Priorities....

Well, the public option for health care looks like it is dead. And rather than provide a meaningful debate on the issue, Congress needed time to debate something more important:

One PO dies and another finds new life. Sure the public option is effectively dead in the Senate, but a House subcommittee has passed a bill calling for a playoff to replace the entrenched and utterly pathetic BCS system to determine national champion in college football

I do like this claim by Ambinder: "Truly, the BCS is a broken system wobbling on the crutches of dollar signs and entrenched interests. In other words, it is the most quintessentially American system we could possibly have."

There's inherent and there's ideology

Some writers at Conservapedia started the Conservative Bible Project to remove the liberal bias in the Bible and promote Conservative ideology.

At this point, I wish this were a joke. Seriously. The first line in the entry, "Liberal bias has become the single biggest distortion in modern Bible translations," makes about little sense unless of course there is one institution that interprets the different versions of the Bible for all people. But what do I know. Maybe King James, who wore gloves when touching the Bible and asked his writers to include the notion of the Divine Rights of Kings, was liberal after all.

Oh well. At least this projects admits that the Bible is far from inherent and only contains some decent stories. What's best is not to live out the lessons or the stories but instead to change the stories to fit your own ideological precepts.

But, if you still need evidence to adhere to the Conservapedia complaint against liberal bias, here are the arguments that prove liberal bias:

The earliest, most authentic manuscripts lack this verse set forth at Luke 23:34:

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Is this a liberal corruption of the original? This does not appear in any other Gospel, and the simple fact is that some of the persecutors of Jesus did know what they were doing. This quotation is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible.

At Luke 16:8, the NIV describes an enigmatic parable in which the "master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly." But is "shrewdly", which has connotations of dishonesty, the best term here? Being dishonestly shrewd is not an admirable trait.

The better conservative term, which became available only in 1851, is "resourceful". The manager was praised for being "resourceful", which is very different from dishonesty. Yet not even the ESV, which was published in 2001, contains a single use of the term "resourceful" in its entire translation of the Bible.

Socialistic terminology permeates English translations of the Bible, without justification. This improperly encourages the "social justice" movement among Christians.

For example, the conservative word "volunteer" is mentioned only once in the ESV, yet the socialistic word "comrade" is used three times, "laborer(s)" is used 13 times, "labored" 15 times, and "fellow" (as in "fellow worker") is used 55 times.

Well, I hope in the Conservative rewrite, Jesus becomes a CEO rather than a useless vagrant that walks around from town to town, upsetting the locals in the way Socrates did. I mean what type of authority figure, regardless of whether or not he is the Son of G-d, does not have a job or work for a living; is married with children; own guns and hunt; reject homosexuals as the scourges of the earth; support the War in Iraq; and rejects the political authority of his historical time. What kind of role model is this Jesus person any way. And why does he hate markets, private property, and rich people? What a Jackass!!!

"Hear, Hear" to Conservapedia and their ideological crusade!!!

The Politics of Cynicism as an Art Form

In his new book, Tom Ridge will proclaim what everyone else knew: during the 2004 Presidential Campaign, Team Bush manipulated the Terrorist Spectrum, i.e. the Terrorist Threat Alert System, for partisan reasons. Even better, because of this partisan tactic, Ridge knew he should leave the federal government.

Ridge stepped down as Head of the Department of Homeland Security in 2004.

I may be wrong about this but, if we believe Ridge to be the virtuous citizen he proclaims, why did he not speak out in in August of 2004 and not August of 2009?

Sigh.

Is Public Deliberation A Possibility?

As I am preparing to teach a public address course on the rhetoric of rights, I keep seeing online videos that show screaming matches and, in some cases, violence at town hall meetings. You can see some violence here and here. At times like these, it would seem easier to teach in a department that public deliberation is not a practical concept.

In the first video, a opponent to heath care reporter pushes and assaults a supporter. It does not help that the opponent states that the supporter of health care reform "attacked America."

And Harrogate, did you think the violence would end if Obama won the election?

The Cynicism Against the American Public: The Soda Pop Campaign

As President Obama and Congress attempt to reform health care, there is a new group attempting to fight the reform through a juice and soda campaign. It is like the Twinkie Defense, only different.

Seriously.

First, watch the ad here. Then, continue reading....

Watching.

Watching.

Watching.

It is an interesting argument:

In the current economic climate, families are trying to save and not spend (and, hence, not always enjoying life. Except this family who looks like their enjoying life. But see, they are a nice, middle-class, suburban family who needs to camp instead of going to Dizz-Knee-Land. And no one likes to go camping, especially suburban families. Hence, this tax is hurting the family in question.)

Congress wants to tax the simple pleasures of life (the only thing you may be enjoying right now): juices and soda. If Congress taxes these as "some in Congress are thinking about it," you will not even be able to have this pleasure. (And then you too will need to go camping on vacation.)

Taxes do not make people healthy. Only education, exercise, and a well balanced diet will make people healthy. (Um.... and you should eat your vegetables because people in Africa are starving.)

As this ad appeals to an "educated public" it is also deeply cynical as it expects the audience not to understand the role of juice and soda on health care. An educated public would know that the increase of juices and soda in our daily diets increase the chance for obesity (see here, here, and here). Obesity increases medical costs (see here, here, and here). Health care reform is urgent because of rising costs. Consequently, a tax on juice and soda will reduce obesity. Reducing obesity will reduce costs. This means there is great social benefit to this tax even if there is no reform of the health care industry, which I would argue is still necessary. But that is the subject of another post.

But this has very little to do with the real issue of the ad: preventing health care reform.

Yet, for Americans Against Food Taxes of all this means is that 46 million Americans should go without Health Care insurance because suburban middle-class family X wants to drink soda even if drinking soda increases health care costs. The group would like people to say no to discriminatory taxes that burden those who drink soda and, consequently, who burden the rest of society for increasing health care costs.

Enjoy liberty with no social duty!!!

Coca Cola for everyone, especially if the company puts the cocaine back in!!!

George W. Bush, Richard M. Nixon, and James Buchanan

President Buchanan did nothing to prevent the Civil War. President Nixon, well, did too many things to list.

President Bush: invaded a country with no WMDs because of a poker bluff Saddam played to hold off Iran. CNN has more but I cannot make it through the article.

Todd Purdum on Sarah Palin

There is a new article by Todd Purdum in Vanity Fair concerning Sarah Palin and the 2008 Presidential Election. This article is an interesting text as it reveals very little that we did not know before and takes a few, deep and dark swipes against Sarah Palin that seem to be unfair against her and that come from a source (Purdum) who is unqualified to make these claims.

With so little new information, and what new information in the article does not seem too relevant, I have too questions: first, why should anyone other than political junkies read the piece? Second, even after reading the piece and reading the terrible slams on Palin (postpartum? seriously? what are your qualifications to diagnose this?) why cannot I not, even in good conscience, defend Palin? After everything she said and did during the campaign, I feel as if I should not even mention that the postpartum claim is outlandish because Palin deserves almost every unsubstantiated claim against her for ever unsubstantiated claim she delivered.

Update: Watch this video.


It is discourse like this, with not so subtle references to Obama as a terrorist and Obama as King Kong (no racial implications here, none whatsoever), and Palin as a national, and erotic, savior (notice the kinky, right-wing military and sex fethish with the erect missiles in relation to Palin in a military uniform-- starbursts indeed) that makes me believe everyday the network news should run the Thanksgiving footage of Palin being interviewed as turkeys were slaughtered. That is the correct metaphor for discussing what would happen to the US if Palin ever achieved national office.

Atlas Sigh.... Friday Song of the Day.

Via Sully.



This song would be funnier is they acted as if they were serious. What? What do you say? This is serious....

Appropriation without irony. Lyrics without too much intelligence. Cultural critics, or whatever you call yourselves, analyze....

File Under Irony

According to CNN, Liberty University revoked its recognition for the College Democrats since the college group "stood against the moral principles" held by the school and therefore could no longer be sanctioned. The faculty representative was told by administration: "'You can't be a Democrat and be a Christian and be a university representative.'"

Liberty.

University.

I think Garland Greene said it best: Define irony. Bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash.

Things Heard Around the Office

The Unfortunate Statement of the Day: An Office worker and student discuss a professor. The student is upset with the professor though the reason is not given. The student claims that, "lies will be told about me," and the student wants to speak out against the professor to "protect his reputation." The Office worker states that no one really likes him and is a difficult person. Then she states:

"It is very hard to work with gay people. You have to be careful with everything you say. You have to walk on egg shells."

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

Why Don't Conservatives Plan Revolutions When Republicans Are in Office

First, Chuck Norris announced that he may run for President of Texas because the Country was on the verge on losing its identity/ rights/ path/ deep discounts at Walmart/ ability to beat up bad guys in scripted confrontations.

Now, Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) invoked the right to revolution. According to Politico:

"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.”

Of course, Bachmann must not have actually read the Jefferson quote and does not know the irony of the quote. Here is what Jefferson wrote:

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion... We have had thirteen States independent for eleven years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half, for each State. What country before ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion?" --Thomas Jefferson to William S. Smith, 1787. ME 6:372

Ironically, when the revolution were to occur, Jefferson was president of the United States and I do not think he used the bully pulpit to argue for a revolution.

I would argue that Norris and Bachmann are just grandstanding, but what do I know...

And speaking of dogma

CNN reports that current, and maybe soon to be ex, RNC Chairman MIchael Steele needs to "ease concerns" with Republicans because he stated abortion is an individual's choice.
soever.

There must be a point in which we call the Republican party a religion or a cult and not a mere political organization.

Quote of the Day

I should be writing but instead I am reading Rush's speech CPAC. As of right now, this is all I have to say: Oh Rush:

"We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be. We recognize that we are all individuals. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. [Applause] We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life. [Applause] Liberty, Freedom. [Applause] And the pursuit of happiness. [Applause] Those of you watching at home may wonder why this is being applauded. We conservatives think all three are under assault."

I wonder: is this a deliberate mistake or does he not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?

But Rush, please know that it is hard for you to make the argument that other people are bastardizing the Constitution if you have no idea what the Preamble of the Constitution actually states. (Hint: "We the people.") This argument seems like you yourself do not know what is in the Constitution, which may explain why you never challenged the Bush Administration when they violated the Constitution.

So Long and Thanks for the Um....

Gray hair and the portrait...

It is all too much: the banality; the claims that fail to correlate to reality; the smirk.

So, um. Yeah. Instead of delivering this address, I think soon to be former President George W. Bush ought to have said, "Thank you. My work here is done. I've enjoyed my time, especially the vacations.... Terrorism, Terrorism.... Iraq... Iraq... Now please, let me be the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Thank You. And God Bless America."

I, of course, would be all for it as baseball would be in a position to fold in five years, which means I would not have to pay more in city and state taxes... Damn you Yankees and Mets.

But serious, a few choice lines:

"You may not agree with some of the decisions that I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

No. I'm sorry. You are the POTUS. You do not work at Blockbuster or the DMV. No one cares if you make "tough decisions" if your decisions are poor. I don't think that I should grade my students on answering the questions rather than checking to see if they answer the questions correctly.

"Moral clarity? Good and Evil?" What about Torture?

Yet, he continues: "Murdering innocents to advance an ideology is wrong. Every time. Every where." Again, if you believe in absolutes, what about torture? What about creating the conditions where a prolonged civil war will take place? Who is responsible for this? Who has been responsible for the last 8 years? Oh....

Oh well. So long. As my daughters and their children pay for your debt, "moral clarity," and "tough decisions," I bet they will thank you, over and over.

Worst speech ever....

Boycott the BCS

From Slate.

Seriously. For how long can college football tell its fans to sit and spin?

The (post-Election) Sarah Palin Chronicles

(Rhetoricians, Please Don't Fear......)

Well, that settles it.

G-d is on Palin's side and s/he will let Palin know if the good and honorable Gov. will run for President in 2012. From the Times (UK):

Surprisingly, Mrs Palin didn't shy away from talk about 'Twelve'. Asked if she'd run, the answer was essentially yes, with the qualifier being that she’d do it only if God told her to. "Faith is a very big part of my life and putting my life in my Creator’s hands — this is what I always do," she said. "I’m like, 'okay, God, if there is an open for me somewhere' — this is what I always pray — I’m like, 'don’t let me miss the open door, show me where the open door is, even if it’s just cracked up a little bit, maybe I’ll plough right on through that, maybe prematurely plough through it, but don’t let me miss an open door.'"

Just think, when, I mean, "if" ("nudge, nudge; wink, wink; say no more, say no more; a nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat,") Palin decides to run, I mean G-d opens a door for Palin, that will mean she received G-d's blessing to run. And, if you vote against her, you will vote against G-d. And, if you vote against G-d, you will end up in hell, or in NYC or D.C. with all those elites who think they know more than others, such as who G-d will support in 2012.

And just think: there is no need to understand issues, such as NAFTA or the role of the government in the U.S. economy, or our political structures, such as the meaning of the first amendment or the authority and responsibilities of the Office of the Vice Presidency. Instead, Palin can gain G-d's blessing and, hence, receive the authority to cry out "Socialism" or "people do not have a first amendment right to attack me, especially if those attacks come from the press." Who needs knowledge or Constitutionally protected rights when you know what G-d thinks.

To be honest, I am quite relieved. I wondered where G-d stood on this question; it is especially more important to know where G-d stands on Palin's political future rather than helping the poor or the sick. We have no idea what G-d's position is on those two issues but I think we can be fairly certain on Palin's future.

A long-winded response to "OMFG: A Tribute to Sarah Palin"

My "too long-winded for the comments box" reply to O'Reilly's interview with Carl cameron posted earlier today by solon.


Here's "O'Reilly Logic", at its most dipshitty:

1- "The woman's not a stupid woman," she just needed to be "tutored" in current events, basic government, geography, rhetoric, the English language, American and world history, what skills, experience, or duties she is supposed to have, how to read and remember the titles of things she has had "placed in front of her", the difference between "mine" and "yours", how to take criticism, how to answer the questions she is asked rather than talking about what she wants to, that you can't subtract $150k from $20k, and so forth.

So, she's not a stupid woman; she's a standard pre-kindergartener, really.

I defer to Robert Fulgham:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

It shouldn't take her more than 12 years to bring her up-to-date with most high school graduates on these "the basics."

Then, 2- He forgives her not being able to name the title of anything in the media or exhibit differentiation "all" and "some" by saying, "She didn't want ot be bogged down by a lesson before" the interview.

So:
1) She's not a stupid woman
2) She can be tutored easily
3) They knew the questions that would be asked and prepared answers and information
4) Who the fuck has time to learn?
5) {omitted}
6) This is obviously not her fault

I'm going to call it now: O'Reilly has achieved "The Underwear Gnome Paradox", which is itself an offshoot of Johnny Cochran's infamous "Chewbacca Defense":

This is Chewbacca, Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk, but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now, think about that. That does not make sense! Why would a Wookiee - an eight foot tall Wookiee - want to live on Endor with a bunch of two foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! What does that have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! None of this makes sense. If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests. DAMNIT!

McCain-Palin: Country First

Palin scheduled the prank call?

According to The NY Times. Wow McCain's campaign, the handlers and candidates, were terrible.

Update: Forget the Times. Read the account of the schism in the foreign press, which reports how McCain mocks Palin. According to the Guardian (UK):

An exasperated McCain has been telling friends in recent weeks that Palin is even more trouble than a pitbull. In one joke doing the rounds, the Republican presidential candidate has been asking friends: what is the difference between Sarah Palin and a pitbull? The friendly canine eventually lets go, is the McCain punchline.

What happened to the lipstick?

Letterman v. McCain

John McCain was scheduled to appear on Letterman tonight. Because of the economic crisis, McCain canceled his appearance and headed back to Washington to help pass the bill being discussed [on a committee McCain is not on-- try to figure that out].

However, it appears that McCain did not head to Washington and, according to Keith Olbermann, is not in Washington tonight. Instead, after he canceled Letterman, he visited Katie Couric over at CBS. And guess who found out and has live footage?



The health of our democracy is not good when our comedians offer a better analysis of politics than our media.

How many times must McCain lie in one day. Palin?

Debate of the Day

Resolution One: This House believes that John McCain's campaign relies on the presumption that the American people are stupid, irrational voters.

Resolution Two: This House believes that since McCain's strategy relies on the stupidity of the American people, he will win the election.

Debate.

I think that the election rests on these two propositions.