Obamania in D.C.

Things are getting crazier, little by little, down here. The traffic is already gonzo, but now there are lots of impromptu street closures as the soon-to-be commander in chief explores D.C. as the big cheese. I'm off on Inauguration Day and plan on watching from the cozy confines of the Joe and Jenny living room as history is made. It would be nice to attend, but it's just not feasible with the kids.

Election Day

Well, it's finally here. I voted this morning, and had to wait 24 minutes to do so. Not bad, considering that this should by accounts be a record turnout.

I can't believe that some black areas in Virginia Beach and Florida have waits up to SIX FREAKING HOURS to vote. It's a disgrace.

I'm still skeptical that the Republicans will steal the election again (like in 2000 and 2004), but I hope I'm wrong. I also didn't think Barack had a snowball's chance in hell due to his skin color, but it looks like I was wrong. Thank goodness for that!

Go Dems!

GRRRRRRRRR.

(Photo: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Seriously. Cut this shit out.

I want my name back!

Joe Six-Pack.

Joe the Plumber.

Dear Republidicks: please pick some kind of Republican name to use as your "everyman" name. Biff, Lawson, Chad, or Clayton all sound good. Just leave mine out of your bullshit. Thank you.

Off the mark

What the hell are they doing up there on the Hill?

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, only 48% of the public support this preposterous giveaway to the rich bankers on Wall Street that will saddle our children (and likely our grandchildren, too) with mountains of debt. Given that level of split, one might be tempted to think that the Senate would not want to rush headlong into a proposal that would enrage more than half of the voters in this nation. "No problem, screw the people, we're doing it anyway," say the Senators.

And to add insult to injury, the bill is laden with all kinds of bullshit like, believe it or not, cutting taxes on kid's arrows. I swear to god I could not make this stuff up:

"SEC. 503–Excise Tax Exemption for Wooden Practice Arrows Used by Children.

Current law imposes an excise tax of 39 cents, adjusted for inflation, on the first sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any shaft of a type used to produce certain types of arrows. This proposal would exempt from the excise tax any shaft consisting of all natural wood with no laminations or artificial means to enhance the spine of the shaft used in the manufacture of an arrow that measures 5/16 of an inch or less and is unsuited for use with a bow with a peak draw weight of 30 pounds or more. The proposal is effective for shafts first sold after the date of enactment. The estimated cost of the proposal is $2 million over ten years."

Kill me now.

Sarah Palin

Honestly, people. She's not ready for this kind of thing. She's not stupid, she's not an idiot, but she definitely isn't ready to be a heartbeat away from the nukes.

A man can dream, can't he?

New study: Most children opposed to health care

Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children�s Healthcare

Unfortunately, Republicans really believe this.

Goodnight, America. I miss you already.

The end is neigh, as they say. Someday, in my old age, I will tell Sylvia and Joseph of the America they never knew. The one where you could speak freely without fear of being labeled a traitor. The one where you could fly on an airplane without being suspected a terrorist. And the one where you didn't have to fear that the government was going to break into your house or tap your phones on a whim.

Yesterday, the Democrats in the Senate followed the Republican minority into the abyss and effectively shredded the 4th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads (bold mine):

"Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Maybe a staffer for one of the following worthless assholes who voted for the despicable FISA bill will Google "Fourth Amendment" and actually read to his or her boss what it used to guarantee (especially galling/surprising turncoats in bold):

Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea

You all disgust me. Not to ramble, but I am reminded of a very prescient Aesop's Fable that the above Senators would do well to take to heart when looking back on their decision to join the Republican "patriot" cause:

The Tortoise and the Birds

A TORTOISE desired to change its place of residence, so he asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home, promising her a rich reward for her trouble. The Eagle agreed, and seizing the Tortoise by the shell with her talons, soared aloft. On their way they met a Crow, who said to the Eagle: “Tortoise is good eating.” “The shell is too hard,” said the Eagle in reply. “The rocks will soon crack the shell,” was the Crow’s answer; and the Eagle, taking the hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and the two birds made a hearty meal off the Tortoise.

Moral: “Never Soar Aloft On An Enemy’s Pinions”

I'm switching parties

Well, I'm gonna go for it and register as a Republican* like these fine folks:



*uh, no I'm not.

Clinton...Obama....meh.

Try as I may, I just cannot get jazzed about this election cycle.

I personally don't like either of the Democratic candidates. Both are substantially unpalatable to a significant portion of the electorate, and to call either of them a slam dunk would be laughable.

It is no small feat that the Democrats have successfully found two candidates that have a serious chance of losing to a Republican after eight horrible, truly disastrous years of Republican rule in the White House. This election was un-losable. Yet, we've found a way to make it interesting. Our party is a collective freaking basket-case.