OH MY GOD!

SOUTER!

A few helpful words for the GOP

The Republican party can go one of two ways here, with Arlen Specter's bitchslap/wakeup call. They can either do the intelligent thing and move towards the center, or they can move further right. While I firmly believe that they're too stupid/insane to do the prudent thing and move center, I'll snarkily offer them some advice in case that's what they decide.

1. Find some way to keep Michele Bachmann from speaking. Muzzle, surgery, safety pins, I don't care. The woman has become a standard-bearer for the most ridiculous element of the Republican party: hateful, ignorant, arrogant, lying, outlandish. In case you're thinking, 'hey, censorship!', let me say that I'm not trying to shut her up because what she says is abhorrent, I simply think the Republicans should shut her up because she and people like her are killing their party. This is strategic, not legal or moral. 
2. Stop apologizing to Rush Limbaugh when you insult him. Insulting him is good. He deserves it, for one thing. For another, he alienates independents and moderates. For a third, when you apologize to him, you look like a six year old girl twirling your pigtails in the middle of recess. 
3. Give up the gay marriage fight. It's a razor thin margin between people who believe gay marriage should be legal and people who don't, and a large majority of people believe that gay people should have the same rights. This is not a fight people care about anymore, and either way, it's not a fight you'll win.
4. Get Mitch McConnell checked out; the man always looks constipated. 
5. Actually become the party of fiscal responsibility. You've been claiming to be for decades, since at least Reagan (the idea that Reagan was fiscally responsible is demonstrably false). There's no shortage of really effin' smart economists in the world - ask them how, once this whole recession thing is over, to balance the budget and start to deflate the deficit. Then? Do it. 
6. Quit with the 'big government bad' crap. This is a recession, and people are freaking out (well, maybe some of that is from swine flu). People don't want small government anymore. You can't make a government big enough for most people right now.
7. Stop defending torture. I do not understand why this is a debate. 

Come on, Republicans. Return to the time and ideology (albeit updated) of, say, Eisenhower. Let's have two parties, what d'you say?

Specter!

Arlen Specter is now a democrat. Once Al Franken is seated, which, really, should've been a few months ago, the democrats will have a filibuster proof majority. Sit and bask in the awesome for a few moments. 

There's not a whole lot to say here that's not immediately obvious: this is a metaphor for a dying party, the republicans have moved so far right that the only people left are completely crazy, blah blah blah. 

I've always thought Specter was a pretty good guy, not perfect, but good. And the word is that he's a delegate type of congressman, meaning he represents what he thinks his constituents want, not what he wants. 

So welcome to the party, Senator Specter. 

Posted for my dad, except for the makeout thing.

The hidden note said: Way better than stopping to say, 'so it goes.'

asofterworld.com

Greenspan

Whilst doing my American Gov't homework, I stumbled onto a quote from a speech by Alan Greenspan. Inexplicably, it reminded me of this Get Your War On from around 3/21/05.

Man 1: You didn't listen to Bush's speech at the National Defense University, did you? Some Sun Tzu wannabe at work had it on, and I stuffed so much cotton in my ears I CRIED TAMPONS.

Woman 1: Dude, I liked the speech! I'm a fan of Bush's words about democracy in the Middle East. I only wish that once they left his mouth, they'd turn around in midair and join together to form a magical word-fist and knock him upside the head until he took 'em seriously. 

Woman 2: Sounds like they're finally taking 'em seriously in Lebanon...

Man 1: Oh, 'finally,' huh? Listen to Dr. Encyclopedia Lebanonica over here.

(Also: feeding tube.)

Standing Ovation

Maine! A state I've always wanted to live in for some bizarre reason! Maine!

For those not keeping track: Iowa, Vermont, sorta-DC, Massachusetts, Connecticut! 

And soon: New York and Maine!

Lost, then Found

Your daddy was a good man
Had a smile that weighed a ton
There was nothing in that man but life
It's all I hear from everyone -
The time I should have been there to see the hero or the clown
But I don't know, it seems like sometimes 
Somethings are best left lost, then found

He grew up on the ocean and loved the open sea
He must've felt alive out there alone and strong and wild and free
Even cold and tired, lost and looking for the ground
He should have figured sometimes the best things in life are lost, then found

Always say the best is lost, then found
Whatever it is you're going through the best things in life are coming around
The future's just a worry, the past is just a dream
This isn't my opinion, it's only what I've seen

He grew into a soldier and he fought in many wars
The wars at home and wars with songs, the forgotten war before Vietnam
And I wonder what it felt like when they handed him a gun
I wonder if he killed a father, I wonder if he killed a son

He tried to be preacher and sort of almost was
But he couldn't find his place in faith he fought with teachers and fought with God
He never took it easy, he never settled down
He never realized sometimes the best things in life are lost, then found

Always say the best is lost, then found
Whatever it is you're going through the best things in life are coming around
The future's just a worry, the past is just a dream
This isn't my opinion, it's only what I've seen

The plain truth is my father died in jail
I wonder what that room was like
I wonder how his busted body felt
And I'll never get to know those things unless I get that far down

I guess that's why they say sometimes the best things in life are lost, then found
Always say the best is lost, then found
Whatever it is you're going through the best things in life are coming around
The future's just a worry, the past is just a dream
This isn't my opinion, it's only what I've seen
It's only what I've seen

10 Lost, Then Found.m4a

(alright, so I tried for an hour to upload the song mp3; I couldn't, so you'll have to download it if you want to hear it. it's definitely worth the download, though.)

How is it possible that there's actually a debate about torture?

Why did Obama release the torture memos if not to (figuratively in this instance) impeach the Bush administration? While I'm willing to admit that the man has faults, I don't think he's the type to do something like release CIA memos if he wasn't going to do something about it or wasn't expecting someone else to do something about it. 

Bridges burned, fingers crossed

An area referred to as The Perfect Storm, located in the Swan Nebula. 

Oh, Jason Statham...

Apparently, there's a new movie out called Crank. About a man who dies, but through some deus ex machina/macguffin is brought back to life. In order to keep his heart running, he has to constantly absorb electricity by grabbing power lines and such. This is such a hilariously preposterous premise that I now desperately want to see this movie, solely to fulfill my mental image of myself on the floor of the movie theater, giggling furiously. 

Also, I am bored enough tonight to actually watch Episode I. Man, eff George Lucas. 

Adding...Wow, Episode II is worse than I remembered.

Gay marriage

via videosift.com

This morning, a McCain campaign architect stated that the GOP should back gay marriage. 

After Prop 8 hit me (it took a few weeks for it to sink in), I didn't think I'd get over the hurt. This isn't one of those big abstract issues - this is truly something that affects me and many of the people I know. There's been a girl in my life that I could see myself marrying, when I'm old enough. 52% of my state thinks that I shouldn't be able to. To wake up in the morning in a hotel in San Francisco, turn on the news and learn that Iowa had legalized gay marriage was the best antidepressant I could've hoped for. 

Keep your fingers crossed that the CA Supreme Court will back it's original decision. 

Tim'rous beasties

Ten Scottish Police Officers identify as Jedi.

I am moving to Scotland. 

Stop pretending.

No matter how hard you try, Zac Efron will never be the young version of Matthew Perry.