sure I will be able to find something for her to do. (Sometimes working for the Democrats here in town is like being a member of the French resistance in World War 2.) It is always nice to be able to recruit a new person into the Alaska progressive movement.
I have been checking everyday since the 20th and so far there is no blessed event reported from the Palin household. Which has caused even those with less conspiratorial minds to start asking WTF? I will immediately post any news on the subject.
Well I think my meanderings are over for this morning. I hope all of you had the bestest Christmas ever! I also hope that this next year is full of pleasant surprises, overdue justice, and prayers finally answered for so many whose faith had been sorely tested for these last eight years.
And also, thank you for visiting here in my little corner of the blogoshere. I have had so many kind, supportive comments from people over this last year that I have felt truly blessed. Many of you stuck it out with me during the long campaign days and nights, followed with me as we unraveled the mysteries of Sarah Palin, and helped me to celebrate our amazing victory as Barack Obama was named our President-elect.
So thank you very much for making a visit to the Immoral Minority a daily event, and I will continue to bring you breaking news, humorous observations, and rampaging rants all through 2009.
Namaste.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sherry Johnston's "Hillbilly Heroin" business suffered due to increased media surrounding her friend, and soon to be in-law, Sarah Palin.
An affidavit, prepared by the Alaska State Troopers, says Johnston repeatedly sold OxyContin using text messages to direct customers to department store parking lots where they paid and she delivered. But in one message, according to the affidavit, Johnston complained that unusual media and other public attention was cramping her business:
"Hey, my phones are tapped and reporters and god knows who else is always following me and the family so no privacy," Johnston wrote in a text message to a customer. (And yet that did not stop her?)
Johnston is charged with six counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance -- essentially sale and possession.
The affidavit says she "did admit to selling her Oxycontin pills to (an informant)."
The affidavit, dated Dec. 22, details how troopers used two informants to collect evidence that Johnston sold OxyContin on Oct. 11, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26. The informants had been arrested themselves on a drug charge and agreed to help trap Johnston.
Trooper-supervised buys were set up by cell phone text messages and took place in Target and Fred Meyer parking lots. On each occasion, troopers charge, she got $800 for 10 pills.
Troopers say that in the text messages, Johnston used the code words ''coffee'' and ''cup'' for OxyContin. (Didn't the press often report that Sarah went for "coffee" several times a day? I am just asking.)
"... there's only so many times I can go for coffee a month. The rest of the time I need to have it at home!" read one message. Troopers said this meant Johnston was willing to sell only so many pills each month and the rest she would keep for her own use.
The affidavit refers to Johnston being under Secret Service protection while dealing drugs, but that appears to be incorrect.
Special Agent Darrin Blackford, spokesman for the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., said that only the governor and her immediate family were protected. Johnston was not under the agency's protection or surveillance, he said.
Troopers later agreed that part of the affidavit was wrong.
"Whenever she was in contact with Palin, that was probably the only time it came into play," said trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. (So nice to know that my tax dollars helped to protect this drug dealer whenever she was around the Governor of my state. And yet we are expected to believe that Sarah Palin had NO idea this was happening?)
Abuse of OxyContin, often called "hillbilly heroin" and a highly addictive drug, has been on the rise in the country and in Alaska in recent years, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Behold conservatives! This is the family that surrounds your "Conservative of the Year". I am not usually one to do that whole "guilt by association thing", but damn when you add this to the "Troopergate" kerfuffle, the "Babygate" scandal, and the lies that Palin has been repeatedly caught telling, then the picture you get of this woman, and her family, becomes pretty clear.
And it ain't pretty.
"Hey, my phones are tapped and reporters and god knows who else is always following me and the family so no privacy," Johnston wrote in a text message to a customer. (And yet that did not stop her?)
Johnston is charged with six counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance -- essentially sale and possession.
The affidavit says she "did admit to selling her Oxycontin pills to (an informant)."
The affidavit, dated Dec. 22, details how troopers used two informants to collect evidence that Johnston sold OxyContin on Oct. 11, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26. The informants had been arrested themselves on a drug charge and agreed to help trap Johnston.
Trooper-supervised buys were set up by cell phone text messages and took place in Target and Fred Meyer parking lots. On each occasion, troopers charge, she got $800 for 10 pills.
Troopers say that in the text messages, Johnston used the code words ''coffee'' and ''cup'' for OxyContin. (Didn't the press often report that Sarah went for "coffee" several times a day? I am just asking.)
"... there's only so many times I can go for coffee a month. The rest of the time I need to have it at home!" read one message. Troopers said this meant Johnston was willing to sell only so many pills each month and the rest she would keep for her own use.
The affidavit refers to Johnston being under Secret Service protection while dealing drugs, but that appears to be incorrect.
Special Agent Darrin Blackford, spokesman for the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., said that only the governor and her immediate family were protected. Johnston was not under the agency's protection or surveillance, he said.
Troopers later agreed that part of the affidavit was wrong.
"Whenever she was in contact with Palin, that was probably the only time it came into play," said trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. (So nice to know that my tax dollars helped to protect this drug dealer whenever she was around the Governor of my state. And yet we are expected to believe that Sarah Palin had NO idea this was happening?)
Abuse of OxyContin, often called "hillbilly heroin" and a highly addictive drug, has been on the rise in the country and in Alaska in recent years, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Behold conservatives! This is the family that surrounds your "Conservative of the Year". I am not usually one to do that whole "guilt by association thing", but damn when you add this to the "Troopergate" kerfuffle, the "Babygate" scandal, and the lies that Palin has been repeatedly caught telling, then the picture you get of this woman, and her family, becomes pretty clear.
And it ain't pretty.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
If you click the title you will visit the Wikipedia page explaining the origins of Christmas, because you know I always like to educate as much as possible.
But putting all of that aside I just want to wish EVERYBODY a wonderful holiday season regardless of which religion, superstition, or pagan ritual you celebrate.
So MERRY CHRISTMAS to all from the IMMORAL MINORITY!
But putting all of that aside I just want to wish EVERYBODY a wonderful holiday season regardless of which religion, superstition, or pagan ritual you celebrate.
So MERRY CHRISTMAS to all from the IMMORAL MINORITY!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Barack Obama has highest approval rating for a President-elect in American history.
Eighty-two percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday morning approve of the way the Obama is handling his presidential transition. That's up 3 points from when we asked this question at the beginning of December. Fifteen percent of those surveyed disapprove of the way Obama's handling his transition, down 3 points from our last poll.The 82 percent approval is higher than then President-elect George W. Bush 8 years ago, who had a 65 percent transition approval rating, and Bill Clinton, at 67 percent in 1992.
"Barack Obama is having a better honeymoon with the American public than any incoming president in the past three decades. He's putting up better numbers, usually by double digits, than Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, or either George Bush on every item traditionally measured in transition polls," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
If somebody were to poll my opinion on Barack Obama right now I would still probably give him a 90% approval rating.
Even after the Rick Warren brouhaha, the retaining of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and the lack of clarity as to just when we are bringing our troops home from Iraq, I still have a great deal of confidence in this man.
But.....
I am going to be watching our new President very carefully. I have faith, but I am no mindless acolyte. If Obama fails to be the intelligent, sincere, trustworthy man he presented himself to be in his campaign then his first term will be a veritable gauntlet of attacks from liberal blogs, the media, and disillusioned Democrats.
We have waited too long, and worked too damn hard, to let this man break his promises to us.
But you know what? I have faith that he already knows that.
Jib Jab-2008 Year in Review
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY is in this thing.
Watch toward the middle for the Sarah Palin reference.
It is the Christmas season, so Christians all over the world are reaching out and showing love to their fellow man. Unless they are fags of course.
Pope Benedict said Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."
The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound."
I love this rationalization. "We LOVE the gays! Just so long as they don't DO anything gay. Because....ooooh yuck!"
That is the dumbest logic I have ever heard. As is the constant comparison of homosexual behavior to incest or pedophilia.
Let me explain the difference stupid. It is the difference between "consensual" sex and "non-consensual" sex. An adult who has sex with a child is engaging in "non-consensual" sex because the child is too young to understand and give permission for the act. The same is true of a father who molests his children. He is victimizing them because they are not old enough to understand exactly what is happening.
But if two same sex people wish to make hot monkey love, and they are both old enough to give consent, then it is none of our damn business!
"But it is gross!" Well that is just a matter of opinion. Personally I think old people making love is gross too, but I certainly have nothing against them doing so. Just don't make me watch.
And while I am at it let me explain why religions are so against "teh gays".
You see religions were bases of power in ancient times. They bonded people together in like minded communities which usually only increased in size by making lots and lots of babies and indoctrinating them into whatever religion the parents were practicing. This is the same reason why marrying outside of your race, religion, or class could result in being ostracized or even put to death. The religion had to be preserved and its influence needed to be spread, to insure its survivability. Introducing alternative beliefs puts an established religion in jeopardy.
Having a homosexual in your group was frowned upon because that person was not surrendering their sperm for the cause of the collective. They were selfishly choosing to "sin" against the good of the community. Even forcing them to marry and have sex without being in love was no big deal because it still meant that they would create new Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or whatever and that increased the size and influence of their belief system and often their very race.
You see homosexuality is as old as time, and it is practiced by every species of creature on earth with no detrimental effect whatsoever. It is only human beings who condemn and punish members of their species for not contributing to the gene pool. It is only we who hate and vilify those who are different.
But not all human beings. In the Native American culture there was a much more advanced and inclusive response to the homosexual. He simply followed the path of the "Two spirit". Rather then being rejected, they often performed a very necessary function and were even considered magic in some tribes.
So when you next hear your minister, or priest, or Rabbi, or spiritual teacher, explaining to you how homosexuality is a sin, remember what primitive tradition is informing that opinion. And then ask yourself, "In this day and age, how does somebodies sexuality hurt me in any way?"
It is Christmas. What better time for people to open their heart, and choose to love those who walk a different path?
The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."
The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound."
I love this rationalization. "We LOVE the gays! Just so long as they don't DO anything gay. Because....ooooh yuck!"
That is the dumbest logic I have ever heard. As is the constant comparison of homosexual behavior to incest or pedophilia.
Let me explain the difference stupid. It is the difference between "consensual" sex and "non-consensual" sex. An adult who has sex with a child is engaging in "non-consensual" sex because the child is too young to understand and give permission for the act. The same is true of a father who molests his children. He is victimizing them because they are not old enough to understand exactly what is happening.
But if two same sex people wish to make hot monkey love, and they are both old enough to give consent, then it is none of our damn business!
"But it is gross!" Well that is just a matter of opinion. Personally I think old people making love is gross too, but I certainly have nothing against them doing so. Just don't make me watch.
And while I am at it let me explain why religions are so against "teh gays".
You see religions were bases of power in ancient times. They bonded people together in like minded communities which usually only increased in size by making lots and lots of babies and indoctrinating them into whatever religion the parents were practicing. This is the same reason why marrying outside of your race, religion, or class could result in being ostracized or even put to death. The religion had to be preserved and its influence needed to be spread, to insure its survivability. Introducing alternative beliefs puts an established religion in jeopardy.
Having a homosexual in your group was frowned upon because that person was not surrendering their sperm for the cause of the collective. They were selfishly choosing to "sin" against the good of the community. Even forcing them to marry and have sex without being in love was no big deal because it still meant that they would create new Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or whatever and that increased the size and influence of their belief system and often their very race.
You see homosexuality is as old as time, and it is practiced by every species of creature on earth with no detrimental effect whatsoever. It is only human beings who condemn and punish members of their species for not contributing to the gene pool. It is only we who hate and vilify those who are different.
But not all human beings. In the Native American culture there was a much more advanced and inclusive response to the homosexual. He simply followed the path of the "Two spirit". Rather then being rejected, they often performed a very necessary function and were even considered magic in some tribes.
So when you next hear your minister, or priest, or Rabbi, or spiritual teacher, explaining to you how homosexuality is a sin, remember what primitive tradition is informing that opinion. And then ask yourself, "In this day and age, how does somebodies sexuality hurt me in any way?"
It is Christmas. What better time for people to open their heart, and choose to love those who walk a different path?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Unsubstantiated rumor of the day: Bristol Palin's baby to be born on Christmas day!
I first heard this rumor about two days ago. But since then I have seen it repeated over and over again all over the Internet.
And I thought, just like I am sure just you did, no freaking way!
How could anybody, and I mean, anybody, have the audacity to orchestrate such a transparent attempt to manipulate peoples emotions on this holiest of Christian holidays?
But then I remembered that we were not talking about just ANYBODY, we were talking about Sarah Palin. The same women who engineered a second ethics probe to offset the findings of the first one, and the same person who finally released a note from her doctor to answer the questions about where her medical records were THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION!
To any rational person these things are completely transparent. But NOT to the people who seem to worship Sarah Palin like the Virgin Mother herself. And if you think that I am exaggerating the situation then just take a gander at this site. And this site. And this one. And unbelievably this one.
Frightened yet? Yeah, well join the club.
So will the newest Palin addition really be born on Christmas day? Hell I don't know.
But if he is I certainly hope that the MSM finally says "enough is enough", and starts doing the kind of probing investigation into Sarah Palin and her family that the blogs have been trying to do for over three months now.
And I thought, just like I am sure just you did, no freaking way!
How could anybody, and I mean, anybody, have the audacity to orchestrate such a transparent attempt to manipulate peoples emotions on this holiest of Christian holidays?
But then I remembered that we were not talking about just ANYBODY, we were talking about Sarah Palin. The same women who engineered a second ethics probe to offset the findings of the first one, and the same person who finally released a note from her doctor to answer the questions about where her medical records were THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION!
To any rational person these things are completely transparent. But NOT to the people who seem to worship Sarah Palin like the Virgin Mother herself. And if you think that I am exaggerating the situation then just take a gander at this site. And this site. And this one. And unbelievably this one.
Frightened yet? Yeah, well join the club.
So will the newest Palin addition really be born on Christmas day? Hell I don't know.
But if he is I certainly hope that the MSM finally says "enough is enough", and starts doing the kind of probing investigation into Sarah Palin and her family that the blogs have been trying to do for over three months now.
Pastor Rick Warren is tired of the lies and attacks coming from the people suffering with "Christophobia". WTF?
Damn! I was hoping to stay out of this controversy about Obama and Rick Warren. I even demurred last night when Shannyn Moore asked me on the radio for my opinion. Of course I had to say I was disappointed in the choice, because I am!
However I have been really trying to trust Obama's judgement on this and give him a pass.
But Warren simply will not shut up!
And now he comes out with this bullshit video laying all of the blame for he current controversy on people who don't like him for staying neutral. And then calling them "hateful", and afraid of "any Christan", and then using the totally made up word "Christophobia" to describe them.
Well Pastor Warren let me just say this, fuck you buddy!
Nobody would have a single negative thing to say about you if you had not weighed in on the Proposition 8 debate, not had a comment on your church's website saying that unless homosexuals were repentant for loving somebody not of your choosing "they would not be accepted as a member of Saddleback", and had not compared gay marriage to "incest and pedophilia". If you were not on record saying these "hateful" things NOBODY would care if you gave the invocation. And by the way, saying those things does not make you "neutral"! Look the damn word up if you have to!
And where do you get the idea that you are being attacked for being a "Christian"? I have not seen that ANYWHERE! People are not mad at you for following the teachings of Christ, they are angry at you for NOT following the teachings of Christ! Does anybody really believe that Jesus, perhaps one of the most compassionate people in history, would have told somebody that gay people should not get married? I find that very unlikely! Jesus was all about acceptance, and tolerance, and love.
Rick you talk about how much you "love" everybody. Well buddy part of "love" is "acceptance". Until you accept the desires of the homosexual community to have the same right to get married to the person they love, that every heterosexual couple in America enjoys, then you cannot really "love" them.
Until then all you really do is "tolerate" them.
However I have been really trying to trust Obama's judgement on this and give him a pass.
But Warren simply will not shut up!
And now he comes out with this bullshit video laying all of the blame for he current controversy on people who don't like him for staying neutral. And then calling them "hateful", and afraid of "any Christan", and then using the totally made up word "Christophobia" to describe them.
Well Pastor Warren let me just say this, fuck you buddy!
Nobody would have a single negative thing to say about you if you had not weighed in on the Proposition 8 debate, not had a comment on your church's website saying that unless homosexuals were repentant for loving somebody not of your choosing "they would not be accepted as a member of Saddleback", and had not compared gay marriage to "incest and pedophilia". If you were not on record saying these "hateful" things NOBODY would care if you gave the invocation. And by the way, saying those things does not make you "neutral"! Look the damn word up if you have to!
And where do you get the idea that you are being attacked for being a "Christian"? I have not seen that ANYWHERE! People are not mad at you for following the teachings of Christ, they are angry at you for NOT following the teachings of Christ! Does anybody really believe that Jesus, perhaps one of the most compassionate people in history, would have told somebody that gay people should not get married? I find that very unlikely! Jesus was all about acceptance, and tolerance, and love.
Rick you talk about how much you "love" everybody. Well buddy part of "love" is "acceptance". Until you accept the desires of the homosexual community to have the same right to get married to the person they love, that every heterosexual couple in America enjoys, then you cannot really "love" them.
Until then all you really do is "tolerate" them.
Sarah Palin is 2008 "Conservative of the Year".
Apparently Sarah Palin has been named "Conservative of the Year". Which of course once again beggars the question; Just what is a "conservative" these days?
Alaska, which is known for taking HUGE government handouts in the form of earmarks, and for giving its citizens a dividend once a year from interest earned on invested oil money, seems an odd choice for true conservatives to use as an example of capitalistic ideals.
And of course Sarah Palin herself gave each Alaskan a rebate of $1200, just as she began her run for the office of Vice President (coincidence?), which you imagine would disqualify her from being considered a "conservative". However it seems that the term "conservatism" has been shanghaied by the social conservatives, who focus exclusively on keeping gays from getting married, keeping sex education out of our public schools, and denying women the right to terminate a pregnancy. And for that type of "conservative" Sarah seems the perfect choice.
However it did not seem to be enough for the McCain campaign to stop the juggernaut that was Barack Obama. Hmmm I wonder what Palin believes was the reason for that?
GIZZI: What was the biggest mistake made in the ’08 campaign?
PALIN: The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.
So the biggest mistake the McCain campaign made was NOT allowing Palin to give more interviews like this?
And this?
Oh yeah. It should be obvious to ANYONE that the biggest mistake was not allowing Palin to do MORE interviews. And I think that in the future, should she decide to run for national office again, that our Governor should just do interview after interview until the American people are dumbed down into a state of intellectual lethargy and simply vote for her to get her to STOP TALKING!
Whenever somebody comes onto this site or any other site to defend Sarah Palin and tell us how wonderful she is, I always ask myself "did this person ever actually see her speak"? Because if they did, and still want her to lead this country, I seriously believe they may need to get their medication adjusted without delay.
And do you know the truly scary part? She is STILL in charge of my state! Stephen King himself could not have imagined a more frightening scenario!
Do they even sell Barack Obama nightlights? Because I think I am going to need one.
Alaska, which is known for taking HUGE government handouts in the form of earmarks, and for giving its citizens a dividend once a year from interest earned on invested oil money, seems an odd choice for true conservatives to use as an example of capitalistic ideals.
And of course Sarah Palin herself gave each Alaskan a rebate of $1200, just as she began her run for the office of Vice President (coincidence?), which you imagine would disqualify her from being considered a "conservative". However it seems that the term "conservatism" has been shanghaied by the social conservatives, who focus exclusively on keeping gays from getting married, keeping sex education out of our public schools, and denying women the right to terminate a pregnancy. And for that type of "conservative" Sarah seems the perfect choice.
However it did not seem to be enough for the McCain campaign to stop the juggernaut that was Barack Obama. Hmmm I wonder what Palin believes was the reason for that?
GIZZI: What was the biggest mistake made in the ’08 campaign?
PALIN: The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.
So the biggest mistake the McCain campaign made was NOT allowing Palin to give more interviews like this?
And this?
Oh yeah. It should be obvious to ANYONE that the biggest mistake was not allowing Palin to do MORE interviews. And I think that in the future, should she decide to run for national office again, that our Governor should just do interview after interview until the American people are dumbed down into a state of intellectual lethargy and simply vote for her to get her to STOP TALKING!
Whenever somebody comes onto this site or any other site to defend Sarah Palin and tell us how wonderful she is, I always ask myself "did this person ever actually see her speak"? Because if they did, and still want her to lead this country, I seriously believe they may need to get their medication adjusted without delay.
And do you know the truly scary part? She is STILL in charge of my state! Stephen King himself could not have imagined a more frightening scenario!
Do they even sell Barack Obama nightlights? Because I think I am going to need one.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Shannyn Moore alert!
Shannyn Moore, "The smartest blond in Alaska", is going to be hosting Jon Elliott’s "This is America" show tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. Alaska time. So essentially in about an hour from the time I am posting this.
If you have not had the pleasure of listening to the smoky voiced intellect of Ms Moore then do yourself a favor and tune into Air America, or listen online by clicking right here.
Her guest tonight is Alaska's brand new Senator Mark Begich, who I understand still has that "new Senator smell" about him. Shannyn and Mark are good friends and I am sure it will be an entertaining interview. You don't want to miss it.
And also make sure you occasionally look over to the left side of this blog for updates to Shannyn's blog "Just a girl from Homer", because she is scarily talented and on the road to amazing success. And someday you can say: "I have been a fan of that lady since before she was a household name." And won't that be cool?
If you have not had the pleasure of listening to the smoky voiced intellect of Ms Moore then do yourself a favor and tune into Air America, or listen online by clicking right here.
Her guest tonight is Alaska's brand new Senator Mark Begich, who I understand still has that "new Senator smell" about him. Shannyn and Mark are good friends and I am sure it will be an entertaining interview. You don't want to miss it.
And also make sure you occasionally look over to the left side of this blog for updates to Shannyn's blog "Just a girl from Homer", because she is scarily talented and on the road to amazing success. And someday you can say: "I have been a fan of that lady since before she was a household name." And won't that be cool?
Olbermann picks his "Favorite People: 2008". And believe it or not Sarah Palin is on the list!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Ah, the memories,
Do you know who else made the "Favorite people" list? Tina Fey, that's who!
But wait isn't that kind of redundant?
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
My favorite Sarah Palin is the one who can do something besides just be "Sarah Palin".GOP faithful still pinning their hopes on Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin lost the election, but to many, her light hasn't dimmed.
In fact, the Alaska governor, with her sassy, frontier-woman image and rock-ribbed, right-of-center politics, has become the repository for the hopes and dreams of conservative Republicans across the nation. Even here in liberal Connecticut, she has a devoted circle of fans.
"Most politicians say what they think people want them to say," said Melita Motherway, a 46-year-old mom and engineer from southeastern Connecticut. "She's different. She absolutely practices what she preaches."
As they set about restoring the shine to the national GOP's tarnished brand, many Republicans have seized upon Palin as the one who will lead them back to the win column, and help them endure the Barack Obama years.
"The Republican Party has lost its way," said James Bailey Brislin, a 24-year-old party activist from Enfield. "It became dominated by D.C. insiders who are completely out of touch with what's going on in Enfield, Connecticut. … Sarah Palin is who we need moving forward."
After I first read this article I was left virtually speechless. These people seem to have deified Sarah Palin in the same way that some Democrats deified Barack Obama.
Those Democrats were wrong, as many are now learning, and the Republicans who are doing the same to Palin are unbelievably wrong.
The idea that Sarah Palin is ANYTHING but a politically opportunistic chameleon should have been napalmed by her performance during the John McCain campaign. She completely changed her entire personality to fit what the campaign asked her to be. As one Alaskan recently pointed out, since returning to Alaska she has even shed herself of that weird "Fargo" accent she had adopted while on the campaign stump.
The funny thing is that now with Alaskans finally learning who Sarah Palin really is, and being quite disappointed, the rest of the country is being suckered in by the manufactured image far more effectively then even we were. I have to say that is frightening.
Now the argument can be leveled that there were a number of liberals who believed that Obama could walk on water, and that certainly is true. But for most of us, we always knew he is just a man, but we BELIEVED he was the perfect man for our current situation. For myself at least that trust has not been reduced at all. He has done things that I do not 100% agree with, but I always knew that he would. However his intellect and compassion are still very much in evidence and I still retain my hope for the future of America.
Now Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has been dramatically reduced in stature to many Alaskans.
Her gas pipeline plan is in serious trouble, her ethics are still under attack, and the drama of her family is still making headlines around the world. All in all Sarah Palin, from our perspective at least, is the last person on whom to be pinning the hopes of an entire political party.
Now speaking only as a partisan I would say, keep right on believing! Sarah Palin in 2012 sounds like a jim dandy idea!
But if I were speaking as a friend I would say, surely there must be a stronger, more ethical, more intelligent candidate that the Republicans can pick. For if there is not then I truly believe we are witnessing the end of the Republican party as we know it. And I am not at all sure that is a bad thing.
In fact, the Alaska governor, with her sassy, frontier-woman image and rock-ribbed, right-of-center politics, has become the repository for the hopes and dreams of conservative Republicans across the nation. Even here in liberal Connecticut, she has a devoted circle of fans.
"Most politicians say what they think people want them to say," said Melita Motherway, a 46-year-old mom and engineer from southeastern Connecticut. "She's different. She absolutely practices what she preaches."
As they set about restoring the shine to the national GOP's tarnished brand, many Republicans have seized upon Palin as the one who will lead them back to the win column, and help them endure the Barack Obama years.
"The Republican Party has lost its way," said James Bailey Brislin, a 24-year-old party activist from Enfield. "It became dominated by D.C. insiders who are completely out of touch with what's going on in Enfield, Connecticut. … Sarah Palin is who we need moving forward."
After I first read this article I was left virtually speechless. These people seem to have deified Sarah Palin in the same way that some Democrats deified Barack Obama.
Those Democrats were wrong, as many are now learning, and the Republicans who are doing the same to Palin are unbelievably wrong.
The idea that Sarah Palin is ANYTHING but a politically opportunistic chameleon should have been napalmed by her performance during the John McCain campaign. She completely changed her entire personality to fit what the campaign asked her to be. As one Alaskan recently pointed out, since returning to Alaska she has even shed herself of that weird "Fargo" accent she had adopted while on the campaign stump.
The funny thing is that now with Alaskans finally learning who Sarah Palin really is, and being quite disappointed, the rest of the country is being suckered in by the manufactured image far more effectively then even we were. I have to say that is frightening.
Now the argument can be leveled that there were a number of liberals who believed that Obama could walk on water, and that certainly is true. But for most of us, we always knew he is just a man, but we BELIEVED he was the perfect man for our current situation. For myself at least that trust has not been reduced at all. He has done things that I do not 100% agree with, but I always knew that he would. However his intellect and compassion are still very much in evidence and I still retain my hope for the future of America.
Now Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has been dramatically reduced in stature to many Alaskans.
Her gas pipeline plan is in serious trouble, her ethics are still under attack, and the drama of her family is still making headlines around the world. All in all Sarah Palin, from our perspective at least, is the last person on whom to be pinning the hopes of an entire political party.
Now speaking only as a partisan I would say, keep right on believing! Sarah Palin in 2012 sounds like a jim dandy idea!
But if I were speaking as a friend I would say, surely there must be a stronger, more ethical, more intelligent candidate that the Republicans can pick. For if there is not then I truly believe we are witnessing the end of the Republican party as we know it. And I am not at all sure that is a bad thing.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Shoe thrown at George Bush is big seller in Iraq.
When television reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi lodged the grave insult of hurling his black leather Oxford shoes at President Bush during his final visit on December 14, the world heard "This is a farewell kiss!" Turkish shoemaker Ramazan Baydan also heard the sound of a cash register opening.
"We’ve been selling these shoes for years but, thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy," Baydan said.
Orders for the "Bush Shoe," formerly known as Ducati Model 271, are coming in to Baydan Ayakkabicilik San. & Tic. from around the world. 15,000 pairs are currently being made for sale in Iraq in addition to 95,000 destined for Europe and 18,000 to be sold in the United States. Advertising posters with the slogan "Goodbye Bush, Welcome Democracy" are being distributed in Turkey and the Middle East.
"We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years," Baydan said, "so I couldn't have missed it, no way."
Baydan plans to hire 100 more people to meet the demand. "Mr. Bush served some good purpose to the economy before he left," quipped Baydan general manager Serkan Turk.
Bush should probably avoid any more press conferences in Iraq from now on.
Dodging two shoes may have been a piece of cake, but imagine a whole truckload of shoes being thrown at once. Actually this fate may be more fitting then simply putting him on trial for treason.
"We’ve been selling these shoes for years but, thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy," Baydan said.
Orders for the "Bush Shoe," formerly known as Ducati Model 271, are coming in to Baydan Ayakkabicilik San. & Tic. from around the world. 15,000 pairs are currently being made for sale in Iraq in addition to 95,000 destined for Europe and 18,000 to be sold in the United States. Advertising posters with the slogan "Goodbye Bush, Welcome Democracy" are being distributed in Turkey and the Middle East.
"We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years," Baydan said, "so I couldn't have missed it, no way."
Baydan plans to hire 100 more people to meet the demand. "Mr. Bush served some good purpose to the economy before he left," quipped Baydan general manager Serkan Turk.
Bush should probably avoid any more press conferences in Iraq from now on.
Dodging two shoes may have been a piece of cake, but imagine a whole truckload of shoes being thrown at once. Actually this fate may be more fitting then simply putting him on trial for treason.
Do you remember how you thought the Ted Stevens corruption trial was over and done with? Well not so damn fast there my friend.
A whistle-blower inside the Justice Department has accused members of the team investigating public corruption in Alaska of official misconduct, according to the judge who presided over Sen. Ted Stevens' trial in Washington, D.C.
The whistle-blower's complaint, dated Dec. 2, is now the subject of an internal investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to a memorandum and order signed Friday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia.
Wait, what happened?
Sullivan said little about the nature of the alleged misconduct. Among the allegations was that a government employee accepted "multiple things of value" from sources cooperating in the investigation, Sullivan said.
The judge also reported that the whistle-blower accused at least two federal employees of intentionally violating government policies in the corruption investigation in Alaska and in connection with material that was supposed to be provided to Stevens for his defense, Sullivan said.
So what we are hearing here is that somebody may have bribed the people who were working on Ted Stevens bribery case? Is there no end to the drama that surrounds Alaska and its politicians? What could possibly be so tempting that a person associated with such a high profile case would accept it knowing the potential fallout?
The complaint alleged a person involved in the investigation accepted "multiple things of value," including "artwork and employment for a relative" from cooperating sources, the judge noted with some irony.
Artwork? And a job for your sister's lazy ass teenage son? That is worth getting this whole case thrown out? Who are these prosecutors, Larry, Curly and Moe?
Does anybody recognize the irony in this?
"Surely the court does not need to remind the government that the defendant in this case was convicted for failing to disclose that he had accepted multiple things of value and, in fact, the trial included testimony about his receipt of artwork and employment for a relative," Sullivan wrote.
Yep! I guess they do.
So now we may have to sit through this entire case again. God I don't think I can take it anymore! Aren't there more pressing things that Alaskans can focus on instead?
By the way, does anybody know if Bristol has had that kid yet?
The whistle-blower's complaint, dated Dec. 2, is now the subject of an internal investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to a memorandum and order signed Friday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia.
Wait, what happened?
Sullivan said little about the nature of the alleged misconduct. Among the allegations was that a government employee accepted "multiple things of value" from sources cooperating in the investigation, Sullivan said.
The judge also reported that the whistle-blower accused at least two federal employees of intentionally violating government policies in the corruption investigation in Alaska and in connection with material that was supposed to be provided to Stevens for his defense, Sullivan said.
So what we are hearing here is that somebody may have bribed the people who were working on Ted Stevens bribery case? Is there no end to the drama that surrounds Alaska and its politicians? What could possibly be so tempting that a person associated with such a high profile case would accept it knowing the potential fallout?
The complaint alleged a person involved in the investigation accepted "multiple things of value," including "artwork and employment for a relative" from cooperating sources, the judge noted with some irony.
Artwork? And a job for your sister's lazy ass teenage son? That is worth getting this whole case thrown out? Who are these prosecutors, Larry, Curly and Moe?
Does anybody recognize the irony in this?
"Surely the court does not need to remind the government that the defendant in this case was convicted for failing to disclose that he had accepted multiple things of value and, in fact, the trial included testimony about his receipt of artwork and employment for a relative," Sullivan wrote.
Yep! I guess they do.
So now we may have to sit through this entire case again. God I don't think I can take it anymore! Aren't there more pressing things that Alaskans can focus on instead?
By the way, does anybody know if Bristol has had that kid yet?
One of my favorite Christmas songs from when I was a kid. Still makes me smile.
Stayed out waaaayyy too late partying last night.
And then got up waaayyy too early this morning.
I can barely put together a coherent thought, so I thought why not just post some holiday cheer?
(By the way do NOT see this movie! I don't care what your kids say, this thing is atrocious!)
And then got up waaayyy too early this morning.
I can barely put together a coherent thought, so I thought why not just post some holiday cheer?
(By the way do NOT see this movie! I don't care what your kids say, this thing is atrocious!)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Alaskans for Truth has a little something in their stocking just for you!
The Alaskans for Truth website now has items for sale!There are t-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, mugs, barbecue aprons, tote bags, stickers, and much, much more!
So if you are still stuck on just what to buy that one liberal rabble rouser in your group, or you just want some cool stuff for yourself, then click right here and start helping to bolster up this ailing economy.
It is the patriotic thing to do.
6 medical myths debunked just in time for Christmas.
Wow! I hate to out myself as ignorant but I believed that every single one of these myths was true.
1) Sugar causes hyperactivity in children
At least 12 double blind randomised controlled trials have examined how children react to diets containing different levels of sugar. None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behaviour between the children who had sugar and those who did not.
I swear I have seen anecdotal evidence to the contrary but I will admit that I may have been incorrect on this one.
2) Suicides increase over the holidays
While the holidays might, indeed, be a difficult time for some, there is no good scientific evidence to suggest a holiday peak in suicides.
One study from Japan that looked at suicides in 1979-94 showed that the rate of suicide was lowest in the days before a holiday and highest in the days after the holiday. In contrast, in a study from the United States of suicides over a 35 year period, there was no increase before, during, or after holidays.
Well this one has been what I considered common knowledge for as far back as I can remember. I have worked with the mental health community for the last twelve years and I can say with certainty that they also believe this myth to be true. And since they are in a position to know I will reserve my judgement on whether this myth is debunked or not.
3) Poinsettia toxicity
In an analysis of 849 575 plant exposures reported to the AmericanAssociation of Poison Control Centers, none of the 22 793 cases involving poinsettia resulted in considerable poisoning. No one died from exposure to or ingestion of poinsettia, and most (96%) did not even require medical treatment. In 92 of the cases, children ingested substantial quantities of poinsettias, but none needed medical treatment, and toxicologists concludedthat poinsettia exposures and ingestions can be treated without referral to a healthcare facility. Another study, looking at poinsettia ingestion by rats, could not find a toxic amount of poinsettia, even at amounts that would be the equivalent of 500-600 poinsettia leaves or nearly a kilogram of sap.
I swear I reinforced this myth just yesterday with one of my kids.
4) Excess heat loss in the hatless
As temperatures drop, hats and caps flourish. Even the US Army Field manual for survival recommends covering your head in cold weather because "40 to 45 percent of body heat" is lost through the head. If this were true, humans would be just as cold if they went without trousers as if they went without a hat.But patently this is just not the case.
I don't know how much I ever really believed this one. I rarely wear a hat, and am rarely as cold as the people who are all bundled up around me.
5) Nocturnal feasting makes you fat
As an ex-personal trainer I have long considered this incontrovertibly true. I think a lot has to do with exactly WHAT you eat late at night, but I certainly do think eating late right before bedtime is a bad idea. I just disagree that this is a myth.
6) You can cure a hangover
Well I have never found that ANYTHING helped my hangover except time, so I have no trouble believing this one is accurate.
1) Sugar causes hyperactivity in children
At least 12 double blind randomised controlled trials have examined how children react to diets containing different levels of sugar. None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behaviour between the children who had sugar and those who did not.
I swear I have seen anecdotal evidence to the contrary but I will admit that I may have been incorrect on this one.
2) Suicides increase over the holidays
While the holidays might, indeed, be a difficult time for some, there is no good scientific evidence to suggest a holiday peak in suicides.
One study from Japan that looked at suicides in 1979-94 showed that the rate of suicide was lowest in the days before a holiday and highest in the days after the holiday. In contrast, in a study from the United States of suicides over a 35 year period, there was no increase before, during, or after holidays.
Well this one has been what I considered common knowledge for as far back as I can remember. I have worked with the mental health community for the last twelve years and I can say with certainty that they also believe this myth to be true. And since they are in a position to know I will reserve my judgement on whether this myth is debunked or not.
3) Poinsettia toxicity
In an analysis of 849 575 plant exposures reported to the AmericanAssociation of Poison Control Centers, none of the 22 793 cases involving poinsettia resulted in considerable poisoning. No one died from exposure to or ingestion of poinsettia, and most (96%) did not even require medical treatment. In 92 of the cases, children ingested substantial quantities of poinsettias, but none needed medical treatment, and toxicologists concludedthat poinsettia exposures and ingestions can be treated without referral to a healthcare facility. Another study, looking at poinsettia ingestion by rats, could not find a toxic amount of poinsettia, even at amounts that would be the equivalent of 500-600 poinsettia leaves or nearly a kilogram of sap.
I swear I reinforced this myth just yesterday with one of my kids.
4) Excess heat loss in the hatless
As temperatures drop, hats and caps flourish. Even the US Army Field manual for survival recommends covering your head in cold weather because "40 to 45 percent of body heat" is lost through the head. If this were true, humans would be just as cold if they went without trousers as if they went without a hat.But patently this is just not the case.
I don't know how much I ever really believed this one. I rarely wear a hat, and am rarely as cold as the people who are all bundled up around me.
5) Nocturnal feasting makes you fat
As an ex-personal trainer I have long considered this incontrovertibly true. I think a lot has to do with exactly WHAT you eat late at night, but I certainly do think eating late right before bedtime is a bad idea. I just disagree that this is a myth.
6) You can cure a hangover
Well I have never found that ANYTHING helped my hangover except time, so I have no trouble believing this one is accurate.
Today is the day! Bristol Palin is due to give birth today (for the first time?)
Excitement is building in Alaska over the impending birth of the newest member of the Palin clan.
Apparently the stress has been so intense that at least one family member turned to Oxycontin to control her emotions.
Alaskans have stayed vigilant hoping to catch a glimpse of the Bristol Palin baby bump, which must be ginormous since (as you can see in the photo to the left) she was already quite large at four and a half months. I mean she should be the size of a house about now. Which sort of confuses me since the picture directly below this one, taken on November 4th, shows that Bristol is not really that much bigger. (Do women get smaller as they approach the due date?)
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Oh well none of that is important now. All that is important is that our Governor will soon be a "Grand-Governor" and that is blessed news indeed.
And with the other grandmother facing drug charges then all of the supportive grandparenting may fall squarely on Sarah Palin's slender shoulders.
So stay tuned kids! No matter what happens we know it will not be boring!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Levi Johnston's mother's bust was "Oxycontin-related".
Wasilla resident Sherry L. Johnston, mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend, faces a Jan. 6 court date for an oxycontin-related arrest at her home by Alaska State Troopers.
Little additional information was available Friday on the case as authorities remained unusually tight-lipped about details. But Palmer court records listed her scheduled court date and a troopers spokeswoman said in a release late Friday afternoon that the charges "are in relation to the drug oxycontin."
She was arrested around noon Thursday by troopers serving a search warrant in an undercover drug investigation. A standard press release issued by troopers said Johnston was arrested on six felony counts: second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.
She was released on bail Thursday afternoon, just a few hours later.
Johnston has not responded to phone messages or requests for comment left at the family home off Wasilla-Fishhook Road. Nobody answered the door there Friday.
Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters wouldn't say Friday if there were other potential defendants involved.
Well I am very interested to learn if "there were other potential defendants involved". Especially if some of those other defendants are related to Sarah Palin in some way.
I certainly hope that Bristol has not been sampling Ms. Johnson's wares while she has been pregnant with the child that she is due to deliver sometime tomorrow. And if she has done so in the past I think we may have just stumbled across another clue to explain the Trig Palin birth story.
If Sherry Johnston has been dealing this substance to teenagers she is looking at very a stiff sentence indeed. And for for that tough sentence Sherry can thank her very good friend Sarah Palin who in June of this year allowed a bill to become law that tracks prescription drugs sales to establish a "controlled substance prescription database" to allow doctors, pharmacists, the police and others to stem the flow of narcotics to people who don't medically need them.
With this new database in place the police will be able to track who prescribed the drug, who purchased the drug, and if there was any abuse of the system. I think that we can pretty much assume that they found just such an abuse.
I am beginning to think that Sarah Palin knows far more about this situtation then she wants to let on. How could she not?
Little additional information was available Friday on the case as authorities remained unusually tight-lipped about details. But Palmer court records listed her scheduled court date and a troopers spokeswoman said in a release late Friday afternoon that the charges "are in relation to the drug oxycontin."
She was arrested around noon Thursday by troopers serving a search warrant in an undercover drug investigation. A standard press release issued by troopers said Johnston was arrested on six felony counts: second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.
She was released on bail Thursday afternoon, just a few hours later.
Johnston has not responded to phone messages or requests for comment left at the family home off Wasilla-Fishhook Road. Nobody answered the door there Friday.
Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters wouldn't say Friday if there were other potential defendants involved.
Well I am very interested to learn if "there were other potential defendants involved". Especially if some of those other defendants are related to Sarah Palin in some way.
I certainly hope that Bristol has not been sampling Ms. Johnson's wares while she has been pregnant with the child that she is due to deliver sometime tomorrow. And if she has done so in the past I think we may have just stumbled across another clue to explain the Trig Palin birth story.
If Sherry Johnston has been dealing this substance to teenagers she is looking at very a stiff sentence indeed. And for for that tough sentence Sherry can thank her very good friend Sarah Palin who in June of this year allowed a bill to become law that tracks prescription drugs sales to establish a "controlled substance prescription database" to allow doctors, pharmacists, the police and others to stem the flow of narcotics to people who don't medically need them.
With this new database in place the police will be able to track who prescribed the drug, who purchased the drug, and if there was any abuse of the system. I think that we can pretty much assume that they found just such an abuse.
I am beginning to think that Sarah Palin knows far more about this situtation then she wants to let on. How could she not?
Keith Olbermann's take on "Palin palling around with drug dealers".
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
I know this is like my third post on this subject today, but I swear this one is REALLY funny.
So go ahead and watch it. You know you want to.
In my effort to find positive stories about Sarah Palin I bring you this: Palin proposes new effort for rural Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin appointed members of her Cabinet on Thursday to a new group charged with finding ways to make Alaska's rural areas better places to live.
Called the Rural Subcabinet, the group of top department heads will be told to look at two big issues, energy costs and out-migration from rural Alaska, and make proposals aimed at creating well-paying jobs, stronger schools, safer communities and better public works facilities.
In announcing the new subcabinet, Palin said that while some out-migration was natural, it isn't always.
"I want the Rural Subcabinet to look for ways to make certain migration is a result of personal decisions, not despair or a lack of choice resulting from economic pressures or other factors," she said.
Tracked by school enrollment numbers, population in rural Alaska has been shrinking steadily but dramatically over many years.
I have been very critical of Governor Palin for some time lately, and I am confident I will find many reasons to do so in the future, but on this issue I am happy that at least Palin recognizes there is a very serious problem in rural Alaska.
These villages are struggling for their very survival. Alcohol and drug addiction are rampant in the villages, the cost of heating oil is through the roof, and there have been a rash of teen suicides this past month.
Something needs to be done. And while I am not terribly confident that this Rural Subcabinet will solve the problem, at least Palin is trying. So that is a gold star for her.
But don't think I am going soft on our limelight seeking Governor. I am still seething over her lack of response concerning those racist e-mails, and I want to know how much she knew about the drug activity of her future in-law, Sherry L. Johnston. I mean how can somebody live in a tiny community like Wasilla and NOT know that the mother of the guy sleeping with your daughter is involved with the distribution of drugs? Not to mention Palin was once the MAYOR of that town!
Something stinks here, and it is not just the smell of Methamphetamine cooking.
Called the Rural Subcabinet, the group of top department heads will be told to look at two big issues, energy costs and out-migration from rural Alaska, and make proposals aimed at creating well-paying jobs, stronger schools, safer communities and better public works facilities.
In announcing the new subcabinet, Palin said that while some out-migration was natural, it isn't always.
"I want the Rural Subcabinet to look for ways to make certain migration is a result of personal decisions, not despair or a lack of choice resulting from economic pressures or other factors," she said.
Tracked by school enrollment numbers, population in rural Alaska has been shrinking steadily but dramatically over many years.
I have been very critical of Governor Palin for some time lately, and I am confident I will find many reasons to do so in the future, but on this issue I am happy that at least Palin recognizes there is a very serious problem in rural Alaska.
These villages are struggling for their very survival. Alcohol and drug addiction are rampant in the villages, the cost of heating oil is through the roof, and there have been a rash of teen suicides this past month.
Something needs to be done. And while I am not terribly confident that this Rural Subcabinet will solve the problem, at least Palin is trying. So that is a gold star for her.
But don't think I am going soft on our limelight seeking Governor. I am still seething over her lack of response concerning those racist e-mails, and I want to know how much she knew about the drug activity of her future in-law, Sherry L. Johnston. I mean how can somebody live in a tiny community like Wasilla and NOT know that the mother of the guy sleeping with your daughter is involved with the distribution of drugs? Not to mention Palin was once the MAYOR of that town!
Something stinks here, and it is not just the smell of Methamphetamine cooking.
"Sock and Awe" webgame based on George Bush shoe throwing incident is an internet smash!
Shoe-wielding Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who was catapulted to international prominence after throwing his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Iraq, is now the star of the latest in viral Web games.
"Sock and Awe" -- named after the military doctrine employed in the US operation to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq -- allows players to throw shoes at a figure of President Bush, as he ducks behind a podium.
Al-Zaidi missed both his attempts before being dragged off by Iraqi security forces, but players of "Sock and Awe" have a little more leeway -- you can keep slinging footwear for up to thirty seconds.
At the time of writing, the virtual President Bush has been struck in the face by 21 million shoes, the site indicates.
Sock and Awe also shows visitors a league table of "Bush-shoeing countries" -- and although the United States is number one, the top five also includes France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
This story is just one of those amazing stories that never gets old.
You just know that in the decades to follow the end of George Bush's Presidency that the shoe throwing video will be played EVERY SINGLE time his name comes up. It will become the iconic image of George W. Bush. And it could not have happened to a more deserving fellow.
By the way if YOU want the chance to wing a shoe at Bush then just click right here and see if you have any more luck then Muntadar al-Zaid did.
"Sock and Awe" -- named after the military doctrine employed in the US operation to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq -- allows players to throw shoes at a figure of President Bush, as he ducks behind a podium.
Al-Zaidi missed both his attempts before being dragged off by Iraqi security forces, but players of "Sock and Awe" have a little more leeway -- you can keep slinging footwear for up to thirty seconds.
At the time of writing, the virtual President Bush has been struck in the face by 21 million shoes, the site indicates.
Sock and Awe also shows visitors a league table of "Bush-shoeing countries" -- and although the United States is number one, the top five also includes France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
This story is just one of those amazing stories that never gets old.
You just know that in the decades to follow the end of George Bush's Presidency that the shoe throwing video will be played EVERY SINGLE time his name comes up. It will become the iconic image of George W. Bush. And it could not have happened to a more deserving fellow.
By the way if YOU want the chance to wing a shoe at Bush then just click right here and see if you have any more luck then Muntadar al-Zaid did.
The Mother of Bristol Palin's baby daddy is arrested on drug charges. Stay classy Wasilla!
A 42-year-old Wasilla woman was arrested Thursday at her home by Alaska State Troopers with a search warrant in an undercover drug investigation. Sherry L. Johnston was charged with six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.
Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, the Wasilla 18-year-old who received international attention in September when Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, announced their teenage daughter was pregnant and he was the father. Bristol Palin, 18, is due on Saturday, according to a recent interview with the governor's father, Chuck Heath.
Troopers served the warrant at Johnston's home at the "conclusion of an undercover narcotics investigation," said a statement issued Thursday by the troopers as part of the normal daily summary of activity around the state.
Troopers charged Johnston with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.
Sherry Johnston was arrested around noon and booked at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, according to a booking officer there. She was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond just after 2 p.m.
So the grandmother of Bristol Palin's yet to be born son is a drug dealer? And just when I thought this story could not get any more bizarre.
Bristol Palin, an unmarried teenager, is due to give birth tomorrow. One grandmother is an absentee, ego driven megalomaniac, and the other is a drug dealer. Oh yeah this family is going to have NO PROBLEM providing a healthy environment for this newborn!
And I am not even going to go into the continuing questions surrounding who is Trig Palin's biological mother.
Perhaps Alaskans should start a fund for the future psychiatric treatment of this poor little boy. Hey maybe we could get a family discount for the whole family! There are entire therapeutic agencies that could be supported by Sarah Palin and her extended family alone!
And does Sarah Palin have anything to say about this newest family scandal?
When asked about the arrest, Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, issued the following statement by e-mail: "This is not a state government matter. Therefore the governor's communications staff will not be providing comment or scheduling interview opportunities."
This is almost verbatim the response McAllister gave concerning those racist e-mails. Are they under the impression that a "one size fits all" response policy is really going to make Alaskans feel comforted that Palin is a capable manager? Because I am guessing that will not prove satisfactory for long, if ever.
Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, the Wasilla 18-year-old who received international attention in September when Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, announced their teenage daughter was pregnant and he was the father. Bristol Palin, 18, is due on Saturday, according to a recent interview with the governor's father, Chuck Heath.
Troopers served the warrant at Johnston's home at the "conclusion of an undercover narcotics investigation," said a statement issued Thursday by the troopers as part of the normal daily summary of activity around the state.
Troopers charged Johnston with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.
Sherry Johnston was arrested around noon and booked at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, according to a booking officer there. She was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond just after 2 p.m.
So the grandmother of Bristol Palin's yet to be born son is a drug dealer? And just when I thought this story could not get any more bizarre.
Bristol Palin, an unmarried teenager, is due to give birth tomorrow. One grandmother is an absentee, ego driven megalomaniac, and the other is a drug dealer. Oh yeah this family is going to have NO PROBLEM providing a healthy environment for this newborn!
And I am not even going to go into the continuing questions surrounding who is Trig Palin's biological mother.
Perhaps Alaskans should start a fund for the future psychiatric treatment of this poor little boy. Hey maybe we could get a family discount for the whole family! There are entire therapeutic agencies that could be supported by Sarah Palin and her extended family alone!
And does Sarah Palin have anything to say about this newest family scandal?
When asked about the arrest, Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, issued the following statement by e-mail: "This is not a state government matter. Therefore the governor's communications staff will not be providing comment or scheduling interview opportunities."
This is almost verbatim the response McAllister gave concerning those racist e-mails. Are they under the impression that a "one size fits all" response policy is really going to make Alaskans feel comforted that Palin is a capable manager? Because I am guessing that will not prove satisfactory for long, if ever.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Walt Monegan to run for Mayor of Anchorage!
Walt Monegan just answered a phone call and confirmed he plans to file a letter of intent Friday with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
A longtime Anchorage cop who rose to become chief of police, Monegan said people have been talking to him about running for office since before he left the city.
His much-publicized ouster as the state's public safety commissioner in a dispute with Gov. Sarah Palin last summer "certainly gave me the opportunity," Monegan said.
Monegan said he didn't want to talk in any detail about his campaign plans or issues he wants to pursue until his state paperwork has been filed.
He will be entering a race that already has eight candidates, including former state Rep. Eric Croft, former West Anchorage Assemblyman Dan Sullivan, East Anchorage Assemblywoman Sheila Selkregg and former police spokesman Paul Honeman.
Well it looks like I will be dusting off my campaign hat again and jumping right back into fundraising, making telephone calls, and canvassing neighborhoods.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again." Sorry I had a Godfather flashback.
Well I am very excited, we have been talking about the possibility of Monegan running for office for quite some time now.
A longtime Anchorage cop who rose to become chief of police, Monegan said people have been talking to him about running for office since before he left the city.
His much-publicized ouster as the state's public safety commissioner in a dispute with Gov. Sarah Palin last summer "certainly gave me the opportunity," Monegan said.
Monegan said he didn't want to talk in any detail about his campaign plans or issues he wants to pursue until his state paperwork has been filed.
He will be entering a race that already has eight candidates, including former state Rep. Eric Croft, former West Anchorage Assemblyman Dan Sullivan, East Anchorage Assemblywoman Sheila Selkregg and former police spokesman Paul Honeman.
Well it looks like I will be dusting off my campaign hat again and jumping right back into fundraising, making telephone calls, and canvassing neighborhoods.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again." Sorry I had a Godfather flashback.
Well I am very excited, we have been talking about the possibility of Monegan running for office for quite some time now.
Palin fails to condemn racist e-mails circulating on Alaska state government computers about President-elect Barack Obama.
Alaska officials are investigating racist jokes about President-elect Barack Obama that have been circulating on state government e-mail accounts.
One of the five e-mails obtained by The Associated Press asks what was the outcome of the Democrat's victory after all the time and money spent, and concludes: "Another black family living in government housing!"
I find this particularly disturbing following a conversation I had with my brother, who works in a local parts department here in town, in which he told me about dozens of conversations he had with customers who were openly racist and small minded. They made unbelievably hateful comments about Obama and even suggested that he would not last long in office if he was elected.
I was absolutely amazed that there were still so many Alaskans who were willing to express that kind of hate publicly.
My brother told me I was naive, and perhaps he is right.
Three of the racist messages were confirmed by the state's information technology division after an electronic search of the government's e-mail system, Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer said Wednesday.
"It's embarrassing to the state," she said.
Yes it is very embarrassing especially since it comes on the heels of the horrible rallies that Sarah Palin held while running for Vice President which seemed to be spilling over with racial hate and intolerance. I had hoped with those now behind us we could concentrate on repairing our damaged reputation around the world.
And speaking of Palin where is she on this subject?
Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Gov. Sarah Palin - the failed Republican vice presidential candidate - about the e-mails.
Bill McAllister, Palin's spokesman, said in an e-mail that the matter concerned individual actions taken by a handful of state employees among thousands.
"My understanding is that the Department of Administration is following up on this with the individuals who took action to forward the offensive e-mails," he said. "This is, of course, a confidential personnel and disciplinary matter that has nothing to do with the governor's office."
Just another example of how completely tone deaf this administration is when it comes to public relations.
Like it or not Sarah Palin is the face of Alaska, and if she does not come out in opposition of these horrendous e-mails then it appears by her silence that she simply does not personally find them offensive. Which sadly seems to reinforce some very disturbing rumors that circulated about Palin at the beginning of her national campaign.
I am afraid looking to Sarah Palin for help in demonstrating the goodness of Alaskans is just a waste of time.
Her actions, or in this case her inactions, serve once again to shame all Alaskans.
P.S. My friend AKM also did an excellent job of covering this story over at Mudflats.
One of the five e-mails obtained by The Associated Press asks what was the outcome of the Democrat's victory after all the time and money spent, and concludes: "Another black family living in government housing!"
I find this particularly disturbing following a conversation I had with my brother, who works in a local parts department here in town, in which he told me about dozens of conversations he had with customers who were openly racist and small minded. They made unbelievably hateful comments about Obama and even suggested that he would not last long in office if he was elected.
I was absolutely amazed that there were still so many Alaskans who were willing to express that kind of hate publicly.
My brother told me I was naive, and perhaps he is right.
Three of the racist messages were confirmed by the state's information technology division after an electronic search of the government's e-mail system, Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer said Wednesday.
"It's embarrassing to the state," she said.
Yes it is very embarrassing especially since it comes on the heels of the horrible rallies that Sarah Palin held while running for Vice President which seemed to be spilling over with racial hate and intolerance. I had hoped with those now behind us we could concentrate on repairing our damaged reputation around the world.
And speaking of Palin where is she on this subject?
Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Gov. Sarah Palin - the failed Republican vice presidential candidate - about the e-mails.
Bill McAllister, Palin's spokesman, said in an e-mail that the matter concerned individual actions taken by a handful of state employees among thousands.
"My understanding is that the Department of Administration is following up on this with the individuals who took action to forward the offensive e-mails," he said. "This is, of course, a confidential personnel and disciplinary matter that has nothing to do with the governor's office."
Just another example of how completely tone deaf this administration is when it comes to public relations.
Like it or not Sarah Palin is the face of Alaska, and if she does not come out in opposition of these horrendous e-mails then it appears by her silence that she simply does not personally find them offensive. Which sadly seems to reinforce some very disturbing rumors that circulated about Palin at the beginning of her national campaign.
I am afraid looking to Sarah Palin for help in demonstrating the goodness of Alaskans is just a waste of time.
Her actions, or in this case her inactions, serve once again to shame all Alaskans.
P.S. My friend AKM also did an excellent job of covering this story over at Mudflats.
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