Freedom of Speech

On the day after President Obama's first State of the Union address, I offer you two assessments of the content and importance of his speech, both of which I received in email messages from friends.

The speech was aimed not only at Americans who are concerned about what appears to be an unraveling of the fabric of our national unity but also at those who sat on their hands and appeared to be completely unconcerned about anything beyond their personal political fortunes.

Disclaimer: Both of these articles contain rough and possibly offensive language.

That having been said, I believe they are incisive, accurate, and well worth reading.

Click the titles, and enjoy:

1. Last Night, Barack Obama Became President

Here’s a teaser excerpt:

You don't do what he did unless you know — calling out not only the political opposition for its opportunistic nihilism, and not only the United States Senate for its structural inertia and for the remarkable number of venal gobshites among its membership, but the Supreme Goddamn Court of the United States, sitting right there in front of him, for handing down a recent decision that guarantees that every election for the foreseeable future will have all the essential integrity and nobility of a Moroccan bazaar. You don't do that, getting Justice Sam Alito mumbling under his breath like a drunk on a subway, unless you know you're the only president in the room.


2. The Bobblespeak Translations - What Obama really said.

As a former English teacher, I feel compelled to point out that this article contains a significant number of grammatical and spelling errors. Nevertheless, the writer has, in my opinion, captured the essence of the President's message to America.

There's no teaser. You'll just have to read the whole thing.

The Clueless Media

Today's Doonesbury is a perfect metaphor for the cluelessness of the American mass media, which finds it more profitable to report on superficiality rather than substance and to draw conclusion based on ideology instead of facts.

Oh, and if you don't understand how this cartoon inspired my commentary, you are part of the problem.

Solution: Take one tablet tomorrow. ;-)

Not In Kansas Anymore

Whether you lean to the left or to the right politically and even if you stand squarely in the moderate middle, the following observation rings true.

is 70 years old.

Today, if Dorothy were to encounter

men with no brains, no hearts, and no courage,

she wouldn't be in Oz.

She'd be in Washington!

Satan to Pat Robertson

I just got this from a friend and had to share it.

Talk about an appropriate response to Pat Robertson's asinine remarks!

===

This hilarious letter to the editor, written by Lily Coyle of Minneapolis, appeared recently in the Minnesota Star-Tribune:

Dear Pat Robertson, I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake.

Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I'm just saying: Not how I roll. You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings — just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best,

Satan
Link to source

No Joke

There's an old joke which goes like this:

They say that ignorance and apathy are the two biggest problems in America today. Well, I don't know anything about that, and I don't care.

Watch the video clip below of John McCain responding to Matt Lauer's question on NBC's Today show about allegations in the new book, Game Change, that Sarah Palin was not properly vetted prior to his naming her as his running mate.

Be very thankful that this man was not elected president in 2008.

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You Have a Choice

President Obama discusses Health Care Reform in his Weekly Address - January 9, 2010.

Click on the image to view the video.

Actually, you have several choices. You can choose to:

1. ignore this week's message from President Obama and opt for a continuation of the status quo.

2. watch the message and reject it solely because you've been told not to trust the President by folks who stand to gain personally and politically by undermining his efforts to address the problems facing America.

3. watch the message and accept it solely because the President makes you feel good when he speaks.

4. watch the message and either accept or reject it based on a clear understanding of the differences between liberal and conservative political ideologies and the pros and cons inherent in solutions to problems offered by each camp.

5. watch the message and envision the larger picture the President is painting. It's a picture which challenges the listener to recognize and accept as fact

• that in America no single person shapes policy,
• that the American legislative process is messy by design but predicated and dependent on honest deliberation and debate,
• that divisiveness rooted in ideology and greed poses as great a danger for America as do the threats from external enemies,
• and that uniting in a common purpose has always been the American way.

The Party of No Substance

In its quest to regain power, spokespersons for the Republican party have been bombarding the media with one of the GOP's favorite myths, its smug claim of a superior ability to defend America.

Given the fact that the deadliest attack on our country took place on their watch, that claim is laughable to any thinking American. After all, George W. Bush and a Republican majority in Congress were running the country on September 11, 2001.

On January 6, Chris Matthews called bullshit on that GOP myth and asked Republican strategist Todd Harris to name one thing the GOP had done in the past decade to help America. Harris was unable to do so. Instead, he avoided the question, lamely stating that his job was not to discuss history but to win elections for Republicans in 2010.


Enjoy!

What's in a Name?

The "immutable value system" which conservatives trumpet as their raison d'être is embodied in the definition of a single word. Conveniently, that word also happens to be the surname of the one known as "The Architect" of the current version of the conservative movement.

That word is...

rove 1 |rōv|
noun [in sing. ]
a journey, esp. one with no specific destination; an act of wandering

ORIGIN late 15th cent. (originally a term in archery in the sense [shoot at a casual mark of undetermined range] ): perhaps from dialect rave [to stray,] probably of Scandinavian origin.

Click here to view original image.

Running on Empty

Be very thankful that you're not among the 25% of Americans who don't, won't, or can't understand this and who, like the former governor of Alaska, are running on empty.