You can't stop the Ted.

From Politico: Ted Kennedy's brain cancer in remission

Sen. Ted Kennedy’s cancer is in remission, and he will be returning to the Senate after the Memorial Day recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
told reporters Tuesday.

I'm glad to see some good news.

And now my cynical side comes out; I say less than 48 hours before Chappaquiddick is on every asshole Conservative's lips again.

President Obama at White House Correspondents' Dinner

You really should watch this. It's good to have a Prez who's funny and not just a babbling moron.

And then, once you've watched that, watch this: Wanda Sykes tearing the GOP a new asshole immediately after.

Note that Sykes' comments are going to be the next GOP talking point. You heard it here first.

Arlen Specter switches parties

From the NY Daily News: Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to switch parties and become a Democrat

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter shocked the political world Tuesday by jumping from the GOP to the Democratic Party – likely handing President Obama an EZ-Pass to drive his agenda on Capitol Hill.

The sudden move, coming as the veteran lawmaker already faces a fierce 2010 primary challenge from the right in the Keystone State, all but gives Democrats and Obama a roadblock-free Senate, putting them on the cusp of a 60-vote majority.

"I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," Specter announced on his campaign Web site.

"I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary," Specter he added.

Well, I didn't see that coming. I'd like to thank the Club for Growth(SNRK) for this, and their backing of Toomey for the Republican Primary. Of course it's politically motivated, Specter doesn't want to lose his seat. Is he the best example of a Democrat? No, but he's not the worst example of a Republican either. He's always more or less cut close to the middle on many issues.

I'm interested in seeing where this will develop with the cloture votes, seeing as Arlen won't be, being pressured by the Republicans to vote with them (regardless of issue) just to try and maintain enough support to survive the primary.

On top of that, it's just a fantastic way to demotivate the GOP.

Vermont joins the party.

From the Battleboro Reformer: Vermont legalizes gay marriage with veto override

The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote - the minimum needed - to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the Republican governor with a vote of 23-5.

Vermont was the first state to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples and joins Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa in giving gays the right to marry. Their approval of gay marriage came from the courts.

So in the span of what? A week? We've had both Iowa and now Vermont legalize same-sex marriage. Considering how long we went with no more states added to the small list that allowed for same-sex marriage, it's weird to think of 2 happening so quickly.

Still, its great news to wake up to. One state at a time.

Iowa lives up to its motto.

From CNN: Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban.

Iowa becomes the third state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, after Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Friday's decision upheld a 2007 ruling by a lower court that Iowa's 1998 law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples went against the state's constitution. It becomes effective in 21 days.

"This is a great day for civil rights in Iowa," said attorney Dennis Johnson, a co-counsel with Lambda Legal, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of six same-sex couples seeking to marry in Iowa. "Go get married. Live happily ever after," he said at a news conference where there was loud clapping among plaintiffs.

This came out of left field for me, and I'll be blunt, I hadn't expected it. It was wonderful news to wake up to, that's for certain.

Iowa: "Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain"

Amen.

Michael Steele: Gone, Baby, Gone

From the GQ Blog on men.style.com: The Reconstructionist

Do you think homosexuality is a choice?
Oh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.” It’s like saying, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.”
(...)

The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other.

Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?
Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.
(emphasis added)

Wow. Just wow. Yeah, I'm wagering he'll be gone by this time next week at the latest. After this, they're really going to accelerate the process of throwing him out on his ass.

The truth is, I've formulated a very large, very paranoid theorem as to why this whole thing with Steele happened in the first place: Steele was put in as head of the RNC for an important reason: He's a sacrificial lamb. They knew that he wasn't the far-right demagogue you'd expect to be heading the GOP - why else would there be all this talk of Rushbo as "the de facto head" of the party? - and that his views weren't entirely in line with the major points of the party.

His election sent the racists into screaming fits, swearing that they'd leave the GOP and never return, because the party's main components know there's no follower quite as devout as the one who leaves and comes back. Steele's views, which the right's talking heads can spin as being "liberal", will be cited as the reason that they're putting together a vote of no confidence against him, conveniently whitewashing (if you'll pardon the expression) that the vote is being pushed by someone who became a Republican because the government desegregated his school.

Steele will be ousted, and the right-wing talking heads will claim it's a victory for "conservative values" over "liberalism", with the added coded message that they put a black man "in his place". This is also the main reason why I don't buy into the idea floated by some that the GOP won't oust Steele because it'd make them look like a bunch of racist crackers: their cover story is already written for them, thanks in large part to this interview.

Now, you can buy into all that, or you can just say, "Steele's got diarrhea of the mouth." Hey, either way, the result is the same. The difference is whether you're going to take the logical, succinct approach, or you're going to come up with a sprawling, meandering, half-baked conspiracy hypothesis like I did.

Little Mac Scores KO

From the New York Daily News: Young Mac attack: McCain's daughter Meghan dresses down Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is a nasty, hate-spewing train wreck whose stature in the Republican Party is a recipe for disaster, Meghan McCain blasted in an online essay posted Monday.

"I straight up don't understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time," wrote the straight talking daughter of former GOP presidential candidate John McCain in her latest essay on the Daily Beast Web site.

Oh hell yes. I know this isn't going to matter, and I know that the Coultergeist will just spin this into more things she can hate and demean, but still, this is what we need - more people calling out the hate of people like Coulter.

I do believe this calls for an "OH SNAP".

Coultergeist Gets Owned

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

After Ann Coulter stoops to insulting Keith Olbermann's education... he proceeds to school her in a way that only he can.

Dear Mrs. Coulter: I do believe that's what's commonly known as a "Bitch, PLEASE."

The rest is funny, but the verbal castration of Ann Coulter is quite possibly the best laugh I've had in a long time.

Now It's Time for Another "Good Idea, Bad Idea"

From Jesus' General: Does Rep. Damschen's(sic) have a sick lust for melons

Rep. Damschen responded (see below) to my invitation to join the Billion Spermatazoan-American March on Washington, and he wasn't very nice about it. I'm thinking he must be using all this zygote-American protection stuff as cover for some wickedness he's performing against our spermatazoan-American brothers. Here's my response.

Yes, as it turns out, the toolbox wasn't too happy about JC's letter. How unhappy was he, though? This unhappy:

From: "Damschen, Charles D."
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 8:42 PM
Subject: RE: The Next Step

When you get a chance, study up on the facts of life concerning how neither egg nor sperm develop life by themselves - the sperm has to fertilize the egg to begin the first stage of life - conception. No life has ever fully developed without first completing this stage. The body develops for approximately 9 months before leaving the womb and then develops for 9 -13 years to puberty, then continues to develop further and reaches adulthood by about the age of 18 -21 years, perhaps later in your case. If you destroy the developing body at any of these stages, development ceases and it dies. Taking the life of this developing person at its most helpless, defenseless stage of development while inside or partially inside the womb is called abortion.

Now you've received more of an answer than deserved. Read it carefully several times until you grasp the understanding of how and when life begins and how and when it ends.

Chuck Damschen
ND House of Representatives
District 10

Good idea: Having no sense of humor when someone says something serious.
Bad idea: Having no sense of humor when JC writes something about you.

Honestly, he called you out and not only do you get all pissy about it, you actually get things wrong. Asexual reproduction. Mr. Damschen. Things do reproduce without conception. Furthermore, to top off this shit sundae, you act like a pissed-off troll who's about top storm out because nobody's falling for his bullshit. "More of an answer than you deserved"? How full of yourself are you?

We need more JCs in the world, and fewer of this guy.

Now I Wish I'd Watched

I didn't watch the Oscars. I never do.

But I really wish I had, because I would have gotten to see the comments at the beginning of this video.

I Find Your Lack of Faith... Ah, Screw It, That Joke Is Old

From Pharyngula: Sins so heinous that only the Pope can grant absolution

Details of some high-level Catholic tribunal and how it handles the most grievous sins have been revealed. In a very strange overview, we learn that murder and genocide, while truly horrible crimes, can be handled by lower members of the hierarchy. There are a few that only this tribunal and the Pope are qualified to cope with. They are briefly listed: trying to assassinate the Pope, a priest spilling the beans about what is said in the confessional, priests having sex, and abortionists becoming priest. But there is one other crime, which the article dwells on:

Defiling the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the body and blood of Christ, is also considered a sin of extreme gravity and one which is on the increase, the high-ranking members of the tribunal said.

(...)

In July last year an American academic, to make a point about freedom of thought and religion, drove a nail through a Communion wafer and then threw it in a rubbish bin.

Paul Myers, from the University of Minnesota, said later: "I pierced it with a rusty nail. Then I simply threw it in the trash. Question everything. God is not great, Jesus is not your Lord."

Man, oh, man, how badass is that? PZ Myers is so evil that only Emperor Popeatine can deal directly with him. And if the Pope won't grant him a repreive, he's excommunicated - oh, such a punishment, considering PZ isn't Catholic.

What's really sad about it, though is in that first paragraph:

In a very strange overview, we learn that murder and genocide, while truly horrible crimes, can be handled by lower members of the hierarchy.

That's right, a pirest getting some is a worse crime than killing or attempting to kill entire groups of people. And folks wonder why it is I'm not Catholic.

Personally, I'd give just about anything to see PZ go to Rome to have the Pope "deal with him". If it were me, I wouldn't go there without a lot of Jedi training, mind you, and considering Yoda is off fighting nunchaku-swinging Elvis impersonators and bipolar teenagers with hula hoops of doom, I guess this is something that's going to remain firmly in the realm of fantasy.

Fact-Checkers: They Aren't Hard to Find

Attention, Associated Press: If you're going to essentially accuse someone of being a complete and utter cockmonger, then you might want to get the story correct before you do so, you stupid fucks.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers is suing God. He said on Monday that it is to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits.

Chambers said senators periodically have offered bills prohibiting the filing of certain types of suits. He said his main objection is that the constitution requires that the doors to the courthouse be open to all.

"Thus anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody -- even God," Chambers said.

Chambers said he decided to file the lawsuit after a suit was filed in early September in federal court against Lancaster County Judge Jeffre Cheuvront. He's the judge who was hearing a sexual assault case in which the plaintiff wants to use the words rape and victim during her testimony.

Hat tip to Pandagon for the story, and commenter Kaethe for bring the facts to light before things got much worse.

A song for today

This is the song I am going to listen to all day today.

This is the song I will forever associate with today, if everything goes as predicted.



Apocalyptica, "HOPE"

The Obama Infomercial

Just saw the second half of it, since I'm an idiot and forgot it was on. What I saw, though, was powerful: A combination of Obama's background explaining why he believes what he believes, looks into the daily lives of people who will benefit from an Obama presidency, and a few minutes of the soon-to-be-President-elect at an event in Florida whre the place was absolutely PACKED, which is surprising considering it was in Florida. (Let's see McSame pull those kind of numbers down.)

I know there's going to be a lot of talk about this in the next couple days, and I know that there will be people for it, and people against it, and people who will bash it who didn't even see it, but I'm content in saying that I liked what I saw.

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve"

Remember Sarah "Mooselini" Palin saying Sen. Obama was "palling around with terrorists"?

Looks like the Obama campaign isn't going to take that kind of smear lying down.

The campaign has built a site to show what happens when you start playing with fire: Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis.

Like I keep saying: You fuck with the bull, son, you get the horns.

Jack Thompson Disbarred; World Slightly Less Crazy

From Kotaku: Jack Thompson Disbarred

Is it finally game over for Florida lawyer and violent video game opponent Jack Thompson? Judgment has been entered in the case that started last year and came to a head when Judge Dava Tunis recommended permanent disbarment for the bombastic, showboating law man. The court has approved the report and has ordered that JT is officially disbarred as of 30 days from today.

The Court approves the corrected referee's report and John Bruce Thompson is permanently disbarred, effective thirty days from the date of this order so that respondent can close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. If respondent notifies the Court in writing that he is no longer practicing and does not need the thirty days to protect existing clients, this Court will enter an order making the permanent disbarment effective immediately. Respondent shall accept no new business from the date this order is filed.

Note that Thompson still has a chance for a retrial, only due to court sanctions the motion must me submitted by a member of the Florida Bar in good standing, and I don't know that anyone wants to touch this one. It's also worth noting that along with disbarment, Thompson has been ordered to reimburse the Florida Bar fees amounting to $43,675.35. Ouch.

Well, Jack, I guess that's what you get when you harass, threaten, and slander people for a living.

Naturally, Thompson is swearing revenge, in his usual insane, unrealistic, vaguely-threatening way, not realizing that nobody's going to listen to him since he's shown himself to be nuttier than a squirrel's lunch. And, just to rub it in, people are celebrating.

I think it's best summed up by a video I found on YouTube while looking for information on this. As the song says, "Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, goodbye!"

As they say on the Internets...

HA HA HA, OH WOW

Obama responds to the firestorm.

This man needs to be President. SO HARD.

Can you give a State of the Union address before you're president? Barack Obama talked about race in America for 45 minutes in a nearly 5,000-word speech. That was longer than some of the annual presidential addresses, and though, yes, those speeches tend to cover more topics, this one felt like it addressed the actual state of our union more than those dreary January list readings presidents are obligated to perform.

Here.

I cannot stress just how awe-inspiring this speech is, it simply HAS to be heard to experience it.

Justice! Jack Thompson Slapped with Show Cause Order by Florida SC

From Game Politics: Florida Supreme Court Comes Down Hard on Jack Thompson

Embattled anti-game attorney Jack Thompson, already awaiting a referee’s decision regarding his possible disbarment, got an additional spanking from the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday.

A docket entry posted by the Court, and forwarded to GamePolitics by Thompson himself, reveals that the controversial attorney has been hit with a show cause order for allegedly “abusing the legal system:”

02/19/2008 ORDER-SHOW CAUSE TO: JOHN BRUCE THOMPSON It appears to the Court that you have abused the legal system by submitting numerous frivolous and inappropriate filings in this Court.

Therefore, it is ordered that you shall show cause on or before March 5, 2008, why this Court should not find that you have abused the legal system process and impose upon you a sanction for abusing the legal system, including, but not limited to directing the Clerk of this Court to reject for filing any future pleadings, petitions, motions, letters, documents, or other filings submitted to this Court by you unless signed by a member of The Florida Bar other than yourself.

You really should go read the whole story. That crazy fucker still seems to think he's got the upper hand, threatening and blustering against the Florida Bar Association like he's God fucking Incarnate.

If there's any justice in the world, Jack'll be disbarred within a couple months.

House Votes to Hold Miers and Bolten in Contempt; House Repubs Throw Tantrum and Walk Out

From The Gavel: House Approves Contempt Resolutions for Miers and Bolten

Today, the House has just approved H.Res. 982 by a vote of 223-32-1, which provides for the adoption of H.Res. 979, recommending that the House of Representatives find Harriet Miers, former White House Counsel, and Joshua Bolten, the White House Chief of Staff, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with subpoenas issued by the Judiciary Committee. These subpoenas were issued as part of the Committee’s investigation into the firings of a number of United States Attorneys and matters concerning the politicization of the Justice Department. This resolution also provides for adoption of H.Res. 980 - Authorizing the Committee on the Judiciary to initiate or intervene in judicial proceedings to enforce certain subpoenas.

But remember, according to the paranoid-lite crowd, Congress doesn't so anything and everyone's OMGZ TEH TRAYTUR because they're not stupid enough to waste time on impeachment votes that will never come to fruition.

And how did the House Republicans react to this? Why, with a good old-fashioned tantrum.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino called the move "a partisan, futile act" that would not be enforced by the Justice Department.

In other words, Dumbass Dana is saying that the Justice Department doesn't enforce the law, just the will of its masters. Or, to put it bluntly, it's not about justice, it's about abuse.

And the chamber's Republican minority staged a walkout before the vote, demanding that Democratic leaders vote instead on a revision of federal surveillance laws.

"We will not stand here and watch this floor be abused for pure political grandstanding at the expense of our national security," Minority Leader John Boehner said to jeers from Democrats.

Aww, are the whiny-ass titty babies gonna cry 'cuz they aren't forcing the bill to make illegal activities legal for their Father Figure? Well, keep crying, you whiny little bastards, because it's not gonna get any better.