Wanda Sykes On The Republican Convention

Comedienne Wanda Sykes:

Well, you know, I watched the convention. You know, watching the Democratic Convention, it felt like America. You know, it looked like America. It was hopeful and it was positive and, you know, everybody holding hands. And then I watched the Republican Convention. It was like watching a meeting in Dr. Evil's lair.

It was like all of the evil people got together, and they were having an evil board meeting.

And each of them, you know, at the board meeting all got up, and each one would tell their plan of how they're gonna, what they're going to do with the evil. And it was just so tense and scary. 'Cause you know those Dr. Evil board meetings, somebody gets it. You know, they usually --

Press the button and --

You go into a pile of alligators or something.

And I was tense, and it's usually the weakest one. And I figured that's why Bush didn't show up. He was -- Bush is, like, "I'm doing this via satellite," 'cause, you know, he was scared.

McBush - The Two Headed Devil

A few interesting personal observations on The Republican National Convention from Zombie Robot Frosting.

From Protesting the Republicans by William Hessian:

The Republican National Convention (RNC) came to my state, and thought that we were just going to sit back and let that happen. Nope. We were going to make signs, march, yell things and protest. So we did, and I did.

The nights before the convention I created my McBush outfit. Claws, two headed Bush McCain devil heads.

We chanted "stop using fear!" when we passed groups of police holding weapons. Most of them were behind fences, holding tear gas bazookas or batons. The cops were everywhere. I saw hundreds of them, most in full riot gear. The protest was extremely well organized and quite peaceful. The four hours I spent protesting I did not see any damage of property or violence of any kind. Apparently the Anarchists after we went home did some damage and arrests were made. Too bad they made it out to be worse than it was on the news. Only a handful of young kids did any damage, the rest of the 20 thousand protesters did it in a very organized manner.

Read (and see) more here.

Simply Unbelievable

Jim Downey tells the tale of a man who has way too much money and power, given that he is totally bankrupt of any inkling of humanity and intelligence.

I recommend taking the time to watch the video.

Mindless Moronic Mocking Mastodons

From Why do Republicans mock "community organizer" role? by Michael Landauer:

I really don't understand the mocking of Obama for being a community organizer as a young man.

Giuliani last night: "On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? He worked -- I said -- I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume."

Palin last night: I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.

Now, the truth is that, starting at age 23, Obama ran a faith-based charity called the Developing Communities Project.

It was made up of eight Catholic parishes when he got there and had one staff member. He was its director, meaning he was in charge. He made decisions about it, including staffing, budgets, etc. And when he left in 1988 to go to law school, he had grown its budget from $70,000 to $400,000, its staff from 1 to 13 people. More important, he created a job training program for this community and a college prep tutoring program.

Read the rest here.

Protect And Serve?

I was pleased to see Amy Goodman interviewed by David Brancaccio last Friday on the PBS program NOW.



Amazingly, some of the comments on the YouTube.com page showing this video take the side of the police. They imply that Amy Goodman overstepped her bounds. Simply flabbergasting. All she was doing was inquiring about her co-workers and expressing concern for their safety. For this she was actually charged and arrested. Why? How can her behavior in this situation possibly be threatening to all those goons in full riot gear?

Would the goons have treated Rush Limbaugh like this?

Conservative Compassion Hits Community Organizers

From GOP Mocks Public Service by Peter Dreier & John Atlas:

"The last thing we need is for Republican officials to mock us on television when we're trying to rebuild the neighborhoods they have destroyed," said John Raskin, a community organizer in New York. "Maybe if everyone had more houses than they can count, we wouldn't need community organizers. But I work with people who are getting evicted from their only home. If John McCain and the Republicans understood that, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to make fun of community organizers like me."

From Commentary: GOP shouldn't knock community organizers by Roland Martin:

At a time when Americans are losing their homes to foreclosure, folks are trying to get by after layoffs, people are struggling with lack of healthcare, and we're facing pressing environmental issues, it's ludicrous to slam the little man and woman who isn't asking the government for handouts, but is doing what they can to make their neighborhood and city better.

From GOP Thinks Organizing In Your Community Is Worthless by Christy Hardin Smith:

Lost your job and you need a hand with the utility bills or some food from the local church pantry? Suck it up, America, because the folks who used to extend a hand to those in need don't count in Republican land. That "do unto others" crap has to stop, and Jesus was clearly just a rabble-rousing, do-gooder. Loaves, fishes, feeding the multitudes? Hogwash.

Your neighborhood watch program, to help supplement the police force whose budget keeps getting cut under the Bush Administration? Well, you don't deserve a safe neighborhood and your efforts are useless anyway.

Cleaning up a local riverbed or a walking trail with your kid's scout troop? Republicans think you are a loser.

Working with a job training or literacy program to help folks move from welfare to work? Republicans think your efforts deserve ridicule. Promoting a spay and neuter program at your local animal shelter? Republicans are laughing at you. Volunteer at your church pantry to help the least of these? Republicans are mocking you.

Country first? Only if you live in Republican country where they come first and the rest of us should take whatever they choose to trickle down on us.

Green Screen And Walter Reed

From McCain’s green screen gaffe:

Been reading on the internet about the McCain campaigns inexplicable use of a photo of Walter Reed Middle school as a backdrop for McCain’s speech at the Republican National Convention. Well, inexplicable is a strong word. The most plausible explanation is that somebody goofed, and that they were really trying to get a shot of the Walter Reed Army Hospital. Ok, a goof, but no big deal. But there’s another level to the goof. That is, a large portion of the bottom of the picture is taken up with a huge expanse of green grass, which on TV turns into a giant green screen behind McCain. When I watched his speech live on TV last night, and it got to the green screen part, I just started laughing.

Read the rest here.

Obama The Baby Killer

From Debunking Republican Convention Lies by Ron Chusid:

…the worst lie of the night when Fred Thompson said, “And we need a President who doesn’t think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade.” This is quite a distortion of Obama’s actual words regarding how determining when life begins is above his pay grade. While Factcheck didn’t address this point in discussing the convention, they have a previous posting which debunks the right wing lies that Obama supports infanticide.

This is one reason why the Republicans have been doing poorly the last couple of years. They are still picking up votes from low-information voters who believe these lies, but as more voters realize what Democrats really believe the Republicans lose support. When Republicans concentrate on such straw men arguments they have no effect among those who realize such claims have little bearing on actual Democratic beliefs.

Read more here.

John McCain And The Facts

From FactChecking McCain:

We checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following:

• McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs" and would put "a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor." In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have.


• McCain attacked Obama for voting for "corporate welfare" for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.


• McCain said oil imports send "$700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.


• He promised to increase use of "wind, tide [and] solar" energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think.


• He called for "reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs," but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce.


• He said Obama would "close" markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to "renegotiate" the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it.

Read more here.

More Lies From George W. Bush?

From President Bush: John McCain ‘prepared’ for Oval Office by Associated Press:

President Bush promised last night that the nation would be safer with John McCain as president, saying his impressive life story and sound judgment make the Arizona senator the man Americans need to follow him in the White House.

Republican Convention - John McCain

I couldn’t bring myself to watch his speech last night.

The voting machines are on his side.

The Supreme Court is on his side.

Who will “win” in November?

Let's Send All The Republicans To The Leadership Academy

Thanks again to The Immoral Minority.

Oh The Hypocrisy!

A thank you to The Immoral Minority.

It's A Celebration Of Hatred And Greed And Ignorance

Put it all together and you've got the Republican National Convention!

From The Stars Hollow Gazette by ek hornbeck:

So let's get this straight.

When 3 white supremacists are arrested with high powered rifles after bragging that they wanted to kill Barack Obama it's just a minor meth bust because their threats were merely "aspirational".

On the other hand, protest at the Republican National Convention and you're a "terrorist".

If you had the good fortune not to watch the convention tonight you missed an extremely white display of blind hatred, naked greed, and willful ignorance.

And that's what blows my mind. How these people take what is bad, twisted, and shameful about human nature and celebrate it.

That Damn Liberal Media!

What the hell is wrong with that damn liberal media? Why are they praising Sarah Palin’s speech so much?

Damn liberals!!!

The Smile And The Smirks

One think that disturbed me about Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech last night was that she smiled so much. It reminded me too much of the smirks of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Tribal Hatred And Resentment

From Impression of Wednesday Night's Speakers at the GOP Convention by Chris in DC:

What we saw tonight - with speaker after speaker tasked solely to bare their canine teeth at every "other" they so intensely revile - reveals yet again, in perhaps the most lurid detail yet, that today's Republican Party has absolutely nothing - nothing - to offer but hatred, derision, and a pathological craving for domination.

If this is seriously what our country - still reeling from the self-inflicted wounds of that same poisonous, regressive mentality - again accepts for its future, then this would be perhaps the most profound indictment of our society imaginable.

I was reflecting on Sarah Palin's speech, and the fact that it is being regarded as a display of her "toughness" or some other measure of merit, despite the fact that it was apparently written almost entirely by professional speechwriters and simply read from a teleprompter with trained efficiency. Now, I do realize that many prominent speeches are written by others, but this is certifiably truer of some politicians than of others, and I am speaking here of the most deceptive political scripting.

One of the worst consequences of this now-pervasive, fraudulent manufacturing of political messaging and cultural signaling - redolent of the rank GOP gimmickry that I discussed when Palin was first picked - is that it prevents much of the citizenry from meaningfully evaluating our politicians' intentions, intellect, and actual capacity to govern.

Read more here.

Police Go After Iraq Vets And Other Protesters

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” George Washington

What happens when you go overseas and serve your country to protect our freedoms, only to come home and find those freedoms evaporating away?

From Protesters face police raids at the Republican Convention:

In developments which have been largely ignored in the US media, police have staged preemptive armed raids targeting protesters and alternative media around the Republican National Convention - including thousands of people demonstrating about war world poverty throughout the week.

Up to ten thousand marchers, many veterans of Iraq and past wars, joined peaceful protests on Monday. Their cause has gone largely unreported, however.

“We joined up with an altruistic vision of promoting freedom and justice around the world,” said Vince Emanuel, a Marine lance corporal who did a tour of duty in Iraq from August 2004 to April 2005, explaining why he was joining the protest.

He added: "What we saw was the killing of innocent people and the destruction of property ... for a lot of us it was very disenfranchising."

The veterans group tried to hand a message to the campaign of Republican White House candidate John McCain calling for a withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for the Iraqi people, and full medical benefits for veterans. No one from Mr McCain’s campaign would received them, Mr Emanuel said.

Read more here.

Michelle at Vital Source has more here.

Also, I’ve noticed several comments on several sites where the writer complains that the “Liberal Media” and the “Liberal Blogs” didn’t cover the demonstrations at the Democratic Convention. (The point being that liberals don't want to acknowledge criticism.) First, I don’t think this is true. Some did write about it. And second, the more important point is that both Conventions had demonstrators. Many Americans are not satisfied with either party. After the 2006 elections, we are still in Iraq and Afghanistan! Can we really trust the Democrats as the party of change?

The Republican Convention - Day Two

I considered using “One Asshole Encourages Us To Vote For Another Asshole” as the title for this post. Would that be unkind?

If you’re looking for some kind of comprehensive coverage and opinion on the Republican Convention, you sure picked the wrong place. I tried to watch some of it on television last night from time to time. I think I logged in a total watching time of two minutes. Todays Republicans either bore or disgust me in an extremely short period of time, until I just can’t take it anymore.

Compared to the Democratic Convention the crowd looked small and unenthusiastic.

The first thing I saw was the fifteen year old girl saying something or other over some video footage. I guess it wasn’t too memorable for me. Then she got up to the podium (or is it a pulpit?) to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. After the Pledge a gag reflex started to kick in and I switched to another channel. (To be fair, I guess the Democrats did the same thing. I just didn’t see it on television.)

I also saw part of George W. Bush giving what some might call a speech. He said things like this:

My fellow citizens, we live in a dangerous world. And we need a President who understands the lessons of September the 11th, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain.

I'm optimistic because I have faith in freedom's power to lift up all of God's children, and lead this world to a future of peace.

God bless you, and God bless America.

As a hard-core atheist and anti-theist any invoking or use of God for political gain angers me, and that includes the Pledge of Allegiance.

The quote about “a dangerous world” scares me, and it is not because of the way that Bush intends for me to be scared. I am more scared of my own country at this point than I am about any terrorist threat. In this one paragraph Bush is calling on us to elect John McCain in order to carry on the worst polices that Bush has ever implemented. He is saying that we need to start more illegal, immoral wars, and that John McCain is the man for the job. Is this what we want?

I didn’t hear this last night, but I found it in the transcript of the speech and it makes me laugh:

Fellow citizens: If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain's resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry left never will.

Bush, of all people, is essentially comparing the Left, of all people, with torturers. How absurd can you get?

How Will The Republicans Spin This?

Sarah Palin’s daughter is pregnant. She is also not married. Doesn’t this make her some kind of terrible sinner in the eyes of all the fundamentalist Christians that love “family values” so much? I’m sure that I’ll enjoy all the spin that will be put on this one in the days to come. Of course, the biggest spin will be all about how wonderful it is that she’s not having an abortion. Somehow this will mean more than the unmarried part.

From To rebut rumors, Palin says daughter, 17, pregnant by Steve Holland:

The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Jesus is just alright with all the politicians these days, and premarital sex must be alright with John McCain:

Senior McCain campaign officials said McCain knew of the daughter's pregnancy when he selected Palin last week as his vice presidential running mate, deciding that it did not disqualify the 44-year-old governor in any way.

And the fundies will still vote for McCain because he stands for killing foreigners and letting "babies" live.

Hypocrisy has never stopped any politician before, why should it now. Right?