Lousekeeping

Entirely bogus retroactive/pre-dated post (1810PDT 2 September 2012) because we didn't have the good sense to schedule one for Saturday 1 September 2012, & there was no wi-fi in room 7 at the Malibu Riviera ("Bates") Motel.

Yesterday's Clouds Today

We'll be sweating like the pig we are all night long.

Staff Photo

The amorphous "they" tell us politics is Hollywood for the ugly; this does nothing to disprove that dictum.

The Romney campaign staff w/ Paul Ryan & Mittens. Get ready for a nation run by frat boys & their little sorority sisters.

Tip o' le chapeau to YAFB at Rumproast, who inspired us w/this:

Joseph Smith's Lame-Ass White Folks Band

And you shouldn't use ugly & Hollywood in the same sentence w/o showing these mugs:V.O. (no commercial potential):

Crummy (Exhibition) Game Of The Wk.:

Oakland at Seattle.

Clint Speaks!

Eastwood looks to have a movie about the old getting oldercoming out in a few wks.; he must figure the entire target demographic of angry white guys will be watching the convention. Christ, what a whore.

Another Tab Closed

Par for the course, far behind on this, to which we were going to link, as we'd already banged our toe on this non-commitment.

Now it is brought to our attention that others have noticed & responded.

Our reaction: Astral Weeks? Who'd want to hear what it sounded like? Another tortured singer-songwriter complaining mid-tempo. We prefer complaints about existential agony from Americans like Bangs, because we can understand them.

LOADING ZONE

Watch Out, Pretty Boy

Something caught our eye when we finally read all the POLITICO thing mumbled about an item below:

“We’re not your crusty old white guy party anymore,” boasted Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), who at 31 is at the tail end of the Reagan generation.

Nope. Just dumb-ass middle-aged honkies.

Now, students, comparing Rep. Schock to his crusty buddies Jim Hoft, the late Breitbart & the InstaPundit, why might we imagine young Aaron to have a Napoleonic complex? And how might he deal therew/?

That's one way to compensate. (Dr. Freud, may I speak w/ you a moment?) Fit, sexy Paul Ryan better watch it. There's always someone younger & even buffer on the prowl for a sugar-daddyvice-presidential slot/position as heir to the manliness that is the Republican party.

Christ, what a bunch of assholes.

Who Types This Shit?

When will this reporter learn to ignore POLITICO? We do ignore it most of the time, but even jaded cynics can be suckered by something that appears interesting; we click & six short paragraphs in we are reminded why it is to be avoided.

The two bookends, Reagan and Ryan, represent a party that is unmistakably moving from George W. Bush’s compassionate conservatism to a new Republicanism that sounds a lot like the old-time religion but with fresher packaging. To use the language of their youth, these children of the 80s want to dispense for good with New Coke and return to Coca-Cola Classic.

Sweet blood of Jesus, we pretty much agree w/ what we read of the premise (Too many pp. to give them the satisfaction/increased page views so we qualify it w/ "pretty much.") but if TIME® (allegedly, once) was written at a "ninth-grade" level, which level of hell are we on here?

Just What Is Needed

Well-known Reagan-crush holder (He's dead, Peggy! Dead as your wretched Catholicism.) Peggy Noonan is now emitting her high-pitched squeals from The WSJ on a daily basis, because ... we don't know. Why?

Example:

I think the headline was that she and Mitt got married young, lived in modest circumstances and struggled a bit while he studied and tried to get a foothold in business.

It can certainly be a struggle when a young college student wants to sell some of the stock he was given just for being such a wonderful millionaire's son but it's the wknd. & all the brokerages are closed. By the way, did Mme. Romney do any studying? Or is learnin' too hard for Mormon ladies?

Christ, what an asshole.

Annals Of Self-Defense

A New York judge who has been threatened several times during his nearly 20 years on the bench decided he wanted to get a concealed-carry permit and take a loaded firearm into the Tioga County courthouse at which he worked.

However, although there was no rule against having a gun in chambers, Judge Vincent Sgueglia should not have approved his own concealed-carry permit, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct said in an opinion (PDF) earlier this month.

It censured the judge—who admitted, on reflection, that he should have handled the matter differently—for doing so, as well as for an accidental discharge of a revolver in chambers in 2010, as Sgueglia was trying to repair a faulty mechanism that cocked the .38-caliber Smith and Wesson and rotated the cylinder.

The judge, who is now 70, stopped bringing a loaded gun into the courthouse after the accidental discharge incident. He plans to retire at the end of 2012.

From the ABAJournal.

Also noted at the Journal: We may not have to kill all of them.

Yesterday & Today

People in shorts just don't scare us. Not even armed cops.

Above Reuters photo located here, where Friedersdorf hits the ground in Tampa.

There are countless events with corporate sponsors, delegates from all over the country, political professionals networking for future gigs, and a security infrastructure that really ought to be conveyed to America, because the fact that it's invisible to television viewers is a distortion of reality.

Not to worry about the future America: There's work for about half of you protecting the 1% from the other, unemployed half of the 99%.

Long But Readable

A bit o' Mormon history, personal & beyond. Romney's ancestors: Just as grifty as he.

Police Beat:Tampa 2012

The scamps at TPM saved the best for last in their "The Stage Is Set In Tampa: Gearing Up For Republican National Convention" photo featureslide show.

Handcuffs and restraints at the St. Petersburg Field Force Prisoner Processing Center, set up specifically for the Republican National Convention.

"Y'all make sure they's tight now."

2012 Republican National Convention: Policemen
near the convention site in Tampa, Fla.

2012 Republican National Convention: U.S. National Guard members patrol near the convention site in Tampa, Fla.

Previous deployment: Target duty w/ the Afghan Nat'l. Police.

"ZOMG, ZOMG-BBQ!"

From another universe barely recognizable as an odd mutation of what we know as reality, this has jumped the dimensional divide:(You must listen for an impression she does of somebody. We have no idea who.) What is she on about? Literal textual analysis may help.

LOESCH: What is that shrieking that you hear? Do you hear that? What is that? I think Joe Biden would call it, like, squealing pigs, wouldn't he? That's the left collectively losing their minds because ZOMG, ZOMG-BBQ! Mitt Romney made a joke. He made a joke. The left doesn't -- the left likes to have a sense of humor except when it comes to conservatives. When it comes to conservatives, we are no longer funny. We have no humor after conservatives talk. He was just making a joke. The Obama campaign sells mugs with birth certificates on them on their website. Give me a break. You people need to stop being all uptight. Did you just say you people?

Nope. Still nothing.

The birf surf-i-ticket on the mugs is because of silly accusations. No one's ever said Willard Mitt was born anywhere besides Michigan. So there's no point in pointing it out about himself; it's not a "moment of levity." (Think about "moment of levity." Can they be less connected to humans?) Lest we forget, it was Mitt's father JorgeGeorge who was hecho en Mexico. And George's father & whichever sister wife his mother was may not have been U.S. citizens. Got a joke for that?

Thanks of a sort to an apparent obsessive.

The Real Victim

Have yet to watch whatever the hell happened this a.m. on hideous Morning Joe, but it's all over the electron tubes & it really ticked off both Matt Lewis & The News. Hell, they were so mad they forgot to refute any of Tweety M.'s "relentless attacks" & just went ahead w/ the personal attacking.

If you haven’t seen Chris Matthew’s embarrassing meltdown on “Morning Joe” this am [sic], it’s worth a watch — if you can stomach it. RNC Chair Reince Priebus handled the relentless attacks as well as possible (several times Matthews interrupted host Joe Scarborough — in order to press his points). Most people being accused of playing the “race card” wouldn’t maintain their composure as well as Preibus did. Still, one wonders why he would ever volunteer to endure such an interrogation (it was a monologue, really) again? This poses a real problem for “Morning Joe.” Unlike MSNBC’s prime time lineup, the show has generally been able to attract top-tier Republicans, such as Gov. Chris Christie, Rep. Paul Ryan, and Chairman Preibus. Unlike the ideological shows, “Morning Joe’s” cachet has generally come from being an “insider’s” show — must-see TV for opinion leaders on both sides of the aisle. But at some point, that could end. A good way to avoid that possibility would be to ensure that Matthews — who clearly has some anger problems to deal with — is no longer capable of hijacking the program. They shouldn’t have him on again.

Holy crap he's threatening Chris Matthew's First Amendment rights! Actually he isn't, but how many times have reactionaries trotted that one out? (And are there any Daily Callgirl reporters who should be banned for embarrassing meltdowns? See, both sides do it.) And for crying out loud, think of poor Reince Preibus, obviously the sufferer here, yet a model of stoicism!

Most people being accused of playing the “race card” wouldn’t maintain their composure as well as Preibus did.

Not to go out on a limb to defend Matthews (essentially a Reagan Democrat waiting to happen) but on occasion he gets close to the truth & tells most of it. Matt Lewis & The News will call it an embarrassing meltdown & suggest he deal w/ his "anger issues." Christ, what an asshole.

Might Be Of Interest

Some may not care.

This is an until recently unpublished interview with Brian Eno by Lester Bangs from 1979.

Last Call For Meat

Not that there will be meat animals left.

Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists

Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050

Facts & figures.

Huckabee Calls For Holy War

A little loose w/ our words aren't we Governor?

“This could be a Mount Carmel moment,” said the former Arkansas governor, referring to the holy battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal in the book of Kings. “You know, you bring your gods. We’ll bring ours. We’ll see whose God answers the prayers and brings fire from heaven. That’s kind of where I’m praying: that there will be fire from heaven, and we’ll see it clearly, and everyone else will to.”

"Fire from heaven" sounds like nuclear holy war to us. Bring it, Fat Man.

Bombs away for Jesus!

In other fallout, inelegant phrasing, that is, lying, from the Huckster:

Huckabee released a statement Saturday walking back the comments he made on the call.

“I have not had any direct contact with leaders or staff from the NRSC,” he said in the emailed statement. “This is an attempt to create a story. My comments this week on my own forums of radio and to the people who choose to receive communications from me are first hand and accurately reflect what I said. I hardly need third-party news outlets who ‘heard’ things to report on that which simply didn’t happen. Harry Reid has imaginary friends who tell him things about others, and it appears that there are some others in the media who have some imaginary friends.”

Not unlike the former Governor's imaginary friend in the sky w/ the fire.

His spokesman declined to answer follow-up questions about who Huckabee was talking about in the direct quote or whether he had indirect contact with party leaders, saying he’d discuss the matter on Fox News on Saturday night.

Remember, just mis-speaking, & nothing wrong w/ anything anyway (as long as one is a Republican & believer) because the gawd of personal responsibility will forgive you.

The executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, John Yeats, told the group that he counseled Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) after he was linked to a prostitution ring in 2007.

“David had been exposed for going places he shouldn’t have been going. And there were calls for him to step out, but he stayed by his campaign and restored his relationship with his wife,” Yeats said. “As I think about Congressman Akin, his quote, ‘transgression,’ was not nearly as vile as Vitter’s. So I think this thing is survivable. And beyond survivable, I still think he has a real shot at winning the race here in Missouri.”

“One of the things we have to remind ourselves of and remind our people of is that Congressman Akin represents the mainstream of our values,” he added. “He is the mainstream of our values.”

Funny, their values aren't quite as one might think. Major gaffes (murder, for example) can be forgiven.

David Barton, the founder of a Texas-based conservative group WallBuilders, was asked to offer some historical perspective for the group.

“There’s been a lot of political leaders who have made major gaffes but not just misspoken,” said Barton. “One of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history was David, who had [committed] adultery, murdered Uriah, etc. But he repented. God gave him forgiveness. Great leader. But that was not a misspeaking of words. And then Noah had trouble with drunkenness. God still used him. Samuel couldn’t control his children. He ran a nation. Moses, guilty of murder. He came back, delivers a nation.”

“There’s a long list of people who were absolutely flawed, but nothing for as small a misdemeanor – if you will — as misspeaking,” he added. “So this is really unprecedented.”

Barton, who was once the co-chairman of the Texas Republican Party, decried “party bosses” for calling pastors, supporting Akin to pressure them to stop doing so.

“This is a guy that we can’t let a lot of loud-mouth people take from the rest of the nation,” he said, “because he’s too much of a fighter that we need on these kinds of issues in D.C.”

David Barton there is the liar who is known nation-wide for his lying; isn't it funny that he should beg for another's forgiveness on the basis of misspeech. It's beyond too late now, nevertheless we'll pretend that we care (or that anything makes any difference) by making it clear that Akin did not "misspeak" (Wingnut faves "57 states" or calling an admiral a general are misspeaking. The word was popularized by the Nix's press sec., Ron Ziegler, we should add.) but laid bare the awful truth of the usually otherwise amorphous (hidden because they aren't all morons) values & beliefs these people of faith all endlessly & insufferably profess to hold.

And there's always a mad as hell type who ain't gonna take it & you shut up or else; no one tells him what to do because AmericaMissouri Baptists. This one is also a prophet.

David Baker, pastor of First Baptist of Church in Belton, Mo., chimed in to say that he met with 60 men* earlier in the evening and the view was unanimous Akin should keep fighting.

“We have a responsibility as prophets to speak out,” he said. “One thing I know about Missouri Baptists is that we don’t like to be told what to do.”

Drone drone drone, no tax exemptions for obviously political churches, ZZZZZ.

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*We haven't the energy to deal w/ this clarification/emphasis of gender. A recording of the 'phone call for Christ would be amusing until the urge to throttle one of these dopes became overwhelming & an aneurysm developed. We didn't even drag J.C. Watts in, but he's a riot too.

Hello? Some Americans There?

Remember an election cycle or two ago when weight-loss guru, FOXNews Tee Vee Personality/radio yapper & complete failure as a presidential nominee (Which has indeed worked out well for him, hasn't it? Fucking hell, all the creatures in the GOP's candidate corral are in it for the money to be made being a public loudmouth/"author"/Queen of Facebook/Tweeter after an unsuccessful bid. Name one not currently in office who doesn't have some donation/no-tax scam going.) Mike Huckabee was considered somewhat less repellent a toad than most of the other contenders? And he knew just how, where & when (right after Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke as the war on womenRepublican campaign against women's rights began to make itself better-known.) to position himself:

"They are going after Rush's affiliates," said one radio company executive who received Cumulus' email and spoke on condition of anonymity. "They are positioning Huckabee as the safe, non-dangerous alternative to Rush and saying to station owners, 'If you are looking for conservative content, we want you to consider our guy instead of theirs.'"

Extra funny because Limbaugh's audience is 70% old men, & of course mass advertisers are most interested in middle-aged women so Huckabee decided to build ratings by siding w/ Rep. Rep. & Sen. candidate Todd Akin (MO) against the GOP establishment.

Speaking harshly about establishment Republicans who have tried to force Akin from the Missouri race, Huckabee at one point compared the National Republican Senatorial Committee to "union goons" who "kneecap" their enemies.

OK, bag of obese hammers, really now, when was the last time someone was "kneecapped by a union goon?" And why not compare Akin's treatment at the hands of the establishment to, say, being shot by an actual goon white supremacist for living-while-Sikh? Wrong century for Huck's frame of reference? Oh-kay.Huck appeared on the 'phone w/, among others, congenital liar David Barton &

encouraged the pastors and radio hosts to aggressively defend Akin to their congregations and listeners.

"The poll numbers need to come back up," he said. "Todd needs to show that he can raise money and be competitive. That will be a game changer. If not, the pressure will still be there for Todd to exit the race and clear the field for somebody else."

All about the competition & the numbers & the money. Whether what Huck wants aggressively defended is objectively wrong (& creepy) doesn't enter into it.

And we see precisely how genial & civil Huckabee is. Reasonable & open to conversation too.

And blah blah. Another pointless typing exercise. Where's the outrage?

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See item below for notes on this.

Oops ...

Seem to have missed an entire calendar day, for the first time in some time. Possibly yrs. (Sad, huh?)

We did start typing something (same old same &c.) yesterday, but had nothing snappy for the end* beyond the usual nihilistic plea for apocalyptic relief (Meteors? Plague?) from jaded suffering & intense ennui, which are probably a reaction to Internet political climate & an electorate that is (if one scans polls as headlined on said Intertuberous) bizarrely & inexplicably evenly divided.

So we started watching telebision (to clear/empty head/mind, zenning it up for a later stab at creation, or, or ...) & suddenly it was Sunday.

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*OK, OK, not just the finish, most of it was tedious, if not actually irksome. Banal is a given.