Monday, July 25, 2011

Springtime for Hitler and Tampa Bay

[Glenn] Beck, a multimillionaire darling of the Tea Party movement, said on his nationally-syndicated radio show: "There was a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like, you know, the Hitler youth. I mean, who does a camp for kids that's all about politics? Disturbing."

Who? By Glenn Beck followers, that's who!

TAMPA — Here's another option now that the kids are out of school: a weeklong seminar about our nation's founding principles, courtesy of the Tampa 912 Project.

The organization, which falls under the tea party umbrella, hopes to introduce kids ages 8 to 12 to principles that include "America is good," "I believe in God," and "I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable."

Organized by conservative writer Jeff Lukens and staffed by volunteers from the 912 Project, Tampa Liberty School will meet every morning July 11-15 in borrowed space at the Paideia Christian school in Temple Terrace.

"We want to impart to our children what our nation is about, and what they may or may not be told," Lukens said.

The 912 Project is, of course ...

Eh, I see this was already covered on Daily Kos. I'm getting slow.

Shorter Boris Johnson: Ignore that lengthy history of right-wing bigotry; 'twas beauty killed 92 Norwegians.

Longer Boris Johnson:

Yesterday the television reporters found an acquaintance of his from Norway, a fellow called Ulav Andersson, who said that he had known Breivik pretty well. He was surprised by all the Knights of Templar stuff, because he had never really been religious, and he wasn't aware that he had been interested in politics.

"He didn't seem opinionated at all," he said. He just became chippy and irritable, said Ulav Andersson, when some girl he had a crush on jilted him in favour of a man of Pakistani origin.

It wasn't about immigration, or Eurabia, or the hadith, or the Eurocrats' plot against the people. It wasn't really about ideology or religion. It was all about him, and his feeling of inadequacy in relation to the female sex.

Well, if some guy who said he knew Breivik pretty well said so, who are we to argue? But this theory doesn't explain how Boris covered up all his rejection-based killing sprees.

Blaming the Victims and Claiming Victimization

Typically, the men Anders Breivik most admired are claiming to be his victims, although, remarkably, they are still alive. And some, like fan fave Bruce Bawer, are blaming Breivik's crimes on the evils of toleration:

It came as stunning news that Norway had been attacked by a blond, blue-eyed, anti-Islamic terrorist. It should not have been: Several of us who have written about the rise of Islam in Europe have warned that the failure of mainstream political leaders to responsibly address the attendant challenges would result in the emergence of extremists like Breivik.

If only mainstream politicians had been more bigoted, the private sector wouldn't have had to take action. Another failure of big government!

Then there's the no true wingnut defense:

In the second half [Breivik] describes himself as having revived the Knights Templar. He also outlines in extreme detail how he and his fellow anti-jihadists can acquire weapons, ammunition and body armor and thereupon proceed to use "terror as a method for waking up the masses" to the danger posed by Islam. This makes it clear he is completely insane.

In the same way that every terrorist is completely insane, a point apparently lost on our friend Bruce.

Finally, Bawer engages in some conditional weeping:

During the hours when I thought that Oslo had been attacked by jihadists, I wept for the city that has been my home for many years. And I hoped Norwegian leaders would respond to this act of violence by taking a more responsible approach to the problems they face in connection with Islam. When it emerged that these acts of terror were the work of a native Norwegian who thought he was striking a blow against jihadism and its enablers, it was immediately clear to me that his violence will deal a heavy blow to an urgent cause.

No weeping for the victims of Breivik, just for the lost opportunity to do something "responsible" -- what that is is not explained -- about those nasty Norwegian Mohammedens, who now also stand guilty of not killing 92 of their fellow citizens.

Update: More on the Real Victimwives of New Media from Roy Edroso, who said it better and earlier.

Rightbloggers Dream, Norweigan Would

Anders Behring Breivik (not Breitbart) was a big fan of Robert Spencer, Atlas Shrugged and the Gates of Vienna. Is anyone surprised?

Breivik not only read warbloggers, he was one:

With the 1,500-page manifesto, which he said took three years to complete, Mr. Breivik endeavored to find common cause with xenophobic right-wing groups around the world, particularly in the United States. He quoted extensively from the anti-Islam writings of American bloggers, and cut and pasted a whole section of the manifesto written by Theodore J. Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, into his own, replacing "leftism" with "multiculturalism" as the object of aspersion.

...

When not surfing conservative blogs, Mr. Breivik was fighting virtual demons, ogres and other fantastical creatures in online role-playing games. He was a regular in talk forums for players of "World of Warcraft," using a busty female as his avatar and the handle Conservatism.

Sounds vaguely familiar.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Behring False Witness

Right-wing bigots are predictably pretending that everything Anders Behring Breivik (not Breitbart) ever said and did and thought -- especially praising their websites -- is utterly meaningless. The guy was a loon, and nothing he ever did can ever be attributed to, or associated in any way with, the groups he identified with!

This, of course, represents intellectual dishonesty unseen since the majority published its opinion in Bush v. Gore.

Bonus Unrelated Question: Was there ever a non-state-affiliated mass murderer who had so many headshots of himself?

Congratulations to Kathryn J. Lopez and Maggie Gallagher on their nuptials!

Those in attendance say it was like the wedding at Cana, except with Ring-Dings instead of wine.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Let The Profiling Begin

As wingnut bloggers explicably lose interest in the Norway terrorism story, its time to take them seriously and implement the racial and religious profiling they demand in the name of Homeland Security.

OSLO — The Norwegian police on Saturday charged a man they identified as a right-wing fundamentalist Christian in connection with the bombing of a government building in central Oslo and a shooting attack on a nearby island that together killed at least 92 people.

As stunned Norwegians grappled with the deadliest attack in the country since World War II and a shocking case of homegrown terrorism, a portrait began to emerge of the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, 32. He was described as a religious, gun-loving Norwegian obsessed with what he saw as the threat of multiculturalism and Muslim immigration to the cultural and patriotic values of his country.

"We are not sure whether he was alone or had help," a police official, Roger Andresen, said at a televised news conference. "What we know is that he is right wing and a Christian fundamentalist."

Airport screening based on race and religion. Prohibiting places of worship. Slander. Wiretapping. Waterboarding. Every last fucking bit of it.

And Wan Julliams will have to piss himself everytime he appears on FOX News.

Update: The article linked suggests that Breivik (not Breitbart) authored a number of internet postings, but apparently was not yet a #TCOT. One wonders if his Favorites list included any prominent Muslim-hating blogs.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Idiot America

Genius creates shitty software, and learns of his mistake. So what does he do?

Concerned that the analysis using CacheBack could be wrong and that a woman’s life might be at stake, Mr. Bradley went back to the drawing board and redesigned a portion of his software to get a more accurate picture.

He found both reports were inaccurate (although NetAnalysis came up with the correct result), in part because it appears both types of software had failed to fully decode the entire file, due to its complexity. His more thorough analysis showed that the Web site sci-spot.com was visited only once — not 84 times.

Mr. Bradley, fearing that jurors were being given false information based on his data, contacted the police and the prosecution the weekend of June 25. He asked Sergeant Stenger about the discrepancy, and the sergeant said he was aware of it, Mr. Bradley said. He waited to see if prosecutors would correct the record. They did not.

“They needed to get that right,” Mr. Bradley said.
If Mr. Bradley was so concerned a woman's life was at stake, why didn't HE CONTACT THE WOMAN'S ATTORNEY ABOUT HIS MISTAKE? And why didn't the New York Times ASK HIM WHY HE DIDN'T?

Monday, July 18, 2011

Murdoch Bin Laden

... with incriminating evidence:

Detectives are examining a computer, paperwork and a phone found in a bin near the riverside London home of Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International.

...

The car park, under a shopping centre, is yards from the gated apartment block where Brooks lives with her husband, a former racehorse trainer and close friend of the prime minister David Cameron.

It is understood the bag was handed into security at around 3pm and that shortly afterwards, Brooks's husband, Charlie, arrived and tried to reclaim it. He was unable to prove the bag was his and the security guard refused to release it.

Instead, it is understood that the security guard called the police. In less than half an hour, two marked police cars and an unmarked forensics car are said to have arrived at the scene.

Police are now examining CCTV footage taken in the car park to uncover who dropped the bag. Initial suspicions that there had been a break in at the Brooks' flat have been dismissed.

David Wilson, Charlie Brooks's official spokesman, told the Guardian that Charlie Brooks denies that the bag belonged to his wife. "Charlie has a bag which contains a laptop and papers which were private to him," said Wilson.

"They were nothing to do with Rebekah or the [phone-hacking] case."

Wilson said Charlie Brooks had left the bag with a friend who was returning it, but dropped it in the wrong part of the garage. When asked how the bag ended up in a bin he replied: "The suggestion is that a cleaner thought it was rubbish and put it in the bin." Wilson added: "Charlie was looking for it together with a couple of the building staff.

Who doesn't loan a laptop computer to a friend with instructions to return it by leaving it lying around in a parking garage, where it might be mistaken for junk and thrown into a dustbin? Something very interesting should turn up on the hard drive, and it won't be photos of Gary Glitter.

FOX News: Latter Day Aint's Burn in Hell

Finally, a Fox News host who loves Jesus more than those unbelieving CLINOs who control the G.O.P.:

A Fox News host said Sunday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is "obviously not ... a Christian," a view that, if widely held, may have repercussions for the Mormon candidate’s election odds.

During a conversation about the Republican presidential field if Texas Gov. Rick Perry were to get into the race, "Fox & Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt speculated that Perry would have a much better chance of raising funds and rallying the social conservative base since Perry is Christian and rather open about his faith. During an exchange with co-host Dave Briggs, Earhardt said:

“Well the Christian coalition … I think [Rick Perry] can get a lot of money from that base because [of] Romney obviously not being a Christian … Rick Perry, he's always on talk shows, on Christian talk shows, he has days of prayer in Texas," she said.

As Jesus Christ said, "You cannot serve God and Mormon." Once the Republicans purge themselves of cultists like Mittens and anti-Christ Papists such as Gingrich and Santorum (and the soft-on-papacy Bachmann) true men of God like Rick Perry will lead God's Own Party to victory in 2012.

Drop Your Investigation, or Judy Miller Gets It

The editorial page cowards at the Hack Street Journal offer an empty threat:

The last time the liberal press demanded a media prosecutor, it was to probe the late conservative columnist Robert Novak in pursuit of White House aide Scooter Libby. But the effort soon engulfed a reporter for the New York Times, which had led the posse to hang Novak and his sources. Do our media brethren really want to invite Congress and prosecutors to regulate how journalists gather the news?
That "reporter" for the New York Times is, of course, FOX News/World Nut Daily contributor Judy Fucking-Miller. The late Novak, if I recall correctly, burned his own sources like a pyromanic granted immunity from all arson-related crimes. And the prosecution of I. Scooter Libby had nothing to do with how journalists gather the news, and everything to do with how co-conspirators threaten political opponents through criminal conduct. If Wall Street Journal reporters and their employer haven't violated laws against wiretapping and bribery, and Hell doesn't exist, then they have nothing to fear.

The New Koch

So risky John Galt would shit himself:

Just on the face of it, it would seem to have been the biggest risk in marketing history to roll out a documentary about a politician with less than stellar poll numbers on the same night that the last Harry Potter movie was scheduled to be released.

But, by all accounts, "The Undefeated," the Sarah Palin biop [sic], which was placed in limited release in ten screens across the country, did surprisingly well.

According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the theater in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb near the Dallas/Fort Worth area, at least one Friday evening showing actually sold out.

Gateway Pundit reports similar sellout or near sell out crowds seeing "The Undefeated" in Georgia, Orange Country, California, Houston, Orlando, and other markets.

"The Undefeated" was heavily marketed in social media, with regular updates on Twitter and Facebook. The below the radar strategy seems to have paid....
Yes, all accounts of the box office success of The Undefeated consists of one article in a Texan newspaper and the ravings of an aged, subliterate Palin fanboy who linked to tweets from "GeorgiaO4P" and "OnePurpleKrayon." Those are the only accounts. There are no other accounts. Don't even try to find another account. No, seriously. Don't.

Would a guy who recaps Futurama episodes on the internet lie to you?

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Due to honesty limitations, the real News Int'l. Corp's first two advertisements had to be edited.  They initially read:
We Are Sorry We Got Caught
and

We Are Sorry Ass Motherfuckers
Less Hintin', More Prison!

Beltway Hero

The U.K. leader of Slap-Headed Toffs for Incest would be right at home in Soggy Bottom:

Foreign Minister William Hague defended those ties on Saturday, telling the BBC that inviting Mr. Coulson to Chequers was "a normal, human thing to do” and that it was "not surprising that in a democratic country there is some contact" between political leaders and media officials. "Personally I'm not embarrassed by it in any way," he said.

It would be surprising if we find something that William Hague is embarassed by.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Dear Republican Party,

Please do whatever Erick Erickson tells you to do. The man's a genius.

Your pal,

Roger

The White Woman's Burden

You, too, can join this citizen journalist on the WorldNutDaily cruise to Alaska:

I was getting very angry and not at the rangers but at Jan, my video cameraperson who was still fiddling with the video camera. I was furious at myself for not bringing an extra Flip camera or at least learning to work her camera. I wanted to yank it out of her hands.

Citizen Journalism is hard work. It is a necessity now that the media is propaganda. You and me are the journalists. We have cameras, eyes, and ears. We will record the truth because NBC, CBS, ABC, and especially CNN, HLN and MSNBC are not telling the truth. Every stranger I interviewed agreed to that. (montage to come)

...

As Jan and I briskly walked away, knowing our tour group was mad at us for lagging behind, again, I desperately inquired, “You got it, I hope. Did you get it? Oh my goodness, I hope you got that…” Jan said, “I couldn’t hear it.”

“What?!” My face twisted into rage. I took the camera out of her hands and stuttered, “Hhh…hhow do you rewind?”

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Teabag Tall Tales

If this report is true, Ken Gladney perjured himself:

During his closing argument, D'Agrosa questioned whether Gladney was wearing a neck brace to the trial for sympathy, saying it reminded him of a "Brady Bunch" episode.

Gladney had testified that he underwent recent neck surgery not related to the August 2009 fight. Later, outside the court, Gladney told a reporter he belived his neck problems were the result of "blunt trauma" he suffered in the fight.

Or maybe he just hallucinated, like a wingnut watching a YouTube video.

Justice for Kenny

Remember when union thugs savagely beat Tea Party flag-monger Kenneth Gladney? No? That's because it didn't happen. If the wingnutosphere is full of shit, you must acquit:
Gladney, 40, of St. Ann, declined to comment after the verdict and directed questions to his twin brother, Keith.

"It's atrocious. It’s obvious," Keith Gladney said. "The legal system here has come to the point where you can beat somebody up and still get off."

McCowan and Molens, each at the meeting for the Service Employees International Union, claim Gladney was selling anti-Obama buttons, and that when they confronted him about them, Gladney started the physical attack by slapping McCowan's hands.

Molens testified that Gladney slapped McCowan's hands a second time, and that McCowan pushed him.

"Gladney started punching him in the face," Molens said. "I tried pulling him off."

The attack escalated with more punches and shoves, and McCowan suffered a fractured shoulder, he testified.

McCowan, a Baptist minister, got chuckles in the courtroom when he testified that he didn't turn the other cheek because it "hadn't gotten hit yet."
Following the verdict, St. Louis residents should exercise caution if they are approached by a man dressed like Nancy Grace, screeching "Justice for Kenny." If you see Mr. Hoft, do not approach him. Call the police.

Update: How do FOX News and Big Babyhood cover the story? Dishonestly:
In the above excerpt [sic, see footnote 1], the Post-Dispatch did not bother seeking quotes from Gladney or other witnesses, only Perry, Molens, and the defense attorney, a pricey private attorney I'm told is the best in the city.
Of course, in the article linked to by Big Babywood (which I link to above), the St.L. P-D does quote Gladney's whiny twin brother and sought comment from Gladney. FOX and Bigbabyhood can't even tell the truth about the coverage of the story.
1 In the excerpt which Big Babywood excerpts, the newspaper doesn't quote anyone.  In the article, the paper quotes Gladney's brother and cites Gladney's refusal to comment. Thus, to be fair, BB is both illiterate and dishonest.

Friday, July 08, 2011

The Liberalization of MSNBC Is Complete

Turned on the telly this early a.m. and saw that Morning Joe had been replaced by Morning Ezra. It was like a C-SPAN2 production of The Graduate.

The Phone, The TV and The News of the World

Looks like some of Rupert's executives will soon be back on the chain gang.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

And Make Sure That You've Got Millions to Pay Roy Black When You Do

Sound legal advice from a doctor-shopping, maid co-conspiring hillbilly heroin addict who got away with it, if you consider permanent hearing loss and payment millions in legal fees and reconstructive surgery costs getting away with it:

I love the bumper sticker Rush suggested at the top of the show today: "If you can't do the time, do the crime in Florida!”

Snort!

Profiles In Courage

"The concern is harassment, property damage, a chilling effect. If I know I have to disclose my name, I'm not going to get involved with the Minnesota Family Council," [Tom] Prichard [President of the Minnesota Family Council] told the board.

Shorter Howard Kurtz: "My employer is a national embarassment. No, the other one."

Cyberbullying

Karla Faye Tucker's Daily Choler is the place where wingnut memes go to die. Take this "article" from timorous Heritage hack Rob Bluey entitled "White House Users Twitter to Bully Critics." Bluey includes this virtual swirly as the only example of cyber-bullying:

Eder posted this tweet: “Hmm…it can’t be true that @SenateDems haven’t passed a budget in 790 days and the only plan Obama has is a speech. Right, @jesseclee44?”

To which Lee responded: “@keder @SenateDems Plan is keep negotiating w/ Rs & Ds, not default & trash economy, not voucherize Medicare to fund more tax cuts for rich.”

Brutal. Growing up, there was nothing more I feared than a bully who would respond to my unsolicited inquiry by answering it civilly. Whenever it happened, I shrieked like Bluey giving himself a wedgie while looking a photo of Shirley Sherrod. I'm still traumatized.

Bluey also refers to three incidents of alleged White House bullying, none of which involved Twitter -- or bullying. One wonders if Bluey was homeschooled and regularly kicked in the head by his classmates.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

You Don't Want Me As Your Lawyer

At the New York Times website, "Doug" of N.Y.C., N.Y., comments:
What is stunning, at least to me as an attorney, is that a number of charges were brought under the indictment.

Perhaps first degree murder or abuse were not proven, but the elements of manslaughter seem to have been met.

I am taken aback that the prosecution did not request JNOV (judgment notwithstanding of verdict) on the manslaughter charge, perhaps its not possible under florida law.
No, Doug, it's not possible under Florida law.
Does Nancy Grace know any good libel lawyers?

(Certainly not any of the clowns who appear on her show.)

Monday, July 04, 2011

Death of A Libertarian

Take a tip from Libertarian Fonzie and all the little Fonzies at Reason, guys. If you want to be a poser, just wear a black leather jacket, whine about Michelle Obama's vegetable Nazis and collect wingnut welfare. Life's too short to believe in fairy tales.

A New York man died Sunday while participating in a ride with 550 other motorcyclists to protest the state's mandatory helmet law.

Police said Philip A. Contos, 55, hit his brakes and his motorcycle fishtailed. Contos was sent over the handlebars of his 1983 Harley Davidson and hit his head on the pavement.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

"The medical expert we discussed the case with who pronounced him deceased stated that he would've no doubt survived the accident had he been wearing a helmet," state Trooper Jack Keller told ABC News 9 in Syracuse.

Condolences to Mr. Contos' family and friends.

The Faceman Weepeth

You'll want to avoid inviting Dirk Benedict to your Independence Day picnic:
"On July 4, I weep for the country we once were; pray for it to be again."
The rest of the year, he has the same reaction about his career.

(From the NRO website feature, "The Fourth of July, What It Means to Me.)

Die, Tot Mom, Die

While the Fox News Channel is consistently loathsome, it has been surpassed in loathsomeness by CNN Headline News. America now has a cable television network dedicated to villifying -- dehumanizing -- a single human being. Even the Christian channels don't spend as much time bashing Satan.

The murder of a child is a terrible crime, which is why we have courts, and prisons. But justice and demented bloodlust are not the same things. And HLN has never concerned itself with "Justice for Caylee," as it chyrons and wig-wearing freak-hosts proclaim. Only with "Hating for Ratings."

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Instacracker's Fourth

Shorter legacy admission and hire:

Demonstrate your independence by following my idiotic suggestion to e-mail a photo of your weiner to Mayor Bloomberg.

Better yet, e-mail a photo of John Hinderaker eating a hot dog to greynold@utk.edu and ask the Huckleberry Hound Professor of Law why there is a need for state law schools when legal education can be provided by private institutions.

Q.: How is Dominique Strauss Kahn's arrest like the United States' invasion of Iraq?

A.: They're both mentioned in a Maureen Dowd column in which Dowd trots out her usual tired schtick of equating two entirely dissimilar things in order to demonstrate her igornance of both.

Grand Old Police Blotter: Menace to Sobriety Edition

Ohio continues its long tradition of exporting its drunks to Indiana. I know some Buckeyes will blame this matter on the poor quality of Ohioan strippers, but the Party of Personal Responsibility never would:

CINCINNATI -- The Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office released video Friday from the arrest of Ohio State Rep. Robert Mecklenborg.

The video begins with Mecklenborg being pulled over by an Indiana state trooper just before midnight on April 22 on U.S. 50 in Lawrenceburg for a broken headlight.

...

The trooper then asked the woman to step out of the car and began to question her. He asked how she knew Mecklenborg.

"We've been friends for a while," the woman replied.

The woman in the vehicle reportedly works at a strip club in Lawrenceburg.

Mecklenborg is married with three children.

A judge ordered a blood test on Mecklenborg, which showed his blood-alcohol content level at .097, which is above the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle. The toxicology report showed Mecklenborg also tested positive for Viagra.

Well, it's not like Mecklenborg is a current prosecutor who sits on the State Senate's Judiciary and Ethics Committee.

(The arrest video is at the first link. For those who have witnessed passive-agressive whining, there's no need to watch the arrest video.)

In a shockingly uncharacteristic manner, the Ohio G.O.P. circles the wagons for Mecklenborg to fall off of. Because it's not like he killed anyone from Ohio, or twittered his dick:

Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, said Thursday that party leaders are "assessing" the matter.

"It's a tough situation," Triantafilou said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob and his family."

Ohio House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, said in a statement late Thursday that he was "shocked and disappointed to learn of the difficult situation that Rep. Mecklenborg and his family are facing."

"We are working with Rep. Mecklenborg to find a solution that is in the best interests of the representative, his family and all concerned," Batchelder said.

It's hard out there for a diminutive Republican drunk. Since the arrest happened in April, the G.O.P. has had two months to assess the matter, work out a solution and pray. But the arrest became public, so their prayers weren't answered.

And what does Governor Kasich have to say?

Gov. John Kasich has not called for Rep. Mecklenborg's resignation.

"Not from me," Kasich said. "This is tough for him. It's something I've thought about but I'd like to keep those thoughts to myself. We have to stop pounding people when they make mistakes."

Plus, the cop was a moron.

But no one feels more sympathy for Representative Mecklenborg than the true victim in all this:

The Enquirer learned of the arrest Wednesday, nearly nine weeks after it occurred. Asked whether he had any idea how and why it finally had surfaced, Mecklenborg said: "When you're in public office, you've got a bull's-eye on your back."