No Main Topic

1. The "Rich Lady Hits On Pool Boy" story with a twist.
2. I guess "yay" if you're a Yankees fan.
3. What's new, pussycat?
4. Ranking Irene.
5. Not everyone is qualified to be a teacher.
   

No Love Lost...

Erik Estrada and George Lopez really don't like each other.

Around the Internets

1. "Blame a Black Man" isn't as effective as it used to be, but that won't stop people from using it.
2. Cities with bad workout ethics.
   
3. Stalker anthems.
4. Where the single ladies at?
   

Former Wizard Suspected of Murder

And here I thought I'd never see a story involving Javaris Crittenton and guns.

No Main Topic

1. Tebow has to prove himself all over again.
2. Earthquake update.
3. A slam dunk comedy.
   
4. Qaddafi may be down, but he will not give up his baseball card collection.
   
5. Pat Summitt to continue coaching.
6. A reminder of what's going on in the mind of the latest class of Freshmen.
   

(Not A) Whole Lot Of Shaking Going On

A 5.8-6.0 Earthquake, centered around VA, hit the East Coast. All I know is that due to my motion sickness, I still feel kinda queasy...

Weird Retaliation

Is it me, or is it everytime Obama is attacked for his domestic policies (whether from the Left and the Right) he does something/is involved in something next-to-awesome in the foreign policy side?*

Does this mean that if he starts getting criticized more for his foreign policies, he'll do something to boost the economy and create more jobs before next March?






* = Sending drones and near-net-zero troop change notwithstanding, of course

...By Any Other Name...

Can you name four characteristics of the Tea Party? Give up?

No Main Topic

1. I don't know if I want to live in a world where it's not even safe to be a scout leader.
2. When things end, they tend to end badly.
3. Better late than never.
4. All the Help we need.
5. Falling in love is hard on the knees...for Americans.
   

Around the Internets

1. Cracked.com's Soren Bowie tries to turn Taylor Swift into a rock star.
2. When Rick Santorum says you're out of bounds...
   
3. From the "Duh Files": your genes can affect your weight.
4. Some people at NewsBusters cannot read.
   
5. I knew there was a reason I wasn't making more money.
6. Talk about hitting it.
   
7. Making sequels is harder than you think.
8. Ice-T has a point.
   

Sigh

OK, here's a pic of President Bush riding a bike:




And here's President Obama in a recent photo riding a bike:



Both guys are wearing helmets, right? Well guess which President nit-picking conservatives chose to attack over wearing a bike helmet?

Another Potential Batman Villian...Is On the Run

Yikes X 3:

Authorities in Oklahoma are on the hunt for a man who didn't show up for a court appearance Monday for his rape trial, and who has ties to the Oathkeeper movement and believes his arrest was part of a government conspiracy.

Charles Dyer, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, was arrested and charged in January of 2010 on two separate counts -- one charge of possessing an unregistered grenade launcher that was registered as stolen from a military base in California, and one charge of raping a minor. In April, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury couldn't reach a decision.

On Monday, Dyer was scheduled to appear in court for the beginning of the new trial, but did not. His bond was revoked, and the judge issued a $500,000 bench warrant for his arrest.

In a bizarre twist, Dyer's house burnt down on Friday -- and his girlfriend was arrested for suspected arson, according to KFOR News.

"We're sure he's going to be armed," said Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney of Dyer. "There's no doubt about that."

Jon Perr's Bottom Line

President Obama's on a road trip trying to gain support from a non-existent political center.

Maybe They Should Re-name It "Killbook"

$1,000.00 apparently goes further than I thought.

Major R.I.P.

A football player, a reality star spouse and an NFL Hall-of-Famer.

When I Find A "Pro-Union Democrat Accused of Making Employees Work For Below Minimum Wage" Story, I'll Post That...

...until then:

An 18-year-old man is claiming he was offered money for sex by Indiana State Rep. Phillip “Phil” Hinkle, after the teen posted an ad on Craisglist seeking a “sugar daddy.”

Hinkle, who recently voted for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, allegedly sought out Kameryn Gibson in the men-for-men section on the website.

Michael Moore On the Year The American Middle Class Got Screwed

For those who like to blame Clinton, Bush or Obama, well... the truth will surprise you.

Around The Internets

1. Well, he's persistent.
2. These foods can help keep you going.
3. That debt ceiling "deal" isn't exactly what was advertised.
4. When you make Pokemon more realistic...yikes.
   

Quote Of The Day

Debate:

"I'm the bigger extremist"

"No, I am"

"Nuh uh, I are teh biggest"

"Hi, I'm John Huntsman, professional eunuch, look how moderate and safe I am"

"Hahaha...dummy...you're supposed to be EXTREME like poltiical Mountain Dew!"

"That's why I'm the extremistest"

"No way...I are"

Enter Rondroid stage right: "[Insert libertarian blather]...something something the Fed"

*Crickets*

"Socialism!"

tad dah...now everyone can skip it and watch Food Network.

-- "Sniffit," previewing tonight's GOP debate.

Around the Internets

1. Catwoman!
   
2. Jay-Z and Kanye might be having some problems.
3. Someone was dunking their donuts, alright.
4. There's a new Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe.
5. Probably the best Abridged Script ever (not done by Rod, of course).
6. You stay classy, John Derbyshire.
7. "Murdoch Minion arrested-Piers Morgan is in the hot Hot HOT seat."
8. Meet the new Perry White.
9. Young Black men are facing and HIV problem.
   
10. Microsoft's warmware problem.
    

Guess Chris Christie's Out, Huh?

New Jersey Governor and previous GOP darling Chris Christie mad a little news for defending his nomination of a person who happened to be Muslim. Specifically, his replay to conservative critics was:

Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all — it’s crazy! It’s crazy. The guy’s an American citizen…This Sharia Law business is crap. It’s just crazy, and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies. It’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.

It shouldn't be surprising, then, to hear that the anti-Muslim conservatives are pushing back.

Don't. Fuck. With. Thor.

Great Odin's Raven!

Get On the Inside & Make a Difference

Want to know another good way to get involved in politics and actually make a difference?

Read, watch and take notes.

No Main Topic

1. R.I.P., Bubba Smith.
2. Beware the Bears.
3. Cutting the cheese!
4. Who counsels the counselors?
5. Somehow, this will be politicized.
   

Maybe He's a Donnie Darko Fan

Idaho police warns man that wearing his bunny suit is scaring the kiddies.

Rich Guy Tries To Rally Poor People By Reminding Them That They Are Poor

You have to give Mitt Romney credit: the guy doesn't quit (he just flip-flops). Too bad for him the rest of the GOP isn't really sure what to do with the Tea Party.

"99% of Your Fan's Don't Exist"

In this case, we're talking about Newt Gingrich, and it's actually 92%.

Let's Stop Stereotyping What a "Terrorist" Is, Shall We?

Here's one list on ten (in)famous ones. Do they look anything like the images the media seems bent on burning into our brains? No? Well, just like thieves and serial killers, there's no one "look." It's about the person's mental state and view of the world, and those things are colorblind.

This Is The Government You Didn't Vote For

My feelings about the debt ceiling deal is pretty much like this:

It's bad but the 2010 election results made this inevitable. I worked through my anger and despair last November; now I'm just looking forward to 2012. There will be no progress until the GOP is completely out of power and that is still a goal worth fighting for.

I know the White House is pushing to make this seem like everyone gained something from it. That's OK; that's their job. The GOP, Grover Norquist and various Congressional Democrats are doing the same thing. 11th Hour legislation makes for strange bedfellows.

But we need to remember how we got here. Financially-speaking, much of this mess occurred during the housing crisis and the sloppy way it was addressed. Politically -and I can't stress this enough- this ordeal was written in stone the minute the Tea Party-infused GOP won back the House of Representatives.

If Barack Obama should be blamed politically for anything from the Left, it's that he -much like Bill Clinton- did not fight tooth and nail to maintain a majority in both houses of Congress (many people seem to forget that George W. Bush actually came out ahead politically in his first midterm election, mostly due to the resonance of 9/11 and the GOP's subsequent fearmongering).

But other than that? Well, maybe he could have argued things from a more liberal starting point, but he's not a modern-day liberal. Obama is a pragmatic consensus builder, meaning that in the end of the day he doesn't want one side to say they got the wrong end of the deal. Of course, this means that if both parties either love or hate the compromise, he tends to count that as a victory.

Nevertheless, he can't be blamed for that; it's who he is. If liberals wanted the Democratic version of George W. Bush, a president who would force a progressive/liberal agenda regardless of what polls, pundits and majorities in either Congressional body say, then they should have backed someone other than the three finalists of the 2008 Democratic Primary.

Simply speaking, the reason that it appears that the Democratic Party is losing it because they're still being reasonable and diplomatic. The Tea Party have no desire to compromise; they consider doing so to be a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, the Tea Party represents the base of the Republican Party right now, and as I've said before, the GOP fears their base more than the Democrats fear theirs.

"Well, that means the Democrats should have someone like Bernie Sanders primary Obama!" You mean "Independent-Not-Part-of-the-Democratic-Party-Yet-Sent-a-Mailer-Begging-For-Donations-Anyway" Bernie Sanders? How about getting someone who, isn't only a member of the party, but also has a chance of winning in the general election? What's the point of wasting time and resources to "teach Obama a lesson" if the man/woman actually causes an upset (much like Obama did)?

No; the solution is pretty much what I said before: more liberals need to get out of the stands and get into the game. Don't stop at just voting and helping with the campaign, actually run for office. If you don't think there's enough liberals in Congress, run for a spot and help build their numbers, and in addition, make their voices heard. What's needed are liberals who aren't afraid of losing their seat in a reelection because they went all out in their first term; and as long as people are governing to a campaign, that won't happen.

And if more liberals had decided to be a part of this monster called Congress, we would be asking, "What Tea Party" instead of fretting about the country going into default.

(*drops mic*)

UPDATE: This Daily Kos Diarist is pretty in sync with my thinking on this issue. In addition, this diary is good for those looking for the story behind the story, and this one focuses on what's really important.