Today is a special day in the Calendar of Political Americana. It’s National Fist Bump Day, a day to remember a young Sen. Barack and Michelle Obama using a body gesture in public that so befuddled FOX News anchor E.D. Hill that she asked, “A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?!?.”
The idea behind National Fist Bump Day is to give Americans a chance to make the world a slightly better place with a simple and fun gesture of respect,” says David Weiner, one of the organizers, along with Sarah Greenwalt. “It may not solve the world’s problems, but it can at least reaffirm the fact that in the end, we all can get down with each other.
Wait…screw that Kumbaya shit. It’s a day to ruthlessly mock the the fuck out of the right wing propaganda mill’s outrageous, dishonest, and racist attacks against Barack Obama.
Tuesday is also a primary election day of some consequence. In California, the top two-style primary will select the Republican that will go on to be crushed by Gov. Jerry Brown in the general election. There are a bunch of interesting House races in California, as well.
In Mississippi, the senior Sen. Thad Cochran (R) is in a tight race against a Teabagger, state Sen. Chris McDaniel.
In South Dakota, a large Republican primary will determine the opponent for Rick Weiland (D) in the U.S. Senate seat race opened up by the retirement of Sen. Tim Johnson (D).
A similar scenario is happening in Iowa with the retirement of Sen. Tom Harkin (D), and a 5-way GOP primary will determine the opponent for Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA-01). Of course, Braley’s House seat is open and there are competitive races on both sides of the isle in that race.
In Montana, Sen. John Walsh (D), who was appointed to the seat that Max Baucus left to become U.S. Ambassador to China, seems likely to win the Democratic primary. Also in Montana, the open house seat has a five-way GOP primary that will select an opponent for John Lewis (D).
In New Mexico, there is a five-way primary that will determine Gov. Susan Martinez’s (R) Democratic opponent.
New Jersey has a primary election, as well, with some mildly interesting House races.
So, with all that excitement on deck, please join us tonight for an evening of electoral politics and scary body gestures over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.
We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. The starting time is 8:00 pm, but some folks show up before that for dinner.
Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out another Washington state DL over the next week. They’re everywhere! The Tri-Cities chapter also meets this and every Tuesday night. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. For Thursday, the Spokane and Tacoma chapters meet. And the Enumclaw chapter meets on Friday.
With 207 chapters of Living Liberally, including nineteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting somewhere near you.
Seattle’s interim police chief, a former Police Guild honcho, continues to quietly reverse disciplinary actions against violent cops.
“Citing newly discovered evidence, Interim Seattle Police Chief Harry Bailey has reversed a finding that an officer used excessive force when he stepped on the head of a handcuffed man outside a Ballard bar in 2010.”
http://seattletimes.com/html/l.....alxml.html
Why won’t anyone remember the bumping gesture Obama and Vera Baker did in private?
(Note to Darryl:
http://horsesass.org/open-thre.....nt-1261970
Now that’s an example of right-wing nut jobbery.)
I guess Al-Tipper Kiss Day isn’t really celebrated, anymore.
Although I do note that yesterday
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3745.....43YRIWkH1w
is an anniversary of their split announcement.
2, 3 – I’m sure those are matters of great national concern. Or not.
WASHINGTON — Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06.....&_r=1
Not sure if it’s above the fold but it’s on page A1 of the NYT.
The article ends with this:
“When you’re in the Navy, and you go overboard, it doesn’t matter if you were pushed, fell or jumped,” he said. “We’re going to turn the ship around and pick you up.”
Imagine if this exchange had happened just BEFORE Obama’s West Point speech, instead of just afterward.
Sloppy Travis Bickle,
“Why won’t anyone remember the bumping gesture Obama and Vera Baker did in private?”
This doesn’t even make sense.
Rightwing nutjobber humor fail!
When I saw the title of this piece I was sure it was going to be written by that right wing nut jobber Jennifer Rubin chick:
Republicans have a mandate for their Benghazi probe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....azi-probe/
Nope, it’s by WaPo’s Chris Cilizza.
52% of independents and 31% of Democrats are right wing nut jobbers, it turns out. Who knew?
Sadly, even-tempered political moderate Alan Grayson was not selected by Nancy Pelosi to be on the panel.
Sloppy Travis Bickle @ 5,
Old news. Based on documents released by Wikileaks, the military had that, and a number of other competing theories about his capture:
Yet…despite this information, Bergdahl was considered a POW and was twice promoted absentia, most recently to “the rank of sergeant effective June 12, 2011.”
Apparently, the military, which has a more complete handle on the situation, does not see things the way you do.
But you know who does?
You right wing nutjobber propagandists have a lot in common with the Taliban.
@ 8
Apparently, the military, which has a more complete handle on the situation, does not see things the way you do.
Ah, yes, the military. They were the ones who had the complete handle on the situations involving Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch, weren’t they? How long did it take before the more correct versions of those situations were shared?
And if it’s ‘old news’ and by your implication not particularly newsworthy, why does NYT have it on A1 without mentioning it’s old news? (I don’t have time to look but US officials told AP in July, 2009. Did the AP report it at the time, was AP told off the record, or was AP told but decided not to print?)
From USA Today…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/.....n/9884769/
Updated today!
Sloppy Travis Bickle,
“They were the ones who had the complete handle on the situations involving Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch, weren’t they? How long did it take before the more correct versions of those situations were shared?”
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Back to your old false equivalences and “anecdotes must make it true” bullshit huh?
The Tillman/Lynch cases bear no resemblances to the Bergdahl situation. In the case of Tillman & Lynch, the military was caught trying to create Iraq War heroes out of a bad situation. (You know, the invasion of a country on false pretenses that turned into a bloody clusterfuck of a quagmire.)
If you had bothered to read the article I linked to, you would have recognized, that the information released was not filtered through the military PR machine. It was the raw (and classified) investigatory materials that were leaked.
“And if it’s ‘old news”
Old news? Accusations of desertion go back to late July, 2009 (e.g.), less than a month after he dissappered.
And if you are too fucking lazy to look it up yourself, keep your fucking mouth shut, until you know what you are talking about, there, Squirt!
“…and by your implication not particularly newsworthy”
No…I did not imply that. I pointed out that it is old news because, factually, that is true.
“, why does NYT have it on A1 without mentioning it’s old news?”
That’s a stupid question. Obviously, it arises because (1) the POW has been released, and (2) the right wing
Talibanpropaganda mill feels that they can use this tragic story of a man who, under civilian and military justice is considered innocent, and not even accused of a crime, to further their scorched earth politics.But you knew that, didn’t you, asshole?
Yesterday Roger Rabbit
http://horsesass.org/open-thre.....nt-1261930
was sure he had physicians pegged, based apparently on the similarity of the medications he takes to those taken by other impotent, fecal-incontinent, moderately demented people with whom he associates.
Turns out that, as in many things in life, it might not be a simple as RR would have us believe:
Conclusions and Relevance Between 1991 and 2012, the political alignment of US physicians shifted from predominantly Republican toward the Democrats. The variables driving this change, including the increasing percentage of female physicians and the decreasing percentage of physicians in solo and small practices, are likely to drive further changes.
http://archinte.jamanetwork.co.....id=1878669
@11
In the case of Tillman & Lynch, the military was caught trying to create Iraq War heroes out of a bad situation.
And in the case of Bergdahl, it’s emerging @10 that the military twice promoted @8 an individual they knew to be a deserter. It’s not yet clear whether they promoted a guy they knew to be a collaborator with the enemy.
You’re right, they’re far from the same thing.
Unless the point one is trying to make is that the military acted dishonestly in each of those cases.
I’m not sure why you’re getting angry, Darryl. I’m not the one who gave the parents of a deserter a photo-op in the Rose Garden.
Sloppy Travis Bickle @ 12,
A swing…and a miss!
In fact, if you re-read Roger Rabbit’s comment with care, he was not arguing a partisan position.
Rather, he was making a class argument (relatively high income versus minimum wage). And, in his usual style, including himself among the group he was criticizing.
Sloppy Travis Bickle,
“And in the case of Bergdahl, it’s emerging @10 that the military twice promoted @8 an individual they knew to be a deserter.”
Correction (again?!?). The military does not “[know him] to be a deserter.”
If he was a deserter, he would not be eligible for promotion.
This illustrates (1) you lack knowledge on the reasons and mechanisms of military promotion (particularly for POWs), and (2) you lack an understanding of the Military Uniform Code of Justice (in fact, Roger Rabbit provides a nice summary for this situation that you would be wise to study and contemplate).
Here is another bit of advice that you would be wise to follow: Until you have spent time enduring physical and psychological hell that is war, be generous in judging the actions of those who have….
“I’m not sure why you’re getting angry
Me?!? Angry? What makes you think that?
“I’m not the one who gave the parents of a deserter a photo-op in the Rose Garden.”
You meant, the parents of a POW, didn’t you?
But you know what? I didn’t give the parents of a POW a photo-op in the Rose Garden, either. So your statement makes no sense at all.
Is sloppiness a pathological thing with you????
RACISM!!!!!!
@15
The admin needs to remake Benedict Bergdalh from, at best a deserter and at worst a traitor into some sort of “hero”, if they are going to get any profit from the mess they created. The Problem is there is too much information coming out that is confirming that Bergdalh is a dishonorable schmuck who ended up getting others killed searching for him and getting war criminals released back into wild.
@17,
Doesn’t matter to certain HA DUMMOCRETIN leaders here. It only counts what they think is right… not the actual facts!
Well the VA Scandal won’t go away…http://www.redflagnews.com/hea.....save-money
Puddy bets if this is moron is identified he will be a DUMMOCRETIN !!!!
@5 I’m not against putting Sgt. Bergdahl on trial in a military court-martial if the investigation promised by the Army develops facts that warrant a prosecution under military law. I would simply make a couple of points that seem to fly over your head:
1. You get your POW back first, then worry about whether he committed some sort of misconduct.
2. You try the misconduct charges in a court of law, not the comment threads of a political blog.
3. To the extent people like you are exploiting Sgt. Bergdahl as a proxy to attack President Obama, that’s about as low as it gets, but it’s not surprising; it’s straight out of the sewer that is rightwing politics in America today.
Only Obummer’s gang are calling this guy a POW… His platoon members and people in the Pentagon are calling this guy a deserter.
Oh my goodness…http://www.redflagnews.com/hea.....r-deserter
Very Interestink! Indeed!
So if Obummer can spring Bergdahl from the Taliban prison, why can’t Obummer spring the marine reservist in Mexico prison? Obummer/Kerry’s State Department is mum on the question!
LOL! But I see Elijah Cummings and on the Republican side, grandstanding idiot Darrell Issa is too obviously missing.
Love it! That select committee will create so many jobs in the American economy. Thanks Bagger House of Reps.
Today and tomorrow are the 25th anniversary of the repression of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
’89 was a heady year with the Chinese protests and the collapse of Communist governments in the Warsaw Pact culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the East German government.
@21 Add Puddy to the list of morons joining the lynch mob.
Prisoner exchanges happen all the time in war situations.
If Bergdahl did anything wrong (no, a crappy unit and chain of command is no excuse for desertion) then he faces the music..
Bottom line: we have ZERO pow’s in the Iraq/Afghanistan theatres.. We got our guy (flawed as he may be) back.
What is so hard for klownservatives to understand about this?
@22 How do you know they’re not working on it? Hey, I have an idea, let’s exchange you for him. Do you own a sombrero? Do you like Mexican jail food? Haba se espanol?
@26 “What is so hard for klownservatives to understand about this?”
Well, that’s an interesting question, because it’s not clear what they think Obama should have done. Walk away from this guy and let him die in Taliban custody because his buddies claim he left his post? That would set a pretty terrible precedent for all our future POWs, every one of whom would know that they’re going to be judged and possibly abandoned by their government based on what someone else says about them with no chance to defend themselves against what those people say.
That’s basically what the klownservatives seem to be arguing. Or, alternatively, they’re arguing that 5 Taliban fighters is too high a price to pay for 1 American POW. Or maybe they mean for this POW, which seems to imply that we’re going to have some sort of Kommittee of Klownservatives who will decide what your ass is worth if you get captured by the enemy, and the price our side is willing to pay will vary depending on the Kommittee’s highly subjective opinion of what your value to your country, community, and family is in the Kommittee’s eyes. (While the family get to have any input into the Kommittee’s deliberations on this point? Lots of unanswered procedural questions here.)
Frankly, I like Obama’s system better. To wit, we try to secure the safe return of all of our POWs, by rescue or exchange, and after we have them back and nurse them back to health, then (and only then) do we worry about whether they committed some crime, and refer them to appropriate judicial proceedings if the proper investigative authorities conclude they did.
That’s the right way to do things, from my perspective as a lawyer and former judge. It seems simple to me. Apparently it’s too complicated for Puddy.
What is it with Wisconsin people? http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014.....d-plot-to/
So they planned this for months to become proxies of Slender Man? Disgusting… Puddy wonders who are their parents. We’ll learn soon enough. These two are deranged and depraved.
Butt remember… there is no evil on the Internet per libtards. Violent movies aren’t evil either per libtards. GIGO… we see it here from DUMMOCRETINS all the time!
Of course clueless crazed cretins like like the toilet @26 excuse Real Americans like who were trying to find the deserter’s ASS.Of course DUMMOCRETINS like the clueless crazed cretin will claim the picture is doctored.
Oh Roger IDIOT Wabbit… Puddy trusts the comments from soldiers of his platoon and brigade. Puddy trusts the special forces commanders who decided Bergdahl wasn’t worth it. They knew this fool from jump street.
Meanwhile we see Bowe didn’t fall too far from the tree. https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/472931863875833856/photo/1
Bob Bergdahl has said he follows “a bunch of jihadis” on Twitter because they are “great sources of information.”
Roger the IDIOT Wabbit wrote
Here are the five Taliban released by Obummer! http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....-exchange/ … Can’t you find who these five are on left wrong DUMMOCRETIN sites IDIOT Wabbit?
Abdul Haq Wasiq – Thought to be in his early 40s, Wasiq served as the Taliban deputy minister of intelligence and “had direct access to Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin leadership,” according to an internal memo that assessed risk at Guantanamo.
Mullah Norullah Noori – As a senior Taliban military commander, Noori has been described in government reports as a military mastermind of sorts who engaged in hostilities “against U.S. and Coalition forces in Zabul Province.”
Mullah Mohammad Fazi – As the Taliban’s former deputy defense minister, Fazi was held at Guantanamo after being identified as an enemy combatant by the United States.
Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa – Khairkhwa is the former governor of the Herat province and has close ties with Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar.
Mohammad Nabi Omari – As a senior Taliban leader, Nabi Omari has held multiple leadership roles in various terror-related groups.
There you go IDIOT Wabbit.. soon to be creating new plots against Americans! BTW IDIOT Wabbit, these were the names suggested by the Taliban for Bergdahl’s release. Now why would Obummer acquiesce to their demands? Hmmm…? Now a precedent has been set!
Dick Cheney has now joined the disgusting parade of unpatriotic Republican kneejerks who are attacking Obama for securing the release of an American POW. What’s next, impeaching him for killing Osama bin Laden?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cr.....himing-in/
@29 “there is no evil on the Internet per libtards”
Suffering from mental constipation again? Did you forget to take your pills this morning?
@30 What they say about it isn’t worth a shit until they say it under oath in a court of law. And you’re not worth a shit for buying into it. I know you by sight, Puddy, having met you in person; and if I ever see you in a jury call, I’ll peremptory you so fast you’ll make a sonic boom en route back to the jury pool downstairs. You’re never going to sit on a jury in any case of mine.
From HA’s IDIOT Wabbit Retired Lawyer…
Absolutely IDIOT Wabbit… http://www.city-data.com/forum.....ums-3.html
and
That explains the HA DUMMOCRETINS who post here tout le temps! Hate every day!
@31 A more rational interpretation of that tweet is it’s a desperate father trying to save his son’s life by telling his son’s captors what he thinks they want to hear. But we don’t look to you for rational interpretations, Puddy. Everyone on HA knows you’re a loon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....e-taliban/
@32 I take it you’re a proponent of letting American POWs die in captivity instead of bargaining for their release.
Of course these Taliban are bad guys. Do you think the Taliban would have accepted bitcoins in exchange for an American POW? Truth is, you don’t think; like all winger braindeads, kneejerk is your only faculty.
@36 “They are the meanest, nastiest, most angry, intolerant people you will ever come across.”
Except for conservatives, who want to kill everybody. We liberals don’t want to kill anyone; we only want to incarcerate you in mental hospitals, so society will be safe from you.
@36 “Because the internet offers a safe way to talk crap about other people. Liberals are a bunch of cowards and phonies who would never say anything to a mans face so the internet is a great way given their angry sniveling nature.”
I don’t say anything about you on HA that I wouldn’t gladly and gleefully tell you to your face. Verbally bashing you is fun, because you make it so easy by being so stupid.
So we see once again Roger IDIOT Wabbit not supporting the troops because IDIOT Wabbit doesn’t like what he read!
Typical.
Once again you take it wrong IDIOT Wabbit. Wrong for so long. You don’t give the other side EXACTLY what they want with these five religion of peace participants. Just three days ago you questioned were they Taliban.
Did you forget that wonderful brain fart you delivered on HA DUMMOCRETINS? Wasn’t that one of your winning questions like others we have seen here? HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!
@41 Oh, so now waiting for the truth to be ascertained through proper investigation is “not supporting the troops”? That’s stupid even for you.
@42 So how much is an American POW worth? What would you pay?
Let’s get something straight, Loon. What you think you “know” about Sgt. Bergdahl is a mash of allegations, rumors, hearsay, news reports, myths, spin, etc. Throughout this thread you’ve argued we should judge him based on this kind of “information” and you’ve blown off (1) proper investigation, and (2) judicial process. That makes you a complete fucking moron. And you call ME an “idiot”? Well, yes, it’s understandable that stupid people seldom realize they’re stupid, because if they did, they would do something about it and get smart; but after 10 years of spewing your vomit on this blog, you show no signs of wising up, so I’m forced to conclude you’re not only stupid but also terminally stupid. Unfortunately, you’re going to be stupid until the day you die. Sucks to be you.
“The Pentagon was not able to provide details on specific operations in which any soldiers killed during that time were involved … the exact circumstances of his disappearance are very uncertain … published accounts have varied widely, from claims that he walked off the post to claims that he was grabbed from a latrine … [t]here was no definitive finding Bergdahl deserted because that would require knowing his intent — something Army officials couldn’t do without talking to the soldier … [t]he investigation included interviews with members of Bergdahl’s unit, none of whom reported seeing him go … Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey … stressed that questions of Bergdahl’s conduct is separate from the effort to recover any missing U.S. soldier. ‘As for the circumstances of his capture, when he is able to provide them, we’ll learn the facts,’ Dempsey said. ‘Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty.’ He added, ‘Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred.'”
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/03/.....?hpt=hp_t1
Roger Rabbit Commentary: That seems to blow away all of Puddyidiot’s stupid talking points.
Damn! Never thought I’d see the day when a soldier kept in captivity for 5 years would be lynched on-line by an always wrong wing mob suffering from terminal ODS.
HAHAHAHAHA! Just kidding! I’d expect nothing more from that crowd!
Next thing you know they’ll lynch Galid Shalit for having played chess with his Hamas captors!
Uhhhhhh just kidding again! Shalit comes from “the country that can do nothing wrong”. Always wrong wingers surely PRAISE the decision to trade Shalit for ONE THOUSAND TWENTY SEVEN Palestinian prisoners.
Mad Magazine gets into the act with a Saving Private Ryan takeoff:
http://www.madmagazine.com/blo.....-new-movie
Ouch.
Chuck Todd reported today that the White House thought that Americans would ‘rally around the flag’ over Obama’s action.
Maybe if Obama had informed Congress beforehand
In an MSNBC interview on Tuesday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said the possibility that Bergdahl had deserted his post raised “a real question of whether you go in and trade” five Guantanamo Bay prisoners.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/defe.....z33dCzSpyZ
he would have learned differently.
Man, what a shitstorm.
Well IDIOT Wabbit it seems now the State Department is changing it’s POW tune too. http://www.redflagnews.com/hea.....ing-combat
How come you miss these facts while Puddy finds them? Maybe you stay on left wrong sites?
clueless crazed cretin continues to scream…
And this affects Americans how you MORON? You hate Netanyahu 99.999999% of the time and then you flip and use this to try and rejuvenate your bottom dwelling standing on HA?
EPIC FAYLE crazed clueless cretin!
Hey IDIOT Wabbit… http://www.redflagnews.com/hea.....ls-release
The sounds of silence..
Oh IDIOT Wabbit and your sniveling dog clueless crazed cretin… Read and weep.. Facts…http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....arges.html
I agree with Travis Sloppy Seconds (whatever) @5:
As a “conservative,” I believe we should empanel government committees to review the service record of all American POWs to pass judgement of whether they are “rescue-worthy”. Call it a “Freedom Panel”–that determines whether you get set free or left for death at the hands of your captors. We could reduce the top income tax bracket to raise the funds needed to pay for these Freedom Panels.
:j
What a fucking traitor:
Pure socialist drivel! Next time I hear an officer in the military say, “Never leave a man behind,” I think I’m going to throw-up. How fucking UN-AMERICAN can these commie pinko liberal military bastards get?
:j