Little Green Footballs

Video: Circumnavigate the Globe in 3 Minutes

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:35:14 PDT

A trip on the road at supersonic speed spanning across five continents and four seasons.

Official video for "Chemin Vert" of electronic musician A Ghost Train. The video was made using panoramic frames from Google Street View from different parts of the world mapped as stereographic projections.

If you have a fast computer with a powerful graphic card, make sure to try also the immersive, interactive version on: jamez.it/project/chemin-vert/

Video: Giacomo Miceli, jamez.it/
Music: A Ghost Train, aghosttrain.com/
Panos: Google, google.com/

Romney Slips Up, Reveals Alien Amercia Plot

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:37:56 PDT

Their conspiracy theories and fake outrages and persecution fantasies are so irrational and bizarre, we've wondered many times whether today's right wingers might actually be from some other universe.

Well, today we have persuasive evidence that this conjecture, crazy as it might seem, is actually the reality. Because Mitt Romney slipped up and let the alien cat-like creature out of the bag: he's not really campaigning for President of America.

Oh no, my friends.

In truth, Mitt Romney is trying to become leader of the parallel universe version of the United States, known to its weird wingnut inhabitants as "Amercia."

Mitt Romney (L) performs Amercian ceremonial dance with Yog-Sothoth (R)

This explains many things; for example, Romney's robotic mannerisms, his seeming inability to empathize with the concerns of human beings, and his strange stilted grammar. And the laws of nature must be different in Amercia, which would explain why so many wingnuts are Birthers.

The only question left to answer: is the Romney-thing trying to bring about an alternate universe End Times, merging America with Amercia and canceling out both universes entirely in a blinding flash of derp?

Stay tuned for further developments.

New Planned Parenthood Ad Goes After Mitt Romney (Video)

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:27:16 PDT

YouTube Video

Breitbart Blogger Dana Loesch Lies on CNN: 'Nobody Believes Obama Wasn't Born in Hawaii'

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:08:51 PDT

Another day, another outright lie from one of the most dishonest right wing "pundits," Dana Loesch, who told CNN's Carol Costello this morning that right wing Birthers don't exist.

Here is what -- nobody -- nobody believes that the President wasn't born in Hawaii except for people like Phil Berg and the Clintons. Nobody believes that. So I think this whole issue is moot at this point.

Really? "Nobody believes that?"

It's ridiculously easy to show how dishonest Loesch's claim is; all we have to do is go to the website where she's an editor, Breitbart.com, and read the comments for their ludicrous Birther article on that publisher's bio that Obama had nothing to do with: The Vetting - Exclusive - Obama's Literary Agent in 1991 Booklet: 'Born in Kenya and Raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'.

There are more than 5000 comments now in this thread. But Dana Loesch wants the CNN audience to believe that the only Birthers in America are Democrats.

Obama needs to come clean about - "misrepresenting" himself - (like Elizabeth Warren) - and why he acquired a State Grant - under "Barry Soetoro" - as a "FOREIGN" student - as indicated by the California Assembly records - to attend Occidential College - registered as a "foreign" student - from Indonesia - of Muslim faith.

Either he was GAMING the System - "pretending" to be a "foreign" student - to acquire FREE MONEY - through FRAUD - to attend our American univesities,
or he knows that he was "ineligible" to serve as POTUS and Commander-in-Chief - and placed all his PERSONAL information under seal - birth records, college transcripts, passport information, etc. - as his First EXECUTIVE ORDER - to further conceal these matters - while Obama operatives failed to destroy/hide the California Assembly records - listed as a foreign student - as his passort information was destroyed.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, there was a CYBER-CRIME at the US State Department - in which the passport information of Obama/Soetoro was "tweaked" - along with other presidential candidates, such as Hillary Clinton's - as the means to distract from the actual target = to alter the passport information of Barack HUSSEIN Obama/Barry Soetoro.

[...]

I wonder if Romney will bring up the lies of Obama's birth. What would happen if the COURT tried the "case" and prevented him , Obama,from getting in office. This will put the Constitution on trial as well. The culprits are far too many to fit int one big court room........mega media, Soros, etc. etc.

[...]

Everything isn't spelled out in the constitution. But, that a president must be a natural born citizen IS spelled out in the constitution. There are legitimate questions about Obama being a natural born citizen and if he would just be forthcoming, he could put it all to rest.

[...]

It's not about "birther" conspiracy theories. It's not about avoiding the "birther" label at all costs. It's about the staunch secrecy of Barack Obama. It's fundamentally about one simple question: what the hell is Obama hiding?

[...]

Too much to cover it all here.......but one would think anyone who was not a
hopeless Obot would be demanding a real investigation by Congress of
Obama/Soetoro or whoever he is....but Congress knows what the results of the
investigation would be....and prison time is not something they want to
chance.......therefore, no investigation, just obfuscation, lies and denial.

[...]

I think the issue at this point is the cover up. Forgery is a felony. Sheriff Joe's investigation is a "felony investigation." Many people are wondering if there something ELSE about the birth certificate. Why not share it? Why produce a forgery? That in itself is enough to send him packing in my opinion.

[...]

Hawaii verified two things that are fatal to Obama’s qualifications for the presidency: first, he has a foreign father who was never an American; second, Obama is a dual citizen.Hoping to put an end to the story,those pesky ballot challenges and Sheriffs, Hawaii and the AZ SoS perpetuate the myth and meme of ‘born in the USA”, or “American citizen”–as the only qualifying factor for President– to deceive the voting public. The Hawaii release did not authenticate Obama’s 2011 electronic version of the Birth Certificate, leaving Sheriff Arpaio’s investigation in tact and relevant. Hawaii also did not verify anything about Obama’s adoption.

[...]

Obama Lawyer Admits In Court Birth Certificate On White House Website Is A Forgery fedupusa.org/2012/0......

Help Bring War Criminal Obama to Justice infowars.com/help-b...

"We the People Demand a Full Scale Investigation into the Eligibility Requirements of President Obama to be President and to run again for a second term" Sign Here: petition2congress.c......

[...]

It's not just the B.C. of the Impostor, it is the fact that his "Daddy" was never a US citizen which makes B.O. unconstitutionally qualified to even run for POTUS

[...]

His birthplace has not been proven! Your word is NOT proof. You are obviously a moron. A forged digital copy of a birth certificate is NOT proof. We will move on when we are good and ready. We will move on when we get to the bottom of this fraud that has been perpetrated on the America people and find the TRUTH. Go Cold Case Posse!

And when the truth is exposed, you liberals and your manipulative lying media will appear as rats to the American people. Disgusting rats, scurrying about spreading the plague. Then you will effectively be exterminated.

[...]

Check all the way to the bottom.. The footprint is there...simple enough to prove -- or disprove.. My money is on - that he is NOT an American Citizen in any way...
We need him gone...and ...even more right is...in jail !!

I could keep copying and pasting all day -- there are literally thousands of comments from right wing Birthers, who seem to have completely missed the Breitbart.com disclaimer that their article is not promoting Birtherism.

When Dana Loesch says "nobody believes that," she is simply lying. On CNN, in front of the whole country.

(h/t: STLActivist.)

UPDATE at 5/30/12 1:35:48 pm

Loesch replies in her usual way:

Surprise! Creepy middle-aged Ponytail Brigade still being creepy birthers. Yawn.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) May 30, 2012

That's right -- for pointing out that a huge number of the readers of her website are Birthers, she's calling us ... Birthers.

Fox: This Is News? (Featuring Jon Stewart)

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:54:34 PDT

Here's a truly stunning example of Fox News's total lack of journalistic ethics -- a vicious four-minute attack advertisement pretending to be news, on Fox & Friends.

Video

The perfect follow-up: Jon Stewart's opening segment from last night, with an epic rant about Roger Ailes.

Comedy Central Video

Tuesday Night Acoustic: Maneli Jamal - Movement III - on the Run

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:13:00 PDT

YouTube Video

Video: Donald Trump's Birther Craziness on CNN

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:36:47 PDT

YouTube Video

Yet Another Right Wing Hit Job on Planned Parenthood

Tue, 29 May 2012 12:57:43 PDT

The far right religious fanatics of "Live Action" are pushing yet another "hidden camera" hit job on Planned Parenthood today, a hit job so obvious and inept that Planned Parenthood caught on to Live Action's sneaky activities more than a month ago.

This time, the heavily edited video is supposed to be proof that Planned Parenthood encourages women to abort female fetuses: Terribly Dumb Sting Operation Claims It Captures Planned Parenthood Endorsing Sex-Selective Abortion.

Erin Gloria Ryan of Jezebel.com points out that Live Action leader Lila Rose (who has called for abortions to be "done in the public square" and thinks Planned Parenthood is in league with Satan the Evil One) is simply lying again.

Lila Rose, Live Action's leader who is terrified of sluts, told The Daily Caller that this is just a tiny thread in a giant fetus sweater that she's about to unravel.

First of all, the statistics and studies indicate that we are adding to the growing problem across the world of sex-selective targeting of unborn girls for abortion. We are going to be demonstrating - starting with this video from Texas - that the abortion industry in the United States is aiding and abetting this horrific problem.

Sounds pretty legit, right? Except it appears that Rose performed a complicated and risky fact-selective abortion in making that statement — it's pure, steaming bullshit.

Statistics do not indicate that the US has a problem with sex-selective abortions, nor do they indicate an increasing gender discrepancy in the American birth rate. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the sex ratio — the number of baby boys born per 1,000 baby girls — has actually been decreasing slightly but steadily over the last 30 years. In 1983, 1,052 boys were born for every 1,000 girls born in the US; in 2009, 1,048 boys were born for every 1,000 girls. This is only indicative of a "growing problem" if by "growing problem," Rose means "growing anti-abortion rights talking point."

Further, so few abortions in the US occur after the 20th week that even if every single one of them were the result of sex-selection, only 1.5% of pregnancy terminations would occur at a time when sex selection was even possible. Additionally, 77% of Americans surveyed think that sex selective abortion is wrong — they're hardly clamoring to abort in the 23rd week because they want a Jr instead of an -ette.

And finally, as Planned Parenthood pointed out in its statement following the release of this video, even if sex-selective abortion were a problem in the US, interfering with women's access to safe, legal abortion isn't going to fix anything — leading health organizations "do not believe that curtailing access to abortion services is a legitimate means of addressing sex selection, and are clear that gender bias can only be resolved by addressing the underlying conditions that lead to it."

If these fanatical anti-choice loons are so sure they have God on their side, and their cause is so righteous, why do they lie so often?

Of course, all the right wing blogs jumped right into line and started helping promote Live Action's scam, because it's what they do. One example of many: Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, who does that wingnut inverted projection thing again, and dubs this the "real war on women."

Obama's Secret 'Kill List' Unites Far Right and Far Left

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:46:27 PDT

The right wing blogosphere is having yet another anti-Obama freak-out today; this time they're ranting at Obama for doing something they would enthusiastically applaud if it were the policy of a Republican president: Secret 'Kill List' Tests Obama's Principles.

This is an interesting article about the targeted assassinations of Al Qaeda leaders, and the Obama administration's "kill list." Finally, the far left and the far right have found something upon which they can agree, albeit for very different reasons.

WASHINGTON — This was the enemy, served up in the latest chart from the intelligence agencies: 15 Qaeda suspects in Yemen with Western ties. The mug shots and brief biographies resembled a high school yearbook layout. Several were Americans. Two were teenagers, including a girl who looked even younger than her 17 years.

President Obama, overseeing the regular Tuesday counterterrorism meeting of two dozen security officials in the White House Situation Room, took a moment to study the faces. It was Jan. 19, 2010, the end of a first year in office punctuated by terrorist plots and culminating in a brush with catastrophe over Detroit on Christmas Day, a reminder that a successful attack could derail his presidency. Yet he faced adversaries without uniforms, often indistinguishable from the civilians around them.

“How old are these people?” he asked, according to two officials present. “If they are starting to use children,” he said of Al Qaeda, “we are moving into a whole different phase.”

It was not a theoretical question: Mr. Obama has placed himself at the helm of a top secret “nominations” process to designate terrorists for kill or capture, of which the capture part has become largely theoretical. He had vowed to align the fight against Al Qaeda with American values; the chart, introducing people whose deaths he might soon be asked to order, underscored just what a moral and legal conundrum this could be.

Mitt Romney: I Need People Like Donald Trump

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:57:04 PDT

In possibly the most pathetic illustration yet of the Republican Party's descent into madness, Mitt Romney says he needs the support of whacked out Birthers like Donald Trump.

“You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me and my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in,” Romney said. “But I need to get 50.1% or more and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people.”

Twitchy Paranoia: Charles Johnson Is Persecuting Us!

Mon, 28 May 2012 14:05:05 PDT

For several weeks on Twitter, the wingnut army has been staging a massive freak-out about a strange persecution fantasy; they imagine that they're being sent to a "Twitter Gulag" by a conspiracy of left wing activists, who somehow control Twitter with their diabolical liberal super-powers.

What's really happening is that sites like Michelle Malkin's Twitchy.com are organizing and openly calling for right wingers to spam liberals on Twitter, with abusive tweets and lame-brained insults. They even call it "hijacking," in a rare outbreak of honesty. For example: Hijack Alert: Describe Obama in Three Words Takes Off | Twitchy.

Obviously, their stupid and/or nasty comments are offending people, who then presumably use Twitter's "Block and Report" feature to complain to Twitter support -- and as a result, abusive right wingers' accounts get suspended. This is what they're whining about with their absurd self-pitying "Twitter Gulag" nonsense. The same people ordering wingnuts to harass and spam liberals on Twitter then turn around and scream like colicky babies when accounts are suspended because of harassment and spam.

It's a self-perpetuating fake outrage of huge proportions.

To point this out, last night I tweeted:

Here's an idea! If right wingers don't want their Twitter accounts suspended, maybe they shouldn't do stuff like this: lgf.bz/LVXjes

— Charles Johnson (@Lizardoid) May 28, 2012

The link goes to the Twitchy.com article linked above, calling all wingnuts to hijack a liberal conversation.

Today I face the wrath of Twitchy: #TwitterGulag Denier Charles Johnson Advocates Suspension of Conservatives' Twitter Accounts | Twitchy.

For those not familiar with Little Green Footballs’ Charles Johnson, he’s [sic] was once an anti-jihad blogger who returned to the progressive fold a few years ago. Since then, he’s spent his days in a series of giant green meltdowns about fascist wingnut haters.

So what did those nasty right-wingers do this time? Death threats? Hate speech? Maybe tweet someone’s home address?

No, it’s even worse in Johnson’s eyes.

Skipping past the juvenile insults in the opening paragraph, I didn't say anything about death threats or hate speech in that tweet, and I certainly didn't say anything was "worse" than death threats or hate speech, either.

Conservatives dared to mock the president using the hashtag #DescribeObamainthreewords and for that they must be silenced by the spam-block lynch mob. Dissent will not be tolerated. We imagine Johnson also didn’t care for other kids playing in the sandbox when he wanted it all to himself.

Anyone who can actually read English can clearly see that I did not call for anyone to be "silenced" because of their "dissent." I simply pointed out that if you use Twitter for spam and harassment you shouldn't be surprised when your account gets suspended, because people don't like being harassed and spammed, and they will complain about it with the tools Twitter gave them.

For a guy who loves to toss around the word “fascist,” Johnson sure seems to get off on not-so-subtle calls to suppress conservative speech.

Again, there was no "call to suppress conservative speech." This is flat-out dishonesty on Twitchy's part; they're totally making this accusation up, out of absolutely nothing.

While telling his followers that conservatives deserve to be suspended from Twitter for merely participating in the public forum, Johnson also pretends that no such suspensions are happening:

Right wingers have been whining non-stop about their #TwitterGulag persecution fantasy for a solid month.

— Charles Johnson (@Lizardoid) May 28, 2012

Nope, I don't "pretend that no such suspensions are happening," either. Obviously, right wingers who are harassing people are getting suspended. But the idea that it's happening because a liberal conspiracy is persecuting them is a ridiculous fantasy. It's happening because the right wingers who participate in these coordinated attacks are acting like flaming assholes, and getting people pissed off enough to use "Block and Report."

It's a pretty simple principle known as "cause and effect."

@Lizardoid logic: there’s no campaign to suspend conservatives, but all you right-wing nut jobs getting suspended are totally asking for it.

Of course, there's nothing illogical about these two statements put together. Yes, the wingnuts are responsible for their own accounts being suspended, and yes, there is no campaign to suspend conservatives. There isn't even any need for a "campaign." They're doing it to themselves.

A month ago, Johnson characterized conservative free speech on Twitter as “spam,” hinting that followers should block and report conservatives.

.@michellemalkin's Twitchy.com calls on their twitchy readers to spam the #UAWOW hashtag with wingnut hate wp.me/p2aVG0-6ik

— Charles Johnson (@Lizardoid) April 28, 2012

Right wingers harass, abuse, insult & attack people constantly on Twitter, then act outraged and whine when their accounts are suspended.

— Charles Johnson (@Lizardoid) April 30, 2012

More irrational Twitchy paranoia. There's no "hint" to anyone in my tweets; in fact, I didn't even mention the "Block and Report" feature.

Since then, he’s flip-flopped between #TwitterGulag promoter and #TwitterGulag truther.

Would you believe wingnuts are still going nuts about a nonexistent #TwitterGulag? A case study in mass hysteria.

— Charles Johnson (@Lizardoid) May 21, 2012

So which one is it? Either the suspensions are happening and he’s tickled pink or conservatives are tilting at the spam-block windmill. His likely answer? “Shaddup, wingnuts! Get off my narrative!”

Notice that whoever wrote this hit piece uses the slur "truther" to describe me -- because I don't believe their dopey conspiracy theory.

Here's a fact for the Twitchy crew: even if I had the super-powers they seem to think I have, and controlled Twitter, I absolutely would not use that power to silence or suppress right wingers.

I don't want wingnuts silenced. I want them to let out all that hatred and paranoia boiling inside them, in public where everyone can see it. The more people who understand how irrational and deranged the right wing base has become, the better for the country.

P.S. I notice that many of the people complaining about "Twitter Gulag" in that hashtag thread are copying their tweets to Twitter's official support. I'm sure those folks at Twitter really enjoy getting thousands and thousands of comments comparing them to a Communist death camp. Way to get Twitter on your side, wingnuts!

Overnight Video: Create

Sun, 27 May 2012 22:47:14 PDT

Vimeo

Tacit Consent From Breitbart.com Encourages Riehl To Make Sexist Attacks On Conservative Women

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:56:55 PDT

Adam Serwer, writing about Huslter Magazine's despicable portrayal of conservative S.E. Cupp, made a great observation:

Where conservatives look at the Hustler "parody" as indicative of liberal contempt for conservative women, feminists see a larger problem about how women are treated that affects everything from health insurance to how much you take home on your paycheck. To have condemned Limbaugh for his sexism in the same unconditional manner would have been a distraction, because the real problem isn't sexism, it's liberals. For feminists, sexism is the problem, period.

David Waldman put it like this:

Another way of putting it is that once again, liberals think we're all in this together, but conservatives say its all about me

The problem with this outlook among certain conservatives, aside from the fact that it's despicable hypocrisy, is that cheering or allowing sexism against progressive women is bound to encourage sexism against everyone, including conservative women. The kind of guys who lash out with sexist attacks against women for having liberal views are the kind of guys who will lash out with sexist attacks against conservative women for other reasons.

As an example, consider Dan Riehl's sexist attack on Joan Walsh, where he said:

I don't mind Joan Walsh getting low, but if she's going to open her mouth, wish she'd do something I might actually enjoy for once!

Riehl later justified his view by saying Joan Walsh deserves to have creepy sexual things said about her because she says stuff that Riehl disagrees with:

Joan Walsh owes an apology, she isn't entitled to one. And she owes too many more than this one for me to care. Don't like it? ‪#SuckIt‬

This, of course, is the "logic" of sexism. Or maybe worse, as Tommy Christopher points out:

...I would also add that there is an extra dimension to attacks like Riehl's, and Flynt's attack on S.E. Cupp, and the attacks by Playboy Magazine on conservative women that landed me on this site in the first place. The combination of a sexual 'fantasy' with unmasked hostility carries with it an inherent lack of consent that carries these attacks beyond objectification, beyond dehumanization, and into violation.

Tommy Christopher reached out to Breitbart.com to comment on the despicable behavior of their blogger. The site, however, like typical conservative tribalists who don't care about women if those women commit the "sin" of being liberal, refused to respond. In fact, aside from a condemnation from Larry O'Connor and mild encouragement to "just stop" from Mike Flynn, the site's editors refused to say anything remotely critical of Riehl's comments.

And guess what? Encouraged by the silence of Breitbart.com, Riehl went on to make a sexist comment to a conservative woman who criticized him for his comments! Who would have thought that just because he makes sexist comments to women for being liberal, he'd also make sexist comments to other women for having the audacity to criticize him? Oh, that's right, everybody. Here's what he said:

guess a H J is out of the question 2 RT @aprildgregory: wht the Hell kind of man R U? Telling a woman 2 suck U is utterly detestable.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 27, 2012

So there you have it. Breitbart.com encourages sexist attacks via tacit consent, and this leads to sexist attacks against fellow conservatives. Even according to their own warped tribalistic code of ethics, they fail at life.

Saturday Night Acoustic: Maneli Jamal - Movement I - Awakening

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:51:37 PDT

YouTube Video

Irony Alert! Loesch Distracts From Riehl's Misogyny By Tag-Teaming With Another Misogynist

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:23:08 PDT

After Breitbart blogger Dan Riehl's sexist comments about Joan Walsh were publicized, Mediaite's Tommy Christopher asked Dana Loesch for a comment, which makes sense given that Loesch works at Breitbart.com and frequently claims that the War on Women is a liberal conspiracy. Loesch, as is her usual practice, refused to answer the question and desperately tried to change the subject by accusing Christopher of all manner of things. Of course, one of those things was that Christopher is being secretly controlled by, who else, LGF's Charles Johnson.

The person she was talking to, @TookieW, aka Chip Gerdes, is someone I'm very familiar with. He's a nasty person who should be shunned in polite society, so naturally he's close with the Loeschs:

Chip Gerdes, Dana Loesch, and Andrew Breitbart. Photo via Founding Bloggers

Gerdes once threatened to slash the tires on my car, and regularly makes homophobic jokes about me:

After the last time he made a homophobic joke, a fellow activist criticized him and this is how he responded:

So upon being criticized for homophobic remarks, Gerdes immediately attacks the looks of Sarah (who, by the way, is clearly not ugly). Textbook sexism. And you can be sure that the Loeschs will never, ever, even mildly rebuke him for his homophobia or sexism, even while they scream about identical comments from others.

Romney Blogger Dan Riehl: 'If Joan Walsh Is Going to Open Her Mouth, She Should Do Something I'd Enjoy'

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:33:52 PDT

Here's Dan Riehl, a Breitbart.com writer who's on Mitt Romney's list of approved bloggers, reacting to Salon editor Joan Walsh's criticisms of Andrew Breitbart:

I don't mind Joan Walsh getting low, but if she's going to open her mouth, wish she'd do something I might actually enjoy for once!

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@misslexi9162 I know, but one can always fantasize, right? LOL

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

I think I may have just discovered the most polite way of telling Joan Walsh to suck on this. lol

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

&, please, no indignant protestations of any alleged sexist attack. The woman is a pox, not a woman as ive evr considered sum1 2 B 1

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Note again: this isn't just a random wingnut crazy on Twitter; he's one of a select group of right wing bloggers invited to meet personally with Mitt Romney. And also a creepy sexist pig.

(h/t: STLActivist.)

UPDATE at 5/26/12 1:07:19 pm

Now Riehl is reacting to this article:

Yay!! zzzz 2 bad no1 will C it RT @SlinkyBewmont: Hi Dan, you finally made the big time. Front page at @lizardoid 's dying blog #LGF

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

LMAO Chuckels Johnson, loser: "Romney Blogger Dan Riehl: 'If Joan Walsh Is Going to Open Her Mouth, She Should Do Something I'd Enjoy'"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Sez Chuckles, I'm not "just a random wingnut crazy on Twitter; he's one of a select group of right wing bloggers "

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

"invited to meet personally with Mitt Romney. And also a creepy sexist pig"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

OK, I confess, I met Romney in highly secretive meeting, we shook hands, he smiled and actually spoke to me. Shocka.... As we shook hands -

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Mitt leaned in close and said, "Man that Chuckles Johnson really takes it in the azz, doesn't he?" I just acknowledged him and moved on.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

And now Chuckles has the rest of the story for his sorry azzed front page nobody reads. zzzzzzz

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@buszero What can I say. Mitt gave Chuckles his props. Fekt bad witholding it all this time. ; )

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

It's OK. Chuckles big scoop on me will give way to a dumb pic of a sunset and some Eagles music shortly. Stay tuned.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Chuckles is now RTing that Mitt said he takes it in the azz. Now that's a publicity hound! ha ha ha

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@Lizardoid you keep this up and ur blog is going to get put in the "special" section where they make u use large fonts

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Chuckles needs to change his banner to, "The most broadly humiliated blogger on the Internet"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

It's lk fighting w a guy who thinks he's leading a large army against u. U hope he'll wake up 1 day, look back & realize, no1s Bhind him

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Thank God Chuckles let me know he hit a nerve. Here I thought these tears were from laughing at him all afternoon.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Seriously, I'm going to have to record audio here sumtime when I get into it w Chuckles. My Pugs keep raising their heads cuz I rlly do LOL

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

I dont judge ppl who lk 2 go 2 the park on Sats & feed the squirrels. I'd rather stay in the AC & collect nuts lk Chuckles sum days

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Breaking at #LGEffed Tweets "Now up to 24 puerile tweets. DanRiehl is spewing hate like a firehose out of control."

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

A fire hose out of control? Well, we know Chuckles flunked Similes 101, if nothing else.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

SOme real nice friends Chuckles has there, wouldn't you say? Yeah, I'd love to be him, or on his side. Not.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Video: Joan Walsh and David Corn on the Birther Rebirth

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:51:58 PDT

MSNBC Video

It's Official: Romney Will Proudly Stand With America's Best-Known Birther

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:33:43 PDT

One of the clearest signs yet that the Republican Party is off the rails and over the cliff: Romney Camp Stands by Trump After Latest Birther Comments.

(CBS News) Mitt Romney's campaign stood by its decision to use Donald Trump as a top surrogate even as the reality television host continues to insist President Obama was not born in the United States.

Romney is scheduled to appear at a Las Vegas fundraiser Tuesday with Trump, who made headlines last year with his "investigation" of Mr. Obama's birth certificate. ...

In a new interview, Trump pointed to a recent report that Mr. Obama's literary agency listed him in a 1991 booklet as having been born in Kenya.

"He didn't know he was running for president, so he told the truth," Trump told The Daily Beast. "Now they're saying it was a mistake. Just like his Kenyan grandmother said he was born in Kenya, and she pointed down the road to the hospital, and after people started screaming at her she said, 'Oh, I mean Hawaii.' Give me a break."

A former assistant at the literary agency has said the printing was a clerical error.

Today Romney adviser Kevin Madden said the candidate disagrees with Trump, but would continue to campaign with him.

At this point, I'm not really surprised by this news. More like a sort of weary disgust. A GOP presidential candidate openly courting a crazed conspiracy theorist who claims the first black President of the United States was actually born in Kenya. Good grief.

And please note: Donald Trump is citing one of Breitbart.com's utterly moronic BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVES as evidence Obama was born in Kenya -- the BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE that contained a disclaimer saying it was DEFINITELY NOT evidence Obama was born in Kenya.

Onion: Republicans Stalling Obama's Agenda by Speaking, Moving in Slow Motion

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:19:37 PDT

The Onion

Vetting Everywhere! Breitbart's Latest Bombshell Exclusive: Photo of Obama Does NOT Show Bill Ayers!

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:06:41 PDT

Breitbart blogger Charles C. Johnson (who is NOT me) has another exclusive BOMBSHELL SCOOP today for Breitbart.com's "The Vetting" series of nothing-burgers, and if you can find a story in this one, you too can write for Breitbart.com: THE VETTING: IT'S OBAMA, NOT AYERS; FAMOUS PHOTO TAKEN BY ANTI-MILITARY FRIEND.

Mr. Johnson has AUTHENTICATED that the photo in question, taken in 1980, does NOT contain Bill Ayers. An earth-shaking scoop indeed.

Of course, there IS a point to this seemingly moronic article: Obama is evil and actually hates the troops even though there's no evidence of it.

Given Obama's anti-military views at the time, and given how quickly President Obama has been slashing defense spending and downgrading U.S. military capabilities, it's worth wondering whether he still shares that view, despite many campaign-friendly photo-ops with the troops.

We can only hope that the brave Breitbart army never ceases doing the VETTING that the corrupt liberal media refuses to do, and continues bringing us these eye-opening exclusives.

The 7 Most Ridiculous Breitbart Articles of the Week

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:20:07 PDT

This last 7 days has been a real banner week for the blogging heirs of Andrew at Breitbart.com; one stunning non-story after another, each one billed as a BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE, getting progressively more ridiculous in a crescendo of Obama-hating wingnuttery, building to a denouement of derp.

I think we should commemorate this unbroken string of total failures, so here are LGF's picks for the 7 most absurd, irrational, yet inadvertently hilarious Breitbart-related posts of the week:

Breitbart.com Publishes Ludicrous 'Not-Birther' Article (Wink)
"We're not Birthers!" said Joel Pollak, but Breitbart.com's audience got the Birther message loud and clear.

Literary Agent on Breitbart Bombshell: 'A Simple Mistake'
Literary agent completely destroys the Breitbart Not-Birther BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE. Wingnut audience could not possibly care less.

Week in Review: A Right Wing Fail-a-Ganza
Breitbart.com went ballistic over Elizabeth Warren's "plagiarism," called for her to be fired, and said she would "throw her daughter under the bus" to save herself ... after the plagiarism story was already debunked.

Fear the Vetting! Breitbart.com Editor Joel Pollak's Latest Bombshell Exclusive
BOMBSHELL! Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University! Why is that a bombshell again?

Breitbart Blogger Dan Riehl on the Trail of a Bombshell Obama Photoshop Phraud
The Phabulous Photoshopped Phootball Phraud.

Fear the Vetting! Breitbart.com Bombshell Exclusive: We Don't Have Obama's SAT Scores!
Another BOMBSHELL SCOOP, as the Breitbart gang revealed that they did NOT have Barack Obama's SAT scores, and didn't know what they were, but if they did have the scores, George W. Bush's would be higher.

Vetting Themselves: Breitbart Gang in Yet Another Ridiculously Massive Fail
"Barack Obama, the First Tea Partier!" What more do you need to hear?

Thursday Night Jam: Primus - Lee Van Cleef

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:47:34 PDT

Vimeo

Does Anyone Care That the GOP Presidential Candidate Courts Birthers?

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:32:25 PDT

Mitt Romney is appearing with Newt Gingrich next week at a fundraiser in Las Vegas, along with the highest-profile Birther conspiracy theorist in the nation: Gingrich to Join Romney (And Trump) at Vegas Fundraiser.

Newt Gingrich will make his first appearance with presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, on May 29 in Las Vegas.

NBC News has learned the former House speaker will attend a fundraiser for Romney at Trump Towers in Las Vegas Tuesday evening. Donald Trump will also attend.

The last time Gingrich and Romney were in Nevada together was in early February, amid a biter fight for the nomination.

The Myth of 'Obama the Socialist,' Part II

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:35:56 PDT

My previous page on Obama (found here) clearly showed that President Obama has presided over one of the "greatest periods of government austerity in recent memory."

To hammer home this point, there are a few more pieces of evidence I would like to share with you.

Firstly, consider the graph below (source):

It clearly shows what we already knew, that overall government spending under Obama is going down (though state and local spending is also being slashed).

Secondly, it shows that government spending under G.W. Bush increased dramatically. Where the Tea Party patriots were then we can only speculate about.

In fact, Federal spending is lower now than it was when President Obama took office, taxes today are lower than they were on inauguration day 2009, and the deficit this year is going to be lower than what it was on the day President Obama took office.

Whilst you let those facts sink in for a while, here is the graph that proves it (source):

And speaking of the national deficit, what caused it?

Well, according to TPM, "The vast bulk of the debt is the result of policies enacted during the Bush administration coupled with automatic increases in federal spending and decreases in tax revenue triggered by the economic downturn."

Using figures from the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities from May 2011, we see what current policies have caused it. If you're G.W. Bush, you may want to look away now (source):

To quote Andrew Sullivan:

No administration has reduced aggregate government spending as a precentage of GDP as much as Obama's in forty years. If you look at the full chart, back to George HW Bush, you reach an inescapable conclusion: the biggest spenders and borrowers are Republicans and the most fiscally conservative presidents have been Democrats.

To claim that President Obama is a "Big Government Socialist," a "Marxist," or a "Stealth Commie" may make for a good soundbite, but it's an outright lie.

As Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, "'Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not to his own facts."

Romney Insists Class Size Is Less Important Than 'School Choice'

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:48:49 PDT

Mitt Romney was on the defensive today at an education roundtable in Philadelphia, trying to tell teachers that smaller class sizes are less important than "school choice:" Romney Defends Class Size Stance to Teachers.

(CNN) - Mitt Romney, who is spending this week promoting a plan for America's public school system, spent Thursday morning defending his stance that smaller class sizes don't necessarily equate with better learning in schools.

Romney participated in an education roundtable at a charter school in Philadelphia the day after laying out his education plan to Latino small business owners in Washington. Romney's plan emphasizes school choice over other factors, including efforts to reduce the number of students in classrooms.

Speaking of his time as governor of Massachusetts, Romney said he was frequently told that smaller class sizes would lead to better learning, but that certain studies advised otherwise.

"I came into office and talked to people and said, 'What can we do to improve our schools?'" Romney said at his Thursday event. "And a number of folks said we need smaller classroom sizes, that will make the biggest difference."

Romney went on to cite a study that showed no correlation between classroom size and performance, naming schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts as an example.

This is such a common right wing tactic that whenever someone like Romney cites a "study" to support a claim that seems counter-intuitive, you should always double-check to see what credible sources say about the matter. In this case, the fact is that the majority of credible studies show that smaller class sizes absolutely are an important factor in better education results: Education Week Research Center: Class Size:

Research, for the most part, tends to support the belief in the benefits of small classes. While not all studies on the subject have shown that students learn more in smaller settings—and some are still ongoing—most have linked smaller classes to improvements in achievement.

The biggest and most credible of those studies, Tennessee’s statewide Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio, or STAR, project, begun in the late 1970s, found that the learning gains students made in classes of 13 to 17 students persisted long after the students moved back into average-size classes (HEROS, 2011). What’s more, the Tennessee researchers found, poor and African-American students appeared to reap the greatest learning gains in smaller classes. After kindergarten, the gains black students made in smaller classes were typically twice as large as those for whites. Follow-up studies through the years have found the students who had been in small classes in their early years had better academic and personal outcomes throughout their school years and beyond (Krueger, 2001; Sparks, 2011).

Likewise, a 2001 evaluation of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education, or SAGE, class size reduction program by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that a five-year-old program of class-size reduction in Wisconsin resulted in higher achievement for children living in poverty. Research from Columbia University Teachers College in New York showed the context of class-size reduction can affect its success in improving student achievement (Ready, 2008). Similarly, Charles M. Achilles, one of the original principal researchers on the STAR study, has said researchers and policymakers will have difficulty replicating the improvements seen in the STAR study without including key elements of that program, such as early intervention and small class sizes of three years or more (Achilles, 2008).

The teachers at Romney's roundtable meeting were clearly rather aghast at his claims:

"I can't think of any teacher in the whole time I've been teaching, for 10 years, 13 years, who would say that more students would benefit them," Steven Morris, the teacher, said. "And I can't think of a parent who would say 'I would like my student to be in a classroom with a lot of kids with only one teacher.' So I'm kind of wondering where this research comes from."

Another teacher participating in the roundtable said unequivocally that he had too many students in his classroom.

"It's too large," the second teacher said. "It varies between classes, anywhere between 20 and 28. You can give more personalized attention to each student if you have a smaller class size."

Why is Romney emphasizing "school choice" over class size, even though most studies disagree with his approach? The most likely answer is that he's pandering to the religious right again, where "school choice" is a culture warrior code word for religion-based home schooling.

Former National Review Writer Renounces the Right

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:19:11 PDT

Today's must-read: Michael Fumento's My Break With the Extreme Right.

I was always way ahead of the curve. And my expos�s primarily appeared in right-wing publications. Back when they were interested in serious research. I also founded a conservative college newspaper, held positions in the Reagan administration and at several conservative think tanks, and published five books that conservatives applauded. I’ve written for umpteen major conservative publications – National Review, the Weekly Standard, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, among them.

But no longer. That was the old right. The last thing hysteria promoters want is calm, reasoned argument backed by facts. And I’m horrified that these people have co-opted the name “conservative” to scream their messages of hate and anger.

Read the whole thing...

Not This Again - Wingnut 'Expert' Zooms In, Sees Pixels, Uncovers Obama Photoshop Phraud

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20:05 PDT

Not this again.

The idea of President Obama "photoshopping" images in order to carry out some kind of nefarious scheme has clearly gotten a death grip on the wingnut zeitgeist. They seem to assign some kind of mystical power to this meme; they believe that if they can finally convince the world at large that these pictures have been doctored, Barack Obama will be forced to hang his head in shame, immediately resign the presidency, and live the rest of his miserable life in his true country of birth, Kenya.

It's wingnut crack. They can't stop doing it, even as it destroys their brains.

Tonight's episode in the Parade of Ridiculous Photoshop Outrages is brought to us by the always wacky American Thinker, where once again we have a so-called "Photoshop expert" who doesn't seem to understand how JPEG compression works, zooming in and analyzing the pixels to impress the rubes: The Illusion of Obama's Bin Laden Raid Situation Room Leadership.

I don't even know what to say about this kind of bizarre right wing craziness any more. There's no point in debunking it; first, it's too freaking easy, and second, they just don't care and it doesn't stop them from repeating it endlessly with less self-awareness than your average parrot.

But here's all you need to know about American Thinker's "Photoshop expert" Mara Zebest: she's been a Birther since 2008, and joined Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's "Cold Case Posse" to push the crackpot theory that Obama faked his birth certificate. So her credentials are impeccable for an appearance at American Thinker, but "Photoshop expert" is a bit of a stretch.

I have to say, though -- Floating Hand Problem is a great band name.

Also see:
Debunking Mara Zebest
Amazon Customer Discussions: Mara Zebest - Oh Dear!

Vetting Themselves: Breitbart Gang in Yet Another Ridiculously Massive Fail

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:43:15 PDT

OK, I'm now nearly convinced that the Breitbart.com gang are just trolling the Internets with these mind-bogglingly ridiculous VETTING articles. I mean, nobody could possibly take this kind of absurd, over the top propaganda seriously, could they?

EXCLUSIVE - THE VETTING - BARACK OBAMA, THE FIRST TEA PARTIER.

Well, it may be damned hard to believe anyone could be this strange, but they really are serious about this stuff.

Breitbart blogger John Sexton's EXCLUSIVE BOMBSHELL: a photo that's been available to the public for 15 years, showing Barack Obama leading a Fourth of July parade in 1997, in a Revolutionary War era costume.

Sexton wants his audience to believe that the costume makes Obama exactly the same as a Tea Party member. Let the sheer stupidity of that one sink in for a minute.

The rest of Sexton's hilarious derp-filled piece is basically an extended whine about those monstrous liberals who mocked the Tea Partiers by calling them "teabaggers."

Monstrous liberals like, oh, for example, their founder Andrew Breitbart, who declared in May 2010 that he was Proud to Be a Tea Bagger.

A screenshot of Andrew Breitbart's brave, forward-thinking declaration of teabaggishness:

Breitbart's post still exists on the new Breitbart.com, but oddly enough, they seem to have removed his byline from it: I'm Proud to Be a Tea Bagger.

That 'Obama Spending Binge?' Another Right Wing Myth

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:15:51 PDT

Rex Nutting of MarketWatch posted this very interesting debunking of a persistent right wing myth: Obama Spending Binge Never Happened.

Here are the facts, according to the official government statistics:

� In the 2009 fiscal year — the last of George W. Bush’s presidency — federal spending rose by 17.9% from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. Check the official numbers at the Office of Management and Budget.

� In fiscal 2010 — the first budget under Obama — spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.

� In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.

� In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.

� Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama’s term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion. Read the CBO’s latest budget outlook.

Over Obama’s four budget years, federal spending is on track to rise from $3.52 trillion to $3.58 trillion, an annualized increase of just 0.4%.

There has been no huge increase in spending under the current president, despite what you hear.

Tuesday Night Jam: Hot Chip - Night and Day (With Reggie Watts)

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:09:12 PDT

YouTube Video