Thursday, January 29, 2009

Define "Soul"

The drug addled persona known as Rush Limbaugh has gotten a lot of publicity lately, and I'm guessing that is just what his colossal ego craves. I hate to add to that publicity, but I was struck by one of many asinine comments he makes. This one was from his radio show a few years back, and it was brought to my attention today by digby's blog. Here it is:

LIMBAUGH: I mean, if there is a party that's soulless, it's the Democratic Party. If there are people by definition who are soulless, it is liberals -- by definition. You know, souls come from God. You know? No. No. You can't go there.

So Rush says that souls come from God. I do not think he has any idea what he is spewing. Rush dropped out of college. He avoided the draft during the Vietnam war due to an anal cyst. I think I could surmise by his above comments that his anal cyst is alive and well, and does most of his pontificating for him. Rush does not have a degree in Philosophy, so he is in no way an authority on "the soul." Some have said that the soul and the mind are the same thing: the collection of life experiences and memories that make us who we are. Our memories and past deeds comprise our personality. If this is a better definition of soul than I would state without hesitation that Limbaugh's soul is what kept him out of the Vietnam war. Call it an anal cyst, or his soul, it still amounts to a festering pustule. For more evidence that this radio personality has a soul that reeks, here are some links I gleaned from Bob Cesca's blog today:

Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges

Rush Limbaugh Detained With Viagra

Limbaugh Mocks Parkinson's

Rush Limbaugh Mocks a 12-Year-Old Accident Victim

And he is calling who soulless? But never mind the soul. Its very existence is debatable. What is known to exist in most human beings is a backbone, but that element of the anatomy seems to be in short supply with the Republicans lately when they are taking their marching orders from a drug addled, overweight festering pustule, who still thinks that radio is hip.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Zero Wimp Factor

If anyone wonders whether President Obama will be pushed around by the cranky repugs, then take a look at this interview from the campaign trail. I love how he says it with a smile.



This is for those who may have been taken aback by quote from Obama the other day when he responded to whiny Republicans with the simple declarative sentence, "I won."

h/t bob cesca

Friday, January 23, 2009

A Long Overdue Political Rant

Earlier in the week I was greeting with this headline on the NY Times online edition: More Americans Joining Military as Jobs Dwindle. The second paragraph: The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said. BushCo almost couldn't have planned it better. Sink the economy into the toilet and we'll get all the volunteers we need for our War on Terror. I can hear them now: "Draft? We don't need no stinkin' draft!" I was probably one of those lone liberals, who thought a draft was a good idea. I get tired of all these (mainly) right-wing goobers exhorting war from the sidelines, and never having to put their own lives on the line. I joined the US Air Force when I was seventeen, and once in the military system I was able to gain a more educated view on the reality of the chain of command, nuclear weapons and so forth. I realized very quickly that most young people join, because their job, or educational prospects at home are slim to none. Most folks re-enlist, because it means healthcare and housing for their family. I have complete sympathy and support for the men and women of the armed services, because I am a veteran. I can also state unequivocally that there are plenty of liberally minded, sane people in the military, and that they are ecstatic that Barack Obama is now their commander in chief. He has already shown more empathy and support for active duty and military personnel than Bush ever did.

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I guess we are in for at least four years of intense whining from the conservative side of the political map now. A conservative friend of mine stated early in the campaign that he hoped the Democrats would win, so that he would have a chance to complain. But it's not like they ever stop complaining, even when they are in power. They complain about affirmative action, access to healthcare for all, liberal media bias (even though most of the media is owned by a mere few corporations), the threat to gun ownership and on and on. We have drug-addled Rush Limbaugh hoping Obama will fail. We have Sean Hannity blaming the recent encounter between a flock of Canadian Geese and a US Airways flight on Sen. Chuck Schumer. And we have Laura Ingraham stating that we are now less safe than we were on January 19th thanks to Barack Obama's executive orders to close down Guantanamo and to cease all torture tactics. I almost feel a little sympathy for these folks . . . almost. Either they are delusional and believe that the show 24 is a documentary; or they are going to fight to their dying breath to maintain their lavish lifestyles that they have acquired by duping the public for so long, using code words like "small business" and "tax cuts." Every time some Republican hack mentions the need to protect small businesses I actually throw up a little into my mouth. You know those burps that remind you how easy it would be to blow lunch spontaneously? The powerful elite of the right wing had their way for the last eight years and look at the position they have left our country in. Now they are trying to rewrite history, claiming that George W. Bush inherited a recession (a lie), and that no one could have foreseen the attacks of 9/11, or the levee breeches in New Orleans, or the recent economic meltdown on Wall Street. They had control of the wheel, but now they want to claim that they were actually in the back seat sleeping while the world went to shit. One recent whack job on Fox actually claimed that Bush inherited the 9/11 attacks! To call them delusional is being kind.
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Today I was prompted to write a letter to the National Right to Life Committee. I caught part of their news conference at the National Press Club yesterday, on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. More than a few times members of this committee referred to Barack Obama as "pro abortion." I just had write them a letter and call them out for that lie and insult to our 44th president. Barack Obama has specifically stated during his campaign that he would work to reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies in our country, so calling him "pro abortion" is just more right-wing nuttery. I do not know of any sane person, who is "pro abortion." But I side with those rational people, who believe that a woman has a right to choose what to do with her own body. Hell, even Sarah Palin believes in the right to choose! Remember during the campaign when she proudly exclaimed how her daughter Bristol chose to keep her baby? How do these right-to-lifers expect to ever have a reasonable dialogue about these important issues when they are too willing to hurl insults and lies? How do they expect us to believe that they value life when they drive an SUV into a women's clinic? If they really value life I want to see them protesting the death penalty, and the attacks on innocent children hiding in UN refuges in Gaza. I want to see them vociferously denounce the US attack on Iraq that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. If they really believe that abortion is murder than I would like to see them take their god out of the equation. If you can prove to me that the six week old fetus is a sentient being than I will start to listen to your arguments. Otherwise, you just come off as religious nuts trying to push your antiquated beliefs on a sane and rational public.
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And now a few facts about George W. Bush's legacy:

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

It's a New Day in America

Yes, it's still sinking in. My fellow citizens, nearly 70 million of them, finally voted for an intelligent leader with genuine compassion and concern for his country. I turned on MSNBC this morning just in time to see Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. It was a beautiful moment. Everything else that followed -- the parade and various balls -- were just icing on the cake. I am so happy that my son with grow up looking to Barack Obama as our country's leader. My son happens to be of mixed race heritage, which makes this momentous occasion that much more special. Our country, after 8 dark years, can once again (or maybe finally) start living up to its values; walking the walk, so to speak.

One of my favorite moments from the election was the announcement on Comedy Central's Indecision 2008, when Stephen Colbert momentarily broke character to wipe the tears of joy from his eyes.


It is heartening to see the pundits and miscellaneous talking heads also being caught up in the joy of this historic moment in our collective history. Even the irascible right-winger Pat Buchanan was quoting Barack Obama's speech at length today and gushing. Another highlight today was Al Roker's reaction when the President and the First Lady walked past him at the head of the inaugural parade. Take a look at this:

I was tearing up again just now, as I watched the ebullient weatherman from NBC as he reacted to Obama's recognition of him during the parade.

Let us carry this joy and sense of purpose forward as we remake America with a sense of justice and true compassion for all, at home and abroad. After having a president rule by spreading fear for the last 8 years, it will be refreshing to have a president who is so adept at inspiring hope, and motivating us to enact true change for the better.

Friday, January 16, 2009

In Your Face "Joe"

Even mainstream news hacks like Rick Sanchez are tired of the spectacle known as "Joe the Plumber." If you hadn't heard: "Joe" is now a war correspondent covering the Gaza crisis for some web site known as "pajama TV." (My guess would be that the "pajama TV" refers to all those slovenly right wing bloggers living in their parents' basement, who are still in their pajamas.) Here is Rick Sanchez given "Joe" what for, based on Wurzelbacher's recent "reporting" from Israel.