This is my mom’s favorite song. It reminds me of all the other great pieces of literature she read to me before I started school. I went to bed each night with visions from the works of William Blake dancing in my head. Edgar Allen Poe was another of her favorites. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
A Samford University security officer reported an armed black man held a gun to his head. This prompted administrators to put the campus in lockdown mode for a couple of hours Friday morning.
This put my coworker, a devoted Southern Baptist, into a tizzy because of all her friends and fellow worshippers affiliated with the school. I told her my suspicions about the incident namely because no surveillance video had been released and the story sounds as plausible as “the black man kidnapped my white baby” scenario. My own journalistic instincts smelled something rotten in Homewood, Alabama.
AL.COM reports this morning on the security guard’s confession:
“he faked the report because he was tired of riding in a golf cart and not being allowed to carry a gun, Homewood police said.
The false report initiated a daylong frenzy, with warnings about the gunman going out to staff, students and parents.
The officer, whose name was withheld by Samford and Homewood authorities, has worked at the campus for years, said Homewood Police Chief Phil Dodd.”
I hope this schmuck is charged with some terrorism related offense because it’s exactly what he did. He wanted to carry a gun. So, he concocted a tale of a scary black man at Whitey U., had his race-baiting message of terror broadcasted throughout the Birmingham-Metro area, effectively terrorized students, faculty, and the community as he preyed on fears of school shootings, and aimed for the end result for him to carry a gun.
Above is MSNBC’s Chris Matthews takes on the McCain “losing his bearings” and McCain’s purporting he voted for Bush. McCain had made a statement that amounted to Hamas wants Barack Obama for President. Obama responded by saying McCain’s “losing his bearings.” McCain’s camp went apeshit accusing Obama of bringing up age rather than treating the comment as a response to McCain’s integrity and policy. Matthews pressed Hamas wanting Obama.
Ed Schultz responded:
So, what…I mean there might be somebody in the KKK rooting for John McCain.”
Here are the lyrics from Max and the Marginalized:
Consider the Source
As my television box would tell it
You’re a trailblazing renegade of sorts
With convictions of steel, a dead even keel
A chara-character tour de force
Denying that you spoke against the king when he ascended
Now that you’ve followed him along with no remorse
So the next time you call someone a liar, consider the source
I’ve heard you give a lecture on morals
On integrity, fidelity and more
They fail to mention your carousing with the heiress
Whoever knows how long before your first divorce
You said you never would accept her contributions
As the Sugar Momma Express rides on course
So the next time you call someone a liar, consider the source
7 or 8 years ago I might have less to say
I don’t care who you were back then, but who you are today
I don’t expect no talking heads to say what you’re about
So I’ll keep singing all these songs until the truth comes out
They said nothing on the message multipliers
So I won’t put a lot of stock in their reports
And indeed there’s not a word they’ve said about you
That’s been true since O.J. had his day in court
They’ll say nothing of Cindy’s missing taxes
Or the pastor you chased down to endorse
So the next time they wax about your honor, consider the source
Every so often while my husband’s working, he’ll inadvertently bang his cell phone, and the phone dials me. This happened to a mother whose son was engaged in a firefight in Afghanistan. He hit a wall and bumped the redial button on his cell. The firefight was recorded on his mother’s answering machine. The message went dead after her son shouted, “Incoming, incoming, RPG!”
Not only is this so-called “Reverend” Rod Parsley simultaneously scary and full of shit, he’s also a big, fat dirty liar. Many Muslims do believe in Jesus, a divine one even. In fact, the Shi’a in Iran believe that Jesus will have a second coming and be there for the perfecting of the world on the Day of the Resurrection.
We truly have our Caligula with George W. Bush. Can you imagine Barbara Bush calling him “Little Boots?” In last night’s Bushed segment, Keith Olbermann featured the FBI Raid on Scott J. Bloch’s office in the offices of Special Counsel. Bloch who was supposed to be protecting whistleblowers is suspected of hanging them out to dry. Also, Bush won’t renominate the Federal Election Commission’s David Mason who actually called McCain out for attempting to opt out of federal financing. The Fix is in.
Olbermann sums up the argument of the most loathsome loyal Bushie Max Boot, a consultant on the War in Iraq:
If fewer Americans die in Iraq, that’s because the surge is working. If more Americans die in Iraq, that’s also because the surge is working. And if the surge is working, the troops have to stay longer to solidify its gains. And if the surge isn’t working, the troops have to stay longer to make sure it starts working. And the point of the War in Iraq is to make sure there is a war in Iraq.”
North Carolina primary an overwhelming victory for Barack Obama over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Obama grabbed 56% of the votes while Clinton received 42% with 99% of the precincts reporting. Indiana was nearly a tie 51% to 49% favoring Clinton. These results secure Obama’s lead and NBC finally declared him the Democratic Nominee.
(Perhaps attempting to appeal to his students at Berkeley, Yoo actually makes an appearance as the singer’s love interest in the video.)
An anonymous source has told The Raw Story that John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer who wrote the Torture Memos will testify before the House Judiciary Committee. The memos which gave carte blanche to human rights violations and laughed in the face of the Geneva Conventions have now been repudiated at DoJ though damned if the U.S. Attorney General will hold the Republican Freak Show accountable which is just another form of corruption (to throw Mukasey’s words in his face). Here’s a link to the committee members in case you want to suggest questions. Or post your questions in the comment section and I’ll send them to my congressman. He’s on the committee, and he’s a good guy.
The Bush Administration learns this week just how stupid it is to imprison a journalist. Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj was released from Guantanamo Bay to his home country Sudan just days ago. Al-Hajj wasted no time though describing injustices he saw at the prison camp to the media.
The irony of Bush statement on Freedom of the Press was not lost on the network:
Brutal regimes and others who seek to stifle liberty often do so by closing down private newspapers and radio and television stations. They kidnap, arbitrarily jail, and beat journalists…Some journalists have been taken from their families for years, and others have been killed for speaking out.” President George W. Bush, May 1, 2008
(Lack of grammatical errors in Bush’s statement may be due to Al Jazeera editors.)
You’ve got to sink pretty low to give Sudan the high ground with their slave trade and female genital mutilation rituals, but Bush did it.
The frail Al-Hajj, who had been on hunger strike for months in protest over his treatment at Guantanamo, was flown to Khartoum, carried off the air craft by U.S. military, and taken immediately to a hospital.
Later he was reunited with his family after 7 years. He had not seen his boy since the child was a toddler.
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann talks to Kal Penn of the comedy Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
The plot involves Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) being taken into custody on a flight to Amsterdam after passengers believe a bong is a bomb. The two end up in Guantanamo where an FBI agent (The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry) accuses Korean-American Harold and Indian-American Kumar of working for Kim Jong Il and Osama bin Laden.
Max and the Marginalized lament the inattention of the media to the real McCain in this latest piece. The McCain caricature reminds me of Mr. Magoo, but there are no real yuks to be had. The song has teeth.
CNN American Morning anchor, John Roberts declares a “Reverend Wright Free” Zone as he introduced Barack Obama who appeared live from Evansville, Indiana. Roberts said his audience didn’t want to hear it; they’ve heard enough.
Also appearing was Hillary Clinton. She talked about her gas tax holiday. Roberts busted out a sound bite from President Clinton’s Labor Secretary:
It’s stupid, and it’s dumb, and I don’t why Senator Hillary Clinton kind of proposed it.” –Robert Rice
Hey, Senator, it’s good to see you out of your sweats; I know you’ve been playing a lot of basketball lately.” –Brian Kilmeade, Fox & Friends, May 5, 2008
Senator Barack Obama was seen slumming on Fox and Friends this morning. The hosts were obviously on their best behavior (no madrassa questions), but that did not preclude an awkward opening by Kilmeade. 6 on the cringe factor scale.
Then Hillary Clinton came on. Host Barbie Doll started out with questions about Hillary’s “niceness.” 8 on the cringe factor scale.
Barbie did ask about the so-called “Nuclear Option.” Clinton said she will try to bring in Michigan and Florida in spite of her earlier endorsement of Democratic party rules.
Over in Texas, just west of Polygamy city, is the ranch where Republican women are genetically manufactured, indoctrinated, and released into society. They all start out as males, of course. Liberty University scientists remove the grey matter from the cranium of their subjects and load brain bits onto nanocranes. The tiny builders and their cargo are injected into the Republican intravenously. The nanocranes proceed to attach kick stands to all the Y chromosomes until every relevant cell has been fitted to appear as an X. The body absorbs the leftover grey matter and poops it out.
The House Judiciary Committee threatened to subpoena former White House adviser Karl Rove, unless he agrees by May 12 to testify about his role in the politically-motivated prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman.
Rove’s attorney Robert Luskin is boo-hooing over the subpoena threat. Apparently, Luskin and Rove now regret telling TELEVISION news anchor Dan Abrams that Rove would testify. Luskin sent told the Committee that the BROADCASTER had twisted his words.
(Just a thought…what the hell kind of attorney let’s his client step in it like this?)
From Think Progress:
Your invitation is premised on reports that I had expressed Mr. Rove’s “willingness to testify before the committee.” The report in question was based on an e-mail exchange with a producer for a cable news network and was taken grossly out of context.”
Abrams let’s you read the emails:
From: Verdict with Dan Abrams
To: Robert Luskin
Sent: April 07, 2008 4:59 PM
Sorry. Let me be more clear. Will Karl Rove agree to testify if Congress issues a subpoena to him as part of an investigation into the Siegelman case?
From: Robert Luskin
To: Verdict with Dan Abrams
Sent: April 07, 2008 6:59 PM
Sure. Although it seems to me that the question is somewhat offensive. It assume he has: something to hide, even though — gov siegelman’s uncorroborated assertions aside — there’s literally no credible evidence whatsoever to substantiate his charges. I would hope that you’d get around to mentioning that fact.
Rove wants to fight his battles publicly. Luskin is saying Rove will speak, not testify, behind closed doors, with no transcript, and not under oath. So, Rove wants the power to lie to the people and the Congress simultaneously. Wouldn’t it be nice.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found hanging in a Florida shed Thursday. Local police say it was suicide. Vanity Fair’s Vicky Ward backs up police findings on Dan Abrams’ the Verdict. Abrams asks Ward about “conspiracy” theories.
This is a draft-dodging half-human war criminal with a pregnant lesbian daughter who tells senators to fuck themselves and shoots his own friends in the face. Ordering an outcall hooker is positively innocent compared to the well-known things Cheney does every day.”
Personally, I don’t put anything past this administration, particularly the VP. The Raw Story did a piece this week on the mysterious crimes and accidents that happen to targets of the Bush DoJ.
Each week a new national outrage goes underreported beneath the primary noise. Last week it was the Pentagon puppets, this week it’s the deplorable living conditions at Fort Bragg, reported by a military father with a camera and a conscience.”
The band sets their outrage to music. Here are the lyrics:
If That Don’t Make You Madder
I wasn’t born with a sense of outrage, just a sense of trust
7 years of disappointments, it’s managed to
