esrosedotblog

Love to spell it out: schadenfreude and be able to get it on the first bounce. Further, it is more fun when applied to something like this: Republican's Poll Low Low Lowest.The polls are just rolling out. All are similar. They are setting upon one another like wolves. The teas have way overreached themselves and the regulars let them. Like letting your nasty dog run and it goes out of control, bites the neighbors kids and shits on everyone's lawn. No one likes that. Hard to put them dogs back on the leash, guys.

Today's film was a great martial arts potboiler Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. This is a "true" story with magic thrown in. The only Chinese Empress ever. The big attraction here is Andy Lau who has to be the most watchable of the Hong Kong stars. He has the screen at all times when he is on. It is a good story and the "tricks" are well done if mostly "on the wire", meaning that they do it all with assistance. It is still pretty spectacular as it simply takes it all to a new level.

Around the neighborhood with Booker. The condos are enduring a total painting. This means that all the landscaping needs to be trimmed back or bound up or something. Away from the wall. We are having ours done by the HOA gardener at our cost (public them, private us) so there is no figuring it out. This is good because I would have had someone do a much more severe job than he is going to do. There has been the usual flail around it. After considerable study of the painting options by a committee on which John served, the powers that be in the HOA ignored the recommendations and what they do will be what they do. As per usual. Feedback is solicited and then pretty much bypassed. John quit the committee quietly. We are due for paint in two weeks. We are not removing one cactus pot and a set of plaques that are in the wall over the fountain. We didn't put them in. This may cause trouble but I am always up for a little shit stirring.

Labels: condo, films, tea party

WHERE THERE IS SMOKE.....

So it seems that some of the IRS investigations, while perhaps a bit hard and blunt, were about groups who sought non-profit status but were actually engaged in campaign activity. I figured.

Non Profit Applicants Chafing at IRS Tested Political Limits

In other words, they were asking for it.

After all, we know that the IRS questioned some churches and larger institutions who were engaged in financing or otherwise helping campaigns. Why not these little guys.

This is going to end up being another example of right wing over reaching. Hoist by their own petard.

Labels: tea party

SUNDAY

Not a normal day. We are going to a tea party this afternoon. Someone's wedding meeting-up anniversary.

I am not keen on tea or parties but I have been asked/told to attend, so that is that.

There seems to be an upsurge of tea which is not on my list but I will get by somehow.

Today is the first day of the drops for the left eye which gets operated on Wednesday. Instilling they call it. I still am working on using up all the drops for the right eye. Drops.

I am getting the long distance view, the same as the right, so that I will have binocular vision. The world seems flat with one eye.

The option was to get one eye done for close work, reading. Use the other one for distance.

I have been able to operate one eye-dly but it doesn't feel right to me. So, glasses for up front work it is.

I was a bit romanced by the eye-dea of no glasses at all but the gain is not there for me in the monocular.

I want stereo.

I am not good at putting the drops in. I waste a lot.

I go through spots where there seems to be not a lot to say or it is the same stuff so that even eye I a bit tired of hearing about it.

Also I have had other things to think about.

I am renovating my Netflix Queue.

Up until recently, I have been queuing up everything that scores a 70% critics' response on Movie Review Intelligence, a review compilation site that pretty much matches my taste, but then I would take the films off the queue when they got close to playing. The other thing is that I have accumulated a sizable "see it again" list and it is swamping the new ones. Given a choice, I want to re-see.

So. I am taking the less interesting ones off the queue. I just cannot see everything. I was putting more than the 4-5 a week I do watch and like all things that have more intake than out flow, the list was getting fat.

Chopping. Culling. Curating my own list.

Labels: cataract surgery, eyes, medicine, tea party

MY PREDICTION IS COMING TRUE

The prediction was for a short life of tea bagging. That most people voted with their guts, the general malaise that accompany's hard times, and now are having serious buyer's remorse. Americans do not like extremists. The people who ran on the tea party's energy have turned out to be bad for the tea party's interests. Extremists who merely obstruct and will not work with consensus.

Support for Tea Party Falls in Strongholds, Polls Show

I have always been amazed about how many of the tea party people voted against their own interests. Disgruntled oldsters voting against Medicare as a case on point. Or voting for rank amateurs who have no experience governing. The know nothing approach.

Then there are the people who vote ideologically for vague principles. When their choices get to Washington, they are often surprised that they are expected to know facts and to vote on bills that are substantive.

Mostly, there are a lot of people who have made money out of the tea party and there hasn't been a payoff.

Americans do not like dogmatism. They do not like ideology. They want consensus.

And so on.

The tea was very weak actually. And didn't taste very good.

Labels: tea party

NOT WINNING

Gallup:

Tea Party Sparks More Antipathy Than Passion
August 10, 2011

More Americans consider themselves strong opponents of the Tea Party movement than strong supporters, by 20% to 14%. Overall support for the Tea Party has dipped to 25%, a new low, and lower than the 29% average seen previously.

Boehner's Low Approval Rating Could Hurt Republicans In 2012

There is more but I will not bore you.

This is a reality check for the GOP. They are hitched to a fading teabag. They have the most visible leader losing points. They don't even ask about Senate Leader McConnell, the one that looks like a hamster.

Also, the Republicans shoulder the blame for the stalemate mess and according to yesterday's CNN poll, a lot of people, 68% including Republicans, approve of higher taxes for the rich.

I dug all this up, which wasn't difficult, because I had a dose of media memes about how bad Obama was doing.

He holds still throughout all of this at between 45-50% approval. No change. He is not moving up and, more importantly, he is not moving down. They were all playing the same sad tune for the "one term" President and I got depressed.

These numbers sure cheered me up.

Labels: GOP, Re-election of Barack Obama, tea party

THOSE TAX HATERS

From a list that is going the rounds. I got it from Addicting Info

The funny thing is that a lot of the people who don't want to tax rich people don't realize how much they are potentially giving up.

Of course this is an obvious paradox. But they still think anything else is socialism.

102 THINGS NOT TO DO IF YOU HATE TAXES

1. Do not use Medicare.
2. Do not use Social Security
3. Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
4. Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
5. Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
6. Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
7. Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
8. Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
9. Do not use public restrooms.
10. Do not send your kids to public schools.
11. Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
12. Do not live in areas with clean air.
13. Do not drink clean water.
14. Do not visit National Parks.
15. Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
16. Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
17. Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
18. Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
19. Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
20. Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
21. Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
22. Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
23. Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
24. Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
25. Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
26. Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
27. Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
28. Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
29. Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
30. Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
31. Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
32. Do not apply for federal housing.
33. Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
34. Do not swim in clean rivers.
35. Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
36. Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
37. Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
38. Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
39. Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
40. Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
41. Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
42. Do not apply to win a government contract.
43. Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
44. Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
45. Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
46. Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
47. Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
48. Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
49. Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
50. Do not live in homes that are built to code.
51. Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
52. Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
53. Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
54. Do not use public libraries.
55. Do not use the US Postal Service.
56. Do not visit the National Archives.
57. Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
58. Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
59. Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
60. Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
61. Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
62. Do not take walks in National Forests.
63. Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
64. Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
65. Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
66. Do not use Medicaid.
67. Do not use WIC.
68. Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
69. Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
70. Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
71. Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
72. Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
73. Do not visit historic landmarks.
74. Do not visit fisheries.
75. Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
76. Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
77. Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
78. Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
79. Do not use public transportation.
80. Do not drink water from public water fountains.
81. Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
82. Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
83. Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
84. Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
85. Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
86. Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
87. Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
88. Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments.
89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
90. Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
91. Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
92. Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
93. Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
94. Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
95. Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
96. Do not attend a state university.
97. Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
98. Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
99. Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
100. Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
101. Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes.
102. Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.

Labels: republican whack jobs, tea party

STILL NOT MY CUPPA'

This appeared in the NYTimes this morning.

The Tea Party vs The Freeloader

I have been puzzled for quite awhile about how the Teas can so detest government programs and, at the same time, be sucking on the national tit themselves with Social Security, Medicare and, for the younger ones, all kinds of other use of government programs.

The research behind this article tells us why. These people feel entitled to benefits for themselves because they have worked for them and others have not.

This also answers why there is no inherent racism in many tea party actions and that such talk is shunned by the official Teas (even though there is a strain of racism in much of the other anti-Obama stuff, it does not appear in pure Tea circles.

Freeloaders! The welfare crowd. Young people who are on the dole and intend to stay there. Immigrants!

So, it is a new prism which I found very useful to look through.

I still do not agree with them at all but now I can see why some of the apparent contradictions appear.

Labels: tea party

SHRUGGING IT OFF

I was stunned to hear that there was a movie made of Ayn Rand's polemic Atlas Shrugged. And not only one movie but two.

It seems that my shock will be short lived as the film is tanking.

Audiences Shrugged

I guess I missed it because it got such poor reviews. I just scanned by it.

Atlas Shrugged, Poor Reviews, National

Atlas Shrugged opened in national release to poor reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "There is a love scene, which is shown not merely from the waist up but from the ears up. The man keeps his shirt on. This may be disappointing for libertarians, who I believe enjoy rumpy-pumpy as much as anyone." • And Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "The acting is so poor and the story so badly told that the viewer's feelings about Rand's novel - an epic ode to free-market fundamentalism - are almost immaterial..."

She has been discredited and all but forgotten several times but keeps returning. Now again. The living dead.

I read a couple of her books. This one was deadly. The Fountainhead was not a bad film, Gary Cooper. But they hacked it up in a Hollywood attempt to softpedal the rants in the book which was a slow read. Plodding.

I knew an actual Randian in Boston. He was a stone sober, level headed guy with quirks. This was one of them. One learned not to scratch the quirks.

I am amused at the homoerotic beefcake cover of the current edition. I suppose that is Atlas but he is also a nice deco hunk. A double down homo look.

It just kills me how the righties can come up with stuff like this and not even realize the message they are sending. Is this the result of repressed desires or just dumb marketing? Or, is some gay designer having it off on these people. It isn't too subtle if that is so.

Which ever it is, the joke deserves to be savored.

Labels: films, republican whack jobs, tea party

SCHADENFREUDE

More weakening. CNN poll says they lost 20 % approval in just the last few months.

So Much For the Come to Jesus Moment

No one shows up for the big tea bagger do today at The Capitol.

Labels: republican whack jobs, tea party

I AM WITH THE TEA BAGGERS ON THIS ONE

Give Up Familiar Light Bulb? Not Without Fight, Some Say

Even a blind pig will find an acorn once in a while. Stopped clocks tell the correct time twice a day. And every so often the tea bags find an issue I can agree with.

I am down with repealing the incandescent light bulb law which is really a performance requirement law which most incandescent 100 W bulbs can't meet.

I will not use the mercury loaded curly cue bulbs that are made outside the US.

Look at this if you doubt their safety. Un-fucking-believable.

Cleaning Up a Broken CFL

Air the room. Get kids and pets outside! Keerist!

When we bought the condo they had some of the CFLs in place. They have been removed. I just bought a bunch of 100W incandescents. I might stockpile some more.

It is probably too late. GE just closed their last US plant for the grand old bulb.

We shall see what we shall see.

Here is another set of ten steps. You don't have to clear the room for this one, I guess.

Labels: environment, tea party, technology

THOSE LIBERAL BASTARDS!!

By John Grey: TV News Lies

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have”.

Via Bill in Exile

Labels: liberals, republican whack jobs, tea party

NO COMMENT

The first meeting of the Senate Tea Party Caucus on Thursday attracted just four senators — out of 47 GOP members — willing to describe themselves as members. The event was as notable for who wasn't there as who was. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), once a tea party favorite, has for now declined to join the caucus, whose first meeting was organized by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican whose campaign sprung from the small-government movement, has said he's unsure if he'll join. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) showed up to address the group of activists, but then hustled out of the room, ignoring reporters' questions about whether he was in or out.

Some comment.

There are two ways to look at this.

One is to exhibit a bit of schadenfreude but I will eschew that as I just finished emailing with a friend who is inclined towards tea and I want to keep some comity going.

The other way and more common visionish, is that this is the typical reaction of professional politicians. Use, pander to, lie to win over and then, after election, abandon.

This is an old story in the Democratic Party.

Senators are institutions among themselves. The Senate is a collection of fiefdoms. They are a black hole of self interest for the most part.

Gay people know this. All the happy horseshit at election time and then foot dragging once elected.

Welcome to the party, Teas. Mark Rubio? A member of the club already.

Labels: Democrats, politics, tea party

PATRIOTS

When Shameless Hucksters Lose What's Left of Their Decency

"If there's a contradiction or some sort of irony in cashing in over 9-11, that seems to have eluded the hosts. Palin wrote this week on her Facebook page: 'We can count on Glenn to make the night interesting and inspiring, and I can think of no better way to commemorate 9/11 than to gather with patriots who will 'never forget.' Visa and MasterCard accepted."

....Glenn Beck made $32 million last year and Sarah Palin made $12 million in a matter of months. The only difference is that this time it's 9/11."

Others on the far-right also hope to profit from the anniversary of 9/11. Disgraced lobbyist Ralph Reed will wrap up his "Faith and Freedom Conference and Strategy Briefing" on Saturday, and Newt Gingrich will unveil some new movie he put together on the same day.

Actually, Sinclair Lewis wrote this in 1935 not 1835. It is from his work It Can't Happen Here.

Well, it could.

Labels: criminal morons, patriotism, tea party

FOGGOT!

This is a very funny, yet sad, email exchange between a blogger and a very dumb homophobe.

I have read your website and it is obviously that your a foggot.

The exchanges are wonderful right down to the very end and there is an end to it.

David Thorne is a satirist and writer and, fortunately, lives in Australia or he might just have gotten the shit kicked out of him.

But probably not.

This kind of moron is all talk and bluster and no action. You would probably meet his type at a Sarah Palin get together.

The true fringe element of America.

I also think that this is all made up but it is funny anyway.

Thorne's whole web site is made up of exchanges like this.

I like the style of humor and the fantasy of having this kind of correspondence with people.

They are kind of a combination of practical joke and rant at the same time.

If they are real, he is in real danger of having a short life.

Labels: criminal morons, fun, tea party

GOOD NEWS

I am happy to see that the Democrats are starting early to kick the GOP's ass in local elections.

Democrats spend early to knock out GOP challengers

We have more money than the GOoPers and we are also motivated.

All the talk about conversion of the House and Senate has people working up a froth.

I think the days of the passive Demo are over.

I have been deluged with email about the campaign for weeks. I have responded by paying into the coffers. More than I had originally intended.

If I am doing it then there are a bunch of other people doing the same.

For the very first time we have a chance to get rid of our GOP Rep right here in Palm Springs. The light weight Mary Bono Mack.

I realized my commitment to the mid term election when I did a survey of paramount issues. Rank them. I bypassed the economy, health care and seven more issues to rank maintenance of the majority as the first priority.

I know. I read all the stuff the pundits say about the losses the Democrats will experience. But I also read today about a better job report and I can see that the incursion of the right wing nuts into the GOP primaries will make their candidates vulnerable. Like on the issue of Social Security. The baggers have been pretty loose with the talk of dissolving it. Stupid when you think that this has always been the third rail of politics. GW stepped on it. And what is more, the people crying for this are the very ones who are on SS and Medicare or Medicaid.

Labels: Democrats, politics, tea party

PROLES AND PLUTOCRATS revised

There is suddenly a lot of light being shown on the "dark operations" of the Koch Brothers.

Covert Operations:
The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama

Most of the talk stems from this highly researched article.

The Kochs don't much like publicity.

But they are the primary shit stirrers behind the organization of so called "tea party" people who started as a rather spontaneous movement.

The Kochs eschewed direct action in politics when they got their clocks cleaned in the Libertarian Party.

Brought up to have beliefs to the right of the most right, they decided to fund any operation that went towards tearing "government out by the roots. They are not anarchists, they say.

Of course, many of their aims would stand them to gain in the pocketbook. Try no taxes for a start.

The baggers have played right into the hands of these guys. Or, more correctly, these guys have managed to co-opt the tea partiers.

Needing leadership and money to organize, the Kochs have stood ready to oblige.

Odd that the teas are after "freedom" and "restoration of the, well, what?" and they are being manipulated by these uber capitalists. Well, they wanted capitalism to thrive even though it has ground them down for generations.

The Kochs' dad was a John Bircher and while they say they wouldn't go that far, they have gone far enough.

Invisible power.

Not so invisible any more.

Is anyone listening?

These guys are MIT graduates. We are not all saints.

Labels: tea party

THE HATE MACHINE: IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING

The Tea Party people and the christers are at it again. Pretty much the same people, I think. How often do you see a black or Jewish or gay tea bag. Never.

This time they are after the Muslims.

It is the same hate and ignorance in a new stew.

Across Nation, Mosque Projects Meet Opposition

And there is no shortage of demagogues to stir the pot.

In this case, some of the stirrers are ex-muslims.

We have our ex-gays and closet cases. They are often the most virulent.

One of these big brouhahas is in Temeculah CA, not far from us.

I will drive through it on the way to my trip to San Diego.

It is a new to bursting community. Lots of newcomers. Gleaming store fronts and everyone on the edge of financial trouble. Overexpansion.

I sort of sat out the NYC mosque thing. The one near Ground Zero.

It was too easy to see the motives. Real estate. The Jews were right in there, the ADL.

I think we are in for a rough time again.

This country has always been ripe for the crowd with the pitchforks. Free speech. Free religion, at least mine, not yours. No limit on ignorance. No shortage of recreational troublemakers or, worse, the professional ones. A lot of people with too much time on their hands and too little to think about or do.

I suppose most of these people really believe this shit. At least they are not being disingenuous. They are the real thing. First class bigots with the zeal to get into your face if you are different and can feed their paranoia. Mostly mental cases. Cross burners.

What to do about it?

Well, it would seem that the real churches and civic organizations in these communities are finally speaking out against this kind of thing. I would hope so. The rest of us can help in small, incremental steps.

I won't listen to an anti-muslim statement any more than a racist or sexist or homophobic comment.

Labels: christist watch, tea party

NOT CONSERVATIVE ENOUGH

This is very interesting.

Bob Inglis is a Congressman (R-SC) who has a rating of 93% rating from the American Conservative Union. He lost a primary last month to a Tea Party candidate 71%-29%.

He was blindsided by their ignorance and zeal. A bad combination. But, there is not a whole hell of a lot he could have done other than lie or drink the Kool-Aid or, in this case, the tea.

He decided to do neither and was beaten in the primary.

Now, he tells his story about what he heard and what happened.

I used to think that the Teas were the right wing of the right wing of the GOP but that is not the case in this situation.

What he ran into was a different kind of buzz saw.

Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty

These people are basically nuts. They have always been around. The La Rouche gang, the Birchers. They have conspiracies on their minds. They are paranoic. They are looking for scapegoats.

The thing is that the GOP has taken them on as though they are legit and are making the moves to look like them to them and not like that to us. Two faced.

It is not likely to work. Or, if it does, the gang with the pitchforks will get into the village and we are done for.

I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card, there's a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings, and you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks. I have this look like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "You don't know this?! You are a member of Congress, and you don't know this?!" And I said, "Please forgive me. I'm just ignorant of these things." And then of course, it turned into something about the Federal Reserve and the Bilderbergers and all that stuff. And now you have the feeling of anti-Semitism here coming in, mixing in. Wow.

Labels: tea party

BAGGERS GET WRUNG OUT

It has been a while since I have had a chance to check in with the tea baggers.

For one thing, they seem to be quieting down and, for another, I have been pretty busy. I haven't had my tea detector working too much.

But now, here we have a rumbling.

The federal court ruling against DOMA this week opens a fissure in the Tea people's arguments for state rights.

Sitting right in the middle of the decision is the ruling that states have pre-eminence on issues of marriage and since Massachusetts allows gay marriage, so be it.

Basis of Ruling on Gay Unions Stirs Debate

Of course, the baggers who want state's rights don't, for the most part, want gay marriage!

Hoist by their own petard. Hung by their own tag string. Soaked with their own, well, you get the idea.

Funny sort of.

A guy in Vegas says that the ruling is good and bad. Good if it meant that states are preeminent in marriage matters but bad that they applied such thinking to "the gays".

Ha Ha.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights, tea party

ICED TEA updated

Beginning of the end of the tea party movement?

This is a thumbsucker article but it does have some basis.

The baggers are toting up bigger disapprovals just as some of their stars are getting a little spotlight time.

Harry Reid's opponent in Nevada is a gift that keeps giving. She will repeal social security and, well, a lot of things. It is a gift for Reid who was seen to have a tough time of it. Not now.

And the Tea Party, whatever and wherever it is, surprisingly, still stays as amorphous and disorganized. There are tussles for power among the various leaders.

There was also a notable absence of outrage, pillage and barbaric acting out at the recess meetings held by congress people this past break.

That's the thing about outrage without any balancing thought. It burns out early and hard.

"Who could have predicted that a cranky, leaderless movement with no real goals and driven mostly by an inchoate sense of persecution, aggrievement, and Sarah Palin hero worship would eventually turn in on itself and splinter into a thousand embittered little pieces?"

Labels: tea party