With The Blessings Of Roger Waters

Via The Other McCain and Blackfive.

At last, a protest song against a truly oppressive regime. Iran.



Hopefully this will make up for missing it yesterday.

Foreclosures Hit Close To Home

Via The Other McCain.

Stogie at Saberpoint is going through a tough patch.

Our savings kept us afloat for a year. When it was gone, I borrowed the equity out of my life insurance. That's gone too. We were hoping to ride out this recession, to survive until it was over. However, it is the longest lasting and deepest recession I have ever seen. And I remember when Eisenhower was president, to give you some perspective. (Okay, okay, I actually remember when Truman was president, but I was VERY young. Practically a fetus, mind you.)

It's just a matter of weeks before I lose my home. I never, ever thought I'd be in such a predicament. This happened to other people, sure, but not to me. I am a college graduate and a CPA. Accountants were supposed to be immune from unemployment. Not any more. The fact that I am well past 50 doesn't help. Seniors and new grads are the hardest hit.

Be sure to read the entire thing.

Yeah, This Movie Might Be A Little Controversial

Equating modern day welfare to slavery? You betcha. It rewards welfare recipients who stay in the system in exchange for votes. It's a form of willful slavery. Voluntary servitude, if you will.

It's needing to be said.

Go to Runaway Slave for more.



Thanks to Mickey.

A Couple Of Notes About The Journolist

Of the known Journolist members, it's a pretty pasty white crowd. I would have to go to a tea party to see a greater percentage of ethnic diversity than the first 100 members of the Journolist.

Also, it's members have more interrelations between political and advocacy groups than the cast of characters in your average daytime soap opera. It's downright incestuous.

So for an exit question, besides being like minded thinkers-- for lack of a better term-- and pretty much all if not most of them knew most of the Journolist inner circle-- at the very least, had access to it-- what was the real reason behind the Journolist if it wasn't for message coordination?

Besides the need to congratulate themselves while sipping on a juicebox?

When Jane Austin Met Chuck Palahniuk

I would watch this movie.

Talk About Setting The Bar Low

They weren't so much as heroes as it was their job to do in the first place.

In that case, I'm Spartacus a Hero.

Why No One Should Be Reelected

At least in Massachusetts.

1. John Kerry is a cheap bastard, trying to skirt his own state's laws.

2. I think Barney Frank can afford to pay the extra dollar.

If This Is What Oliver Stone Says While Sober. . .

. . . Imagine the rant if he was drunk.

More:

What Oliver Stone did at the link is, in many ways, worse that what Mel Gibson ever said. Gibson laid out the Granddaddy of all 'Drunken Dials'. I'm not excusing what he did but trying to place it in it's proper context.

Oliver was, in theory*, sober. He wrote, planned out, sought financing, filmed and edited his 'Documentary' to put Hitler in the proper context.

It's not a drunken outburst.

*Oliver has been Stoned** for sometime now.

**Yeah, the 'Stoned' gag was cheap, easy and fast. But enough about Jane Hamsher.

Now It's Official. The New Definition Of Racism.

Just in case the word wasn't politicized enough.

This Is The Background Music To Every Independent Movie Trailer This Year

Well, maybe not every indy film but at least this one.

It's a good song, too bad that the guy singing it is a dirty, smelly hippie.



Related if only because they use the above song:  This isn't a real movie but it is pretty funny. What if a big budget video game became a low budget independent film?



I'm wagering a guess it would have been better than the remake of Clash of the Titans.

Thanks to Ace for the second video.

It's Friday And The Alexander Hamilton Signal Has Gone Off

You know what that means. Ten Buck Friday.

For the price difference for dinner for two between Outback Steakhouse and Applebee's, you can help support a worthwhile conservative candidate for Congress. A candidate who doesn't have the benefit of George Sorro's puppet 527 groups to laundry campaign funds to them.

Maggie's Notebook has more about Ten Buck Fridays.

The winner of this week's poll is:

Chip Cravaack, running for the U.S. House seat for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, receives Ten Buck Friday donations with 31% of the vote for Week 5. District 8 is in the northeastern part of the state, and includes Brainerd, Duluth, and Grand Rapids, and International Falls.

Thanks to the always reliable Bob Belvedere for reminding me this moring.

Who Knew That Spencer Ackerman Could Of Had A Career As A Beatnik Poet?

Via Dan Riehl.

If you haven't heard of the JournoList, then this might sound like the ramblings of a crazed psychotic.

And you would be right.



It's a sad fact that this is one of the internet's biggest in-joke, in a manner of speaking. If we had true, interested forth estate, this would have been one of the largest scandals in recent history. As it stands now, it's an indictment against the forth estate.  Something that only a handful of Cassandra's are trying to talk about to an apathetic and uninformed public.  

But the Gatekeepers of information and the self described 'Deciders' will barely mention it. Because most of them are complacent, at best, with the media bias. At worst, well, everone who is interested is seeing the worst right now as more of the emails from the J-List are being made public.

Related: Glenn Beck on the JournoList. It's long but worth the listen.

Quote Of The Week

I can only surmise. I think most people on the left live in a world where merit is irrelevant. Theirs is a world in which connections, networking, kissing ass and obedient sameness are rewarded. I am the antithesis of all that. I am a legitimate, achieved and accomplished Number One and I’ve made it on my own and without them and without having followed their proscriptions. I think they are also jealous that I just sold my NY condo for a 125 percent profit while their homes are worthlessly underwater.

Funny thing….a number of my friends sent me the Daily Caller piece and the most shocking thing to them in the story was the advocacy of having government shut down Fox News. That the left wants me dead was not a big deal to them because it was nothing new to them. I think that’s hilarious. And about that: how about the LAW professor who thinks the FCC can pull Fox’s license? Fox does not have a license. The FCC does not grant Fox its right to exist. And this guy teaches law.

The Biggest Story You Will Never Hear Of

Unless, of course, you follow the alternative media to get your news.

Don't count on the MFM following this unless they absolutly have to. Which means it will be reduced to a blurb at the end of a nightly newscast or something. Or if it's played on Fox News, it will be reduced to, "Oh, it's on 'Faux News'". And Eric Boehlert will go about smelling his own farts again.

Update: After a more in depth read of it, It's safe to say Spencer Ackerman is a douche bag.

I do not endorse a Popular Front, nor do I think you need to. It’s not necessary to jump to Wright-qua-Wright’s defense. What is necessary is to raise the cost on the right of going after the left. In other words, find a rightwinger’s [sic] and smash it through a plate-glass window. Take a snapshot of the bleeding mess and send it out in a Christmas card to let the right know that it needs to live in a state of constant fear. Obviously I mean this rhetorically.

I Think Scott Brown Missed This Memo

The definition of Bipartisanship.

Pronunciation: \(ˌ)bī-ˈpär-tə-zən, -sən, -ˌzan, chiefly British ˌbī-ˌpär-tə-ˈzan\

Function: adjective.

:A Republican voting whichever way the Democrats vote.

These Were Innovative When They Were Winnebagos

Who says free enterprise is dead? All you need to do is build a glorified travel trailer and call it a "Sustained Living Tiny Home".

He shows off his house travel trailer in greater detail here.



Luckily, there is a shower after all. Right above the toilet so it's like a walk in bidet.

And at roughly $40,000, it's hardly a bargain compared to these other, larger houses travel trailers.

Obviously, he needs someplace with water hookup. A series of friend's homes where he can use their garden hose while he is parking his house travel trailer in their driveway. Until they get tired of him and he has to move.

I don't want to know what he does for sewage.

He said it himself that many people are buying them as play and guest houses in their backyard. People who can afford to spend that much on a 'toy' aren't worried about downsizing anytime soon.

It's fine and dandy for him. He's choosing to live there. Many people can't.

People in occupations such as mechanics, carpenters and other tradesmen can have up to several thousand dollars worth of tools. A 6' x 20' house travel trailer won't secure their tools. Unless that's all there is inside of the trailer. Then it's a storage trailer.

The house travel trailer obviously doesn't lend itself to families either. Some of his larger houses travel trailers may. I've looked but couldn't see the plans on any of them other than the one house travel trailer shown.

He can call it a tiny house all he wants but be real. It is a glorified travel trailer. If that's his version of sustainable living then my in-laws practice sustainable living every winter by traveling down to Texas. Entire communities in Arizona thrive on sustainable living throughout the winter.

An old concept repackaged with a new name and labeled 'green' doesn't make living in a trailer any more appealing. Regardless of the cost.

P.S. Just realized I made it all the way through this without a single tornado in a trailer park joke.

So Now It's A Tax

So much for that 'Not Raising Taxes' pledge.

When Congress required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, Democrats denied that they were creating a new tax. But in court, the Obama administration and its allies now defend the requirement as an exercise of the government’s “power to lay and collect taxes.”

And that power, they say, is even more sweeping than the federal power to regulate interstate commerce.

Administration officials say the tax argument is a linchpin of their legal case in defense of the health care overhaul and its individual mandate, now being challenged in court by more than 20 states and several private organizations.

Unless the plan is to push the 95% onto the public plan, letting the highest 5% pay for everyone else. Because that will work.

Ten Buck Friday Poll Is Up

Over at Right Klik.

Marco Rubio is always a safe vote* but the others are good too.

*I am biased when it comes to Rubio, however.

The Huffington Post: The Place For News About Demi Moore's Colon Cleanse

No, seriously.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are currently existing on a mix of lemon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, according to Demi's tweeting.

On Sunday she tweeted that she and her husband were doing the master cleanse and, rather than weight loss or appearance, 'this is about health!!!' Triple exclamation points hers.

Earlier in the day she had tweeted, '2nd day of master cleanse and off to hike with hubby and the dogs. 2nd day better than the 1st!' and she added that she and her husband were doing it together.

Ashton Kutcher has yet to tweet the details about his espresso enema.

Christina Hendricks In A Music Video?

When I first saw this, I thought it was Saffron from Firefly. But then the video goes a bit beyond what was shown in that universe.

The Coolest Music Video I Have Ever Seen

Apparently it's old but it is new to me.



There is more here on how they built and timed the machine.

Janeane Garofalo Splitting Atoms. . . With Her Mind

To her credit, she is calling out an entire news network full of older, white men on their 'racist' comments.



So in this respect, she's doing the public a service.

Speaking of which, see what happened to Keith Olbermann's site?

Ten Buck Friday

Missed this last weekend but today is Ten Buck Friday.

At the end of every week, take ten bucks and put it towards a solid, conservative candidate of your choice (or one of the winners in the Ten Buck Friday poll) for a week ending mini-money bomb.

This week's winner is Van Irion (more about Van at the link).

Quarterly Campaign Report Is In For Marco Rubio

In the year ending 2009 quarterly report, Rubio raised $1.75 million.

The first quarter of this year, Rubio was up to $3.6 million.

This last quarter alone, Rubio has raised $4.5 million. Even former Crist donor, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, has chipped into Rubio's campaign chest.

Crist, on the other hand, has gone from $2 million to $1.1 million to not disclosing what he's brought in so far.

They Told Me That If I Voted For John McCain, Journalists Would Be Dragged Off The Streets And Detained. . .

. . . And they were right.

Happy Bastille Day

Not sure what is other than Wiki's entry about it. French independence or something like that. I missed that day in Western Civilization.

But it does give me an excuse to play this by Rush.

What Liberals Really Think Of Conservatives. . .

. . . And Tea Partiers and pretty much anyone else who disagrees with their progressive viewpoint.

Congratulations Goes Out To. . .

. . . Robert Stacy McCain, AKA The BlogFather, and his family. His oldest daughter was married yesterday.

Remember, he's not losing a daughter as much as he is gaining another mouth to feed during holidays, birthday parties, three day weekends, and most days ending in 'Y'.

If you aren't reading his blog, you should. One of the hardest working writers in the conservative blogosphere today. Also, one of the most generous bloggers too regarding links and advice. Starting out blogging and even to this day, if there was a blogging question about credit and acceptable use on items, he was there to lend advice to this newbie. Even in the rare case of "Don't touch this with a ten foot poll. And if you do, don't even think of linking it to me." Ample evidence of this exists from his Saturday and Sunday featured postings from his 5 Rules of Blogging.

This is a man who spend some time in the trenches of politics. It's worth the investment to hit his tip jar from time to time. Besides, weddings aren't cheap.

Friday Night, Part Deux

I just found out that Sarah McLachlan canceled the Lilith Fair concert in Arizona as a protest over SB1070. Of course it's a protest and not the shoddy ticket sales that's going on elsewhere, forcing her to move to smaller venues.

The Lilith Fair is best remembered from being mentioned in the above paragraph.

Friday Night Cracker Music

This is going out to one King Samir Shabazz. Although, I think extending an olive branch this way will be a waste of time.

One Way Or Another. . .

. . . I vow to get to the bottom of this story.

In March, when The Daily Caller reported that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had spent $1,946 at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub, RNC spokesman Doug Heye vowed on national television that the RNC would get its money back.

“The RNC has not only requested that that money that was sent out as a reimbursement be repaid by the member, but we’ve got the commitment that will be done,” Heye said on Fox News.

But, months later, there’s no evidence in Federal Election Commission filings that that has happened.

I'll need a ticket to L.A., a place to stay and lots of disposable income to see how deep this scandal goes.

Blogging Will Be Light

Posting will be a bit light this summer. Time commitments to my family are going to place over blogging for a couple of months. Then it will be back to normal mindless drivel and incoherent thoughts that normally plague this part of the internet. There will be ocasional postings and the obligatory Rule 5 video or two. But on a smaller scale.

Quote Of The Week: Thinking Outside Of The Box Edition

It is clear, too, in the course of the two hours I spend with Greene that he has some pretty wacky ideas that, were he to win in November, would put him among the more unpredictable members of the senate. At one point, he lurches off on his big idea for how to create jobs in South Carolina.

"Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays. Little dolls. Me. Like maybe little action dolls. Me in an army uniform, air force uniform, and me in my suit. They can make toys of me and my vehicle, especially for the holidays and Christmas for the kids. That's something that would create jobs. So you see I think out of the box like that. It's not something a typical person would bring up. That's something that could happen, that makes sense. It's not a joke."

Well, This Was Money Well Spent

Via Jim Treacher.

If the Republicans manage to take over Congress this fall, it will be because the Democrats lost. Not because the Republicans were able to win with a coherent message on fiscal responsibility.



It comes close but doesn't top Hank Johnson's campaign song, however. Which since has been scrubbed off of the intertubes but a sampling of the lyrics can be found here.

And There Are 19 Others Like This

Over at Doug Ross's place. Twenty of the most shocking photos from the Gulf Oil Spill.

Renovations Are In Effect

Working with a new look for this blog.

Things will be getting back to normal soon enough. As soon as I can figure out what normal is.*

*Douglas Adams receives the credit for that line. Out of his book, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Conan The Barbarian: The Musical

With this being a slow holiday weekend, thought it would be time to post this video.

Via Ace who had it in his sidebar a couple of days ago.



Also: Why does Bruce Campbell have it? Because he did this.

Happy Independence Day

Image credit to Little Miss Attila.

Just Another Day In My Life

Save for the part where he is crying at the Disney movie. That would never happen to me. It is allergies that makes my eyes water when watching them.

They Told Me That If I Voted For John McCain, We Would See Journalists Arrested In The Streets For Reporting. . .

. . . And they were right.

Via Smitty at The Other McCain who has more.

A Special Request Going Out To Bob Belvedere

The Camp Of The Saints had this earlier, which prompted me to break out The Grateful Dead tonight.

Ten Buck Friday

Bob Belvedere tipped me off to this.

Ten Buck Fridays. Set aside ten bucks at the end of the week for the conservative candidate you have eye on.

Chances are the Democrat in the race will have a nice campaign chest backed by union dues and special interests. And I doubt the GOP will get their act together anytime soon in order to be effective. So it will fall to the conservative grassroots to make the difference and pick up the slack.

It's about the same as a six pack of beer. Or a twelve pack if you like the cheap stuff. An army of Davids can make a difference.

Update: To help make my point, The Daily Caller has a follow up piece about Renee Ellmers and her opponent, Bob Etheridge and his attempt to manhandle a couple of college students who asked him a question on the street:

Etheridge has so far held an enormous money advantage. Etheridge showed $1.1 million in his war chest in the last report to the Federal Elections Commission, while Ellmers had only $5,462 in cash on hand.

Ellmers said she has received a “big boost” since the Etheridge video first hit the Internet but also said she is still “far behind Congressman Etheridge.” She would not disclose how much money she has raised since the video surfaced

“I certainly have no name recognition. That’s a battle,” Ellmers admitted. But, she said, “it doesn’t matter what party, people are tired of what’s happening in Washington and they’re very upset with congressman Etheridge for his vote on health care in particular.”

Isn't it time to send Bob home? It's for the safety of random strangers who happen to walk by him.

VOTE RENEE!

Radical Right Wing Religious Group Threatened Talented Actress For Appearing In Movies About Witches And Wizards

No, not Christian groups. Or even Right Wing. Afshan Azad's own father and brother. According to the article, for no reason whatsoever.

Afshan Azad, 22, has appeared in four of the movies as Padma Patil, a classmate of the young wizard.

She was allegedly attacked at her home in Longsight, Manchester, on May 21 this year. Now her father Abdul Azad, 54, and brother Ashraf Azad, 28, both of Beresford Road, Longsight, have appeared in court.

Abdul is accused of threatening to kill his daughter and Ashraf of threatening to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his sister. Both men appeared at Manchester magistrates' court and the case was adjourned until later this month for committal proceedings to crown court.

The Telegraph doesn't really going the reason why her family threatened her. It only how she won her role in the Harry Potter franchise.

After a some looking, it turns out she was beaten because she didn't want to break up with her boyfriend.

Her dad and brother allegedly began arguing with the star over her boyfriend and demanded that she end the relationship. When Afshan refused she was allegedly attacked and left "badly bruised", reports Britain's Daily Express. Abdul Azad, 54, and his son Ashraf, 28, appeared at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, June 29, accused of threatening to kill Afshan. Her brother was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The case was adjourned and both Abdul and Ashraf have been released on bail until July 12. As part of the bail conditions the two men must not contact the actress at her new London address, where she is thought to be staying with friends.
[. . .]
Speaking outside of the family home on Thursday, July 1, accused brother Ashraf Azad said, "I don't want to comment on anything. My dad is at the solicitors at the moment. We are going to get trouble from the community now. I am not happy at all. I could lose my job over this because the people at work will see this."[Emphasis Mine]

His job. At least you know where his priorities are.

Yes, Alan Grayson Is A Jerk

Quite frankly, Alan Grayson, Democrat out of Florida is an a--hole of epic proportions.

Pamela Gorman Brings The Big Guns To Arizona

Via Ace, who has more there.

It's a crowded primary with seven people having their hat in the ring, including Ben Quayle (son of former VP, Dan Quayle) and Vernon Parker.

After seeing an interview with Ben Quayle, let's just say that if there is someone for everyone then Ben's ideal someone would be Meghan McCain.



I was able to contacted her about the issues that mattered. What were the guns she used.

The footage that was in the video was of four firearms that belong to a friend who is nice enough to take folks out shooting now and then. All very cool and none belong to me. Here's the rundown on what we shot that you saw.

1928 A1 Thompson sub-machine gun
(Military version used by Navy and Marines in 1928 and used extensively in WWII by allied forces). It is not the 1921 earlier model made famous by mobsters. (shoots .45 ACP)

1911 .45 ACP (All Colt Products)
First used in WWI, still used by military today.

Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum model 29 (Dirty Harry made this one famous).
[I had asked if it was a Colt Python. It looked similar at a distance]

AR 15 Carbine. Shorter lighter weight version of the AR 15, semi-automatic only. It shoots 223 Remington

You can follow her here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

A Who's Who On The JournoList. . .

. . . So far (Via Dan Riehl).

One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money ready for the taking by one of 400 members of the JournoList. I have no clue if anyone will sell out or contact some of the others on the list and hold the the contents over them for a job. There does seem to be a bit of nervous laughter and sweaty brows coming from some of those who were on that list.

The devils we do know:

Spencer Ackerman, Wired and his own blog.
Mike Allen, Politico.
Eric Alterman, The Nation.
Jonathan Chait.
Isaac Chotiner.
Michael Cohen.
Brad DeLong.
Kevin Drum, not yet confirmed but all signs point to yes.
Matt Duss.
Eve Fairbanks, New Republic associate editor.
Christopher Hayes, The Nation.
John Judis, a senior editor at The New Republic.
Ed Kilgore, The Democratic Strategist.
Ezra Klien, the self-proclaimed founder of the list.
Joe Klein, Time magazine.
Paul Krugman, Death Panel advocate.
Lisa Lerer, Politico.
Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo.
Rick Perlstein.
Katha Pollitt.
Alyssa Rosenberg.
Alex Rossmiller.
Noam Scheiber.
Jesse Singal.
Ben Smith, of the Politico. Made a counter offer to Andrew Breitbart.
Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker.
David Weigel, his leaked emails made the rounds a few days ago.
Matthew Yglesias.

I'm going to venture out there and add one more. Andrew Sullivan, resident OBGYN of The Atlantic. I think he's protesting too much here (safe link to Big Journalism). Or he has finally gone over the edge in his crazy train.

I haven't seen all of the names in one place yet, only here or there on this blog or that report. Credit for all the names go to Mickey Kaus, Tom Magire and Michael Calderone. Not to mention Iowahawk. Who is looking to snag that reward.