tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-615277 2013-05-23T13:16:00-05:00 writing is only real on the first draft: liberal manifestos, media & journalism discussion, political crack & general mayhem TypePad Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with NewsAlloySubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with Attensa for OutlookSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with FlurrySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily Rotation tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c7c5019970b 2013-05-23T13:16:00-05:00 2013-05-23T13:16:00-05:00 Athenae Lucky Coburn: Coburn, speaking to CBS, insisted that he stands by the need to offset emergency aid. He won't have to test that position in this particular emergency because his colleagues in the Senate and House stuck to the previous... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191026e9c2b970c 2013-05-23T09:38:25-05:00 2013-05-23T09:38:25-05:00 Adrastos I haven't posted a sideshow banner for awhile and, for some weird reason, this one spoke to me. I wonder if these wee duckies were around during the BP oil spill? Today's PFT provides an excellent pretext for posting this... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c7bd316970b 2013-05-23T07:08:22-05:00 2013-05-23T07:08:22-05:00 Michael F From Album4 And imagine these piles across the United States if the Keystone Pipeline project is approved Canada's oil sand mines will eventually produce up to 2 trillion barrels of oil and what that could mean for the environment has... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa346df2970d 2013-05-22T22:45:47-05:00 2013-05-22T22:44:58-05:00 Adrastos Yeah, I know ,I don't have any class but I never claimed to. Neither, however, does Anthony Weiner. Chutzpah? Absolutely. Class? Absolutely not. You would think that tweeting pictures of your junk would disqualify you from being Mayor of Noo... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa32d787970d 2013-05-22T16:11:00-05:00 2013-05-22T16:11:00-05:00 Athenae The commenters aren't getting any friendlier: What does God say about hoarding? Need a reminder? DON'T. What does God say about leaving the f'ing corners of your fields for the widows and poor????? Withholding aid to those in need is... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c75d713970b 2013-05-22T14:56:39-05:00 2013-05-22T14:55:24-05:00 Adrastos I am on record as loathing CNN's bombastic and pompous anchor critter, Wolf Blitzer. I recall when Bernie Shaw and Judy Woodruff were the faces of that network and Wolf's, uh, stature is evidence of the decline and fall of... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa32c88c970d 2013-05-22T11:05:42-05:00 2013-05-22T11:06:14-05:00 Athenae "Even our savior on the cross believed that the Lord had forsaken Him." "You don't want to try that with me. It was all over for Jesus in three days." -- Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow I often wonder why... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef019102097a96970c 2013-05-22T08:33:24-05:00 2013-05-21T14:37:49-05:00 Adrastos I used to have a promotional poster for this LP hanging on my wall eons ago. I have no idea whatever happened to it, but the image of GW and Marilyn cruising together still makes me smile. It's another cover... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191026525c6970c 2013-05-21T21:34:38-05:00 2013-05-21T21:34:38-05:00 Athenae Apparently we de-annexed or excommunicated or whatever the Virgin Islands, because we don't have any responsibility to take care of them anymore: “[Sandy aid] was totally different,” Inhofe said on MSNBC Tuesday morning. “They were getting things, for instance, that... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191026516e0970c 2013-05-21T21:34:28-05:00 2013-05-21T21:33:16-05:00 Adrastos I have a friend who maintains that mainstream European Conservatives aren't all that wingnutty. I hope that he's paying attention to the intra-Tory party debate over marriage equality. Here's what former Party Chairman and Thatcher intimate, Lord Norman Tebbit had... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c6d1abe970b 2013-05-21T15:37:05-05:00 2013-05-21T15:37:05-05:00 Athenae How dare journalists question his stance on disaster relief after a disaster in his state: Funding questions show the crassness of Washington over the sensitivity we need for Oklahoma. Oklahoma does, indeed, need "sensitivity." They also need money. Lots of... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa28f93c970d 2013-05-21T09:23:48-05:00 2013-05-21T09:24:23-05:00 Athenae Surprisingly, people are not satisfied by his "thoughts and prayers:" Your thoughts and prayers are wonderful, Senator, but they're not going to house, feed, and clothe the families that lost their homes. It is not governmental overreach to help those... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa24f784970d 2013-05-20T23:11:17-05:00 2013-05-20T23:11:17-05:00 Athenae Or, at the very least, needs to fire his press secretary: Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive tornado that blasted through Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday with cuts elsewhere in... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01910256eef4970c 2013-05-20T16:41:59-05:00 2013-05-20T16:41:59-05:00 Adrastos Style and substance go hand in hand in the best episodes of Mad Men. It is *always*stylish in a variety of ways and sometimes style overwhelms substance, The Crash is one of those episodes. It's made up of some great... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0192aa18d911970d 2013-05-20T12:08:00-05:00 2013-05-20T12:08:00-05:00 Athenae Via Jeff on Facebook, sweet baby Jesus: Last week, on the first stop of the $45 tour, guide Lynn Battaglia, from Pittsburgh, pointed out a housing project. She then mocked the Grand Concourse, modeled after a Parisian boulevard. “Do you... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef019102437420970c 2013-05-20T06:10:00-05:00 2013-05-20T06:10:00-05:00 Tommy T Good morning, everyone! I see there's quite a few drums of concentrated stupid lined up in the staging area with "Ben Gazzara" stamped all over them. Let's suit up and investigate, shall we? The first one just says - But...but....but....BENGHAZZZZZIIIII!‏... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef019102538c82970c 2013-05-19T22:52:17-05:00 2013-05-19T22:52:17-05:00 Athenae These two. It's like somebody sat down and said let's invent something that will make your heart explode. If the actors sucked maybe my chest wouldn't ache. Here's what Davos was getting at, from the books: “‘There’s much I don’t... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c5d71f7970b 2013-05-19T22:41:54-05:00 2013-05-19T22:41:54-05:00 Adrastos Governor PBJ has weighed in on the fake IRS "scandal:" “You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom, When you do that, you go to jail." The "scandal"... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191023a4bf3970c 2013-05-19T00:00:00-05:00 2013-05-16T22:54:23-05:00 Adrastos I still have Star Trek on my mind. I stumbled into this documentary on cable the other day and watched it again. The fans are a bit nutty but also pretty darn intelligent, just like my readers. My favorite is... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c549c7c970b 2013-05-18T21:35:39-05:00 2013-05-18T21:37:01-05:00 Adrastos As you may have noticed, I love British politics; especially when one of the major parties is committing seppuku. The quote comes from an unnamed close associate of David Cameron's and it is aimed at local constituency branches of the... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c4fe60f970b 2013-05-18T08:40:24-05:00 2013-05-18T08:40:24-05:00 Athenae We're having a few friends over at Casa Athenae today, and I'm making spinach-sweet-potato pizza, loosely based on this recipe. What's your favorite party food? A. tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191023ed483970c 2013-05-17T15:19:58-05:00 2013-05-17T22:09:08-05:00 Adrastos The good news is that they got the putrid gangbanger who opened fire on the second line in Treme. I should say alleged shooter but the case looks rock solid unless, that is, they blow it. Mayor Landrieu and Chief... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191023d65af970c 2013-05-17T10:01:55-05:00 2013-05-17T10:01:55-05:00 Doc Every fan who has ever experienced it has “that moment” etched in their minds. For the folks who loved the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was the demolition of Ebbets Field by a wrecking ball that was painted to look like a... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191023d3dfd970c 2013-05-17T09:38:10-05:00 2013-05-17T09:36:43-05:00 Adrastos Yeah, I know they call them trousers there but I'm following up on the Pierce/Gohmert theme. The populist right wing UKIP party is facing more scrutiny after its recent success at the polls. One of its donors is engaged in... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c44633e970b 2013-05-17T08:27:58-05:00 2013-05-17T08:27:58-05:00 Adrastos It comes from the great Charles Pierce in a post entitled Louie Gohmert Gets Pantsed: Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas, perhaps the dumbest mammal to enter a legislative chamber since Caligula's horse, and Gohmert's only the half of that, pretty... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef017eeb440291970d 2013-05-17T07:21:37-05:00 2013-05-17T07:21:37-05:00 Athenae Pick which of these statements "rings truer," because that is the standard by which we measure truth: Hard as it may be, then, set aside your own politics and ask yourself which of these Monday statements rings truer: "The whole... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c468620970b 2013-05-17T07:01:18-05:00 2013-05-17T07:01:18-05:00 Athenae How do we get a Bucky, a chicken-Riot, and an itty-bitty Claire up and about? Tell them there's a treat in the other room: A. tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c444227970b 2013-05-17T06:30:00-05:00 2013-05-16T22:47:11-05:00 Adrastos We have a trunk as a coffee table. It's attractive, sturdy and it's marked House of Representatives. It was a hand me down from my late boss, friend, and mentor Congressman Gillis Long who died many years ago. We used... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0191023a316c970c 2013-05-16T22:37:51-05:00 2013-05-16T22:37:51-05:00 Adrastos This is not an original observation, but I'm sick and tired of gate being apended to every political feeding frenzy that comes down the pike. Watergate was a sui generis scandal that was rooted in the sick, twisted and paranoid... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef01901c3738e5970b 2013-05-16T10:26:45-05:00 2013-05-16T10:25:27-05:00 Adrastos This was one of the last times Orson Welles directed a picture at a major Hollywood studio. It's a good one, but the stories surrounding it are better than the movie itself. Orson royally pissed off Columbia Studio goniff Harry...