Feb
20
2009
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Gov Pat Quinn calls for Burris to resign.

[UPDATE] Well, well, well: I may be happy to be proven wrong in this case: “Illinois governor says Burris should resign
Quinn says a new senator should be chosen by special election
.” Via Hot Air.

Reported by Jim Geraghty: given the drumbeat of articles cropping up (“Black Ministers May Rethink Backing Sen. Burris,” and “Blagojevich aide tells of Burris call in fall,” and “What people are saying about Burris“) this was probably inevitable. More as it comes in; thoughts after the fold.

(more…)

Feb
20
2009
1

Moby Hit: Whale-based anti-piracy manuevers in Gulf.

I suppose that it says something about me that I really would rather live in the Weekly World News‘ world:

WHALES TAKE DOWN SOMALI PIRATES

CAIRO—The Egyptian government is calling on the gentle giants of the sea to take out pirate ships, and the whales are getting the job done.

Somali privateers operating in the Indian Ocean have been robbing trade ships in the region and taking hostages, sometimes with political overtones. Egypt has responded with an elite fighting force of ramming whales trained to neutralize the vessels through headlong collisions.

[snip]

“They’re not human!” wailed a captured Somali pirate, after an engagement that left his ship a wreck and his crew prisoners. “I mean, I know they’re not human, but like…I mean it in the superlative sense, like they’re not bound by human limitations.”

In a very odd way, it’d be a bit more coherent. The weird stuff that happens there have reasons behind them. Or, at least, better ones than “Just because” or “because there was money in it.”

Feb
20
2009
2

Impressively fast racism-sanitation by the Obama people, there.

Kind of symbolic, really: treat the symptom, not the disease.

[UPDATE]: Hello, Campaign Spot readers.  Fair warning: this site is decidedly geek-friendly.

Via Geraghty, this was some of the text that was originally found here:

The real monkeys are the three Republican analyst that the Party has selectively placed in front of the camera to explain their wicked devices, Amy Holmes, Cook-eyed Ron Christie, and Michael sell-out Steele. If you notice how they talk and what they are saying leaves me with the impression that the only thing that is missing from their reporting is a monkey grinder.

The three of them are like wind up monkey dolls that are programmed to say and think like their Republican counter-parts..

If the Republican Party members think that just because they put these three white around the mouth as Al Jolson Negro’s in front of the public, that this dismisses the fact that they are a racist regime, they are once again mistaken.

…and is now sanitized. I’d show you the Google cache, but they shut it down for that site months ago.

(more…)

Feb
20
2009
18

Looking at the PMA Porkers: An examination of CQ’s List of Appropriators.

So, I crunched the numbers of the PMA defense budget earmarks (raw info found here), and came up with something interesting. Below are the top twenty current House members who have taken money from PMA and placed earmarks in that bill, sorted by cumulative donations. A “#” represents being on the Defense Appropriations Committee at the time, and Republicans are bolded:

Requesting Member Total Credited PMA campaign $ since 2001
Peter J. Visclosky# $23,800,000 $219,000
John P. Murtha# $34,105,000 $143,600
James P. Moran# $10,800,000 $125,250
Norm Dicks# $12,130,000 $91,600
Bill Pascrell Jr. $2,400,000 $73,200
Mike Doyle $1,600,000 $69,400
Loretta Sanchez $3,200,000 $60,118
Tim Holden $3,200,000 $57,275
Tim Ryan $1,000,000 $54,250
Michael E. Capuano $2,800,000 $54,000
Chet Edwards $6,040,000 $48,734
Silvestre Reyes $800,000 $42,300
Christopher Carney $5,900,000 $38,500
Paul E. Kanjorski $4,800,000 $37,150
Jerry Lewis $8,000,000 $34,649
Marcy Kaptur# $1,600,000 $34,500
Carolyn McCarthy $1,000,000 $31,500
Patrick J. Murphy $1,600,000 $29,250
Rodney Frelinghuysen# $7,300,000 $29,129
Ander Crenshaw $1,000,000 $27,300

(more…)

Feb
20
2009
1

The Huffington Post Gleefully Falls for a Hoax. [UPDATE] They almost sound sorry for this one.

I guess that they really have joined the ranks of the media.

[UPDATE]: HuffPo now regrets the error.  Full points for retracting it in the story itself; 75% off the total for blaming it on a third party and not their own shoddy fact-checking.

They’re playing the same behavior pattern of slovenly reporting. In this case, failing to confirm before they screamed and leaped. Via Hot Air Headlines, johnny dollar has the details: to summarize, a video used by the HuffPo that purported to have a radio talk-show host compare Eric Holder to a monkey turned out to been a cheesy overdub. One that would have been obvious to anybody who examined the original feed (more…)

Feb
20
2009
1

Ace is back from Lebanon.

His preliminary thoughts <a href=”http://ace.mu.nu/archives/283126.php”>here</a>.  Very short version: having a functioning democracy kind of helps moderate things for a country.  Which (most of) you and I already knew, but Ace also has “progressive” lurkers, some of whom who haven’t had an original thought since 2001.

Strike that.  They haven’t had a <strong>new </strong>thought since 2001.  Even then, the animating principle that they acquired back then was so old that it had mildew on it…

Crossposted to RedState.

Feb
20
2009
4

Bill Clinton agrees that Obama should smile more.

Not in so many words, but he generally echoed something that I noted yesterday: our President is not being reassuring enough. Like all good poisoners, Clinton makes sure that the fatal dose is well-mixed with things designed to mask the taste. In this case, GOP-bashing:

Bill Clinton: Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

[snip]

Regarding Obama’s bleak warnings that “the economy could get worse before it gets better,” and that the economic stimulus program is only the beginning of the end of the economic crisis, Clinton said, “I like the fact that he didn’t come in and give us a bunch of happy talk. I’m glad he shot straight with us.”

But he added, “I just want the American people to know that he’s confident that we are gonna get out of this and he feels good about the long run.”

Clinton thinks Obama should talk to the public in greater depth about the economy.

“I like trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis,” Clinton said. “I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we’re gonna come through this.”

(more…)

Feb
20
2009
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The 2009 Phantom Corsair (In Nomine)

(The In Nomine core rulebook is available here) The 2009 Phantom Corsair Primal Spirit Corporeal Forces: 3 Strength: 6 Agility: 6 Ethereal Forces: 2 Intelligence: 4 Perception: 4 Celestial Forces: 2 Will: 4 Perception: 4 Charisma/2 Element: Tech (Vehicles) Affinities:...
Feb
19
2009
1

It’s apparently Video Day here: Bob Seger’s Night Moves.

Because Like a Rock was actually a little depressing for my mood. Then again, that can be a hazard with listening to Bob Seger. Don’t get me wrong: I kind of miss not being 18 anymore myself. But only kind of, because frankly back then I was a schmuck.

What was that? “What’s changed?”

Hardy har har. I’m a much more refined schmuck now.

Feb
19
2009
4

Seattle, Stamford, and IMAO: a post about primates.

I went over to IMAO to get FrankJ’s reaction to this story about the monkey with the, ah, obvious distinguishing features that got loose in the Woodland Park Zoo:

He hasn’t gotten to it yet, but he did have a pointed observation about the people screaming about the Post cartoon: (more…)

Feb
19
2009
9

Rep Bart Gordon (D, TN-06) junketing to Europe for no real reason?

Apparently, he’s going to be part of quite the throng. Via Red County and Dave Evans for Congress comes this WaPo report:

Hurry, hurry, hurry. Congress will begin its 2009 travel season in earnest this weekend with two spectacular codels — trips for House congressional delegations — that are not to be missed.

On Saturday, Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House delegation to NATO’s parliamentary assembly, and his wife will lead a delegation of 13 lawmakers — plus 10 spouses — on a fine nine-day jaunt starting at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.

[snip]

The huge number of members, spouses and staffers, plus military escorts, will require taking one of the bigger military jets, but we’re told these trips are an important use of taxpayer money.

No, of course he has no obvious legislative reason to go. As Dave Evans further notes: (more…)

Feb
19
2009
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Serenity freaking NOW.

Song originally found on Rattle and Hum, and it’s a good mood-calmer for me. And do I need it right now.

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