Rants From The Rookery

About 3 minutes in

2009-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Is the best part....

Happy Tryptophan Day! Or Tofu Day...

I am grateful that some people never 'grow up'

2009-11-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

And haven't forgotten how to dance for the fun of it.

Whooooo boy...

2009-11-24T16:28:00.001-08:00

The Palinistas are out in force!

The Christianists

2009-11-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Jesus would not recognize these people.

h/t to Crooks and Liars

Watch the US go down the tubes

2009-11-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

As we lose job after job...

h/t to Bryan of Why Now?

If this is how you feel

2009-11-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

Read Phila of Bouphonia's Friday hope posting.

Because we are so desperate for soldiers?

2009-11-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

Army Sends Mom to Afghanistan, Infant to Protective Services

A reminder of who we had in the White House

2009-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

During the Bush administration:

Glenn Greenwald:

Jonathan Schwarz notes that in 2005, Donald Rumsfeld traveled to Lithuania and visited a museum in Vilnius which once housed a KGB prison, where the Soviets tortured prisoners. That museum exhibits "solitary confinement rooms which were used to break down the prisoners and make them confess." Shockingly, "the walls are padded and soundproofed, made to absorb the cries and shouts for help," as it was the site of barbaric acts like this:

Prisoners either had to stand in ice-cold water or to balance on a small platform. Every time they got tired they fell down into the water.

After his visit, Rumsfeld released an "Open Letter to the People of Vilnius," in which he solemnly observed that "the museum was a stark reminder of the importance of preserving our liberty at all costs." Schwarz asks: "Did Rumsfeld Tour KGB Torture Museum to Pick Up Useful Tips?"

I wouldn't doubt it. Remember, they went down to Guantanamo to watch. And Rumsfeld complained that standing wasn't torture:

Forced Standing: "I stand for 8-10 hours a day," Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a 2002 interrogation memo. "Why is standing limited to four hours?" Rumsfeld would probably feel a little differently about this if he had to stand in place for 8-10 hours, which can cause ankle swelling, bruising, and excruciating pain.

House Finance Committee actually did something!

2009-11-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

The Washington establishment suffers a serious defeat
By Glenn Greenwald

Something quite amazing happened yesterday in Congress: the House Finance Committee -- in a truly bipartisan and even trans-ideological vote -- defied the banking industry, the Federal Reserve, the Democratic leadership, and mainstream Beltway opinion in order to pass an amendment, sponsored by GOP Rep. Ron Paul and Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, mandating a genuine and probing audit of the Fed. The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim has the best account of what took place, noting:
In an unprecedented defeat for the Federal Reserve, an amendment to audit the multi-trillion dollar institution was approved by the House Finance Committee with an overwhelming and bipartisan 43-26 vote on Thursday afternoon despite harried last-minute lobbying from top Fed officials and the surprise opposition of Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who had previously been a supporter.

Vietnam all over again

2009-11-20T23:01:00.000-08:00

Bill Moyers shows the spooky parallels between Johnson struggling with Vietnam and Obama wrestling with Iraq and Afghanistan. You will even hear the same phrases being used. We haven't learned a damned thing.

New Moon and Bob

2009-11-20T22:58:00.001-08:00

Apparently Movie Bob isn't that into Meyer's vampire movies....

One way to deal with our nation's obesity problem

2009-11-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Threaten them with Peruvian gangs:

Peruvian gang allegedly killed for human fat for cosmetics

Headlines

2009-11-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Twittering into history: 5 Famous Last Status Updates

The Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade

Slate's: The Going Rogue Index, TPM's Sarah, Plain And Lying

Strange Crocs of the Sahara has some fantastic dinosaur era animation. Also: Dung helps reveal why mammoths died out

Pirates!: Increased Violence on the High Seas

And this: College Students Arrested For Refusing To Pay Tip

To those who want to control a woman's right to choose

2009-11-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Because they have problems with women in general and sex specifically... some have had enough:

JOINT STATEMENT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS ON STUPAK AMENDMENT

Catholics for Choice, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Clergy Network, the Religious Coalition on Reproductive Choice, and the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing represent more than ten thousand religious leaders and tens of thousands of people of faith who believe that abortion must be safe, legal, and accessible. We come together to condemn the passage of the Stupak amendment, which if passed by the Senate will effectively deny coverage for abortion services to women covered by the new federal health care plan. We are appalled that religious leaders intervened to impose their specific religious doctrine into health care reform, not recognizing that women must have the right to apply or reject the principles of their own faith in making the decision as to whether or not abortion is appropriate in their specific circumstances. Further, we decry those who sought to use abortion as a way to scuttle much needed health care reform. We call on the President and the United States Senate to ensure that the final bill that passes does not include any specific prohibition on the use of federal funds for reproductive health care services. We pray for a renewed commitment to relational and reproductive justice for all.

Natasha Chart of Open Left talks about a pregnancy that could have killed her. And how the doctor said she would do nothing. And then links to a list of things that can go wrong in a pregnancy.

Fuzz on fuzz attack

2009-11-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

The reason why the Republicans are afraid of Gitmo prisoners...

2009-11-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

Is because we'll finally find out that most of 'the worst of the worst' detainees have been a bunch of Afghani farmers, foot soldiers of the Taliban, or confused impressionable teenagers along with a few hardened criminals.

We'll find out these scary terrorists are nothing to be afraid of and that all this time... for eight long years... the real terrorists were in the White House.

Bryan of Why Now? explains the US prison system to those poor terrified Republicans.

Feeding an alien encroaching into your territory?

2009-11-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

Obviously the animal world is liberal!

Bush's legacy

2009-11-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

More American households had difficulty putting enough food on the table in 2008

In 2008, 85 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year, but 14.6 percent of households were food insecure at least some time during that year, up from 11.1 percent in 2007.

This is the highest recorded prevalence rate of food insecurity since 1995 when the first national food security survey was conducted.

Teabaggery: The gift that keeps on giving

2009-11-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

(pic from the archives, just for memory's sake:)

The top ten conservative idiots.

To hell with diplomacy and careful deliberation

2009-11-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

We need a manly manish man of a president man to do stuff in a manly way!

(sarcasm rich, yes.)

Support our soldiers

2009-11-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Right now, in a disgraceful move, Sen. Tom Coburn is single-handedly holding up some very important veteran legislation. Sen. Coburn is trying to block S. 1963, “The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.” While this is a legal move, we think it is morally wrong for Sen. Coburn to hold up any veterans benefits during a time when our men and women in uniform are giving so much to our country.

Sign the petition and send Coburn a message.

Worth a rerun?

2009-11-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin rides in to the rescue!

2009-11-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

Obama is daring to think the detainees in Guantanamo are actually human beings. Palin shoots off her six shooters:If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high.
God, this sounds so familiar....

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush pledged anew Friday that Osama bin Laden will be taken "dead or alive," no matter how long it takes, amid indications that the suspected terrorist may be bottled up in a rugged Afghan canyon. The president, in an Oval Office meeting with Thailand's prime minister, would not predict the timing of bin Laden's capture but said he doesn't care how the suspect is brought to justice. "I don't care, dead or alive — either way," Bush said. "It doesn't matter to me."

Or this:

"Bring 'em on," President Bush declared, when asked about guerrilla attacks on US troops in Iraq.

Because acting tough is always better than actually being tough and making tough decisions.

*edited for clarity and because if I didn't correct it, the grammar police would kick down my door.

Thank you, sirs, for your service to our nation

2009-11-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

The antigay Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., routinely disrupts military funerals, holding bright-colored signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "God Hates America."
The presence of the Patriot Guard, however, seems to deter such intrusions. At the funeral of Merced, Calif., Army Pfc. Lukas Hopper last Saturday, the Patriot Guard Riders were there at the Hopper family's request — and the protesters were nowhere to be seen.
In solemn silence, the slightly grisly veterans stood in rigid formation bearing American and Army flags. They joined the 45-minute procession from Merced to Catheys Valley Cemetery.
Their flags, their bikes and most of all their daunting presence was the first thing a passerby may have noticed. By mourners, they were probably hardly noticed at all.
Born out of protests that threatened to disrupt the 2005 funeral of 19-year-old Carrie French, and later that summer, the funeral of Edward Myers, both killed in Iraq, the Patriot Guard Riders banded together to ensure that fallen heroes are honored with respect and dignity.
Since its formation, the Patriot Guard Riders has grown into a national organization with a membership of more than 170,000, including members in Merced and Mariposa counties.

Hope springs eternal

2009-11-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

Because of Phila of Bouphonia's hope post.

And the promise of comfort in warm places....