More on the Whining Crybabies

Ken AshfordIraq, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Yesterday, I blogged about the whining crybabies on the right who are upset because the Pulitizer Prize for cartooning went to someone on the left. 

Athenae talks about the other gripe they have, and he is totally correct:

Via Atrios: disgusting sons of bitches.

Now, the right-wing pajama brigade is in full attack mode against the Pulitzer Prize awarded this week to 11 photojournalists working for the Associated Press, including our friend and Philadelphia Daily News colleague, Jim MacMillan. These are people of remarkable bravery — dodging bullets and crawling through slime on a regular basis for nothing more than the public’s ability to see war as it really is fought.

51304050107 What’s the matter, don’t like looking at your pretty war, Michelle? Pictures of the dead and wounded don’t get you off anymore, Powerline? Guess what? Freedom isn’t free. You’re awfully fond of that slogan, aren’t you? Freedom isn’t free.

So why aren’t you using these photos in your "support the troops" rallies? Why aren’t you using them to remind us all what a solemn and glorified endeavor this war really is? Why do you so hate to look at the thing you profess to love?

Freedom isn’t free, you say, giving me the impression that whatever other xenophobic homophobic fundie whackjob tendencies you harbored, at least you understood that for your bravado somebody pays a price. I hope you got a receipt, because it sounds like freedom’s a little more expensive than you counted on. In fact freedom’s so fucking expensive you can’t stand to be told what market price is these days.

Freedom isn’t free, you miserable chickenshits. You cheer the war, you love the war, you love the troops, you support the troops. But to recognize their sacrifices would diminish your pleasure so you send the images away. You jackholes are the ones who are always bitching that the left "blames America first." You’re the first to blame "the media," to blame "bias" when things don’t look the way you saw them on the outside of the box. Why do you now blame the photographers who bring you images of the dead and wounded, of protest, conflict? Why don’t you blame the terrorists? Why don’t you go wave a little flag in the face all this carnage because certainly it’s exactly the item you put your finger next to on the menu. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED. LOOK AT IT. Print out every single one of those photos and paper mama’s basement with them, chickenhawks. Here’s your war, in all its glory. Max your credit card out, because freedom isn’t free.

You cocksuckers, if you didn’t want to see the bill, you shouldn’t have ordered the food. Quit taking out your anger on the waiter setting the check down in front of you. Schmucks.

More on DeLay’s “Family Values”

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

TBogg has the scoop on DeLay’s response:

Tom DeLay defends his no-talent daughter and wife and the money that they made:

Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, on Wednesday angrily dismissed newspaper accounts that focused on payments to his wife and daughter as well as on additional trips taken by him that have come under scrutiny.

In an interview with CNN, Mr. DeLay criticized an article in The New York Times on Wednesday that said his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his daughter, Dani Ferro, had received more than $500,000 since 2001 from his political action and campaign committees. He called the article "just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me," contending that his wife and daughter had legitimately earned the money by working as valued members of his political team.

"My wife and daughter have any right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," Mr. DeLay said. "It’s pretty disgusting, particularly when my wife and daughter are singled out and others are not, in similar situations in the Senate and as well as the House."

So what has the DeLay spawn done as a "valued member" of Team DeLay? Lots:

UB0001i2c84nited Parcel Service provided a chartered flight between Washington and Las Vegas for between 50 and 60 people–including lobbyists, top aides and political supporters–at DeLay’s request, according to a company spokesman. DeLay flew separately on a Federal Express corporate jet. Lobbyists with the National Association of Manufacturers, the D.C. law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, and the National Association of Convenience Stores were among those present for the weekend.

The weekend included a late-night party Saturday in DeLay’s suite at the Rio Hotel and Casino, which featured a living room, bar and hot tub on the balcony. DeLay was not present, aides said; the event was hosted by his daughter, Dani Ferro, the campaign manager for DeLay’s reelection campaign. After the party, Ferro told associates that a lobbyist poured champagne on her while she was in the hot tub. (link via Atrios)

Pull The Plug?

Ken AshfordBloggingLeave a Comment

Terri Things are looking bad for BlogsforTerri.com.  Nobody visits the site anymore, as the graphic on the right shows.  Apparently, her insta-celebrity death was overtaken by a real celebrity death thousands of miles away in Vatican City.  So who gives a crap anymore?

It has been suggested to the webmaster of the site that he stop providing posts to the website.  Terri’s parents, however, insist that news and information be fed to the website, because that is what Terri, God, and Randell Terry would have wanted.

This is sure to end of in the courts.  My feeling?  Let the website die in peace.

Schiavo Memo Silliness

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Here’s the story, roughly, in a nutshell:

March 20:  The Washington Post reports about how the Republicans are using the Schiavo story for political gain, citing a one-page memo obtained by ABC News:

An unsigned one-page memo, distributed to Republican senators, said the debate over Schiavo would appeal to the party’s base, or core, supporters. The memo singled out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year and is potentially vulnerable in a state President Bush won last year.

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."

March 21:  Right-wing blogosphere goes ballistic.  Powerline, named best blog of the year by Time magazine (presumably for its work on the "Dan Rather" memo) asks, "Is This The Biggest Hoax Since The Sixty Minutes Story"?  You can almost hear the wishful thinking in the question itself — "Oh, yes, pleeeease let it be a big hoax" think the Powerline jerks.

And sure enough, they simply cannot believe that the memo is true, although they have no reason to challenge its authenticity (other than their suspicion):

Based on the fragments from the memo that were reported by the Post, I question its authenticity. It does not sound like something written by a conservative; it sounds like a liberal fantasy of how conservatives talk. What conservative would write that the case of a woman condemned to death by starvation is "a great political issue"?

And so began the meme that the Schiavo memo was actually a Democratic-authored "dirty trick" designed to make Republicans look bad, with the mainstream media as a willing accomplice or naive partner in the scandal.

Late March:  Michelle Malkin writes about the memo "controversy" several times.  You may wonder what made it a "controversy".  The answer is "nothing".  But that’s how wingnuts operate.  They try to make a scandal where none exists, knowing that the mere accusations alone can carry weight.  (It’s called McCarthyism, by the way).  Michelle, among others, wonders why the mainstream media isn’t answering questions about the "fishy" memo, like who are their sources, etc.  She blogs about it at least once a day, letting everyone know that "The. Heat. Is. On."

April 1:  Michelle Moron Magalang Malkin writes about admitting errors, and wishes that the Washington Post would admit their errors with respect to the "fishy" Schiavo memo:

I suspect that no one at the Post or ABC News still believes the amateurish, unsigned, misspelled memo was circulated by Republican Party leaders. We may never know whether the memo was the handywork of a Republican staffer or a Democrat dirty trickster or an outside interloper . . .

Nonetheless, the damage has been done. The memo has been cited hundreds of times to support the argument that Republicans’ decision to intervene in the Schiavo case was politically motivated. And neither ABC News nor the Post has admitted any wrongdoing.

The Post can continue to mischaracterize its coverage. It can stonewall, perhaps hoping that its critics will get bored and give up. Or it can own up to its errors.

Truth be told, it wasn’t the memo that made everybody think that Republicans were making political hay out of the Schiavo saga.  It was the fact that the Republican-led Congress passed laws pertaining to Schiavo that made everybody think they were making political hay out of the Schiavo saga.  But whatever.

April 6:  Guess who wrote the "fishy" Schiavo memo?  A Republican staffer (just as the original Post story said) — actually "legal counsel" — for Sen. Martinez of Florida — a guy by the name of Brian Darling — owned up to being the source of the memo.  He admitted it (and then resigned).  Will Michelle and the others step up to the plate and admit that thier speculations were bogus? 

April 7:  Nope.    Michelle writes:

After John Hinderaker at Power Line first started asking necessary questions about the reporting on the memo, many on the Right jumped to conclusions that the memo was "fake" or a "dirty trick." I concur that those who made such claims should issue clear retractions and corrections. And I urge those bloggers and pundits to do so.

But contrary to what the left-wing gloaters who have not bothered to follow the story until last night are writing, I have never made such claims…

Correct, so far as I can tell. What she did do was spend a week calling it "fishy" and linking to all those people she now says should retract.

And now she is joining others (again) in complaining about minor inconsistencies within the reporting of the story of the memo, totally ignoring the fact that it has now been shown that the memo was written by a Republican and distributed by Republicans! 

Essentially, their argument now goes like this: Even if the memo is real, the mainstream media couldn’t have been sure it was real when they reported it, so they’re still a bunch of lying liberal SOBs. 

All this wingnut backtracking and embarrassing attempts to restore their own cred has prompted this 100% correct viewpoint from TBogg:

Admit you were wrong and then shut the fuck up for awhile.

More from Gilliard here. And Kos here. And Kevin Drum feels the same way I do.

Let’s be clear here. Hindrocket and the other two stooges at Power Line made their reputation, such as it is, on the Rather memo, a supposedly fake memo refering to an actual event: Bush went AWOL. But in their eyes the fact that the memo was fishy meant that the process was more important then that inconvenient historical fact. Today we see that the notion that Mike Allen didn’t have all of his facts complete and carved in stone regarding a evolving story means that the reality that it was a Republican memo is irrelevant.

Maybe these three knuckleheads should use the same line of reasoning when it comes to adding up 9/11 + weapons of Mass destruction that don’t exist = invade Iraq.

More on Americablog.

Pollack gives the "scandal" its new name: PowerLine-Was-Completely-Fucking-Wrong-Gate

It’s A Wonderful Bush

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

"A lot of people in America think there is a vault — and banks take the money you deposit then hold it for you until you want it back and then they give it back to you.  But that’s not the way it works. There is no money in the vault, just IOUs that I saw firsthand."

– George Bush, to the crowd at University of Virginia at Parkersburg

"No, but you . . . you . . . you’re thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in a safe. The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house . . . right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred others."

– George Bailey, to the crowd at Bailey’s Building & Loan

Sen. Cornyn Licks Up His Own Vomit

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

Texas senator John Cornyn, discussed by me earlier, has decided to "clarify" his remarks.

He now says that he doesn’t know of any connection between (1) the recent "spate" of judicial killings and (2) activism on the part of judges.

I guess that is because there is no connection, moron. 

But the question is… if Senator Cornyn doesn’t know of any connection, then why did he make the connection?!?

DeLay — Time To Remove The Feeding Tube

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

From the Post …

A six-day trip to Moscow in 1997 by then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was underwritten by business interests lobbying in support of the Russian government, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the trip arrangements.

DeLay reported that the trip was sponsored by a Washington-based nonprofit organization. But interviews with those involved in planning DeLay’s trip say the expenses were covered by a mysterious company registered in the Bahamas that also paid for an intensive $440,000 lobbying campaign.

From the NYT …

The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay’s political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay’s home state, Texas.

Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay’s aides say is the central role played by the majority leader’s wife and daughter in his political career.

UPDATE:  The speculation is that DeLay is being thrown to the wolves as the sacrificial lamb for the GOP.  In other words, the Republicans are not exactly rushing to his aid.  Matt smells a rat, and thinks DeLay’s downfall is being pushed by Republicans now so that it won’t be an issue in the 2006 elections, and to keep everybody occupied from even bigger scandels.

Whining Crybabies

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

I swear.  Everytime conservatives run across criticism directed at them, they come across as a bunch of little baby Nellies.  "It isn’t fair!" they cry.  "They are such meanies!"

Check out the latest from Assrocket at Power Line who complains about (*rolls eyes*) how hurtful poltical cartoons are.  John, if drawings like these hurt your widdle fee-wings, then perhaps you should get out of the political commentary game and become a florist.  Or a recluse.  Or (ideally) both.

Why James Dobson Is A Liar And A Demogogue And An Idiot

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

From Media Matters:

Reading from a prepared address about judges that he touted as "prophetic", Focus on the Family founder James C. Dobson conflated state circuit judges whose decisions he opposed with federal judges in order to rally support for President Bush’s federal bench nominations; misstated the political leanings of several judges in order to support his flawed contention that the judiciary is out of step with "American opinion"; and called for the impeachment of six U.S. Supreme Court justices, including four Republican political appointees, as well as the abolition of a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

On his April 4 radio show, Dobson singled out San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer, attacking his March 11 ruling that struck down California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Dobson cast Kramer as part of a cadre of "often godless" and "liberal judges … itching to sanction same-sex marriage."

Yet contrary to Dobson’s suggestion that Kramer is a liberal atheist, Kramer is a registered Republican and devout Catholic appointed by Republican former Gov. Pete Wilson. On January 3, during deliberations on the challenge to California’s same-sex marriage ban, Kramer refused to allow the city of San Francisco to refute controversial statements by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a group that asserted that homosexuality is a mental disorder.

Dobson went on to invoke Kramer and Florida state circuit court judge George W. Greer, who ordered Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube removed, as support for his argument that the Senate should confirm Bush’s picks for the federal bench:

"The courts are killing us. Not only with regard to Terri Schiavo, where they literally did kill a person, but what they’re doing to democracy. … And unless the Congress steps up with the nominations by the president and puts people on the court who have respect for the Constitution as it was written, we will no longer be a free people."

But Dobson’s use of Kramer and Greer as examples of the need to confirm Bush’s judicial nominees is misleading, since both serve on state courts, over which Bush has no control. Thus, the confirmation of his nominees would have no impact on the makeup of state courts.

Dobson also denounced "a judicial oligarchy," which he claimed issues rulings that are out of step with public opinion. As an example, Dobson cited the March 1 Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons, which abolished juvenile executions. To make his case for executing juveniles, Dobson described the crimes of Lee Boyd Malvo, who at age 17 participated in a series of murders with Army veteran John Allen Muhammad. Dobson heaped scorn on Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion in the Roper case. Calling Kennedy "the most dangerous man in America," he claimed Kennedy’s opinion reflects how he "ignores the weight of American opinion to enforce his post-modern nonsense."

But a December 14, 2003, ABC News poll found that 52 percent of respondents preferred a life sentence for Malvo, compared to 37 percent who favored the death penalty. And only 21 percent of those polled generally preferred the death penalty for juvenile killers. Similarly, a May 2002 Gallup poll found that only 26 percent of respondents favored the death penalty for juvenile offenders, while 69 percent were opposed.

Dobson concluded by calling for the impeachment of Kennedy, along with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David H. Souter, Stephen Breyer, and John Paul Stevens. He even called for the impeachment of Sandra Day O’Connor, who dissented from the court’s majority in the Roper case. Dobson also demanded the abolition of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals:

The troublesome 9th Circuit of Appeals in San Francisco could be abolished and then staffed by different judges immediately. But the Congress has not had the political gumption to take any such action. Consequently, the courts arrogantly thumb their noses at other co-equal authorities.

Why Are You Banging Your Head Against The Wall? Because It Feels Good When I Stop!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

It took me a long time, but I have slowly come to accept the fact that I am no longer . . . well . . . young. 

And I am cool with that.  Especially when young people get into doing shit like this ritual, known as "suspension":

R176226760 Tony Troiano grimaced as he was lifted off the floor by giant fishhooks pierced through the skin on his shoulders.

Within minutes, he started to spin, swing his feet and declare the painful experience "the greatest thing" ever.

The practice requires three-inch (7.6-cm) steel deep sea fishing hooks freshly inserted under the skin for each suspension.

A basic "suicide" hang uses hooks in the back, a chest suspension requires hooks in front, a knee suspension puts the body upside down, and the "Superman" pose requires hooks along the back and upper thighs. The hooks are attached to ropes, and pulleys slowly lift the body off the floor.

Some people spin like acrobats, some play like children on a swing and others hang solemnly. Some giggle, some cry.

"Some people have a spiritual experience, some people just have fun and some people don’t like it and come right down," said Mike Giossi, a local mechanic and fan of the practice.

Jess Robins, a student from Canada, hung almost motionless from hooks inserted through the tops of her breasts. Blood poured down her belly, and her legs trembled.

Nearby, two men played a game of tug-of-war, pulling at each other with wire cables attached through their elbows.

"When I first got off the ground, I never felt pain like that in my life. But afterward, I was just filled with empowerment," said Giossi. "I’ve never been happier than when I came down."

Yes, that picture is of a girl being suspended by her chest.  Yes, those are meat hooks ripping her flesh. 

Florida Law and the Right to Kill

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

Cowgirl No, not another post about Schiavo.  It’s about this:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) – People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians on Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.

The Florida House of Representatives, citing the need to allow people to "stand their ground," voted 94-20 to codify and expand court rulings that already allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape.

The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. It applies to all means of force that may result in death, although the legislative debate focused on guns.

The "Stand Your Ground" bill passed the Senate last week on a 39-0 vote and now goes to Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who indicated he will sign it.

"This is about meeting force with force," said House sponsor Republican state Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala. "If I’m attacked, I should not have to retreat."

Critics have few objections to allowing people to protect themselves from intruders in their homes but said the provision making it easier to use deadly force in public gives gun owners a license to kill.

"For a House that talks about the culture of life it’s ironic that we would be devaluing life in this bill," said Democratic state Rep. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "That’s exactly what we’re doing."

Oh.  I guess it is Schiavo-related.

P.S.:  I get bonus blog-points for using two Louise Fletcher pictures in two consecutive non-Louise Fletcher-related blog posts.  Right?  Right?!?

Five Nurses To Every Bed

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

Oneflewratched2I’m not particularly knowlegeable about the nation’s nursing shortage, except I know that there is one, and it is no joke.

California seems to have come up with a solution:

California hospitals are struggling to meet a new, first-in-the-nation requirement that they have one nurse on duty for every five patients at all times, and officials say most institutions are falling short.

Some hospitals have tried to close the gap by hiring nurses from outside agencies and making staffers work more hours. Others are closing beds or keeping people longer in the emergency room to prevent other parts of the hospital from becoming overcrowded.

The new requirement comes amid a severe nationwide shortage of nurses.

"Even if money came down from heaven and paid for all of the extra costs, you still can’t find the nurses," said Jan Emerson, a spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association.

Several states have minimum staffing levels for certain hospital wards, such as intensive care. California is the only state to establish mandatory levels in all areas, said Ken August, spokesman for the California Department of Health Services.

It seems to me that legislating manditory nurse-to-patient ratios is not the solution.  That’s like some African country legislating four-course meals to all its drought-ridden starving citizens, isn’t it?

Shortages are shortages.  Legislating the absence of shortages doesn’t magically make food or nurses appear, you know?