Last day of Vacation M-Vloggin - - with Mungo Jerry

In the Summertime. Beautiful sunny Southern California day here and this song just popped into my mind. Perfect.





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Trivial Pursuit . . . .

Trivia question of the day:

Guess which industry that 7 of the 10 highest paid CEO's in the country are from?





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If you guessed the Oil industry, you advance to the bonus round!

Interesting huh?

I'd be willing to bet that if they expanded that list to the top 20 you'd find several health insurance industry CEO's on that list too.

Anyhow, we know that the corporate suck-up right has gone to extraordinary lengths to make a mockery of the health care debate and shut it down these past several weeks.

So keep in mind the oil industry CEO pay rates when it comes time to talk about energy industry cap & trade legislation -- because I think you're going to see the exact same kind of rent-a-mob pushback.

Just saying . . .


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They were for it before they were against it . . . .

It's obviously too late at this point, but it should be noted that in the 2003 Prescription Drug bill of which the majority of Republicans (including Chuck Grassley of Iowa) in Congress and the Senate voted for, there was a provision to fund counseling for end-of-life issues and care.

Now, I know that pointing out the howling hypocrisy of that fact as it relates to recent GOP appeasement of the right-wing nuts and their "death panel" claims isn't going to change anything, but at least for those on the anti-reform side of the debate who still have a sliver of open-mindedness and honesty about them, it just might make you view this whole charade in a different light.


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Victory dance for "The Ugly Americans" . . .

This is what happens when a society allows ignorance and ideological idiocy to have a controlling influence over the democratic and legislative process.

A good policy that would have benefited many individuals and families tossed onto the trash heap because a small (albeit vocal) MINORITY of misinformed citizens, egged on by some very dishonest and sleazy media assholes, and supported by some equally dishonest and sleazy politicians, stomped their little feet, threw public tantrums and threatened to take all the toys (even ones not belonging to them) and go home.

A sad, fucking pathetic day.


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2000 - 2008 The neo-Gilded Age for America's super wealthy . . .

Gee -- who'd have thunk that electing a blue-blood, corrupt business man and an oil industry war profiteer to the White House might result in this:

Income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression, according to a recently updated paper by University of California, Berkeley Professor Emmanuel Saez. The paper, which covers data through 2007, points to a staggering, unprecedented disparity in American incomes. On his blog, Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the numbers "truly amazing."

"...while the bottom 99 percent of incomes grew at a solid pace of 2.7 percent per year from 1993-2000, these incomes grew only 1.3 percent per year from 2002-2007. As a result, in the economic expansion of 2002-2007, the top 1 percent captured two thirds of income growth."

If this trend continues, it's only a matter of time before America starts looking like this:















[click photo for zoom view]



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What? Say it ain't so! Oh nooooooo ......

A leaked memo sent by an oil industry group reveals a plan to create astroturf rallies at which industry employees posing as "citizens" will urge Congress to oppose climate change legislation.

You know goddamn well the health insurance industry has been doing the same -- hence the belligerent, obnoxious, and incoherent rent-a-mob clowns that have been disrupting the Democratic town hall meetings (mixed in with a few genuine right wing kooks).

Do people truly believe that such powerful industries like big oil or health insurance wouldn't resort to such dishonest tactics to protect their lucrative (meaning bloodsucking) profit margins?

All the more reason for those who want an honest and fair debate on these issues to get out, get involved and make your views known. I can't wait till a town hall meeting comes to where I live -- me, my camera and my big mouth will be johnny on the spot!


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Speaking of health care - - - Laughter is indeed the best medicine . . .

[click on photo for larger view]


Haha! Good for that guy (the skinny one in the middle, wearing striped tee with sunglasses and the one with the only coherent sign amongst the bunch).

Takes a special kind of bravery to wade in to the eye of the stupidity hurricane and dare to speak the truth.

Bravo!!

P.S. -- you know you got some kooks on your side when one of your foot soldiers is parading in public wearing a confederate flag t-shirt and boxer shorts (see guy on far left in photo) -- muahahaha!

Makes it a bit hard to get mad at such ridiculous people - but I'll get over it - lol.


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"Big Dog" ready for battle . . . w00t ! !

Glad to see "The Big Dog" jumping in to the health care debate fray with both feet.

If there's one certainty in this world, it is that the Republicans have an ardently morbid fear of "The Clenis" because they know he'll kick 'em in the nuts first and apologize secondly (if he even feels inclined to do so-lol).

Obama better be grateful he's got such a bad-ass weapon in his repertoire.


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Just LOL!!!

Right wingers want their America back? Go tell that to the fucking Indians!

IMAO.

Leave it to the incomparable Jon Stewart and friends to put all this stupid right-wing bullshit into the proper perspective. Thanks again Jon.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Reform Madness - White Minority
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

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But, but, but krazee -- the cost!

Let's pretend for a moment that all of the screaming, apoplectic middle-aged and elderly white folks standing outside (and inside) the Democratic health care reform town hall meetings truly are troubled about the (potential) costs of health industry reform.

I've got a few simple questions if indeed the overriding concern of these people is how are we as a nation going to pay for it.

Why weren't these people standing outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last year screaming and hollering and threatening when it had become clear (to those of us paying attention anyhow) that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had cracked open and robbed the nation's piggy bank to pay for the following:

Tax cuts that favored the wealthiest 2% of Americans?

Tax cuts for major corporations at the same time said corporations were outsourcing U.S. jobs overseas?

[Gee..wonder how those tax cuts worked out for the economy?]

The ill-advised and unnecessary Iraq invasion and occupation?

Afghanistan (now Obama's debacle)?

The bungled Global War on Terror?

Increased defense spending on Pentagon toys --- WMD's that don't work or will likely never be used (star wars laser; the F-22; FIA spy satellite, etc.)?

And where were these concern troll brigades as Bush handed over the keys to America's financial kingdom to former Goldman Sachs CEO and then Bush Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to dole out like candy $700 billion unsupervised taxpayer dollars to the Wall Street robber barons and banksters after having spent the previous 8 years working hand in hand with the same crooks to loosen financial industry regulation and oversight?

Do the protesting wingnuts even know that under 8 years of Bush/Cheney stewardship America's national debt skyrocketed by $4.5 trillion? THAT'S TRILLION! THAT'S FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED BILLIONS!!!!!!

For all the fucking taxpayer money flushed down the toilet under Bush and Cheney, this country could have paid for free health care for every man, woman and child in this country for the next decade and we wouldn't have to be having this vitriolic debate about health care reform right now!!

Do these "birthers" and "death panelers" and "gun goons" even know about that? Do they goddamn care??





Yeah -- that's what I thought.

Here's a neat little chart I like to show my conservative friends when they go off on their pointless and fact-free "evil librul democrat" spending rants [click chart for large version]:




Anyone notice any obvious trends there since 1980? Hmmmmmm??

And this is why I am having a very, very difficult time trying to generate any level of personal sympathy or respect for these anti-health care reform mouth breathers and armchair accountants.



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The British are coming! The British are coming!

I was wondering when the Brits would finally tire of the lies about their health care system emanating from the right-wing kooks here in the U.S. and throw some punches back.

Looks like the final straw came when some of our wing nuts claimed that world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking would be dead by now if his medical care were under the purvey of the British NHS (implying that he was in the U.S. and enrolled in the U.S. healthcare system).

Of course, the punchline to that joke turned out to be that Hawking was born in England, has lived his entire life in England and has been cared for his entire life by the NHS. Hawking himself came out in support of the NHS and stated, "I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS," . . . "I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

Another classic Doh! Homer Simpson moment for the conservatives and their movement.





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Lizard brain asks for attention -- and gets it . . .

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Secret Service is investigating a man who authorities said held a sign reading "Death to Obama" outside a town hall meeting on health-care reform in western Maryland.

The sign also read, "Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids," referring to the first name of President Barack Obama's wife, said Washington County Sheriff's Capt. Peter Lazich.

Conservative small penis syndrome strikes again.

What's hilariously priceless about this is he calls the Obama kids "stupid" but who was the one that was parading around in public with a sign threatening the life of the POTUS, his wife and his children?? Lol.

I'm leafing through my Roget's Thesaurus trying to find a new word that accurately depicts the level of this fucktard's idiocy -- and I can't find one -- IMAO !

Like I've been saying all-along, the right-wing nuts are getting creepier and kookier by the minute.

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Les Paul - - 1915-2009 RIP

Being a die hard rock n' roll fan since an early age, I feel compelled to pay homage to a guitar and rock music legend -- Les Paul -- who passed away today at the age of 94.

A genius who's influence on popular music will be felt for eternity. RIP.

Here's a t.v. commercial from a few years ago that pretty much sums up what Les Paul meant to guitar music.





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Doubling down on Mooseshit . . .

Well -- I suppose when you've climbed that far out on the crazy/liar limb, it'd be no easy task to walk it back.

You do have to give Sarah Palin credit for one thing though, her brand of idiocy never wavers, and I know conservatives just loves them some of that kind of "mavericky" talk.


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Hey Boys & Girls - - It's time to play 'Guess That Quote' !

Ok -- for 100 points and a chance at the bonus round -- who wrote the following statement on July 2, 2009 at 12:12 PM ET?:

"More than 20 percent of all Medicare spending occurs in the last two months of life. Gundersen Lutheran Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin has developed a successful end-of-life, best practice that combines: 1) community-wide advance care planning, where 90 percent of patients have advance directives; 2) hospice and palliative care; and 3) coordination of services through an electronic medical record. The Gundersen approach empowers patients and families to control and direct their care. The Dartmouth Health Atlas has documented that Gundersen delivers care at a 30 percent lower rate than the national average ($18,359 versus $25,860). If Gundersen’s approach was used to care for the approximately 4.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who die every year, Medicare could save more than $33 billion a year."

**NOTE**: The Gundersen approach is the exact same approach to end-of-life medical care decision making that is being proposed by Obama in his health care reform package. This approach is now being assailed by right-wingers as the infamous and evil "death panel" solution.

Now - just this week our mystery writer also made the following statements on THIS WEEK with George Stephanopoulos:

STEPHANOPOLOUS: The only thing that’s in the bill is that Medicare would pay for what they say is voluntary counseling on end-of-life issues.

MYSTERY WRITER: I think people are very concerned when you start talking about cost-controls… you’re asking us to trust the government. Now I’m not talking about the Obama administration, I’m talking about the government. You’re asking us to believe that the government is to be trusted. We know people who’ve said routinely, well, you’re going to have to make decisions. You’re going to have to decide. Communal standards, historically, is a very dangerous concept.

STEPHANOPOLOUS: It’s not in the bill.

MYSTERY WRITER: (stammering) B-but, the bill’s… a thousand pages of setting up mechanisms. It sets up 45 different agencies. It has all sorts of panels. You’re asking us to trust the government when there clearly are people in the government who believe in establishing euthanasia, including selective standards.

Take a wild guess. Take an educated guess.

30 seconds . . .

20 seconds . . .

Give up?

10 seconds . . .

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTT!

This week's mystery writer is that great political chameleon and walking, talking contradiction -- the one, the only . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NEWT GINGRICH.

Phony fucker.


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Right wing Christian group says citizens have a right to disrupt town hall meetings; WWJD?

Hey -- I don't have a problem if the religious fundamentalist flying monkey brigades want to disrupt town hall meetings. Just as long as they equally defend mine or anyone else's right to walk into their churches on Sunday and shout, holler, scream and drown out the voices of their parishioners while they're reciting the Lord's Prayer.

Fair enough?


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Vacation M-Vloggin - - with Green Day

In keeping with this week's musical theme of paying homage to the increasingly mentally disturbed wing of the conservative movement -- I give you "Basket Case."

Enjoy.





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A nice little bedtime story for the kiddies . . . with a moral to it

Must play video while reading the content below:



"A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican" [courtesy of John Gray]

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, "We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have".

I'm not even going to try to explain it. The intellectually honest folks will get it. The intellectually dishonest folks will get it too, but they will refuse to acknowledge the truth of it because Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Neal Boortz, and Fox Newz have trained them to believe liberals are evil, nazi, commie, socialist traitors who want to turn America into one big Russian-style gulag (and take away their toilet paper - lol).

Sigh . . . It's a unceasing battle.


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Shakes head in stupefied wonderment . . .

It appears the Republicans have a new Palinesque spokesperson. And she's afraid Obama is going to take away her kid's toilet paper. (I shit you not)




Lawrence O'Donnell could have carved up this bambi-eyed airhead a whole lot worse than he did, but it probably would've resulted in charges of negligent manslaughter --- IMAO.

I don't know how the righties do it, but they get kookier by the day -- no, no -- by the minute! Lol.

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A History of "Death Panels" -- part 1

Another comment about the so-called "death panels" which right wingers are (falsely and absurdly) claiming is in the health care legislation currently winding it's way thru Congress.

These people that are screaming the loudest about health care reform are on the lowest part of the knowledge bell curve when it comes to having a coherent understanding of what Obama's health care reforms are all about. They don't even realize that grandma and grandpa have been for some time, and still are, being sentenced to early, unnecessary death -- not by Obama and evil socialist libruls -- but by health care insurance company bean counters.

Only they don't call them "death panels" in the health insurance industry -- they have a much more innocuous sounding name for it --- RESCISSION. Familiarize yourself with that word and how it applies to health insurance - if you dare.

Here's links to a few articles which details what has been happening and is happening today when grandma or grandpa (or even baby dumpling) have pre-existing medical conditions, expensive illnesses or have already racked up too many health-related bills.


http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/17/business/fi-rescind17

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/18/business/fi-rescind18

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/19/begala.health.care/index.html

http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/12/magazines/moneymag/insurance_rescission.moneymag/index.htm


Obama's reform intends to end this abominable practice. If you're against that, I honestly cannot fathom how you can be of the belief that your position on this important issue is worthy of any modicum of credibility, much less respect.


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Americans and their penchant for picking the wrong target to attack . . .

Too bad the wingnuts are so blinded with fear and hatred of the skinny mulatto Democrat in the White House that they fail to see the true villains at the heart of America's economic meltdown:

The Wall Street Robber Barons and Bankers.

All that pent up rage being wasted -- what a shame. I wonder what the results might be if the screaming maniacs were to aim all that vitriol and hate at the crooks who've been stealing everyone blind the past decade and continue to do so today?


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Alaska's elderly and disabled - - already have been facing "death panels" . . .

Hmmmmmm -- refresh my memory --- what's the name of that person, who until they recently resigned, was the great state of Alaska's Chief Executive?

IN-HOME CARE: Lawsuits, huge case backlog prompt moratorium on applications.

State programs intended to help disabled and elderly Alaskans with daily life -- taking a bath, eating dinner, getting to the bathroom -- are so poorly managed, the state cannot assure the health and well-being of the people they are supposed to serve, a new federal review found.

The situation is so bad the federal government has forbidden the state to sign up new people until the state makes necessary improvements.

No other state in the nation is under such a moratorium, according to a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In the meantime, frail and vulnerable Alaskans who desperately need the help are struggling. One elderly woman is stuck in a nursing home, for lack of care at home. Another woman, suffering from chronic pain and fatigue, said she's so weak, she often can't even pop dinner into the microwave.

The moratorium is expected to last four or five months. State officials estimate about 1,000 Alaskans will be affected.

A particularly alarming finding concerns deaths of adults in the programs. In one 2 1/2 year stretch, 227 adults already getting services died while waiting for a nurse to reassess their needs. Another 27 died waiting for their initial assessment, to see if they qualified for help.

What more is there to say about it?



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The Beckster - - Lead conductor of The Crazy Train

Play both videos simultaneously to get the full effect.





Glenn Beck is going off the rails on The Crazy Train . . . .






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Tea-Bagger e-mails suggest inciting "riot" for upcoming Dem Town Hall event . . .

More proof that the mob scenes taking place at (almost exclusively) Democratic sponsored Town Hall events really have little, if anything, to do with average citizens exercising their constitutional rights to civil public debate and having an in-person opportunity to request an accounting from their duly elected representative. It's already been reported in several venues that most of the shouters and protesters at these meetings are not even residents of the districts where they are disrupting the debate. That speaks volumes.

It's really all about bullying to these people -- bullying and denying fellow Americans the chance to have their voices heard through intimidation and threats of physical violence. The leaked e-mails referenced in this article demonstrate that this is solely what it's all about for the "anti-healthcare reform" mobs.

If I've asked the question once, I've asked it a hundred times these past several years on this blog -- Why Do Right Wingers Hate Democracy?


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Vacation M-Vloggin - - with Pink Floyd and Brain Damage/Eclipse

After all of the recent right-wing insanity, I can't think of a better named song to play right now (except maybe Ozzy's 'Crazy Train' - lol). Anyhow, this one is dedicated to "The Birthers", "The Deathers", the gun goons, the rent-a-mobs and especially, dear, dear demented Sarah Palin. Enjoy.





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"Send them home with a bullet to the head" . . . An apt metaphor for everything American conservatism stands for these days

Here's a thought that will likely cause a few of my conservative acquaintances to spurt Budweiser out their noses.

I gotta tell ya -- having been married into a Latino family for 20+ years, living in Southern California for just as long, and by virtue of both, pretty much having spent half of my adult life in and around Latinos both legal and illegal, I have no shame whatsoever in saying I'd rather have 20 million illegal Latinos in this country than 20 million of the fat, obnoxious, ignorant, and hateful fucks like the "good American" shown exercising his free speech rights in this video.

Yep -- no shame at all in saying that.


[Video from outside President Obama's Health Care Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire Aug. 11, 2009]




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Creepshow - - The Sequel . . .

Chris Matthews: "Well, why did you bring a gun to a Presidential event today?"

Chris - I'll save you the time and effort of trying to get a sensible answer to that very important question - and I'll preface it by stating that the answer has absolutely nothing to do with the myriad interpretations of the 2nd Amendment.

The truth and crux of this specific matter simply is this: Right-wing rubes like this Wyatt Earp wannabe are, quite frankly, woefully incapable of civilly articulating their positions on any subject of complexity and substance - - such as the health care debate. And so, to make up for their intellectual and social shortcomings, and (I believe in cases such as this one - their small penises), the ass-hats like this dullard instinctively regress psychologically into the cocoon of their neanderthal, lizard-brain nature, pound their chests with fury, bellow loudly, bully more passive individuals and employ macho imagery related to the use of weaponry and acts of violence - all in a bestial attempt to express their views and feel good about themselves (and become sexually stimulated).

Now -- setting aside my thorough and on-the-money psychoanalysis of why Yosemite Sam here thought it was a wonderful idea to come strapped with heat to a Presidential speech about Health Care -- I have to say -- something else is really gnawing at me -- and I think it's the fact that these people are truly beginning to fucking creep me out.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Vacation M-Vloggin - - with The Beatles/Revolution

Topical song title for the events going on in America today. Take that to mean anything you wish.






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Lou Dobb's Credibility - - R. I. P.

I'm honestly perplexed as to what in the fuck has happened to CNN's Lou Dobbs.

For years he was probably one of the most staid, matter of fact, tell it like it is news anchors on television. He wasn't very exciting, but you could always count on getting straightforward news from Lou without the attitude and personal advocacy. Then something dark and terrible happened to him.

I think, personally, that somebody in the past year or so has been incrementally spiking Lou's daily regimen of Prune Juice and Geritol with double shots of right-wing kool-aid. Yep -- that has to be it. That is the only possible explanation for Lou's impressive, gyrating descent into the nether regions of conservative Cuckooville. It's a credibility and integrity death spiral of such harrowing spectacularity that one has to stand in muted reverence of it.

See/hear for yourself:





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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some are beginning to abuse the privilege. . .

Listen -- I understand that Fox (for whatever reason) feels the need to play the media role of the deranged Uncle living in the basement. However, in order to bolster that image of their network, do they seriously feel compelled to showcase actual mentally disturbed people on their "news" shows as "spokespeople" for their political causes? Really??

Well -- considering what's transpired the past few weeks what with the right claiming Obama was born in Kenya, and health care reform is going to make soylent green crackers out of grampa, grandma and baby Dumpling, "death panels", etc. -- is it any wonder then that the natural progression of such idiocy now has some clown going on national teevee claiming that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Steny Hoyer sent thugs to his house in the middle of the night to threaten his children's lives? Holy Fuck! Somebody needs to start coordinating a headcount of America's insane asylums man. It's obvious our big national village is missing a whole lot of it's idiots.

Frank Zappa was right when he stated, "There is more stupidity around than hydrogen and it has longer shelf life."







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The "Ugly Americans" are getting uglier by the day . . .

Sometimes there's nothing left to do but stand in slack-jawed awe of right wing conservative's ability to kick the level of pubescent charlatanism up even more notches. This one's worth reprinting in it's entirety. [ LINK ]

GLADNEY THE UNINSURED ACTIVIST.... Over the last few days, a conservative activist in St. Louis named Kenneth Gladney seems to have become something of a cause celebre in far-right circles. Depending on which version of events you choose to believe, Gladney either initiated or was involved in a scuffle at a town-hall event late last week.

At least one prominent conservative blogger said Gladney was "brutally attacked" by SEIU members outside the event. After watching the video, there's ample reason for skepticism. Gladney was, in fact, pulled to the ground during the fracas, but he seemed to bounce back up quickly, and is seen walking around soon after without any obvious injuries. His attorney has argued that Gladney was beaten during the fight, but there's nothing in the clip to support that.

Gladney later went to the hospital, claiming to have sustained injuries to his "knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face."

Yesterday, about 200 conservative activists held a protest outside the SEIU office in St. Louis. Gladney was there -- bandaged and in a wheelchair -- as a featured guest. Some of the activists held signs that read, "Don't Tread on Kenny." Reader R.D. alerted me to this tidbit in the local news account of the protest:

Gladney did not address Saturday's crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. "A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too." Brown read. "This should never happen in this country."

Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance. [emphasis added]

Wait, the conservative opponent of health care reform, fighting (literally) to defeat a plan that would bring coverage to those who lose their jobs, lost his coverage because he got laid off?

I'm not in a position to say whether Gladney sustained genuine injuries or whether he's exaggerating for 15 minutes of Fox News fame and a lucrative out-of-court settlement.

Either way, the new right-wing cause celebre needs to take up a collection to pay for his medical bills because he doesn't have health insurance. It's a fascinating sign of the times.

While there's no arguing the fact that passions are elevated on both sides of the fence in the health care debate, it's also glaringly obvious that the the people who are predominantly responsible for dragging the maturity level of the discourse down to the high school, competing clique level are the hard-core right wingers -- egged on by Beck, Palin, Limbaugh, Hannity and Fox Noize.

I say "glaringly obvious" because I'm still waiting for someone to show me the videos of non-right wingers storming Republican sponsored Town Hall meetings, elbowing and bulling their way into the meetings, then shouting down speakers and questioners and purposefully denying their fellow citizens a chance to present their points of view.

And now this clownishness.

What with Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich spreading falsehoods that provisions in the health care legislation are advocating for euthanasia of the elderly and handicapped babies, and Rush Limbaugh comparing Obama to Hitler and the extermination of the Jews, not only (as the article writer states) is this pathetic Kenneth Gladney incident "...a fascinating sign of the times," it's also a wide-open window onto the freak show that right wing politics has evolved in to.





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