Hero

Thank God people are taking a stand on this. Not since I publicly opposed kidnapping have I seen such bravery.

*

So as Bonds got closer to his Presidential Medal of Freedom, my employers had a fairly rough day. What are the odds?

Well, Here's More Evidence!!!

As if I needed any...

The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.

The new findings "were against our expectations," said Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.

"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect."

Federal health and drug enforcement officials have widely used Tashkin's previous work on marijuana to make the case that the drug is dangerous. Tashkin said that while he still believes marijuana is potentially harmful, its cancer-causing effects appear to be of less concern than previously thought.

Earlier work established that marijuana does contain cancer-causing chemicals as potentially harmful as those in tobacco, he said. However, marijuana also contains the chemical THC, which he said may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous.

(more here)

Guilty

From Michael Moore. Here's more on Bush-bff and now criminal, Kenny-Boy Lay. Anyway, if you're under a rock, Skilling and Lay were found guilty. Ahhh... So many Bush friends, so many criminals. Anyone wanna place bets on Rove and possibly Novak?

Review

More of this please.

It's the same thing the cigarette companies used to do...

Gore on today show... and this is hilarious.

Who feels safer?

I do! I do! I do!

And so does the "Voice of America." (via Huffpo)

Faux Fucking News

It never ends. No seriously, never.

What a little bitch

Look at this kid's smirk... Seriously, I am happy for the kid's father, but there is just something creepy about him, and the fact that he has a lifetime of training to catch balls. Way to aim high.

A National Crisis

I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, the biggest crisis facing our nation today is 70-year-old women killing homeless men for insurance checks.

No, really.

More "Science"

Who else, but Faux News?

Ha Ha Funny

Will the Pro-CO2 lobby ever stop!!!

And if you missed The Daily Show, you missed something special.

Intercept THESE!!!

I think it would be funny, as well as helpful for our national security, if we tapped W's direct line to God. Think of all the preemptive wars we'd find out about that God tells him to start... in fact, lets go ahead and monitor ALL of God's communications with the right wing lunatics. (via Americablog)

Speaking of the moral majority, does God consider it a sin when you're prison raped?

"Science"

Hmmm, I wonder if big media will let these guys get their ads on the air.

Why domestic spying matters.

I don't know how many times this needs to be said, but these abuses truly are worse than watergate. I am too busy at work, but please read this. More here.

Algore

I taped SNL Saturday for the first time in years and it was actually really good. It opened with a message from a surprise guest, President Al Gore.

Sigh.

Oh Sweet, It's Not Over

NSA whistleblower Russell Tice: "I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It’s pretty hard to believe ... It’s an angle that you haven’t heard about yet."

I can't even imagine.


And why did Quest not hand over the phone records for their customers?
Well, because after asking if a warrant had been sought, Quest lawyers realized there was a "disinclination on the part of the authorities to use any legal process" and "the requests violated the privacy requirements of the Telecommunications Act."

Hmmmmm.... laws actually being followed. That's weird. I love how this only appeared to be an issue for the lawyers at Quest and not AT&T and the other telcoms.

Freedom Is On the March (but they're tracking your footsteps)

More complete destruction of the Constitution:

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

For the customers of these companies, it means that the government has detailed records of calls they made — across town or across the country — to family members, co-workers, business contacts and others.

What does Dubya have to say?

"First, our intelligence activities strictly target Al Qaeda and their known affiliates. Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans."

Senator Leahy is right when he asks the obvious question - Are there tens of millions of Al Queda in this country? I don''t think so. So, how does this add up? It doesn't. And it certainly doesn't add up with regards to our Constitutional rights.

We no longer live in a democracy. We live in a fascist dictatorship where the president chooses what laws he will obey and lies and fearmongers his way out of accountability.

His response to 750 different laws: FUCK YOU.

His response to the judicial order to release records: FUCK YOU. (via Randi Rhodes)

His response to the next three generations (excluding the Hiltons, and other billionaires): FUCK YOU.

There is now no question in my mind that this man is nopt only the worst preesident of all time, but absolutly the most dangerous. His lapdogs in press have let him get away with destroying this country, the middle class, and our security for the last five years and his rubber stamp GOP Congress have never held him accountable for anything.

Had enough?

Stupid Headline, Meet Nightmare Scenario

First 2 All For it.

Golly that's good reporting. Next thing you'll be telling me the Bill Clinton supports Hillary's presidential ambitions. Ahhh, media.

Reason Number 500,001 That I Want Gore to Run

Stop this madness.

Who are these people?

31%. Still waaaaaay too high as far as I am concerned. Even more shocking, the article says that 7% of liberals approve of him. To that 7% I say, you are not a liberal, but you are insane.

Back On Track

I met Congressman Kennedy years ago and was never really impressed with him. I am not trying to pour salt on a wound here, but I just never really liked him. I am glad he didn't kill anyone, and yeah rehab is in order, but I also think resignation is as well. I know that may not win any liberal accolades, but Jesus, this is just not what people need in their congressmen, even if all he is representing is lil' Rhody. ; ) No but seriously, he could have killed someone, and his mind is clearly not right, so for the benefit of the people he represents and for his own recovery I think he should resign. Anyone that says in one breath "I need to stay in the fight" and in the next "I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police or being cited for three driving infractions" is clearly not in the right state to hold office. (obviously my bold) However, this is a place where Buddy Cianci was succcessful and I hear Marion Barry is considering running for governor, so who knows. Also, from a purely comical standpoint, how hilarious is it that not only is this a Kennedy/car accident thing, but his father Teddy just wrote a book called "America Back On Track."

"And remember, don't drive on the railroad tracks."


Anywho, also in resignation news, CIA Director Porter Goss resigned possibly because he's up to his wrist in hookers.

Also, I am only really talking about Patrick Kennedy because he was once my Congressman and because it is funny. However, the media is largely ignoring the Hookergate thing. In the coming days, let's see which story gets more coverage: Hookergate, or the Kennedy driving scandal. My hope is hookergate, but I am willing to bet it is Paddy boy.

Do What You Can

Not On My Watch.

also, call your member of congress and tell them to get on this issue:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

More Myths

Some scientists say.....

I never said that.

And I hope the myth that you don't second life in American politics anymore is not true. Here's my reason.

"Balls-olicious."

-Jon Stewart on Colbert's 20 minute middle finger to the president and his lapdogs in the press.
"... he was under the impression they had hired him to do the thing he does on TV every night."

I cannot praise Colbert's skewering routine enough. If you haven't watched it, do yourself a favor and take 20 minutes to see what the press refuses to show you. The routine was funny to any fan of the truth, which is why I believe most Republicans hated it. (1, 2, 3) It was also delivered, mind you, to a room of people that nearly choked in laughter when the president jokingly referred to not finding WMD's under his desk a few years ago.

So, the press lets the president lead us to war, repeating his claims and allowing very little if any opposition commentary affect their (and the White House's) drumbeat to war. The President lies, tortures, and abuses his office, the press falls in line and repeats the talking points, and when someone calls him and them on it, they are over the line.

Eat it, stupid.

Sanity never came my way...

I lost my mind just a couple of times...

More Colbert

60 Minutes Covered Colbert on Sunday.

Also, Colbert hosted the White House Correspondents dinner (video here) and absolutely destroyed the Prez and the press. So, in typical fashion, the media is choosing to ignore him.

Chris Durang:

Stephen Colbert was the star attraction at the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night, and his performance was thrilling or insulting or uncomfortable, depending on your point of view. Apparently, according to Editor and Publisher.com, President and Mrs. Bush looked very uncomfortable, and quickly left right afterward.

But the mainstream media is apparently ignoring this part of the evening, and instead is covering the early entertainment where Bush and a look-alike imitator do a "he says this, he's really thinking this" routine. Moderately amusing, but very mild.

This, by the way, is the same Washington event where Bush previously charmed many (and horrified others) by pretending to have trouble finding Weapons of Mass Destruction (after we'd started to realize they weren't in Iraq), and wandered the room looking under tables. Really cute, huh? They should send videos of that to the families of soldiers killed.

The media's ignoring Colbert's effect at the White House Correspondents Dinner is a very clear example of what others have called the media's penchant for buying into the conservative/rightwing "narrative."

In this instance, the "narrative" is that President Bush, for all his missteps, has a darling sense of humor and is a real regular guy, able to poke delightful fun at himself and his penchant for mis-using and mispronouncing words.

Who cares if he lied to start a war? (Or chose to ignore all contrary opinion, which as far as war-starting goes, is pretty crummy.) Who cares if he declares he's above the law, and according to the Boston Globe yesterday there are something like 750 laws he's decided don't apply to him as "Commander-in-Chief"?

The Globe article's first sentence: "President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution."

If the President doesn't obey the law, what the heck is he? He's a dictator in a coup, I think -- but no matter, according to the media, he's A-DOR-ABLE!...
...
It's insane journalism not to write about Colbert's appearance. It's the main event. Like it or hate it, it's the thing to talk about. You have to CHOOSE to focus on the lightweight entertainment that preceded it.

The right wing blogs are saying Colbert bombed, and in some ways that's not wrong, the gathered audience wanted and expected something lighter - but that's what makes the appearance so startling. It's very witty when you read the text; but actuality as Colbert says these things to the President's face, it's very uncomfortable. Watching it, It's like Hamlet forcing King Claudius to watch the play that accuses him of murder. Or it's like a man asked to be Court Jester who shows up and tells the king exactly what's wrong with him, and gets out of the building before they can behead him. (Why do I keep having "king" examples, lol. No reason, I'm sure.)

Colbert's was a brave and shocking performance. And for the media to pretend it isn't newsworthy is a total bafflement. And a symbol of how shoddy and suspect the media is.

(And a truly interesting news question - who chose the biting Colbert to be the entertainment? And are they now in trouble?)

This morning, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer giggled and got all warm about the cutesy performance of Bush and the Twin look-alike imitator. Really funsy. Colbert was not mentioned.
...


Un-FUCKING-Real

Remember That Mission That Was Accomplished 3 Years Ago?

I do.

Think Progress has the numbers and Media Matters has the laughable response of the media to Bush's premature ejacul... I mean declaration three years ago.

As someone that not only practices stand up comedy but works in a premier comedy club, I am astounded at how funny Chris Matthews' comments are on the media matters page.

Thank Thor for this one!

Guess Who's Back...

1. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
2. Mark Loretta, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Trot Nixon, RF
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Wily Mo Pena, CF
8. Doug Mirabelli, C
9. Alex Cora, SS
P -- Tim Wakefield

Oh yeah, and Jesus will be there too.

I do hope that Damon gets some props at first and then the crowd just completely takes him out of it like they did with "Roooogggeeeeeerrrrrr, Rooooooogggggeeeeerrrr!"