Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
You know sometimes an image is almost all that you need to make your point.
This film was doomed from the start, which anybody who was really in Alaska, and knew about Sarah Palin's time as governor, could have easily predicted. In fact I do believe that I did.
However besides simply indicating how bad this movie was, it is also an indication of how truly inconsequential the Palin-bots have become. After all they both begged and threatened people to get them to go see this film, and virtually NOBODY responded.
It is very hard NOT to see this as a dry run for Palin's Presidential campaign.
If she does declare in September I have little doubt that the result will look very much like the box office results pictured above. In other words, in the immortal words of my daughter, it will be another EPIC FAIL!
One of the things that fumbled Barney's chances for bail was something for which he isn't even charged, dating back to events that took place late one night last November outside a Fairbanks television studio. Cox had a scheduled appearance at the building and felt he needed security, with Barney in charge. The detail involved about a half dozen, armed militia members patrolling the block, blocking access and turning citizens away. Some of the guards, including Barney, who also had with him an anti-personnel riot control device – a burst of rubber bullets that could be deployed via a grenade launcher, stood watch along the perimeter in the shadows. The judge found the operation, which Barney spoke about on the stand, troubling.
"The defandant's activities in regard to a 'security detail' for co-defendant Francis Schaeffer Cox indicated a very substantial danger to the safety of other persons and the community and, in particular, a willingness to use assaultive behavior illegally to prevent the lawful arrest of another," Judge Bryan wrote.
Well THAT is certainly good news. I know that there were some people who were pretty worried about Barney getting out.
By the way it certainly did not help to have Coleman Barney take the stand in his own defense.
Barney admitted that -- like many Americans involved in the tea party movement -- he's worried about the direction of the country. But Barney said he advocated change through nonviolence. He said he believed that change could be achieved through education, through holding law enforcement accountable to the Alaska and U.S. constitutions, and through the legislative process.
"Everything I have been pushing for has been of peaceful means," he said.
He helped set up the Second Amendment Task Force, aimed at protecting gun rights, and the Liberty Bell Network, designed to provide citizens a witness network to unlawful search and seizure. And the efforts, he said, have already paid off, citing a new state law (A.S. 44.99.500) that legalizes silencers and other weapons.
If such items are made in Alaska, they are none of the federal government's business, Barney said. When it came to alleged murder plots and anti-government loyalties, the Feds, Barney would have the court believe, simply got it wrong.
But on cross examination, prosecutor Steven Skrocki was able to get Barney to admit that he was, in fact, a command major in Cox's Alaska Peacemakers Militia. And Barney also said that, if necessary, he was also prepared to kill, though he said only as last resort.
Just to bring you up to speed the individuals that Coleman was admitting he was prepared to kill were Federal agents which the incredibly paranoid Schaeffer Cox had convinced himself, and his friends, were out to kill him.
I think this should serve as a wake up call for those who are still laboring under the assumption that the Teabaggers are not potentiallydangerous, or not associated with any violent extremists.
By the way I have been hearing some rather interesting tidbits of information from my sources that there are far more connections between Sarah Palin, Joe Miller, and Schaeffer Cox than have previously been brought to light. I am attempting to make headway on that story right now, and will keep you all updated once I get something really good.
Sarah Palin on March 26, 2008. Eighteen days before "birth" of Trig Palin.
I currently have in my possession an e-mail from the author of the upcoming "babygate" book.
I will post it fairly early tomorrow morning because, and some of you may not be aware of this, IM receives more visitors on the weekdays than on the weekends. In order for the most people to have the opportunity to read what Fred has written I decided it would be best to post it on a day that saw more traffic so that I would not have people asking me over and over again about an update.
I think that most of you will be very pleased with the information, though for some of the more impatient ones it might be a little frustrating.
Just like with Joe and Geoffrey's books, there are ALWAYS new revelations which threaten to change the tenor of the book or delay its release. I learned long ago that patience is my best friend.
Speaking of patience, I should also let you know that there are many MORE revelations coming out about the Grizzled Mama, and her "Alaska mafia." Including one that I heard just the other day that I am hoping like crazy I can manage to prove, because even among the most jaded Palin watchers this one will be huge.
One thing I can share is that some, who are claiming to be in the know, are convinced that Palin actually WILL announce her candidacy during her speech in Iowa on September 3rd.
I remain somewhat skeptical, but as I have said before I would not put ANYTHING past this lunatic.
I know a couple of authors who would be thrilled if Palin DID launch a short lived, ultimately doomed campaign in early September. And I do have to admit that it would certainly bring more players into the "Sources for Gryphen" family.
I guess that would not be all bad now would it?
Update: I was just now watching Meet the Press, and sitting there with my plate of eggs watching David Gregory ask David Plouffe just WHICH bills the government will pay for certain if the debt ceiling does NOT get raised by Tuesday suddenly just pissed me the hell off!
So I would like to vent a little.
When the Tea Party was in its infancy and nobody was paying it much attention, the Koch brothers arranged for Sarah Palin to make appearances on their behalf and essentially, along with the spastic Glenn Beck, become the face of the Teabaggers. Because of her unrivaled name recognition she brought tons of undeserved attention to what was clearly a very unsophisticated astro-turf group of angry racists, who, over time, were polished with corporate money enough so that they were able to choose and back candidates who are currently holding our country hostage.
While that was taking place there were those who were working overtime to convince me to drop the babygate story because it was never going to "make any difference."
"Just focus on the wild ride story, Gryph. That will be enough to stop her if enough people hear about it. The babygate story just makes you, and ALL of us, seem like crazy conspiracy theorists."
Of course I refused, and as my reward I found myself isolated. I learned over time that journalists were steered away from me, for fear I would bring up"that crazy conspiracy story."
At one point I was so close I could taste it, to REALLY blowing this whole thing up. But I was sabotaged by those I considered my friends. In my personal opinion if I had received more support, and if others had worked side by side with me, Sarah Palin would NEVER have been able to provide the spark that the Koch brothers used to start the Teabagger bonfire.
So I would just like to take a moment to say FUCK YOU!
Fuck you for playing it safe. Fuck you for worrying about appearances more than truth. And fuck you for being a coward.
And while I am on this rant I would also like to say fuck you to those who wanted the babygate story all for themselves. Fuck you for driving people off of the net who were selflessly working to bring this story to the American people. Fuck you for chasing away sources who were timidly coming forward, until they realized that people might soon learn their true identities. And fuck you for damaging the reputation of good people because YOUR ego demanded that you get credit for EVERYTHING.
Okay I am done now. Sorry if some of you found that offensive or a little out of character, but damn I have been holding that inside for years.
The babygate story is NOT just about a mother protecting her daughter, or her family. It is MUCH deeper and uglier than that. And once it is really out there in the public consciousness, it should serve as the stepping stone to revealing all kinds of political manipulations and Faustian deals that might finally awaken a slumbering populace and get them to focus on taking back their country from the corporations and political fat cats who have held the reins of power for much, much too long.
And with that Gryphen steps off of his soapbox. Thank you for listening.
The grass-roots group Organize4Palin isn't organizing a campaign for Iowans to write in Sarah Palin's name on their straw poll ballots.
Peter Singleton, the Iowa leader of the grass-roots group, which is unaffiliated with the former Alaska governor, told the blog Conservatives4Palin: "We are not even sending an email out to our mailing list in the state encouraging people to do so. We are simply not focused on this."
Singleton said the Aug. 13 straw poll isn't a priority because Palin isn't a declared candidate. But the group predicts she will announce soon that she's running for president, so Organize4Palin's attention is on the Feb. 6 Iowa caucuses.
"At that point, the campaign will begin in earnest for Governor Palin's grass-roots supporters in this state, and we will be ready when that moment comes."
This sounds like another rationalization to me. It is hard to believe that a group of people that would pimp Palin's propaganda film as hard as they did (Only to fail in their effort to make it some sort of sleeper hit by the way) would allow this straw poll to pass without putting out SOME effort to get Palin's name on it, unless they realized that it would once again be another example of their idol returning to her usual place on the bottom of the list of GOP Presidential hopefuls.
And it is not like they don't turn somersaults every time Palin miraculously does well on a poll, because they do. So why skip this one? Especially since many of her supporters are under the impression that Palin will announce her candidacy during her big Teabagger speech in Iowa this September.
Could it be that they are starting to fear that WE have been right about Palin all along? Because eventually they will have to admit, at least to themselves, that we have.
Are you as tired of this infinitesimally tiny group of undereducated, historically retarded, and politically inept bunch of morons endangering the ability of Americans to receive the money they need to survive from their government while actively destroying our reputation around the world?
If so feel free to sound off in the comments section.
Adult language will not only be allowed, it will be encouraged.
But I do have to say that there are several members of my family who would feel right at home listening to that prayer and watching those cars drive around, and around, and around, and around, and....well you get the idea.
I actually thought I would never revisit the DWTS weight gain issue again, but Bristol's ridiculous excuse for why she gained weight on the show is too stupid to leave unaddressed. (I can't believe the Palins think they can say such outlandish bullshit and never get called on it!)
I know it is small and hard to read, but I wanted to give you an actual screenshot in case anybody thought I might be exaggerating. Below I have typed out the pertinent portions.
The ironic thing about this whole thing is that my critic was a self-described public advocate against bullying...as long as she agrees with the victims politics, I guess. After a prominent gay suicide, she went to the airwaves and criticized bullies...while at the same time publicly stating that a 135 pound girl like me was obese. But because I was already active and fit, the show's schedule wasn't new to me. I did gain five pounds over the course of the show, but I was still thinner than a lot of girls my age.
Bristol continues in the next paragraph:
So let me address this issue head-on. I'm not skinny and I'm not fat. I'm a girl like everyone else who lives in this era of airbrushed photos who's trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And do you know what? I'm succeeding. Everyone talks about how strenuous the Dancing with the Stars workouts are, but they're nothing compared to any high school basketball practice. Though one contestant famously lost forty-one pounds, I have to assume it was because she was not too active beforehand. Because I was an active kid before I started, this show actually took my activity level down a notch. That meant I was not going to be seeing rapid weight loss. Which was fine with me.
Okay rather than simply pick apart what Bristol is saying I think I will let the pictures, which surely she knows are still available on the internet, do my talking for me.
First let me point out that the weight Bristol brought with her to DWTS was NOT the weight gain left over from having Tripp, as evidenced in his May, 2009 picture taken while she was promoting the Candies Foundation.
Bristol May 6, 2009
And as for her so-called athletic lifestyle before DWTS, Bristol did not attend regular school after the beginning of 2008, and was certainly not on any basketball teams since then. She went back for a short time and graduated from Wasilla High, on May 15, 2009. (Once again NOT participating in any organized sports during that time.)
And as evidence of her rather sedentary lifestyle (Or perhaps something else) here is Bristol in May of 2010.
Bristol May 5, 2010
So I think it is pretty well established that Bristol was NOT engaged in any rigorous sports activities directly before starting with DWTS.
Here is a picture of Bristol's very first rehearsal with Marka Ballas on September 2, 2010.
DWTS first rehearsal September 2, 2010.
I am not going to make any disparaging comments about her weight, other than to say that for a nineteen year old she is NOT in what I would consider athletic condition. Anyone disagree?
So taking this rather out of shape nineteen year old and having her compete on what has been called "more of a weight loss competition, than a dancing show," one would logically expect Ms. Palin to start toning up and dropping some lbs.
But instead this is what she looked like a twenty six days after she started working with Mark Ballas on the dance routines.
Bristol September 28, 2010.
And here she is in October.
Bristol in October, 2010.
And again in November, at the end of the show.
Bristol November 23, 2010.
Now I am not going to claim I am an expert on female weight loss, but I WAS a personal trainer and I can tell you that what these pictures demonstrate is physiologically impossible. Unless Bristol has some very dangerous thyroid gland problem, there is simply NO reasonable explanation for this weight gain while practicing dance steps for up to eight hours a day. None.
And by the way, just to spike the ball a little here, DWTS also had as contestants gymnast Shawn Johnson, football player Emmet Smith, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, basketball star Rick Fox, speed skater Apolo Ohno, just to name a few of the athletes that appeared in past seasons, and they ALL demonstrated an increase in their overall conditioning and a decrease in their weight. Are we to believe that THEY led sedentary lives before they started rehearsals?
In fact as far as anybody can tell, EVERY constestant on DWTS lost weight and got into much better shape due to the strenuous rehearsals involved, with ONE notable exception.
Bristol on the View November 24, 2010.
So Bristol perhaps you should have just left this topic alone, because bringing it up in this book is only going to have people talking about what they believe was the REAL cause of your bizarre weight gain on DWTS.
Prior to 9/11, the Taliban government in Afghanistan did not register very much on American radar screens, with one notable exception: when it blew up two colossal images of the Buddha in Bamiyan province in early 2001. But destruction of treasured artifacts isn't just limited to the Taliban.
There's a right-wing politico-religious presence centred in the US, but with a global reach, engaging in similar practises, destroying religious and cultural artifacts as a key aspect of its ideology of "strategic level spiritual warfare" (SLSW).
Until recently a fringe evangelical movement, warned against as deviant, "spiritual warfare" is rapidly positioning itself within America's mainstream political right. It's well past time for political journalists to start covering what this movement is up to.
As an example, leaders have bragged online about the destruction of Native American religious artifacts, which their twisted ideology somehow sees as a liberating act, promoting "reconciliation" between estranged groups of people. Critics, however, see it as reflecting an eliminationist mindset, while traditional conservative evangelicals have denounced the ideology as un-biblical. Some even claim it is actually a form of pagan practice dressed up in Christian clothes, according such artifacts a spiritual power that the Bible itself denies.
The ultimate goal is to replace secular democracy, both in America and around the world, with a Christian theocracy, an ideology known as "dominionism". The supposed purpose is to "purify" the world for Christ's return - again, strikingly similar to what the Taliban believe, but also significantly at odds with more common, long-standing Christian beliefs about the "end times", as well as the nature and purpose of prayer, and the roles of human and divine power.
This is a VERY informative article which touches on many of the same frightening themes that fans of Leah Burton, and God's Own Party, are probably already aware. The piece explores the New Apostolic Reformation, the Seven Mountains Mandate, the influence of Sarah Palin, and also lays out the three levels of Spiritual Warfare.
Ground level spiritual warfare is casting out demons from individuals. Occult level spiritual warfare is a confrontation with demons operating through witchcraft and esoteric philosophies (examples are Freemasonry and Tibetan Buddhism). Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare is the highest level, dealing with confrontation of territorial principalities that control entire communities, ethnic groups, religions, and nations.
Like I said the article is quite informative, however it is also a chilling read that might cause you one or two sleepless night. So take care.
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, one of the high-profile certified non-moderates urging the GOP to support John Boehner's debt ceiling bill, leveled criticism at Sarah Palin during today's show for raising the prospect of 2012 primary challenges to House Republicans.
Palin published a Facebook message Thursday urging Republicans to stand firm on fiscal issues, adding: "Everyone I talk to still believes in contested primaries."
"Well, just, watch out, 'Everyone I talk to still believes in contested primaries.' God bless her, Sarah Palin's saying that in a message she put out," Ingraham said.
She proceeded to run through a list of conservatives who have endorsed Boehner's plan, quipping sarcastically: "I guess we're threatening, implicitly, explicitly, Paul Ryan, Col. Allen West, Mike Pence is gonna be out of the House of Representatives. He'll be the governor of Indiana. Maybe we can run someone else as governor of Indiana, to run for the governorship, 'cause Pence is obviously a sellout. Can I have the whole list of sellouts? I need the list so I can make sure I understand who's going to get the primary challenge."
"It's a very odd way to go about things if we have a common goal," Ingraham continued, urging tea party-aligned Republicans to seek a "real and meaningful" role — "not just, ok, I'm the spoiler here. I stood on principle, everybody else is impure."
"You can stand on that soapbox and it might make you feel good in the moment. It make might you feel good to put out these Facebook postings," she said. "But in the end, does it actually advance your cause? And does it advance the cause of fiscal restraint, which I think we all have?"
Interesting, it looks like Palin's scorched earth philosophy is not selling well with the people who have some rudimentary connection to reality. After all Ingraham is pretty damn wingnutty her own darn self, so if Palin starts losing the batshit crazy crowd, she will end up simply standing next to an isolated lake in a remote part of the world talking to herself.
Though come to think of it, that is already kind of what she is doing NOW!
Only in the rapidly approaching future, nobody will bother to pay any attention to what the crazy lady is screaming into the chilly Alaskan night. Pretty sure Todd and her kids (Except Bristol of course) stopped listening to her quite some time ago.
As a divorced father myself, who gladly paid my child support payments on time and in full, I share O'Donnell's disgust with Rep. Joe Walsh.
I cannot tell you how angry it makes me to hear politicians use children to make a political point while refusing to support policies, or social programs, that they so desperately need.
How could we possibly trust a politician who does not even care about his OWN kids enough to make sure they are well cared for, to help protect ours?
Toni Hagen of Mason City will be hostess for three showings Saturday of a new political film, “The Undefeated,” which promotes former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The film had its premiere in Pella last month with Palin in attendance.
Hagen, a volunteer with a grassroots effort called Organize4Palin, has an advance copy of the film for private screenings and will be showing it at her home in Mason City at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. Saturday.
I can hear Ms. Hagen's pitch now: "This film is the greatest celluloid epic in this, or any other, century. And if you don't believe me, come over to my housewhere I will be showing it on a white bed sheet tacked to the wall of my family room."
You know I wonder if the Palin-bots even take the time to stop and think before they put up a post like this?
I mean come on, you people are not even making this challenging for me anymore!
Update: Well now we know why they have to show the film at their teabagging neighborhood block parties. "The Undefeated" is down 60.5% at the box office this week.
I guess all of that begging and threatening was just NOT enough to get anybody to waste two hours of their precious life watching this steaming pile of moose shit.
Update 2: You know I think Palin might seriously be having a nervous breakdown. Check out this newest tweet:
@BarackObama you're wrong, threatening to throw seniors under the bus because you refuse to prioritize govt spending.Time to #womanup & lead 52 minutes ago via web
Does this lunatic REALLY believe that Obama pays even the slightest bit of attention to her?
You know I wonder if this is the first time that a person's psychotic episode was captured on Twitter?
In a side by side match up with each of the potential Republican Presidential candidates for 2012, essentially Obama eats their lunch for them according to Real Clear Politics.
Here is the breakdown.
Against Mitt Romney, who will surely emerge from the primary much more battered, bruised, and politically damaged than he is right now, President Obama polls at 4.3% higher in a potential 2012 election match up.
(By the way, Romney is in fact the GOP's best hope.)
Against Libertarian favorite Ron Paul, President Obama enjoys a 9.8% lead in the polls.
(But believe me the American people do NOT yet know about the racism, crazy conspiracy theories, and batshit crazy ideas. Once those come to light, Paul's chances shrink to somewhere between "slim," and his buddy "none.")
Against "Let God handle it" Rick Perry, President Obama maintains a very comfortable 11.6% lead.
(The thing about Perry is the farther away from him you are, the better he looks politically. But up close?)
Tim "TimPaw" Pawlenty is nowhere even close to providing a challenge with Obama leading him at 12.3%.
(You know I was going to write more about Pawlenty, but I kept nodding off. I understand that when sheep suffer from insomnia they count TimPaw's boring public statements until they fall asleep.)
Michele Bachmann is trailing right behind Mr. Ho-hum with the President enjoying a 12.4% lead over the batshit crazy, "pray away the gay" lady.
"I can't believe my numbers are that high. Maybe batshit is the new black."
Now Jon "The other Mormon" Huntsman is trailing behind Obama by about 14%.
(You might as well get used to seeing the picture above, because if Huntsman looks like he is actually presenting a challenge to any of the other GOP candidates, you will see it showing up in third party TV ads over and over again.)
Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich share the seventh spot, both trailing the President with an embarrassing 14.7%.
(After over thirty years in politics, I can only imagine how thrilled Gingrich is to be tied with the Godfather's Pizza guy!)
Okay well that is just about everybody, and NOBODY (With the possible exception of Mitt Romney) has any real shot against our President in a head to head match up.
Wait! Somebody IS missing. (Oh my God, who could possibly be lower than 14.7% this early in the polling? They must have ZERO name recognition or something!)
In fact it is lower. MUCH lower.
In a match up with President Obama, everyone's favorite teabagging reality star, trails by a whopping 20%.
That's right Palin-bots, your idol trails the President by 20% and is in absolutely the LAST place on the list of potential GOP Presidential contenders for 2012, when it comes to viability.
You know somebody, the person's name escapes me right now, said that "2012 can't come soon enough."
I could not agree more.
(P.S. I just noticed that Santorum is not even on the list so I am guessing that he polled even lower than Snowdrift Snooki. Ouch, that has to hurt!)
For over a month now I have wanted to address the issue of my arrest paperwork and the Anchorage Police Department’s official statement to the National Enquirer regarding the article from the NE on the subject matter that I was Todd Palin’s mistress/prostitute. Specifically I want to go into detail about each point they made in their statement.
The Shailey proceeds to do exactly that.
There is much more happening behind the scenes which must stay behind the scenes for now. But trust me, just as soon as all of the loose ends are tied up we will be hearing MUCH more from Shailey.
I am really impressed that ALL of the Massachusetts delegation were able to come together, and do something so positive for the LGBT community in their state. That was really quite touching.
But you know, it felt to me that there was something missing. Did you notice it too?
Yeah that's it! Scott Brown, where in the hell was Scott Brown?
Did he not get the memo?
A Democratic Hill staffer with knowledge of the project told The Huffington Post that Brown was invited to participate, but he declined.
"Scott Brown has a strong record at the state and federal level against bullying and believes that all people regardless of sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect," said Brown spokesman Colin Reed when asked whether the senator had been asked to appear in the video. "His main focus right now is on creating jobs and getting our economy back on track."
Yeah you know I don't think that anybody's segment on that video was more than a few seconds long. Surely THAT would not seriously take away from the time that Senator Brown needed to "create jobs" or get the "economy back on track."
I mean someone might start to think that Scott Brown hated the gays or something!
Arline Isaacson, Co-Chair of Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus stated, “Scott Brown has voted consistently against the LGBT community throughout his entire career in the Massachusetts legislature. His has not been an incidental opposition. He has voted against us loudly, proudly and unequivocally.
Unfortunately, most people don’t realize just how bad his record is:
–He voted over 25 times against marriage equality, even when 3/4 of our legislature and many MA Republican legislators stood with us. – He doesn’t support the Transgender Civil Rights & Hate Crimes bill – He opposes repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” – He opposes repealing the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) – He has ridiculed LGBT parents as inadequate – He supported anti-gay policies of George W Bush & Mitt Romney
Ohhh! I get it now. Brown is one of THOSE guys.
You know the ones that are so insecure about their sexuality that they are constantly making sure that they don't do anything which might accidentally appear gay, like stripping down for a national publication.
Oh, yeah that's right.
Well to be fair, Brown WAS quite a bit younger during his "drop trou for Cosmo" days, and besides there is NOTHING gay about that pose. (Okay well it might be a little gay.)
Still there is some hope that Brown is not one of those idiots that goes over the top to prove they are a strapping heterosexual by posing in a vaguely inappropriate manner with their scantily clad daughters. Because that would be just....oh.
You know maybe the Massachusetts LGBT community is better off WITHOUT Senator Brown's participation in their "It Gets Better" campaign.
Because I don't know about you, but he kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Besides, I am still not sure whether homophobia is something you are born with, or something that you get from your environment, so perhaps it is best to keep Senator Brown away from impressionable young teenagers. At least until science is certain about the issue.
A high school student in Arkansas was blocked from receiving sole valedictorian honors this summer, despite earning the highest G.P.A. in her class and receiving only a single B in her four years at McGehee Secondary School. Kymberly Wimberly’s offense? She’s black. School administrators worried that Wimberly’s accomplishment would result in a “big mess” at the majority-white school, so Principal Darrell Thompson told the student’s mother “that he decided to name a white student as co-valedictorian,” even though the white student had a lower G.P.A. The matter is currently pending in federal court.
Let me remind you that today's date is July 29, 2011, NOT July 29, 1965.
Today we also have a black man in the White House, a female Secretary of State, and a personal computer in virtually every one of our homes. Yet in Arkansas a black female CANNOT take her place as valedictorian of her high school without having a white person assigned to share in her moment.
If certain people get into positions of power in this country, this is but a hint of the things to come.
I LOVED this segment last night, and thought that Stewart did an amazing job of mocking the Fox News talking heads. So of course I felt I needed to share it with you.
I actually almost forgot about it because there was so much going on today.
However perhaps saving it for last is not so bad as it is a great way to end our day, don't you think?
Oh, and there is SO much more coming tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Out here in proverbial politico flyover country, we little folk are watching the debt ceiling debate with great interest and concern. Today I re-read the open letter I wrote to Republican Freshman Members of Congress in November 2010, just days after they were ushered into office in an historic landslide victory due in large part to the activism of commonsense patriots who are considered part of the Tea Party movement. I respectfully ask these GOP Freshman to re-read this letter and remember us “little people” who believed in them, donated to their campaigns, spent hours tirelessly volunteering for them, and trusted them with our votes. This new wave of public servants may recall that they were sent to D.C. for such a time as this.
In other words, according to what's written between the lines here, these freshmen politicians were sent to sabotage the process and make sure that NOTHING in Washington can get done, so that the third party (Which is already forming right under the GOP's nose), can then rise up under the "Washington is broken" banner and elect MORE saboteurs to further destroy the very fabric of this nation.
Have I got that about right?
And while this unhinged fruitcake is threatening to direct her, now dramatically decreased, Palin-bot operates away from any Tebagging politician who dares to demonstrate a general understanding of, or desire to work with, the political process, her creator John McCain is practically begging these individuals to stop being assholes and do their damn jobs!
I certainly hope the American voter is paying attention to this ridiculous spectacle, and taking note of who is watching out for them, and who is trying to grab the reins of power to steer this country back to a horse and buggy days of yore.
I am really trying not to make any more comparison's to the rise of the Nazi party here, but with the obvious attempts to undermine the government, the vilification of the Muslims, and the Youth for Hitler Palin website it is getting harder and harder all of the time.
I mean for God's sake just listen to the emotionless voices on this video.
If that does not make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I don't know what would.
Now I still do not think that Palin can get anywhere near the White House, but it is abundantly clear that her deleterious effect on this nation, though minimized, still continues.
Essentially she, and others like her, just need to be stopped completely. And the best way to do that is to keep exposing the truth about them, the truth concerning the reasons behind their support of the Tea Party, and the truth about what their goal is for the United States of America.
I am doing my part, but I certainly won't turn away any help from others.
A website called Wonderwall has posted a number of celebrities before and after pictures and asked their visitors to rate them. They feature Madonna, Heidi Montag, Ashlee Simpson, Pamela Anderson, etc.
Some of those featured actually looked better after their surgeries, and ALL of them are in show business which makes their obsession with their appearance somewhat understandable.
And here is the after which also incudes how the visitors mocked her attempt to improve her looks.
Having over half of the people taking a survey say that your new looks, which you paid good money to improve, should be categorized as a "fail," cannot feel good for anybody.
When asked about why people should support her mother's possible run for the GOP nomination, Bristol often cites her ability to run her household and raise her family with good Christian values, as "proof" that she can run the country.
So using the very yardstick that Bristol bizarrely claims proves her mother's competence, what are we to make of an unmarried teen mother's choice to mutilate her face with plastic surgery, lie to the press that it was from "jaw surgery," while in pursuit of a reality show career? What does that say about Bristol's self esteem, and what exactly does THAT say about Sarah Palin's child rearing abilities, and how that relates to her abilities to run the country?
I can say as a father, that I would NEVER place my daughter in a situation where she could be mocked or humiliated, just to further my carer or aspirations. Never. And I doubt that most good parents would.
Which I guess means I will never be labeled a "Papa Grizzly" now will I?
You know I would like to give Senator McCain credit for standing up to these bullies, and giving them a long overdue lesson in politics, but I can't because they are his damn fault!
If McCain had not plucked the cross-eyed, crazy ass harpie out of the wilds of Wasilla to be his running mate, there is very good chance the Tea Party would never have received enough attention to gain the kind of political influence it is now abusing.
There were many times, including during his own reelection campaign, that McCain could have stood up to these assholes and put them in their place. But due to his own cowardice, and fear of losing his precious Senate seat, he has been silent.
So fuck John McCain, this is too little, too late.
The question he should ask himself from this day until his last days on this earth is where was HE when his country needed him?
Normally, a movie with such poor box office would not receive story coverage on Box Office Mojo, but the furor over The Undefeated calls for an injection of truth.
Even before The Undefeated bottomed out in its second weekend, the movie was a bust in its first weekend, but its boosters latched onto two stats: per-theater average and ranking among political documentaries. The classic tactics of movie spin include bragging about per-theater average and declaring a high ranking in a niche category. The funny thing is that Undefeated's opening didn't rate highly on either front, making the spin extra-egregious.
Within the minor political documentary sub-genre, The Undefeated's $6,532 opening weekend per-theater average ranked 33rd out of the 91 limited openings tracked over the past 30 years, normalized for ticket price inflation. Among all documentaries, it was in the middle of the pack. Hardly worthy of hyperbole. Even if it had little to no advertising, Undefeated had far more media coverage than most other political documentaries and independent releases could ever dream of. The awareness was there.
Undefeated boosters ran with the notion that the movie's opening had the "second highest per-theater average of the weekend, behind only Harry Potter," but the movie was actually sixth in that metric. They also latched onto a press release about how The Undefeated averaged "above $11,000 in top markets." But averages are naturally higher in top markets (that's why they're "top markets") and, without context (how it compared to other movies' grosses in those markets), that was a meaningless statistic.
It's extremely myopic to believe that having one of the higher per-theater averages on a given weekend means a movie is a success, and The Undefeated's second weekend bore that out. Indeed, "per-theater average" is one of the most overrated stats. For limited releases, the most receptive locations are cherry-picked with the purpose to impress with a high per-theater average in order to book more markets. The fewer the theaters, the easier it is to have a higher average.
To put these numbers into further perspective: The Undefeated's ten theaters on opening weekend yielded 159 showings. Using the current average ticket price of $7.86, that means the movie played to an estimated 52 people per average showing or at about one-fifth to one-quarter capacity. In the movie's second weekend, which had 211 showings, the per-showing average attendance dropped to 15.
Damn, I like how this guy Brandon Gray left absolutely NO doubt that this movie was an unmitigated disaster.
Not really much argument left is there?
Which makes THIS, seem just that much more pathetic.
The path to the White House runs through the theaters across America showing this film.
We need to sell those theaters out! No more excuses, no more complaints. Let’s show the world why we support her. Show them this film! We need your help to make this happen. We can’t sit silently anymore. Now we must act.
Special incentives:
Each Youth For Palin's Youth Brigade member will receive special rewards including $$ compensation and/or a donation to our group (your choice). special recognition, and other items.
Game On!
Personally I think that any parent who encourages their child to pimp this move for Snowdrift Snooki should be brought up on charges of child abuse.
It finally dawned on me who the Palin-bots who are refusing to see the writing on the walls about Palin's pathetic propaganda piece remind me of. They remind me of those Japanese soldiers who stayed at their posts for decades because they did not realize the war was over.
There is no excuse for children to feel isolated because of their sexuality any more than it is okay to do so in response to their skin color or their gender.
Adults should understand that, and take great pains to be accessible to the students who are reaching out for help.
In the latest indication that her sights are still set on a presidential run, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has accepted an invitation to keynote a Tea Party rally in Waukee, Iowa, on Sept. 3, RealClearPolitics has learned.
The Labor Day weekend visit to the nation's first voting state comes after Palin indicated during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month that she would make her decision about whether to launch a campaign in August or September.
All signs now point to September as the month when Palin would throw her hat into the ring, as logistical concerns ranging from fundraising to getting her name on the ballot in various states would likely preclude further delay.
Many prominent political analysts and Republican operatives have expressed skepticism that Palin is seriously considering a presidential bid, since she has not taken many of the steps that candidates traditionally take before jumping into the race, such as signing early-state consultants, contacting key powerbrokers and boosting their travel schedules.
But Palin has a long history of shunning the Republican Party machinery and taking an unconventional approach to campaigns -- a mind-set that appears to have been in play throughout the past several months.
Jesus this is just getting more and more pathetic.
Has anybody else noticed that Palin does just the bare minimum to keep stringing her simple minded supporters along?
Everybody writes her off as a candidate, so she goes on a family vacation disguised as the start of a political campaign.
It looks like nobody gives two shits about her movie, so suddenly she decides to drag Todd out of the mothballs and show up in Iowa for the premiere.
People start pointing out that they have not seen her for awhile, so she does a perfunctory eight minute interview with Greta Van Susteren on a topic that she can barely understand.
So now pundits are saying that she has done NOTHING to give any indication that she is a serious candidate, and all of a sudden we hear that she is giving a keynote speech in Iowa.
And do you know what? The Palin-bots and political reporters will rise to the bait every single time!
In an embarrassing development for John Boehner, the Republican Congress speaker, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ruled on Tuesday night that his bill would have only cut spending by $850bn (£517bn)over the next decade, not the $1.2tn he had aimed for. Republicans are now racing to rewrite the legislation, and have pushed back a congressional vote on the plan from Wednesday to Thursday at the earliest.
Although Boehner was already struggling to find support for his package, the delay increases the risk that Washington will fail to agree a deal to raise the debt ceiling before 2 August, when the federal government is expected to run out of money.
Just another reminder that Republican math does not work in the real world.
You know the first thing that leaps out at me is that Fox News hosts ALWAYS refer to Palin as "Governor" multiple times, like they are trying to remind their audience that once upon a time this dimwit actually had a real job.
Then only a few sentences into her remarks she starts the middle school attacks on our President. (By the way you nasty harpy bitch, the President is referred to as "No Drama Obama." HE is not the reason that we are facing a potential crisis, that would be the politically illiterate Teabaggers YOU helped get elected to sabotage our country!)
By the way Geitner said we "would not default" based on his belief that the politicians would not really allow that to happen:
Geithner said Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell "had been absolutely clear, they are not going to let this country default.
But pressed several times, Geithner refused to reveal if the Obama administration had a back-up plan and had begun deciding which checks would be signed and which would not.
"We will do everything we can to mitigate the damage," he said, revealing that the United States writes 80 million checks a month.
That does NOT mean there is not a crisis, only that the grownups will try to minimize the damage if the children continue throwing a fit and not taking seriously the responsibilities that the American people assigned to them.
Okay is it just me, or does Palin look especially venomous today?
"Well scaring the American people is exactly what President Obama is doing in that bizarre speech he gave last night. It reminded me of when he insisted that TARP had to be passed. You know it was life or death at that time also. We had to..uh..increase spending or the Federal government, or people would be starving on the streets..I mean..uh uh..look at what TARP resulted in."
You know I hate to distract Palin while she is on one of these anti-Obama rants of hers with facts (After all we know how much she hates facts, because they always seem to favor liberals.), but TARP was passed in October of 2008, by George W. Bush. It is kind of hard to blame President Obama for legislation that was put into place BEFORE he was in office.
Oh, and you would think that Palin might remember this, since her running mate John McCain suspended his campaign to help get it passed. (Damn, no WONDER Palin hates facts so much!)
But sorry to interrupt, you were saying?
"Reinvent the will?" You know I have never met an Alaskan who could not say "wheel" properly. Every time she opens her mouth she embarrasses the crap out of us.
You know the minute that Palin says, concerning the debt ceiling, "I don't want to see it raised," is when a real journalist would stop the interview and apologize to their audience for bringing on somebody who has no understanding of the topic being discussed.
And riddle me this Batman, why are the Teabaggers, who wave the Constitution around like it is a sacred document on par with the Bible, now pushing for a Balanced Budget Amendment? Aren't they the crowd who believe that the Amendments which freed the slaves and allowed women the right to vote, are what started this country's downward spiral into Socialism in the first place?
When I watch these "interviews" there is always a moment where I stop and wonder if ANYBODY is really taking what this idiot says seriously. I hear her spout these canned talking points, and rattle on using inflammatory language, and yet everytime she stops to take a breath I realize that the oxygen that she just used up was completely wasted. Actually, not that I want to see any harm come to her, I kind of think ALL of the oxygen she uses is wasted on her.
I really think that the only reason that we see Palin in this interview is because she is contractually obligated to appear on camera a couple of time a year, and that she was overdue. She has no expertise on the topic, adds nothing to the debate, and, even with the teleprompter reflected in her glasses, relies almost solely on the regurgitation of one size fits all talking points that essentially make her sound like a Chatty Cathy doll.
Her looks are fading rapidly, her wigs are becoming more obvious, and her talking points are becoming punchlines for late night comedians. Hell even her most ardent supporters cannot force their families to go to her movie with them, or buy her daughter's book.
Even an endorsement from her, which used to carry some weight in conservative circles, would probably hurt a candidate far more than it would help them, so I cannot see anybody seeking her out for a photo op.
I still think we need to keep at least one eye cocked in her direction, because her base is potentially the most likely groups of Americans to open fire in a mall, or drown their children because they are possessed by liberal demons, but I think for all intents and purposes that Palin is yesterday's news.
Of course I still think we all need to buy Joe's book, and Nick's movie. After all every corpse deserves a postmortem.
P.S. Oh, and don't forget the babygate book too. I have a call into the author for an update, andI hope to have that for you soon.
With full credit for the graphic once again to Azure Ghost.
This was sent to my e-mail from my favorite mole over at Team Sarah.
I will try to recreate it exactly as it appears in the e-mail, including the screaming capitalization's and histrionic changes in font size, just so you can get the full, batshit crazy effect.
A message to all members of Team Sarah
Team,
The movie, The Undefeated, faces an onslaught of the same kind of “invalidation” that Sarah Palin faces from the media establishment.
For those who have been out promoting the movie, and trying to get people in the cities where it is showing to BUY TICKETS NOW, this has been quite a journey.
Movies, ALL movies, have their ups and downs, but you can bet that when The Undefeated has its “ups” the media will ignore that and when it has its “downs” the media will over-hype it, as if “it’s all over because of a bad day!”
Everyone knows that "success" is never a straight line!
The fight to make sure people KNOW the truth about how the ESTABLISHMENT treats ordinary Americans who rise to leadership is only just beginning!
Just because you don't live in a city where the movie is currently playing does not mean you CANNOT HELP! Email teamsarahhq@gmail.com to see how you can help as a virtual ambassador!
Whoever thinks this is going to be easy, here's the truth. IT CANNOT BE EASY!
The stakes are too high!
The opposition is DESPERATE to discredit all that we stand up for!
Hard, however, is not IMPOSSIBLE.
What kind of country do you want to leave your children, one where the values of a Tina Fey rule or one where the values of Sarah Palin are strong?
WHAT WE DO NOW will potentially decide how that question is answered!
How much can you do, how far out of your comfort zone can you go, for your children's future?
Here's what is needed: we need to get people to come to these theaters and we need to beat back the liberal narrative. WE CAN DO this because we MUST do it!
Here’s the WHOLE point of all this- We need EVERYONE in EACH CITY to focus on getting 25 people to come to the movie TOMORROW and THURSDAY!
TICKETS are available here,
IF you live in any of the cities where this movie is showing, or within 100 miles, then WE NEED YOU! If you DON'T live near these cities, we STILL need you!
EMAIL teamsarahhq@gmail.com and we will send you our own information pack!
The movie IS coming to DVD, but even if millions of the DVD’s are sold, the media will STILL try to use whatever WE DO at the box office as a measure of success. COUNT ON IT!
We need to ask people we know in those cities to COME!
Don’t ask, tell! What I mean is, call your buddy up and say, “you’re going to this movie, OK? It’s a done deal, I need you to go.’ Don’t be shy. Imagine your children’s future depends on it.
WE NEED-
CITY HOSTS who live near the cities where the movie is being launched. More cities are being added, so just email and we will put you on a list when the movie comes your way....
VIRTUAL AMBASSADORS- people who can help with social media and making phone calls. You don’t have to LIVE in a city to RECRUIT for that city!
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
EMAIL teamsarahhq@gmail.com and we will send you our own information pack!
Thanks to all who are helping now!
The Tiny Team Behind The Team
Visit Team Sarah at: http://teamsarah.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
Wow! I mean, wow! That was just, wow!
Well thank God they are not panicking anything, right?Just imagine how much worse it would be if they lost faith in their idol's ability to draw a crowd on her own and they felt they had to FORCE PEOPLE TO GO TO HER MOVIE!
I mean seriously? Who tells their friends and loved ones that they either go see this movie or else?
You know I was worried before, but now I think we are actually seeing the mental breakdown of the Palin-bots playing out in real time.
When she breaks the bad news about not running for President to them, they are going to lose their shit!
A little (very well connected) bird told me that Bristol is currently filming some sort of reality show around Wasilla, as well as in Anchorage and up toward Denali, from July 26th to August 3rd.
Apparently she also purchased a home on Lake Lucille (Doesn't she already have a place to stay on Lake Lucille?), to use for the show.
The film company involved is called Helping Hand Productions, and I am told they are from Los Angeles.
Currently that is all that I know. I will keep you posted if I learn anything new, including whether or not this is connected to her reality show in LA with the Massey brothers. Or if this is INSTEAD of her reality show with the Massey brothers.
It kind of seems odd that she would buy a house on the same lake as her mother, if she was going to be living in LA in the near future don't you think?
Update: My source contacted me again and confirmed that Helping Hands is definitely working with Associated Television International, the same company producing the reality show with the Massey brothers.So that clears up that mystery.
Despite SarahPAC’s reputation for secrecy and discretion, ABC News has learned that two Sarah Palin staffers have signed on with a speaking agency. At this point, it’s unclear whether the aides have signed on to dish about their boss, who’ve they’ve had an on again/off again relationship with or if Palin even knows about their foray into the world of paid speeches.
Palin staffers Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin have signed on with the speaking agency, The American Program Bureau. According to the agency's website, they are available to be paid to speak on topics that include “From 9/11 to Katrina: Lessons for Leaders in the Face of Crisis” and “Designer Politics: A New Age of Political Power.”
Recher was one of Palin’s longest serving and trusted aides; he initially met her on the vice-presidential campaign in 2008 and became one of SarahPAC’s first staffers. He also worked on her “Going Rogue” book tour and a number of political and speaking events before parting ways around the midterm elections last year.
After the campaign, Recher and McMarlin founded NorthStar Strategies, which ran SarahPAC’s logistical operations as well as assisting with strategy and some limited press communications. Although Recher did do some political advising for her during the 2008 campaign and was her closest advisor when SarahPAC launched, by the time they left the organization both McMarlin and Recher’s roles had shifted and they were both relegated to strictly doing advance work.
Recher and McMarlin did re-join the SarahPAC organization when Palin launched her bus tour last May, but it’s not clear if the two were on board for only that one trip or if they will advance other legs of the tour if she does re-launch it. NorthStar Strategies was listed on Palin’s last FEC report released earlier this month, showing payments for logistical consulting in January and February and logistical trip consulting in May as well as reimbursements.
You know the return of Recher and McMartin to SarahPAC was cited as proof that Palin was serious about running, because, it was argued, why else would she need political staffers?
I assume the same logic could now be used to address this new turn of events. If Palin were indeed about to launch a national campaign for President, how in the world would these two possibly have time to give speeches?
By the way I cannot imagine now many people would be interested in paying Jason Recher to speak about "Designer Politics" after the Sarah Palin bus tour fiasco. I would think he would expunge that from his resume just as fast as humanly possible.
Now if he is willing to dish on what was happening behind the scenes at SarahPAC, and with Palin and her Wasilla-billy family, THAT might be worth paying to hear!
Months ago, Wu sent the lead image above of himself in a tiger suit to a female staffer in his campaign using his congressional Blackberry. The message contained no text, just the photo of Wu dressed like a tiger.
Rep. David Wu (D) of Oregon announced Tuesday that he will resign his seat, after allegations of an unwanted sexual encounter with a young woman.
“The well-being of my children must come before anything else,” said Representative Wu in a statement.
“With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis," said Wu, who was elected to Congress in 1998 as the first Chinese-American in the House.
On Friday, Wu's hometown newspaper, The Oregonian, broke the story about his alleged encounter with an 18-year-old over Thanksgiving weekend last year. Wu told his senior aides that the encounter was consensual, the story reports.
This is what the Oregonian reported over the weekend:
A distraught young woman called U.S. Rep. David Wu's Portland office this spring, accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter, according to multiple sources.
When confronted, the Oregon Democrat acknowledged a sexual encounter to his senior aides but insisted it was consensual, the sources said.
The woman is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. She apparently did not contact police at the time.
One person who heard the voice mail described the woman as upset, breathing heavily and "distraught."
In the voice mail, the young woman accused Wu of aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior, according to sources with direct knowledge of the message and its contents.
Reporters could not verify the young woman's age. Notes on Facebook over the past 18 months indicate she graduated from high school in 2010. California records show she registered to vote in August. I got a lot of flack back when I was saying that Anthony Weiner needed to resign, because people were arguing that what he did was consensual and not even really sex. I imagine this time everybody will agree that Rep. Wu simply needs to leave office as soon as possible.
Personally I do not think he will be of much use in getting past this debt ceiling crisis, but he is definitely giving his party a black eye as long as he stays around in his role as a Democratic Congressman.
I do not know the full story here, and of course everybody is innocent until proven guilty, but my instincts tell me that this girl is the more believable party. Which means to me that Wu is potentially a VERY bad guy, and he needs to not only leave politics but to face charges of rape or sexual assault.
When it comes to hurting young women, ideology does not even enter the equation. I don't care if you are a Democrat or a Republican, if you are a predator you need to pay for your crimes.
