Chew'em If You Got'em!

If we wanted to be snarky about it, we could use this post to herald the New York Times, on their Op-Ed page, coming out and endorsing cocaine.

For today, the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma, is on the page, with a informative Op-Ed;

Let Me Chew My Coca Leaves

THIS week in Vienna, a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs took place that will help shape international antidrug efforts for the next 10 years. I attended the meeting to reaffirm Bolivia’s commitment to this struggle but also to call for the reversal of a mistake made 48 years ago. 

In 1961, the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs placed the coca leaf in the same category with cocaine — thus promoting the false notion that the coca leaf is a narcotic — and ordered that “coca leaf chewing must be abolished within 25 years from the coming into force of this convention.” Bolivia signed the convention in 1976, during the brutal dictatorship of Col. Hugo Banzer, and the 25-year deadline expired in 2001.

President Ayma cites that many have been "criminals" for the past eight-years, citing the "absurd state of affairs for Bolivians and other Andean peoples", before giving us a bit of a science (and social) lesson;

Many plants have small quantities of various chemical compounds called alkaloids. One common alkaloid is caffeine, which is found in more than 50 varieties of plants, from coffee to cacao, and even in the flowers of orange and lemon trees. Excessive use of caffeine can cause nervousness, elevated pulse, insomnia and other unwanted effects. 

Another common alkaloid is nicotine, found in the tobacco plant. Its consumption can lead to addiction, high blood pressure and cancer; smoking causes one in five deaths in the United States. Some alkaloids have important medicinal qualities. Quinine, for example, the first known treatment for malaria, was discovered by the Quechua Indians of Peru in the bark of the cinchona tree. 

The coca leaf also has alkaloids; the one that concerns antidrug officials is the cocaine alkaloid, which amounts to less than one-tenth of a percent of the leaf. But as the above examples show, that a plant, leaf or flower contains a minimal amount of alkaloids does not make it a narcotic. To be made into a narcotic, alkaloids must typically be extracted, concentrated and in many cases processed chemically. What is absurd about the 1961 convention is that it considers the coca leaf in its natural, unaltered state to be a narcotic. The paste or the concentrate that is extracted from the coca leaf, commonly known as cocaine, is indeed a narcotic, but the plant itself is not.

Just think of the global, economic boon there could be, if Bolivia, and other Andeans, could mass-market the coca leaf.

Maxwell House could get into the action, with "Good to the last chew"

Winston, also, plastering billboards - "Tastes good, like a coca leaf should"

Certs can make a comeback, go retro and offer "You get two, two, two coca leafs in one"

And, let's not forget Billy Mays, to corner graveyard television, with one of those shouting informercials, touting some new coca leaf product, that will shine your car, stitch your clothes, or wash your entire house while you go to the market.

President Ayma also enlightens us;

It helps mitigate the sensation of hunger, offers energy during long days of labor and helps counter altitude sickness. Unlike nicotine or caffeine, it causes no harm to human health nor addiction or altered state, and it is effective in the struggle against obesity, a major problem in many modern societies.

No addiction ... Fights obesity...

With it offering "energy during long days of labor", countries around the world will experience increased productivity, inproving their GDP and export markets.

Sounds like tremendous upside to this little coca leaf.

Start plowing the fields down there, El Presidente Evo!Listen for the voice, the whispering, but booming, voice that says.

"If you grow it, they will come", "Go The Distance" and "Ease our pain"

With a little bit of make-up, maybe Kevin Costner can play you in the movie.

This Date ... On The Garlic

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Obama's Turn ... On My Faith and My Church

Get Ready For The SuperSizeMe Fearmongering ... House Passes - Without Immunity - New FISA Bill

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard In House Secret Session Last Evening

Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Bailout Curtain!


14 March 2007... On The Garlic

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Libby’s Lawyers Mull Using Moussaoui Trial Strategy

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Disney Picks Iger but Eisner Says He Won't Go; Digging In For Fight

Rose Cashes In On Steroid Scandel

Youths Nabbed In Corporate Icon Hit; MSN Butterfly, Geiko Tortured; Had Long List of Targets

Top Ten Cloves: Excuses Baseball Will Use To Avoid Testifying To Congress

It's All Junkies and Guns, Says Peggy Noonan

Ronald Reagan's most ardant groupie, Peggy Noonan, today, clings, longingly, to her old Willoughby, bemoaning the changes taking place in our turbulent times.



And, she also "hypothesizes" that the Wall Street Meltdown occurred, because everyone on Wall Street is a junkie, and it was Sept. 11th that turned them into junkies.

But, the good thing about it, church-going is up!

In her weekly dreck, "There's No Pill for This Kind of Depression", Noonan utters not one single syllable of criticism at the PartyofNoicans, led, of course by The Bush Grindhouse, for taking a flamethrower to the laws, rules and regulations, over the past eight-years, that has led us directly into Little Peggy's "depression"

She blames it on Sept. 11th and drugs;

The sale of antidepressants and antianxiety drugs is widespread. In New York their use became common after 9/11. It continued through and, I hypothesize, may have contributed to, the high-flying, wildly imprudent Wall Street of the '00s. We look for reasons for the crash and there are many, but I wonder if Xanax, Zoloft and Klonopin, when taken by investment bankers, lessened what might have been normal, prudent anxiety, or helped confuse prudent anxiety with baseless, free-floating fear. Maybe Wall Street was high as a kite and didn't notice. Maybe that would explain Bear Sterns, and Merrill, and Citi.

Yet, she manages, through her pain, to toss one snipe at President Obama;

Yes, people fear Obama will take away the guns he thinks they cling to, but a likely equal contributor to what The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch called a "gun-buying binge" is captured in the slogan on one firearms maker's Web site: "Smith & Wesson stands for protection." People are scared.

And, Peggy channels her Willoughby days (really, her emptiness of Life Without Ronnie);

Two, the economy isn't the only reason for our unease. There's more to it. People sense something slipping away, a world receding, not only an economic one but a world of old structures, old ways and assumptions. People don't talk about this much because it's too big, but I suspect more than a few see themselves, deep down, as "the designated mourner," from the title of the Wallace Shawn play.

[Snip]

To me, one of the signal signs of the times is the number of people surfing the Internet looking for . . . something. One friend looks for small farms in distressed rural areas. Another logs on late at night looking for a house to buy in a small town out West, or down South, or in the Deep South. She is moving all around America in her imagination. I asked if she had a picture in her head of what she was looking for, and she joked that she wanted to go where Atticus Finch made his summation to the jury. I don't think it was really a joke. She's not looking for a new place, she's looking for the old days.

See, there's the whole nut of it.

Obama, and the Democrats, didn't put any "old days" in the Stimulus Package.

We don't need a new direction, a new paradigm, all we need to make Little Peggy happy again is to bring back the "old days"

Don't they do any random drug-testing over there, at the Murdoch Street Journal?


Bonus Little Peggy Boo Hoo's

No More Mister Nice Blog: THE PEASANTS' LIVES LOOK SO SAD FROM MY MANSION ON THE HILL

Sadly No: The Very Serious Peggy Noonan

Brilliant at Breakfast: Let's not allow them to create their own reality

Blue Texan: At Least Bush Kept Us Safe, Except For That Whole 9/11 Thing

Noonan Gives Palin, McCain A "Full Detroit"

This Date ... On The Garlic

13 March 2008... On The Garlic

Editor's Note: Rough Day, Dog Tired, No Posting ...


13 March 2007... On The Garlic

Cosby Out At MSNBC But Still In Running For World Wonder Title; Smith Funeral Coverage Pushes Former Raspy-Voiced Anchor Ahead of Great Wall of China, But Trailing Pyramids of Giza

The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day; Warning - Bypass this post if you don't want to be discouraged


13 March 2006... On The Garlic

When Pressed, Matthews Admits Miffed Not Cast in Clooney Film

Top Ten Cloves: Signs That March Madness Is Taking Root In The White House

Come With Me

Yet, another lost day today, as a very cumbersome day on the homefront (and tomorrow is a hospital visit, so posting will, likely, be late).

We do have someone, jumping up and down, to take the IDOTW title - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford... I mean, he's really going for it...

Citicorp are ungrateful pricks...

Or, how ignorant David Vitter is...

Beware of tomorrow - Friday the 13th!

Meanwhile, enjoy this old gem, from Tania Maria

TANIA MARIA, COME WITH ME, FROM THE COME WITH ME LP 1982 CON

This Date ... On The Garlic

12 March 2008... On The Garlic

Minced Garlic - Keith Olbermann Special Comment ... Smackdown!

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Top Ten Cloves: Things Hillary Clinton and Howard Wolfson Think Barack Obama Can Do To Pass National Security Threshold

If Congress Does Take Up Impeachment, Here's A Piece of Evidence


12 March 2007... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Things The French Are Worried About With New "Desert Louvre" in Dubai

Hit The Road Dick, And Don't You Come Back, No More, No More, No More, No More ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll


12 March 2006... On The Garlic

Update - Now 32-Hours Left To Vote For The Garlic; Help Lift The Garlic Into The 2005 Koufax Award Finals!

Tweety vs. Ari - It's A Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein Kind of World!

God, it was right on cue, with our post earlier today, on Puckered Lips, Mr. Sycophant, Mike Allen, writing about the Bush Cronies spinning the spin.

There he was, looking like, oh, I don't know, a guy that has slept in his suit for a few days, former Bush Grindhouse Liarperson #1, Ari Fleischer, squaring off with Tweety, on "Hardball" today.



I hope to see the transcript tonight, for Liarperson Ari threw out some whoppers.

As the shouting match began, with Tweety pressing him to defend The Commander Guy, Liarperson Ari threw the 2003 autopilot on and just started babbling "Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein" and "Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ...."

And why I want the transcript is to get the phrasing, the words, absolutely correct.

Liarperson Ari said, and I have this mostly correct;

"I think that Barack Obama should say thank you every day, that he inherited a world without Saddam Hussein in it ..."

Say What?

Is this the new meme?

That we all, not just Obama, but every single American citizen, should bow down to The Commander Guy, because we how have a world without Saddam Hussein in it?

WOW!

That's really spinning that Aug 6th, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing memo.

As the segment wore on, right to the very end, it turned into a hot, cat-pissing, shouting-over-each-other slugfest, Liarperson Ari going, again-and-again with "Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein" and "Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ...." - 

And a curse on you Tweety for licking your wounds, instead of going for the knock-out punch, when Liarperson Ari said;

"After September 11, having been hit once, how can we take a chance that Saddam might not strike again ..."

They - The Bush Grindhouse Cronies - are still trying to sell the discredited bullshit of Saddam Hussein being behind the Sept. 11th attacks?

Liarperson Ari also denied that "they" ever said "Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein ... Saddam Hussein" and "Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ... Bush Kept Us Safe ...." would attack us with nuclear weapons, which, to his credit, Tweety hit him over the head with the Cheney-Condi Mushroom Cloudapalooza..

You can watch the Steel Caged Match of Tweety vs. Liarperson Ari here

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

Memo to Liarperson Ari, Mike Allen, Dana Perino, Dan Bartlett and all the other cronies, oh, please, please, keep that one in there ... As all you nitwits go around pumping up the failed presidency, please keep pushing Saddam Hussein was behind Sept. 11th ... It will be a short selling season on that legacy thing ... 

You can always sneak out of the room, while the gut-wrenching laughter is at full tilt.


Bonus Liarperson Ari - Tweety Riffs

Pareene: Ari Fleischer Battles Chris Matthews, Calls Him "Shameful" And "Disingenuous" (VIDEO)

Sam Stein: Ari Fleischer Battles Chris Matthews, Calls Him "Shameful" And "Disingenuous" (VIDEO)

Alan Colmes: Defending Bush Is Hard

Krup: Chris Matthews Tears Ari Fleischer A Ginormous New One

Joan Walsh: Ari Fleischer's big failure

Blame?

We ain't got no Blame. We don't need no Blame! I don't have to show you any stinkin' blame!

There's a lot of banditos out there, taking no blame for all the Fred C. Dobbs they suckered, and one of the biggest, today, takes to the pages of the Murdoch Street Journal for his turn at turning his back on the economic meltdown, saying "Don't Blame Me!"



Mr. Andrea Mitchell, aka Alan Greenspan, the former Fed Chief, pleads "The Fed Didn't Cause the Housing Bubble" and, of course, toes the party line of warning againts too much regulation.

If it is monetary policy that is at fault, then that can be corrected in the future, at least in principle. If, however, we are dealing with global forces beyond the control of domestic monetary policy makers, as I strongly suspect is the case, then we are facing a broader issue.

Global market competition and integration in goods, services and finance have brought unprecedented gains in material well being. But the growth path of highly competitive markets is cyclical. And on rare occasions it can break down, with consequences such as those we are currently experiencing. It is now very clear that the levels of complexity to which market practitioners at the height of their euphoria tried to push risk-management techniques and products were too much for even the most sophisticated market players to handle properly and prudently.

However, the appropriate policy response is not to bridle financial intermediation with heavy regulation. That would stifle important advances in finance that enhance standards of living. Remember, prior to the crisis, the U.S. economy exhibited an impressive degree of productivity advance. To achieve that with a modest level of combined domestic and borrowed foreign savings (our current account deficit) was a measure of our financial system's precrisis success. The solutions for the financial-market failures revealed by the crisis are higher capital requirements and a wider prosecution of fraud -- not increased micromanagement by government entities.

Sorry, there, Mr. Mitchell ... Thank you for playing our game, and there is some lovely parting gifts for you.

Frank James, on The Swamp;

Greenspan may be right that the bubble had less to do with the fed-funds rate than the massive mountain of cash from Asia Americans were able to borrow. 

But history will probably judge him more harshly than he appears willing to judge himself. A famous line holds that Federal Reserve chairs are supposed to take the punch bowl away to keep the financial party from getting too irrationally exuberant.

Greenspan, however, appeared to be in a festive mood too. In 2004, he sang the praises of adjustable rate mortgages, many of which have contributed to the financial and economic woes currently roiling the nation.

James also quotes a 2004 USA Today article, with Mr. Andrea Mitchel saying "Overall, the household sector seems to be in good shape ..." And ""American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage ..."

That, being the Adjustable Rate Mortgage that Wall Street was ladling out like happy soup.

And the big Ownership Society your boss, The Commander Guy, was spinning.

I'm with John Cole, over on Balloon Juice;

And for the record- I want so much regulation of the financial sector that if someone at Goldman Sachs wants to take a piss, he has to get a hall pass from Dennis Kucinich. They don’t like it, they can move to Iceland and see how they feel about bankers.

Mike Allen Forgets To Add Himself To The List

Like the old Life Cereal commerical (with a twist), the PartyofNoicans know they can reach out to The Politico's Mike Allen.

"Let's get Mikey, he prints anything!"

He was probably so excited, jumping with glee, that the cronies of the Bush Grindhouse gave him another meme to push, that Allen forgot to disclose that he has been a long-time member of the team

Allen, today, cheerleads the on-going Bush Legacy Project

No quit: the campaign to boost Bush

Even though Bush is keeping quiet in Texas before heading out on a lucrative speaking tour, an informal network of former aides is keeping his views in the political bloodstream, defending his legacy in TV appearances and backgrounding reporters about his record. 

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer calls the Bush pundits “a loose confederation of people united in our belief in what President Bush did, and we’re freer now to talk about some things than we used to be — good and bad.”

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer calls the Bush pundits “a loose confederation of people united in our belief in what President Bush did, and we’re freer now to talk about some things than we used to be — good and bad.” 

The Bush defense forces include Fleischer; former press secretary Dana Perino; Bush political czar Karl Rove, who has contracts with Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek; economics guru Tony Fratto; the prolific Peter Wehner, former director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives; and the graceful speechwriter Michael Gerson, who writes an opinion column for The Washington Post.

The former aides are armed with many of the same arguments that they tried out on reporters when they strolled the hallways of the West Wing.

Can't you just see Allen, at his keyboard, thinking only quixotically, about those brave dwarfs, finks, phonies and frauds, attempting to prop up and spin the abysmal failure of The Commander Guy, his chest swelling with pride when it pops into his head "The former aides are armed with many of the same arguments that they tried out on reporters when they strolled the hallways of the West Wing."

No doubt, he sees himself strolling the hallways, as an equal, of course, one of the team.



Take a look at a sample of a Media Matter search for "Mike Allen";

Spinonymous sources: Time's Allen granted anonymity to White House sources hyping Bush's "recovery plan"

News analysis or GOP "fact sheet"? Mike Allen's Time column stitched together from Republican talking points

On CNN, Politico's Allen defends McCain response to "bitch" question about Clinton: "[W]hat Republican voter hasn't thought that? What voter in general hasn't thought that?"

Politico's Allen repeats RNC ad verbatim, doesn't report Obama response

And it's nice to see that Dana Perino still has her "glass-half-filled" optimism in check;

“Communications-wise, this tidal wave is going to have to wash on over everybody,” said Perino, Bush’s last press secretary. “We do what we can, and we believe that history will get it right in the end.”

Back, nearly two-years ago, Oliver Willis noted Allen with "He Loves Conservative Blogs, Pundits"

And, Glenn Greenwald, last year, offered this, in his "The right-wing Politico cesspool";

Allen recently conducted an "interview" with George Bush that was so vapid and sycophantic that the normally polite Dan Froomkin of The Washington Post detailed the "questions" Allen posed and then asked rhetorically: "Has there ever been a more moronic interview of a president of the United States than the one conducted yesterday by Mike Allen?"

And recently, from Matthew Yglesias's Note, Mike Allen Fans Flag Non-Story

Naturally, it got its Drudge link. All for a story about nothing. Allen’s response is, I think, the most infuriating. Everyone knows that Mike Allen is an important political reporter. His morning “Playbook,” in particular, helps set the agenda for the whole next day of moronic political buzz. When he writes up a stupid story, he’s not passively predicting that people will be buzzing about it, he’s helping to make it happen.

I am a bit surprised Allen didn't include Nicole Wallace, one of the former Bush Grindhouse mouthpieces, in his line-up of the Crony All-Stars.

Last week, in homage to Allen, Wallace wallowed, and had a doozy, ripping on Obama for picking on Rush Limbaugh.

The Trouble With Operation Rushbo

They are so happy that we’re talking about something other than Wall Street’s “gag me with a spoon” reaction to the administration’s economic policies.

[Snip}

They are making a villain. Obama relies on a villain to execute his highly effective communications strategy. Rail against an enemy, assign blame to this villain for everything that’s gone wrong in America, and then position himself as the only one with the correct skills and adequate morals to take on this villain. It’s worked well for him, so far. Hillary Clinton was a perfect villain in the primaries.

Then, Obama moved on to the general election. McCain didn’t make a very good villain. The whole war hero thing got in the way, so his team came up with a better villain: George W. Bush. Obama talked about President Bush so much that days would go by when he wouldn’t mention his opponent. He strode into office on a message of hope and change, but his demonization of Bush was unprecedented in focus and ferocity.

[Snip}

Politically speaking, Republicans are in the wilderness, and we know it. I’ve likened our status to the early weeks of an American Idol season. Many of our performances in these early months after our defeat last November will be off-key and lacking in polish.

Emulating, to a capital "T", our boy Allen, Wallace, if you read the piece, leaves out some crucial facts and information.

Like, The Cheeseburger That Sweats bellowing into his microphone (well, any microphone), that he hopes Obama fails.

I'm sure Allen was quite proud of her.

And, we're fairly certain, that the PartyofNoicans has Allen's direct number, for when they have a meme to push.

Perhaps they've even set it to music, say, the "Ghostbusters Song".

If there's something to rearrange
in your news or print
Who ya gonna call?
Mike Allen

If there's something truthful
and it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
Mike Allen

If you're making up things
running through your head
Who can ya call?
Mike Allen

An miserable meme
That has to be fed
Who ya gonna call?
Mike Allen

I ain't afraid of no lies
I ain't afraid of no spin

Who ya gonna call?
Mike Allen

If ya need to moan
pick up the phone
and call
Mike Allen

Bonus Allen Acquiescence

Corrente: What Mike Allen considers a "tip"

Joe Sudbay (DC): The Bush Team "united in our belief in what President Bush did" stands by their man

emptywheel: Mike Allen’s Punditry Ether

Think Progress: Texas Legislature To Honor ‘Dynamic Texan’ Bush For Advancing American ‘Safety and Prosperity’

This Date ... On The Garlic

11 March 2008... On The Garlic

When Former Attorney Generals Soar

Larisa Alexandrovna: Alabama Democrats are Under Attack

He-Man Heaved!

More On Client No. 9 ... Brought To You By "On Cue"


11 March 2006... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves


11 March 2005... On The Garlic

Groundhog Lied; Investigation Launched

Jackson Family In Deal To Launch New Wine

Top Ten Cloves: Why You Don't Want To Become A Fat Actress

The Loon Star State

Holy Cow!

If we were to bestow our "Ignorant Dolt of the Week", on Chuck Norris, Glenn Beck, and the gang at Restore The Republic, we would have to retire it.

Or, otherwise, endure crippled fingers, being fed intraveniously, while writing a never-ending post.

Norris, in his "I may run for president of Texas"

On Glenn Beck's radio show last week, I quipped in response to our wayward federal government, "I may run for president of Texas." 

That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state. 

From the East Coast to the "Left Coast," America seems to be moving further and further from its founders' vision and government.

[Snip]

When I appeared on Glenn Beck's radio show, he told me that someone had asked him, "Do you really believe that there is going to be trouble in the future?" And he answered, "If this country starts to spiral out of control and Mexico melts down or whatever, if it really starts to spiral out of control, before America allows a country to become a totalitarian country (which it would have under I think the Republicans as well in this situation; they were taking us to the same place, just slower), Americans won't stand for it. There will be parts of the country that will rise up." Then Glenn asked me and his listening audience, "And where's that going to come from?" He answered his own question, "Texas, it's going to come from Texas. Do you agree with that Chuck?" I replied, "Oh yeah!" Definitely

[Snip]

For those losing hope, and others wanting to rekindle the patriotic fires of early America, I encourage you to join Fox News' Glenn Beck, me and millions of people across the country in the live telecast, "We Surround Them," on Friday afternoon (March 13 at 5 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. CT and 2 p.m. PST). Thousands of cell groups will be united around the country in solidarity over the concerns for our nation. You can host or attend a viewing party by going to Glenn's website. My wife Gena and I will be hosting one from our Texas ranch, in which we've invited many family members, friends and law enforcement to join us. It's our way of saying "We're united, we're tired of the corruption, and we're not going to take it anymore!"

Again, Sam Houston put it well when he gave the marching orders, "We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: None is at hand. We must now act or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name."

And, Norris ends, with what else, a plug;

(Note: Speaking of showdowns, Chuck is also inviting anyone near the Houston area this weekend to see a good example of the raw Texas fighting spirit by joining him and others for the national martial arts event, "Showdown in H-Town.")

On Beck's "We Surround Them" page, he lists the "Nine Principle" from those crazy kids at Restore The Republic;

The Nine Principles

1. America is good. 

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. 

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. 

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. 

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. 

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. 

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. 

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Dana Houle aka DHinMI has a good line;

Well, I'm glad they're convening on a Texas ranch. Because, you know, gun-loving people making seditious comments on Texas ranches...well, that never turns out bad. As Kossack ablington sardonically put it, "it's like the Obama house parties, but with more guns!"

Will Bunch, at Attytood, has a good handle on it;

Meanwhile, less than two months into the Obama administration, right-wingers are stocking the basement pantry, piling up the shotguns and organizing "cells," all with the help of a talk-show host who coincidentially became unhinged after he drove down the ratings at CNN Headline News, something that most people didn't think was possible. There's a lot to hash out in this country over the next few years but it's becoming more and more clear who respects the Constitution, and who does not.

Steven D., on Booman Tribune, has "Questions";

And why are Glenn Beck and Chuck Norris pimping for another revolution by "right wing cells" to overthrow the elected government of the United States? For what else can a program to be aired by Beck with the name "We Surround Them" possibly refer to other than a threat of violence against not only the Obama administration but also anyone and everyone who doesn't believe as Norris and Beck do?

Vanishing American, a supporter of the secession and resistance, has his wistful doubts the Big T can pull it off;

I would like to think Norris (and Beck) are right about Texas, though my confidence varies. Sometimes I believe the old spirit is still there, then I have to face the sober reality that Texas is now a different place, populated by different people than in its glory days, during the war for independence and the days of the Republic. And when I say that, I don't just mean the presence of millions of immigrants and others whose roots are not Texan, but the fact that the younger generations have grown up in a different world and have been thoroughly indoctrinated against all that the old Texas stood for.

But then at other times, I feel sure there is enough of the old spirit present that a resurgent Texas is possible.

Sounds, kind of like, a chicken-fried, Texas-version of the old Monty Python "Poor Sketch" - "Oooooh, we used to dream of living in a corridor. It would have been a palace to us" ..."You can't tell the young people of the day that. They won't believe you."

Boy, what would they be plotting if Hillary won?

Sounds like we need to cut some Stimulus Money to the Secret Service, to keep tabs on these dwarfs, finks, phonies and frauds.

While these nitwits have their big meet, on one of Norris's Texas ranches, planning and plotting the overthrow of the country, perhaps the rest of can start the debate on why the hell did we ever fight with Mexico over Texas?

Bonus Looney Tunes 

Ron Moore: Chuck Norris claims thousands of right wing cell groups exist and will rebel against U.S. government

Alan Colmes: Chuck Norris May Run For President Of Texas

ALERT - Restore The Republic Message To All Armed Forces
H/T to Steve D. on Booman Tribune

Libby Spencer: Nearly seditious

Glenn Greenwald: Fox News "war games" the coming civil war

David Neiwert: Glenn Beck wants to kick California out of the Union

This Date ... On The Garlic

10 March 2008... On The Garlic

Retro Garlic: Color Me Client 9, From Out of Office

"Can we have our $40,000 back?"


10 March 2006... On The Garlic

Breaking News! Beta-Mode Settlement By Google Draws Disappointment

Top Ten Cloves: Other Things That NASA's Cassini May Find On Saturn's Moon Enceladus


10 March 2005... On The Garlic

Bush Team Prepares Call For New Axis of Evil Member

Apple Takes Blog Ruling As New Club On Criticism and Dissent

Top Ten Cloves: Signs That Congress Is On Steroids

Say What, There, David Frum?

It's nice, David Frum, that you drew out your slingshot, and fired some rocks at The Cheeseburger That Sweats, especially knowing that the Flying Monkeys and Dittoheads will, likely, be sending you some nasty, vile vibes back at you.

Or that anyone in the PartyofNoicans would get behind you with it.

But, seriously, "Rush is to the Republicanism of the 2000s what Jesse Jackson was to the Democratic party in the 1980s"?

Frum penned the cover story for Newsweek, this week, "Why Rush is Wrong: The party of Buckley and Reagan is now bereft and dominated by the politics of Limbaugh. A conservative's lament."



Now, Frum is a former speechwriter for The Commander Guy, and "is credited with helping coin the phrase "Axis of Evil".[1]," who Wonkette describes as a "generally inoffensive conservative," and "no longer officially a wingnut because he left the National Review after acknowledging that Sarah Palin is a moron and John McCain is a loser."

Okay, we have his bona fides out of the way.

But about that line - "Rush is to the Republicanism of the 2000s what Jesse Jackson was to the Democratic party in the 1980s"

I don't recall Jesse Jackson being the face, or claiming the leadership, of the Democratic Party back in the 1980's.

Since you are a "real conservative", and paid homage to the Ronald Reagan Drool Cup in your sub-headline, I can see, possibly, why you would want to take a shot like that at Jackson.

Jackson, afterall, attempted to run against the actor President, in 1984, and then launched the Rainbow Coalition, in an attempt to push back on the destruction being brought about by Reagan and his cronies.

National Rainbow Coalition

The National Rainbow Coalition (Rainbow Coalition for short) was a political organization that grew out of Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign. During the campaign Jackson began speaking to a "Rainbow Coalition" of the disadvantaged and welcomed voters from a broad spectrum of races and creeds.[8] The goals of the campaign were to demand social programs, voting rights, and affirmative action for all groups that had been neglected by Reaganomics.[6] Jackson's campaign blamed President Ronald Reagan's policies for reduction of government domestic spending, causing new unemployment and encouraging economic investment outside of the inner cities, while they discouraged the rebuilding of urban industry.

And, his speech, in San Francisco, at the 1984 Democratic Convention.

After giving definition and life to the the Rainbow that is America (you know, the one not visible from the Reagan White House), he boomed out one of the best lines delivered at a convention;

But ultimately, we must judge people by their values and their contribution. Don't leave anybody out. I would rather have Roosevelt in a wheelchair than Reagan on a horse.

"I would rather have Roosevelt in a wheelchair than Reagan on a horse."

El Dittohead Grande, in his criticism of President Obama, isn't fighting for anything more that ratings, and media attention, let alone, actually trying to lead a movement that would help the downtrodden, the needy, the forgotten people.



You could have, just as easily said "Rush is to the Republicanism of the 2000s what Newt Gingrich was to it, back in the 1990s".

Remember, The Contract On America?

Or you could have just labeled him today's Lyndon LaRouche.

I mean, considering El Dittohead Grande's use of "Barack, The Magic Negro", or his past, job-losing-comments on Donovan McNabb, you single out for the comparison the black guy?

What's up with that?


Bonus Frum Flubs

Muriel Kane: Conservative David Frum tells 'Why Rush Is Wrong'

Damozel: "You Can Fool Some of the People All of the Time" Part 3: David Frum Bemoans the GOP's Domination by Rush Limbaugh

BooMan: David Frum Doesn't Get It

Start Cutting The Squares For The Office Pool On Geithner Exit?

If there is such a trophy, or award, the headline-of-the-day goes to Will Bunch, over on his Attytood blog;

What's that, Lassie? (Woof, woof!!) Timmy Geithner's in the well?!!

There's a lot of ways to measure a good-to-great president. We tend to focus on both their policies and their skill in communicating with the American people, but another key task is the ability to admit mistakes, especially when it was a doozy. Remember JFK and the Bay of Pigs early in his presidency?

And Timothy Geithner as President Obama's Treasury Secretary is looking like another one of these.

The New York Times has a comparable, but more reserved story today, as well;

Geithner, With Few Aides, Is Scrambling

Rarely have so few people had so little time to prop up so many pillars of the economy as those in the Treasury Department under Timothy F. Geithner.

In the six weeks since Mr. Geithner took over as Treasury secretary, he and a skeleton crew of unofficial senior advisers have been racing to make decisions that will shape the future of the banking, insurance, housing and automobile industries. 

But even as he maintains a frenetic pace — unveiling plans, testifying before Congress and negotiating new bailouts with the likes of Citigroup, General Motors and the American International Group — there are signs that events are getting ahead of him.

And, here's some recent headlines on our new Secretary of the Treasury.

Former Australian Prime Minister Savages Geithner's Performance in the Asian Crisis

Geithner goes for a laundry list, not a dramatic gesture

Geithner Backs The Elites

Lawmakers laughed at Geithner plan

Geithner Bank Bailout Plan: Fiasco

Add to this, one big-byline blogger has directly called for Geithner to go;

Henry Blodget - Time To Fire Tim Geithner

We don't mean to sound impatient, but we've seen enough. The country is in the middle of the worst financial crisis in 75 years, and the second-most-important person in charge clearly isn't the right man for the job.

When both engines on US Air Flight 1549 quit after takeoff, Capt. Sullenberger did not cling stubbornly to his preconceived view of the situation. He did not float endless versions of the same bad plan to air traffic controllers to see what they thought of them. He did not spend months preparing for a moment just like this only to be seized by indecision when it arrived.

Instead, he just took the controls and landed the plane in the Hudson.

[Snip]

We don't mean to sound impatient, but we've seen enough. The country is in the middle of the worst financial crisis in 75 years, and the second-most-important person in charge clearly isn't the right man for the job.

When both engines on US Air Flight 1549 quit after takeoff, Capt. Sullenberger did not cling stubbornly to his preconceived view of the situation. He did not float endless versions of the same bad plan to air traffic controllers to see what they thought of them. He did not spend months preparing for a moment just like this only to be seized by indecision when it arrived.

Instead, he just took the controls and landed the plane in the Hudson.

After detailing Geithner's "Timmy in the Well" exploits, Blodget continues;

With a few years of seasoning in a normal environment, Tim Geithner might turn out to be a fine Treasury Secretary. But this isn't a normal environment, and we don't have a few years.

The engines of the US economy just quit. We're losing altitude rapidly. And the co-pilot flying the plane clearly doesn't know what to do.

So it's time for the captain to take over again, before Geithner takes him and the rest of us down with him.

Megan McArdle comes, somewhat tepidly, to Geithner's defense ("Should Geithner go?"), however, we probably can predict, there will be more-and-more of these type of posts, articles and headlines coming in the days ahead.

Not to mention what the PartyofNoican will throw out there.

But, hey, it's March, and that means "March Madness", the time of year where anything can happen.

Anyone can win, or anyone can lose.

Hang in there Timmy, maybe you do have a buzzer-beater in you.

AEI/Bloomberg/McCain Hack Plays A Little Solitaire

Rush Limbaugh as Frank Sinatra/Major Bennett Marco?

No, I don't think so ...

Not in a million years, and all the CGI you can generate.

Kevin Hassett, on Bloomberg today, has a column calling President Obama "The Manchurian Candidate", because, after all, Obama has launched a War on Business and is out to totally destroy our economy.

I was immediately alarmed, until I got to the bottom of the post, and noted that was merely a one of the Right Wing Freak Show Flying Monkeys;

(Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is a Bloomberg News columnist. He was an adviser to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Here's some of his drivel;

It is no wonder that markets are imploding around us. Obama is giving us the War on Business. 

Imagine that some hypothetical enemy state spent years preparing a “Manchurian Candidate” to destroy the U.S. economy once elected. What policies might that leader pursue? 

He might discourage private capital from entering the financial sector by instructing his Treasury secretary to repeatedly promise a brilliant rescue plan, but never actually have one. Private firms, spooked by the thought of what government might do, would shy away from transactions altogether. If the secretary were smooth and played rope-a-dope long enough, the whole financial sector would be gone before voters could demand action. 

Another diabolical idea would be to significantly increase taxes on whatever firms are still standing. That would require subterfuge, since increasing tax rates would be too obvious. Our Manchurian Candidate would have plenty of sophisticated ideas on changing the rules to get more revenue without increasing rates, such as auctioning off “permits.” 

These steps would create near-term distress. If our Manchurian Candidate leader really wanted to knock the country down for good, he would have to provide insurance against any long-run recovery.

[Snip]

It’s clear that President Obama wants the best for our country. That makes it all the more puzzling that he would legislate like a Manchurian Candidate.

Nate Silver, over on this FiveThirtyEight.com, has the lowdown on Hacket, who penned the book, "Dow 36,000";

To review, Dow 36,000 came out in October, 1999, within months of the tippy-top peak of the tech bubble ... this is when stocks were as overvalued as at literally any time in American history, including the Roaring 20's -- and Hassett was telling you to double -- nay, triple-down on them! It would be hard to identify an individual who better embodied the phrase "irrational exuberance" -- well, maybe the Pets.com sock puppet -- or who destroyed more wealth with charlatanic financial advice.

And this guy thinks it's all some big conspiracy against him. Literally.

Wikipedia notes, regarding Hassett's book, "Dow 36,000";

The Industrial Average reached a record high of 11,750.28 in January 2000, but after the bursting of the dot-com bubble, and the September 11 attacks of 2001, it steadily fell, reaching a low of 7,286.27 in October 2002. Although the Average recovered to a new record high of 14,164.53 in October 2007, it crashed back to the vicinity of 6,800 by the early months of 2009, amidst a global recession.

Also, Paul Krugman's assessment of McCain's campaign;

Controversy

In the course of the 2008 election campaign, Nobel-prize laureaute Paul Krugman criticised Hassett's position as an adviser to John McCain and implied that "Dow 36,000" was discredited

"We’ve known for a long time, of course, that Mr. McCain doesn’t know much about economics — he’s said so himself, although he’s also denied having said it. That wouldn’t matter too much if he had good taste in advisers — but he doesn’t. Remember, his chief mentor on economics is Phil Gramm, the arch-deregulator, who took special care in his Senate days to prevent oversight of financial derivatives — the very instruments that sank Lehman and A.I.G., and brought the credit markets to the edge of collapse... And last year, when the McCain campaign announced that the candidate had assembled “an impressive collection of economists, professors, and prominent conservative policy leaders” to advise him on economic policy, who was prominently featured? Kevin Hassett, the co-author of “Dow 36,000.” Enough said.[4]"

John Cole, over on Balloon Juice points out the irony of Hassett's use of "The Manchurian Candidate", in his "They Know the Title of the Book, But They Haven’t Read It".

Another irony is that, it is actually the hero/protagonist of 'The Manchurian Candidate' who defeats the Right Wing conservatives, and enemies, preserving and saving capitalism (yeah, that's a big hint, but I don't want to spoil it completely, for those that haven't seen the movie - the original, 1962 pic, with Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury)

Maybe, in his next column, Hassett will declare "There are exactly 57 card-carrying members of the Communist Party in the Obama Administration at this time!"

Beyond Repugnant

Considering they, as an organization, aided, abetted, and otherwise supported, the sexual (and mental) abuse of minors, this, doesn't necessarily, come as a surprise;

Vatican defends Brazil excommunication

A senior Vatican cleric has defended the excommunication of the mother and doctors of a nine-year-old girl who had an abortion in Brazil after being raped.

[Snip]

The row was triggered by the termination on Wednesday of twin foetuses carried by a nine-year-old allegedly raped by her stepfather in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco.

The regional archbishop, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, pronounced excommunication for the mother for authorising the operation and doctors who carried it out for fear that the slim girl would not survive carrying the foetuses to term.

"God's law is above any human law. So when a human law ... is contrary to God's law, this human law has no value," Cardoso had said.

But it is, just the same, beyond repugnant.

Oh, I don't know, I'll take a wild stab at it and say, it's likely Jesus would be down for giving some aid and comfort to the NINE-YEAR-OLD CHILD THAT WAS RAPED!

At minimum, this Cardinal, the Vatican would have been better off, much like when their own priests were doing the raping, to be silent.

Or, using their platform to preach about the sanctity, and absolute moral imperative, of protecting children from abuse.

That, to me, would seem to be more in line with "God's Law".


Bonus Riffs

Know Thy Pope

Vatican Discounts "Bonfire Pope"; Says Flames "Not Hunched Over Enough" ... Late Pontiff's Bend Was Measured "Religiously"; Never Used Contingency "Roller Skate Gloves"

Top Ten Cloves: Things The Vatican Has Done To Make Good Friday Even Better

Breaking News! Pontiff In Major Spread, Popemobile Giveaway ... Oprah Lands Pope Benedict XVI For Huge Tell-All Over Muslam Flap ...Either Apology or Conversion To Islam Promised In Teasers; Pontiff Turned Down By CBS News Free Speech

New, Hi-Tech Confessional Booths Possible ... Catholic Church To Follow IRS Lead; Will Begin To Sell Confessions ...Move Forecasted To Be Boon For On-Line Porn, Gambling, and Divorce Industries

Pope, Vatican Relieved New Sex Scandal Is Adultery ...Videotape Flown To Rome; Teams of Lawyers, Denial Machine Stand Down

This Date ... On The Garlic

9 March 2008... On The Garlic

Retro Garlic - What Waters?

Ain't That The Cat's Ass ... Hillary Hits Snooze Alarm On 3AM Ad

The "Admit It, It Crossed Your Mind" Department

The Ignornant Congressman from Iowa

Editor's Note ... Slow Boat To Posting II ... Stuck In Dry Dock


9 March 2007... On The Garlic

Bush To Shift Gears, Use Radio Address To Urge Private Daylight Savings Accounts; No Details Offered; Snow Says "Not A Little Comma In Your Portfolio", While Rove Driving To Build Domestic Legacy

Top Ten Cloves: Ways Scooter Libby May Get A Pardon

The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day; Warning - Bypass this post if you don't want to be discouraged.


9 March 2006... On The Garlic

Faith-Based Offices To Be Part of Bush Private Government

Top Ten Cloves: What Rick Santorum Meant To Say About Not Meeting With Lobbyists


9 March 2005... On The Garlic

Red Sox Sue Colorado Town Over Frozen Body Rights

Boeing Exec Tried To Start Runway Club

Study Shows Clams Not Happy At All

Top Ten Cloves: Dan Rather's Final Anchor Broadcast

Breaking! ... Buffet Broke, Sends Chain Letter For Cash

Sources have told The Garlic, that along with his folksy, annual letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, the legendary chief executive Warren Buffett included a hand-written note, explaining he was "stone broke", asked for donations and advised the recipients to "pass along this letter", so they too could earn money.

"I was stunned," said one BH shareholder that received Buffett's letter, "that Warren Buffett was sending out a chain letter."

In a copy seen by The Garlic, Buffett wrote that, if they sent him $5, or $10, and forwarded the letter on to, at least, three others, they will receive back their money, and additionally, make anywhere from a 10-to-25% profit.

Buffett stressed that he is not looking to make back his fortune, but that he would like to have some "pocket change" and be able to visit his favorite diner for lunch "once in awhile", Gorat's Steakhouse.



In his annual shareholder letter, Buffett conceded it was a tough year;

Mr. Buffet's company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported a 62 percent drop in net income for 2008 and posted a decline in book value per share for only the second time since he took control in 1965. Shares of the company, which peaked in late 2007 at more than $148,000 apiece, closed Friday at $78,600.

With characteristic candor, Mr. Buffet, 78, took the blame for some of the declines, stating that he “did some dumb things,” lamenting in particular an ill-timed bet on oil and the purchase of shares in two Irish banks, which have fared poorly. But he also needled regulators and an assortment of unnamed chief executives as he predicted that fallout from the credit crisis would leave the stock market a shambles through 2009.

[Snip]

Despite its record losses, Berkshire Hathaway still has about $25 billion of cash on hand and has been buying preferred shares of General Electric and Goldman Sachs, as well as the debt of companies like Harley-Davidson and Tiffany & Company. Mr. Buffet is shopping for bargains while the share prices of most companies are sliding — his own portfolio included.

[Snip]

Some skepticism about these models is overdue, he added. “Our advice: Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”

[Snip]

“Of course it was a tough year — the toughest year of his life. But I was concerned about the impact in operating earnings and I was prepared for much worse.”

Buffett used the same phrase - "Of course it was a tough year — the toughest year of my life" - in the chain letter.

Also included in the chain letter, Buffett made a plea, to GoldenPalace.Com, urging them to contact him, so that they could discuss him being tattooed with the casino's logo again, for, of course, a paid fee.

Other shareholders interviewed by The Garlic, indicated they were only too happy to comply to Mr. Buffett's request, some even indicating they were going to send him a larger sum of money that he was asking for.

"We've done good by Warren," said another shareholder. "If the Oracle of Omaha sends me something, saying I can make a profit on it, that is all I need to hear ... I'm there ..."

In late breaking news, and with the exposure of this unprecedented Buffet chain letter, CNBC is going to have the gregarious former billionaire on their morning show, "Squawk Box", where it is anticipated, a segment will be devoted to Buffet reading the chain letter, and taking pledges of contribution, live, on-air.

CNBC would neither confirm or deny if Buffett will be reading the chain letter on-air, however, other sources say that the schedule of editor Rick Santellihas been changed, so that he can appear on "Squawk Box", to go into another rant, should pledges to Buffet seem lagging.

More, as this story develops ...

This Date ... On The Garlic

8 March 2007... On The Garlic

Breaking News - White House Bombshell: "VP Could Be In His Last Throes"; Libby Verdict Has Bush, White House Urging Cheney Into Rehab; Sources Claim "Can't Be Trusted He Won't Break"; Iraq Comments "Last Straw" and "Were Not An Enormous Success"


8 March 2006... On The Garlic

South Dakota Not Waiting, Bans All Home Runs

Top Ten Cloves: How Bush’s Domestic Wiretapping Will Be Monitored By Senate


8 March 2005... On The Garlic

Despite Hype, Martha's First Day 'Pretty Average'

Hawk and Weapons Expert Get's Bush Nod for U.N. Post.

Top Ten Cloves: How Howard Stringer Will Revive Sony