Of All Things

Your Side Sucks When...

2009-08-07T14:24:00.003-04:00

You compare the attempt give more Americans access to health care to the damned Holocaust.

Also, anybody comparing what these mobs are doing at town halls to the Boston Tea Party should do the world a favor and remove themselves from the gene pool.

Telling Both Sides

2009-08-06T14:40:00.003-04:00

The biggest thing that drives me nuts about today's traditional media is how their attempts to appear impartial allow really stupid shit to become part of the mainstream discussion on policy issues.

Take for example the 'Obama wants to kill old people' craziness going around. A Republican claims Obama wants to kill old people a Democrat says no he doesn't then we cut to commerical. A responsible press would point out that no Obama doesn't want to kill old people and the Republicans spouting this were making shit up. That wouldn't be taking sides, that would be reporting the facts.

I do a lot of fantasy football writing. If I just made up a bunch of facts and figures nobody would publish me work. Senators/Congressmen/pundits that make shit up should have the same problem.

Why I Am Avoiding Matt Cassel

2009-08-05T02:54:00.005-04:00

Pretty much sums it up.

The Chiefs worked out free agents Amani Toomer, David Terrell and D.J. Hackett on Monday, indicating they may be in the market for a veteran wide receiver.

A lot of people seem to be pretty high on him this season based off what he did last year in New England. He ain't in New England anymore folks. That means no Randy Moss. That means no Wes Welker. That means Dwayne Bowe and.....Amani Toomer? I like Bowe, but the fact they are working out guys like Amani Toomer and David Terrell isn't all that reassuring. I'm not saying Cassel will be a bust, but you can get much better value passing on Cassel.

Health Care Stupidity

2009-08-03T23:38:00.002-04:00

I really wish that whenever a Republican/conservative/idiot proclaims that we can't have government run health care that somebody would ask them why are they so against Medicare.

The problem is that Democrats are stupid.

Greg Lalas Gets Paid To Write Articles...

2009-08-03T23:13:00.006-04:00

That kinda suck.

Lalas is worried that 1860 (a team in the 2.Bundesliga) isn't the right team for Kenny Cooper (an American soccer player) to transfer to in order to make the US WC roster. Why?

And the reality is the 2.Bundesliga is not glamorous. Sure, Cooper will make more money than he did in MLS, but he's going to have to fight and claw for every little inch, for every chance, for every goal. There are no guarantees 1860 is going to be anything more than mediocre. Yes, 1860 plays its home matches in the magnificent 69,000-seat Allianz Arena, which it half-fills on good days. But that just serves to remind all of us on the outside 1860 is not Bayern Munich, which sells out every home game in the same stadium.

I guess Lalas thinks that the best way for Cooper to get on the WC roster is just to cash it in with Dallas in the oh so glamorous MLS.

I wish I knew Alexi Lalas so I could get paid to write really stupid articles. Instead, I end up doing it for free.

People I Hate

2009-08-03T16:19:00.003-04:00

People who continually pause conversations with me so they can text back and forth with somebody who is too lazy to call them.

Sportsnation

2009-08-03T16:08:00.003-04:00

Anybody seen this travesty of a show? The hosts discuss some irrelevant sports topic and then their six viewers vote on some aspect of the story. Not all of it is sports stuff. One of the things they asked their viewers was 'Will you eat a serving of vegetables this week?'. Really?

I think it is also fair to point out that the people who actually like Colin Cowherd are idiots, assholes or both. No exceptions.

Overnight Music

2009-07-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

Andy Hull - I Can Feel A Hot One

Because I Am 12

2009-07-31T14:34:00.000-04:00

Bipartisanship

2009-07-31T14:04:00.003-04:00

I know I have ranted about this before, but bipartisanship really is a load of crap. Sure people want to see it. Hell, even as much as I bitch about it I would like to see it. The problem is that the pundits on my teevee and people in congress too often seem to think that bipartisanship should come before a good bill. Health care reform could pass both houses without a single Republican vote and if it turns out to be a good bill and it works, nobody is going to punish the Democratic party because it wasn't bipartisan.

Told Ya So

2009-07-30T15:21:00.000-04:00

Just. Go. Away.

n an interview posted on Sports Illustrated's Web site, Favre added another subtle twist to this endlessly open-ended story: "I truly, truly believe it's over. But if someone calls Nov. 1, who knows?"

The Guy That Won't Go Away

2009-07-29T23:02:00.002-04:00

Like most people I saw/heard the news that Brett Favre was going to stay retired. I didn't post on it, because I don't think a guy staying retired is all that newsy, there will probably be at least 20 Brett Favre considering a comeback type stories written this year and I am too lazy to blog on a consistent basis this summer.

When everything is said and done and Favre does finally walk away from the game and stops toying with his next comeback tour I bet that there are less stories written about Brett Favre the gun-slinger and more stories about the Brett Favre who just wouldn't go the fuck away (of course Peter King will have to die first). I might be totally wrong on that, but just today I was listening to a radio show where they talked about Dan Marino being one of the quarterbacks who just weren't good enough to win a Super Bowl rather than one of the best quarterbacks to have played the game.

Talking About Important Things

2009-07-24T13:22:00.003-04:00

Great to see that the press decided that the big important thing to talk about from Obama's press conference the other night is his comments on the Gates arrest. Last time the stories were about how the press were getting aggressive with Obama and his smoking.

First Read asking the most important question....

“Honest question: Is there a point when the president knows too much about an issue?

Yeah it really is a drag to have a President that knows what he is talking about. If only we had a President that talked in nothing but folksy terms, didn't really care about policy details and liked to clear brush. It worked awesome last time.

We are so fucked.

Most Trusted Newsman

2009-07-24T12:39:00.005-04:00

This guy.

It really tells you a lot about the media when a comedian is more trusted than the guys who actually get paid to do it for a living.

The Lee Evans Bet

2009-07-20T14:55:00.004-04:00

I have a bet with my fellow blogger this fantasy football season involving Lee Evans. I like Evans and he doesn't. To be clear, I don't like him to be a top 10 guy or probably even a top 15. I think 900 and 6 TDs should be a pretty easy mark for him to hit. There are a lot of guys that fit into this range, but what give Evans a bit of a boost (at least to me) is that he has upside. He isn't on the downside of his career like many of the guys floating around this mark, guys like Hines Ward and Santana Moss. The other positive for Evans is that he has TO meaning the spotlight from the secondary isn't going to be on him.

I'm getting 2-1 on the bet that Evans hits 1k. Whatcha think?

Pushing Health Care

2009-07-20T14:47:00.003-04:00

The health care push is on with commercials both pro and con starting to hit the airwaves. I haven't been all that impressed with the pro side. Jim DeMint has given the pro side some great ammo to use, which means they probably won't use it.

"If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Republicans aren't interested in reforming health care. They are interested in damaging Obama. This should be the message that the pro side should be pushing non-stop. The White House and Democrats got a good deal of mileage out of painting the GOP as the 'Party Of No'. Why they have stopped just doesn't make much sense.

Reporting Half of The Story

2009-07-20T14:26:00.002-04:00

Much has been made this morning and afternoon about the new Washington Post/ABC poll showing Obama's approval slipping. For some reason this is big big news. Was anybody really expecting his numbers to stay around 65 for his entire term in office? Regardless, it gives the talking heads a new story 'Is Obama in trouble?'.

I'm sure that the White House isn't happy with the slip in numbers. However, Steve Benen, points out the other half of the story.

While the gaps have narrowed a bit, the president has a 23-point lead over the minority party on economic policy, a 20-point lead on health care, and a 19-point lead on the deficit.

Of course I'm willing to bet the story will continue to be that Obama is in deep deep trouble with his 59 percent approval rating. Damn you liberal media!!!

Stop The Stupid (fantasy football edition)

2009-07-20T00:39:00.002-04:00

I'm currently a kinda-sorta co-owner in a fantasy football league. There are some good owners in the league, but the bad ones are the kinda bad that you hope and pray sign up for you money league. A quick example....

Twice, I have seen owners draft a wide receiver as a handcuff.

I get the whole handcuff idea. I have used it in the past and will use it in the future. I, however, use it very rarely. I'm not going to select a player two or three rounds early simply so I can stash him away on my roster and hope that the starter gets injured and then pray that the offense doesn't totally change. I only handcuff running backs though and only if I have a late round pick to blow or if I pick a guy like LT where there is a clear quality back-up in place.

Drafting a wide receiver as a handcuff is stupid. I won't go into all the reasons, but simply point out that as a running back you don't have to get open to receive a hand-off.

Summer Aint For Blogging Part II

2009-07-20T00:35:00.002-04:00

Been listening to this non-stop. Well not really non-stop, but pretty close with a little Regina Spektor mixed in.

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land

Summer Ain't For Blogging

2009-07-10T23:22:00.002-04:00

I would apologize for the prolonged absence and would love to tell you I have been doing super important things, but I'm not sorry and I haven't been doing super important things. Anyway...

You ever have a song that you really really liked and then for one reason or another totally forgot about it only to have it pop up at a totally random moment just when you need it?

Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky

Really?

2009-07-07T16:10:00.003-04:00

CNN on Michael Jackson's farewell ceremony after his daughter Paris spoke a few words:

"...it literally tore your heart out" and "I don't think there was a dry eye on the planet".

Coming from a big Jackson fan as a kid, let me just say this: Perspective and I'll take the under.

USA/Brazil

2009-06-28T22:51:00.002-04:00

A large part of me didn't want to watch the game today. After the highs from the games against Egypt and Spain, I just wanted the whole thing to be over. I was scared to death of a let down. I didn't know if I could handle a 3-0 loss. Today's result was much worse than that, because for 46 minutes of the match I was sure the US was going to win. We were a bench player away from beating Brazil today.

I Predict Things

2009-06-25T14:32:00.002-04:00

Brazil - South African

Kick-off is second away. The damn vuvus are buzzing. And Brazil will advance.

I've never been so happy to have been wrong in yesterday's US/Spain match.

Overnight Music

2009-06-23T23:38:00.002-04:00

Ben Gibbard, Jenny Lewis and too many other people - Such Great Heights

It might just be me, but I really hate concert singalongs. I go to concerts to hear the guy/gal/band that I paid money to see sing. I did not pay money to hear some half drunk idiot belt out of tune notes in my hear.

I Predict Things

2009-06-23T23:24:00.002-04:00

US - Spain

This might be a bit of a gimmie, but I'm certainly not against padding my stats here before football season rolls into town. The US side was much improved against Egypt, but I think a big part of the success was from Egypt doing a little looking ahead to the second round. The US just doesn't have the guns to compete at this level unless there is a massive letdown from the Spanish.

Current Prediction Record : 10-6

Why The Senate Sucks

2009-06-23T22:36:00.005-04:00

You have a bill that could bring in $4 billion in revenue annually. The bill has 45 cosponsors with supporters from both sides of the aisle. The bill failed by a vote of 54-23. That isn't 54 no votes by the way. In today's Senate nearly everything has to overcome a filibuster, which means you need 60 votes.

It wasn't just the filibuster that killed the bill, but it certainly had more than a helping hand. The chart above (from July '07) shows how the filibuster has been increasingly used as a tool to stop any and all legislation.

Finding The Story

2009-06-23T22:12:00.002-04:00

So Obama held a presser today. Michael Scherer did a write up on the whole thing. You might expect it to cover some of the give and take on health care. You might expect it cover Obama's response to the criticism levelled his way from GOP lawmakers. You might think that two of the most important issues of the day might garner a bit more than a passing mention. You would think wrong. The write up is all about the media and how it sparred with Obama. At some point, it would nice if some of the members of the traditional media were reminded that they aren't the story.

I don't think that I have ever read a sports article that focused solely on the tension between athlete and journalist or the give and take between reporter and subject. There are some pretty shitty sports writers out there, but all of them know that they aren't the story. The American public is, in general, pretty stupid when it comes to policy. A better media would do a lot to fix this. Guys like Michael Scherer aren't helping.

What He Said

2009-06-19T19:52:00.002-04:00

Atrios.

...our political discourse has become so weird. I mean, a decade ago, whatever I thought of conservatism, I wouldn't have considered "following the law" and "constitutional limits on executive power" and "skepticism about government secrecy" and "acknowledgment of the 4th amendment" and "accountability for government misdeeds other than blowjobs" and "lying our way into war is maybe wrong" and, perhaps, most of all, "torture is bad" to be just "liberal" positions. But since we just came off the age of Bush, where only liberals actually got upset about these things, and conservatives haven't yet (for some reason) become all that concerned that Rahm Emanuel might be bugging their phones, these are now apparently "liberal" positions.

It really is interesting, perhaps only to me, the number of issues that have become 'liberal'. I'm continually stumped on how a party who claims to champion state's rights seem to be for any and all expansion of power within the executive.

Stupid Is In The Air Today

2009-06-18T18:04:00.002-04:00

Olive Garden thinks Letterman is a big jerk.
Following a week of back and forth between CBS late-night comic David Letterman and Sarah Palin over a crude joke he told about the Alaska Republican governor’s daughter, the Olive Garden restaurant says it is canceling all of its scheduled ads on Letterman’s “Late Show” for the rest of the year.
Does anybody even eat at The Olive Garden anymore? If so, why?

Just Like The Iranians

2009-06-18T16:36:00.003-04:00

Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) is stupid. His tweet (god how I hate that word).

Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House.

I was talking to Chopenstein last night about Congress getting involved in baseball when they could be doing more meaningful things. I ask you Chopenstein (or whatever your sign-in here is) do you want such stupid people meddling in important things? Baseball is already screwed up, they can't really do much harm there.

On the positive side, there is some top notch mocking of Hekstra going on.

I got a splinter in my hand today. Felt just like Jesus getting nailed to the cross.

And.

Had to move all my stuff to a new office w/o a corner view. Now i know what the Trail of Tears was like.

Music Thread

2009-06-18T03:55:00.003-04:00

Been slacking with my posting. I offer this as an apology and if it isn't good enough you probably have shitty taste and suck.

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land

Episode #5.2: Frightened Rabbit - "Swim Until You Can't See Land" from Off The Beaten Tracks on Vimeo.

Baseball, Steroids, Yawn.......

2009-06-18T00:02:00.003-04:00

Heard Bud Selig basically refusing to comment on Sammy other than he was disappointed. Bud doesn't want to talk about the fact that there are 102 players still on that list. Bud doesn't wanna talk about the past. Bud sounds a lot like this Mark McGwire. It didn't work for him either.

In all seriousness, if Selig really wants people to move forward he should find a way to get the Players Association to agree in releasing the other 102 names on that list. You simply can't move forward when every couple of months a new name is leaked. Sure it will be a PR nightmare, but MLB is going to have to air ALL the dirty laundry before people will let him move on.

Does Not Compute

2009-06-13T16:55:00.002-04:00

This.

If the incumbent holds on, some Iran experts suggested this morning, the post-election repression may actually make it more difficult for Obama to pursue a straightforward "engagement" with a discredited Ahmadinejad in the short term -- though it obviously reflects a deep dissatisfaction with the regime.

The number of people that seem to forget, including journalist who get paid for a living to cover stuff like this, that the President of Iran is nothing more than a figurehead amazes me.

Obama won't be dealing with Ahmadinejad or whoever ends up winning the election.

A bit off topic, but it would be nice if Martin would mention which 'experts' suggested this this morning so people can ignore them in the future.

Overnight Sorta Music Thread

2009-06-11T16:06:00.001-04:00

I Predict Things

2009-06-11T15:24:00.002-04:00

Game 4 tonight in the NBA Finals. I only have a passing interest in the whole thing now that my Cavs are out of it. Still, I'm in a bit of a sports mood today so why not toss one of these out?

The Magic put together one of the best Finals performance ever and barely eeked out a win. As far as the Magic performance goes, I think that was ceiling for them. Lakers win.

Current prediction record - 9-6

Big Balls

2009-06-11T15:11:00.002-04:00

Karl Rove has em.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you take some responsibility, meaning you, the Bush eight years, for this...

ROVE: No.

VAN SUSTEREN: You take absolutely no responsibility? Because...

ROVE: No.

The deficit is 1.8 trillion for this year. When Obama took office he was handed a 1.2 trillion deficit. And it is all Obama's fault.

Fantasy Football Advice/Comments

2009-06-11T13:43:00.005-04:00

Fantasy football season is starting to gear up. I just finished the restricted free agent part of my dynasty league offseason. We start bidding on free agents Monday. Dwayne Bowe will be mine!

One typical mistake that I see owners make in keeper leagues is that they confuse their keeper league with a dynasty league. A quick example....

Chopenstein (or whatever his login is....where are you dick?) is currently in a full keeper (one offense/one defense) league. With the second pick in the first round one owner selected Knowshon Moreno. In a dynasty league, this would be a very good selection. The problem is this isn't a dynasty league and it isn't a deep keeper league. In other words, there is a whole lot of talent out there better than Moreno. Guys like Stephen Jackson and Frank Gore were available. Moreno might produce better numbers than those guys, but you simply can't ignore draft value and Moreno doesn't have it there. This guy could probably have waited a round and ended up with Jackson/Moreno or Gore/Moreno, which is a much stronger tandem than what he will end up with.

I get what this owner was trying to do, get a keeper he can hold on to for years. Smart fantasy owners draft the best team, not the best team of keeper possibilities. Who cares if you rotate out keepers ever other season or even every season. Keeper leagues, especially shallow keeper leagues like this aren't about finding young possible stud running backs. That is what dynasty leagues are for.

Anyway, I thought this was a good example of somebody using a dynasty league strategy in a keeper league so there ya go. I would also like to add, that people need to stop thinking that whoever is the Denver running back is going to be a stud. The offensive line isn't near what it used to be and with a crowded backfield, new coach and nothing at QB, I would take a pass if I could.

If you got some questions or comments toss em in here.

Remember That DHS Report?

2009-06-10T15:51:00.002-04:00

After the shooting of Dr. Tiller and now the shooting at the Holocaust Museum, do you think the conservatives that were calling for heads will now admit to being wrong?

I don't think so either.

Overnight Music

2009-06-04T18:30:00.003-04:00

Not interested in blogging so I'll just throw this out.

Hockey - Song Away

Overnight Non-Music Thread

2009-06-03T16:59:00.002-04:00

More stuff from my good friend Roy.

Roy Bentley - The Idea of A Rescue Dog

I Predict Things

2009-06-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

If you want to see the best homefield advantage in sports, check out the US/Costa Rica match tonight on ESPN2. Here is a quick highlight of Costa Rica's last home match.

Costa Rica is 18-1-2 at home since 2000 and the US is 0-5-1 in World Cup qualifying matches played there. Hurting the US chances tonight will be the fact that they will be without their top two at right back due to injury and left back has once again become a pretty big concern for the side as Heath Pierce has gone from having a solid hold on the spot to fighting for a spot on the team. I think coach Bradley will go with his most experienced line-up tonight with the rule of thumb in World Cup qualifying being, three at home and one on the road. I think the US gets that one point tonight.

Current Prediction Record - 9-5

Speaking Of MSNBC

2009-06-03T15:54:00.002-04:00

Chris Matthews gets a good deal of flack, from liberals and conservatives both, for saying really stupid things and deservedly so. What amazes me though is the outright racist shit Pat Buchanan gets away with on a regular basis.

In her world, equal justice takes a back seat to tribal justice.

Stay classy, Pat.

As a bit of a side note, I find it interesting the number of conservatives who express such serious concerns regarding discrimination whenever a brown person is about to secure a much sought after position......ok not really.

The People On My TV Are Idiots

2009-06-03T15:36:00.003-04:00

Mika Brzezinski from Morning Joe talking about Unions :

"They cripple the system that makes a company work."

UPS, currently being crippled by unions, made more than 3 Billion last year. Even worse, GE which owns NBC and thus MSNBC has 13 different unions that represent their workers.

It says a lot about our political commentary that you don't have to be all that informed about public policy or even simple facts to make a comfortable living doing it.

TPM has a list of more companies being crippled by unions.

Stop The Stupid

2009-06-02T17:41:00.003-04:00

Well, to be honest, I hope this kinda stupid keeps going strong.

“Hispanic polls, Hispanic surveys, indicate that Hispanics think just like everyone else. We’re not like African-Americans. "

The above quote is from Manny Miranda who is trying to lead the charge against Soytomayor. So not only are conservatives looking to alienate the three latino voters that they actually have, but they are now working on alienating African-Americans as well. For shits and giggles somebody should ask Manny just how African-Americans think.

I thought this was pretty good as well.

"When I was on the leader’s staff, someone called me once and asked me: ‘What’s Senator Frist’s Hispanic agenda?’ I said, ‘low taxes, better education, more jobs … what are you talking about?’ And that’s how Hispanics are. This is an opportunity to educate them on all of our issues and they will resonate in the way that they resonate with everyone else.”

The GOP has had their ass handed to them for two straight cycles. The message ain't resonating.

Thanks GOP!

2009-06-02T17:21:00.003-04:00

Without you the country would be ignorant to how oppressed the white male is.

This Sotomayor crap is going to drive me crazy.

Overnight Music

2009-05-28T17:18:00.001-04:00

Been a long time since I have done one of this. So here ya go...

The Henry Clay People - Something In The Water

I Predict Things

2009-05-28T16:22:00.003-04:00

I typically avoid all things Cleveland. I'm a Steeler fan for one thing so nearly everything Cleveland usually results in a gag reflex for. However, I like the Cavaliers. I'm not entirely sure when it happened, but I remember watching a lot of Brad Daugherty as a kid. Anywho....I think the series is lost for the Cavs. However, I think we will see a Cavs victory tonight.

Current Prediction Record - 7-5

Dear Conservatives,

2009-05-28T16:06:00.001-04:00

Wanna know why we think you are stupid? Cause you are.

Sotomayor also claimed: “For me, a very special part of my being Latina is the mucho platos de arroz, gandoles y pernir — rice, beans and pork — that I have eaten at countless family holidays and special events.”

This has prompted some Republicans to muse privately about whether Sotomayor is suggesting that distinctive Puerto Rican cuisine such as patitas de cerdo con garbanzo — pigs’ feet with chickpeas — would somehow, in some small way influence her verdicts from the bench.

Signed,
me

All My Shows Get Cancelled

2009-05-26T17:34:00.002-04:00

A nice list of the shows getting dumped and renewed.

There are a couple of real bummers for me on this list. I'm going to miss both The Unit and Flashpoint. I think the mistake The Unit made was two seasons ago when it focused so heavily on the marriage/cheating of that one couple. I can't remember their name which kinda proves my point. People who liked watching The Unit weren't watching it for relationship drama, but nearly the entire season was based solely on that. If you want relationship drama, Grey's is on Thursdays.

Dunno why Flashpoint didn't work, but unless I move to Canada I won't be watching that anymore either. My guess is that sticking it on Friday didn't help. I would love for somebody to explain how Scrubs can get renewed, but Flashpoint is likely to go Canada only.

Smart Law Person Needed

2009-05-26T17:21:00.006-04:00

Could somebody explain to me the court ruling on Prop 8 in California? The 18,000 people that got married prior to Prop 8 are still legally married, those who want to now can fuck off to Iowa? Shouldn't it be all or nothing?

I wonder what odds Vegas would have given a couple of years ago that Iowa would allow gay marriage before California.

MIA

2009-05-26T17:19:00.003-04:00

Been out working on a project that I will be letting the rest of you (all three of you) in on in the future, but for now I am back to my irregular blogging.

Overnight Music

2009-05-14T17:56:00.001-04:00

Been slacking on this, but I found out last night that Dinosaur Jr. isn't dead and are still putting out decent music. So here ya go.

Dinosaur Jr. - I Want You To Know

NFL Wish List

2009-05-14T17:27:00.005-04:00

Referring to yourself in the third person gets you fined by the league.

"I've got a lot to prove," Bryant said. "Last year was for the haters ... this year is for the doubters. When you have a year like that, you're going to get more attention. This year, it might not be about me getting the ball. If that means Antonio has to run 89 comebacks and that'll get us in the playoffs, then I'll run 89 comebacks."

Bryant probably deserves a suspension as well considering that he drifted in and out of referring to himself in the third person.

What He Said

2009-05-14T16:09:00.000-04:00

TPM

If we need to keep evidence of torture, like photographs, secret, to protect our troops, doesn't that suggest that torture isn't a great way to keep them or us safe?

Awesome

2009-05-12T16:49:00.002-04:00

Awkward family photo blog.

One of my favorites.

Deep Thought

2009-05-12T16:42:00.004-04:00

You sound like a giant pussy when you complain about Wanda Sykes being a big meanie.

Riddle

2009-05-08T21:08:00.008-04:00

What do Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, actor Nick Nolte and Senator John Kerry have in common?

They're all at the Capitals/Penguins game in Pittsburgh.... Now if you can answer why, you win the imaginary bonus prize. Tomlin I get. For what it's worth, Nolte looked better than Kerry.

I Love America

2009-05-08T16:59:00.000-04:00

US Pole Dancing Championship.

Making Cheney Look Classy

2009-05-08T16:17:00.001-04:00

I didn't think it could be done, but Specter seems to be making a run at it.

He's touting--and raising money from--a website called specterforthecure.com, which he describes as "a bold new initiative to reform our government's medical research efforts, cut red tape and unstrangle the hope for accelerated cures."

But the money he's raising isn't funding research grants, or advocacy, or treatment for patients who can't afford it. It's funding the Senate re-election campaign of one Arlen Specter.

I said getting him to join the party was stupid.

Rebranding

2009-05-08T16:13:00.003-04:00

The GOP is the midst of rebranding. The problem is the rebranding looks a lot like the old brand.

A Democrat, making the familiar point that the most prominent Republican faces aren't the new ones, sends over the bookings on the Sunday shows:
This Week: John McCain

Fox News Sunday: Newt Gingrich

Face The Nation: Dick Cheney

Hehe.

DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan:
1996 called. They want their GOP Sunday show lineup back.

Very Special Condiment

2009-05-08T16:07:00.003-04:00

Sean Hannity is a very special journalist.
Now, the Gateway Pundit blog pointed out that plain old ketchup, well, it didn't quite cut it for the president. Now take a look at him ordering his burger with a very special condiment. ... Dijon mustard?

Elizabeth and John

2009-05-06T20:02:00.003-04:00

I used to have a good deal of respect for both Elizabeth and John Edwards. The key phrase there is 'used to'. While I still respect them and admire the work they have done, they pissed away a lot of that respect.

Edwards denied the affair, but Scher and other loyalists from his 2004 campaign doubted his word, made excuses, and stayed out of the 2008 presidential race when Edwards launched his campaign after Christmas.

A few days later, Edwards made a partial confession to his wife Elizabeth, of a single, regrettable encounter with Hunter. Like Scher, she asked him to drop his bid, to “protect our family from this woman, from his act,” she writes in her book.

But Edwards went ahead with the campaign — and Elizabeth Edwards put her reluctance aside to drive his campaign forward.

You don't run for president with an unexposed affair hanging out in the background. Had John Edwards won the nomination and then his affair was exposed, John McCain is our president and much of what John and Elizabeth believe in is immediately put on the back burner if not back in the refrigerator for four to eight years. They risked that because they wanted John to be president.

I want to be clear that I could give a shit about a candidate having an affair. I don't like it, but it really isn't any of my business. I could also give a shit about a candidate using drugs, what church they do or don't go to and a whole host of other issues that are nothing more than low hanging fruit for stupid chatter. The problem is that the vast majority of voters do care about such things. John and Elizabeth knew this and ran anyway.

Pretty Cool

2009-05-06T16:35:00.003-04:00

The Dust Jacket Project.

Dust Jacket is a record by Joel P West that is currently available by trading something you have made, and this gallery is an anonymous collection of everything that has been exchanged.

Dear Brett Favre,

2009-05-06T16:01:00.004-04:00

Just go away already.

Sincerely,
Me

On a more serious note....

A number of sportswriters like to portray Brett Favre as a brave gunslinger of a quarterback. I'm starting to think that the more acurate portrayal is somebody who just doesn't want to leave the spotlight.

Facts

2009-05-06T00:38:00.003-04:00

1. Beauty pageant contests are good for two things. 1) Modeling of skimpy swimsuits. 2) Mockery. End of list.

2. Those influenced by the shallow thoughts of beauty pageant contestants are good for one thing. Mockery. End of list.

Fact submissions are welcome in the comment section or via email where they will be reviewed by the OATs board for truthiness. All decisions are final.

Maybe it's Ray Allen? More sensationalism

2009-05-04T22:26:00.008-04:00

A few days ago, Celtics G Ray Allen was supposedly hotter than anyone, according to a goober on ESPN's Sportscenter. Tonight TNT color commentator Reggie Miller said this after a shot by Ray Allen in what was nearly a great comeback by the Celtics (down 28, cut it to four with 40 seconds remaining);

"You could not have shot that any better than Ray Allen just did."

The shot rimmed out.

This SCOTUS Crap Is Gonna Make My Head Explode

2009-05-04T17:59:00.003-04:00

Example A
Jeffrey Rosen has an article for The New Republic that is being advertised as...

the first in a series of reports by TNR legal affairs editor Jeffrey Rosen about the strengths and weaknesses of the leading candidates on Barack Obama's Supreme Court shortlist.

To spare you the time reading the article the takeaway is that Sonia Sotomayor is stupid. To prove it, Rosen uses nothing but a bunch of unnamed sources. Hooray for journalism!

Rosen is sure to assure us that this isn't a case of people disliking Sotomayor.

...they're not motivated by sour grapes or by ideological disagreement--they'd like the most intellectually powerful and politically effective liberal justice possible.

I guess we just have to take Rosen's word for it since he doesn't really name who all the quotes are from. He also doesn't give any actual examples other than more unnamed sources saying Sotomayor is a stupid head. Of course, I feel pretty confident that anybody who grows up in the South Bronx and ends up going to Princeton probably does have an IQ problem.

The real kicker for me is this part.

I haven't read enough of Sotomayor's opinions to have a confident sense of them, nor have I talked to enough of Sotomayor's detractors and supporters, to get a fully balanced picture of her strengths.

One would think that when writing an article that is supposed to be 'about the strengths and weaknesses' of the leading candidates for the Supreme Court that Rosen could at least be bothered to do some work other than leaning on unnamed sources.

I would just like to add that an unnamed source told me that Rosen is a fucking hack journalist who makes Sotomayor look brilliant and he likes to kick puppies.

Why I Will Rent Wolverine

2009-05-04T17:51:00.003-04:00

I like a good comic book adapted for film movie as much as the next guy. Ok, maybe not as much as the next guy because a lot of people went to see Wolverine this weekend. Yglesias sums up pretty well why Wolverine will go in my Netflix queue, but I won't be spending the 10 bucks it would take to see it at the movies.

Wolverine isn’t a character whose origins we’re curious about. Wolverine is a character whose origin is that he has no memories and we don’t know where he’s from other than that at some point he was mixed up with a shady covert ops program that bonded adamantium to his skeleton. That’s the origin. That’s the character.

City Of Thieves

2009-05-04T17:11:00.003-04:00

As far as my reading goes it tends to be a mixed bag of things. I read a fair amount of David Baldacci and Michael Connelly, writers more known for their ability to tell a story than their skill as writers. I also read guys like Richard Russo, who I think at times lack the story telling ability, but makes up for it in their ability to write. The exception for Russo is Straight Man which is one of my favorite books. Of course I also read a fair amount of trash, zombie and end-of-the-world type books. Hey, somebody has to be ready now that we are all about to be overrun by Swine Flu regardless of what some random blogger might be preaching!

David Benioff's City Of Thieves is one of those rare finds that manages to be a good story told by a writer that really knows his craft. It is the story of two unlikely characters thrown together during the Nazis' siege of Leningrad sent on an unlikely mission to find a dozen eggs for a wedding. The story is based on his grandfather's experiences during the seige and should be on your reading list or you suck as a human being.

Why I Love The GOP

2009-05-04T17:04:00.002-04:00

Stuff like this.

Republicans looking to recover from Bush-era defeats are turning to an unlikely source for advice: top aides to former President George W. Bush.

The Sky Is Falling - Oh wait, it's just the flu

2009-05-04T15:04:00.003-04:00

Paging Y2K fanatics. Please put down your jugs of water and read this courtesy of Time Magazine.

One of the more telling sentences that likely many people glossed over: A pandemic doesn't mean that a new virus is unusually deadly, only that it spreads easily.

Hope you saved that bomb shelter receipt.

Janet Jackson's Titty

2009-05-01T17:16:00.004-04:00

While I write a lot of poetry and attend a fair number of poetry readings, I have never been much of a fan of slam poetry. Too often, slam poetry becomes more about an over the top performance rather than about the poem itself or it morphs into a contest of who can be the most shocking. I have been to several poetry slams and enjoyed a good number of them, but I usually tend to walk away thinking.....'when are they are going to do the poetry part?.' Still, I have always enjoyed this.

A Western Zombie Flick?

2009-05-01T16:31:00.002-04:00

Really? I'm a pretty big zombie fan, but if I see one zombie riding a horse I will burn something.

At least it has Megan Fox in it.

Mark Halperin Is Stupid

2009-05-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

I stopped reading Mark Halperin's The Page a long time ago. Part of it had to do with The Page looking more like a well done myspace page rather than a new site. The big reason is that Mark Halperin is stupid. I give you this example as proof.

There have been 110 Supreme Court Justices. Of those 110 Justices, 106 of them have been white men. Mark Halperin is stupid.

A little perspective, please

2009-05-01T11:03:00.004-04:00

Some Sportscenter guy last night: "There was no one hotter than Ray Allen in the first two periods."

How about this woman?

Joakim Noah on the Bulls 3OT win last night: "We were really close to death..."

How about this boy?

I Don't Get It

2009-04-29T17:19:00.002-04:00

Karen Tumulty thinks that Lisa Gutierrez has a good point.

Here is Gutierrez's point.

President Barack Obama kissed former Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius Tuesday night after she was sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary in the Oval Office.

She was immediately dispatched to a top-level briefing about the swine flu outbreak.

Maybe they should have just stuck with the handshake?

Seriously, I don't get it. Is it a some kind of Lewinsky reference? I can't believe these people get paid.

Deep Thoughts By Michele Bachmann

2009-04-29T17:00:00.002-04:00

Each time Bachmann opens her mouth, I think it is important to remember that she gets to write laws.

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter," said Bachmann. "And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."

Also, ignoring the crazy for a moment.

It happened in 1976 when Gerald Ford was in office.

Specter

2009-04-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

The big news in politics today is obviously Specter jumping to the Democrats. If you haven't heard the news turn on CNN, MSNBC or Fox and wait two minutes and you will.

A number of conservative pundits are quick to remind people that this wasn't Specter having an ideology shift, but rather a move to save his job. For once, I agree with the conservative pundits and even Specter has admitted to this being the a big reason. In other words, Specter hasn't changed, but the Republican party has.

Another example would be Lindsey Graham talking about how he is a moderate Republican. The guy scored an 89.79 from The American Conservative Union. I would be curious to see what a hardcore conservative scored.

I Dub Thee A Hack

2009-04-27T21:49:00.003-04:00

Ken Strickland

As Congress prepares to vote on a budget that would include a procedural tool allowing Democrats to effectively shutout Republicans and pass sweeping health-care reform,

Strickland is talking about reconciliation and in no way does it 'shutout' the Republicans. What it does do is prevent Republicans from requiring a 60 vote threshold to pass health-care. Democrats and Obama would love to see Republicans working with and supporting the majority in guiding health-care reform through the Senate. The problem is that they aren't offering up any ideas, unless you count tax cuts and drill baby drill.....you know the usual. Instead of working to craft a strong bill, they will and are warning of the big scary gubmint coming to take your babies and doctors.

Republicans are not interested in health-care reform. They are interested in making sure it never happens. It would be an absolute disaster for them. I don't think you need a public poll to realize that people like to be able to go see a doctor when they get sick. If more people are allowed to do so under a Democratic president and congress, the party that has been fighting tooth and nail against that is going to have a tough time winning elections.

Not to give Republicans any ideas on how they can have more of an impact on government, but they should really think about winning more elections.

Overnight Music

2009-04-27T17:29:00.000-04:00

Probably done this one before....deal with it.

Because You Really Want To Know

2009-04-27T17:18:00.002-04:00

I'm still waiting for this to show up from Amazon. Love the opening line.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

Not To Bring Up Old Shit

2009-04-27T17:04:00.002-04:00

But

For years leading up to the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore committed the sins of taking policy seriously, and of knowing what he was talking about. As punishment for those sins, reporters like Kellman mocked him as a "teacher's-pet" and a dull, lifeless buffoon. They propped up a dim-witted Texan (by way of Greenwich Country Day, Andover, Harvard, and Yale) who had run business after business into the ground, and skipped out on the National Guard service that kept him out of Vietnam by virtue of his father's accomplishments. On the other hand, he called reporters "Stretch," and they loved him for it. And so George W. Bush became president.

Although, this might be just as likely.

I Second This

2009-04-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

Paul Krugman

So Bobby Jindal makes fun of “volcano monitoring”, and soon afterwards Mt. Redoubt erupts. Susan Collins makes sure that funds for pandemic protection are stripped from the stimulus bill, and the swine quickly attack.

What else did the right oppose recently? I just want enough information to take cover.

I'm Not A Lawyer

2009-04-27T16:34:00.002-04:00

But this doesn't sound like it would work as a defense.

"As far as mental suffering is concerned that involves the creation on the part of the person the tactic is used on of a fear of imminent death," said McCarthy. "The few people that waterboarding was actually used on were actually told that they were not going to be killed by the tactic."
"Even if they didn’t tell you they weren’t going to kill you, after the first or second time you sort of get the point that there is not imminent death to be feared," he said. "There's not a prosecutable case."

One would think that if the CIA wasn't looking to create the 'fear of imminent death', they wouldn't have used a technique to simulates the sensation of drowning.

Just once I would like to see somebody ask Joe Scarborough or one of the other pro-torture pundits if they feel as if we should now be issuing an apology to the Japanese soldiers we convicted of waterboarding.

After World War II, we convicted several Japanese soldiers for waterboarding American and Allied prisoners of war. At the trial of his captors, then-Lt. Chase J. Nielsen, one of the 1942 Army Air Forces officers who flew in the Doolittle Raid and was captured by the Japanese, testified: "I was given several types of torture. . . . I was given what they call the water cure." He was asked what he felt when the Japanese soldiers poured the water. "Well, I felt more or less like I was drowning," he replied, "just gasping between life and death."

NFL Draft

2009-04-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

A quick vid to get you game ready for today's draft.

Liberal Bias

2009-04-24T16:19:00.003-04:00

CNN hires Mary Matalin, former advisor to both Bush and Cheney.

She joins a number of her former co-workers making the transition to major media.
Michael Gerson (Washington Post), Sara Taylor (MSNBC), Tony Snow (CNN), Frances Fragos Townsend (CNN), Nicole Wallace (CBS News), Dan Bartlett (CBS News), Jeff Ballabon (CBS News), Tony Fratto (CNBC) and, of course, Karl Rove (Fox News, Newsweek, and Wall Street Journal) have all gone from working for Bush/Cheney to working for the mainstream media.

Just don't forget that the media is scary liberal and liberals hate freedom.

Banana Republic

2009-04-24T16:09:00.002-04:00

The thinking from the GOP that we become a Banana Republic if we investigate or prosecute those involved in creating the torture years is pretty damned backwards. A Banana Republic would turn a blind eye to the government breaking the law.

Caprica

2009-04-20T17:02:00.002-04:00

Once Battlestar Galactica turned into a show that was all about religion/philosophy instead of humans fighting robots it was fracked up. So fracked up that I stopped watching. I heard the last two episodes were good, but I doubt I ever watch the last two seasons I missed because I just stopped caring about every single character.

I had heard that they were doing a spinoff of the series. It looks like it is going to suck.

The last couple of seasons reminded me of The Matrix series. The beginning was pretty good, but then the writers thought they could impart some deep meaning and ended up screwing the pooch.

Breaking Down Traditional Marriage

2009-04-20T16:53:00.003-04:00

When you do this....

Far be it from me to say that Newt Gingrich’s 1981 decision to ask his first wife for a divorce while she was in the hospital recuperating from cancer should bar him from commenting on the value of traditional marriage....Then in 2000 he divorced Ginther and married a third woman with whom it turns out he’d been having an affair.

You really shouldn't be accusing anybody of trying to break down traditional marriage.

Now We Go

2009-04-20T16:39:00.004-04:00

The Detroit Lions have figured out how to get out of it's franchise-long funk - a new logo

.

I remember how well this worked for Ohio University back in the late 1990s... oh wait....

Impeaching Bybee

2009-04-20T16:37:00.002-04:00

Just me thinking, but you shouldn't be allowed to be a federal judge when you were writing the 'how to torture and get away with it' memos in a previous job.

In one of the more nauseating passages, Jay Bybee, then an assistant attorney general and now a federal judge, wrote admiringly about a contraption for waterboarding that would lurch a prisoner upright if he stopped breathing while water was poured over his face. He praised the Central Intelligence Agency for having doctors ready to perform an emergency tracheotomy if necessary.

Two other things.

1. We told the Nazis at Nuremberg that 'just following orders' was BS.
2. Good thing this wasn't something serious like a BJ or there would be all sorts of hearings, investigations, independent prosecutors and impeachment proceedings.

Stop The Stupid

2009-04-20T16:31:00.002-04:00

Could somebody fill me in on what danger the US is in since Obama smiled while shaking hands with Chavez? I watched a bit of Morning Joe today (yeah I know I have nobody to blame buy myself) and Joe nearly went Glenn Beck in a Doom Bunker over how horrible this was.

Overnight Music

2009-04-16T17:22:00.000-04:00

I'm too busy playing Deadspace to blog.

Born In The Flood - Anthem

Warrants Are For Pussies

2009-04-16T17:00:00.001-04:00

Wanna know what happens when you allow the NSA to ignore the need for warrants? This.

And in one previously undisclosed episode, the N.S.A. tried to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant, an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Braylon Edwards to Giants?

2009-04-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

Word is heating up again that the Giants are itching to get Braylon Edwards. This would be a pretty solid move for the Giants as they are without a true No. 1 since they released Plaxico Burress. I think Edwards could even be an upgrade over Burress if he can keep his nose clean. Edwards had a rough year last year, I should know he was on one of my fantasy teams, but so did a lot of Browns.

My only question is how does this help the Browns? I didn't think the problem with the Browns last year was that they had too many offensive weapons, but that seems to be the thinking with the team looking to trade away anybody who might threaten opposing defenses. Winslow is already gone. Who is left if Edwards goes as well? Steve Heiden is who. He of 23 receptions, 249 yards receiving and zero touchdowns last season.

Starting to look like another long season in the making for Browns fans.

Teabagging Fun

2009-04-15T16:46:00.002-04:00

I don't think anybody ever really cleared up what the Teabaggers are protesting. It seems to be a combination of taxes, government spending and the fact that Obama is a dirty fascist.

Steve Benen tagged an exchange that CNN had with some protesters.

Realizing that she probably wasn't going to get anything coherent from this guy, Roesgen then spoke to another man, who proceeded to ramble on about why Obama should be more like Abraham Lincoln, who didn't try to take taxpayers' money.

Benen points out a problem with using Lincoln as a hero for the anti-tax brigade.

Not only did Lincoln vastly expand the power of the federal government -- up to and including suspending habeas -- he also was the first president to impose an income tax. Worse, it was a progressive income tax, that charged wealthier taxpayers more.

More Please

2009-04-15T16:37:00.002-04:00

Joe Klein hits the nail on the head.

The constant sniping from Rove, Wehner and the others during Obama's first 100 days is a deeply neurotic reaction to the enormity of their own cockups in office. It shows a profound lack of class or grace, but then, that's no surprise with these guys, is it? They ran the country like thugs, and thugs they remain.

I find it kinda funny that anybody on teevee even entertains that notion that Obama is a more polarizing figure than Bush. Yes, Obama has incredibly low approval ratings among Republicans. The problem is that the Republican party, at this point, is no longer a national party but a regional one. Being hated by a regional party, like Obama is, is much less polarizing than being disliked by over half the country. I think people have already forgotten that Bush's approval ratings were in the 20s.

Just sayin

2009-04-15T16:31:00.002-04:00

Why are people surprised that some of the banks have been showing a profit? Haven't we been funneling a fair amount of money to them over the last several months. I know shit about business, but you give me a couple of billion dollars and I will show you a profit as well. Just sayin

Overnight Non-Music

2009-04-14T16:44:00.003-04:00

I'm struggling to find some new music. For those of you that have any feel free to drop a link in the comment section. For those of you that know my email addy, feel free to drop it there as well.

Instead of overnight music I offer a friendly reminder that one of my favorite shows kicks off tonight.

Speaking of Things That Make Me Laugh

2009-04-14T16:01:00.003-04:00

Via TBogg, this cracks me up.

I just wanna say that personally, I don't wanna see any tea bagging on the 15th. What right wingers want to do in their free time is their business, but keep it off my teevee.