Todays number: 112

That is the number of Rethug and Democrap Senators and House Reps that have so far tried to take credit for the Recovery Act advances in their districts, yet voted against it in DC. From Bloomberg:

Alabama Republicans Jo Bonner and Robert Aderholt took to the U.S. House floor in July, denouncing the Obama administration’s stimulus plan for failing to boost employment. “Where are the jobs?” each of them asked.

Over the next three months, Bonner and Aderholt tried at least five times to steer stimulus-funded transportation grants to Alabama on grounds that the projects would help create thousands of jobs.

They joined more than 100 congressional Republicans and several Democrats who, after voting against the stimulus bill, wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood seeking money from $1.5 billion the plan set aside for local road, bridge, rail and transit grants. The $862 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed last year with no Republican votes in the House and three in the Senate.

Bonner said opposing the stimulus doesn’t mean he shouldn’t help Alabama projects compete for grants. “It is my role to ensure that their request is considered by the federal agency,” he said in an e-mail.

Alan Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming named by President Barack Obama as co-chairman of a new deficit- reduction commission, said about-faces on government funding aren’t surprising.

“It’s the original sin of Washington — it’s hypocrisy,” Simpson said. “You can’t do that then say you go out and cut the other stuff.” (emphasis mine)

Ain’t that some shit? Alan Simpson is calling it what it is…HYPOCRISY. Now, check out the ThinkProgress article on  this same issue. From the ThinkProgress writeup:

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Said Stimulus Funds Would Create “Much Needed Jobs.” Minority Leader Boehner: “The stated intent of the so-called stimulus package was to create jobs, and certainly a $57 million slush-fund studying projects did nothing to achieve that goal. With Ohio’s unemployment rate the highest it’s been in 25 years, I’m pleased that federal officials stepped in to order Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed jobs.” [Boehner Statement, 6/15/09]

-Congressman Boehner Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

-Congressman Boehner Regularly Blasts The Stimulus And Instructed His Caucus To Oppose It. [Huffington Post, 1/27/09]

Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Held A Job Fair Where Nearly Half The 30 Organizations Received Stimulus Funds; Cantor Also Supported Using Stimulus Funds To Build A Washington To Richmond Rail. Washington Post: “For months, Democrats have dubbed U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia a hypocrite for strongly opposing the federal stimulus package only to promote aspects of it later. Here’s the latest example: Nearly half of the 30 organizations participating in a job fair Cantor is holding Monday in Culpeper were recipients of the stimulus…In the summer, Cantor came under fire after he talked about his support of using stimulus money to build a rail project from Washington to Richmond.” [Washington Post Virginia Blog, 11/18/09]

- Congressman Eric Cantor Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70]

Simply wonderful right?  I do love how the Rethugs and the DINO’s think bashing, then touting at home, the Recovery Act will get them reelected. Personally, I really hope the voters in all those districts have the ability to see through the fuckery. I also hope that left-of-center candidates can unseat the bastards…..both the Rethugs and the DINO’s.

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Oh, the hypocrisy of these fuckers!

Hypocrisy isn’t limited to the Democraps..oh hell no, it aint. But just for a minute, let us concentrate on the dozen or so rethugs denouncing the Stimulus Bill, while they sing it’s praises at fucking home.  It rips me into little pieces to read their lies. From Think Progress“:

Today marks the one year anniversary of President Obama signing into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus. As the economy continued to crater after President Bush left office, Obama’s stimulus sought to provide tax cuts for 95% of working Americans, funds to buoy cash-strapped state governments, new construction and infrastructure projects, and other programs to create jobs, retrain workers, and promote economic activity throughout the country. In December, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the stimulus had successfully created up to 1.6 million jobs, and today, a report shows the Recovery Act will ultimately create 2.5 million jobs. Even the conservative American Enterprise Institute found that the stimulus had boosted the U.S. economy by 4 percent.

House Republican leaders have fought to maintain partisan unity in their effort to kill the stimulus. And they were largely successful. Every single Republican in the House and every single Republican in the Senate — with the exception of Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter — voted against the Recovery Act. By drawing a sharp distinction between Obama and the GOP, Republican leaders gambled on casting the stimulus as a failure in order to win elections in 2010. In a coordinated effort, Republicans have used every opportunity to attack the stimulus for allegedly failing to create “a single job.”

Last month, President Obama admonished Republicans for going to “ribbon cuttings for the same projects that you voted against.” It’s true: Last year, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) appeared at a ribbon cutting event for GetAbout Columbia’s MKT Plaza, a pedestrian walking and recreation area funded by the stimulus. (See picture at top right.)

ThinkProgress has investigated opponents of the Recovery Act, reporting throughout the year that many of the lawmakers who tried to kill the legislation have been returning to their home states to claim credit for popular stimulus programs. In a new research report, ThinkProgress finds that over half of the GOP caucus, 110 lawmakers — from the House and Senate — are guilty of stimulus hypocrisy. Among some of the key findings:

– Top Republican Senate Recruits Are Stimulus Hypocrites: As ThinkProgress reported, Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), a candidate for Senate, touted over $5 million in stimulus programs he voted to kill. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), the GOP nominee for Senate in Illinois, signed a letter urging Gov. Pat Quinn to provide “Recovery Act (ARRA) funding to expand the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network.”

– GOP Leadership Leads The Way In Hypocrisy: Although he regularly slams the stimulus as a waste while in DC, McConnell has returned to Kentucky to take credit for stimulus programs, even taking time to request more funds. ThinkProgress attended two job fairs held by Cantor, where we found dozens of employers able to hire directly because of the stimulus. Indeed, even Boehner’s office released a statement boasting that the stimulus will create “much needed jobs.”

– The Audacity Of Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds: Many opponents of the stimulus have been quite brazen with their ability to try to claim credit for the program. For instance, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) spent the morning of July 28th railing against the stimulus, yelling “Where’s the stimulus package? Where’s the jobs?” on the House floor. On the same day of his rant, Kingston’s office sent out multiple press releases bragging that he had secured hundreds of thousands in stimulus funds to hire additional police officers in his district. Other stimulus opponents, like Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) — who has called the stimulus a “trillion dollar debt bill” — have printed out jumbo-sized ceremonial stimulus checks to present to local communities to try to garner positive press.

Individually, over half of the entire Republican caucus has hailed nearly every aspect of the stimulus as a success — from infrastructure funds, to food programs, to education grants. But politically, admitting its success might harm the GOP’s chances in November. So with Republicans fixated on winning politically, they have focused on deceiving the public by calling the stimulus a failure, while pretending successful programs aren’t stimulus funded.

The entire Think Progress piece is posted here. The asshole known as Senator Cantor (R)VA, really expects the American Voting Public to miss his attacks on the Stimulus Bill, while he sings it’s praises at fucking home.

I am angry, I am highly pissed that these motherfuckas on the right can play both ends against the friggin middle.  It shows us how dumb the Rethugs think we are, versus how dumb we actually are.

Both are no-win situations for the assholes left of center. They aren’t smart enough to figure it the fuck out.

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Her Majesty Michele Bachmann, Welfare Queen

Gosh, I wonder how those tax-hating, welfare-loathing “teabaggers” are going to feel about their Queen when they find out that she’s a freeloading leech?

And she ain’t no cheap leech, either. Nah, a few food stamps ain’t gonna satisfy the Queen. She lives royally, and that takes some serious money. And serious money is exactly what she and her family have been leeching from the taxpayers.

The stench of hypocrisy from these “conservatives” waters the eyes and empties the wallet.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) — so fond of accusing the Obama administration of foisting socialism on an unwilling America — has apparently been the recipient of about a quarter of million bucks in government handouts.

Liberal site Truthdig links to an Environmental Working Group analysis of federal agricultural subsidies and found that the Bachmann family farm, managed by her father-in-law until his recent death, received $251,000 in farm payments between 1995 and 2006.

Bachmann’s financial disclosure forms indicate her stake in the Wisconsin farm is worth up to $250,000. Her income from the farm has grown from $2,000 a year a few years back to as much as $50,000 for 2008.

Truthdig calls her a “Welfare Queen”:

Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006. The farm had been managed by Bachmann’s recently deceased father-in-law and took in roughly $20,000 in 2006 and $28,000 in 2005, with the bulk of the subsidies going to dairy and corn. Both dairy and corn are heavily subsidized — or “socialized” — businesses in America (in 2005 alone, Washington spent $4.8 billion propping up corn prices) and are subject to strict government price controls.

Bachmann isn’t alone in her selective socialism: EWG found that the top four districts receiving the largest ag payments are represented by conservative Republicans.

1. 3rd district of Nebraska (Rep. Adrian Smith – Republican) – $1,736,923,011 in subsidies go to 51,702 recipients.

2. 1st district of Kansas (Rep. Jerry Moran – Republican) – $1,315,979,151 in subsidies go to 75,802 recipients.

3. 4th district of Iowa (Rep. Tom Latham – Republican) – $1,288,622,912 in subsidies go to 35,696 recipients.

4. 9th district of Texas (Rep. Randy Neugebauer – Republican) – $1,227,192,312 in subsidies go to 21,290 recipients.

And there you have it, AGAIN. These freeloading Rushpubliscums don’t want anybody but the ultrarich to have healthcare, but they see fleecing the taxpayers as their RIGHT.

Over and over again, the Rushpubliscums and their idiot “teabagger” followers insist that they are the ones you can trust with YOUR money. And over and over again, just the opposite proves to be true. Why don’t these freeloaders go out and do something to contribute to society, instead of always leeching from it?

Crossposted at Reconstitution.

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Larry Vs The Plutocrats

Larry Flynt, known to many Americans as an outspoken, fearless champion of the First Amendment, and pornography entrepreneur as the publisher of Hustler Magazine and various other enterprises, is speaking up about his belief that the American government has “…been taken over by Wall Street, the mega-corporations and the super-rich” in an item he wrote for the Huffington Post, titled “Common Sense 2009“.

While there are likely plenty of people who would disdain Flynt for the reputation he developed and the methods that he employed to amass his personal wealth. Many people who would consider him morally corrupt for his role in bringing extreme pornographic images to newsstands and screens, or as an uneducated, crass, obscenity shouting miscreant (once having been ordered arrested by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court for contempt). Flynt does have some admirable attributes.

Some of Flynt’s attributes are that he has never been afraid of hard work. While his career choices may be at odds with many people, and at times walking a thin line between being legal or not so legal, they all involved his laboring long and hard. He came from humble beginnings, from a family that he has termed destitute in rural Kentucky, he is someone, despite building a business empire that grosses hundreds of millions of dollars per year, who has never forgotten his beginnings, and who has been engaged in challenging “the system” his entire adult life. He has won some and lost some, in business, and in court, but possibly his strongest personal attribute is that he despises hypocrites.

While Larry Flynt may not be someone, who’s total package an average American might ever embrace whole heartily, he is someone who should garner our respect and attention, to at least listen to, and consider for his views on the hypocrisy of the plutocracy and how they would suck the last breath out of all of us common folk, as they grasp at every opportunity to build their own, selfish, treasure chests:

In America, corporations do not control the government. In America, corporations are the government.

This was never more obvious than with the Wall Street bailout, whereby the very corporations that caused the collapse of our economy were rewarded with taxpayer dollars. So arrogant, so smug were they that, without a moment’s hesitation, they took our money — yours and mine — to pay their executives multimillion-dollar bonuses, something they continue doing to this very day. They have no shame. They don’t care what you and I think about them. Henry Kissinger refers to us as “useless eaters.”

…The reason Wall Street was able to game the system the way it did — knowing that they would become rich at the expense of the American people (oh, yes, they most certainly knew that) — was because the financial elite had bribed our legislators to roll back the protections enacted after the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

Congress gutted the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial lending banks from investment banks, and passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which allowed for self-regulation with no oversight. The Securities and Exchange Commission subsequently revised its rules to allow for even less oversight — and we’ve all seen how well that worked out. To date, no serious legislation has been offered by the Obama administration to correct these problems.

Flynt goes on to cite other examples of how the plutocracy controls the economy and the government, even stating that every national financial collapse, from the 1929 stock market crash to the present, was triggered by Goldman Sachs. Flynt’s writing makes for interesting reading, citing more history, including the reason for Shay’s Rebellion (which was in the news recently as part of the context of the provocateurs [my view] who showed up at presidential speaking events with fire arms strapped to their bodies).

Ever the Don Quixote, Flynt proposes that we all fight back against the hypocrisy, and theft of our nation by the plutocrats:

I’m calling for a national strike, one designed to close the country down for a day. The intent? Real campaign-finance reform and strong restrictions on lobbying. Because nothing will change until we take corporate money out of politics. Nothing will improve until our politicians are once again answerable to their constituents, not the rich and powerful.

Let’s set a date. No one goes to work. No one buys anything. And if that isn’t effective — if the politicians ignore us — we do it again. And again. And again.

The real war is not between the left and the right. It is between the average American and the ruling class. If we come together on this single issue, everything else will resolve itself. It’s time we took back our government from those who would make us their slaves.

Maybe Larry Flynt does have something here. A casual reader might chalk all of this up to just some paranoid crackpot, but Flynt has neven been just a crackpot, he is someone who has studied the human condition, someone who does have moral values about hypocrisy and the shafting of the common man and has never been afraid to stand up for his rights. Maybe Larry Flynt is not tilting at windmills, but rather sounding an alarm for all of us.

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Hypocrisy 101- Mark Sanford took that class.

The Party of No has it’s second philanderer in as many weeks today. Poor Governor Mark Sanford has professed to a few goodies today:

He lied about where he was for the last week. Putting his state at risk.
He has been having an affair with a married woman.
He possibly lied about spending South Carolinian’s money to see his mistress.
He hasn’t resigned from the governorship yet, but he demanded that Bill Clinton resign over the Monica Lewinsky affair.
He blew his 2012 move towards the White House out of the water..with a couple of bunker-buster bombshells.

Do I feel sorry for him? Fuck no..but I do feel bad for his wife of 20 years that gave up a lucrative Wall Street career to run his campaigns. She looked like the pinnacle of a good wife..Leave it to Beaver style. He of course supported the DOMA..the Defense of Marriage Act..can you say hypocrite? Read his sordid emails here if you wish..I do not.

But she kicked his ass out of the house..good for her. Good. For. Her!

Hopefully Sanford and Ensign will get the help they need..a psychiatrist for their lying, hypocrisy and double standards.

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paradox or hypocrisy?

my mom is my partner in crime. i wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her curiosity- and her admirable ability to stomach listening to hate media and christian media. i guess that i am perplexed at the christian right’s incredulity that more and more americans are turning away from their religion. i mean, despite their best efforts, folks are not sheeple to be fleeced. that’s reserved for special morons on the right- those twenty percenters who have difficulty spelling, i imagine.

anyhoo, many right wing christian types have argued that because the founders were largely christian or deist- the intent that america is a christian nation founded on christian principles is there. therefore, we should return to christianity to unite us in the common good through morals and ethics. except that argument falls very, very flat. the constitution may have been created by men who believed that there is a god- but they specifically, and deliberately stated that there will be no state religion. folks can worship as they please- but no one religion will dominate the other at the federal level. period. you can google it- it’s there.

and on the hypocritical end- well, let’s suffice to say- with all of the ‘family values’ scandals and the pious christian leaders succumbing to just about every deadly sin there is- and the fact that they assisted the politicians in ruining this once great country for worldly gain- that they are lacking quite a bit in the moral authority realm.

i guess that the biggest puzzle for me to try and piece together- is how they present christianity versus what they really stand for. i am going to guess that’s why folks are leaving in droves. the christian right alleges to stand for the right to life of all- because your life belongs to god and your body is his temple- and you need to keep it pure and clean for him. you don’t have the right to euthanasia or suicide- because your body isn’t yours to begin with. god will decide when you live or die. uh huh. jesus- and god- are love. they love you despite you being a sinner or a heathen- and flowers bloom and birds sing, yah, yah, yah. how then to explain the christian stance on 1) capital punishment and 2) torture.

so, let’s see- god is love but he sanctions the torture of other people at the hand of the folks who won. mmmmm…. which chapter and verse in the bible sanctions torture? i’ve read it through twice but i may have missed something. i do, however, distinctly remember something about ‘vengeance is mine, saith the lord.’ but it may be different now- i have a king james version bible. and please cue me in as to where god says- or jesus- that it’s ok to kill someone based on a crime they committed.

i am an admitted ‘heathen’- athiest, i suppose to those who must label. i oppose the death penalty and torture. i also would not personally have an abortion but i am completely in favor of contraception. i also support euthanasia- under restrictions and suicide- because it’s a personal choice. now, that’s not to say i advocate either- but each human being is autonomous. they have the right to decide their own fate. they do not have the right to torture and kill other human beings- or other beings- wantonly and at their whim.

i also have a real problem with christians blaming victims for man made disasters. for example, the christian right blaming the victims of hurricane katrina for the army corps of engineer’s failure to make the levees safe. their ’sins’ did not bring the wrath of god down upon them- climate change did. and the levees breaking was most decidedly not the fault of gay folks. get real.

i have a feeling that many run as far away as they can from christianity these days because these folks come off like a band of thugs- forcing their way of life on others and ganging up on minority groups- like gay folks, immigrants, non wasps, etc. they behave like the crazy relative that folks don’t invite to family holiday dinners. and it’s unfortunate because i really believe in the constitutional right for folks to worship as they please- but these folks are turning the houses of worship into extremist group havens where they are tax exempt- and can plot their course with impunity.

the ’say one thing and do another’ philosophy is what is driving thinking folks away from religion- especially christianity. just an fyi. my fervent hope is that religion extincts itself- and i hope i am around to see it happen.

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Look who is calling the kettle black.

Krazy Karl Rove. This jackass of mythic proportions has the audacity to state in his Wall Street Journal OpEd and on Faux Noise that Obama has…cough..ethical problems, by accusing the Obama administration of working with MoveOn and Americans United for Change on ads they created and ran.

Does this fuckwit have Alzheimer’s? He single-handidly politicized every department and office in the Bush administration for eight years. From ThinkProgress:

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed and on Fox News this morning, former Bush political adviser Karl Rove accused the Obama White House of “ethical problems” in its “hard-nosed push” to “pressure Congress to adopt the president’s budget.” “The degree of direction the White House is exerting over a lobby campaign” is “unprecedented,” claimed Rove, referring to ad campaigns by Americans United for Change and MoveOn.org.When Fox’s Bill Hemmer asked Rove how this was different from the “contact with outside groups” he had during the Bush administration, Rove replied that “it’s fine to say the White House is focused on getting our message out to these members,” but that it’s another thing to “sit down and coordinate on ad copy.” Watch it:

And here is Countdown’s piece on Rovers bullshittery:

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Earmarks, they aren’t just for democrats..

Mitch McConnell loves earmarks, and he also loves to be hypocritical as hell about them. From McClatchy:

Democrats, who have weathered criticism from Republicans over earmarks in recent months, are singling out Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for the more than $75 million in federal funds for Kentucky projects he requested along with other members of Congress in a $410 billion spending bill.

The federal funds for projects, or earmarks, McConnell asked for in the omnibus spending bill include $1.6 million for a forage animal production research laboratory in Lexington, $1.088 million for an animal waste management research lab in Bowling Green, $2.945 million for LexTran to purchase buses and $950,000 for a Western Kentucky University bikeway project, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tracks federal spending.

*snip*

McCaskill, one of only a few Democratic senators who hasn’t requested earmarks for her state, has pledged to “out” Republican earmarks later this week during a speech on the Senate floor.

“Earmarking was taken to a new art form under the Republican Congress and President Bush,” McCaskill said. “The Republicans in the Senate have lined up for billions and billions and billions of dollars. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be half pregnant on this deal.”

McConnell ranked ninth in a Taxpayers for Common Sense analysis of Senate earmark recipients and is solely listed as having requested more than $51 million worth of projects.

The Party Of No just screams and throws tantrums. They are lovers of the pork too, but the bastards actually think their earmarks are not earmarks, as in these comments by two Rethugs:

McConnell defends his earmarks as projects that are necessary to help diversify the economy of Kentucky.

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., pledged Tuesday to remove his own earmarks, but stressed that doing so would hurt state programs.

Carpetbagging bastards. I can’t wait for McCaskill’s speech on the hypocrites within the Rethug party.

Tags: earmarks, Pork Spending by Republicans

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onward christian soldiers

“McCain’s VP choice, Sarah Palin, suddenly made me want to vote for him, as long as the LORD smites him while he’s in office. She’s consistently conservative on all the issues, and if she’s good enough for The Forerunner, she’s good enough for me. The Forerunner agrees with me that McCain must be smitten, as well, so I’m obviously not alone in my viewpoints.”

“Pray for John McCain’s salvation and speedy death.”

“May the LORD cause McCain/Palin to win the White House in 2008, and then smite the godless McCain in favor of Palin. Amen.”

talk to action

yep.  makes me all warm and fuzzy at holiday time.  and these folks have the nerve to complain about radical islam.

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Ten Post Round-Up: July 23, 2008

If this round-up were any juicier, you’d totally stick a fork in it…

1. It is long overdue to retire this policy. Gay soldiers should not be held to a higher standard than straight soldiers who are free to date who they like and not conceal their attractions. It is the gay soldier who is expected to keep their mouth shut and their pants zipped, for fear of losing their job. The military does not have room for discrimination, particularly if they hope to continue with war without end in the Middle East.

KOAA.com – Lawmakers reconsider military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy
Tauscher is convinced it’s time to allow gays in the military to be open about their sexuality, and she’s not alone. Three-fourths of those surveyed in a Washington Post-ABC News poll over the weekend said openly gay people should be allowed to serve. That’s up from 62 percent in early 2001 and 44 percent in 1993.

2. Even relying on some resource other than coal or oil to produce our energy needs is going to come with a very steep price tag.

CNN.com: Wind power: A reality check

One of the big challenges with using wind to replace natural gas is that, unlike the steady flame from natural gas, the wind doesn’t blow all the time.

To make sure enough power is available when the wind isn’t blowing, backup generators would be needed, said Paul Fremont, an electric-utility analyst at the investment bank Jefferies & Co.

That could mean maintaining those natural gas plants in case of emergency, or implementing even more novel ideas like systems in Europe that use excess wind electricity to pump water uphill when the wind is blowing, then release it through hydro dams when the wind stops.

Either way, any type of backup system comes with a price.

3. Sorry, guys. It won’t fit in your wallet. But, on the upside, it will be a perfect fit (that is, if it ever gets mass produced…).

Cool Hunting: Spray-On Condom
While most technologies advanced by leaps and bounds in recent decades, condom design has been relatively static for the last century or so. One visionary German scientist is working to change that. Jan Vinzenz Krause has spent recent years trying to make the world’s most common prophylactic available in spray-on form. The technology’s draw, according to Krause (pictured), is that conventional condoms often don’t fit penises of varying sizes (also pictured, sort of).

Read more

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Ten Post Round-Up: July 22, 2008

This round-up includes spam, porn, and money talk. Oh, you know you wanna read it…

1. The quote that wouldn’t die…

Talking Points Memo: White House Still Trying to Explain Away Maliki
When a guy you more or less install in power and keep there on a very short leash starts going off the reservation, you first claim there was some sort of translation error. Then you claim that what he says is not what he means. When he continues to reiterate the point, you assert that he knows not of what he speaks.

2. Colorado offers the DNC a gas tax holiday for the convention…

LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF COLORADO BLOG: Planning a private party?…
In Colorado, consumers pay 40.4 cents in taxes on every gallon of gasoline. That includes the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and the Colorado gasoline tax of 22 cents per gallon.

3. A win for adult-websites

Wired.com: Net Censorship Law Struck Down Again
The 3rd U.S. Circurt Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a 2007 lower-court decision that the Child Online Protection Act violated the First Amendment since it was not the most effective way to keep children from visiting adult websites.

Read more

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Ten Post Round-Up: July 21, 2008

Some days, it sucks to read the news, because it’s a reminder that our country appears to be being run by a bunch of frat boys, out on a lark and hoping that a grown-up might come along and fix it (all the while forgiving and forgetting who was responsible for the bull$#!% in the first place)! Unfortunately, these hazy days are not ones that we will soon wake from and it will take many generations of grown-ups to fix.

1. Tazing a few sheep to tame the sheeple…

duckplops: Just When You Thought They Couldn’t Find More Helpless Victims

More and more it seems as though the cops have been told to use the tasers first and ask questions later, and have let them know there won’t be any repercussions, even if they kill the tasee.

2. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas, anymore…”

The Huffington Post: Court Confirms President’s Dictatorial Powers in Case of US “Enemy Combatant”
Wake up, America! On July 15, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled by 5 votes to 4 in the case of Al-Marri v. Pucciarelli (PDF) that the President can arrest US citizens and legal residents inside the United States and imprison them indefinitely, without charge or trial, based solely on his assertion that they are “enemy combatants.” Have a little think about it, and you’ll see that the Fourth Circuit judges have just endorsed dictatorial powers.

3. Getting answers for the family of LaVena Johnsona is a step towards getting answers for every family who has lost a soldier to foul-play in Iraq.

Shakesville: ColorofChange.org launches LaVena petition
The online grassroots organization ColorofChange.org, a black advocacy group founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has lent its support to the family of LaVena Johnson. The group has launched a new petition addressed to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and its chairman, Representative Henry Waxman.

Read more

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Dizzy’s Ten Post Round-Up

These days it seems as if it’s a good time to invest in bicycles (to save gas money) and mattresses (to store your savings). At least, we can drown our sorrows in “hopsicles” and if we forget where we hid our money we can rely on our daily cuppa to refresh our memory. We may be a nation of whiners, but wouldn’t life be a lot simpler if the economy (and certain world leaders and/or those seeking the position) didn’t give us anything to whine about?

1. It’s true, you can’t please all the people all of the time. But, is it possible to abuse the privilege?

23/6 – News: Poll: Who’s Obama gonna piss off next?
With polls showing Obama losing his “glow,” every couple of days we’re finding out about another group who is getting a little pissed off at Barack.

2. Let it never be said that GWB didn’t leave behind a well-remembered presidency (not well-thought of but, definitely well-remembered).

Alternate Brain: Legacy of a Lunatic
From the beginning, Bush surrounded himself with incompetent cronies, yes-men, and sycophants with a lust for influence, and handed out positions of power to people whose blind loyalty was the only measure of their suitability. Qualities like honesty and strength of character were never assessed, and were in fact an obvious hindrance for those who aspired to the inner circle.

3. In other words, there is no end in sight for our already overburdened troops, regardless of who’s elected.

CommonDreams.org: Obama Promises 10,000 More Troops for Afghanistan
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama yesterday pledged to increase US troops in Afghanistan by a third if he becomes president, sending 10,000 more to reinforce the 33,000 already there.

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Dizzy’s Ten Post Round-Up

Some days (particularly Mondays) require more than one cuppa. Today is one of those days.

1. Word for the day: transparency

BlackListed News: Kucinich Demands Congress Issue Subpoenas for Continuity of Government Plans
John Conyers has been issuing subpoenas on other issues, which may be important. However, what could be more important for Congress than determining whether or not the Constitution is still the controlling document for our country? What could be more important for Congress than determining whether COG planning documents strip Congress of its power, and give sole power to the executive branch?

2. If we add another battle front (cough-Iran-cough), we will need more “waivers” to fill the ranks…

Huffington Post: Greg Mitchell: Shocker: More than 1 in 10 Army Recruits Now Given “Moral Waivers”
In 2007, almost 10,000 recruits were granted waivers for past misdemeanors. over 2100 for “serious criminal misconduct” — over four times the 2003 rate – -and almost 1500 for drug or alcohol abuse.

3. Just another example of children being trained to be good little sheeple…thankfully, the appeals court did the right thing.

Joanne Jacobs: Strip search violated girl’s rights
To learn if Savana Redding was carrying over-the-counter pain pills such as Advil or Motrin, a school nurse told her to remove her clothes, including her bra, and shake her underwear. A classmate caught with ibuprofen had named Savana as her supplier. No pills were found.

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Dizzy’s Ten Post Round-Up

Thanks to Phil Gramm for reminding me of something I forgot, being a member of a “nation of whiners”, I tooks some time to do just that (thanks to those wonderful people who took the time to listen). Truthfully, though, I prefer to do my whining via blogging, so what better place to do that than through today’s Ten Post Round-Up (cue the “wah-mbulance”).

1. “The answer to speech you don’t like is always more speech.”

AlterNet: Why Obscenity Laws Must Be Fought
What’s defined as healthy sexuality in this country is narrowly defined and schizophrenic — and the government should not have final say.

2. Just imagine the sales in munchies, alone!

duckplops – Bottles ‘N Boo

“Relax It And Tax It

That’s the motto behind a new cannabis initiative that would allow Oregon’s state-controlled liquor stores to legally sell marijuana to adults.Initiative backers said their plan would send 90 percent of the proceeds from the state’s sale of marijuana to Oregon’s General Fund, which could lower Oregonians’ state tax burden.

3. Not. Holding. My. Breath.

The Huffington Post: Pelosi: House Judiciary Committee May Hold Impeachment Hearings
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House Judiciary Committee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

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