Goodbye, George II

An excellent tribute to the radical that was George Carlin is in The Nation. Here's the last part of the piece, from one of Carlin's most recent interviews:

"There is a certain amount of righteous indignation I hold for this culture, because to get back to the real root of it, to get broader about it, my opinion that is my species -- and my culture in America specifically -- have let me down and betrayed me. I think this species had great, great promise, with this great upper brain that we have, and I think we squandered it on God and Mammon. And I think this culture of ours has such promise, with the promise of real, true freedom, and then everyone has been shackled by ownership and possessions and acquisition and status and power," he said. "And perhaps it's just a human weakness and an inevitable human story that these things happen. But there's disillusionment and some discontent in me about it. I don't consider myself a cynic. I think of myself as a skeptic and a realist. But I understand the word 'cynic' has more than one meaning, and I see how I could be seen as cynical. 'George, you're cynical.' Well, you know, they say if you scratch a cynic you find a disappointed idealist. And perhaps the flame still flickers a little, you know?"

Super Happy Bible Day!

In honor of self-described non-theologian James Dobson's criticism of how Obama's ignant black ass reads his white Christian Good Book all wrong an shit, here are some heart-warming Bible stories of rape and slaughter, depicted with (wait for it) LEGOs:

Here and here.

Can O' Whoopass

Time to bitch-slap the Dems who voted for the new, improved ("Now with less freedom!") FISA bill. Click here to donate to a worthy cause.

Maureen Dowd Revealed

This flowchart explains a lot. (Via HuffPo.)

Dear Senator

A cousin of mine sent his former senator David Vitter:

Senator Vitter,

I couldn't help noticing that in the ready-made 'topic' drop-down menu for email correspondence, you have "2nd Amendment Rights" (which I support, by the way) but you do not have 4th amendment rights. Why not?

Perhaps because you sold the 4th amendment up the river? Your support for S.2248 is a disgrace to the state of Louisiana and the name Vitter (not that it needed any more tarnishing).

You apparently enjoy prostitutes so much, you decided to prostitute the liberties of the American people. I hope you catch herpes from the act. You are a traitor to your country and I will vigorously support anyone who opposes your next candidacy. Even if you run for the school board, I will oppose you. Even if you run against a ham sandwich for Parish Alderman, I will give as much as I can afford to contribute to the ham sandwich opposing you. My very next google search is going to be "recall Vitter".

Enjoy your telecom money,

E.P.

Feel free to send a revised version to Mr. Barack "I'll Filibuster! No, I Won't" Obama.

Quiero Hondurans

The other day I was looking at a house I'll probably buy. After touring it, my realtor and a friend of mine were sitting on the porch, discussing options, when the issue of renovation crews came up. I mentioned that my friend Geoffrey had a crew of Hondurans whom he'd paid to help renovate another place, but he would trust them only with gutting and so forth. Then my realtor, who has a construction company, said she has expert Hondurans who do finishing and detail work. My friend Brad, who's married to a Honduran, then chimed in with, "I have Hondurans too. They're great with tile." Oddly, I know another couple who "has Hondurans." Hondurans are in abundance these days. If economic trends continue, perhaps one day Hondurans in Tegucigalpa will "have Americans" to renovate their homes.

Another Terrorist Attack a "Big Advantage" for McCain

Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Mr. Black?

Hopefully, in the next six months we won't bomb Iran and facilitate suffer another attack on U.S. soil--possibly by folks falsely tied to Iran, resulting in the institution of martial law.

Full disclosure: While I would make a killing in blood money if we bombed Iran, for some reason I can't bring myself to support such a heinous, criminal bold, decisive move.

Bush War Crimes Conference

I'm salivating at the prospect.... Highlight:

"This is not intended to be a mere discussion of violations of law that have occurred," stated [Lawrence Velvel, the dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover] in a press release. "It is, rather, intended to be a planning conference at which plans will be laid and necessary organizational structures set up, to pursue the guilty as long as necessary and, if need be, to the ends of the Earth.

"We must try to hold Bush administration leaders accountable in courts of justice. And we must insist on appropriate punishments, including, if guilt is found, the hangings visited upon top German and Japanese war-criminals in the 1940's."

"The man ultimately responsible for the torture had a unique preparation and persona for the presidency," wrote Velvel. "He is a former drunk, was a serial failure in business who had to repeatedly be bailed out by daddy's friends and wanna-be-friends, was unable to speak articulately despite the finest education(s) that money and influence can buy, has a dislike of reading, so that 100-page memos have to be boiled down to one page for him, is heedless of facts and evidence, and appears not even to know the meaning of truth."

Say what you mean, Mr. Velvel.

Will renowned former uber prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi be attending?

Goodbye, George

He lived better than most of us could hope to. Too bad he died before the FCC. Condolences to his wife and family.

Jon Stewart interviews with Carlin.

NYT remembers Carlin.

Gay Marriage

"Getting married for sex is like taking a flight to London for the salted peanuts."

A Prairie Home Companion, 6.21.08

Remember: It Was Never About The Oil

It was about WMD, then freedom and democracy. It was never about oil.

Quote of the Day

"It's not one society. There are sweeping conspiracy theories about the Masons, Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission and Counsel of Foreign Relations. I know people in all these entities, and most of them couldn't find their ass in a well-lighted room. It's much more prosaic and nuanced than that."

Steven Greer