Israeli FM: No Peace

3:48 pm, September 7th, 2010 : Israel/Palestine, Middle East

While it may seem on the face of it that Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman does not want peace, his comments might actually reflect the truth. He is quoted as saying:

It must be understood that signing a comprehensive agreement in which both sides agree to end the conflict and end all of their claims and recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is a goal that is not achievable in the next year or in the next generation, so any historic compromises or painful concessions won’t help.

If the Palestinians do agree to recognize Israel and forfeit their right to return and related claims, will the Israelis give up their hold on the West Bank?

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Further Evidence of Chinese Ascendance

2:21 pm, August 31st, 2010 : China

Is the Age of America finally coming to a sad conclusion? The latest statistics of naval strength seems to point that way with China finally acquiring the most warships.

China is #1

China is #1

While Russia has significantly reduced its count since the end of the Cold War and the U.S. has been steadily moving downwards, China has been slowly expanding its naval strength. Surprisingly, India has remained at the same level since the ’70s.

Slow and steady wins the race?

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I am Skeptical: Climate Change Skeptic Goes Native

11:28 am, August 31st, 2010 : Miscellaneous

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

So, apparently, “the world’s most high-profile climate change sceptic”, Bjørn Lomborg (WHO?!), has gone native and now feels that we need to spend $100 billion a year to reverse the changes of climate change or something along those lines.

How does he plan to find this dough? Taxes, of course!

So, we basically take some random dude, make him out to be some big shot and then claim that he’s now the biggest fan of the climate change industry. Doesn’t convince me one bit.

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JD Hayworth Wins Arizona Primary!

10:17 am, August 25th, 2010 : GOP, Politics

McCain: Tea Party Zombie

McCain: Tea Party Zombie

The DNC congratulated the winner of the Arizona Senate primary thus:

“Today, the Republican party of Arizona nominated for Senate JD Hayworth in the shell of a politician that was once John McCain,” said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. “The complete takeover of the Republican party by the Tea Party has included taking over the soul of a Senator who was once the face of comprehensive immigration reform and who now would just build the ‘danged fence;’ a man who once reveled in being a maverick and who now is a rubber stamp for the extreme rightwing; a man whose name was synonymous with campaign finance reform and who now barely registers a notice when the law that bears his name was gutted by the Supreme Court to favor corporate America. So, we congratulate JD Hayworth on his nomination tonight.”

Where did the McCain of 2000-2008 disappear?

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Why Obama is No Hitler

10:45 am, August 24th, 2010 : White House

Michael Ian Black, a funny-man, exploded at a man in his audience who compared Obama to Hitler:

How dare you compare Hitler to this president or any president? How dare you equate what he did with Obama is doing? Do you have any idea how insulting that is? Do you know anything about history? Do you have any idea what Hitler did? He killed six million of my people, which is six million more than Obama has killed. You’re a fucking idiot. You’re a fucking moron. You’re the fucking problem with this country. You and your reflexive retardation. You’re a fucking this-and-that…

His expletive filled tirade would have made any Obamaphile prouder than the day Obama was elected, nonetheless, was remiss on one issue as a commentor pointed out:

…Hitler and why Obama isn’t like him: not a war criminal, not a maniac, not a murderer. And … before Hitler did all these things, he made sure everyone had jobs. So you see, Obama is NOTHING like Hitler.

Obama might just trying not to emulate Hitler in any way whatsoever, including not providing jobs for any of his people.

This is still acceptable

This is still acceptable?

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tGO’s Predictions for the House: Republicans Win 227 Seats

4:20 pm, August 23rd, 2010 : Democraps, GOP, Politics

Even though Larry Sabato is proudly proclaiming that 2010 is not going to be another 1994 for a variety of reasons, mostly consisting of hope and prayer, we predict that the GOP will pick up 49 seats to take it to a grand total of 227 seats and a strong majority in the House.

Going off of Sabato’s analysis, NYT’s House ratings, Rasmussen’s skewed polls and other surveys, and tGO’s intuition, it is highly likely that the GOP will win (back) the following seats, mostly from freshmen or class of 2006 Democrats, or from open seats:

Leaning Republican Seats
 Toss-ups
AR-2: OPEN

LA-3: OPEN

MD-1: Kratovil – F

MS-1: Childers – early 2008

NH-1: Shea-Porter – 2006

NH-2: OPEN

NM-2: Teague – F

NY-29: OPEN

OH-1: Driehaus – F

OH-15: Kilroy – F

TN-6: OPEN

TN-8: OPEN

 AL-2: Bright – F

AR-1: OPEN

AZ-1: Kirkpatrick – F

CO-4: Markey – F

FL-8: Grayson – F

ID-1: Minnick – F

IL-14: Foster – early 2008

IN-8: OPEN

IN-9: Hill – 2006

KS-3: OPEN

MI-1: OPEN

MI-7: Schauer – F

NC-8: Kissell – F

NV-3: Titus – F

NY-24: Arcuri – 2006

PA-7: OPEN

PA-8: Murphy – 2006

VA-2: Nye – F

VA-5: Perriello – F

WA-3: OPEN

WI-7: OPEN

WV-1: OPEN
Leaning Democratic
AZ-5: Mitchell – 2006

AZ-8: Giffords – 2006

CO-3: Salazar

CA-11: McNerney – 2006

FL-22: Klein – 2006

IL-11: Halvorson – F

IN-2: Donnelly – 2006

MI-9: Peters – F

NJ-3: Adler – F

NY-20: Murphy – F

NY-23: Owens – F

OH-16: Boccieri – F

OH-18: Space – 2006

PA-3: Dahlkemper – F

PA-10: Carney – 2006

PA-12: Critz – F

VA-11: Connolly – F
Key:

F: freshman

2006: Class of 2006

2008: Special election in 2008

The reasoning is that most of these Democrats were elected in 2006 or 2008 in Republican districts, during what were perhaps the worst years for the GOP since the Great Depression. A few other Democrats, such as Edwards in TX-17, Kanjorski in PA-11, Pomeroy in ND and Herseth in SD, will hold on to their seats because of the incumbent advantage of a long-tenured Congressman along with a moderate reputation. Sean Salazar was elected in 2004, but CO will likely kick him out along with Markey.

The GOP will lose:

LA-2: Cao

HI-1: Djou

DE-AL: OPEN

All 3 of these seats are Dem strongholds and a GOP Congressmen in them is really a freak of nature (LA, HI) or a legacy moderate Republican moving on to higher office (DE). It seems highly unlikely the GOP will lose any other seat, except perhaps IL-10 which is open but these 4 will be it in our belief.

So, GOP-DNC will be 227-208 after November. The GOP not winning a majority in the House seems like a distinct impossibility. The DNC and DCCC are on a MI-4 to prevent that from happening and there’s no Ethan Hunt in real life.

It only remains to be seen what other crazy legislation will be rammed through Congress after the elections once Reid-Pelosi LLC lose their lofty ledges in November.

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Marietta GA: Black Women Should Use Condoms

12:35 pm, August 23rd, 2010 : Miscellaneous

One of my favorite news stories from today is that of a bar in Marietta, Georgia, putting up the following sign:

Condoms Over Diapers

Condoms Over Diapers, courtesy Fox Atlanta

The vast majority of single parent households in the U.S. and especially in Georgia (63%) are headed by black women. Most welfare single-parent households are also black. Black women, apparently, just don’t want to marry but want the kids anyway, presumably for the welfare hand-outs and the child support.

It is a tragedy that somebody has to put up a sign to this effect, but it is even more tragic that the message is true, even if it may be insensitive or even racist.

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Tacos vs. Ground Zero: Let us not forget how delicious tacos are

5:44 pm, August 21st, 2010 : Miscellaneous

Courtesy, the brilliant writers at the Yuma Sun (maybe Arizonans are not that bad after all):

Mmmm, Tacos

Mmmm, Tacos

There’s something I can’t stay silent on any longer.

But something totally inappropriate has been built on the site of something holy and sacred, and we are turning our backs on history to accommodate a minority.

When the Del Taco on Fourth Ave. went out of business, it struck everybody hard. Everybody was in shock. I remember as a community coming together and being closer than we ever were.

But that solidarity was short lived when a loan company — the very same type of industry that was responsible for Del Taco going out of business — opened in the abandoned Mexican food franchise.

I find it personally offensive that our economy was attacked by these places, and that we allow permits to be issued to allow these attackers to take over the remnants of places they have destroyed.

I know what the opponents are going to say — that the economic collapse wasn’t the fault of payday loan companies. That most financial institutions are good, and it’s just a small number of them that have corrupted the entire industry. That they are still Americans and should have the same rights all Americans enjoy.

But do they have to exercise those rights in the same building where the economic disaster hit home? Shouldn’t they be two blocks away or something out of a sign of respect?

Let us not forget how delicious tacos are and those responsible for taking it from us.

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Murray Wins Under 50% in Primary – But Why She Will Still Win

2:55 pm, August 19th, 2010 : GOP, Politics, Washington State

Reading twitter, facebook and other posts over the past few days, Washington state Republicans are gloating again that the incumbent Democratic Senator in Washington state, Patty Murray, won under 50% of the vote in the primary and

Murray and Rossi, courtesy RedState

Murray and Rossi, courtesy RedState

that the combined Republican vote for U.S. Senator was over 50%. Hence, Dino will win. Crack the champagne!

Their optimism, however, is almost farcical. 2008 Primary results, the first time for Washington’s ridiculous Top-2 Primary, had Gregoire was at 48.27% and the combined Republican vote sat at 48.15%. The combined wisdom was that an incumbent who receives less than 50% in a 2 way race will lose. Gregoire defeated Rossi 53-46 in the General to the chagrin of the so-called pundits.

Murray this year is polling 48-44 in Rasmussen as of August 19, 2010. Scotty tends to poll more conservatives and Republicans but is still counting this race as Leaning Democratic. Seattle PI showed in May that the two were in a dead heat at 48-47. But, the poll numbers are not enough to predict the race.

In 2004, Murray defeated Nethercutt 55-43, which has been close to her historical margin of victory over her GOP opponents. That year, Rossi technically won over Gregoire in the Gubernatorial race, but Patty cruised to victory without breaking a sweat. Democratic share of the vote has also hovered around the 53-56% mark over the past several elections, especially at the Federal or Statewide level. McGavick had also lost 40-56 to Cantwell in 2006. The one exception was the Rossi-Gregoire race in 2004, but as we have seen since, that was really an anomaly.

Murray’s current job approval ratings sit at 55-37, according to SurveyUSA, a wholly satisfactory result given the state of the economy and the overall Congressional approval rating of 20% or less. The people of Washington are happy with Murray with all the hundreds of millions of dollars the Queen of Pork has been shoveling our way. Again 55% is close to Patty’s and statewide Democrat’s vote share over the past several elections.

Another problem for Rossi is that the Tea Party does not support him and he’s not doing much to court them either. DINO = RINO.

It is thus safe to say that Patty Murray will win comfortably with over 50% of the vote, and Rossi will be left wondering how he could mess it up third time around.

Disclaimer: I support Dino and I wish I were wrong, but, you can’t change reality.

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tGO’s Predictions for the 2010 Gubernatorial Races

4:43 pm, August 17th, 2010 : Politics

This year 37 states are holding elections to decide their governor for the next 2-4 years.  In total, Republicans hold 23 governor’s mansions while Democrats hold 26, with independent Crist in Florida. Among states up for election this year, Republicans hold 17, Democrats 19 and the independent in Florida.

tGO predicts the following results based on current polling, past trends and tGO’s political instinct:

Republicans hold

Alabama,  Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Georgia – Strongly Republican states with current GOP governors. Even if the seat is open, only a major catastrophe would result in a Dem victory.

Nevada – Even though Harry Reid’s son Rory is running with pretty good name recognition, NV should remain in the GOP camp. Harry’s low polling should trickle down to Reid Jr.

Florida – Florida should elect a Republican governor to replace the recently independent Charlie Crist. While Florida generally votes for Republicans in statewide elections, polling shows a toss up but almost 20% are either unsure or voting for some random candidate. At the same time, Republicans (McCollum or Scott) are either leading or behind  within the margin of error. Once a GOP nominee is finalized, we predict the bump to take him across the finish line in November.

Vermont - The current governor, Jim Douglas, is a Republican who is very popular state-wide. His lieutenant and extremely moderate Brian Dubie is running to replace him and should win pretty easily. After all, he has been elected 4 times, the last 3 with a 50%+ majority in the bluest of blue states. Vermont is proud to have socialists represent it in the U.S. Senate but still elects Republicans to Montpelier.

Republicans lose

California – Even though Meg Whitman is running a well-funded and spirited campaign, Arnold is widely seen as a culprit in the continuing mess. It is highly unlikely that California voters will vote to replace him with another Republican.

Rhode Island – Lincoln Chafee, an independent, should win comfortably and is leading in polls. Even though he lost in 2006 partly because of his GOP affiliation, Chafee should do well without a party behind him, with high name recognition and a political dynasty to boot.

Minnesota – Mark Dayton is leading his Republican contender by almost 10 points. The state has been trending blue over the past many years and elected Al Franken to the U.S. Senate for crying out loud!

Connecticut – CT is also a deep blue state despite a GOP hold on the governor’s mansion since 1995. That will change this year.

Hawaii – Linda Lingle was really an oddity in Hawaii being the first Republican governor since the ’60s. Neil Abercrombie shall upgrade himself to the governor’s mansion this year.

Republicans win (or win back)

Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wyoming – Generally conservative, Southern/Mid-Western/Mountain states that can be expected to vote against the poorly performing incumbent party. Republican candidates are leading in polls by wide margins. The only exception is Ohio where the incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland is behind by only a couple of points, but he is likely to lose.

Illinois – The Blago effect and the Burris effect should combine to yield a GOP governor. Brady is leading by double digits.

Maine – a generally deep blue state but with moderate Republican Senators, Maine is likely to elect a GOP governor as the liberal vote will be divided between the Dem and the Independent. LePage is leading with a decent margin.

Michigan – the state suffering the most in the Great Recession has seen unemployment rates several points higher than the national average. Incumbent backlash should yield a victory for Snyder who is leading his Democratic opponent in polls.

Pennsylvania – another state suffering from high unemployment caused by a massive decline in manufacturing jobs. Just like 2008 but in reverse, incumbent backlash will kick out the Dems and bring in Corbett, who is polling nearly 50% right now.

New Mexico – a fiercely independent Mountain state, New Mexico made the GOP literally homeless in the state between 2006 and 2008, but that should change this time around. Susana Martinez is leading by a razor thin margin and her Hispanic background and incumbent backlash against Lt. Governor Diane Denish, who is the Dem nominee, should lead her to victory.

So, the tGO predicts the GOP will end up with 30 mansions. Democrats will finish with 19 and Lincoln Chafee shall waive his independent flag over Providence.

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tGO’s Predictions for the 2010 Senate Races

12:39 pm, August 14th, 2010 : Politics

tGO predicts the November 2010 Senate elections will yield 51 seats for the Democrats and 49 for Republicans.

Going off the ratings given by Rasmussen Reports and others, Republicans will win the or hold on to the following swing seats:

Indiana - most pollsters have placed this in the Red camp

North Dakota – as above

Arkansas – Most pollsters have placed AR either leaning or solid Republican, and Blanche Lincoln is well below 50% at this time

Delaware – If Mike Castle, the current At-Large Republican Congressman, wins the GOP primary, which is very likely at this time, Republicans should be able to win this seat  very easily. Castle has been winning statewide elections for the past many years and, apparently, hasn’t lost a single election yet.

Illinois – Most pollsters have placed Illinois in the toss-up camp. Given the razor thin margins, however, between the GOP and Dem candidates, and the various scandals involving Democrats over the past 2 years, I think Mark Kirk should be able to win this seat.

Pennsylvania – Arlen Specter’s seat is really a toss up, but, Toomey has been leading Sestak over the past few months. Methinks this will go red this year.

Colorado – CO is one of those mountain states with an independent minded electorate, and independents won’t be voting blue this year. Ken Buck should defeat Bennet.

Nevada – Nevadans have 2 extreme senators – Reid on the far left and Ensign on the far right – but the state has been suffering much more than some others. Reid is likely to follow in Tom Daschle’s footsteps and Angle will fit right in with Ensign and Kyl.

Ohio – What is the likelihood that Portman will lose? Red!

Florida – Rubio or Crist will win. If Crist wins, methinks he will caucus with the Republicans. Remember Lieberman? Despite all the ill-will, he still went with Reid. Besides, Crist will not have the seniority to pluck any important committee assignments as Lieberman did. With Republicans, he has a better shot.

As for Washington, Dino Rossi has lost twice already. Republican candidates for statewide elections have been defeated in 2000 (Cantwell-Gordon), 2002 (Murray-Nethercutt), 2004 (Rossi-Gregoire), 2006 (Cantwell-McGavick) and 2008 (Rossi-Gregoire). Democratic candidates for President have been winning the state for the past several elections by hefty margins. Washington will stay Blue, especially with Murray’s popularity and long tenure.

California sits in the same boat. Apart from Arnold’s election and re-election, California has been over a safe Blue state for years now. Boxer will continue boxing in the Senate.

So, the end result would be 51 seats for Democrats and 49 for Republicans. Maybe the GOP can take back the Senate in 2012 when Obama has had more of an opportunity to utterly devastate our economy.

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Oh No, Obama: The Jobless Recovery Cometh

3:33 pm, August 13th, 2010 : Democraps, Economy, White House

More bad news for Barack Obama, Democrats and the White House: the jobless recovery is officially here and it does not look good for them.

November is only 90 days away and we might just double dip too.

Jobless Recovery Horror

Jobless Recovery Horror

Methinks the Senate will slip out of their hands too.

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Friday the 13th: Top 13 Favorite Horror Movies

10:49 am, August 13th, 2010 : Miscellaneous

Being that it is Friday the 13th, an auspice ex diris that makes an appearance only once in a while, it can only be expected to issue lists of tGO’s favorite and worst 13 horror movies of all time. Mind you, not all of these movies are pure horror, as in the case of Zombieland or the Dr. Phibes series.

To begin with the favorite films:

  1. The Exorcist (1973)
  2. The Omen (1976)
  3. Zombieland (2009)
  4. Funny Games (1997)
  5. The Birds (1963)
  6. Alien (1979)
  7. Fido (2006)
  8. Psycho (1960)
  9. Stygian (2000)
  10. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
  11. Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
  12. Saw (2004)
  13. Halloween (1978)

And the worst:

  1. Leeches (2003)
  2. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994)
  3. The Lawnmower Man (1992)
  4. Arachnia (2003)
  5. Centipede! (2004)
  6. Corpses (2004)
  7. Dark Asylum (2001)
  8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  9. Queen of the Damned (2002)
  10. Bride of Chucky (1998)
  11. Midnight Movie (2008)
  12. Open Water (2003)
  13. Critters 3 (1991)

Enjoy the rest of your Friday the 13th!

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Want To Have Sex in An Open Field in Surrey?

10:12 am, August 13th, 2010 : Miscellaneous

Well, you may have to pay parking fees now. Those damn Brits!

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Don’t We Have Enough Rude Flight Attendants Already? Jeez

11:59 am, August 12th, 2010 : Miscellaneous

Steven Slater, just another one of those rude, all-knowing, superiority-complex-laced flight attendants, quit his job with JetBlue with a dramatic exit from an airplane:

[he] allegedly cursed out an entire aircraft, grabbed a beer and then exited the plane by deploying the emergency slide

The Asshole

The Turd

In his own words:

I lost patience after a female passenger had an argument with another passenger and then opened the bin door hitting me on the head without apologizing, I got on the microphone and said, ‘To those of you [who] have shown dignity and respect these last twenty years, thanks for a great ride.’ I accessed the porthole pulled the door handle inflating the slide, took my baggage and slid down the slide and left.

His ex-wife doesn’t think he was rude. If cursing out the entire plane via PA system and then exiting the plane in an unsafe way, all the while there were at least a 100 passengers on the plane, doesn’t qualify as rude behavior, I cannot even begin to imagine what does. Smacking passengers in the face? Not that that hasn’t happened before.

His attorney is portraying the man as the victim. But, according to other passengers, HE WAS at fault and started the altercation in the first place:

Ms. Briskin [the alleged perpetrator] said the seemingly normal conversation turned unexpectedly nasty when Mr. Slater blurted out an expletive to the passenger.

Working class hero? Sure, a hero for people aiming to be rude with their customers.

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Iran Digging Graves for Americans

11:59 am, August 11th, 2010 : Iran, Middle East

Take That Iran

Take That Iran

The AP reports that the crazy Iranians are now digging graves for American soldiers in case the U.S. decides to attack:

The mass graves that used to be for burying Saddam’s soldiers have now been prepared again for U.S. soldiers, and this is the reason for digging this big number of graves

So says, Gen. Hossein Kan’ani Moghadam, the Revolutionary Guard’s deputy commander during the 1980s. And, not only that, but:

If U.S. forces attack, “Iran will have no choice but to strike the American bases in the region … The heavy costs of such a war will not be just on the Islamic Republic of Iran. America and other countries should accept that this would be the start of an extensive war in the region.

No sh*t. Does this guy contemplate his words and the underlying comedy in it all before he opens his mouth publicly?

“We will destroy America!!!” Yaaaaargh.

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National Guard NOT Doing What in Arizona??

5:31 pm, August 10th, 2010 : White House, immigration

While I am an unabashed supporter of immigration, amnesty, guest worker programs and the whole shebang, I do not support illegal immigrants breaching our borders as they please. Securing borders, especially one rife with violence and criminal activity as the Mexican one is, is essential for any nation’s security.

We need to reinforce the Border Patrol with additional recruits and the National Guard as necessary to prevent any further. Janet Napolitano and Barack Obama have deployed the National Guard to the Arizona border, but:

The [National Guard] mission sets are criminal analysts and enter-identification teams. … guardsmen will not be doing direct law enforcement on the southwest border.

So, if the National Guardsmen won’t be doing “direct law enforcement,” what the hell will they be doing? Providing refreshments to the illegals, filling out guest books for our “visitors” and tanning in the Arizona sun?

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Obama Lied; Crabs Cried

5:21 pm, August 10th, 2010 : Politics, White House

Blue Crabs (S)Oiled

Blue Crabs (S)Oiled, courtesy, AP

Even while the White House has been trumpeting false reports that 75% of the oil has dissipated from the Gulf of Mexico – miraculously so, only because Barack Hussein Obama willed it to – scientists are finding more and more signs that the oil has, in fact, not disappeared.

In the latest reports, oil specks are now being found in Blue Crab larvae, which implies that the oil has entered the aquatic food chain:

It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water … Something likely will eat those oiled larvae … and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on.

Despite Obama’s awesomeness, the scientists say:

In my 42 years of studying crabs I’ve never seen this

Obama lied, crabs cried (and fishes died too).

Pants on Fire

Pants on Fire

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Muslim Endorsements for Washington’s Primary Elections: Tax, Tax, Tax!

12:35 pm, August 6th, 2010 : Politics, Taxes

Yay for More Taxes!

Yay for More Taxes!

Having multiple email addresses provides the benefit of signing up for various email lists anonymously.

So, a recent email from a Muslim email list, sent out by the self-proclaimed spokesman for everybody, Jeff Siddiqui, contains the list of his endorsements for the Muslim “community”:

List of candidates and issues to vote for
a.. US Senate Too many candidate for now. Patty Murray has avoided meeting with Muslims ever since 9-11 (I would like to know which Muslim groups she has met with…I doubt if there are any). Until we have a meeting with the different candidates, vote for Dino Rossi.
b.. US Representative District 1 Would prefer Jay Inslee, but he does has not stood up to protect Muslims in spite of the many opportunities he has had; maybe after we have had an chance to meet him and speak with him, we will review but for now, vote for Matthew Burke.
c.. US Representative District 7 vote for Jim McDermott. He is certainly the BEST candidate of all.
d.. US Representative District 8 vote for Susan DelBene. DO NOT VOTE for Reichert who supported everything against Muslims, that he could find.
e.. US Representative District 8 vote for Adam Smith. He is a decent enough fellow even if he does not (yet) have the courage to support equal rights for Muslims.
Levies and initiatives:
a.. Initiative Measure 1053 Vote “NO!” This will place all tax decisions in the hands of the Republican Party and so far, they have not shown themselves to be concerned about the poor.
b.. Initiative Measure 1098 Vote “YES!!!” This will move the tax burdens according to income, it will relieve the poor and remove the regressive sales taxes. It may also REDUCE B&O taxes.
c.. Initiative Measure 1100 Vote “YES” This will get the state OUT of the business of selling alcohol.
d.. Initiative Measure 1105 Vote “YES” This may help raise taxes on sales of alcohol.
e.. Initiative Measure 1107 Vote “NOOOO!!!” Why should we remove sales tax on junk food like candy and soft drinks?
f.. Referendum 52 Vote “YES” This will help raise funds for energy projects in schools by continuing the existing sales taxes on bottled water…good all the way around!
g.. House Joint Resolution 4220 Vote “YES” This will permit judges to refuse bail for people accused of crimes that could end in life sentences.

Snohomish County:
a.. State Senator Dist 21 Paull Shin is fairly harmless, we may as well vote for him…not sure if the Republican candidates are any good.
b.. State Representative Dist 1 Position 2 Vote for Lius Moscuso His heart is in the right place for civil rights
c.. State Supreme Court Position 1 Vote for Stan Rambaugh DO NOT VOTE for Johnson, he is very conservative and is unlikely to help minorities.
d.. School Levies Support them (vote ‘YES’), our schools need all the support we can give them.
King County:
a.. District Court N-E Electoral District Judge Position 7 Vote for Ketu Shah He is a Great person and will help keep justice in America.

No wonder Republicans don’t like Muslims. If people like Jeff Siddiqui were to decide policy for us, we’d be taxed to death and taxed even after that.

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Christina Romer While Packing Her Bags: No Double Dip Recession

10:17 am, August 6th, 2010 : Economy, White House

Stop Bugging Me About the Economy

Stop Bugging Me About the Economy

After the U.S. lost 131,000 jobs in July mostly due to nearly a quarter million employment loss related to the Census, Obama’s economic adviser Christina Romer opined:

I am not worried about a double dip

Romer is packing her bags and deserting the sinking M.V. Obama. Her comments really do ought to inspire confidence in all of us.

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Palin: Obama Over His Head?

3:00 pm, August 5th, 2010 : GOP

I Should Be POTUS

I Should Be POTUS

Sarah Palin opines on President Obama:

I think he’s quite complacent, and I think he’s in over his head, and he has poor advisers around him. And I think he’s really in flux when it comes to what his governing philosophy really is.

This comment calls for a fresh Really?! with Seth and Amy episode this weekend on SNL.

For a woman who couldn’t handle the pressures of the Governor’s Mansion in Alaska, the 45th state economy-wise, this really is a bit too much.

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Gay Judge Overturns Gay Marriage Ban

9:53 am, August 5th, 2010 : Constitution, Gay Marriage

I am unbiased. No really.

I am unbiased. No really.

If the judge in your coke smuggling case is a coke-head himself, wouldn’t that be the perfect situation?

Federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker who overturned Prop 8 in California is gay. Appointed by the great George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, whose record of judicial appointments is quite superb (remember O’Connor, Souter, Kennedy?), Walker has a long and committed record to promoting gay rights.

This was only expected.

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Waters Now Rangles House Ethics Committee

3:54 pm, August 2nd, 2010 : Democraps, Politics

Waters: Was What I Did Wrong?

Waters: Was What I Did Wrong?

It is now the turn of Democrats to take over the mantle of corruption and impropriety from the Republicans. First, Rangel and now Waters.

The trials seem little more than taking the political high ground by the Democrats in a year that promises to be quite possibly the worst since 1994. The GOP is expected to wrest control of the House and most likely the Senate as well, and the Democrats are trying to portray themselves as holding their representatives accountable, as opposed to the GOP that only covers-up its problem, as Hastert did with Foley.

None of this is going to help avoid a catastrophe in November, however.

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Maoists Gunning for the U.S.

11:42 am, July 30th, 2010 : Economy

Destination: USA

Destination: USA

After brushing away the Jappos with little fanfare, Chairmen Mao’s followers have now set their sights on those pesky Americans.

Apparently, 2025 is when we will all start speaking Chinese.

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Dino Rossi Really Should Go Away

11:13 am, July 30th, 2010 : GOP, Washington State

Yes, That Way's the Ausgang

Yes, That Way's the Ausgang

I read an excellent article in the UW Daily (not exactly my bible) about Dino Rossi’s third run in Washington state, rather belatedly, but:

If you’re the best the Washington State Republican Party has to offer, then what a sad state of affairs the party must be in here.

The enthusiasm with which conservative PACs, such as the American Action Network, and the GOP statewide establishment is promoting his third attempt to lose, we might as well rename the state party to the Dino State Republican Party.

Dino, go away, please. You have lost 2 elections for us already. 2 elections. Isn’t that enough already? 3rd time’s not really a charm.

UPDATE: The alternative is some sort of hybrid dual candidate structure of the Didier-Akers, or is it Akers-Didier? Rossi or Didier-Akers? Um, how about just Patty Murray?

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Unemployment Disaster Since Obama’s Inauguration

2:15 pm, July 26th, 2010 : Economy

Since President Barack Hussein Obama took office in January 2009, with promises to fix the economy, our national unemployment rate has sky-rocketed from 6.0% to almost 10%, which is the highest in almost 30 years.

The American Observer has put together an excellent graphic to illustrate the worsening situation since the messiah was elected, and the following two images convey the deterioration succinctly. The darker the color, the higher the unemployment – click to see bigger images.

Unemployment, January 2009: Obama Inaugurated

Unemployment, January 2009: Obama Inaugurated

Unemployment, May 2010: Obama Flailing

Unemployment, May 2010: Obama Flailing

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Tony Hayward Booted; Obama Waiting for 2013

12:22 pm, July 26th, 2010 : White House

Tony Hayward - Just Another White House Scapegoat

Tony Hayward - Just Another White House Scapegoat

In the continuing saga of White House interference with the governance of private companies, Tony Hayward of BP has been booted as the CEO, not without intense pressure from King Obama himself.

Despite his gaffes and personal faults, Hayward could not be personally held responsible for mistakes committed by Halliburton, the installer of the faulty spill prevention device, Transocean, the operator and owner of the rig, and the entire BP safety team.

When do we get to boot Obama from office? January 2013 is when I will celebrate, provided the Mayans don’t kill us before then.

UPDATE: Obama is going to appear on The View. Could someone write his resignation letter for him please?

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Me Likey Ken Buckey

11:23 am, July 26th, 2010 : GOP, Politics

Keep that mouth open, boy

Keep that mouth open, boy

Ken Buck, running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Colorado, has some mouth on him, and he opens it the right way too:

Will you tell those dumbasses at the Tea Party to stop asking questions about birth certificates while I’m on the camera?

And, in reference to the real dumbass Tom Tancredo’s comments that the biggest threat to the United States was President Obama (which actually might be true, on second thoughts):

[I] can’t believe that guy (Tancredo) opens his mouth.

In reference to his primary challenger, Jane Norton, saying that voters should pick Buck because:

…because I do not wear high heels … I have cowboy boots, they have real bullshit on them.

We need this guy in the Senate. Once Biden loses in 2012, we need someone to continue providing us with classic quotes.

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Michele Bachmann is the Receptacle

9:59 am, July 23rd, 2010 : GOP, Politics

In her own words, Representative Michele Bachmann, R-MN:

We are the receptacle

If so, certain receptacles need to be periodically dumped and cleaned. Dump Bachmann!

I like it!

I like it!

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Charlie Rangel: Guilty as Charged, But Here’s to Another 40 Years in Congress!

2:07 pm, July 22nd, 2010 : Democraps, Politics

My Balls are THAT Big

My Balls are THAT Big

In what has to be  serious violation of its own internal rules, a House investigative panel found Charlie Rangel (D-NY) guilty of the majority of the charges leveled against him, including that he:

… received improper discounts on four rent-stabilized apartments he rented in Harlem, that he failed to report or pay taxes on rental income from a villa he owned in the Dominican Republic, and that he improperly provided legislative favors for a company that promised to give $1 million for an academic center named for him.

Charlie was seen a little later drinking it up with big donors for more checks to finance another 40 years in Congress.

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Shirley Sherrod: I am Obama’s Mama

11:02 am, July 22nd, 2010 : Miscellaneous

I Be Queen

I Be Queen

So, the Shirley Sherrod saga just goes on and on and on.

First, she made obviously racist comments by stating that she didn’t help Whitey with the full force of her position – I have listened to the entire speech and there’s no more context to it. That’s what she meant and that’s what she said. The White man can fend for himself as far as she’s concerned, or he can go blow a goat. The Portland Herald has some take on it, which I haven’t cared to read because what can liberals really add to the discussion?

Then, she was fired for making these comments, and rightfully so, which created a mighty shit-storm from all sides. There was so much going on that a whole new category of storm trackers could have surfaced.

And now she may be hired as the Head Black Woman of All America. Don’t think she doesn’t think she deserves it too.

In her latest statements to Good Morning America, she says:

I can’t say that the president is fully behind me, I would hope that he is… I would love to talk to him ..

He is not someone who has experienced what I have experienced through life, being a person of color. He might need to hear some of what I could say to him …

I don’t know if that would guide him in a way that he deals with others like me, but I at least would like to have the opportunity to talk to him about it.

Translation into English:

How dare that black man fire this beautiful black woman? I hope he be sorry. If I talk to him, I will whoop his black ass.

He does not know I be his mama. He be a high yellow, wannabe Whitey. He need to listen to this real black mama.

I will teach his black ass how to behave with real blacks. Wannabe whitey. Uncle Tom.

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Obama Did Not Stop Them Carp

10:34 am, July 22nd, 2010 : White House

Obama is the Only Natural Predator

Obama is the Only Natural Predator

What has Barack Obama been doing since he was elected to office in November 2008?

Why has he not been personally catching or shooting up all those Asian carp invading our territorial waters? I am really disappointed in him.

Mike Cox, S(tupid)-Michigan, feels:

“President Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers have failed to fight Asian carp aggressively … Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life.”

First it was those Chinese railroad workers, then it was Mexican illegals, then it was those Arab terrorists, and, now, Asian carp.

Why has Obama done nothing to prevent any of these scum from invading our territory?

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The Dump Otherwise Known as Newark Has Banned Toilet Paper

10:27 am, July 22nd, 2010 : Democraps, Economy

Fat Man: Did You Wipe?

Fat Man: Did You Wipe?

Democrats in power tend to go overboard with almost everything they do, especially when it comes to spending our hard earned dollars, and then doing crazy things to conserve it when they run out of cash.

Now, Newark, NJ, isn’t the cleanest city in the world to begin with. But Democrat Mayor Cory Booker has decided to take that attribute just another step further. He has banned:

…the purchase of toilet paper

Having dirty government officials running around with excreta hanging out from their pants is not something any of us can look forward to.

But, when it comes to New Jersey, I suppose the additional excreta wouldn’t add to the bad smell.

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The Real Manchurian Candidates But Not as Glamorous as Denzel or Sinatra

4:13 pm, July 20th, 2010 : Human Rights, Media

The Sinatra Version

The Sinatra Version

So, the Manchurian Candidate movies were apparently based on reality! According to a recent report and corresponding law-suit

…The [victims/plaintiffs] allege that the government tested various drugs, biological and chemical agents, and gases during the fifties, sixties, and seventies without their informed consent (some poison gas shells and grenades from the Chemical Warfare Service laboratory at Edgewood are pictured above). The plaintiffs want the defendants to notify all affected veterans and tell them what chemicals they were given, release them from their secrecy oaths, and provide them with health care and disability compensation.

The government has also admitted some of it:

For its part, the government has acknowledged the existence of the tests and claims that it is actively trying to help the affected veterans.

In an expected move:

… the government maintains that the Edgewood veterans do not have a case because, among other things, the statute of limitations has expired, the veterans have not exhausted all administrative remedies, and sovereign immunity bars this suit. “Dismissal of this lawsuit will not deprive plaintiffs or other veterans of redress for any injuries that they suffered as a result of testing at Edgewood Arsenal,” said the government in its response. “Congress and the executive branch continue to investigate, compile relevant documents and other information, and develop and implement appropriate responses and remedies for veterans who participated in the tests….These provisions, rather than litigation, are proper avenues for relief.”

Even if the government did conduct these experiments, the best way to bring an end to this saga, and provide justice to all involved, would be to provide any compensation desired by the plaintiffs without admitting liability.

Heck, the government’s job description involves protecting its citizens. When it doesn’t, it is responsible even when the statute of limitation has expired.

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Glenn Beck Going Blind as the Rest of Us Are Going Deaf and Dumb

12:26 pm, July 20th, 2010 : Media

Glenn, Wrong Sense!

Glenn, Wrong Sense!

While it may be considered a tragedy for Glenn Beck and his followers, his slow decline to blindness does not provide any relief for the rest of us here who are going deaf and dumb listening to him and other conservative talking-heads’ mindless rants.

As they say, God’s will can never be fully understood.

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