Wingnuts hypocritical? Say it ain't so!

As this article illustrates, the right-wing loonies are up in arms about the "underoos bomber" and are calling for Janet Napolitano's head on a platter. Their response is quite different than the one they gave concerning Tom Ridge and the "shoe bomber" in 2002.

UPDATE: Two al Qaeda Leaders Behind Northwest Flight 253 Terror Plot Were Released by Bush in 2007

AMERICAblog:
It seems Mr. Cheney will have some explaining to do. The Gitmo detainees were sent to Saudi Arabia, where they underwent "art therapy," and then were set free. But now the Republicans have a problem with President Obama wanting to try suspected terrorists in US courts. Maybe if we promise the maximum sentence will be "art therapy," the Republicans will come on board.

Lousy GOP hypocrite!

GOP Lawmaker Behind The Anti-‘Happy Holidays’ Resolution Sent A ‘Happy Holidays’ Greeting Last Year

Quote of the Day

"Democrats will consult some celibate old men from an ancient superstitious cult operating an international pedophile ring led by a former Nazi currently living in Rome about whether American women should have control over their own bodies or if the U.S. federal government should do it." -Unknown

Republicans are lining up to welcome Parker Griffith (R-AL), the party-switching congress critter, into the fold

And why not? Someone who engages in "shameful conduct" and "can't be trusted" seems to be right in line with Republican values. Watch this video that Griffith's new party put out against him last year.

The sentiment expressed in this letter is shared by many on the left. Me included.

Via Manhattan Butterfly

Dear President Obama,
I just got an email from you asking me to contact my Senators to vote for your piece of crap health care “reform” bill.
The link to reply was –like your administration – defective and so here I am replying through your website and putting it up on my blog for the world to read if they care to.
1) I already called Schumer and Gillibrand to let them know how outraged I am by the Senate bill you allowed Lieberman to control and shape. And that I strongly urged them to vote against any bill without real reform.
2) I am just one of a vast number of disillusioned and furious progressives you have managed to alienate in less than a year. These people like me voted for you, donated to your campaign and worked for your election because we wanted real change. You have bitterly disappointed us.
3) Glen Greenwald of salon.com got it right. This piece of garbage that you are calling “reform” is exactly what you wanted. It’s a gift to the insurance cartel and big pharma. What’s more, it’s an insult to my intelligence to think that I am fooled into thinking this is some step forward instead of what it really is: worse than what we have now.
4) You are not “mybarackobama.” That person was apparently an apparition. The reality is quite the letdown.
Russ Feingold said it: “This bill appears to be legislation that the president wanted in the first place.” With everything you’ve done, you’ve signaled that real reform was never your goal. If it had been single payer would never have been off the table. That would have been the place to start.
What’s clear is that you’re more than willing to strongarm Democrats when it comes to endless war, but not for your own populace who continue to suffer and die under this horrible system which puts profits over people.
And the proof of all this can be seen in your flipflop over Dorgan’s amendment. When you were a senator and candidate you were all for re-importation of drugs so that the American people wouldn’t be gouged by big pharma. And then as president you cut a secret deal with the gougers and suddenly you’re against the Dorgan amendment. And THAT you were able to work the Democratic caucus to vote against. But there was no similar effort on behalf of a strong public option.
You signaled from the start that you were willing to sign any pile of flaming poo that you could slap the word “reform” on so that you could pat yourself on the back and call it a success.
I am disgusted!

This is gonna be a wild ride!

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons turns 60 today!

The Dems have a 60-40 majority in the Senate. WHY CAN'T OBAMA GET ANYTHING DONE?

In contrast, the Republicans never had more than a 51-49 majority when Bush was president. How did he manage to push through all this crap?

- John Ashcroft nomination
- Iraq war resolution
- Repeated Iraq funding resolutions
- 2001 & 2003 tax cuts
- Patriot Act
- Justice Alito
- Justice Roberts
- Medicare Part D

We're doomed.

The Boston Tea Party was held on this date in 1773.

The modern-day teabaggers have bastardized that event with their hate-filled, racist escapades in 2009

“We are entitled to our own opinions; we are not entitled to our own facts." -Sen. Al Franken

My letter to the White House

Dear President Obama,
What does Joe Lieberman have over you that you would allow Rahm Emanuel to hijack the Senate and tell them to please Lieberman? I have to tell you that I find you to be increasingly disappointing. I voted for you to change things but you seem more interested in  pleasing the right than doing what is best for the American people. If you serve only one term. And I believe you will. It will be your own fault. I won't vote for you again unless you get with the program and act like candidate Obama and not like Republican-lite Obama.

UPDATE:
Here are some Twitter remarks about how the White House just screwed us:

@markos Insurance companies win. Time to kill this monstrosity coming out of the Senate.

@HunterDK: Breaking: Senate agrees to drop healthcare reform from #HCR bill. Will be replaced with picture of Calvin peeing on you.

@johngcole: But hey- they got to posture for the Stupak amendment, so it isn't a total loss. Idiots.

@pourmecoffee Final health care reform now looking like mailer with healthy recipes from FLOTUS vegetable garden.

@stephanietaylor Sherrod Brown, asked what the bill DOES do: "30 million more people will be covered now." BECAUSE U R FORCING US TO BUY SHITTY INSURANCE.

@GregMitch In Japan, Harry Reid would have to, literally, fall on his sword.

@aravosis When it still feels like Bush is in the WH and Gingrich the Congress, I don't call that 'change'

@markos Bye bye, Reid. You weren't a bad MINORITY leader.

@HunterDK: Private mandate still in. Apparently Senate only feels they can regulate individual citizens already struggling to get by.

@Atrios: 2010 gonna be grim

@HunterDKT Well, I'm out. There's more to be gained from purging corporate whores in Dem party than having 60 votes... or even 55.

@SamSeder In the words of Mr. Rotten, "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" F U Joe Lieberman and the caucus you rode in on.

@markos They're still trying to stick us with the mandate, right? Another government bailout of a broken industry.

@HunterDK Somehow I don't see "Let Them Eat Cake" being a winning campaign slogan for senate Dems in 2010, but what do I know.

@pourmecoffee Children of Aetna management not allowed to go to sleep tonight before writing thank-you note to Lieberman.

Dar Williams - The Christians and the Pagans

Dar Williams wrote this instant holiday classic for her 1996 album, "Mortal City." How can you not love the story of lesbian pagans having Christmas dinner with Christian relatives? (It's implied that Amber is estranged from her family, which is why she's visiting her uncle instead of her father.)

Dar was raised in Chappaqua, NY, and spent 10 years living in Northampton, MA, where she began to make the rounds of the coffeehouse circuit. Joan Baez was an early fan. She took Dar on tour with her and recorded several of her songs.

The plot thickens...

According to the Flight Data Recorder, the flight deck door on AA Flight 77 was never opened before it plunged into the Pentagon. Hijackers must have been hiding in the glove compartment

WTF?

From The Washington Independent:

Public Policy Polling has another mind-bending partisan number from its national survey. Right now, 20 percent of Americans "support the impeachment of President Obama for his actions so far." That number includes 35 percent of Republicans, to only 15 percent of independents and 10 percent of Democrats.

"I’m not clear exactly what ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ they are using to justify that position," said PPP’s Tom Jensen, "but there may be a certain segment of voters on both the right and the left these days that simply think the President doing things they don’t agree with is grounds for removal from office."

This means that 35 percent of Republicans, 15 percent of independents and 10 percent of Democrats need to get their heads out of their asses and read the Constitution.

The flat earthers are winning.

The percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence the earth is warming has fallen sharply over the last year. In an April 2008 survey, 71% said there was solid evidence of global warming, and almost half of Americans (47%) said it was the result of human activity. In an October survey, however, just 57% of Americans said there was solid global warming evidence, and only 36% of the public said it was the result of human activity. While the declining acceptance of global warming evidence has come from across the political spectrum -- even among Democrats the percentage seeing strong evidence of global warming has fallen from 91% in 2006 to 71% in 2009 -- the decline has been precipitous among independents in the last year. While 75% of independents said there is solid evidence the earth is warming in 2008, only a small majority (53%) continue to see such evidence now. Republicans have always been more cynical about global warming evidence but doubters have mounted quickly in recent years, after a very slight increase in support of global warming evidence in 2007. Fully 62% of Republicans said there is solid evidence the earth is warming in 2007, but currently just slightly more than a third (35%) agree.

It's not just the facts that don't matter at FOX. Math isn't that important either. 120% ?!

The plan is obvious...

The Republicans want to obstruct the health care bill to the point that it is nothing but garbage. Then they can blame the garbage bill on the Democrats because they are the ones in the majority.

Obama needs to grow a pair and help push through a meaningful bill that will benefit all Americans. Then when universal health care becomes popular the Republicans will be marginalized even further.

Quote of the day.

"Mr. President, remember 'yes we can, yes we can?' Well I wish you would."-Wanda Sykes

Al Franken double-dares Coburn on the Public option

Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla) and David Vitter (R-La) have upped the ante in the health care standoff by challenging members of Congress to sign on to the public option health care plan. They assume that socialized medicine is so horrible that none of their peers would agree to quitting their current plans and sign up for the public option. On Friday, Al Franken said he was willing to take Coburn up on his offer.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said in a speech on the Senate floor that he wants to join Coburn’s effort to force senators to join any public plan created by Congress.
"I will have no problem at all enrolling in this plan,” Franken said. He said he recently told his wife that they should enroll in a public plan if Congress creates one and that she wholeheartedly agreed.
"So, yeah, I’m perfectly serious about this,” Franken said.

I think Franken called their bluff. Now we'll see who's serious.

John McCain: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

Aetna's dirty tricks makes a strong case for the public option. Guess where Aetna is based? That's right. Connecticut. No wonder Joe Lieberman is against a public option.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"It's socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor" -Ambrose Finnegan

Ambrose Finnegan was VP Joe Biden's grandfather.

In honor of the troop escalation to Afghanistan

Marilyn Monroe getting a buzz on

Open letter to the teabaggers by Ken Kupchik

Dear Tea Baggers,
I am convinced that close to 90% of you have no clue what you're even protesting.

If it's the debt or the deficit, where were you the last eight years? You scream about ignoring the Constitution, but when pressed for specific examples you stutter on about Socialism. Most of you don't even know the definition of socialism, it's just a buzzword your rich corporate sponsors injected into the debate to further their own agenda.

You shout people down in town halls while they talk about loved ones who were denied care by health insurance company "death panels." Classy.

And stop calling it a "government take over of health care," if anything, the current bills are the opposite, driving more people into the free-market health care system and making those insurers even wealthier. Shouldn't that make you happy?

Also? Please stop bringing up the founding fathers. You did not know them. You do not have some sort of special access to their views on the current debate if they were alive today. For all you know, they would have voted for Barack Obama.

If you want to go back to the days of the founding fathers as your misspelled signs and civil war garb suggests, you will also have to give up the following:

• Cars
• Sneakers
• Fast food
• Telephones
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Fox News
• Medicare
• Rush Limbaugh
• Automatic weapons

I knew those last two would change your mind. Oh, and the founding fathers read....a lot, and not books by Glenn Beck.

Maybe you should start by reading the Constitution, I suggest Article I Section 8.

Sincerely,

 Ken Kupchik