Vim and Vinegar

My apologies to JW if she's not a fan...

2012-01-27T11:10:00.002-05:00

But, it's a classic, and it's stuck in my head, so what better to do than share with all of you?

Briefly, on Newt

2012-01-20T07:11:00.002-05:00

I can't bring myself to watch debates, because there's only so much bs I can handle in any one sitting. I do, however follow the debates through live blogs and summaries, mostly to keep tabs on what stories are being told. I'm not surprised that one of the first questions in the debate was about Newt's demand of an open marriage, as that seems pertinent considering the hullaballoo in the 90s... what also doesn't necessarily surprise me is this summary of Gingrich's response to the question, from Andrew Sprung: "Newt's little show of high moral dudgeon when asked at the opening gun about his ex-wife's allegations of cruel, self-serving betrayal is getting rave reviews as performance art. And it was an astounding display of the Audacity of Hubris. In the space of a minute or two, Gingrich managed to blame or condemn questioner John King, the news media, his ex-wife and Barack Obama for his being forced to address the consequences of his serial adultery."

Check the link for the substance of Newt's response, as well as some great analysis of the same. It really is a perfect example of the sycophantic demagoguery that defines Newt Gingrich.

This Just In: Romney's Pathological

2012-01-19T18:36:00.000-05:00

I know that folks tend to distort facts a bit when discussing politicians, but Romney and the rest of the Right has been absolutely awful about it. It's about time Obama has struck back with some solid evidence of his record.

Friday the 13th and Other Tragedies

2012-01-13T17:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, dear readers. File this post under "it goes without saying;" however, ever since 9/11, nothing goes without saying anymore. Granted, this is a "softball" pitch, but I'm just getting my blogging feet wet again, so be gentle.

I got an email today from someone who is outraged that there may be punishment coming for four Marines who, if the video is authenticated, desecrated the corpses of Taliban fighters by urinating on them (by the way, I'm unclear as to whether the dead have been positively identified as fighters of any kind). This bold act of American heroism is made even more impressive by the stark contrast of the heavily armed, heavy booted Marines versus the barefoot locals in street clothes. The world loves a bully! Apparently that's the new American way, anyhow.

My multiple counters to the email sender's outrage pointed out: that desecrating bodies is a longstanding worldwide cultural taboo; that these actions violate the Geneva Convention (oh, that quaint old thing again), and the Code of Military Justice (specifically Article 134 as explained in this L.A. Times piece); that I honor our veterans by donating to worthy organizations like Operation Homefront and supporting IAVA (which also condemned the desecration): that honoring the military does not include excusing criminal acts that inflame the rest of the world, ruin the reputation of the Corps (which has also condemned these acts), and put our other fighting men and women at risk because such acts are despicable and dishonorable. The sender answered me with a load of irrational, emotional, b.s. that didn't address one of the aforementioned facts. He did, however, confess that he didn't understand me. Well. Duh.

So, here's what happens when you go a decade without enforcing the law at the highest levels. Why SHOULD four Marines be punished for committing such acts when the likes of Dick Cheney and Torture, Inc. walk free? And, given that the only reason war is prosecutable in the first place is that young men and women can be trained to dehumanize an enemy, should those young men and women have to answer for that training? Who's really responsible for man's inhumanity to man in this case? Now if the sender had countered with either of those points, I honestly wouldn't have had a better answer than "2 wrongs don't make a right." But a long list of wrongs, followed by outrage over, and punishment for, this lapse of humaneness in combat circumstances certainly makes hypocrites of us all. The thing is, the sender wasn't concerned with the wrongness of what those Marines may have done. And I thought liberals were supposed to be the moral relativists.

Here's the bottom line: if all that matters to you is that you achieve your Toby-Keith-Boot-in-Their-Ass-Piss-on-Their-Dead cowboy hard on - even if it puts our military and American civilians abroad at further risk, even if it dishonors all branches of the service, even if it's ILLEGAL, even if it has the potential to endanger peace talks (Peace - another quaint concept) - I don't think I understand you either.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T13:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, she lives! I have enjoyed my time off and can confirm it's true what the say: Ignorance IS bliss!

Alas, though, now that the silly season is upon us, I guess I'll have to start paying attention again.

Watch this space, and thanks, Steve, for your posts in my absence.

Guilty

2011-12-02T08:35:00.002-05:00

Former President George Bush and Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were both tried in absentia (after ignoring a summons) in Malaysia by a tribunal that found the pair guilty of committing war crimes, or "Crimes against peace" for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and for using false pretenses to justify the attack.

I was active duty at the time of the invasion, and I remember being distinctly uncomfortable with the proposition of invading the country. I never found any information that suggested that the invasion was really worthwhile, and while I do think that there was legal cover to authorize the use (I've discussed this in the past), I thought it not only unnecessary, but wrong. It distracted us from the real threat (the man killed on President Obama's watch) and really caused some problems with our national image abroad, particularly among those we purportedly want as allies.

At any rate, the crux of this post is that President Bush is a convicted war criminal. Why it took Malaysia to hold the President accountable for his actions instead of our own country is beyond me, but I think it's a dark mark on President Obama's record that he insisted we look forward, not back, on this matter.

And We're Back

2011-11-21T20:41:00.002-05:00

Well, I am, at any rate...

My apologies for the absence. Work has this crazy habit of wanting me to do silly things like, you know, work and stuff.

So since I last checked in, Rick Perry has gone from the Great Red Hope to a has-been, Herman Cain had his 15 minutes in the spotlight, until his past started catching up with him and his ignorance of all things political started showing... (I don't care what people say, though. I remember being a fan of Godfather's Pizza when I was in high school). And now, the new Not-Romney appears to be New Gingrich - the man who made over a million lobbying for healthcare reform similar to Obamacare... the man who held family values so close that he had to have an affair while leading the charge to impeach President Clinton... the man who shut down the government.

Who knows if there's any Republican candidate who can actually make a solid run against Obama... I think the closest thing the Republicans have is Romney, but Romney is too transparently opportunistic with his policy positions to really be viable in a general election, in my opinion...

at any rate, things aren't good, and if Obama wins another term, they're going to continue to be not good, not because he is a poor president, but because we'll have 4 more years of the most obstructionist governance I've ever seen by Congress.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:32:00.003-04:00

Hope y'all have a great time eating the candy your children receive this year that looks questionable!

Why is it so Hard to Answer?

2011-10-10T09:28:00.002-04:00

Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain this weekend both refused to give a straightforward answer to the question of whether Mitt Romney is a Christian, inasmuch as he's a Mormon. This is following on the heels of the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas claiming Romney is not a Christian. Jeffress (the pastor) was the man who introduced Rick Perry at the Values Voter Summit and has endorsed Perry for President. To his end, Rick Perry stated that he did not believe that Mormonism is a cult.

Here's the dictionary.com definition of Christian:

Chris·tian (krschn) KEY

ADJECTIVE:

Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
Showing a loving concern for others; humane.

NOUN:

One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.

By a plain reading of this definition, I don't understand how someone could NOT conclude that Mormons are Christian. Yes, they worship differently. Yes, they have differing beliefs. Yes, I disagree with them on many points regarding Christianity, which is why I'm not a Mormon. But to argue that a Mormon is not a Christian is simply wrong.

There are plenty of reasons to dislike Mitt Romney, and there are umpteen similarities between Romney and Obama, so I'm not sure how there's much of a change between the two unless you want a President who firmly believes whatever is most popular right now...

I'm disappointed with Obama. I don't like his record on human rights, and I don't like his continuation of Bush era policies. But I would take a bad Obama over any of the current crop of Republicans any day.

Who Could Bring Me Out of Hiding? Who else ...

2011-10-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

Stephen Colbert dissing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-On-V&V-Until-He's-Been-Indicted. So very satisfying.

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Arrrgh!

2011-09-19T11:18:00.002-04:00

It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day today! Avast! And don't be malingerin' about talking about Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney or any of those other scalawags who never saw a day of Piratin' in their lives!

Checking In

2011-09-15T09:12:00.002-04:00

I've found myself a little disgruntled with the tenor of politics recently - everything is Obama's fault. The recession of 2007 was caused because of policies Obama enacted in 2009. The Republican Party does NOT want jobs created because that would make the President look good, and they want a Republican to take credit for anything good that happens. The middle class is smaller than it's been in like, a century, tax cuts and austerity are the answers to everything - a budget surplus, a budget balance and a budget deficit.

On the other hand, I have a pretty darn cute dog.

Here's What I Hope

2011-09-06T13:41:00.002-04:00

I hope that whatever sane heads in the Republican Party that are left prevail and the Palin/Bachmann/Perry wing does not get a nomination... however, that would leave, essentially, Mitt Romney, and since we already have Mitt Romney in the White House, albeit with a D next to his name, I don't see why we should vote for the flipflopping one.

My gut, however, tells me that Perry is going to get the nod. This is troublesome, because they guy has problems, of which the Cameron Todd Willingham situation is perhaps one of the most significant - for a guy running on individual rights to put the kibosh on an investigation as to whether the state executed an innocent (of the crime for which he was convicted) man because the Governor was "convinced" of his guilt is frightening.

I'm not sure which is more scary - that this guy has won several times here in Texas, or that he'd be touted as a "serious" candidate if he gets the nomination because of course he is.

In Case You Haven't Been Paying Attention...

2011-09-05T20:19:00.000-04:00

Fox News misrepresents the Truth
or, in other words, they lie and their lies get passed on as truths... what's even more interesting, perhaps, is that the first untruth leads to a subsequent untruth, which is that by NOT condemning the (non-existent) threat, Obama is be default ADVOCATING for violence against Republicans...

I'd be surprised by the nerve, but it's Fox News and today's conservative message carriers.

IOKIYAR

2011-08-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

I want you to imagine for a moment the media firestorm that would happen if it turned out that before the rebels began fighting against Gaddafi in Libya, we found out that President Obama, or Representative Pelosi had met with Gaddafi and promised to help him get military weaponry. It would be front page news, to say the least, with repeated calls from Patriotic Republicans and Tea Party Purists, along with "serious" journalists, for said person to resign from office. We would have constant debate over whether such Democrat was attempting to provide, or actually providing Material Support to the Enemy, and I have little doubt that the words Treason and Traitor would be tossed out at least once (heck, it happened to the mere concept of printing money, so how could it NOT apply to talking to Libya's boss?

Of course, we have no evidence that any prominent Democrat has met with Gaddafi to offer him military hardware. What we have seen is criticism after criticism over his handling of the situation in Libya.

Interestingly, however, I have heard NOTHING in the Liberally-biased MSM yet about former Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain, Lindsay Graham (two of the Critiquers), Joe Lieberman, and Susan Collins meeting with Gaddafi last year.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the liberal media shielding us from Republican malfeasance, I mean this is nothing like outing a CIA agent to get back at her husband, or torturing people...

The lesson today is that there are some actions so heinous that they merit resignation if you are a Democrat, yet, It's OK If You're A Republican.

The American Taliban: And It Will Come From Texas (surprise, surprise)

2011-08-17T13:08:00.000-04:00

This nation is a democratic republic. It is not a theocracy. People who wish it were a theocracy are unAmerican. Period. The GOP has a presidential candidate in the mix who obviously is unAmerican as he has spoken of secession of the state of which he is governor, and he likes to hang around with folks who really, really love the idea of a theocracy. Honestly, Texas. What's in the water down there?

Rick Perry's Army of God ought to shake you up a bit. And if they ever get their wish for power in governance, they'll really shake you up.

Rick Perry's Going to Run

2011-08-11T12:50:00.002-04:00

And immediately be considered the front-runner...

It's all but official.

I've already talked a bit about my concerns for this guy, who doesn't even have a 50% approval rating in Texas... he's a guy who's never had a non-political job, yet he keeps moving upward despite a miserable climate here.

Education funding and social security were slashed to help shave $31 billion from our budget, which still faces a 2-year budget shortfall estimated at $15 to $27 Billion earlier this year, because it's impossible for us to even entertain the notion of tax increases among our corporations. Average salaries in Texas have dropped, along with the rest of the nation, and are actually about $2000 below the national average while Poverty rates are about 20% higher (see here). His malpractice tort reform has done little to cap healthcare costs; instead it gives er quacks as close to a free pass as you can get.

Then there's the whole secessionist problem. It appears that his roots to confederate ideas is not an isolated incident (his spokeswoman has stated that the governor has never joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans, though the paraphernalia unearthed in the article listed suggests otherwise).

Rick Perry's ties to fundamental Christianity is no secret, particularly in light of his recent participation (as a private citizen, not in his capacity as governor) in The Response, which was run by groups who admitted their goal was to convert people to Christianity. Slightly less well known is Rick Perry's open disregard for Supreme Court Precedent, taking part in an organized prayer at a public school back in 2001. His premise was that he wanted to get prayer back in schools, but go ask anyone who's ever taken a final exam if they've prayed in school and you'll know that it's never left public schools.

I have stated this before, but I'll restate it more than once - Rick Perry has been bad for Texas, and he will be bad and facially divisive if he's put in charge of America. This isn't a divisiveness borne from opposition to his policies for being an "other" or a guy with the wrong initial next to his name; it's deeply ingrained divisiveness that festers and is not what this country needs at this time.

Holy Cow

2011-08-10T12:26:00.002-04:00

Going to start sending my resume to corporations in Europe. The vitriol and unseriousness of our "leaders" is getting to be unpalpable. How can anyone get anything done with an opposition party who has outright said their top priority is not running the country, but ensuring that you don't get a second term? It's not even that they are opposed on policy points. They're opposed simply because there's a different initial next to his name. The lockstep opposition to anything is not just not constructive, but as we've seen with the Dow this week, it's actively destructive. And our cuckolded press is so desperate to show their "balance" by insisting on pointing out the situation as a "both sides do it" construct that they've completely bailed on even pretending to be intellectually honest, as if that's going to keep the Dittoheads and 27%ers from calling them anything but the "leftist" media.

I've noticed recently that whenever I discuss politics with a tea party Republican (redundant, but still), there is a trend. You can criticize Democrats and then pile on. However, if you make a cogent point about any Republican the very first thing they will do is pick a random Democrat to trash. It's a clever piece of deflection and a great way of controlling the narrative. It's also exactly what the Rush Limbaughs of the world do - we won't talk about the subject you want; instead we're going to pretend we're talking about the same subject, but on my terms."

Nothing can happen when we can't have a serious discussion about the intransigence of one half of our political makeup.

This Week in White Racism

2011-08-03T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hey. Did y'all know our president is bi-racial? While that might make no difference to you, other than causing you to appreciate the historic aspect of the fact that a person of color has been elected president for the first time in our nation's history, for others it just doesn't seem right. They can't accept it. While I don't presume to speak for these people or be able to fully explain their discomfort and/or discomfiture, I do feel qualified to discuss it. Bigotry, after all, isn't very complicated, and I know what it looks like, having seen too much of it. Occasionally, a self-loathing person will project that self-hatred onto others and display a prejudice against people who openly embody that "secret" trait they most despise in themselves; however, in its truest form, bigotry is simply the hatred of anyone the hater perceives is different from themselves. For purposes of this post, we are talking about a "different" skin color.

The concept of "race" is a fluid one, and the way we perceive race now has its roots, in part, in Europe's colonization efforts. Race was an expedient invention. After all, if the "white" colonizers were going to justify their brutishness, they needed the conquered peoples to seem inferior, and even sometimes little better than animals. The quickest way to identify "the other" was by skin color. That still holds true for some people to this very day. Some people still really believe that a man CAN be judged by the color of his skin and their equation of humanity roughly breaks down like this:

White skin = Good
Black skin = Bad
Pres. Obama = 1/2 White + 1/2 Black = x
Pres. Obama looks Black
x = Bad

Sound too simple? Well, sorry, but bigotry mostly is practiced by simple-minded ignoramuses (ignorami?) who can't be bothered to think, and who need "clues" like skin color to assess the worth of a fellow human being. And, I'm sorry, but when you have racial epithets bubbling so prominently in your sub-conscious that they actually slide down to the tip of your tongue and then, inevitably, make their way out as words you say out loud in front of God and everybody, I can say with confidence you have some racist tendencies. And by "tendencies" I mean you are a racist, whether you believe it or not. So when a Congressman uses a phrase like "tar baby" when discussing the president's policies and a political pundit uses the term "boy" to refer to this president, honestly, the context is built in, so whatever you claim you "meant" is automatically suspect.

Look, I've said my share of dumb things and then some. In my youth, I made bigoted comments because I was unaware, insensitive, ignorant, and just didn't get it. Honestly, though, Congressman Lamborn (R-CO), who uses the term "tar baby" anymore, even if they ARE talking about a "quagmire?" The good news is (and I'm living proof), ignorance can be overcome. To Representative Lamborn's credit, he did apologize personally to the president. If somehow he was not aware before how racist he sounded, he is now; and you have to start rehabilitation somewhere.

On the other hand, Pat Buchanan, stiff-necked as ever, doesn't understand that sometimes people can infer an intent from your words. He can say what he wants behind closed doors with his "like-minded" friends, and probably does so, but he can hardly take offense at the public reaction when he uses a racially-charged term about a non-white president, especially since he is ... well, he's Pat Buchanan. Frankly, if he apologized at this point, in order to be sincere, it would have to go something like this: "Sorry I exposed myself as the bigot I am yet again. But I've still got a job. Yay, me."

Bad Press - And I'm Not Talking About Public Relations. I'm Talking About a Public Duty

2011-07-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

[hat tip mamamimi] Media Blows Debt Crisis Coverage With Balance Bias

You can file this under "We Been Knowin' That," or under "Dude, Where's My Public Airwaves?" Either way, there's no doubt that the American media no longer understand their role. It's no longer true that "You are entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts." Political leaders' and pundits' opinions are reported as fact every hour of every day. The writer of the above-linked piece maintains that the real story is not about the plans; it's about the dysfunctional politics as demonstrated by Boehner's dilemma of not having enough votes for his own plan.

But there are layers to this "Balance Bias" the writer writes about. Let's pretend for a minute that the opposing "plans" really are the story. I mean, if a journo is going to to choose that Spy vs. Spy storyline, then, by Murrow, WRITE/REPORT THE STORY. For example, I don't want to know "Why both sides say the other side's plan will hurt you," Mr. Reporter (I actually screamed those very words at my television earlier this week)! I want to know why ONE SIDE IS RIGHT ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE'S PLAN, AND THE OTHER IS WRONG. It's called ANALYSIS, and it actually used to be a part of a journalist's job. No more. Stephen Colbert had it just about right when he called you guys stenographers. And it just gets worse.

As a result of the 4th Estate's repeated and woeful failures, we are becoming a more ignorant, more polarized, more ideological, more scorched-earth-loving-and-solution-hating society than ever before, and when push comes to shove, we will pay dearly. In fact, we already are paying dearly.

When Fear Makes You Hate Your Fellow Countrymen

2011-07-26T17:14:00.000-04:00

I don't check my email that is associated with this blog as often as I should because, frankly, you people hardly ever write to me (and you never call). Today, I went to check it and had several messages from someone writing me from Myfellowamerican.com. It's a project that is attempting to battle islamaphobia in a nation that has as one of its cornerstones the freedom of religion.

You might ask, is it really that bad? Isn't it just a few fearful haters who are engaged in this kind of rhetoric? I'll simply associate myself with Stephen Colbert's assessment of the latest journalistic "fact-finding" fail.

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What John Boehner Did Last Night Was Shameful

2011-07-26T11:02:00.001-04:00

[What Boehner didn't say out loud: "Yes, yes. I know my fellow Republicans and I raised this debt ceiling thing 7 times while George W. Bush was president, but 8 is just too much. 8 times is just a bridge too far. We could do 7 - I mean, what's 7? It's like what Dick Cheney said about the deficit - 'it's just a number.' But 8? 8!!? No! Never! That is just too much, sir! 8, and not the cumulative effect of 1 -7, is ruination."]

There was one phrase in President Obama's speech last night that will, for me, forever capture the differences between Barack Obama and any Republican currently holding office that you can name: "...to Speaker Boehner's credit, he tried ...." That simple difference is graciousness, and it is one of the most undervalued traits in modern America.

Of the two speeches you witnessed or heard last night, which one more closely matched the news reports you have been reading for the last few weeks? Which one seemed more honest? Hell, which one made more sense?

Boehner had barely begun to speak before he said something to the effect of "We've got news for Washington..." Huh? Boehner IS Washington, and the most infuriating part is even Boehner knows that. Later in the very same speech he spoke of how a commission to get things on track as proposed by his "new" plan would not be conducted by "outsiders," another very ungracious dig at the president. Which is it, Mr. Speaker? You're still just a regular guy from Ohio who's not part of the Washington insider crowd although you've been in D.C. for 20 years and just love you some lobbyists? Or, you've been in D.C. for 20 years, love you some lobbyists, and, therefore, you and your Washington insider pals are going to work on "studying" the problem?

I couldn't get through to my representative last night, so here is my "feedback."

Dear GOP (and this most definitely includes Rep. Myrick and Senator Richard Burr):
Your party's stiff-necked, stubborn, stupid approach to virtually every problem this country has had to tackle with both hands since President George W. Bush left office is going to ruin all of us, not just the Americans you hate. Good job.

Dear Democrats (including Senator Hagan): I am only hoping that you saved up your chutzpah for this moment, since you have demonstrated little of it up to now. Don't blink. For once, find your courage and stick to the principles you claim to hold.

DoD panel calls for radical retirement overhaul - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

2011-07-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

When your whole plan revolves around cutting benefits for working class so that the (Balloon Juice co-opted term) Galtian Overlords can afford their tax breaks, and you've already stuck it to the soon-to-be elderly with the Ryan Plan, I guess is makes sense to crap on the military...

If I'm not careful, I'm going to have a Schadenfreude hangover

2011-07-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all. Remember this? I would feel guilty but for the fact that I believe to my core that Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has done immeasurable damage to this nation, has fostered hate and partisanship, and has preyed upon ignorance and fear for profit. That's what I sincerely believe. I can't, therefore, apologize that I am smug about his comeuppance and all that that might entail.

We Can Always Count on the "New" GOP to Help Out the Favored 30%

2011-07-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

... or not even 30%: Poll shows 71% Disapprove of Republican Handling of Debt Limit Crisis. But, apparently, these Tea Party darlings know better than everyone else. They know what's good for the rest of us (that would be 71 - give or take - % of us). Somebody want to tell me again what the definition of "Elitist" is?