Brave Sir Beck runs away

From his own words urging the very thing that has happened to Dr. Tiller and Stephen Tyrone Johns, the security guard. He wants an uprising? Well, he's got one. The lunatics are armed to the teeth (thanks to the Congress and the NRA); they have been supplied with books and websites and tv shows and articles telling them who to hate and why as well as where they live and work; and they're frantic because a black man is actually making the government work the way it's supposed to.

Own it, Glenn Beck. This is all yours. Yours along with Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Anne Coulter, Michael Savage, Michelle Malkin, and all the rest of the 'pundits' who spew hate constantly.

You wanted this to happen and now you can't just walk away from it. Come back and take a look at the bloody broken bodies your hate speech results in.

Nobody is surprised but you. Why is that?

Update: A man who actually knows what it is like taking on hate speech. Go Spocko!

THAT'S what we're talking about!!

Hitting the Republicans with the truth!

It's not every day that a sitting senator takes to the floor to call out a GOP strategist. But on Wednesday, Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley did just that, whacking messaging guru Frank Luntz for writing a blueprint for demonizing health care reform and Republican officials for dutifully following his lead.

Thank you Senator Jeff Merkley!!

When teabagging becomes stale

Try cans....



Via Tengrain of Mock, Paper, Scissors, Reverend Phat of Les Enragés incites us to can the poor... um.. sorry, GIVING cans of FOOD to the needful....

*sheesh*

Rev. Phat has the details.

Update: More info from Rev. Phat:

THE CHALLENGE: To collect one million cans of food for our nation's food banks, food pantries and shelters by July 4, 2009.

WHO: Progressive bloggers with a special invite to conservative bloggers.

HOW: Act locally. Here are some examples:

• Take a bag of food to a local pantry
• Organize a food drive where you work or play, your church or motorcycle club, etc.
• Organize some friendly competition amongst a group of blogs
• Challenge your Facebook & Myspace friends and your twitter followers
• There's no one right way to get involved. Look around you, see the need and do something about it.


WHAT: Nonperishable food items. Note: We've already had a cash donation to a relief agency reported (and I know this is a good way for some folks to participate) so if you report your cash donations we'll run a tally of those as well.

One way to lose weight

From this site.

It's WTF Wednesday!

Oh boy...

A sharp increase in swine flu cases in Australia may mean the infection has become a pandemic, the World Health Organization says.

For that to happen, officials would have to verify that the disease had become established outside North America, where the crisis began.

[snip]

"We are getting close to knowing that we are in a pandemic situation," he said.

But Dr Fukuda urged calm. "It does not mean that the severity of the situation has increased or that people are getting seriously sick at higher numbers or higher rates than before," he said.

[snip]

Following the major outbreaks in North America the flu alert is currently at phase five of a six-level scale.

The virus has infected more than 26,500 people in 73 countries, the WHO said on Tuesday.

I don't think the island of Palau (explanation here) has enough room:

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Years after President George W. Bush declared major combat operations were over in Iraq, the Multi-National Force (MNF-I) continues to hold thousands of prisoners. According to the U.S. Defense Department the 89th Military Police Brigade from Fort Hood, Texas is in charge of three prisons holding a total of 11,057 detainees in Coalition custody.

No, no, no! Anti-bacterial soap doesn't mean you GIVE people bacteria:

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use hand sanitizers made by a Utah chemical company.

Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah has voluntarily recalled some of its skin sanitizers and skin protectants marketed under different brand names because of high levels of disease-causing bacteria found in the product during a recent inspection by the FDA.

Um...

KIller Flashlight Requires Goggles And Protective Clothing.

It's our fault gas prices are going up. We weren't spending enough...

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts gas prices to average $2.21 this summer--$1.60 less than last year. Crude oil is projected to be $53 a barrel, down from the average $100 a barrel in 2008. However, since the beginning of May, gas prices have been creeping up with the largest increase last week when prices rose 16 cents from the week prior to $2.24.

Due to the economy, petroleum demand has been weak and that has kept prices low and has forced refineries to cut their inventory. But new signs are showing that we are nearing the end of the recession and consumer confidence is growing. Low gas prices generated a rebound in demand during February and March. A Reuters/University of Michigan survey found that consumer confidence rose in May above economists’ expectations. So, we are at a time where demand is increasing while oil supply is low.

One way to deal with teen pregnacy?....

Archaeologists in Peru have discovered the remains of nearly three dozen people sacrificed some 600 years ago by the Incan civilisation.

[snip]

"Most of the remains belong to young women, around 15 years of age. One of them appears to have been pregnant because in her abdomen, the collarbone of a fetus, probably around 4 months, was found," Mr Webster said of the latest find, made over the past year and a half.

And what do his/her kids call him/her?

A US man who was born a woman before undergoing gender realignment surgery has given birth to a second child

We should be absolutely freaked out about this. Serial killers start this way: 20 cat deaths leave Fla. communities worried.

Old wine in new bottles

Bill Moyers talks to Jeremy Scahill.

Part of the transcript:

BILL MOYERS: How do explain this spike in private contractors in both Iraq and Afghanistan?

JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, I think what we're seeing, under President Barack Obama, is sort of old wine in a new bottle. Obama is sending one message to the world, but the reality on the ground, particularly when it comes to private military contractors, is that the status quo remains from the Bush era. Right now there are 250 thousand contractors fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's about 50 percent of the total US fighting force. Which is very similar to what it was under Bush. In Iraq, President Obama has 130 thousand contractors. And we just saw a 23 percent increase in the number of armed contractors in Iraq. In Afghanistan there's been a 29 percent increase in armed contractors. So the radical privatization of war continues unabated under Barack Obama.

Having said that, when Barack Obama was in the Senate he was one of the only people that was willing to take up this issue. And he put forward what became the leading legislation on the part of the Democrats to reform the contracting industry. And I give him credit for doing that. Because he saw this as an important issue before a lot of other political figures. And spoke up at a time when a lot of people were deafeningly silent on this issue. I've been critical of Obama's position on this because I think that he accepts what I think is a fundamental lie. That we should have a system where corporations are allowed to benefit off of warfare. And President Obama has carried on a policy where he has tried to implement greater accountability structures. We now know, in a much clearer way than we did under Bush, how many contractors we have on the battlefield. He's attempted to implement some form of rules governing contractors. And it has suggested that there should be greater accountability when they do commit crimes.

All of these things are a step in the right direction. But, ultimately, I think that we have to look to what Jan Schakowsky, the congresswoman from Illinois, says. We can no longer allow these individuals to perform what are inherently governmental functions. And that includes carrying a weapon on U.S. battlefields. And that's certainly not where President Obama is right now.

BILL MOYERS: But many people will say of course, the truth, which is he inherited a quagmire from the Bush administration. What's he to do?

JEREMY SCAHILL:Well, there's no question that Obama inherited an absolute mess from President Bush. But the reality is that Obama is escalating the war in Afghanistan right now. And is maintaining the occupation of Iraq. If Obama was serious about fully ending the occupation of Iraq, he wouldn't allow the U.S. to have a colonial fortress that they're passing off as an embassy in Baghdad. Bill, this place is the size of 80 football fields. Who do you think is going to run the security operation for this 80 football field sized embassy? Well, it's mercenary contractors.

Some things never change....

The problem is...

I do all these things already...

More Water Conservation Tips for Your Home

WAYS TO SAVE INDOORS AND OUTDOORS

• Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the coloring begins to appear in the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a wasteful leak that should be repaired at once. Even a small leak can waste thousands of gallons of water each month. When replacing the toilet flapper valve, make sure to select a model designed for your toilet.

• Replace all non-water saving toilets with new ultra-low-flush toilets.

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save up to 3 gallons each time.

• Turn off the water while you're shaving. Just fill the sink with a little water and rinse your razor. You can save up to 3 gallons.

• Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even a small drip can waste hundreds of gallons per month.

• Use your dishwasher for full loads only. Every load uses about 15 gallons.

• Use your clothes washer for full loads only. It uses up to 60 gallons per load.

• Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Instead rinse them in a sinkful of clean water.

• Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator, so you won't have to run the tap to cool it.

• If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing.

• Water your lawn deeply and less frequently. Avoid over watering and runoff. Adjust sprinklers to water the lawn, not the pavement.

• Water early in the morning or late in the evening.

• Change watering schedule seasonally.

• Repair leaks immediately.

• Use a broom instead of the hose.

• Do not allow the hose to run as you wash your car. Use a self-closing hose nozzle, or turn off the water, between rinses.

I should dig up my lawn and plant cacti and native plants....

But sweatpants are comfortable...

Obama Drastically Scales Back Goals For America After Visiting Denny's

This is a ticking timebomb if there ever was one...

So as BooMan suggests, we get to waterboard him, right?:

WICHITA, Kan. – The man charged in the shooting death of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller warned Sunday that more violence is possible. Scott Roeder, being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's killing one week ago, called The Associated Press from the Sedgwick County jail. Tiller, whose Wichita clinic was among only a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions, was shot while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church he attended.

"I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said.

He would not elaborate.

Tick tick tick tick....

Republicans run for the closets...

Official Trailer for OUTRAGE