- The new show meant to compete with “The Daily Show” is awful. I’m not a player-hater: I laugh at Clinton jokes, Kerry jokes, and PJ O’Rourke. But “The 1/2 Hour News Hour” is unwatchable garbage.
- Nick Beaudrot really nails the situation with the Sonics.
- Go skiing with your congressman! Really!
- Rep. Dave Reichert fundamentally misunderstands the war in Iraq:
- Remember the four foot tall Labor Secretary? He’s got a blog. Here, he explains why balancing the budget isn’t such a great idea.
- Olbermann: Four! More! Years!
- Here’s a less Seattle-centric Viaduct post. One note: it’s really, really unlikely that we’ll find Native American artifacts. It is likely, however, that we’ll find Doc Maynard’s house keys.
The Iraqi insurgents aren’t the Wehrmacht, they aren’t Johny Reb and they aren’t the Hessians. Geez, it’s like Reichert deliberately picked every non-relevant example from American history and threw it in a blender. Threw in a reference to Osama bin Laden for good measure.
But he’s soooooo moderate!!
I saw a clip of a “skit” of the Fox “Comedy” show on Hannity and whomever last night. Apparently the audience thought the simple sight of Rush Limbaugh was hilarious. Sadly, none of the writing was close.
I’m beginning to believe that the only reason for this show is to prove finally once and for all that conservatives have no senses of humor (as anyone who has read the minnows web site probably already news [total aside, but according to alexa.com, Horsesass has been dominating the minnow since November]). But if SNL, Stewart and Colbert were stupid enough to write ideologically first, they wouldn’t be funny either.
The most interesting thing will be seeing if you can you tell the difference between FOX’s comedy and news shows? My bet is that Bill’O and Hannity and whomever continue to get more laughs. No wonder everyone is turning them off and watching MSNBC.
From Slate’s review of the material put out so far on YouTube of Fox’s attempt at a funnier program than Hannity and whoever:
Still, the bit seems worthy of the Algonquin Round Table compared to what follows, a mock ad for “BO: Barack Obama magazine,” the cover lines of which include, “Should We Even Bother To Hold the 2008 Election?” The laugh track really goes for that one, as will a subset of viewers who—simply tickled to see a TV comedian pandering to them—really couldn’t care whether the target gets hit.
It happens that such folks would have done better to tune in to the recent episode of The Daily Show that found Jon Stewart goofing on the campaign songs of various Democratic candidates. The fact-based setup found John Edwards bounding across a blue-draped dais to “Our Country,” John Mellencamp’s populist jingle/Chevy anthem. The Daily Show then presented us with Obama at the same event, rescoring things so that he walked to the podium to the chorus of “Jesus Christ Superstar”—a more incisive joke on Obama-mania and political theater than the News Hour’s whole bit. For a kicker, they juxtaposed footage of Hillary with some vixenly bars from Kelis: “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard … .”
http://www.slate.com/id/2159920/
As far as I can tell, PJ O’Rourke is the only funny conservative. The only one.
Why didn’t you profile $ Bill Jefferson being placed in Homeland Security? Are Moonbat!s tipping their hand (go over there $ Bill, money will be a flowin soon) where they’ll be sending the big bucks soon?
http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....ecuri.html
$ Bill, git de cash fo da freeza!
Clueless – $ Bill = Dollar Bill
Now we see the Nancy Pelosi Congressional Clean-up Crew (NPCCC) has a special place for $ Bill Jefferson and Alan Mollahan.
Speaking of Keith “Should have Stayed in Sports Casting” Olbermann, Ken Allard NBC News Military analyst quits over William Arkin and he disparages Voice of Chalk Scratching’s good friend Keith – Google Arkin Moonbat!s.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/op.....9ca78.html
Goldy – still no retraction on your spurious accusation that Luke Esser is still in the AG’s office, while at the same time holding the State Republican Chair. You had no proof of it, still don’t. At least you have an army of minions who believe everything you say, and defend you.
re 7: Get tired of calling yourself, “Puddybud”?
Luke Esser’s a 45 year old “bachelor”. His workout is chopping wood to the Village People.
There’s a pretty good article in today’s “Investors Business Daily,” page A13, concerning disidents in Islam. There’s actually going to be a conference in Florida next month where a lot of Muslims, especially women Muslims, crticize Islamic fundamentalism.
There may be hope for this religion to turn away from its crazy hatred and violence. I hope the media will give it some fair coverage because these Muslim ladies are risking death and torture to call attention to the abuse of Islamic fundamentalism.
@7
Posted this on another thread, but you missed it. Here ’tis again:
Dial 206-389-2541.
For someone who has “resigned his state job” a male voice identifying himself as Mr. Esser and Outreach Director for the AG, apologizes for being unavailable and requests you leave a message.
Odd behest for a former employee, yes?
Sorry, Laurence, that isn’t proof. Have you never forgotten to change your voice mail message?
When one of you get an actual government official to state the date on which Luke Esser resigned his office, and what date he began to receive payment for his new position, then I’ll back off. Until then, all you have is petty speculation in the hopes of smearing someone.
(Headless – your comments indicate you have a serious problem with homosexuals. How sad.)
Now, mom, you know that the standard protocol for a state agency is to disconnect or transfer the phone number when an employee leaves. If they haven’t done that after his official termination date, they are decidedly incompetent (this is an outreach director!). Are you suggesting that the AG’s office is incompetent?
@11
Nope. Haven’t forgotten to change my voice-mail message. Ever. Sorry to say, it’s sloppy work on your part, if you have. Especially so for any employee past – or present – in Olympia. If I’m looking to contact the current Outreach Director for the AG office, what am I to think? Should we now question every out-going voice-mail message in Olympia as out-of-date? In New Employee 101, one of the first rules is to change the old voice-mail message.
I’m also not a Goldy “minion.” I’m an independent; plague on both partisan houses. However, for a party that likes to claim the moral high ground, this oversight – sloth(?) – on Mr. Esser’s part doesn’t help his arguments for accountability in government. Why don’t you contact Mr. Esser at his GOP Chair telephone number and ask him to remove any hint of a conflict of interest over in the AG’s office? I’ve left a polite message – seriously – and haven’t heard a word. Do we have a new Outreach Director, or not? Is it still Mr. Esser, or not?
So, Janet S, the problem is that Goldy and his minion (Laurence Ballard) can’t prove that he HASN’T resigned, therefore, he HAS RESIGNED???!!!
You are slick enough to point out that you cannot prove a negative when the shoe is on the other foot.
So, you refuse to listen to Goldy and his minion (Laurence Ballard)because they can not do something that it is logically impossible to do.
Here’s something that CAN be done. PROVE THAT HE HAS RESIGNED … if you can.
Copied from http://www.laceylibertarian.us:
A cannibal was walking through the jungle and came upon a restaurant opened by a fellow cannibal. Feeling hungry, he sat down and looked over the menu:
Broiled Missionary $10
Fried Explorer $12
Baked Politician $130
The cannibal called the waiter over and asked, “Why such a price difference for the politician?”
The waiter replied, “Have you ever tried to clean one?”
Apparently the BIAW and the Evergreen Fascist Foundation may have had a say in John McKay’s “performance-related” firing. Is anyone suprised?
Hi again, Janet.
(I also posted this on the Esser thread, but as I myself noted, it’s pretty old, so here it is again.)
Janet, please. Remember where you are posting. As far as sliming Republicans goes, this has been a pretty tame thread.
He was elected, and has been acting as the head of the Washington GOP since January.
He was listed as the point of contact, complete with a job title that appears nowhere on the AG’s office organizational chart (on his website) in February.
If the parties had been reversed, this would be a featured, headlined, daily story over at unSP in Mr. Sharkansky’s “Sewer of Corruption” series. (Just because I don’t post there anymore doesn’t mean I don’t look in from time to time.)
Good grief, Janet. Look at the fuss you Republicans made over a raffled dinner at the Executive Mansion. We’re talking about the head of the state GOP drawing a paycheck from a state office for a position that I can find no mention of prior to Mr. Esser’s taking the job. He apparently answered only to a rather partisan elected official. His position seems to have vanished upon his departure, assuming that he has actually departed, as we can find neither an announcement hiring him, nor announcing his effective date of resignation.
I’m hardly the most partisan person here, but even I think this stinks. If this is all just a simple clerical error, someone should get it cleared up right away.
This is a partisan blog. I’m sure you knew that when you posted. If a Republican leaves himself open for attack, this crowd will oblige him or her. Mr. Esser is a prominent politician. If he doesn’t like the spotlight, I might suggest finding another line of work. I’m sure we could find him a desk over at my office, and I’d really enjoy having an intelligent conservative to argue with.
As to checking Mr. Esser’s pay stubs, you know that isn’t either appropriate or practical. He’s listed on an official AG press release, dated well after his taking the job of GOP Party Chair as “AG Outreach Director”. If he’s actually off the payroll, then Mr. McKenna should apologize for the mistake and clear it up. (If he’s still on the payroll, or if he stayed on after starting to function as GOP Chair, then he does have a problem.)
And Mr. Esser should thank this blog for highlighting it before he got blindsided with this information in an election.
There is a quote that I cannot immediately find, where a famous politician notes that it is his adversaries, not his friends that give him the most help. Friends tell you how great you are. Adversaries point out your weaknesses and areas where you need to grow.
Oh, and Janet.
This was almost off the radar until you started making a rather large stink about it. Watch for us to look into this very closely now.
Mr. Esser still accepts phone messages at his old desk in the AG’s office?
Ether:
1) the new person in that job is very sloppy about setting up his/her new office
2) Mr. Esser is still on the payroll
– or –
3) The job came into being with Mr. Esser and has vanished upon his departure. Nobody changed the message because nobody is taking over the job.
Very interesting
Folks, looks like there’s a smoking gun somewhere in the office of the state’s senior law enforcement officer. It’s possible that Mr. McKenna and Mr. Esser have both violated state law, and may still be doing so.
We’ve got some lawyers out there. C’mon, Roger and Mr. Pope. Help us out here.
Pass it on to those in the military… if you dare, America haters.
http://www.appealforcourage.org/public/appeal.aspx
Appeal for Redress.
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
Nature of Grievance:
1. Emphasis of coalition failures while ignoring our successes gives encouragement and motivation to enemies, increasing personal risk and lengthening the war.
2. Criticism of military motives and strategy, specifically calls for withdrawal without providing alternatives, demoralizes fellow service members and the American public depended upon for support.
Goldy, that statement that was posted on the NPI blog can’t be Reichert. It was clear, lucid, spelled correctly, and did not wander off on to meaningless tangents.
It was completely wrong, but that’s a comparatively small fault.
As a response to Sniveling above, I might offer the following alternative:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to help my Commander in Chief to figure out what our mission is to be, then give me the tools to do it. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose administration efforts which assist our enemies in their effort to inspire still more attacks against us. The War in Iraq is a terrible muddle of conflicting missions with no defined exit strategy or even a clear definition of what victory would be.
Please, Congress, get someone to clearly define what my mission is, and if they can’t figure out what I’m supposed to do here, please let me come home before some unfriendly stranger kills me because he hates my elected leaders.
I volunteered to defend my country, and am willing to put my life on the line for that reason, but nowhere in my oath of enlistment did it mention swearing allegiance to Halliburton and Bechtel..
Nature of Grievance:
1. Lack of a coherent strategy and clear mission gives encouragement and motivation to enemies, increasing personal risk and lengthening the war.
2. Obvious war profiteering and support of corrupt local leaders demoralizes fellow service members and the American public depended upon for support.
Iraq PM tells Bush of ‘dazzling successes’ in Baghdad
Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told US President George W. Bush by videolink that the first few days of their countries’ joint security plan in Baghdad had been a great success.
“He told President Bush that the security plan had seen dazzling success during its first days and that the government will deal with every outlaw in a firm manner whatever group they belong to,” according to his office.
UH-OH good news…. It just might be working……
And another one….
Civilian Deaths in Iraq Drop Overnight
By KIM GAMEL
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad’s sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago.
Meanwhile back home
defeatist Mutha and his party move to undermine the troops.
Nice
Suspiciously not picked up by mainstream media.
“Civilian Deaths in Iraq Drop Overnight”
“Iraq PM tells Bush of ‘dazzling successes’ in Baghdad”
Where are the headlines?
How about somethink like
“Initial “surge” plan a growing success.”
or
“Preliminary success with administrations new direction in Iraq”
We hear about the bad news as soon as a car bomb goes off, or if military personel are KIA, and also the rolling death toll, but never the success….
Let’s hope the momentum keeps rolling and this ends up as the turning point to a succesful conclusion to our involvement in Iraq..
re 9: Tell it to the Marines.
headless lucy @ 24,
Could you be a little more specific?
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/e.....iniraq/30/
“We don’t do body counts”
General Tommy Franks, US Central Command
MORE GOOD NEWS “What a lot of people don’t know, however, mainly because it is hardly reported by the media (this is certainly the case in the UK), is that US aerial bombardment of Iraq is continuing. ‘Strategic bombing’ did not end in 2003, but is still ongoing, still causing ‘shock’, still killing civilians, complementing other terrorist attacks that kill hundreds every week. There is still no safe place in Baghdad, or in most of Iraq. In the last two weeks there have been reports (very few) of two large attacks on villages, the latest of which left 45 civilians dead last Thursday.
During the week over 750 civilians died in violent attacks in Iraq.
On Monday 5 February there are around 120 reported deaths, most of them in Baghdad: 10 are blown up at a petrol station, 9 at a bus terminal, 9 in a workshop, 15 in the centre of the capital, 4 at a market and 7 by mortars. In addition, over 50 bodies are found, bound and tortured, half of them in Baghdad.
On Tuesday 6 February 70 more die, a child among them. The dead include a doctor, a university professor, a government employee and 40 bodies found in four cities.
Nearly 90 are killed on Wednesday 7 February, 10 of them at a market in Falluja (2 children among the dead) and 7 in Suwayra. Another 50 bodies are found in 5 cities. Among Wednesday’s dead, 3 children.
On the bloodiest day of the week, Thursday 8 February, over 230 civilians die. In Rafiyaat 14 men are killed by gunmen, 20 are blown up at a vegetable market in Aziziya, a suicide bomber kills 7 police officers in Haditha, 3 children are killed in al-Masra, 7 people in Hilla, while over 100 bodies are found in 7 cities. A US air strike flattens four houses, killing 45 civilians in Zaidan. It is the second major strike in two weeks (last week there were 70-150 civilian deaths reported in an air strike of al-Samra). In Karbala, another 64 unclaimed bodies are buried.
On the most peaceful day of the week, Friday 9 February, there are 58 reported killings, most of them in Baghdad. Yet another US air strike leaves 4 civilians dead in Dalaiya.
On Saturday 10 February nearly 100 are killed, nearly half of them in Baghdad. In Kut, police find 24 bodies, a 15-year-old girl is killed during clashes in Baghdad, and 8 new police recruits are killed by gunmen near Mosul.
On Sunday 11 February another 90 people die. The biggest attack is in Dawr, near Tikrit, when a suicide bomber blows up a lorry at a police station, killing at least 30.”
iS THIS THE GOOD NEWS YOU MEAN?
Greetings, new here. Here’s a little question for y’all:
What’s up with the Seattle PI and the local real estate cabal?
Eight days ago the Seattle PI posted a piece by Aubrey Cohen on it’s Website titled “Median Home Price Plummets by $40,000”:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....ing08.html
The piece begins:
“Seattle’s median home price in January was the lowest it has been in a year, according to statistics released Wednesday.
The median price of $379,990 was down from $420,000 in December, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service…”
When I read this I thought to myself, “Wow, this is going to make a big splash!” After all, the PI has been bleating endlessly about how housing prices aren’t actually falling, just “flattening”, and about how the Seattle market just isn’t subject to the same trends as the rest of the country – however bizarre that proposition might seem.
Imagine my surprise when the article didn’t appear in the print edition of the paper! Not a peep. So much for the splash.
Now fast forward to today and a new article by Cohen up on the PI site: “Area’s Housing Prices Still Strong, Homes Here Buck National Trend”:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....ing16.html
Strange, this headline seems to directly contradict the buried Cohen article of eight days ago. A read of the piece explains the difference. You see, today’s article refers to a rise in prices vs the same time LAST YEAR. Never mind that prices have actually been dropping in recent months, as Cohen’s previous article made abundantly clear.
As long as prices are still higher than last year, the PI seems comfortable headlining with “…Prices Still Strong” – even in the face of their own earlier reporting that prices are in fact dropping.
So what’s up at the PI? Are these guys really this confused? Anyone ever look at their list of top advertisers? Or in their weekly circulars? Just sayin’…
Any bets on whether today’s piece makes the print edition?
justice is mellow
Yea, there\’s non-biased a source right up lucy\’s empty alley:
A necromaniac moonbat celebrating and taking pleasure in deaths to promote her hate-America agenda: quote \”The truth is that the US has become the major perpetrator of terror from the sky.\”
How very lucy.
I wonder though… is she counting abortion deaths?
Is there a filter for rabid psychotics such as 28 that us newbies can employ?
Re: 29
Coward.
Sucks to be you.
re 28: Yes. And I counted arterioscerosis from Mc Donald’s, too. Emphysema deaths from cigarettes, and I was wondering: Can I use the hundreds of frozen human blastocytes in my freezer as tax deductions?
If not, I’m throwing them out. They’ve got freezer burn anyway.
re 28: Abortion is not murder. That’s the law. And if any relative of mine is ever killed or hurt by an anti abortion activist, I will personally hunt them down and punish them. And if I can’t locate the perpetrator, well, I’ll just take what I can find, if you get my drift.
I doubt it would be necessary to kill or hurt one of your relatives… they are probaly taking numbers to commit suicide … especially the victoms of your pediphilia.
As for your drift… drink less, you\’ll stop listing.
@26 you are the very essense of the defeatist liberal.
You hate our military, you despise your country, mostly you are just unhappy and therefore want those around you unhappy as well.
Why can’t you be happy or hopeful that the new course of action might actually be working?
Answer= you are invested in defeat.
“Why can’t you be happy or hopeful that the new course of action might actually be working?”
Becuz all the previous “actions” just resulted in more dead soldiers and Iraqis….there will likely be increased calm while the troops are in place, but the insurgents and militia have time to wait it out…
@35 maybe this time, a better trained and equiped Iraqi security force will be able to hold down the violence…
The Iraqi’s are on the front line here. Also, the more this stops violence, the more legitimacy the government gets in its ability to provide security to the Iraqi people.
Despite the defeatists at home, our brave soldiers are kicking butt and doing a great job.
One last thing. The democrats are now fully invested in defeat. They cannot survive any other outcome but the defear of the US in Iraq. If this works and Iraq actually begins to move forward with less sectarian violence. What will the democrat party do?
Headlice is one of those who prays to it’s god for an attack during Bush’s watch. No Moonbat! ever answers that question.
re 36: You’re crazy. Democrats have never lost a war. And we don’t cut veterans’ health benefits like YOUR president (courtesy of the Supremes)is doing. We don’t fund wars on the backs of the poor and the sick. Like you do.
What we do is get together and kick your political asses to kingdom come.
You are aNUT. You’re rhetoric could not stand the light of day.
Any losing that’s going on in the Iraq war is becouse YOUR leaders are incompetent assholes.
Do you blame the cheerleaders when their team loses. I’ll bet you do. Because in your twisted little skull, what the soldiers in Iraq need is”the perfect cheer”.
You pathetic, bitter little weasel.
Wingnuts are miserable ignorant losers who cast about in their fervid little minds for someone to blame for their own weakness and failures.
Take a good look in the mirror. You make a mess out of the middle East and there are a few less casualties in a few days and you are declaring victory.
You are winning this thing only in your fervid little imaginations.
Back to the retraction that Goldy needs to post:
Luke Esser did not receive payments from the party while still on the state payroll. If you had done the simple act of calling the AG’s office and/or Luke Esser, you could have actually gotten the story correct. But that would take effort. It is easier to smear someone.
Do you really think the newspapers in the this wouldn’t have picked up on the story if it had been as Goldy “reported”? As it is, anyone doing a search will see the misinformation. A lie travels half way around the world . . .
Oh, and Laurence – I’m glad you are so perfect. I admire your ability to never forget anything. BTW I have seen you perform in many local plays, and have always enjoyed watching you.
@38 It must be dark in your world..
Sucks to be you.
“Do you blame the cheerleaders when their team loses. I’ll bet you do. Because in your twisted little skull, what the soldiers in Iraq need is”the perfect cheer”.
No, what I think they need is a civilian leadership that doesn’t cut their funding to fight. The now defeatist democrat party while parroting “we support the troops” prove thru their actions that they in fact don’t support the troops, and rather hope that the USA is defeated in Iraq.
The democrat party has now put itself in the position that only defeat will validate their position.
You know you’re absolutely right about the “1/2 hr News hr”. It’s so canned and not very funny. Kind of disappointing, really.
Colbert is by far the funniest of the political satirists.
By the way…added you to a list of “Washington State Bloggers” (yeah…aren’t you fricking flattered?) Forming a sort of ad hoc “Senate” of those pretty knowledgable about local and State politics in their respective locales.
Come see us.
@40, 41
Bully for Mr. Esser. I made the effort to call the AG’s office; received a voice-mail prompt, left my question – and heard nothing back. So please don’t lump me in with a partisan charge of smearing and a lack of effort. While we’re on the subject of charges, I also never made a facetious claim to be perfect. I answered your question directly: I have never forgotten to change my voice-mail message. Unlike Mr. Esser.
How would you react to news that a newly elected Democratic Party Chair – eschewing payment in that position – was simultaneously on the state payroll in the AG’s office as some ‘Outreach Director?’ I hazard the guess you might find some issue with the arrangement. As would I. In my profession you may only play one role at a time.
BTW, thank you for supporting the theatre.
re 42: It never ceases to amaze me how wingnuts (who are busy cutting funding for injured veterans) feel there is plenty of money to continue to send innocent cannon fodder over to Iraq.
You make me sick — you cowardly, lying sack.
The Democrats didn’t break the military. They didn’t cut funding for the VA. They didn’t initiate four consecutive tours in Iraq. They didn’t have the brainstorm of recalling military personnel to combat tours after 24 hours of R&R.The current corrupt, inept, and incompetent Administration did. They have positioned themselves so that defeat can be the only outcome.
McCain dissing Rumy – the great Statesman. Repeat after me – I am Republican. I lie, steal and cheat when I’m not being a family (fat useless whore) or a crying hypocrite. Hail Hitler.