IntoxiNation

Another Middle East Endorsement?

jamie — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:06:57 +0000

Not for Obama, but for a plan Obama laid out that the right has tried to shoot down time and time again:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.

In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

I wonder what the White House spin on this will be. Will they try to write it off as another "translation error", or will they secretly go into "overthrow Maliki" mode?

Gramms Out Again!

jamie — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:23:05 +0000

Yup - now he is gone again. Via TPM:

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm issued the following statement:

"It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country. That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain's ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country's problems, it hurts the country. To end this distraction and get on with the real debate, I hereby step down as Co-Chair of the McCain Campaign and join the growing number of rank-and-file McCain supporters."

Sounds like a lot of whining from the former Senator.

Michael Savage Shows His Lack Of Intelligence (Again)!

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:08:00 +0000

This is beyond the pale. Michael Savage said autism is "a fraud, a racket". Here's the clip from Media Matters:

I have a 35 year old brother who is autistic and I can tell you first hand that it is far from being a fraud or racket. Those are terms best left for the idiot Michael Savage, who also needs a good ass kicking.

There's More»»

Is This How McCain Intends To Win Hearts And Minds?

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:00:10 +0000

By having one of his surrogates out there saying the "Muslims are going to kill us all":

One of John McCain's fellow POW's in Vietnam defended the war in Iraq, saying, "The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us.''

In a phone call with reporters arranged by the McCain campaign, Colonel Bud Day added: "I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel.''

Muslim leaders have complained that they have been villified as terrorists since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Republicans are bound and determined to turn this whole thing into a holy war. Bud Day is another example of right wing hysteria surrounding Muslims, and should heed a strong warning against the future if McCain becomes our next President.

It also shows why so many Muslim leaders support Obama for President. Obama doesn't spew this hatred out, nor believe it, like McCain and his ilk. Besides, if we really believed that and ended up wining a war against all Muslims, what religion would be next? I'm sure we would find someone to go after.

The WII Is Not The #1 Selling Game System In The U.S.

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:57:00 +0000

I can understand why. I managed to get my hands on one a couple of weeks ago and I am in love with it. I'm not a big gamer, I just bought the WII for the WII fit, but this thing is addictive.

Was it hard to get? Hell yeah. I went through a nightmare trying to get one on EBay. I finally won an auction for a WII system that was in Illinois. After a week I didn't receive it and contacted the seller. Turns out he said it was coming from China. CHINA, despite him advertising it as coming from Illinois. So after another few days, I finally got my box and it contained five pairs of shoes - no WII. I filed with PayPal and Ebay and had my money back that night, so no big deal.

Finally I got lucky. I resorted to the Google and found them for sale online through Toys R' Us. This was a bigger package that had the WII sports, plus three games, so it cost about $100 more, but that wasn't a problem (the other games are actually fun also). Now I got my WII and play it every day. It gets me off this damn computer and moving around a little more.

My suggestion if you are looking for one is to just Google. Check a couple of times a day, because they will pop up about as quick as they disappear. I would stay away from EBay on the WII, as most people are trying to oversell. I have seen them offering the WII with 5 games and two controllers for $400+ dollars. The five games are the five included in WII sports and the two controllers are actually the one controller and the nunchuck extension. It's the same system as sells for $250 when you find them in stores. Of course if you really want one and money is no object - go ahead and get it.

A Trial Seperation?

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:43:00 +0000

So you thought John McCain was done with Phil Gramm? Well you were wrong:

After Sen. John McCain publicly repudiated his close friend and adviser Phil Gramm's comments about a "nation of whiners" and a "mental recession," the two old political comrades patched up their relationship.

Gramm apologized to McCain for his remarks that gave Democrats an opening against the Republican presidential candidate and provided several days of ammunition for blogs, cable television and radio talk shows. McCain told Gramm not to worry about the expected pitfalls of a campaign surrogate. Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate.

Gramm remained a steadfast supporter last year when it appeared that McCain's campaign had collapsed. McCain was a loyal backer of Gramm's failed 1988 campaign for president and did not leave until the candidate dropped out of the race.

So Gramm is to remain an "adviser" to McCain. He apologized to McCain, but not the American people for calling them "whiners" when it comes to the economy. This proves that McCain is standing by his friend and adviser and must believe what Gramm has said. Must be easy when you have a multi-millionaire wife to support your ass.

A Must See Movie

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:33:00 +0000

So I broke down and went to see Dark Knight last night. One word - WOW. Heath Ledger's role as Joker was unbelievable. I can't remember such a psychotic role in any movies, and he played it perfect. I can really see what they mean when they said the role got to him. If you want action, this movies has tons of it also.

Is This The Leader We Want?

jamie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:46:48 +0000

McCain talks about Obama missing stuff, well look here:

It turns out that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has attended even fewer Afghanistan-related Senate hearings over the past two years than Obama's one. Which is a nice way of saying, McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee, has attended zero of his committee's six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years.

[SNIP]

A review of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings as listed on the committee Web site for the past two years reveals that McCain's committee has held six hearings that included the word "Afghanistan" in the title or Central Command -- which overseas U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

McCain missed them all.

(emphasis added)

McCain constantly attacks Obama on missing hearings, yet Mr. 'Foreign Policy' hasn't even mustered the gumption to attend one meeting on Afghanistan? This guy is a total joke and fraud, but I got a feeling it will be written off as another "senior moment".

A New MSNBC Host?

jamie — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:19:19 +0000

This would so rock:

“At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show,” said Phil Griffin, hours before he was promoted on Wednesday to president of MSNBC. “She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

She is Rachael Maddow. Rachael would be awesome on her own show.

Now Mitt Romney Insults David Petraeus

jamie — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:42:09 +0000

The Mittster is now claiming John McCain came up with the whole surge.

So why do these Republicans show such little respect for David Petraeus, and why don't the wingnuts who were pushing for Petraeus to run for President come out in his defense? This shows the lack of respect for our military from the right.

There's More»»

Why Does John McCain Keep Insulting Petraeus?

jamie — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:45:50 +0000

I keep hearing McCain talk about the surge like it was "his plan". I thought it was the "Petraeus plan"? Isn't this rather insulting to our top General in Iraq? If Iraq was going down the crapper right now, would McCain be referring to it as the Petraeus plan again?

Legislating New History

jamie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:09:17 +0000

Elizabeth Dole seems to think that naming an AIDS funding bill after Jesse Helms will erase the years of bigotry that scum brought upon our capital. What next? The George W. Bush Diplomacy Act, or the Dick Cheney Energy Conservation Bill?

Is MSNBC That Bored?

jamie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:37:45 +0000

Three different times I turned on MSNBC and those three times the story they were covering was Hillary Clinton's new haircut. "Her hair is shorter and her part is on the right". This is news? I'm not the only one who has noticed it either.

Retreat!

jamie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:36:23 +0000

US Troops in Afghanistan are forced to pull out of the base where 9 soldiers were killed a few days ago.

Overridden!

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:04:44 +0000

Bush's veto of the Medicare bill early has been overridden by Congress. Here are the numbers:

House: 383-41
Senate:70-26

Not sure if McCain showed up for the vote, but I highly doubt it.

Bush Vetos Bill To Stop Medicare Cut

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:07:07 +0000

The bill does have a veto proof majority in both houses, so it might get overturned. The big question - will John McCain show up to help insure the veto gets overturned, or will he miss it and try to claim victory if it succeeds? This is what he did on the original vote - wouldn't say anything about it, but didn't show up to vote for or against it (and was the only Senator who missed the vote). Of course once it passed, McCain acted like he was all for it.

Google To Hand Over Anonymous YouTube Logs

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:49:42 +0000

It amazed me a few weeks ago when a federal judge ruled that Google had to turn over the viewer logs for YouTube to Viacom, in Viacom's lawsuit. I read a lot of blogs that quickly blasted the decision as an invasion of privacy. It looks like they were following the tinfoil hat committee:

Google and Viacom have reached a deal to protect the privacy of millions of YouTube watchers.

Earlier this month, a New York federal judge ordered Google to turn over YouTube user data to Viacom and other plaintiffs to help them prepare a confidential study of what they argue are vast piracy violations on the video-sharing site.

Google claims it had now agreed to provide plaintiffs' attorneys with a version of a massive viewership database that blanks out YouTube usernames and IP addresses that could be used to identify individual video watchers.

Now I am not a lawyer, but this makes perfect sense. Viacom never planned on going after the millions of people who may have seen their content on YouTube. Think about it for a second - if they did these people have the ability to really hurt Viacom by simply turning off Comedy Central, not going to movies by Paramount, or boycotting any other product Viacom offers. Instead the decision was made so that Viacom could prove that people were using YouTube to watch the videos. It's part of the chain of evidence, and the ruling makes perfect sense.

Back to the bloggers for a minute. There are some on the left that really got to me. They were so quick to denounce this lawsuit and blast Viacom openly. Some of these bloggers are the very same that will fire off a nasty email to other bloggers when they feel like their content has been used without attribution. It's amazing how they love to apply double standards on this stuff.

Look At All The Whiners!

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Look at all these whiners lined up to get their money out of IndyMac. Don't they know it's all in their head, according to Phil Gramm and many Republicans?

Record Low!

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

The dollar has dropped to a record low, but don't worry - it's all in your head.

Facts On The Ground!

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:45:17 +0000

That's what the Republicans love to say about Iraq. Here's a fact - 28 Iraqi army recruits were killed by a suicide bomber.

Daily Flickr

jamie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:08:56 +0000

i know the butterfly ...
Originally uploaded by jude

Not mine, but I love this image.
There's More»»

Christian Youth Home Teacher Impregnated By Student

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:41:23 +0000

Hypocrisy knows no end:

A house mother and teacher at a Christian group home was arrested Monday on six counts of sexual battery after she became pregnant by a 16-year-old Butler County boy who was under her care.

Carolynn Hatcher, 25, allegedly carried on a two-month affair with the boy at Mid-Western Children's Home in Pleasant Plain, said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel.

The affair ended after another child living at the home reported it in May, Hutzel said.

I wonder how hard the court's will slap her wrists?

Rule One Of Being A Foreign Policy Expert

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:12:58 +0000

Know world geography:

At a press availability today, John McCain expressed concern about relations between Russia and a country that hasn't existed for quite some time:

"I was concerned about a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several days. One was reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia. Apparently that is in reaction to the Czech's agreement with us concerning missile defense, and again some of the Russian now announcement they are now retargeting new targets, something they abandoned at the end of the Cold War, is also a concern."

Czechoslovakia, of course, split into two separate countries in 1993.

McCain has failed rule one on numerous occasions. Another "senior moment", or just plain ignorance? Either way, do we really want him running this nation? I would say NOT!

Blue Florida?

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:38:00 +0000

A huge increase in Democratic voter registrations shows that Florida could end up swinging blue this year. Let the Republicans keep hammering away at offshore drilling, and this possibility will become a certainty.

An Interesting Question

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:29:11 +0000

Are polls off due to the increased popularity in people having cell phones only? This is interesting, and the younger generation seem more into the cell-phone only way of living now. This is Obama's key demographic also. Perhaps the pollsters need to reevaluate their way of polling. I guess they couldn't run a poll asking this question, since it would be 100% land line use (that's the only phones they call!).

Is Gas Cheaper Yet?

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:32:59 +0000

Bush is lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling, put in place by his father. Does that mean that gas prices are cheaper now? If you listen to Republicans, they would have you believe that the instant more offshore drilling is allowed that prices will decline. Welcome to their fantasy land!

American Tradition Sold

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:11:00 +0000

I guess the Bud Bowl will now be played with a round football, as Anheuser-Busch has now been sold to Belgium brewer InBev. Our American traditions are being outsourced right before our eyes.

Give Me A Break!

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0000

People blaming Chuck Schumer for the collapse of Indymac is getting ridiculous. Now we have one of Kudlow's butt buddies taking the bait.

It's funny how most haven't heard of Schumer's criticism of Indymac until after the collapse. Now that it's over, they have found their scapegoat, who happens to be a Democrat. Here's a question that needs to be asked - If Schumer's criticism of the bank was enough to bring it down, then how sound was the bank? Seriously. Chuck Schumer, or any Senator for that matter, could hold the entire nation hostage by threatening a letter saying all our banks are going to collapse. Is our nation in that delicate of a balance? If so then Chuck Schumer should be applauded for telling the truth.

(H/T/ Chris in Paris who has much more)

World's Oldest Blogger Dies

jamie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:08:36 +0000

This is a pretty amazing story. Olive Riley of South Wales, Australia, was considered the world's oldest blogger. She died at the age of 108. I wish we had more seniors blogging and sharing their life experiences. It would really open our eyes to more in the world.

Cycling Debate Hits The Blogosphere

jamie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:29:34 +0000

I have missed the debate going on about cycling safety and sharing the road that has emerged in the blogosphere this past week. As an avid cyclist, I am glad to see this debate gain more attention, as I feel it is very important.

Ezra Klein has linked some excellent posts that show how the debate is evolving, but the disturbing part is the comments on these blogs. So many people believe that cyclists have no right on the road, so that gives motorists carte blanche to do what they want to them. To those people - you are so wrong.

In most states, cyclists enjoy the same laws as motorists. There are those foolish cyclists that don't follow the laws, but there are also drivers who ignore the laws of the road. That means the people trying to blame it all on the "crazy cyclists" or kids on bikes, should also point the finger to the idiotic driver behind the wheel of a car.

There's also debate the cyclists don't get the same use of the roads, because we don't pay taxes. Damn - I want a refund! This has to be the poorest argument I have ever heard. By that same logic, semi drivers should be allowed to do whatever they want, even if that means running soccer mom and the kids off the road so the semi can make it's delivery. After all, truck drivers pay the most in taxes when it comes to the road.

What we need is a national movement to better educate drivers and cyclists on how to share the road. America is way behind the rest of the world in cycling, but with some determination and direction we could catch up. Drivers need to learn that they share the road with cyclists, just like cyclists must obey the laws of the road. I love seeing drivers get tickets, but I actually enjoy seeing cyclists get them more. It shows the cyclist, as well as the passing motorists, that there are laws to help protect cyclists. If a cyclist ignores the laws, then they do deserve that ticket.

Finally, being a cyclist I enjoy better health now, as well as save a lot on gas. That short trip down to the store to pick up a loaf of bread costs a lot in the car, but it doesn't cost me anything on my bike (yes - the short, in-town car trips are the most expensive). The other benefit is if you want to really get to know the area you live in. You will be amazed at the things you never notice in the car. Get out on your bike and see your town, and you will gain a new perspective on it.