Monday, April 21, 2008

The South's Gonna Do It Again

One for the AYFKM files: Church Sign Causes Controversy
While even bothering to correct Pastor Roger Byrd's punctuation, WSPA in South Carolina, reports Pastor Byrd-brain has put up this offensive message on his church's sign:

"Obama Osama humm are they brothers?"







Just wondering (humm) if the righteous wrong-reverend and cracker-boy here are related:

Excellent Blogger Award

What a great way to start the week. My blogger-buddy Jolly Roger over at Reconstitution was awarded an "Excellence in Blogging Award." One of the requirements for accepting this award is that you pass it forward, and JR has deemed my rambling missives here for that same honor. Thank you Jolly, and the feeling is mutual. I am pleased to humbly accept this award.

While looking over his post on this merited acknowledgement of excellence, I read at the other blogs he nominated. I recommend a read at them all. The blogosphere is an amazing new frontier in which I am happily engaged.

In accordance with the "rules," my own recommends for "Excellence in Blogging" or my own The Dirty Dozen are as follows:


Les Enragés.orgThe Unruly Mob's take on politics is always insightful, often touching, ever-germane. One of J.R.'s picks as well.

folo An intelligent, biting, informative look at politics from the point of view of a "flowah on a Florida pond." A concentration, but not exclusively, on the politics of the South.

Adored by Hordes Marc Lord's brilliantly written, deconstruction and bold reiteration, of all things political. I♥ABH.

Slobber and Spittle
Cujo's always beefy commentary on the misdeeds and injustices we find ourselves embroiled in on a daily basis.

Dependable Renegade Watertiger's sparkling wit dazzles the newsworthy photos of the day with captions that captivate while holding your sides from laughter.

Jon Swift Another Reconstitution entry and I cannot improve on JR's description:"The blogosphere’s Stephen Colbert. 'Conservative' politics that hit the spot."

Beggars Can Be Choosers Marc MacDonald's straightforward critical eye on politics.

Alternate Brain The American Patriot Institute blog-team committed to the very essence of patriotism--dissent and the questioning of authority.

All Hat No Cattle Author Lisa Casey's no-nonsense round-up of the news from the personality-descriptive moniker for the chimp-in-charge's perspective.

Sideshow Avedon Carol, an American in London's sharp round-up of the best of the left. Always relevant, sometime irreverent.

Freeway Blogger The infamous, or is it notorious message blogger that reaches millions with his messages that inspired a movement.

Broadcatching Tully's best-of video site, culls the funnies and the frowners with important links and the "Tullycast."


As to this award, take yours and pass the rest, the only rule for awarding this distinction to deserving blogs, is as follows:By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blog’s you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10.
Thank you to all the above people who take the time, energy and passion it takes to 'do' a blog with the unselfish motive of informing the people (torches and pitchforks optional).

Chimpy Rambles On

At the Paris talks on Climate Change, Jr's U.S. plan was deemed "disastrous," and "Neanderthal" by other world leaders. From the Australian Broadcasting Corp.:
A new plan from US President George Bush which aims to cap greenhouse gases by 2025 has been dismissed as "disastrous" and "Neanderthal" by a group of ministers at a climate change meeting in Paris.
[ ]
In a statement called "Bush's Neanderthal speech," German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said: "His speech showed not leadership but losership. We are glad that there are also other voices in the United States."
Excellent example of that clever German engineering.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Big Night In Pennsyltucky

The site 23/6 has a great one minute round-up of the bitter battle royale in PA. H/T to Littledog for the linky.

Pop Quiz

What are the I.Q. test results of modern day American Presidents you ask? Just so happens I have that information here, via the Lovenstein Institute:

The Presidential IQ Report
WASHINGTON --In a published report, the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania has detailed findings of a four month study of the intelligence quotient of President George W. Bush. Since 1973, the Lovenstein Institute has published its research to the education community on each new president, which includes the famous "IQ" report among others.

According to statements in the report, there have been twelve presidents over the past 60 years, from F. D. Roosevelt to G. W. Bush who were all rated based on scholarly achievements, writings that they alone produced without aid of staff, their ability to speak with clarity, and several other psychological factors which were then scored in the Swanson/Crain system of intelligence ranking. The study determined the following IQs of each president as accurate to within five percentage points:

147 Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
132 Harry Truman (D)
122 Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
174 John F. Kennedy (D)
126 Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
155 Richard M. Nixon (R)
121 Gerald R. Ford (R)
176 James E. Carter (D)
105 Ronald W. Reagan (R)
98 George H. W. Bush (R)
182 William J. Clinton (D)
91 George W. Bush (R)


The six Republican presidents of the past 60 years had an average IQ of 115.5, with President Nixon having the highest IQ, at 155. President G. W. Bush was rated the lowest of all the Republicans with an IQ of 91.

The six Democrat presidents had IQs with an average of 156, with President Clinton having the highest IQ, at 182. President Lyndon B. Johnson was rated the lowest of all the Democrats with an IQ of 126.

No president other than Carter (D) has released his actual IQ, 176. Among comments made concerning the specific testing of President GW Bush, his low ratings were due to his apparent difficulty to command the English language in public statements, his limited use of vocabulary (6,500 words for Bush versus an average of 11,000 words for other presidents), his lack of scholarly achievements other than a basic MBA, and an absence of any body of work which could be studied on an intellectual basis.

The complete report documents the methods and procedures used to arrive at these ratings, including depth of sentence structure and voice stress confidence analysis. "All the Presidents prior to George W. Bush had a least one book under their belt, and most had written several white papers during their education or early careers.

Not so with President Bush," Dr. Lovenstein said. "He has no published works or writings, so in many ways that made it more difficult to arrive at an assessment. We had to rely more heavily on transcripts of his unscripted public speaking."

The Lovenstein Institute of Scranton Pennsylvania think tank includes high caliber historians, psychiatrists, sociologists, scientists in human behavior, and psychologists. Among their ranks are Dr. Werner R. Lovenstein, world-renowned sociologist, and Professor Patricia F. Dilliams, a world-respected psychiatrist. This study was commissioned on February 13, 2001, and released on July 9, 2001, to subscribing member universities and organizations within the education community.
Not sure the above numbers are right, 'cause I think Jr. is actually retarded.

Intelligence Quotient Test Ratings Source: The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale:
Score Classification
132 and above Very superior
121-131 Superior
111-120 High average
89-110 Average
79-88 Low average
68-78 Slow learner
67 or below Mentally retarded

Friday, April 18, 2008

Debacle on Parade


It seems as if yet another neocon-bush-flunky has had a visit from his conscience or at least a lawyer. In an effort to either extricate himself from the bush-designed web of deception that leads to a war crimes tribunal, or at least repentant enough in an effort to attain his golden ticket to heaven, Joseph Collins, former Rummy aide, Pentagon official and DoD kiss-ass, decries the "we are winning" strat-er-gee in Iraq.

McClatchy News reports:
The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.
read the rest...

Another 'duh' moment barely reported in the mainstream media. Duh.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

California Caucus

Today (Sunday April 13) is the day for all registered California Democrats to caucus for Clinton/Obama congressional-level delegates election. Show up at yur local caucus today at 2 PM (must be there before 3 PM) and pledge your presidential delegate. Locations are listed by district and candidate at The California Democratic Party website. You must be registered to vote in California--if not registered, show up, get registered and get active! I'll be there, will you?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Hump Day is Over

Quote of the Day:
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back again into bondage." -Sir Alex Fraser Tyler, 1742-1813, Scottish jurist and historian
[h/t to Sarah fer digging this one up]

Wednesday Open Thread: Tell me about your day. Mine was long. And yours?

Monday, April 07, 2008

Why I Despise John McLame

Despite His Votes To Cut Veterans Funding, McCain Says We Owe Vets ‘A Debt We Can Never Repay’




Think Progress has the dirt on the back-stabbing, pandering, flip-flopping, hypocritical, senile old bastard McCain. Definitely watch the video, and then remember why we need a Dem in the WH. On the intemperance of McLame, Watertiger posts, "Campaigns for the McAncient," and more on the "Real McCain"

Best.Magazine.Cover.Ever.

As seen at American Progress

The Audacity of Government

This American Life, Ira Glass' always touching National Public Radio show, last week tackled stories of the blatant tyranny exhibited by BushCo. So very worth a listen.
Stories of the Bush Administration, its unique style of asserting presidential authority, and its quest to redefine the limits of presidential power.

Friday, April 04, 2008

40 Years of Grief--Remembering the Hope

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was brutally taken from us forty years ago today. There are a number of tributes around the blogosphere but I'll give a bit of KOS Diarist, Audio Guy:
I remember the hope, and I remember the loss. I remember the way dreams died at Kent State. And my heart has been broken for forty years, mourning for the country that I love, and the dreams that I grew up with.
read the rest...

And finally, Robert F. Kennedy, who himself would be dead in months, makes the painful yet eloquent announcement of MLK's murder.

Concern Over Country’s Direction at Highest Level Ever Recorded

NYT reports the findings of the latest poll--81% think the country is going in the wrong direction. Way to go Dubya.
Although the public mood has been darkening since the early days of the war in Iraq, it has taken a new turn for the worse in the last few months, as the economy has seemed to slip into recession. There is now nearly a national consensus that the country faces significant problems.
What clued you in America? The wasteful, horrific war? The loss of our civil rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution? Oh, it took getting hit in the pocketbook, of course. I notice BushCo seems to be doing jus'fine.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Fitting Monument


Best. Tribute. Ever.

A local commission has been formed to rename a San Francisco wastewater treatment facility the "George W. Bush Sewage Treatment Plant." Sfist has it.
The local grassroots movement, helmed by "Wayne Pickering," is proposing an ordinance initiative for the November 2008 San Francisco ballot in order to get the poop/pee/vomit plant's title changed. Why? To honor our current leader of the free world with an "appropriate and enduring legacy, for no other president in modern American history has accomplished so much in such a short time.

Green-lighting Torture

And the hits just keep on coming. Newly released memos by John Yu, Torture-boy Gonzo's reason-for-living, specifically green-light torture while telling the president that his is above the law. This stuff is so off-the-chart wicked, it sounds like fiction but unfortunately is the truth of our current policy. Read Phillipe Sand's Vanity Fair report.
As the first anniversary of 9/11 approached, and a prized Guantánamo detainee wouldn’t talk, the Bush administration’s highest-ranking lawyers argued for extreme interrogation techniques, circumventing international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the army’s own Field Manual. The attorneys would even fly to Guantánamo to ratchet up the pressure—then blame abuses on the military. Philippe Sands follows the torture trail, and holds out the possibility of war crimes charges.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Big Art

Can your elephant paint? Watch this elephant, rescued from abusive treatment in Burma, now paint an amazing self portrait. You'll be amazed at how his talent unfolds.

So touched by their horrific backgrounds and loving personalities, Exotic World Gifts now supports, "Starving Elephant Artisans" by selling their paintings so they can continue to have a new life in Thailand.H/T to Panda for the video.