Thanks again, wonkette

Future Campaign Scandal!!!

You know, these folks may actually be on to the awful truth...

Also good to see wonkette is drinking with Republicans so I don't have to. (And not missing any chance at back-scratching her opposite number in NY.)

Friday Cat Blogging

Still can't figure out how to post photos, but Elizabeth Bishop's lovely "Lullaby for the Cat" is irresistible. Enjoy.

Christie gets the kiss-off?

Apostropher drops some science again, as usual.

Is it foolish of me to suspect someone influenced Bush to get right with science just this one time?

Gov. Whitman has time on her hands, and she certainly got an earful when she ran "the bureaucracy". Maybe she was even willing to listen? At any rate, she's been writing and planning her next move. I see the hydra-headed Washington Speakers Bureau is booking her after the Inauguration.

Make no mistake, Whitman is willing to shill for her ex-boss. But she could yet make trouble at the extremist makeover. Does this mean she's been bought?

If so, she's grown extraordinarily cheap. It's August, and it's "Take out the Trash Day". If Gov.Whitman ever cared, you'd think she'd be getting off the reservation right about now.

No comment

This one speaks for itself. Yeesh.

Our new snowclone overlords?

Thanks to my love for the reminder to go a-hunting -- I've meant to track something like this down for ever so long! I don't think I'll ever really understand Bakhtinian analysis, but at least I found the Simpsons quote in context. (Well, that's my level found.)

I'm not so sure about the term "snowclone" yet. I'll buy that "cliche" isn't quite specific enough, and apparently "meme" just makes people wince; but any word that requires an exemplary anecdote to be comprehensible seems unlikely to stand the test of time.

It has to start somewhere

In case you, Dear Reader, saw the previous post without finding anything worth doing yourself to fight the power, here's a reasonable start.

I've only sent to Target, since I've done the most business with them; but I'll look forward to their response.

When cutting-and-pasting the ACLU text, however, I do recommend you take a moment to correct (in the third paragraph) the spelling of the word "latitude", which has gotten on fine since Middle English or thereabouts without only one "t" in the first syllable.

(Because I'm pedantic, and I don't care who knows, and it's impossible to hide anyhow. Although that wasn't a grammatical sentence really. Or that. So maybe never mind.)

Who watches the watchmen? Um, actually that should be everybody

I've been pleased to see decent coverage of the FBI's attempt to throw cold water on political dissent (links aplenty to come). I realize she's preaching to the choir here, but Theoria is my new best dKos friend. Fight the power!

Bring it on!

Reasonably strong words from John Kerry (via Atrios). I hope it gets some play in the media...

SHUT IT DOWN?

Can't decide what to think of this action... My secret girlfriend Wonkette (in the talking-shit-about-strangers-in-public-places sort of way) got me to the site, because she's in charge of reading the NY Daily News gossip column for me most of the time.

I certainly see the justice, but there are only three outcomes I can reasonably expect: (1) the streets are deserted -- much bloviating about "polarized politics" and finger-wagging at the meanness of Big City types; (2) only a few choose to act -- and lose their jobs or even careers; (3) there's no noticeable response.

At least the logo's pretty funny. Right or wrong, that's how it strikes me.

"Sit back and watch"? I wanna point & laugh!

Sounds like Rep. Bereuter must hate America.

Seriously, it looks like Bereuter made a principled decision, and better late than never. If the GOP machine tries to attack the former Vice Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, they'd better be loaded for bear. Especially considering how much attention the (now-former) Chairman is getting.

And kudos once more to Rep. Nick Smith (the not quite so brave as Rep. Bereuter). There's certainly an ongoing tradition of getting a little something off your chest when you cash in your chips, but I'd certainly love to see more people take the statesman's option. There's a reason we've all heard of the "military-industrial complex" (see section IV) and the "Iron Curtain". (Thanks to Mr. Saturday for a Churchill reminder.)

Is retirement the last, best hope of an American politician growing a backbone? I'll take what I can get!