Happy New Year IMers!

I have to say that I am almost surprised that we all managed to survive 2017.

With Trump in charge it felt a little touch and go at times.

However I think that 2018 is going to be an awesome year!

While I am not at all sure that Trump will actually get impeached during this year, I am brimming with confidence that the midterms are going to give the Democrats a lot more control and then shit is going to get really real.

My prediction is that in a year's time we will all meet back here and have a much better, and more hopeful story to share about 2018.

Happy New Year IMers!

Ball Drop cartoon: https://t.co/MuSiJnKkHX #NewYearsEve #Trump #world #Russia #China #nukes pic.twitter.com/EQqKh79EMZ

— Rob Rogers (@Rob_Rogers) December 31, 2016

I am not going to lie, as fucked up as 2016 was I am even MORE worried about what 2017 holds in store.

Vladimir Putin will be the new president, Donald Trump will be his first lady, and I fear that everything President Obama accomplished in these last eight years is in danger of being stripped away.

I literally almost feel going into this new year like one of those teenage girls in the slasher flick who puts her hand on the door of the abandoned cabin in the woods only to hear this sound.

Oh well at least we have each other.

Donald Trump wishes a happy new year to all of his enemies while rubbing their faces in the fact that he won. Gee, how magnanimous of him.

Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2016

Just exactly what he would expect a megalomaniac with the maturity of a twelve year old boy to tweet.

I think I have coined a new term for how Trump interacts with people, "Dickplomacy."

It is kind of like "diplomacy" except that there is none of that, and instead Trump just acts like a dick.

It's just not New Year's in Florida without the ceremonial wounding of a nine year old.

Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel:  

A nine-year-old girl was shot in the arm just after midnight, possibly the result of celebratory gunfire, Orlando police said. 

Officers responded to a church in the 800 block of South Kirkman Road after receiving reports of a shooting victim. 

The girl, who police have not identified, had just left church when she was hit in the right arm by the bullet, police said. 

Officers have no suspect information because the round "seemed to be from the voluminous amounts of gunfire" happening at the time.

So do these people simply assume that a bullet fired in celebration is harmless? 

Perhaps while the little girl was in church she should have prayed that she did not get shot by some asshole before she can make it home.

Happy New Year IMers!

So last year is gone, and it was fun, but now we are off to see what 2016 has in store for us.

One thing I know for sure is that there will be some big surprises coming from IM this year, and I think a number of you will be pleasantly surprised with my ability to keep a secret.

And I also know that some trolls are going to be gnashing their teeth and pulling out whole handfuls of hair once this other shoe drops.

Just giving you all a heads up. 

Sarah Palin's New Year's wishes come with proof of negligent parenting and animal abuse.

So after remaining oddly silent since Christmas Eve, Palin has finally updated her Facebook page to wish everybody a happy new year: 

Happy New Year! 

May 2015 see every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward. Trig just reminded me. He, determined to help wash dishes with an oblivious mama not acknowledging his signs for "up!", found me and a lazy dog blocking his way. He made his stepping stone. 

- Sarah Palin

So apparently Palin's advice in overcoming "stumbling blocks" is to simply step on those who you consider less significant than you and use them to get what you want. If there was ever a better analogy to describe the poor bastards who donate to SarahPAC I have not yet heard it.

You know was a parent, and animal lover, here's the thing that really bothers me about the series of photos that accompanied this post.

Why didn't she get off her lazy ass and help her child, instead of whipping out her camera phone and taking pictures while he stands on a poor defenseless animal?

There was a real teachable moment here and Palin completely fucked it up.

Happy New Year!!!

Okay well that is another year now in the rear view mirror as my own mortality looms before me on the horizon. Whee?

Okay seriously that was a pretty damn good year.

I mean sure it had its ups and downs, but it featured the Palin family brawl so fuck everything else.

I have made some New Year's resolutions and they are as follows:

I resolve to spend less time worrying about politics and more time worrying about the environment.

I resolve to exercise more and eat less.

And since I make that last one every year, I promise to really do it this time.

And since I always say that second part every year I promise to really, really do it this time.

I resolve to do more housework this next year. (Yeah I have already decided not to do this one.)

I resolve to spend less time in front of my computer and more time interacting with people face to face. (Probably on Skype.)

And I resolve to continue revealing the truth about Sarah Palin until there is nothing more than a smoldering crater where her reputation use to be.

Gonna be a good year folks, I can feel it in my bones. My rapidly aging and increasingly brittle bones.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Patrick Stewart. Loving life.

Well IMers we made it through another one.

Here's hoping that this next year is full of progress for our country, hope for our children, and no more damn books from Sarah Palin.

As always I have some things up my sleeve that I think all of you will enjoy.

There are upcoming books, new interviews, and hopefully a couple of long percolating secrets finally ready to be revealed.

We also have a big election coming our way and a GOP that is going to be a veritable bloodbath due to infighting.

All in all I think that 2014 is going to blow the doors off of 2013.

Let's all enjoy that together shall we?

A Republican Fiscal Cliff New Year's Message

(A very grateful hat tip to Lipstick Liberal.)

During Cee Lo Green's appearance on "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" last night he spit on the memory of John Lennon.

Last night Cee Lo Green took it upon himself to change the lyrics of John Lennon's most famous song, from:

Imagine there’s no countries 
It isn’t hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no religion too 

To:

Imagine there’s no countries 
It isn’t hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And all religion’s true 

(You can hear the change for yourself by forwarding to the 5:01 mark of this video. By the way, not only did he butcher the song, but he sounded terrible doing it.)

Now I don't care where you are concerning your opinion about religion, but I think most of us can agree that changing this iconic song in this manner is an insult to the memory of a great songwriter, and tireless advocate for peace in the world.

Not to mention that it renders the song virtually nonsensical.

How in the hell can ALL religions be true?

This has really fired up a number of people, and Cee Lo has already had to start a little damage control.

Not even close to being an adequate apology in my opinion.

I am NOT a huge fan of Cee Lo by any means, but John Lennon was considered a god during my youth, and NOBODY has the right to take one of his songs, especially THIS one, and change the lyrics to suit their own personal beliefs.  If you don't like the song, then DON'T SING IT!

John Lennon had a very passionate desire to see peace flourish all over the world, and he rightly recognized that much of the violence and hatred stemmed from mankind's insistence that their God was the only true God. He wrote and sang this song in an attempt to plead with people to see the world differently, and to hopefully find a common ground to love one another, and to stop the senseless killing of our brothers and sisters around the world.

I really do believe that, in some small way, his song has had that affect. And that is something to be both honored and respected. And NOT something to be altered to suit your own cowardice, or religious point of view!

(It has also been pointed out that during an appearance on "American Idol" that contestant David Archuleta left out this portion of the song altogether. I don't really give him a pass either, but at least he did not CHANGE THE LYRICS!)

Anyhow my rant is over. However I was wondering if you guys think I am being too sensitive about this, if you agree with my irritation, or if you think I am not pissed off enough.

Feel free to chime in.

H/T to Friendly Atheist.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well we made it through another year.

I promised you all last year that it would possibly be the worst year of Sarah Palin's life, and I think that without equivocation we can all agree that it was indeed.

Some of it was due to the GREAT books that came out and exposed her for who she really is, but of course much of it was due to her own incredible arrogance, ignorance, and the inevitable end of her years long political prick tease.

In the end Palin was forced to slink off of the national stage in defeat, and today can only be seen in her quiet exile at Fox News, where she is sometimes known to raise her bewigged countenance and howl at the moon about President Obama's foreign policies, or politics, or that damn National Enquirer.

Certainly NOT the future that she and her Flying Monkeys had once imagined for her now is it?

And, atheists or not, let's say a silent prayer of thanks for that, shall we?

So what does 2012 hold in store for us?

Beats the hell out of me. Though I do know that I personally have some loose ends to tie up.

I also imagine that I will put a great deal of my energy into working to get President Obama that second term that he so clearly deserves, and that our country so desperately needs. (If you would like to review some of Obama's highlights from last year you can click here to do so.)

I am also hoping to explore more in the realm of religion, and philosophy, as well as science.  I do enjoy those greatly, but have often found little time to write extensively about them.  I think I might make more time this year.

Let me also add how incredibly honored I am to have attracted such a diverse, intelligent, and rowdy bunch of visitors as all of you. You guys have made this last year a hell of a lot of fun, and I hope that the fun continues on for many more years yet to come.

Anyhow why don't we treat this as an open thread, and all of you, well at least those of you who are sober, can share your favorite highlights from last year, and your hopes for the year that lies before us.

Happy New Year!!

I hope this year holds nothing but happiness and prosperity for you and yours.

I wish I could say that in 2011 we will see much less of Sarah Palin, and her hillbilly brood, but I have a feeling that she will be in the news and on this blog more this year than ever before. 

However with several unflattering books coming out this year, as well as documentaries and a possible movie, not to mention a few other surprises waiting in the wings, I have a feeling that the Palin news we get this year will be of the sort to make those of us visiting here very, very happy and a certain Grizzled Mama much less so.

If things go as planned this might be the last year that Sarah Palin is considered a newsworthy subject, and by 2012 she will be nothing more than a question on the Alaska version of "Trivial Pursuit."

Keep a happy thought.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WELCOME 2010!

Holy crap what a year that was!

We had terrorists, teabaggers, and Tiger tales, oh my!

Those of us on the left have been called fascists, socialists, and apologists by the conservative fringe, which is now much less "fringy" and a far more a mainstream part of the right. We have seen racism, once relegated to whispers behind our nation's back, brought out of the shadows and displayed, often proudly, for all of America to see.

We have seen a President who gets very little slack from his detractors nor his often just as critical supporters, but who continues to forge ahead making powerful changes as if he actually takes his job seriously.

We have seen a woman who destroyed a campaign, quit her day job, and had a ghostwriter create her book of lies, talked about in the same breath as the most powerful man in our country simply because the opposition has nobody left to lead.

2009 brought us hope, followed by stark reality, and then the reminder that salvation does not come without sacrifice.

On a personal note in 2009 I was outed, banned, loved, and elevated from pajama clad blogger to investigative journalist, news maker, and, occasionally, the "Perez Hilton of Alaska". Talk about your dubious honor.

As I look forward I see nothing but possibilities. There are truths yet to be told, and battles in search of warriors, so I guess I know in which direction my destiny lies.

I will continue to do what I think is right, and take on all comers, even if to do so I must stand alone. But as we know I am never alone. For I have you, and you my friends give me strength beyond measure.

And all of this reminds me of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, the last stanza of which I will use to close out this post.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Welcome to 2010, my friends.

Namaste