You Are Quite Feeble

I hated Terminator: Salvation.

(Spoilers everywhar.)

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I feel that America suffers from an imbalance of crazy.

Why doesn't the left have a Rush Limbaugh or a Sean Hannity? Someone who could make wild accusations with occasional bouts of breathtaking insensitivity, to the point where even hardened liberals blushed? Sure, there are plenty of loud, obnoxious left-wing mouthpieces, but their whining obviously doesn't go far enough. When someone like Rush establishes a firm helping of "crazy" on one side of an ideological spectrum, there needs to be a voice of equal but opposite drug-addled mania to balance him out. Otherwise, you get what we have here in 2009-- batshit insanity like 'tea parties' being reported as news with a straight face.

Right-wing talk radio hosts always seem to be suggesting that liberals are wusses. I think they're dead on, but it's not exactly fair. The presence of icons like Rush and Hannity make it more acceptable for even mainstream Republicans to dip a toe in the crazy pool from time to time. But left-wingers don't seem to have this luxury.

If the parties were reversed, it's pretty clear what we'd be hearing from Republicans about mass gatherings of people advocating revolution. But I'm still waiting for a few wackjob liberals to lob the first 'treason' bombs. Of course, if they need advice on when and where, they can just watch the tapes from 2003.

Recap:

2001/2009

- A new president arrives in office after a hotly contested election, parts of the country remain deeply divided.

- Very early on, this president is tested by a crisis of historical proportions.

- The president takes advantage of the opportunity afforded by said crisis to push through major spending and policy acts in Congress. Resistance on ideological grounds is toothless and largely ignored.

- Most Americans strongly support these actions and the new administration, hoping for an effective and firm response. Yet, there are millions of 'other' Americans who soon come to view the President as a symbol of the country's spiral into ruin.

2009

- A quarter of a million citizens participate in public rallies to protest how their tax dollars are being spent. Whether it will actually change anything is yet to be seen, but it is mainstream news-- widely reported and discussed and debated.

2003

- Hundreds of thousands of Americans attend public protests in each of the three months leading up to the Iraq invasion, but beyond reporting the events, it scarcely registers as a blip for mainstream news coverage.

There's no new information here, I think we just needed to see it all written out. But does this mean that today's mainstream Republicans are simply better at making noise? Or is a voice of opposition more likely to be heard now precisely BECAUSE of the fallout from the media's behavior in the years after 9/11?

While we're writing things down, it should be pointed out--

Bush's crisis wasn't a real one. But it had a galvanizing image. Fear of buildings being destroyed and chaos in the streets motivated everyone to a degree, even though terrorism only threatened (in the worst case scenario) a tiny percentage of Americans. Yet you still had cute little police departments in backwater Oklahoma towns reviewing terrorist scenarios.

Obama's crisis is as real and as pressing as it gets. If you've been paying attention you already know the score. Unemployment soaring past 10% before the course is reversed. Instability in the housing and credit markets still has the potential to go either way, even with banks starting to show signs of recovery.

So some might argue that this is an even more appropriate time to get irrationally patriotic. But our economy teetering on the brink of disaster without careful intervention is a difficult concept for your average American (even the jobless ones) to get fired up about. On the other hand, supporting something like 'freedom on the march' is easy.

We all remember that it was taboo for a long time to question any decisions being made after 9/11, for fear of 'emboldening our enemies'. Yet today it's completely acceptable (on mainstream news networks, for example) to make completely off-the-wall accusations of a president whose safety was being threatened before ever reaching office. And cable news ratings show us year after year that millions of mainstream Republicans are happy to sit there for hours on end agreeing with the TV. I'll say it-- I'm worried that people who are already inclined towards stupidity and suggestion are being incited to revolt.

They are not being won over with facts or reason. Hearing chants of 'socialism' and 'taxation without representation' from the front lines of these tea parties is enough to tell you that. But there are a lot of frustrated people out there who just lost an election and had hundreds of billions of dollars in new Liberal Approved spending shoved down their throats... and suddenly they're realizing that hearing the word 'revolution' gives them back that warm and fuzzy feeling. And there's just enough Republican crazy hitting the mainstream right now that none of us thinks twice about the implications of these sentiments being casually tossed around among people who love guns and inbreeding.

The saving grace could be that the 'stupid' and 'suggestible' crowd also wouldn't be particularly suited to organizing a coup d'etat. But maybe history suggests that very occasionally it's the lone nutjobs that get through. I'm not saying anything is going to happen, but if it DOES, I certainly don't want to hear that back in the suspect's apartment they found an episode of Hannity playing on a loop.

So I believe America needs a few good men mentally-questionable liberals to pick up those bullhorns and yell 'fire' in the theater. Or 'treason' at those tea parties. Both sides will be dangerous and wrong, but at least they'll scare each other back to their respective dark corners.

Maybe this explains why I have an extremely shaky grasp of almost everything that has happened for the last decade or so. Names, timelines, I'm notoriously useless.

Why Sleep Is Needed To Form Memories (science daily)

1001st post... yeah woo

The ice storm last night indirectly forced me to dig out a couple of relics from my past.

We were temporarily one of the (reportedly) 1 million homes and businesses without power this morning, at least for a few hours.

I was left utterly useless. I tried to make a mental checklist of all the things I have batteries for, but everything seemed to rely on a respective plugged-in mothership to offer any actual value-- laptops without a wireless router, remotes without a device, that sort of thing.

Guitar without an amp. But I did settle for a few hours of plinking on the unplugged SG. Unsatisfying, but it made me want more.

After the power came back on, I (quite literally) dusted off my camera to see if the frozen insanity outside would translate to a JPEG or two. It didn't really (most of it just looks like generic snowy trees), but, again, it just might have served as that first solitary Toe of Caution, dipping into A Fucking Freezing Pool of Inspiration.

I went to sleep at around 1 AM last night and woke up today at 8.30 AM. Very, very unusual to say the least.

I took a shower, shampooed, brushed my teeth, and Listerined. Let's just say it had been a while.

Things I thought about in the shower for some reason, and made a brief stop to look for on Wikipedia:

- The Japanese "Rising Sun" flag. It's sort of badass. I've been playing a WWII era game this last week involving a Pacific theater multiplayer stage, where teams are either Marine Raiders or the Imperial Army. Kiefer Sutherland does the voice cues for the Marines; pronouncements like "We are taking this fucking flag!" and "A lot of good men died out there today, all for nothing!" The Japanese voice cues are done in English with a fairly offensive accent.

- The Drumitar.

Interesting facts I discovered within 10 minutes or so:

- Japan didn't nationally adopt their current flag (officially) until 1999.

- Roy Wooten was found guilty of tax evasion in 2005.

I realized this morning that having no sleep schedule whatsoever was also subconsciously giving me license to not do anything I've been needing to do. There is always a mental subtext of "Well, I'll get around to it once I get my shit together. I just need to focus on staying awake right now." Not that I wasn't aware of this before, but it struck me how, today, I will not be able to get away with wasting the next 14 hours of wakefulness. If I had woken up at, say, 3 AM, this would certainly not be the case.

America learned a lot more about Joe Biden tonight than they did about Sarah Palin.

I think he looked presidential, and at the same time, like someone who knows about government but didn't forget why government was important to the average person. He came across as having a deep knowledge of foreign policy, and why the McCain administration would not serve the best interests of the middle class.

She sounded much more confident than on any of her YouTube greatest hits. No major gaffes, no stumbles. She gave McCain supporters an opportunity to safely take the focus off of her, which was really the best case scenario.

They both exceeded my expectations.

However, Governor Palin's stock coming into tonight was so low that I have to give her the win. Plenty of people tuned in tonight expecting to see more "In what respect" moments, and were instead treated to a woman who seemed very poised and confident. Considering the worst case scenario, the fact that her answers lacked much depth will be overlooked by most of these casual viewers.

So at least for the moment, she isn't the colossal burden on the ticket she was a few hours ago. Now the focus goes back to the top of the tickets.

Is it sexism that we never asked the following of Governor George W. Bush of Texas back in 2000:

- Would a Bush White House look to make significant shifts in US monetary policy? Why or why not?
- What newspapers or magazines did you read regularly before running for president?
- What are some Supreme Court decisions that you disagree with?

On the other hand, we did get memorable answers asking him about:

- The Clinton Doctrine
- his lack of foreign policy credentials



Whatever happened to this Sarah Palin?

I'd like to go on record as saying Thursday night's much-anticipated VP debate is going to be an absolute snore.

There are only two reasons why it might be entertaining. Either Joe Biden gets in Governor Palin's face, or she continues to parrot some of the same nonsensical tripe we've been treated to for the last couple of weeks.

First off, Biden's not going to do anything interesting.

Modern debates are structured like this: Candidate 1 makes a statement. Then Candidate 2 makes a statement, and subsequently takes the opportunity to rebut details presented in Candidate 1's statement if advantageous to do so. Candidate 1 might then be allowed time to say some more, depending on format. Modern debates suck.

It's true that per the VP debate rules pushed for by McCain's people, opportunities for interaction ('response and discussion periods') between the candidates will be even more limited than usual.

But Governor Palin isn't going to make any concrete points that will merit (or even allow) a response from Senator Biden. With her feeble grasp of both the issues and her own supposed policies, her statements are all going to be a vague cloud of mush.

And she obviously isn't going to specifically discuss any details from Joe Biden's statements. She's going to use his speaking time as a reminder to breathe. Relax. Maybe while the 'Meow Mix' song loops through her head. But she won't be listening to him.

Even putting the rules aside, Senator Biden will be wary of confronting Governor Palin directly. He's going to be instructed by his people to stay out of her way and let her do the damage herself.

And that's what we're all hoping for, too. But nothing's going to happen.

It's true, the interview clips keep getting more and more surreal. Moments like "In what respect, Charlie", "You can actually see Russia", "I'll bring 'em to you" and "I read all newspapers" will likely serve as fond memories for all of us for years to come. (Unless, of course, Sarah Palin becomes President and destroys the planet as an unintended consequence of nuking wolves from the air.)

But by now we've had enough time to dissect her mistakes and pretty clearly diagnose what her issues are. Put simply, she's a Miss Alaska-class bullshitter who suddenly finds herself in a Miss Universe-class bullshitting contest, and she doesn't yet realize she's in over her head.

Most of her embarrassing interview moments were a direct result of either:

a) cramming for a test for which she didn't know the exact questions (e.g. repeating verbatim her Fannie Mae lobbyist answer)
b) probably never having an actual interest in any of these issues (e.g. not knowing what a foreign policy 'Doctrine' is, let alone the Bush one)
c) resorting to buzzwords and general nonsense when pressed on the specifics of an unfamiliar topic (e.g. bailout = health care reform)
c) being too afraid of follow up questions to divulge any information in the first place (e.g. inexplicably refusing to mention the name of a single news publication when pressed repeatedly)

Unfortunately, this debate provides her with the perfect cover to look passable in front of a much larger audience than either of her network news interviews.

Debate topics are generally less specific than those addressed in a one-on-one interview. The moderator will likely avoid any pointed questions having to do with any of the gaffes, disputed claims or controversial statements attributed to either Governor Palin or the McCain campaign, in favor of more general questions intended to invite an open discussion to which both candidates can contribute.

There won't be follow up questions from the moderator on any inaccuracies in Governor Palin's statements. Joe Biden's not going to call those out, either.

All of this means that canned responses from Governor Palin will probably suffice (where they failed in her televised interviews), as long as they appear to touch upon the general policy realm. She won't revert to buzzword nonsense because the initial question will be sufficiently vague and she doesn't have to worry about follow ups. Republicans will rejoice at hearing the complete sentences, fully formed, as practiced.

So what's left for us to watch? Something like this:

Sarah Palin makes a statement, mostly mush that was lifted line for line from a stump speech, and/or a canned line that her handlers have preprogrammed.

Biden follows up with his own unrelated statement, likewise preprogrammed (although in most cases he will actually understand the words coming out of his own mouth).

Rinse, repeat.

"Responses"? No. Debate? Not a chance in hell.

Naturally, I hope to god that I'm wrong. I will have the popcorn out.

by popular demand. (like, two of you.)

an additional ten fictional characters i'd be all up ons

	carol vessey ed
	"I'm not afraid of you being my boyfriend. I'm afraid of you being my ex-boyfriend."
	sarah connor terminator: scc
	"Half an hour. One bag, plus the guns. I'll make pancakes."
	maggie dekker eli stone
	"My suggestion: go find another peon to pee on."
	sookie stackhouse true blood
	"Bill, you were just lickin' blood outta my head. I don't think it gets much more personal than that."
	charlotte 'chuck' charles pushing daisies
	"Yeah? You were my first kiss, too. Do you wanna be my last kiss? First and last? Or is that weird?"
	dani reese life
	"I don't really understand you. I don't really like you. But... you're not one of the bad guys."
	tyra collette friday night lights
	"Just a bunch of overheated jocks, too dumb to know they have no future, fighting over a game that has no meaning, in a town from which there is no escape."
	giselle enchanted
	"Still, as long as I am here / I guess a new experience / Could be worth trying / Hey! Keep drying!"
	laura in treatment
	"You know for months, I spent the week thinking-- it'll be this Monday. I'll tell him that I love him, and he'll tell me that he loves me, and the session won't be 50 minutes; it'll go forever."
	megan smith privileged
	"Why do you need porn? Why is porn a need? Why can't I stop saying 'porn'?"

first list!
second list!
third list!

no repeats!

As a refresher-- this is not a '10 actresses who are hot' list. The internets have plenty of those. These are fictional characters for whom one can't help but temporarily fall head over heels. As a wise man once said in a fast food joint, personality goes a long way.

haha!

I love that I can simply say "haha" and link to official, undoctored footage of an interview by a major network and it's understood. I don't have to say "haha... listen to what she says at 2:32" or find some obscure 'thought the mic was off' moment.

She is simply in over her head. If the GOP can keep her from becoming a (complete) laughingstock before November 4th, my hat's off to them.

In Ramirez's first 40 games, the Dodgers had a run differential of plus-22 and averaged 4.55 runs per game, as opposed to 4.43 through July 31....It's hard to talk about the MVP Award for Manny when the team that paid the Dodgers to take Ramirez is 27-13 without him through Sunday and have seen their runs per game increase from 4.94 at the time of the deal to 6.22 since.

-Peter Gammons (via FJM)

Holy shit.

"I thought it was extraordinary how well she played her and how much she looked like her... personally I felt we didn't need the Hillary stuff, I'd like her to go even harder. I want her to decimate this woman. This woman, I can't believe there hasn't been more about it... It's just unbelievable to me this woman is actually running for vice president."

-Chevy Chase (on Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin)

This is coming from a dead ringer for George W. Bush who let the last eight years go by without a peep!



Hot/Creepy Related News: Apparently Sarah Palin once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween.

Sometimes we're too quick to dismiss people we don't know well enough.

This is a person who admittedly has a complete lack of leadership experience at the highest levels, but it says something that the people behind the scenes thought this person could step in and handle the challenge, if needed. They wouldn't have put this person in this position unless they believed that. And we should trust their judgment.

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But an examination of her swift rise and record as mayor of Wasilla and then governor finds that her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics — she sometimes calls local opponents “haters” — contrasts with her carefully crafted public image.

Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes (New York Times)

(I realize this was just an excuse to make a terrible joke in the post title, but it's my blog. And actually that is a fascinating article, if you put aside the fact that I now know more about the backroom politics of Wasilla than I ever imagined I could.)



Full transcript ("full excerpts"?) of Governor Palin's three-part ABC interview is here.

Second interview goes to Sean Hannity of Fox News. I am not making this up.

Everyone has seen this by now:


You can watch more of the interview here. This segment by itself is interesting enough... but in context it's a little more telling, because it is that much more obvious that she is giving prepared answers and canned lines when they even slightly work for Charles Gibson's more pointed questions. In the first few seconds of the above video, you can see and hear her defeat in realizing she doesn't have a response for this one.

I have maintained for the past couple of weeks that Sarah Palin is clearly a smart woman and handles herself well. All of us know people who can bullshit with the best of them, and whether you like them or not, they are generally people who make things happen. Clearly this quality has already served her well in her career, and I have no doubt that she actually has a depth of knowledge and sincere interest in the day-to-day business of the state of Alaska. But Palin and other Republicans' efforts to try to compare that experience to the big leagues of possibly becoming President is simply comical to watch.

Even more to the point-- it's not that (in the above video) she was faced with a 'gotcha' question and wasn't ready for it. It's the fact that she clearly didn't recognize a term that she should have, unless she does not and has not had even a passing interest in the foreign policy decisions of this country for the last several years.

A well-written perspective on why this disconnect is so disturbing in a Vice Presidential candidate:

What Sarah Palin revealed is that she has not been interested enough in world affairs to become minimally conversant with the issues. Many people in our great land might have difficulty defining the "Bush Doctrine" exactly. But not to recognize the name, as obviously was the case for Palin, indicates not a failure of last-minute cramming but a lack of attention to any foreign-policy discussion whatsoever in the last seven years.

In the context of such stunning incompetence, it is maddening and downright insulting that this woman was proffered to the American people as ready to pick up where Hillary Clinton left off.

Of all the hysterical hand-wringing the McCain campaign has been doing in the last couple of weeks, playing up an assumed undercurrent of sexism anytime Palin is criticized has been the most annoying.

Which is more sexist:

1) Holding Palin to the same standards as any man, and pointing out that she would never be in this position if we were talking about a Mr. Sam Palin, 20 months as governor of Alaska, immediately after serving as mayor of a town of 6,000.

2) Assuming that the women of America were excited about Hillary Clinton mostly because she has a vagina. Taking note of an accomplished and qualified woman's unprecedented march right up to the threshold of the highest office in the land... and then pretending that a bible-thumping hockey mom with a journalism degree might prove an acceptable surrogate.

I was out and about today and happened to witness firsthand the effect that Sarah Palin is already having on your average (i.e. witless) American voter. In this case, a woman who was a rabid Hillary supporter a few months ago, and in most respects a perfectly intelligent lady. She is firmly committed to voting McCain/Palin after last night's speech. I tried to engage her as much as possible without either of us flying off the handle, and my conclusion was that it was just about 50% personal, seething rage at Obama and 50% ebullience at seeing a woman get up on stage in that context and pull no punches.

I've taken solace for the past several days in the hope that people will see the smoke and mirrors for what they are. But... jesus, does that seem like a logical thing to hope for?

I have more to say on this, but I'm trying to get to sleep by 4 AM.





BWAHAHAHAHhahahahahahahah. Good for him.

http://www.puma08.com/

In memory of the late Bernie Mac, my favorite Nike commercial of all time (coming from someone who wouldn't make such a statement lightly):
The congregation includes the street legends Billy "The Kid" Harris, Pee Wee Kirkland, Jumpin' Jackie Jackson and Fly Williams (actually, I don't know who they are either).

Bootsy Collins is the choirmaster. WNBA players in the choir include Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Nikki Teasley, Tina Thompson, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings and the incomparably lovely Sue Bird.

The respected elders are Julius Erving, Jerry West, George Gervin and Moses Malone. Oh, and there's LeBron.

So with all that (and the genius concept to start with) Bernie Mac still owns those 60 seconds.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

- Dalai Lama

(Then again, he has probably never been condo hunting.)

(An early scene from Studio 60, pitching ideas in the writers room)

Staff writer: "The Democracy Act. Bush introduces his new bill called the Democracy Act, making it illegal to vote."

Matt Albie: "I don't know."

Head writer: "It's a play on how these guys always name things the opposite of what they are. The Patriot Act, Clean Water Act, Defense of Marriage..."

Louisiana legislature passes 'Science Education Act', clearing the way for Intelligent Design to be taught in science classes.