I got a few inquires after I posted the photoshopped Mccain portrait in my post WHY I LOVE WALNUTS. Where did I get that picture? Is it fair? Are there equally awful renderings of Barry Hussein?
From the dreamy and beautiful "O" of the Obama campaign, to the disastrous green background that continues to plague Mccain, the visuals of this presidential election have been incredibly stark in contrast. Sometimes purposefully and sometimes completely by accident. I'd encourage you all to visit the visual blog BAG NEWS NOTES for some truly scholarly (and inevitably a bit leftist) analysis of the images brought into our concious and sub conscious through the media. I'd also like to throw a tip of the hat to one of my favorite political photographers Richard Avedon, who passed away nearly four years ago, but who's portrait of a newly arrived political star named Barack Obama, is the consummate portrait of youthful ideals and hope in a politician.
What I find astounding about Avedon's work is how politically biased it is, and yet how even "mistreated" subjects returned to his studio. The vague, even lost look on Reagan, which became even more telling after his affliction was made public. The Melting Bush the Elder, the Yes-Man Rumsfeld, and the saintly Carter. Simon Schama wrote on the subject in far greater detail, but I suggest you read his guardian article if the art holds you as it does me.
So John McCain tried to cancel the debates as the Economy (Which he clearly doesn't understand) tanks as badly as his poll numbers. Naturally, the Republicans are trying to paint this as some sort of Mavericky move that only a leader would try. I heard some GOP shill on the teevee saying "He thinks its so important to fix this problem, that he's willing to risk the presidency." Hahahahahaha! They are going to lose. The fact is that the McCain camp and the Obama camp had been in talks to issue a joint statement before Walnuts freaked out and tried to cancel the whole thing. Had this been a true bipartisan effort to discuss the issues at hand, Walnuts could have asked Barry to hold off. Instead he tried to blindside the Hussein Obama and single-handedly change the momentum of the election by drawing attention away from the issues. "HEY! HEY! Look at me! I'm canceling the debate! Pay no attention to the bill the president is trying to force through with no oversight!" Unfortunately for Walnuts, the debate schedule can't be changed and the Debate commission has told him to eff off, the debate will go on. Now of course, we all know for sure that Walnuts is not ready, nor is he even remotely familiar with what is happening with the economy or is he prepared to answer why his campaign manager was being given 15k a month by Freddie Mac. Barry rightly told the kooky old bat to stuff it, and the debate will go on. With or without walnuts.
BY ROGER EBERT Sun-Times Movie Critic I think I might be able to explain some of Sarah Palin's appeal. She's the "American Idol" candidate. Consider. What defines an "American Idol" finalist? They're good-looking, work well on television, have a sunny personality, are fierce competitors, and so talented, why, they're darned near the real thing. There's a reason "American Idol" gets such high ratings. People identify with the contestants. They think, Hey, that could be me up there on that show!
My problem is, I don't want to be up there. I don't want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn't repeat bald- faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn't appoint Alaskan politicians to "study" global warming, because, hello! It has been studied. The returns are convincing enough that John McCain and Barack Obama are darned near in agreement.
I would also want someone who didn't make a teeny little sneer when referring to "people who go to the Ivy League." When I was a teen I dreamed of going to Harvard, but my dad, an electrician, told me, "Boy, we don't have the money. Thank your lucky stars you were born in Urbana and can go to the University of Illinois right here in town." So I did, very happily. Although Palin gets laughs when she mentions the "elite" Ivy League, she sure did attend the heck out of college.
Five different schools in six years. What was that about?
And how can a politician her age have never have gone to Europe? My dad had died, my mom was working as a book-keeper and I had a job at the local newspaper when, at 19, I scraped together $240 for a charter flight to Europe. I had Arthur Frommer's $5 a Day under my arm, started in London, even rented a Vespa and drove in the traffic of Rome. A few years later, I was able to send my mom, along with the $15 a Day book.
You don't need to be a pointy-headed elitist to travel abroad. You need curiosity and a hunger to see the world. What kind of a person (who has the money) arrives at the age of 44 and has only been out of the country once, on an official tour to Iraq? Sarah Palin's travel record is that of a provincial, not someone who is equipped to deal with global issues.
But some people like that. She's never traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America or Down Under? That makes her like them. She didn't go to Harvard? Good for her! There a lot of hockey moms who haven't seen London, but most of them would probably love to, if they had the dough. And they'd be proud if one of their kids won a scholarship to Harvard.
I trust the American people will see through Palin, and save the Republic in November. The most damning indictment against her is that she considered herself a good choice to be a heartbeat away. That shows bad judgment.
If the world were to end today, then it ended in pursuit of knowledge and not in barbaric mutual annihilation. But we all know it won't end, and we'll be launched into a really exciting new era of understanding the world we live in.
From the BBC:
"On Wednesday the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will send out a full particle beam, in preparation for an experiment that will re-create conditions just after the Big Bang. The LHC will smash two beams of particles head-on at super-fast speeds. Scientists from Cern - the European organisation for nuclear research - hope to see new particles in the debris of these collisions. There have been concerns that the experiment could open black holes that would swell in size and swallow up the Earth, but physicists stress that the planet is not under threat."
A COUPLE OF CERN EUROLICIOUS VIDS I UPLOADED TO THE YOUTUBES EXPLAINING THE LHC
I've decided to reserve my comments on John McCain and Sarah Palin until after Walnuts delivers his speech tonight.
But before I start in with my elitist misogyny and ageism, I'd like to address the brass pair of the GOP. To present their losing nominee, the GOP in all its fervent glory,while beholden to the most corrupt and incompetent presidency of at least the last hundred years and proclaiming themselves as "REAL CHANGE" , paraded the most turdish trio of world-class hacks that have ever addressed a pack of vapid, howling, blood-thirsty, war mongering hate-douches. I refer of course to the lispful rat-demon Rudy 9u11iani, the pathetic pasty blob of sniveling treachery and self-loathing named Joe Lieberman, and "Folksy", lazy, lying, fucktard Fred Thompson of Hollywood (Via Tennesee).
While the DNC trots out Presidents and Vice Presidents, sitting Senators and civil rights leaders, the party of Nixon headlines a former mayor who's personal life and cheap politicizing of national tragedy will make future generations shit themselves with disbelief at early millennial politics. His stream of unbelievable bullshit and pathetic simplification of geopolitics continues to infect my sense of decency. Rudy Gulianni will be forever remembered as a man who had the opportunity for great things and instead squandered it for his own vulgar self interests by becoming a propagator of lies and a complete shill for a corrupt administration. Was he seriously STILL trying to make the case for Iraq being part of "The war on Terror"? Really? Osama Bin Laden in Iraq, right? That's what this guy was lisping at the head cases there, or at least insinuating.
This was their keynote speaker.
If you are a desperate party who is on the verge of being crushed by the weight of your own corruption and unlawful scandals, you tend to bring out some of the most loathsome trolls possible to rally the base and appeal to their base instincts. When you have no true moral compass, it makes sense to trot out an Armani clad, degenerate weasel to terrify you, while your mind continues to race with thoughts of wild, teenage hillbilly sex. They were practically foaming at the mouth.
Next you show just how great your candidate is by parading a loser. A Jew who hangs out withanti semites, a Democrat who hangs out with Republicans, or simply whomever will have him. Joe Leiberman is a sad sack of worthless turncoat. When you are a party who claims to have "Values" and those values are extolled by someone who lacks the moral strength to pick a side, you may as well join Joe on his toboggan of "Joementum" down shit hill.
In case your supporters hadn't drowned in hypocrisy, you feed them some more. You talk down to them. You assume because they are working class that the only thing they'll understand is hate and war and dialects. You hope that like "W" they'll want to share a beer with your party. But real working class people aren't doing so well, and they may say something like "Foreclosure" so you find an actor. You parade the lazy Frederick of Hollywood. You have him talk about your candidate in warm folksy tones. Why Sheeeit, he sounds like he's cheewin tabakky! "That MUST mean they's gots our interests in minds, cuz this here beet colored actor boy tells us so. And the media hates us, jess like theys hated Ronnil Raygun. Hyuck Hyuck Hyuuuck."
I'm not going to rip on Alaska-lady Sarah Palin or on Walnuts just yet. I'm going to let Walnuts do his thing, that's all.
Holy moly! I know a few of you are out there seeking political guidance. We have so much to discuss! So much has happened, but i have to make sure everyone has seen the same things . So before we talk about Barry and Uncle Joe, before we talk about Hillz and Bubba, before we discuss Walnuts and find a nickname for Sarah Palin, lets make sure we saw the same things at the DNC in my home state's capital of DENVER.
Teddy made an appearance, which was awesome.
There was still fear of Party Disunity by PUMA retards as Hillz's speech loomed, and Tweety got into it with one particularly retarded Hilltard.
The World's Oldest CEO and Colorado Legend, "Papa Jack" Weil owner of Rockmount Ranch Wear in Denver, passed away at the ripe old Age of 107.
Weil was well-known for coining the phrase "The West is not a place, it is a state of mind." He was the first person to put snaps on Western shirts, patented the saw-tooth pocket design seen on many Western shirts, and was credited with inventing the bolo tie. He also helped design many of the costumes in Brokeback Mountain and Elvis' western wear in LOVE ME TENDER.
Weil's wife died in 1990, followed by his son Jack B. in 2008.
He claimed to have quit smoking at age 60, drinking at age 90 and eating red meat at 100. However, Weil said he had a shot of Jack Daniel's twice a week for "medicinal purposes," specifically, to keep his blood thin.
I met Jason Ritter long long ago in NY at the Atlantic Theater Company. Now, i'm sure most of you will recognize wee Ritter as the offspring of sentimental favorite and incredibly under-appreciated actor John Ritter. Yet, being the incredibly retarded and reality impaired bone-head that I am, when I met young Jason my immediate reaction was to ask if he had any relation to Tex Ritter, the famous singing cowboy.
To my delight, I found out all three Ritters were Rittlated.
And yes, we know and Love Johnny and Jason from their TV appearances and movies.
But the real reason to be waxing Ritterick, is because deep in the guts of the YOU TUBE, i came across this video of Tex Ritter on the Dick Cavett show discussing cowboy films and his quest to become a Republican Senator from Tennesee.
Now, if'n Tex had been eelected, then he would have beaten Albert Gore Senior for the post, thereby aborting Al Jr's eventual rise to green saviordom, not allowing him to neglect his paternal duties thereby sparing his son a DUI charge.
So you see, Tex Ritter is to blame for Bush being president.
A stash of explicit pornography to which Franz Kafka subscribed has emerged for the first time after being studiously ignored by scholars anxious to preserve the iconic writer's saintly image.
BARACK OBAMA BERLIN SPEECH: 'A WORLD THAT STANDS AS ONE'
THURS JULY 24 2008 12:58:02
Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen -- a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.
I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father -- my grandfather -- was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.
At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning -- his dream -- required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.
That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.
Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin.Ê The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.
This is where the two sides met.Ê And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.
The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.
Ê And that's when the airlift began -- when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.
The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.Ê
But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is wonÉThe people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your dutyÉPeople of the world, look at Berlin!"
People of the world -- look at Berlin!
Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.
Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.Ê
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.Ê
People of the world -- look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.ÊÊ
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall -- a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope -- walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.
The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers -- dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.ÊÊ
The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.Ê
As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.
Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.
In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we're honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth -- that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more -- not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.Ê
That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another. The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.Ê
We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid. Ê So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.Ê
That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations -- and all nations -- must summon that spirit anew.
This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.
This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century -- in this city of all cities -- we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.
This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.
This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations -- including my own -- will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.
And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust -- not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.
Now the world will watch and remember what we do here -- what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?
Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur?Ê
Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?
People of Berlin -- people of the world -- this is our moment. This is our time.Ê
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived -- at great cost and great sacrifice -- to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom -- indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us -- what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores -- is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.
Those are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. Those aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of those aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of those aspirations that all free people -- everywhere -- became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of those aspirations that a new generation -- our generation -- must make our mark on history.
People of Berlin -- and people of the world -- the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. Let us build on our common history, and seize our common destiny, and once again engage in that noble struggle to bring justice and peace to our world.
Good lord! I am so glad I'm not superstitious, otherwise this shit would have freaked me out. Check out what I saw as I was walking out of my house this morning.
My Grandma Margaret who passed away two years ago, always envied Sofia's One-Liners. In fact, i think that show was the only thing we were allowed to watch at Grandmas house. That and Mitzi , her poodle, trying to kill/hump my brother.
Rumor along the beltway is that this "Rising Star" of Conservatism, is going to be Walnuts' Veep choice! Now, the reasons as far as I can tell, that Republicans refer to Gov. Jindal as a "Rising Star" are that: A. He's not White and B. He's not old. That's right, he's INDIAN, but Catholic. He's actually Crazy Catholic like Mel Gibson, which is awesome because he performed exorcisms on a poor unsuspecting chick he was dating in Grad School.
For those of us who love to watch the Republicans implode with acts of desperation, the choice of Bobby Jindal is a delicious example of how desperate they are to not seem like the Rich, Old, White, Self-Serving, Hypocritical, War-Mongering, Greedy bastards that they've proven to be. Unfortunately for them, Bobby Jindal is fucking nuts and will be seen as a desperate attempt to "appeal" to "younger generations".
Not realizing of course, that the Campus Crusade kids don't really count as "Young" because they didn't have sex or drink in college.
