Get a Brain! MorOns.

I want to throw up.

And I don't mean that in a metaphoric way. I mean, literally, sick to my stomach, want to throw up.

Why you ask? Because of this vile pack of bullshit: the Republicans' so-called Road to Recovery. Which is supposedly a response to Obama's calling them out for bitching about the budget without offering their own. Of course, this isn't a fucking budget. There's not one single fucking specific in the whole fucking thing -- other than the way they want to change the tax system. In fact, when asked for specifics about the alleged GOP budget that this ridiculous document supposedly "outlines", that waste of fucking air John Boehner actually said, "wait and see." Um, wait and see, what the fuck is this -- a magic show? And the scariest part is that the knuckle-dragging wingnut talking heads are already railing about how Obama was "wrong" TWO FUCKING DAYS AGO about the Republicans failing to offer their own budget based on the GOP issuing this useless and detail-free piece of rubbish TODAY. Talk about a waste of paper. And a load of bs.

Now mind you, I didn't read the whole fucking thing (just couldn't get through it all without hurling) but you don't have to be a brain surgeon (but you do need to not be a "moran") to realize there are no budgetary details in here and that the whole fucking thing is just a bunch of wishy-washy ideas of what the GOP says they'll do that the Dems supposedly won't. And of course, their usual 'the Dems suck and they hate you' rhetoric.

My problem, however, is not that the GOP has taken issue with Obama's budget, or even that they only offer useless grandstanding in lieu of concrete solutions (well, come to think of it, that pretty much pisses me off too, especially since they make utterly unsupported and hateful claims about the specifics of what the Dems have suggested, but that really isn't my point); my problem is in the tenor of their grandstanding and the way in which one must forget history to believe a single word of it.

Take, for example, their stance on 'health care reform', and I fucking quote (from page 8 if you must know) . . .
"Republicans seek to provide universal access to affordable health care and to address Medicare and Medicaid’s trillion dollar unfunded liabilities with common-sense reforms that ensure our children and grandchildren can secure benefits in the future."

Yes, that's exactly what it says, and no, I'm not fucking crazy.

So yeah, fucking excuse me? The GOP are supporters of universal health care now? The GOP wants to save Medicare and Medicaid? WHAT?!?! Isn't this the same party that has effectively stalled all prior attempts to work toward universal health care coverage? The leader of which actually vetoed expanding health care coverage for fucking children? The same party that gave us the totally fucked up Part D prescription plan for seniors which totally fucked the people it was supposed to protect at the expense of creating massive profits for HMOs (and the drug cos, musn't forget BigPharma)? Have I lost my mind, is it the same fucking party? Oh yeah, it fucking is.

But wait, it gets better: "Republicans plan vigorous efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in order to make traditional Medicare more efficient." Which would be totally fucking hilarious if it weren't so sickeningly hypocritical.

I could rail on about the continuing inaccuracies and ludicrous statements in this "plan," which I am sure is directed at average 'Muricans (you know, the "real" ones, like the dim-witted one in the picture), who continue to believe the GOP gives a shit about them even though it is plainly fucking obvious to the rest of us that they really really don't, but I'm sure others more eloquent than I will do that in the coming days. And weeks. And, let's be honest, months and possibly even years. So, rather than make myself even sicker than I already am, I'll leave you with this...

In addition to the as-yet-uncounted inaccuracies and outright bullshit in this fucking waste of dead trees, the GOP does provide us with one little detail: a massive tax cut for the rich which would, in the words of the HuffPost, "facilitat[e] a dramatic transfer of wealth up the economic scale." And which would result in the lowest tax rates for the rich since the 20s; lower even, then under the GOP golden child, Reagan. (and they dare call us socialists?). In other words, the same old trickle-down bullshit that has never worked before. God I fucking hate them.

What's pissing me off today...

The fucking lying-ass-bitches over at the Traditional Values Coalition. Granted, despite their fucking lie about certain language in the stimulus package, the ridiculous DeMint amendment was defeated (thank the goddess); but still, they couldn't get their fucking way so now they want to sue? Are you fucking kidding me? I swear (obviously) that these fucking bastards will not rest until there is a government funded (Christian) church on every corner. Ok, we get it, there were a fuckload of Christians back in the day when this country was founded. But could you for one fucking second just stop and pretend like you listened in high school history -- these particular Christians (they were called PURITANS you ignorant assholes) were not the same as those in England, where everyone had to be the religion that the government said. So these people, the forerunners, one might say, of today's evangelicals, left the fucking country. So that they would be free from government required religion. And free to practice a DIFFERENT religion than the majority in England. So - ergo, dumbasses, whether the founders were Christians or Jews or Zoroastrians is besides the point. What they were is not as important as what they weren't -- they weren't interested in the government being involved in their religion. So back the fuck off already. Or leave the fucking country. I mean really, hasn't history taught you anything?

And if that wasn't enough, more wacky-ass Christian bullshit (that's right, I called it bullshit) from "Revive Our Hearts." For those who are blissfully ignorant of this particular fringe group, apparently "Revive Our Hearts" is, according to the linked article, a St. Louis based women’s ministry, and radio program, that "stresses submission as a militant discipline." And by submission they don't mean submission as in S&M-ooh-that's kinda-kinky submission. They mean women-are-stupid-bitches-who-should-be-seen-and-not-heard submission. As in go-fix-me-a-turkey-pot-pie-you-useless-female submission. These self-hating women actually believe that women should be subservient to men in all things. And they even sponsored a conference -- the "True Women's Conference" -- to talk about it. The final point being to change culture to rid the world of the effects of the women's movement. You know - all those awful things like opportunity and equality and education. Who fucking needs it right?

Well, my first question is, do you think they had their husbands' permission to have this little "conference" or rather, did their husbands require them to attend? Because the mere fact that they're organizing and have a political agenda seems to fly in the face of their stated beliefs that women are only good for raising children and taking care of the home and even then only if they do these things in the ways demanded by their (allegedly) superior menfolk. And then my second question is - are you fucking kidding me? Ummm, sorry bitches, but I think perhaps you should all just go back to your kitchens and baby-making and shut the fuck up because your measly 3,000 little signatures of poor self-hating women (who were probably beaten into submission for the most part anyway) is nothing compared to the will of the millions of women in this country who have more sense in their well-coifed hair follicles then it would appear these "true" women have combined and who aren't about to leave the board room for the back room.

Maybe that's a little unfair -- maybe these women aren't total idiots...after all, they claim this is a religious belief. But if that's so, then keep your fucking belief to yourselves ladies (see above). Then again, as noted over at Mother Jones, these nutjobs don't want our respect or the freedom to do as they please (which they already have), they want our deference and that they will not get and do not deserve. In fact, I'll even go one farther -- given that this same group seems to think its just fine for a man to BEAT HIS WIFE (that's right -- read the linked MJ article - no divorce for 'average' abuse), well then they're a bunch of criminal-minded mother fuckers who should have their children taken from them. I'm sorry, but it is child abuse to tell a little girl that she is worthless for anything other than being a breeder. And let's not forget that the Bible, which all these lunatics cling to, was written by...can you guess? do you know? that's right...fucking MEN. Men who had faced thousands of years of matriarchal pagan culture and didn't like not being in charge of everything and who had finally found a way to take all the power. They wrote their little books and got a whole bunch of mother fuckers to read them and believe every word came straight from the Big Man's mouth. Then they use it to rationalize (among a whole host of shitty things) their treatment of women. Excuse me but, ummm, look at it this way, would Jesus really beat and oppress women? I've never met the man, but I'm guessing not. And I'm thinking he's probably gonna be pretty pissed that people are using his church to push this blatantly sexist agenda. AGAIN.

There is of course, a potential bright side...history tells us that the type of submission being pushed here often has very interesting results. Put another way, I wonder if the men behind these women (and you know that's what this is -- it must be right, cause women are not smart or strong enough to do this alone) would keep pushing this particular brand of submission were they to realize that it is also the Janie's-Got-a-Gun and It's-Independence-Day and Goodbye-Earl brand of submission. If so, well, then maybe the end result will be less dickheads and more unindicted women. ;)

Who Died and Made Mukasey King?

Apparently, a couple of days ago, soon-to-be-fired Attorney General Michael Mukasey issued an "opinion" which says that illegal aliens facing deportation do not have a right to the effective assistance of counsel. Prior to this pronouncement, however, the majority of federal circuit courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals, said the exact opposite - that illegals DO have a right to effective assistance of counsel. Now, granted, there were a few circuit courts that disagreed. But usually when there is a "circuit split" like this, the Supreme Court steps in and decides which side is right. That's how its always fucking worked. That's what the fucking constitution calls for. In fact, finding a circuit split for an appeal issue is, for lawyers, like a kid finding a bowl full of candy -- we get all excited and starting thinking things like, holy shit, oh my god, I might have a Supreme Court case on my hands. Yippee! But this time around, Mukasey has said screw the Supremes, I'm gonna handle this one solo.

And he didn't just issue an opinion on the main issue....after trouncing on federal court precedence, this fucker goes and says that if illegals have a problem with their lawyers, they should ask the IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT (that's right, the very same people trying to deport them) to reopen their case. Not a court, which is the standard practice and how it has worked for, well, ever, but the fucking Immigration Department. Oh, and the Immigration Department has complete discretion to basically say, fuck off and no one can do a goddamn thing about it. Read more about it here.

Now...my problem is not whether Mukasey got it right or wrong (we'll leave that question for another day), but I am livid that he had the audacity to decide the issue himself. And that he seems to be stripping the federal courts of jurisdiction guaranteed them by U.S. law. I mean seriously, who the fuck said it was okay for his to do this? Where the fuck does he get off? I'm no expert on the authority of the Department of Justice, but I'm pretty fucking sure that it's not authorized to interpret the constitution. The Federal Courts usually do that. But hey, it's almost January 20, right? SO I'm not surprised to hear something like this. The Bushies only have a couple more weeks to completely fuck up our country and our entire legal system...and for once, it looks like they're actually going to do some fucking work.

The Palin Double Standard

Ok so these aren't my words, but since I really couldn't say it better myself (I'm good but I'm not that good), I figured better to quote someone else then to do it half-assed:

"Many writers have noted the many shades of conservative hypocrisy on view here:  when Jamie Lynn Spears gets pregnant, it is considered a symptom of liberal decadence and the breakdown of family values; in the case of one of Palin's daughters, however, teen pregnancy gets reinterpreted as a sign of immaculate, small-town fecundity."

Sam Harris, "When Atheists Attack:  A noted provocateur rips Sarah Palin--and defends elitism."  Newsweek, Sept. 29, 2008 p32-35 (see p34).

Now, excuse me, but what the fuck?  Is there a single Palin supporter who can explain this bullshit to me?  Seriously, I specifically remember when Jamie Lynn Spear's pregnancy was announced.  I specifically remember reading and seeing on television (possibly, hell, probably on channels which often claim to be news shows, but really don't tell you anything) about how shitty Mrs. Spears must be to have let her underage daughter get pregnant.  And now, little Bristol is knocked up and Palin gets a pass?  Why?  Because she's anti-choice?  Sorry, but that ain't it.  C'mon, think about it, did anyone even ask the Spears about their views on abortion?  No the fuck they didn't.  (Or if they did, it never made it to major media, kinda like the rally of Alaskan Women Against Palin, and for sure no one told my ass about it.)  

But wait, the hypocrisy gets even worse if you consider the rest of Mr. Harris' thought:

"And just imagine if, instead of the Palins, the Obama family had a pregnant, underage daughter on display at their convention, flanked by her black boyfriend who 'intends' to marry her.  Who among conservatives would have resisted the temptation to speak of 'the dysfunction in the black community'?"

Who indeed.  Please.  Those mother-fuckers would have been chomping at the bit to see who could find the most clever barb.  The vitriol against Obama would be worse than it already is.  And sorry, but I don't see McCain asking the media to lay off of Obama's family and focus on the issues.  Could you?  Knowing he's barely said the word 'issue' in his campaign, let alone actually discussed them? (Then again, maybe he would...after all, he was once the biggest supporter of a deregulated market and now he's supposedly all in favor of a bail-out accompanied by tighter regulation).  

Oh --and speaking of the bail-out...am I the only one who sees this as nothing more than a situation that was allowed to happen so that Bush and his boys could just put even more taxpayer money into the hands of the corporate powers-that-be?

So -- back to the double standard.  Anyone got an explanation for me?  Cause I'd really really like to hear it.  Honest.  I really want to know.  Look, I consider myself to be a pretty smart chick.  And its not like I'm a republican hater -- I respect everyone's right to believe what they want (and I can even, theoretically agree with some 'conservative fiscal policies' - at least what that used to mean), I just can't understand the Palin thing.  She gets a pass for the very things that conservatives have railed against in the past?  Why?  Because she's on the right side of the fence (no pun intended)?  I mean, I really thought my Republican friends were relatively smart people (and by the post-Palin definition -- well educated and from the East Coast -- elitist) yet they all seem to be falling hook-line-and-sinker for this b.s. being handed to them.  Sorry, but you guys deserve better than your party is giving you.  Seriously, you are getting majorly screwed.  Is it just me?  But the people leading the 'republican' party just don't seem very 'republican' to me anymore, at least not what republican used to mean anyway.

Which brings me to this other interesting article I just read....but I'll leave that for another time.  Besides I've got Dancing with the Stars tivo'd (hell-lo, Lacey from SYTYCD is on!) and I do (unfortunately) have to go to work tomorrow... 

People who live in glass houses...

Today we're going to hear all about how Obama is second on the list of senators who took campaign money from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac. McCain (and his spin machine, aka FauxNews) will drill this into your head. They will make it sound as though Obama has been taking big PAC money, that he isn't as committed to a grass roots campaign as he says. But what McCain won't tell you is that the money Obama allegedly took from Fannie & Freddie is actually almost entirely from individual donors who happen to have been employed by one of those entities. Given Obama has more than 2.5 million individual donors, it's not surprising that some are employed at Fannie or Freddie. In other words, McCain won't tell you the truth about the donations because if he did, he'd have no mud to sling.

Oh, and one more thing MCain won't be telling you: he took money "from" Fannie & Freddie too. And lets not even get into where his current campaign money is coming from (lobbyists) and who it is that is driving his campaign (lobbyists - more than 160 of them on his campaign staff). Oh how I wish I had a few million dollars to blow so I could do some mudsliging of my own. Because while Obama may be above it (and rightfully so -- he's right that campaigns should be about the isues), I fucking am not. Besides, wouldn't you like to know what dirty little secrets big money like that could unearth?