NYT Quote of the Day is Our Quote of the Day

"My party is demonstrating that they are for states' rights unless they don't like what states are doing."
- CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Republican congressman of Connecticut, on the Schiavo case.

Says it all.

One sane Column from its namesake doesn't eliminate BOBO's World from the lexicon.

Not to besmirch an entire region, but some make it so easy. Once again, Southerners seem destined to be cursed with the affliction of stupidity and ignorance [btw, when I mock the "South" please try to ignore the fact that Powerline's perveyors of nausea are from Minnesota].

Behold a Steadfast Love of Ignorance:

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- The IMAX theater in Charleston and several others in the South have passed on showing a science film on volcanoes because of concerns it might offend those with fundamental religious beliefs.

"We've got to pick a film that's going to sell in our area. If it's not going to sell, we're not going to take it," said Lisa Buzzelli, director of the local IMAX theater. "Many people here believe in creationism, not evolution."

Buzzelli said while the Charleston theater doesn't rule out showing "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea" in the future, she considers people's religious views when showing films.

The film makes a connection between human DNA and microbes inside undersea volcanoes. Buzzelli said the handling of evolution was considered in her decision.

IMAX theaters in Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas have declined to show the film, said Pietro Serapiglia who handles distribution for Stephen Low, the film's director and producer who is from Montreal.

"I find it's only in the South," Serapiglia said.

Some people worry screening out such films will discourage filmmakers from making others in the future.

"It's going to restrain the creative approach by directors who refer to evolution," said Joe DeAmicis, vice president for marketing at the California Science Center in Los Angeles and a former director of an IMAX theater. "References to evolution will be dropped."

Count me out

As her meltdown proceeds, the Old Maid of the Intersection of Recessive Gene Street & My Batteries are Getting Low Avenue, swipes the doughnut crumbs off her keyboard and takes note of this email to her between gourgings.

At 3 p.m. today, in solidarity with Terri Schiavo, I and a group of Harvard students (who have signed with me below) began a hunger strike that will last until Terri’s feeding tube is reinserted or until the hour she dies

Sorry, kids but K-Lo's gonna sit this one out, principles can only go so far and they are certainly not all that tasty.


"Manchy kabook noonee Solo"

Chalk up another fuck up...

Oh how the Bush Junta squeeled when Kerry asserted that Bush's blundering and outsourcing of the Tora Bora operation allowed Bin Laden to escape.

When that criticism was made Cheney, naturally, made the most outrageous protestation when he mumbled...

[I]t's absolute garbage. It's just not true.

There were many bloggers that pointed out just who was really peddling garbage at the time, the most effective probably being Josh Marshall.

But now comes this additional support:

A commander for Osama bin Laden during Afghanistan's war with the Soviet Union who helped the al-Qaida leader escape American forces at Tora Bora is being held by U.S. authorities, a government document says.

The document represents the first definitive statement from the Pentagon (news - web sites) that bin Laden, the mastermind of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was at Tora Bora and evaded his pursuers.

President Bush (news - web sites) and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) asserted during the presidential election that commanders did not know whether bin Laden was at Tora Bora when U.S. and allied Afghan forces attacked there in December 2001. They dismissed assertions by Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), the Democratic presidential nominee, that the military had missed a chance to capture or kill bin Laden while al-Qaida made a last stand in the mountainous area along the Pakistan border.

...

While campaigning for president last fall, Kerry said Bush had erred in relying on Afghan warlords to hunt down bin Laden in the caves of Tora Bora in December 2001, contending on Oct. 22 that the president had "outsourced" the job.

Cheney said Oct. 26 that Gen. Tommy Franks, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, had "stated repeatedly it was not at all certain that bin Laden was in Tora Bora. He might have been there or in Pakistan or even Kashmir (news - web sites)," the Indian-controlled Himalayan region.

Franks, now retired, wrote in an opinion column in The New York Times on Oct. 19, "We don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001." He added that intelligence assessments of his location varied, but bin Laden was "never within our grasp."

On several occasions Bush cited the column as evidence that bin Laden could have been in any of several countries in December 2001. "That's what Tommy Franks, who knew what he's talking about, said," Bush said on Oct. 27.

So when the Bushinistas SCREAMED that they still had no idea in the Summer and Fall of 2004 whether Bin Laden was at Tora Bora or not...SURPRISE, they lied.

Hey, that Clinton thing, it wasn't about the blowjob, but the lying right?

But apparently, it's okay to lie your ass off about military decisions?

Funny how these things keep dripping out without coverage from the broadcast media because of one manufactured human interest story after another isn't it?

Dammit

I was going to do something like this, it would have been less well done of course, but still like this!

From the blogger that our comment pages are dedicated to ... although since he has not actually stopped writing (thank goodness), perhaps it is time to rename the thing.

In other news

Attaturk saw the live feed of the Pope doing a general wave of some sort from the Vatican this morning. Let's just say the constant jerking spasms where his head was sucked into his neck was probably not a good sign.

...unless, of course, that is the invisible hand of God bopping him on the head.

Thinking of Appeals

I think a lot about appeals; it's kinda related to what I do when I try to make a living. Now I'm not saying that is what I do for a living, just that it is tangentially related to what I do. And it got me thinking.

We know Bush didn't consult his father about invading Iraq (so we know the Bush men have obvious unresolved penis issues with their dad...that first time seeing him in the mens locker room at the Petroleum Club had to be shocking, watching the old man scratch his nuts while ordering his golf shoes shined to a high polish by the steward), deciding instead to appeal to a "higher father" according to bootlicker Bob Woodward. It brings back memories.

"According to Abbas, Bush said: 'God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.'

How lucky are we to have a President that thinks a lot about appeals to the highest authority of all? Which all has me wondering, given the hubris these evil people have demonstrated of late, why they just didn't by-pass the federal court system entirely and just pass a law that allows Bush just to ask God what to do about Terry Schiavo?

PREDICTIONS II

If Terry Schiavo should happen to die this Friday (i.e. Good Friday) what will be the setting on the rapture index?

I expect FoxNews to point this out repeatedly.

...unless she dies on Passover of course.

More on the MN School Shooter

Reuters is reporting that the seventeen year old who shot and killed nine people plus himself was interested in supremacist ideas in Red Lake, Minnesota. It is important to remember that many of these shooters (Columbine shooters, McVeigh, and others) are lone wolf types who while they may be influenced by extremist ideas and groups are not well socialized into these groups; think of it as people in search of reasons to act violently.

A 17-year-old who killed nine people and himself on a Minnesota Indian reservation identified himself as an "angel of death" and a "NativeNazi" on Internet postings, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The shooter was Red Lake High School sophomore Jeff Weise, according to witnesses and school officials.

Weise identified himself in Internet site postings as "Todesengel," German for "angel of death" and "NativeNazi," the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

He also claimed to have been questioned by police in 2004 about an alleged plot to shoot up the school on the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birthday, but said he had nothing to do with that, the report said.

"I guess I've always carried a natural admiration for Hitler and his ideals, and his courage to take on larger nations," the newspaper quoted Weise as saying in one forum used by neo-Nazis.

No Shame what-so-fucking Ever

From another fine Digby post comes this bit of news:

Mr. DeLay complained that "the other side" had figured out how "to defeat the conservative movement," by waging personal attacks, linking with liberal organizations and persuading the national news media to report the story. He charged that "the whole syndicate" was "a huge nationwide concerted effort to destroy everything we believe in."

Oh for fuck's sake:

Just this morning we managed to see just how "personal" DeLay can get with someone who disagrees with him, even an Evangelical Christian:

"Right now, murder is being committed against a defenseless American citizen in Florida," DeLay said.

He also said, "Schiavo's life is not slipping away - it is being violently wrenched from her body in an act of medical terrorism."

DeLay's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Greer, who declined to comment for this story, has been the subject of verba l attacks from religious and right-to-life groups since his ruling on Schiavo. He has als o received at least one death threat.

Reality changes everyday

What the hell happened to "Bobo"? Bobo just seems to slam da Hammer DeLay and everyone's favorite unthinking neocon Nordquist without throwing up a Democratic Boogeyman. What does this mean? Could we be witnessing a shift in reality? If so, what is next?

What's next Bob Novak praises John Kerry? What's next Ari Fleischer honestly answers questions about Bush confusion? What's next Bush apologizes for being wrong about invading Iraq? What's next the republican party begins to care about people over the wealthy and business interests?

I don't know about you but I am beginning to like this alternate reality. I just wish I could live there.

There's A Plan?

It's amazing that whenever the great Social Security Privatization Scam is shown to be unpopular with the vast majority of the public, the Bushies say they have yet to unveil their plan.

Nonetheless, despite this lack of a plan, the Lemur seems to keep touring the country in his anti-septic bubble.

And for the, what 3 people (including Terry Schiavo) who think that McCain is "Mr. Integrity", observe him assist in the scratching of the Presidential Genitalia.

"My dear friends at ... AARP, if you don't like our solutions, give us one," McCain said. "Sit down and join us in this debate. Don't block it."

They have solutions now? They have solutions, but no plan?

Okay.




A Monkey always loves his little bitch!

I know, I know, I referred to him as the Lemur, but try getting a picture of lemurs hugging!

Breakdown in Progress

The intersection of Permanent Vegetative State Street & Logically Inconsistent Street has a special highlight today.

Kathryn Jean Lopez's breakdown.

Just look at all the freakazoid posting. Post after post after post.

Criminy, I bet she even cut down from a Baker's Dozen Krispy Kremes to Twelve.

K-Lo demands the feeding tube!

The Hypocritical Lemur

I'm demoting the First Chimp down the primate ladder.

Yesterday in Arizona:

This is a complex case with serious issues, but in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is wise to always err on the side of life.

So sayeth the man, who acted like this:

President Bush announced the attack in a four-minute television speech to the nation. "On my order, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war," he said. "These are the opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign."

Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. "Feels good," he said.

And before he even got a chance to waive Saddam's gun around,

In 1999, during the 2000 Republican Presidential primary race, Carlson interviewed then-Governor George W. Bush for Talk Magazine. Carlson reported that Bush mocked soon-to-be-executed Texas death-row inmate Carla Faye Tucker and "cursed like a sailor."

Eating their own

Believe it or not, Attaturk believes there are actually a number of good Republicans. Hopefully more and more will stop drinking the goddamned Kool-Aid (although McCain appears to have a vat of the shit).

Here is a good example of just how much of an ass Tom DeLay is:

Many local Republicans shuddered last weekend when U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay accused a Pinellas judge of "murder" and "terrorism."

Such labels, troubling in any context, are particularly grating when they involve two members of the same political party.

"I was absolutely so disgusted with what he said," said County Commissioner Bob Stewart.

Pinellas County Property Appraiser Jim Smith, a former state legislator and Republican state committeeman, called DeLay's remarks "a disgrace."

Local Republicans had their own words for Judge George Greer, who, as presiding judge in the Terri Schiavo case, ordered the removal of her feeding tube on March 18.

Conscientious. Honest. Compassionate. A good Christian. An outstanding lawyer.

...

In Washington, Republican lawmakers worked through the weekend after Greer refused to let congressional subpoenas interfere with his order. Today would be Schiavo's fourth ful l day without nourishment.

Leading the way was DeLay, the House majority leader, who used inflammatory language while marshaling congressional Republicans to swiftly force a federal judge in Tampa to hear a request by Schiavo's parents to reinsert her feeding tube.

"Right now, murder is being committed against a defenseless American citizen in Florida," DeLay said.

He also said, "Schiavo's life is not slipping away - it is being violently wrenched from her body in an act of medical terrorism."

DeLay's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Greer, who declined to comment for this story, has been the subject of verba l attacks from religious and right-to-life groups since his ruling on Schiavo. He has als o received at least one death threat.

His Republican colleagues in Pinellas are saddened by DeLay's statements in the already emotional debate.

"I personally don't agree with Judge Greer's decision," said Ken Burke, Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and an active Republican. "But I respect the way he made it. I think those are inappropriate comments on DeLay's part."

"We need more judges like Judge Greer, not fewer," said Bruce McManus, a Largo probate lawyer who specializes in elder law.

McManus has found himself in a particularly difficult position. He's a member of groups that have been critical of Greer, such as the Southern Baptist Convention. But he also specializes in the area of law that Greer is interpreting.

McManus said Greer has done his best to make a tough decision, and called DeLay's comments "ridiculous."

"Judge Greer is an evangelical Christian man," McManus said. "He believes in the right to life as much as some of the people who are criticizing him so harshly. But he also believes in the rule of law, which he was sworn to uphold. To the best of his ability, that's what he is trying to do."

Eating their own.

What a creep DeLay is...a cockroach, to put it mildly.

Well what do you know

A federal judge has refused to order that Terry Schiavo continue to live with indignity.

Schiavo's parents will petition both the 11th Circuit, and First Officer Spock in a last ditch attempt to revisit Talos IV.

You better watch it...

Ted Stevens is getting angry, you won't like him when he's angry (or asleep for that matter -- those are pretty much his two moods):


TED SMASH!

Bad Acid

I must have had too much of the brown stuff, because Bobo's column today has to be a hallucination.

Look Unicorns!


...oh, wait a minute...

Is it the RAPTURE already?

Bush Nicknames for Terri Schiavo

We here at the Rising Hegemon have received a confidential list of Bush nicknames for Terri Schiavo from a secret internal white house source. We present the list written by Bush himself without any editorial comments:

1. Terr Terr
2. Terri Bo Berry Bannana Fanna Fo Ferry
3. Republican talkin' point #3 (or just #3)
4. My successsor's election strategery
5. The Lump (heh heh, gud one)
6. Blinky
7. My religious right girl frien'
8. The Terranator
9. Mrs T. -- I pity da fool who take out her tube!
10. Mrs. Schiavo

Why is everyone calling her Terri?

As hilariously pointed out this evening on The Daily Show, all of these lets-expand-government-because-we-can-republicans are calling Mrs. Schiavo, Terri as if they were her close personal friends. A moment of clarity is required on this. She is being called Terri because to call her Mrs. Schiavo would be to acknowledge the right of her husband to represent her medical interests.

Furthermore, why are we only questioning her husband's motives and not her parents? One has to worry about parents who do not care the state of mind of their child or her wishes. They must have her body with them.

Perhaps we should question the interpretations and motives of politicians who are crying "medical terrorism" based on videos made by parents in violation of court orders. So, judges are deprived of discretion, legal guardians will be denied the right to exercise the trust others have placed in them, all in the name of a "culture of life."

What does this mean when politicians do not care about providing the living with the health care and clean food, air, and water we all need to live to the best of our abilities. And do any of us doubt that we can trust all our most personal of rights to politicians who only have our best interests in their wee hearts. Yeah.

So, out of respect, can we call her what we should? Political pawn.