The Pubhouse Dialogues

Running On Empty
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http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/overtheshoulder/archives/146170.asp?from=blog_last3

"According to an ARC executive, "Hollywood has picked on different groups in the past and they've fought back. Now they have picked on a group that is sensitive and can't always fight back."

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As a woman married to a doubly disabled (spinal botched surgery and a laundry list of stress disorders) transgendered female, I would say so! I am so disturbed by Ben Stiller's choice and the approach of Hollyweird in this film that it is hard to describe. I actually, in the past, enjoyed all three actors - Ben, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jack Black. But now I question their humanity.

We have a cop 2 houses away threatening my husband's life. This is no joke. It's not even good satire.

Things that hurt people are plain mean.

We have a HUGE vocabulary. Wake up and use it.

Retard.

How does that feel?

I am gratified that Lavena is finally getting some attention. As a murder victim labeled a suicide...she is now receiving national attention and the call for justice is going out. Thank goodness! I thought we were all asleep at the wheel for a second there....

I signed a letter through a wonderful advocacy service called Progressive Secretary which I have used for 12 years - and forwarded nearly 1,500 letters! I recommend it to you.

http://www.progsec.org/DynMenu/DynMenu.php

Here is a new Progressive Secretary Letter.

Note: This letter supports a campaign of Colorofchange.org, the Greens⁄Green Party USA and other civil rights groups.

This letter will be sent with the subject: LaVena Johnson and attacks on women in the Army.

From: Aileen

To: Senator Sherrod Brown http://capwiz.com/progressivesecretary/mail/?id=472
Senator George V. Voinovich http://voinovich.senate.gov
Representative Dennis J. Kucinich http://www.house.gov/kucinich

Dear _________________:

The death in Iraq of LaVena Johnson, described by the Army as a suicide, highlights the need for far greater openness, both on her case and on the many other attacks on female soldiers in the Army. The Army's actions appear secretive and suspicious.

Photos reluctantly released by the Army suggest murder rather than suicide of this talented, bright young soldier. If the Army will not perform a full and open investigation, Congress should demand it.

There must be a full, open investigation of LaVena Johnson's tragic death.

Sincerely,

Aileen Terra

Further information: http://www.greenparty.org/newsletter/Aug2008/Johnson.php

Here is a link to this letter that you might wish to send to your friends.
http://www.ProgSec.Org/l.aspx?a=m06LaVenaJohnson1______

Progressive Secretary increases the impact of your letters by sending them with a variety of subjects. This time the computer has selected "LaVena Johnson and attacks on women in the Army." You and I will continue to identify this letter by the subject of this letter which is "Army investigate LaVena Johnson death."

Not including this posting you have sent 1,491 letters, and Progressive Secretary has sent over 11 million letters!!Progressives send far fewer letters than conservatives. Please invite others to join and level this field.

If you would like to contribute towards Progressive Secretary's expenses, please send your contribution to:
Jim Harris
9153 Rundelay Way
Sacramento CA 95826

Representatives of the Obama and Clinton camps announced today that Clinton's name will be placed in nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month. Why? Damned if I know. Hillary, apparently, is hearing voices again, and wants us to hear them too as a means of "catharsis" for her former supporters. Some of those supporters, convinced despite fresh revelations in the Atlantic this week that their candidate headed a cluster fuck of a campaign in as inept a manner as any major candidate this side of Dole '96, remain convinced that they wuz robbed, and despite Clinton crony Lanny Davis' remark that the Senator will have "little sympathy" for those of her supporters who try and use this as a means of disrupting the convention, several of these folks are likely to have big stinky catharses all over the convention floor.

Meanwhile, Senator Obama, already having given Clinton and her ex-POTUS husband prime time speeches on two consecutive nights, has now devoted a third to, as the joint Clinton-Obama announcement puts it, "honor and celebrate these voices and votes." You know-- the ones who couldn't defeat him in the primaries, whose template for tearing down his candidacy has been adopted wholesale by McCain and the Republicans, who refused to acknowledge his victories and have never really given him his due as the nominee of the Party.

Why is he doing this? Again, damned if I know, but I can damn well guess. Disappointing as it is to admit, this reeks of the kind of Democratic timidity that has plagued the Party for thirty years, and suggests that among the things we overestimated about Obama were his guts and his intelligence. Disappointing? Sure. A reason to regret his nomination over Clinton, much less vote for McCain? Oh, hell no. Will it get played that way? Most bloody likely.

I am hoping that James has fixed the video of his toddlers because it is utterly hysterical. I am including the link and the imbed and hoping for the best. It worked tonight and I saw it before I put it on The Pubhouse roster...

Here's hoping....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyAAD_MlNtg

Yeah- I am posting a LOLcat. Bite me.
I know this cat must be Disco Stoo's- who is THE thin blue line in Minneapolis between all us citizens and the undead brain-eaters.

Complaints will yield a steady stream of images you would rather not see, none of which were ever from goat.se.

Anyone expecting that this year's Presidential election campaign was going to be some kind of high-flown exercise in "the new politics" (and one wonders what planet they've been spending the last few decades on) is invited to take a close look at the current "debate" on energy policy taking place between the two campaigns and join me in despairing over what a complete bullshit-toss it has become. While said bullshit, as might be anticipated, originated from the nether regions of the McCain campaign, both sides have managed to cover themselves in it pretty thoroughly, and their reasons for doing so provide the basis to a fairly wide indictment indeed.

The shit in question is McCain's contention that offshore oil drilling is a dandy solution to our country's energy needs and to the economic hardship caused by rising gas prices. This has lately taken the form of a nice, reductive chant: "Drill here!! Drill now!!"

The smart answer to which, of course, is "Okay, then, go ahead," followed by an outraged "Whuddaya MEAN you can't drill here and now? Whuddaya MEAN offshore drilling can't produce any oil anytime this decade or for most of the next? Whuddaya MEAN this won't make a damn bit of difference to energy prices?" , followed by a landslide defeat of a candidate willing to lie so readily to the American people.

This result, of course, is perhaps a bit much to expect from the Democratic Party. Rather than making any point about the McCain plan's status as ineffectual bullshit, congressional Democrats have emphasized their role as saviors of the planet, standing up for the environment over the depredations of the nasty oil men-- a point of its own, to be sure, but the wrong one to be making now. As for Senator Obama, his attempt to become the voice of reason by accepting safe, environmentally sound offshore drilling as a compromise element in a larger package has both opened him to flip-flop charges and put us on notice that he is willing to compromise even on, well, utter ineffectual bullshit. Again, the wrong point made, the wrong message sent.

The largest share of blame, however, needs to go to the folks who are causing the above professional politicians to act that way: we, the People, the majority of whom are willing to eat this crap with a spoon and pretend its chocolate pudding if it means we don't have to make any real sacrifices to end this energy crisis. Guess what, folks-- we do, and if our response to this energy wake up call is the same as our response to the last ones, we are a nation of idiots who deserve what we get.

Listening to Media Blitz will help nazi aholes
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Though almost a week late in saying so (God bless computer problems, time constraints, and my children, and while you're at it, me), I was interested in Krugman’s NYT column last Friday, which took off from Nancy Pelosi's statement to The Politico regarding an attempt to block an offshore drilling amendment: “I’m trying to save the planet.” Krugman went on (at length) on the subject “Can This Planet Be Saved?” before deciding, well, maybe, maybe not, and certainly not by John McCain.

I was struck less by the content of Krugman’s column than by his unquestioning acceptance of and expansion upon Pelosi’s statement. While I am keenly aware of the realities of environmental degradation and supportive of any rational measure designed to prevent and reverse it, I cannot help but wonder if the environmental movement in particular and the human race in general isn’t being ill served by the romantic and inflated rhetoric of planetary salvation.

When we speak of “saving the planet,” we are, unfortunately, talking utter bullshit. The planet went on without us for many millions of years before we got here and will go on for many millions more after we’ve gone. And, eventually, we will be, our species sloughed off its surface like the opportunistic infection that we are. Our efforts to “save the planet” are really about trying to maintain it as a viable ecosystem for us— that is to say, about saving our own sorry asses.

Crude as that sounds, I can’t help but think it would be a more effective and compelling argument in favor of our environmental efforts than our current (and for some, eminently dismissible) hodgepodge of Gaia worship, huggable trees, and cute wild animals. Dead polar bears are one thing, dead children and grandchildren (not to mention selves) quite another. Each is a possible outcome of global warming. By elevating self-preservation from a mere side effect of the great quest of planet-saving to the point of the exercise, we may be able to change the minds of those who are currently hostile or indifferent. Nothing like a little imminent death to concentrate the faculties...

No, it’s not particularly noble or edifying—but it just might work.

Wanna talk for a brief second about the toxic irony that has defined the 21st century? Cool, so do I.

Let's begin with the Smirking Puppet, back when he was just a lapsed addict and over-entitled dismal failure of a human being. At his coronation ceremony (face it kiddo, that's what conventions are here in the States, a long venal paean to the ruling classes) in 2-fucking-000, Bunnypants stood up there and did hisself some speech-reading:

... This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise of prosperity been so vivid.

But times of plenty like times of crises are tests of American character.

Prosperity can be a tool in our hands used to build and better our country, or it can be a drug in our system dulling our sense of urgency, of empathy, of duty. Our opportunities are too great, our lives too short, to waste this moment.

So tonight, we vow to our nation we will seize this moment of American promise. We will use these good times for great goals.

We will confront the hard issues, threats to our national security, threats to our health and retirement security, before the challenges of our time become crises for our children.

And we will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of this country: to every man and woman, a chance to succeed; to every child, a chance to learn; and to every family, a chance to live with dignity and hope.

Having identified the ravaging horror of prosperity, and promising to give that a thorough fucking-over, Bunnypants went on with lying through his teeth:

In a responsibility era, each of us has important tasks, work that only we can do. Each of us is responsible to love and guide our children and to help a neighbor in need. Synagogues, churches and mosques are responsible, not only to worship, but to serve. Corporations are responsible to treat their workers fairly and to leave the air and waters clean.

And our nation's leaders our[sic] responsible to confront problems, not pass them onto others.

And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, that president himself must be responsible.

So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.

Honor? Dignity? Responsibility? Uh-uh. It would be a vastly rewarding experiment to take some time in the coming weeks and months to actively recall what life was like before this feral boy-king and his cabal of ghouls seized power, with the purpose of comparing it to life today.

Curmudgeonly prediction as to the results of the experiment: we cannot trust Republicans specifically and all right-wingers in general with any amount of political power. They set up doomsday scenarios and then drive a bus of predestination into the horror show.

Whats a nice way of saying McCliyingbastard can go F himself?
No,really,there must be a nicer way to say it then I did.
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http://thecurvature.com/2008/07/15/still-no-justice-for-lavena-johnson/

This horrific rape happened 3 years ago in Iraq. Had she been white, something might have been done by now...

LaVena was a 19 year old, 5'2", 100 lb soldier. Our military called it suicide. Judge by the facts:

She was found in her burned out tent. Lots of suicide victims kill themselves and then set the house on fire.

She was beaten brutally with broken teeth knocked into her face, a concave eye socket, bruises, lacerations, teeth marks, shot in the wrong side of the head for a suicide (talented young soldier) She also had white military gloves glued to her burned hands and acid poured over her genitals. This girl was serious about her suicide.

I encourage anyone as outraged as I am, as a past rape victim, to write to their representatives and demand that justice be done for this young woman. I want the animals who did this to her to commit the same form of suicide. I will pull the switch myself given the opportunity.

Suspect arrested in swimmer killings - CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/01/wisconsin.shooting.ap/index.html?eref=rss_crime

Like a been saying all along every single day, we have reports of Christians doing nothing but killing. Here is another report. Here's another Christian man whose killing children. If these Christians can't get control of themselves they don't deserve to live in this country. They don't deserve to be allowed to practice their religion and their religion is going to do nothing but spawn killers of our children and killers are women. They don't deserve to call themselves American citizens unless they can put up and shut up as a religion and demonstrate that they in fact support the Constitution of these United States. And they are not supporting the Constitution of these United States. This is not support of the Constitution when you have a Christian man killing children.

Let's just consider something else as well. According to be Christian organization which is the US Bureau of crime statistics, which is predominantly run by Christians; every year the United States 15.5 million women are killed as a result of spousal abuse, which is domestic violence. That's one woman being murdered in the United States every 20 seconds. Now that's a fact. Regardless of any the filthy lies these Christians want to tell you that is a fact.

Additionally from another Christian organization, the United States Census Bureau, which is predominantly run by Christians, United States, Census Bureau says that 73% of the United States is Christian. And that means statistically, using the science of arithmetic in mathematics, that 73% of the 15 million women that are being killed every single year are being killed by Christians. So that's approximately 11 million women that these Christians are killing every single year. So when Christians tell you they're pro-life my question is, if these Christians are pro-life, then why are they killing 11 million women every year?

Read more! »

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, Wednesdays were celebrated in Minneapolis as "tabloid day," the day when the city's two free weeklies, the Twin Cities Reader and City Pages (referred to collectively as the "Reader Pages")were circulated, insuring at very least adequate bathroom reading through the weekend. The nasty capitalist machinations that took the Reader out of the equation have been old news for quite a while. Less remarked upon is the City Pages deterioration into what folks in the newspaper business used to refer to as a "one dumper"-- skim the letters, read The Blotter, Tom Tomorrow, and Savage Love, wipe, and flush.

Particularly disappointing is the Pages' tendency towards feature stories that seem to be geared to their author's hoped for a sub-Diablo Cody leap into careers writing teleplays for the Lifetime Movie Channel. This week-- an abused mother and children who fled (in the '90's-- news value?)to Amsterdam as "refugees". A couple of weeks back-- a story on gay Lutheran seminarians featuring a woman who received a message from God during a worship service informing her that she should go to seminary and, by the way, was a lesbian, that oddly enough missed the obvious mental health angle completely. One slogs through these multipage behemoths in vain trying to find some point larger than "Gosh, folks sure are mean," only to be left with a turnable page and a review of a restaurant one either can't afford or has no interest in. In a metro area this size with so many identifiable civic issues, the waste of journalistic forum is nothing short of breathtaking.

Still, having the Pages around does come in handy for stuffing the chimney starter for my barbeque (though I find that using the Onion imparts a bit more flavor) and for use as "City Place Mats" when I'm feeding my sons. Hey, reuse and recycle, right?