Innocent Visit To Gossip Blog Evokes Unsettling Observation

It wasn’t until I saw the above that I realized it:     

I have seen the vagina of every person in this picture.

And if the smiles are any judge, it would appear that I find this statement more troubling than they do. 

The Petulant Child In Chief

From AMERICAblog:

“At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia’s newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn’t long before Bush found him.

“How’s your boy?” Bush asked, referring to Webb’s son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

“I’d like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,” Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

“That’s not what I asked you,” Bush said. “How’s your boy?” 

“That’s between me and my boy, Mr. President,” Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White house…” 

It’s mind-boggling to consider that this is a conversation with the Leader of the Free World.   But then, ah yes, you remember that that leader is George W. Bush and it all makes sad, sad oh-woe-is-us sense.

“That’s not what I asked you.”    Wow.   

That little sentence speaks volumes about the man:  a coddled, rich brat who has been told “no” so few times in his life, that when someone comes along who doesn’t play his way, he puffs himself up, grinds his heels in, and doesn’t budge.

Can you imagine what a whiney little bitch he is when he loses at board games?    Does he pout, I wonder?  Fume and rant?   Hold his breath?   It’s got to be one ugly scene.  

A good president, one skilled in diplomacy, tact, and basic English,  would have had an innate understanding of how to have handled that moment in the White House.  

Jim Webb is the parent of a soldier who’s currently on the battlefield.    And out of sheer respect for that alone, his mild protest –a simple sincere wish for his son to come home– should have been indulged and allowed to remain unchallenged. 

But Bush can’t do that.   He gets pushed, even the slightest, he must push back.   Even if it’s the father of one of the troops that he claims to respect and honour. 

The expression “Choose your battles wisely” comes to mind, but  well, again, look who we’re talking about.     There just ain’t a lot of wisdom to be squeezed out of that turnip.    And we are going to pay bitterly for it. 

“I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.” — Thomas Jefferson

Richard Pryor On Saturday Night Live

From 1977.

The dynamic portrayed in this clip is, in many ways, more true today than it was then. This sketch -as brilliant and hilarious as it still is- would never, ever even make it to air on SNL now.

We live in a time of more enlightened sensitivity. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons why SNL currently sucks 98% of the time.

Yin and yang.

But thanks to the Internet, we can revisit our more raw, primitive years.

Matt Drudge Is An Asshole. Developing….

The Drudge Report headline as of 10 minutes ago:

(click to enlarge)

Well done, Drudgiekins.    

Because it certainly is amusing to see an Iraqi woman who’s face resembles George W. Bush while it is contorted in the throes of fresh grief.      Absolutely. Fucking. Hysterical. 

What a dick.

Okay, Maybe We Can Call It A War Within A War? An Underlying Skirmish? A Rather Unpleasant Spot Of Bother?

I know Bush doesn’t want to admit Iraq has degenerated into an all-out civil war, but Jesus Christ, when you read an opening paragraph like this…:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Revenge-seeking Shiite militiamen seized six Sunnis as they left Friday prayers, drenched them with kerosene and burned them alive, and Iraqi soldiers did nothing to stop the attack, police and witnesses said.

 …it should be acknowledged at the very least as a subtle hint that democracy kinda sorta ain’t on the march. 

The anger before the election was like static electricity.   You could hear it crackling in the air.   Another year and 1/2 of this lying lunatic in office with these kinds of headlines and people will be burning him in effigy.  

Full article here.

A primer on impeachment procedures is here

From Massive Galaxies To Massive Egos

How does one become a person who feels comfortable marching into a public school to try and dictate what is and what is not acceptable to be taught to an entire classroom?  

Because, frankly, I’m envious of the people in this story.  

Just imagine the bliss of feeling so self-satisfied that you think the things you teach your kid is what everyone should teach their kids.   It must be divine.

One family objected to Maya Angelou’s ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ being taught in their kid’s AP English class because of passages relating to Angelous’s sexual abuse as a child and the resulting pregnancy.   

The school acknowledged the protest and offered the student an alternative book to study.     But that wasn’t good enough.   Oh no.  This mother and father want the book completely pulled from the curriculum.   They feel that no one’s children in the school should read it.

Other families joined in to support the family’s request, and last Tuesday a meeting of 80 people was held with the families and teachers.   45 people spoke out against the book (including, *long weary sigh* two buttinski pastors), but the book remains in the curriculum.   The family can take the matter further if they wish.

And now I wish to tell that family to go fuck themselves.  What unmitigated nerve of them to think that their morals are so high and mighty that it gives them dictatorial rights.   

The school bent to their concerns by offering their kid another book.   Why on earth was that not enough?     

The school refuses to release the names of the family or the student, and I have yet to find any statement they have made directly to the media.   

One wonders why.      Could it be they realize how difficult it would be to counter the accusation that they believe sexual abuse isn’t the problem – it’s reading about it?   

Feeling Significant Today?

I think we can fix that.  

 Here is a picture of Mercury eclipsing the Sun two weeks ago: 

 (click to enlarge)

Yeah.  It’s that little dot.  Amazing, isn’t it?

Earth is just 2 and 1/2 times bigger than Mercury.

The Sun is 300 million times more massive than the Earth. 

It is estimated that there are 100-200 billion other stars  in our galaxy. 

And our galaxy is just one of billions thought to possibly exist in the universe.   

I think I’m going to go outside now and look up at the night sky and luxuriate in feeling miniscule for a while.   

Richard Dreyfuss on Real Time With Bill Maher

Bill Maher – Richard Dreyfuss Part 1

 Richard Dreyfuss has come out with the most powerful and inspiring call to action that I have seen in a very long time.          

The audience was pin-drop silent and the other panelists -wisely- did not interrupt him even though he went on for far longer than what we’re conditioned to seeing on TV.  

Watch this and be reminded of the folly and total outrage of some idiot cable news presenter saying to a guest, “Ok, we got 30 seconds left, so close us out by telling us what you think should be done about this complex and important issue we’ve been discussing for the last 7 minutes.”

And he smokes, too?!

Before beginning, I must pause to ring for my maidservant Mathilda to fetch me my swooning fan, for I am fully ablush with the news that Barack Obama, the humble son of an even humbler goat herder, smokes. 

That is hotter than a June bride in a featherbed.

I, like a lot of folks, first became aware of Obama when he spoke at the DNC in 2004.     And I, also like a lot of folks, find him riveting and magnetic and would gladly cast my vote for him to become president.

Probably even more so now. 

I’m actually relieved to hear that he smokes because we finally have one tiny bit of negative to help balance out all that wonderful  positive.    

The more we discovered about him, it seemed the more perfect he became.  It was, frankly, worrisome.  Something, somewhere just had to come out eventually and deposit darkness in the otherwise radiant meteor of light and hope that is Barack Obama.     And knowing just how painfully far the mighty can fall, it’s charming to find him nurturing a vice as old-fashioned as cigarettes.

And while all the other hip, with-it politicians are acting out in external ways:  propositioning young boys, scamming money, or choking their mistrisses, Barack Obama’s misdeed is a self-destructive one.  

And that is quite a breath of fresh air. 

And so begin the Michael Richards jokes and pictures.

                            

 

People, if we can’t laugh, we can’t heal.