Wilson's Folly

So after apologizing to President Obama after his outburst in the House of Representatives it turns out that Joe Wilson is defiant and crowing that he will not be silenced, that he has the right to speak, etc etc. His bloviating can be found on his website which we won't publish here for fear of promoting the wrong kind of politician. He was all over Fox News yesterday and today with fawning right-wing hosts like Sean Hannity telling him that he is "right" on the illegal alien issue of the health care bill. Notice the bait and switch? Notice how the fascists have re-framed the issue? All of a sudden Congressman Wilson is "right" for speaking his mind and fighting Obama's health care plan. But this was never the question. The question should be... what will it take for you to shut the hell up when the President is speaking Congressman Wilson? Didn't anyone tell you that you can't do that in the well of the House? Were you "right" to heckle the President? Ahhhh yes, maybe not. But you were "right" about the illegal alien issue. Keep changing the subject Wilson, we'll pretend we didn't notice. Oh, and shut the hell up when the President is speaking if you know what's good for you. Enjoy your upcoming censure.

Look Ma! No hands!

To the casual observer it would seem that Sarah Palin did quite well at last night's debate. And she did exceed expectations which isn't saying much as the bar had been lowered to the point that even a seventh grader could pass muster. All she did was stick to a few key talking points and mention the word maverick as many times as possible. All she had to do from there is not fall on her face or get a case of the runs. In Biden's case, he showed a mastery of the issues that few in Washington can equal. But he was facing a star, a phenonmenon, and watching the two of them was an illustration of their stark contrasts. Biden understand the issues on a deep level while Palin relies on talking points. But talking points don't equate with knowledge and repeating the same boilerplate doesn't mean one has a grasp of the issues. 

Towards the end of the debate when she saw the finish line Palin even took time to wink at the audience like the child who just learned to ride a bike and is showing off for Mom and Dad. Careful girl, there are bumps ahead. 

The Free Speech Zone

We made fun of the Chinese during the Olympics for setting up a park in the city where protest would be allowed if one signed up and got proper clearances. When two elderly women signed up they were arrested and sentenced to hard labor for daring to want to protest. Yeah, we had a good laugh at those clueless Chinese dictators, right? Thank God it could never happen here. But it is happening right here, right now, and it's not even front page news nor will it show up on the nightly news. Read Glenn Greenwald's story about the pre-emptive arrest of protesters in St. Paul, Minnesota here. Evidently, it's now illegal to protest. Someone needs to tell the conservatives that protest isn't really protest if it's removed from the gaze of the powerful.

These same neo-con fascists will constantly boast about "freedom" but deep down they really don't believe it. The Bill Of Rights? A quaint but obsolete document. They'll always cite "freedom of speech" as a great American value but really wish all protest would just go away. You see, it angers conservatives when they actually have to look at people who disagree with them. They'll say "of course you have the RIGHT to protest!" ... as long as you take that protest to where nobody in power can actually see it. Siberia maybe? Or perhaps what the GOP set up during the 2004 convention... a "free speech zone". Just like China.

Ann Coulter must be jubilant

Finally someone is doing exactly what Ann Coulter has been advocating all along, that liberals need to be exterminated...

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- A man accused of fatally shooting two adults and wounding seven others at a Knoxville church told police the church's liberal teachings prompted him to attack, according to court papers.
Jim Adkisson said liberals should be killed because they're ruining the nation, according to an affidavit.

During a search of Adkisson's home, investigators confiscated a handgun, a sawed-off shotgun barrel and books by conservative commentators, authorities said.

Full story here.

President McCain

Get used to hearing it Democrats. President McCain. Has a nice ring to it, right? Get. Used. To. It. We as Democrats have a wealth of riches these days. It looks like we'll add to our majorities in both houses of Congress, President Bush looks more like an aging chimpanzee every day and our Presidential candidates include an African-American and a woman who just might have a shot at winning the White House. But their highly partisan campaigns look like they'll derail any chance at winning in November. Partisan Democrats wedded to either candidate are threatening to not pull the lever for the Democrat they are currently supporting, so vast is their allegiance to their particular favorite. They would actually prefer to spend a week in the fetal position after the election wondering how it came to pass that the GOP has prevailed yet again. And all because your candidate didn't win and now you're throwing a hissy fit. Nice going. But by all means let's continue doing opposition research on fellow Democrats so we can help the RepubliKKKans in November. Way to go Democrats, you sure know how to lose an election. Of course, there's still time to wake up and combine their assets. But will their egos allow this to happen? We're not holding our breath.

Does Romney really support "The Surge"?

He says he does. The rhetoric is always the same..."support the troops"...blah blah...my sons don't enlist because they show support for the country "by helping me get elected"...blah blah blah. Does anyone take the GOP chickenhawks seriously when they don't insist on their own flesh and blood fighting in wars of their own creation?

You may want to read Five Brothers as Romney's sons tell us to support our troops by supporting "The Surge". However, Romney himself explains his son's reluctance to serve in this debacle by saying that they support the country by helping him get elected President. Read it here for yourselves. If a chickenhawk clucks in the forest does it make a sound? Hmmm...

Just for the record we left a comment on this topic for the Five Brothers that went thusly..." Don't you think this "surge" would work better if the able-bodied supporters of this travesty (like yourselves) signed up to fight in it? Or is that only for other people's kids? Right wingers hate commentary that cuts too close to the truth so don't expect them to print our critique. But stay tuned anyway, it should be fun to watch. BAWK!

Yes Keith, he (they) should

Keith Olbermann is probably the most courageous journalist of our time. Tonight's commentary on his Countdown with Keith Olbermann HERE speaks for itself. Bravo Keith.