You can be a millionaire and never pay taxes!

Yes, you... can be a millionaire... and never pay taxes!

You say, "Senator McCain, how can I be a millionaire and never pay taxes?"

First... get a million dollars.

Now, you say, "Senator McCain... what do I say to the tax man when he comes to my door and says, 'You have never paid taxes'?"

Two simple words.

Two simple words in the English language:

"I forgot!"

Labels: John McCain, Politics

So if you were going to pick two people in the Senate who would be the last ones to have a moral leg to stand on in proposing a Federal Marriage Amendment, who would they be? Which two Senators would be the biggest hypocrites in attempting to defend "traditional" marriage by passing a gay-bashing law?

Maybe these guys - David Vitter, who cheated on his wife with a prostitute, and Larry Craig, who solicited sex from an undercover officer in a men's room in the Minneapolis airport?

Yep, it's them.

Fortunately for, well, everybody, this thing doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of becoming law.

Labels: David Vitter, GLBT Rights, Larry Craig, Politics

When a bunch of billionaire Texas fatcats want to drill for oil (a dirty, non-renewable energy source whose use is killing our country and our planet) in a pristine, untouched, and unique natural environment, not only is that okay, but everyone who's against it is a tree-hugging hippie who really must love caribou more than America.

But when renewable energy companies want to put up solar panels (a clean, renewable energy source that is the source of life on this planet) in the desert - which, as a former Californian, I can attest to there being plenty of - then the Bush administration has a deep and abiding concern for this unique environment?

If it wasn't already clear exactly whose side the Bush administration is on (hint: not yours, unless you happen to have over $100 million in your bank account and vote GOP), it should be painfully clear now.

Labels: Environment, George W. Bush, Politics

John McCain's chief strategist (around the middle of the page):

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an "unfortunate event," says Black. "But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us." As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him," says Black.

Time to get on the phone, Sen. McCain, and let Mr. Black go. It's inexcusable that a close adviser of yours would suggest any political upside to another terrorist attack on the U.S. Thousands, perhaps millions might die, but it'll be "a big advantage" for John McCain... that is, I suppose, as long as he doesn't happen to be one of those afflicted.

Very, very bad form.

Labels: John McCain, Politics, Terrorism

...since it seems to be Random Link Day around here.

Labels: Fun, Funny

Just entertaining.

Labels: Baseball

The Truth About Barack Obama

Labels: Barack Obama, Funny, Politics

California Legalizes Gay Marriage, Does Not Fall Into Ocean

I just checked the front page of the LA Times, and California remains high and dry just as before. This despite their legalizing gay marriage, an act the antigay bigots assured us meant that California was now on God's hit-list.

It's great seeing all those pictures of happy couples whose relationships are finally getting the legal recognition it deserves, but sad to see so-called "Christians" standing outside county court-houses with signs proclaiming hate. My message to them: Protest all you want, but please don't insult the rest of us by claiming that Jesus wants anything to do with your hate and bigotry.

Labels: California, Christian Right, Christianity, GLBT Rights, Politics, Religion

Enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of Obama at Joe Louis Arena (where he was endorsed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore) here.

Kinda cuts through that "well, the camera angles don't show the empty seats!" crap.

(Also note the "Brighton Ford-Mercury" banner hanging from the scoreboard. A little piece of home...)

Labels: Barack Obama, Politics

This just gets weirder every time I watch it. Delivering bottled hot water to dehydrated babies? Sounds like something Grampa Simpson would say: "...well, in my day, all the dehydrated babies drank their hot water from bottles, so they wouldn't get the dropsy, and *snore*..."

Seriously... bottled hot water for dehydrated babies? I mean, you hate to jump on the guy for misspeaking, but what could he have possibly thought he was saying there?

Labels: Dehydrated Babies, John McCain, Politics

(Caution: I'm going to throw some bombs here. If you're expecting measured, academic prose, I recommend looking elsewhere.)

John McCain's problems with the (nominally) Christian Right have been well-documented. Jim Dobson, Christian quack "psychologist," has said that he "cannot and will not" vote for him, and the few evangelicals he did have on board - John Hagee and Rod Parsley - had to be thrown under the bus when it turned out that they aren't so much on board with things like not hating everyone who isn't a right-wing Christian. So even though John McCain agrees with the old guard of the (nominally) Christian Right on their big-money issues - he's anti-choice and anti-gay - he's not exactly their favorite person in the world.

Couple that with the fact that young evangelicals seem to be actually (gasp!) reading their Bibles and discovering that Jesus seemed to care a lot more about poor people than he did about whether those eeeeevil gays are marrying. They're discovering that the Bible has a lot more to say about caring for nature and making society an equitable place for the least of these than it does about the great bogeyman of "secular humanism." In short, they're discovering that they've been sold a bill of goods by the charlatans and pretenders running the (nominally) Christian Right, and that the values of the Bible, the values of the Christian tradition, are not gay marriage, secular humanism, a ban on women's rights, and free markets for all.

Enter Mara Vanderslice and the good people at the Matthew 25 Network. They don't have much up on the Intarwebs yet, but from what I understand, they're going to be reaching out to young evangelicals and trying to persuade them that there is much more to being a Christian in political life than walking in lockstep with the (nominally) Christian Right. They're going to demonstrate that it is the Democratic Party and Barack Obama - not the Republican Party and John McCain - who are likely to work for the people Jesus says we need to work for - the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the prisoners, the indigent.

I think it's a good start.

Labels: Barack Obama, Christian Right, Christianity, Matthew 25 Network, Politics, Religion

Or, as I should say, Mr. Tom "Indicted for Corruption" DeLay?

1952 called. It wants its Red Scare back.

On Mike Gallagher's right-wing nutjob radio show (transcript and recording here:

DELAY: ...hey, I have said publicly, and I will again, that unless he [Obama] proves me wrong, he is a Marxist.

Really? You're friggin' red-baiting? You, who set the bar lower and lower in your willingness to associate with all forms of corruption and thuggery to promote your radical right-wing agenda, have the audacity to engage in McCarthyism?

Simply pathetic.

And one more thing: Unless Tom DeLay proves me wrong, he is a bimetallist.

Labels: Barack Obama, McCarthyism, Politics, Tom DeLay