Anarchy in the USA

Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 51, which is sort of depressing for those of us who still kind of like to pretend punk's not dead. But anyway, he did an interview with Spinner magazine and takes on American politics. He's actually super-optimistic, has given half his life savings to the Obama campaign and believes that America is at a crossroads and that the youth will rise up in protest again and lead us to peace and prosperity. haha, just kidding. We're right back to "no future".

My favorites: "There's a woman [Hillary] with a vendetta. She's got to get one back on manhood. Be very, very aware: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"Dennis Kucinich...he ain't no sex god"

More excerpts:

Your opinion of British politics is literally on the record, but what's your take on the current American political scene?

Well, you're very aware that no matter what the entire country says, [George Bush is] the president and he will carry on business as usual, and nothing and no one can stop him. Are you not worried that this is setting a clear-cut example for the next f---er to get in to be 10 times worse than this? What is wrong with this system? I live here. I view myself as an American and it worries the f--- out of me. You're welcoming dictatorship with this ongoing process -- hello, there's the monarchy. We're right back to "no future."

I guess I was holding out hope ...

... that Hillary's going to save the day? No. There's a woman with a vendetta. She's got to get one back on manhood. Be very, very aware: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Obama's dense as a doorbell, not much going on up there, it's a wooden top. You need someone really, really on the money.

Who would that person be?

Unfortunately, the woman scorned [laughs]. These are tough choices, but it can't be a Republican. They destroyed any values that party ever had, and my way of looking at politics is this: Left, right, I want the best of all of it. And no one's going to affiliate me completely to one way or the other. I want what works.

Whoever comes next can't be worse than Bush.

You want to bet? World War I Germany thought that and it ended up in World War II with Hitler.

For me that points to Rudy Giuliani -- I'm not a fan of his at all.

No, that's a very bad piece of work. Very dangerous. Scary to high hell. You've got to stop them. You've got to. You look at Mitt Romney and you know that's corrupt from head to toe, that is everything wrong in a man, the vanity onwards. Who do I like? Who's the crazy one [laughs]? There are a couple of Democrats there that just speak it. [Dennis Kucinich] is hilarious, but he ain't no sex god. It's packaging, but I want to hear values, I want to hear true principles and I don't want to hear nonsense like, "When I get in, we'll be pulling out [of Iraq] straightaway." That's guaranteeing a bullet in the back of the head real quick. Don't do that. Sort it out or admit that was a failure, but don't ignore it, 'cause we've all got to carry on living in this world and this problem is only going to escalate. I want answers now. I want some serious thought in it.

Ding-Dong, Rove's Gone!

Farewell Turdblossom.

Garrett adds:

Evaluating the Surge

I'm back from across the border! I've got some new organisms living in my stomach and some new insights on  the immigration debate, but those will come soon.  

First things first,  here's a  scathing portrayal of just how, and why, the Surge is failing miserably, by Patrick Cockburn, a brilliant British journalist for The Guardian. 

Surge? Remember that thing Bush made a huge deal out of, and we all protested, then everyone sort of forgot about ? (what's it called in current CNN parlance? "Iraq fatigue" among the general public? Pathetic. I'm sure the Iraqis are a hell of a lot more fatigued than we are.)  Anyway, the surge (surprise surprise) is still going on, still not working.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2841425.ece 

America's New Gap

The NY Times has a pretty fascinating piece on a new demographic gap in the US population, one that pits a growing younger, more diverse segment of the population against an aging, mostly white one.

And this may have interesting implications for national politics:

"That development may portend a nation split between an older, whiter electorate and a younger overall population that is more Hispanic, black and Asian and that presses sometimes competing agendas and priorities.

“The new demographic divide has broader implications for social programs and education spending for youth,” said Mark Mather, deputy director of domestic programs for the Population Reference Bureau, a nonpartisan research group.

“There’s a fairly large homogenous population 60 and older that may not be sympathetic to the needs of a diverse youthful population,” Dr. Mather said."

Some of the new findings:

-while one third of Americans identify as a black, Asian, or Hispanic, they make up half of American children under five. 

- 80% of Americans over 60 are non-hispanic whites

-Minorities constitute a majority in Texas, California, New Mexico and Hawaii

There's also some analysis of the implications of this on education spending, and some more statistics here:

http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2007/05/17/us/17census.html&tntemail0=y

The Senate prepares for a massive flip-flop?

Hillary Clinton has proposed a "reverse authorization" of the Iraq war, a proposition I find a bit strange, a bit redundant, and frankly a waste of time. Senators spend enough time and energy as it is harping on and/or defending what they or their colleagues did or didn't do. This measure will simply detract from a real, timely plan for withdrawal.

The bill would repeal the Senate's October 2002 vote to give Bush the go-ahead on Iraq, but it's unclear what implications this has for the President's action. According to the NYT, "Even if Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Byrd succeed in their effort, it is not clear whether President Bush would have to withdraw troops, or if he could resist by claiming that Congress cannot withdraw its earlier authorization but instead has to deny money for the war to achieve that result.The question could prompt a constitutional debate over war powers that only the federal courts could resolve."

We do not need to a constitutional debate. We need to bring our troops home.

Strange also, that Clinton would propose this, as her 2002 authorizing vote has been an albatross around the neck of her campaign thus far. She still won't repudiate her vote (as John Edwards has) yet she wants the entire Senate to do just that?

Vegetarian atheist Adolf Hitler toootally would've loved "An Inconvenient Truth"

Ann Coulter's on to us: Liberals want EVERYONE TO DIE.

A priceless excerpt:

""Global warming" is the left's pagan rage against mankind. If we can't produce industrial waste, then we can't produce. Some of us -- not the ones with mansions in Malibu and Nashville is my guess -- are going to have to die. To say we need to reduce our energy consumption is like saying we need to reduce our oxygen consumption.

Liberals have always had a thing about eliminating humans. Stalin wanted to eliminate the kulaks and Ukranians, vegetarian atheist Adolf Hitler wanted to eliminate the Jews, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger wanted to eliminate poor blacks, DDT opponent Rachel Carson wanted to eliminate Africans (introduction to her book "Silent Spring" written by ... Al Gore!), and population-control guru Paul Ehrlich wants to eliminate all humans. "

See the whole, unbelievable thing here.

Blog gossip!

Wonkette picked up somebody's impressions of the Kucinich event in their "gossip roundup" section:

Dennis Kucinich spoke to students at Harvard on Friday [4/13]. His wife came too, and she’s hot! Literally twice his height with long red hair. Looks like the girl from That 70’s Show. He took offense when people asked him what candidate he would support in the general election, insisting he did in fact think he could win the nomination.

Sad day to be a Virginian

I'm sure everyone has heard about the horrendous and tragic killings at Virginia Tech today. As a Virginian, I'm especially sad-- everyone in my community has family or friends at VT, and will be personally affected by the tragedy. 

But as a Virginian, I'm also angry about my state's lenient gun laws that allow violence like this to occur. Last spring there a police officer in my county was killed by a teenager who had managed to amass a massive arsenal in his home. There was mourning over the victim, but no discussion about gun restrictions. 

Virginia's idea of gun control is a joke. Here's a summary from the New York Times' article on the shooting:

Virginia imposes few restrictions on the purchase of handguns and no requirement for any kind of licensing or training. The state does limit handgun purchases to one per month to discourage bulk buying and resale, state officials said.

Once a person had passed the required background check, state law requires that law enforcement officers issue a concealed carry permit to anyone who applies. However, no regulations and no background checks are required for purchase of weapons at a Virginia gun show.

“Virginia’s gun laws are some of the weakest state laws in the country,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “And where there have been attempts to make some changes, a backdoor always opens to get around the changes, like the easy access at gun shows.”

It's not known yet how the VT student got ahold of his weapon, but I can only hope Virginia will pause and consider the system as they mourn the victims.  

Fox "News" Boycott

What does everyone thing of '08 candidates Clinton, Edwards and Obama's decisions not to participate in a debate on Fox News, which they are justifying by saying that there's simply no point, given the obscene biases of the channel?

On the one hand, I think it's a bit childish, and only adds fuel to Fox's fire. Biased or not, Fox is still one of America's primary news sources, and Democrats aren't winning any swing votes by cutting them out.

But on the other hand, now that nutjob Michelle Malkin is on the airwaves, I think they have a point. Watch this priceless exchange between the pundit and the General Counsel of the Black Panther Party (Malkin quips: "how many members do you have sir? Fifteen?" What grade is she in?), They proceed to call one another whores, and the segment ends with Malkin's sarcastic "uh huh, okay, bye now.. buh-bye..." She then moves into reporter mode.. "now onto reports..."

That's fair and balanced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9vadcdgzjI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwonkette%2Ecom%2F%3FrefId%3D252555

"Dodd Squad" beats "Straight Talk Express" in another category besides lamest slogan ever

Ari Berman at the Nation points out the various ways in which John McCain's campaign is rapidly imploding, (http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=186404), most noticeably, he's behind CHRIS DODD in fundraising. 

Not to say Chris Dodd isn't an admirable guy, and a candidate worth noticing, but when you're one of the country's most high-profile senators, have run for president multiple times, and are being touted as the right-wing go-to-guy... this does not bode well.

News reports  say Dodd has about 6.4 million on hand for the primaries, while McCain has just 5.2. This of course dwarfed by the tens of millions Clinton and Obama pulled in during the first quarter.

The Genocide Olympics: Hope for Darfur

A hopeful article in the NYTimes today, (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/washington/13diplo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin) claiming that pressure from  human rights groups may actually be having some effect on China's Sudan policy. The carrot? A boycott-free Beijing Olympics.

China has steadily refused to criticize the genocide in Sudan, and has obstructed UN Security Council attempts to place sanctions on the government there. China has ties to Sudanese oil and other business ventures, and is also hesitant to jump on a human rights campaign, given scrutiny over their own practices. 

But a campaign is underway, spearheaded by Mia Farrow and Steven Spielberg (an adviser to the Olympic committee), to pressure China to change its policy, by naming the Beijing games "The Genocide Olympics."

Desperate to protect the success of the games,  Chinese officials appear to be responding: they're  actually going to Sudan now, touring refugee camps and pressuring the government. 

China acquiescence is a huge factor perpetuating the genocide in Darfur... let's hope their Olympic fervor yields some real action. 

White House in La-La Land

Declassified Defense Department report confirms that Hussein had no ties to Al-Qaeda prior to the Iraq invasion. No shit, really? So the White House must be apologizing right now, no?

Uh, no.

"The report's release came on the same day that Vice President Cheney, appearing on Rush Limbaugh's radio program, repeated his allegation that al-Qaeda was operating inside Iraq "before we ever launched" the war, under the direction of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist killed last June. --WaPo 4/6

Natch.

Where did Cheney get his intelligence?

From the "Fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth," Doug Feith.

This all sounds so familiar; there's nothing new to say.

George, I don't think we're welcome in Kansas anymore...

If Cheney had a heart, it would be breaking... 

Students and professors at Brigham Young University (the highly conservative Mormon college) are protesting having the Vice President as their commencement speaker. 

Brigham Young places "a heavy emphasis on personal honesty and integrity in all [they] do", according to a professor leading the charge against Cheney. He added, "Cheney just doesn’t measure up.'’ 

Ouch. Artsy New School students protesting John McCain was one thing, but the Christian Right protesting the Dark Lord they basically singlehandedly put into power? Where the hell are the 18% of people who like Cheney, if they're not at BYU?

Is there a universe inside your Skippy jar?

Possibly the best argument for Creationism I've ever heard, courtesy of a preacher named Chuck Missler:

http://www.scienceblogs.com/...

'08ers: Watch Your Mouths

Joining the esteemed ranks of George "Macaca" Allen and Joe "Clean and Articulate" Biden, comes John "Tar-baby" McCain, with his very own racially insensitive comment!

Speaking at an Iowa campaign event, McCain responded to a question saying that it had the potential to become a "political tar-baby--" a reference to the Uncle Remus story where Brer Rabbit mistakes a lump of tar for a black man, and gets stuck to him when he tries to kick him for his rude manners. The term has come to refer to any sticky situation, but it's still a racially loaded image.

Excessive political correctness is a pain, yet I think the gaffes of Allen and Biden this past year prove that without a doubt Americans are ready to move the political lexicon out of the 19th century. So while I don't think McCain meant anything with his "tar-baby" comment, he of all people should be more sensitive. (Remember the "gook" incident, and the illegitimate-black child rumors?) Everyone thought Bush's incoherent bumblings were cute in the 2000 election, but they have turned us into international laughing stock. "New-cu-lar" has become symbolic of much deeper problems than mis-pronunciation: mistakes, misinformation, misguidance.

Eloquence is not all that matters; substance must follow. But primaries set the tone for the race, and everyone would benefit from a raising of the bar of political discourse.