Weekly Roundup, July 25-31, 2011

by BlueberryT

Monday, July 25, 2011

Teutonic Asks Probing Questions

Teutonic’s “elegant” guest post questions what Sarah Palin would actually accomplish, were she to assume the reins of power. (Gasp.) Here is part: “The road to the presidency is a test of mettle. By its very nature it is deliberately exhausting. An effort designed to separate the chaff from the wheat. It requires perseverance, strength of conviction, and a self review in a mirror that does not reflect The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is not a post on Facebook, written by a less than gifted, ghostly hand…” Teutonic’s incredible graphic accompanying the post reveals the true Sarah.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Aid for Africa

We have been so immersed in the political insanity du jour (Bachmann, Beck, debt ceiling, etc.) that the major humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Horn of Africa may be overlooked. Kathleen asks us to take a moment to help avert a huge disaster. Here is the link for Mercy Corps; please take action now to make a difference, and thank you for your compassion toward those less fortunate. It boggles the imagination ~ a million people are at serious risk of death.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Textbook Psychological Projection: Palin calls President “Stupid” and “Fear Monger”

Good God, can’t someone intervene and adjust this woman’s medications? As Kathleen says, “Another worn out repetitive spew from the the Queen of Mean.” Once again she lectures in that horrible know-it-all nagging voice and projects onto President Obama her own personal failings. In addition to being a stupid fear-monger, she is an ignorant, lying, angry, seething, unhinged whack job, as she proves here once again. All that money on plastic surgery is for naught as her true inner anger and hatred comes through so vividly in this clip (perhaps even moreso with the sound off). At least there is some satisfaction in seeing former sycophant Greta Van Susteren cut her off.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Palin to Keynote Tea Party Event

Labor Day is the traditional beginning of campaigning season, so it is not lost on Kathleen that Sarah Palin will speak at an event organized by a Tea Party group that seems to have just appeared recently. As several readers noted, there seems to be a pattern of using these shell organizations to transfer money to Palin’s coffers. But that’s another issue. The post focuses on another Palin speech to another Tea Party group. (One may speculate what America will think of the Tea Party by then, if the government defaults on its debt.) This one will be on the 3^rd anniversary of Palin’s dramatic speech accepting the VP nomination at the RNC. Palin likes anniversaries and especially likes to make a splash on holiday weekends. Of course, it was on the eve of a holiday that she quit, too.

The Murdoch Hackers Sink to a New Low

Imagine befriending the mother of a slain child, and taking advantage of her grief and vulnerability by hacking the phone you had given her? No one could possibly be that low. Except if you work for the Murdochs; in that case, this is business as usual. It makes me physically nauseous to think about how disgusting these people are; they give parasites a bad name. Oh, by the way, James Murdoch just received a vote of confidence from the BskyB board. I assume their confidence is that he is so without scruples and so profit-motivated that morals, honesty and decency will never get in his way.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Sarah Palin, Big Tease

VinnieF takes on the question: will she or won’t she? His take is that she won’t run, and he logically points to several indicators (terrible poll numbers, bad prior experience campaigning, lack of a campaign organization). Ah, if only Palin were logical!! Our readers seem pretty divided on the question. I’m with those of you who believe that her narcissism and sense of destiny both demand that she run. Having said that, I also agree with Vinnie’s reasoning that she cannot put together a coherent organization (or sentence, for that matter) and that she cannot in any normal scenario win. But that won’t stop her from running, IMHO. Bottom line: either way, she gets her yayas by being a big tease.

Some Comments and Links:

Kilob: If a twenty year plan could come forward to pay down our national debt by 1/2 or 3/4 while raising taxes and cuts to non essential government programs, we could use this plan as an investment in this countries future much like the many programs of a bygone era that built this nation.

Maelewis: Palin is not alone. As we watch politician threaten to throw the country and the world into economic chaos, I fail to see people who truly want to serve the public. Instead, politics attracts people whose extreme political/religious/economic actions reek of political theater instead of service. They must crave the spotlight as much as Sarah does…

Marieke02: I am beginning to think the DSM needs a whole new category for these political psychopaths…they all displace their frustrations, insecurities, rage and, well, anything else that doesn't feel right inside, right onto the political sphere; they hook up with politically-oriented cults (with or without charismatic leaders); they feed on political-hate rhetoric; and they are easily incited to violence against political figures they deem enemies.

Adrian: Everyone loves a backseat driver who can't read a map. Keep up the good work, Sarah! [Later] The position she's running for isn't president, she wants to be America's Back Seat Driver because it comes with zero responsibility.

AzureGhost: You know what? I really couldn't give a shit what Palin decides to do. Seriously. Whatever she does, she isn't going to be elected President -- the abysmal box office numbers for the Unattended show that her star power is waning and that all she achieved was to suck a few more dollars out of her loyal worshippers. She's proven time and time again that she is completely incapable of organizing anything, sticking with anything, and keeping hold of staff. Can't run a successful presidential campaign if you can't do those things... I think it's going to be hilarious to watch her flounder further in the coming weeks and to see her sycophants unravel as they realize she is done.

Aussiegal77: The Divine power she often cites is just the "divine" power of being able to cheat & lie her way thru pretty much everything in life.

TripleMoon: Just got off the phone with a relative who is very conservative. She told me she is so angry with the Republican's :) She also said the other members of my family (who rallied with the Tea baggers) are also angry and disgusted with the Republican/Tea baggers. This is their own party who they helped elect. Also, they are all appalled by Murdoch, and are sure if it went on in the UK, it most likely went on here, too. They are all FOX viewers, too. There is hope, folks :)

BadlandsAK: She HAS to run. It is ordained by God, and I think she could care less what we all think of her or her chances of winning. She still has the Dominionists behind her and she/they are creating a new playbook.

BanditBasheert: …Her narcissism runs her life… For that reason, she has to run. Her disease is telling her to run and she never ignores her narcissism. On the other hand, her paranoia drives her fear of confrontation… She knows she has no knowledge base or intelligence - so she goes through life faking everything…she says nothing because she knows nothing. I think she is in a war with herself. Her narcissistic personality demands that she run and win the Presidency. Her paranoia tells her if she does, she will be reviled, laughed at, and she will be seen as the incompetent boob that she really is…

Annes_123 summed up Palin’s legacy: "Children, this is the woman who hated this President. She used to be a Governor but decided to quit so she could follow the Presidency of Barack Obama. She spent 4 entire years giving speeches, writing messages in Facebook, and twittering about how horrible he was. She was trying to convince the people that he was dangerous and not to be trusted. President Obama went on to serve a second term. S.P. eventually fizzled out and was soon forgotten."

Marieke02 linked to politicususa on Dominionism and the Norwegian massacre. and then offered a little relief with this.

Cheeriogirl posted this list of Koch-funded front groups and this on who is really paying taxes (and who isn’t).

Juicyfruityy pointed this out on Christian extremism, from The Smirking Chimp.

ProChoiceGrandma linked to an excellent article on Christian Dominionism from aljazeera.

Sunnyjane offered some hope that mainstream religious leaders are beginning to speak out against this extremism and WesinOregon also linked on that theme (religious leaders storm the hill).

Honestyingov linked to this article by former GOP advisor Bruce Bartlett on the cause of our fiscal problems.

AquaRose posted this link to a sad, cautionary tale.

EbbtideMB linked to Think Progress on House votes for a compromise debt bill.

Sallyngarlandtx posted a link to this thoughtful statement on the debt ceiling.

I found this interesting article on Twitter: Tea Party Exploits Liberals.

Sarah Palin - The Great American Tease

Guest Post by VinnieF

Will she run or won’t she? That’s been the biggest question regarding Sarah Palin all year. I’ve been of the opinion for a while now that Palin will not run, that she’s simply teasing us all with the prospect of a presidential campaign. This article explains why I feel this way and, if true, what this behavior says about Sarah Palin.

First of all, I could be wrong. I’m not at all arguing that Palin should now be ignored. It’s quite possible that Palin will run and could even get elected president. We need to continue to fight against that dreadful possibility. I sincerely believe that the research done on this website and others is a strong deterrent in Palin’s decision to run.

I could go on and on presenting why I think that she is not going to run. Here are the highlights:

• The polls show her doing poorly – Her ‘dislike’ values are the highest of all prospective candidates, even among Republicans. She does horribly in polls one on one against Obama. She’s way too polarizing to win over independents and moderates.
• She knows the difficulty of campaigning – The Bailey and Dunn books show that she had a difficult time in 2008 even with the McCain camp keeping her out of the limelight. If she were the presidential candidate herself, there would be real debates, real interviews, no hiding out, and no time off for catatonic breakdowns. Troopergate, babygate and other information would get major coverage.
• She not taking concrete steps to build a campaign –If she is running, she’s wasting valuable time. She’s not raising money. She’s not building an organization. The brief bus tour and Pella have been her only public outings in several months. To be frank, I don’t think Palin has the leadership capabilities to run a viable presidential campaign, nor the ability to delegate that task to someone other than herself.

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After 2008, Palin rightly deserved a fair amount of fame. There have only been five Republican VP candidates in the last 30 years and Palin was the first woman ever to assume this role. The fame offered Sarah a chance at fortune. She dropped her $125,000 a year governor job to pursue the millions offered by book deals, a reality TV show, the speaking deals and the Fox News gig. Palin left the world of politics to become a celebrity.

The value of any celebrity depends on their fame. Since 2008 Palin’s fame has dwindled. The reality TV show is over. Another book is out of the question. The speaking deals are drying up. They’ve had to resort to Bristol ‘writing’ a book and doing her own reality show. That’s scraping the bottom of the barrel. Right now, the only remaining selling power for the Palin brand is as a potential presidential candidate.

Bristol said her mom has already made up her mind about running. Sarah’s comment on that was just that Bristol shouldn’t have disclosed family secrets. I believe that Palin made up her mind long ago and decided not to run. If I am right, what we’ve been witnessing all year is the greatest tease in the history of American politics. It fits Sarah’s narcissist personality disorder that she can’t stand to be left out of the spotlight.

Candidates owe it to the public to make up their mind in a reasonable time. At least Huckabee and the intractable Trump spared us the sideshow of their ‘campaigns’ going on through the summer. Demonstrating her self-centered personality, Palin is keeping her name in the news solely for the purpose of advancing her own celebrity status. She doesn’t mind that this charade is causing a huge distraction to the very serious topic of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Not only has Sarah failed to disclose her intentions, she has taken deliberate actions which serve to tease the nation and keep the media talking about her. The bus tour came right at a time when other candidates were formally getting into the race. It’s not surprising that the media came out in droves expecting her to make an announcement. The DVD release of her movie will happen right during the time frame that Sarah has said that she’d make a decision. Now there’s a Tea Party speech scheduled for September 3^rd which has raised the level of speculation once again.

The conservatives4palin (C4P) site recently had an article saying the opposite of what I’ve been arguing. They say that Sarah is not money hungry and that she is seriously considering running. Not only that, the most regular theme on that site of late is showing that almost all of Sarah’s recent actions are clear indications that she really is going to run for president. They argue that Sarah would never let them down. We’ll see.

It’s absolutely false to say Sarah hasn’t been asking for money. The website for Sarah’s PAC has featured a “Donate” button in conjunction with the bus tour for months now. Of the $1.65 Million that the PAC spent in the first half of the year, over $100,000 was spent on Internet fundraising and over $575,000 was spent on mailings (more on the PAC spending below). While The Undefeated was produced by an independent filmmaker, Sarah’s PAC used the movie to solicit a $100 donation in exchange for a copy of the DVD. Obviously, most of this money will go to the PAC. The C4P site even had an article advertising this deal to those who couldn’t make it to the movie (which is all of those people who don’t live near one of the TEN theaters it was playing at, i.e. almost everybody).

I would have some respect for Palin if she were taking a principled political stand, even though I despise her politics. Her behavior since 2008 has been primarily about her celebrity with politics simply serving as a backdrop. It’s all about Sarah all of the time. In her tweets, Facebook posts and Fox News interviews she is simply rehashing staid Tea Party talking points. There’s no indication she’s seriously researching political issues. Her ‘commonsense conservatism’ is a code word for simple ideas that don’t require much effort to develop. Today’s complex issues require intelligent analysis not simple sound bites.

As noted, since quitting as a governor, Sarah has moved away from political activity and towards well-paying celebrity opportunities without “real responsibilities”. (Punditry doesn’t count.) One could argue that her PAC is a serious political endeavor. I would argue that it’s a slush fund for Sarah to play around with. Looking at the $1.65 Million in expenses for the first half of the year is very telling. Only $79,000, less than five percent of all expenditures, went to candidates or other political organizations. The bus tour that Piper described as a ‘vacation’ was considered a political event to be paid for by the PAC. Over $350,000 was spent on various consultants! $50,000 was spent on legal fees. $150,000 was spent on travel including over $11,000 for the Israel trip. $90,000 was spent on the treasurer. And, of course, there’s the nearly $14,000 spent on the bus wrap. I guess it’s ok to spend flagrantly if it’s “other people’s money”.

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Fortunately, it looks likes more and more people are seeing Palin for what I believe she is – The Great American Tease. The media is getting wise and is showing less and less interest in her latest tweets and Facebook posts. Her movie has proven to be quite the failure. More and more people are predicting she’s not going to run. While all evidence is that she’s been largely dormant for the last several months, her supporters assume she’s assiduously planning the mother of all campaigns. Her devotees imply that there’s a media conspiracy to spread the rumor that she’s not running. Of course, the real reason people believe she’s not going to run is because of her own actions. She is simply not acting like a serious presidential candidate, save the teasing.

Despite More Hacking Scandals By "News Of The World" The Board At BSkyB Have Unanimously Backed James Murdoch's Position As Chairman Of The Board

By Kathleen

Despite revelations today that News of the World journalists may have hacked into the phone of Sara Payne, the mother of an eight year old girl who was murdered by a serial sex offender, James Murdoch has been unanimously retained as chairman of BskyB after a meeting also held today. The Lib Dem media spokesman, Don Foster, has called on BskyB to reconsider their unanimous backing of James Murdoch. Foster earlier asked Ofcom to further investigate whether the Murdoch empire is "fit and proper" to hold a 39 per cent share in BskyB

After her daughter's death Sara Payne mounted a campaign which led to a law being passed allowing parents access to information about people living near them who were child sex offenders. This campaign was widely supported by the News of the World and came to be known as Sarah's Law. Sara Payne worked closely with NOTW editor, Rebekah Brooks, on the campaign and they became close friends. It is thought that Rebekah Brooks gave the phone to Sara Payne which was subsequently hacked by investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

The Guardian reports that friends have revealed that Sara Payne is "devastated and deeply disappointed."

Sara Payne, whose eight-year-old daughter Sarah was abducted and murdered in July 2000, has been told by Scotland Yard that they have found evidence to suggest she was targeted by the News of the World's investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who specialised in hacking voicemail.

Police had earlier told her correctly that her name was not among those recorded in Mulcaire's notes, but on Tuesday officers from Operation Weeting told her they had found her personal details among the investigator's notes. These had previously been thought to refer to a different target.

Friends of Payne have told the Guardian that she is "absolutely devastated and deeply disappointed" at the disclosure. Her cause had been championed by the News of the World, and in particular by its former editor, Rebekah Brooks. Believing that she had not been a target for hacking, Payne wrote a farewell column for the paper's final edition on 10 July, referring to its staff as "my good and trusted friends".

The evidence that police have found in Mulcaire's notes is believed to relate to a phone given to Payne by Brooks to help her stay in touch with her supporters.

On Thursday night Brooks insisted the phone had not been a personal gift but had been provided to Payne by the News of the World "for the benefit of the campaign for Sarah's law".

In a statement, Brooks said the latest allegations were "abhorrent" and "particularly upsetting" because Sara Payne was a "dear friend".

Responding earlier to news that Payne's details had been found in Mulcaire's notes, one of Payne's close colleagues said: "We are all appalled and disgusted. Sara is in bits about it." It is not known whether any messages for Payne were successfully hacked by Mulcaire.

Understandably this recent revelation has outraged even more people in the United Kingdom who want to see the people responsible brought to justice. Unfortunately for the victims the legal inquiry which opened today into the phone hacking scandal is unlikely to be an impartial one. This is because the judge selected by UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, Lord Justice Leveson, has a direct social link to Newscorp via his contact to Matthew Freud, Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law.

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Be sure to read Malia's latest post in which she exposes the sheer gall of the Palins. Bristol Palin is filming in Alaska so she can claim tax credits for her reality TV show.

Sarah Palin To Give Keynote Speech in Iowa on Labor Day to the Tea Party of America

By Kathleen

According to several sources, including ABC News and the LA Times, Sarah Palin will give the keynote speech at a rally to be held in Iowa on Labor Day, 3rd of September, by The Tea Party of America.

ABC News further reports:

A tea party insider with knowledge of the rally said the timing is not a coincidence: “Labor Day weekend is the traditional kick off to political campaigns, [and] it’s going to be all Sarah all the time.”

The same source pointed out that Palin has “sucked the news cycles of three major summer holidays” because her “One Nation” bus tour launched Memorial Day weekend, “The Undefeated” premiered ahead of July 4^th weekend, and this event falls on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Palin will likely cement her role in the 2012 election in the coming weeks. In a Fox News appearance earlier this month, she acknowledged that the deadline to get into the presidential race is fast approaching, saying that by "August, of course, you have to be laying out a plan if you're going to be one to throw your hat in the ring."

Whether a decision will be made about her political future at this event is still unknown, but the tea party insider says he believes this is either “a roll out for her run” or her attempt “to take the lead of the tea party.”

Peter Singleton is a volunteer who has almost single handedly laid the groundwork for Palin’s potential campaign in Iowa. In 2010, he started the group Organizing4Palin, leaving behind his attorney job and family in California to convince Iowans to get ready to caucus for Palin, even though he has no idea if she will run.

“My guess, and it’s not based on any knowledge, I just can’t see her sitting out this election,” he told ABC News. “She is a citizen leader. I can’t see her sitting this one out.”

Singleton called the Sept. 3 address a “big event” and said his volunteers will be at the event. If she runs, as he hopes she will, he predicts victory: “No one will outwork Sarah Palin, no will out work the Palin base.”

Susan Geddes, the event coordinator for the Tea Party of America, told ABC News that despite the organization only being a few months old, she found it easy to get Palin to sign on to the September event.

“We asked and her schedule was available,” Geddes said. “It’s really that simple.”

The group anticipates a large crowd at the free event – they’re advising attendees to “bring lawn chairs.” Palin is expected to speak about “the state the country is in,” in her keynote, but the whole event will not be devoted to her. Geddes said the goal of the rally is to educate like minded Iowans on how to get conservatives elected.

“If you are someone that has never gotten involved politically, you will know what to do by the end of the event,” she said.

Palin is still expected to revive her “One Nation” bus tour. This event could be her launching pad to get back on the road.

Will she? Won't she? You decide.

America Holds A Collective Breath About The Debt Ceiling Crisis And Sarah Palin Accuses President Obama Yet Again Of Fear Mongering

By Kathleen

Sigh! Another worn out repetitive spew from the the Queen of Mean. It's just so old Sarah. America does not need to listen to Sarah Palin's slithering attacks against President Obama as she seeks to raise herself in a vainglorious attempt to his level. Her words are hollow, and all that she has to offer Americans is a venom laced answer.

Americans require a solution to the issue that Sarah Palin says is "more Obama drama" and "that it is not Armageddon. It is not life or death." It is very possible that "real Americans" will not receive their cheques after August 2nd and President Obama seeks compromise to avoid this situation, not drama.

Sarah Palin though is ready to take the risk that there may be an economic catastrophe. Her solution is another soundbite. "It's the spending, stupid." (did Sarah just call the president of the United States stupid?) This is because, according to Sarah, Obama doesn't understand "what he is doing when we ask him to lead us out of this situation we're facing with bankruptcy."

Let me try to understand Sarah's attempts at logic. On Monday President Obama states that a solution must be reached by August 2 or America will face a catastrophe. During On the Record with Greta Van Susteren Sarah claims that President Obama is a fear monger. Numerous times. Sarah then continues to say that in her opinion President Obama's lack of understanding regarding the solutions she would like to see implemented will lead to bankruptcy. Isn't this also an example of fear mongering?

Moreover, when Sarah accuses President Obama of insisting that the Troubled Asset Relief Programme had to be passed she conveniently slides over the fact that TARP was arranged and signed into law by the previous Bush government. TARP was not an Obama presidency initiative however much Sarah may want to insinuate that it was. Sarah Palin is not only a fear monger, she is also devious in her suggestions to the American public that the previous Bush administration's overspend can somehow be attributed to the present one. (hat tip to older_wiser for the CBS link.)

This interview proves that when it comes to behaving immorally and unethically Sarah Palin is ten steps ahead of your average politician.

Help Prevent A Million Deaths in Africa

By Kathleen

There is much that I could write about today. The recent revelations that Michele Bachmann believes that bullying is "part of life" and yet she has not made any comment about the shocking number of teen suicides in the district of Minnesota which she represents.

I could even discuss the fact that some in the GOP have lost what is left of their tiny collective mind, especially Mike Lee who wants to take spending back to 1966 levels. Perhaps Mike would also consider a cut in his own salary? Let's say to something akin to 1966 levels? How about it Mike?

Or what about Glenn Beck and the fact that he wants to compare the young people massacred on Utoya island by a right wing killer to the Hitler Youth? The Guardian reports that Beck's remarks have been slammed in Norway. It also reports that the Tea Party may find Beck's comments surprising as summer camps for young people have been held by the tea Party in several locations this year. Sarah Palin also has her own political youth wing. Torbjorn Eriksen, had this to say about Beck's remarks:

"Young political activists have gathered at Utøya for over 60 years to learn about and be part of democracy, the very opposite of what the Hitler Youth was about. Glenn Beck's comments are ignorant, incorrect and extremely hurtful."

All of the above are important issues and feel free to discuss them in the comments.

However, what I really want to draw your attention to today is the following request which I received from Mother Jones in my inbox a short while ago. Drought is causing the deaths of many in East Africa. Everyday. As individuals we cannot resolve such tragedy but collectively we can make a difference to the developing situation in East Africa.

Tonight, 10 million people in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia will have empty bellies. This is the worst hunger crisis in 60 years. This is urgent. Help us rush food and water to the Horn donate to the Horn of Africa Crisis Response fund. Friend, starving families are walking for days on empty bellies on the chance that there will be food somewhere else. Mothers are giving their children salty, contaminated water because it's all they can get to drink. Children are dying every day. The drought in the Horn of Africa was already heartbreaking and each week, it's getting worse. With so many families needing our help to find their next meal, we're depending on your support right now to respond with food, water, and other critical relief. Click here to make your emergency gift for the Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis fund. Think about the last time you were hungry. Then imagine there was little hope you'd have even a bite to eat for days unless someone you had never met decided to do something about it. Last time there was a drought this severe in East Africa, in the 1980s, 1 million people starved to death. Generous people like you have already helped us send emergency food rations like corn-soy flour and cooking oil to 20,000 people in Ethiopia and water to 55,000 people in drought-ravaged regions. We've started building programs that will truck in and purify water for tens of thousands of Somali refugees flocking into Kenya with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs, often having lost loved ones on the way. Many have stepped up to help. Together, we've already helped 150,000 people survive unbearable conditions, but we can't stop not now. Mercy Corps is mounting emergency relief efforts in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia to provide clean water and food rations which have become increasingly scarce. For the people in East Africa eating leaves to keep from starving, their best hope for survival depends on people like you. Will you help? Make your gift to help hungry families in the Horn of Africa survive. Thank you for your compassion. Your help is critical during these dire times. Sincerely, Dan O'Neill Founder P.S. It only takes thirteen cents to give an Ethiopian girl the water she needs today. Please make a gift right now to send relief to East Africa's starving families. Donate Now | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Mercy Corps — PO Box 2669, Dept W — Portland, OR — 97208-2669

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Please consider supporting the above appeal.

Here is a link to the Mercy corps website and a liitle background information on the founder, Dan O'Neill.

Sarah Palin: What would be your legacy?

Guest post by teutonic13

Graphic by teutonic13

You sadden me Sarah.

What would you do? Just answer that once as in the meme of the question Bill O posed to you on Fox News. What would you do Sarah? Discredit your neighbour? Target the dumpster divers? Use the same old deviating palm writing excuse- because it was a quick rebound after all- when you got busted for that? Turn the attention away from the subject of your shortfalls?

Sarah Palin - ever the opportunist.

So immersed in Obama, so willing to tread on him. Is that the solution? Easy to pick on him isn't it? His skin tone alone suggests a potential allegiance to thousands of white racists. So one up on that girl friend.

We are a better nation because of Obama. The world respects him- except of course the critics from the right. They seek to destroy what Mr. Obama stands for. He represents a chance for those less advantaged, gives credence to the oppressed, and strives for social equality.

There is no question in my mind that if threatened, Obama would be steady handed in his resolve. We have seen his decisiveness with Bin Laden, and the Somali Pirate intervention. A very measured and calculated response that preserves integrity, and protects our rights as a nation.

I pity any fool that fails to respect his decisiveness.

But your hand might not be so even. You show your cards because you can't help yourself. The world is not a 4 move chess game. It doesn't play like that. Leading a nation sounds like a bold and patriotic thing. But guess what? We are outnumbered by far, by other despots and tyrants that unlike you, are educated and thoroughly more cunning.

Knowing that because the repertoire of your negotiating skills is limited, the last alternative (pressing a launch code- a preamble to Armageddon), may surface far too prematurely as a 1 trick pony (as far as the heavy stick to be carried). That would be reminiscent of Nikita Khrushchev when he slammed his shoe down on the table during a United Nations assembly in 1962. It was calculated theater, caught everybody's attention, brought the world to the brink of Nuclear extinction, and was exposed as a coward's vain effort to bluff the world.

Only the stupid raise merit to boisterousness as opposed to true strength. Strength is based on one's moral conviction that is almost always born from hard decisions, and self sacrifice. The self-absorbed base the merit of their argument on papier-mâché- a fabrication of effort effused with smoke and mirrors.

So Sarah? What would people say about you if you became the leader of this UNITED states?

Sarah Palin: What would be your legacy?

I won't ask what you have read, because obviously you do follow the media like a hound. I don't condemn you for that, Sarah, we all select our comfort zone.

But what do you do aside from hate us?

Is the last thing that you go to sleep thinking filled with hate and rebuttals?

What goes through your mind as you wake up for coffee and breakfast?

Do you relive your net worth before you kiss your children?

Is it like being a cornered animal, that if and only if- the world was as your vision, that you could gnaw your way out of the scrutiny that your self same lapses in judgment have beset upon you?

So as president, would we have to witness that?

I think not.

There have been enough misspellings in the last decade, let's not invite a 09/12 because you mistake baseless temerity for political acumen. Waving your hand with drivel written on it to wash away your lack of attention to detail will not give pause to the those you deem less worthy, it shall not feed the misfortunate, it shall not deter those you underestimate, and it will certainly not harness those you fear.

The presidency requires substance and honesty, even if that honesty may cause risk to future personal endeavors for oneself, it is an honesty that the American people deserve, that the world requires in terms of our accountability.

The road to the presidency is a test of mettle. By it's very nature it is deliberately exhausting. An effort designed to separate the chaff from the wheat. It requires perseverance, strength of conviction, and a self review in a mirror that does not reflect The Picture of Dorian Gray.

It is not a post on Facebook, written by a less than gifted, ghostly hand.

It is not the Wizard of Oz hiding behind the curtains of an empty movie theater playing "The Undefeated".

And it is not going to end up on your resume below the 4 colleges you say you attended.

It will be a side note, and no doubt Ms. Palin, you shall remain an Asterisk * at the bottom of a Wikipedia article on the 2012 presidential election, similar to the * on your governorship of Alaska.

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Thank you teutonic13 for this very stimulating post.

I have now created a new label titled "reader opinions."

This label will include all guest posts written by Politicalgates readers. I believe that it is important to give voice to the range of ideas and viewpoints that Politicalgates readers have, but it must be emphasised that guests posts may include ideas and/or opinions of the guest writer which may not necessarily be the opinion of myself as editor and owner of the blog.

Weekly Roundup, July 18-24, 2011

by BlueberryT

Monday, July 18, 2011

My Fellow American + An Interesting Photo

Our week began on a very positive note, with a short film called “My Fellow American,” which helps to cut through the anti-Islamic bigotry that is so prevalent in some quarters these days (not just in the U.S., as Norway sadly learned this week). It is well worth less than 3 minutes of your time to watch the clip. The post also includes an interesting photo of Palin with the girls at the Flyers game, along with Trig, who looks huge! And how could we have ever mixed up Bristol and Willow – here they are side-by-side, and they don’t look all that similar, IMO. And that was even before Bristol’s extensive plastic surgery!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Azure Ghost’s “The Unattended” Poster + Hacking Scandal Heats Up

Azure Ghost is a genius at creating “movie posters” and other Palin images. It is really hard to choose a favorite, but... this one is particularly brilliant, as it helped to drive media attention to the fact that the Palin propaganda film is a complete dud, as Olbermann and others have reported. Kathleen alerted us to the lineup for testimony before the U.K. Parliament…

Splat!

Well, maybe it was a set-up, but “Johnny Marbles” took aim at poor, defenseless Rupert Murdoch as he was testifying before Parliament, hitting him in the face with a plateful of foam. Then Wendi Deng smacked Marbles; ouch, he definitely got the worst of this! (She is married to Murdoch? WTF?) The whole scene engendered sympathy for poor little Rupert, who was mostly able to get away with feigning ignorance and blaming his underlings. Quite a media circus. The post also includes a photo of Britta Hanson, Track’s bride of two months, looking about 7 months pregnant. Funny, that’s just how pregnant Sarah claimed to be in March 2008, when she looked flat as a board. Suck it up, Britta…what’s with the flabby abs, and this is only your first kid?; what a slacker! (Kidding, she looks beautiful and somewhat normal, which is probably a disadvantage in the family she has now married into.) Twitter is ablaze with comments about how well abstinence-only works in the Palin-Heath clan (we’re up to at least 5 pre-marital pregnancies, just among Sally, Sarah, Bristol and now Track…) Yet Bristol got paid ~$325,000 as an abstinence advocate. This goes way beyond mere hypocrisy.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

British PM Testifies on Hacking Scandal

British PM David Cameron’s decision to hire now-disgraced News of the World editor Andy Coulson is finally hitting him where it hurts. About time. Coulson’s involvement in hacking phones was already known, but Cameron not only hired him, claiming he was giving him a second chance, but repeatedly defended him until recent revelations made Coulson too toxic. More importantly, the cozy, close relationship between Cameron and Murdoch’s empire is getting the scrutiny it deserves. Hopefully the British public is now aware of the extent to which Murdoch has controlled their politics by playing puppetmaster to their highest elected officials.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Leadfoot Does It Again – Dr. Drew Interview

h/t to Annes_123

Leadfoot, how can we thank you for sparing the rest of us the agony of watching Bris-dull for a whole hour? Dr. Drew interviews “celebrities with behavior problems,” so I guess we’re in the right place! We relive the loss of Bristol’s virginity for the 100^th time (double entendre intended) and hear that Bristol’s family is “the closest family ever possible” – so close that her mother knew about her sexual exploits but her father only found out when he read the book. I guess that is how close families act in Palin-land. She lies constantly while smiling, something for which she has been extensively tutored by Sarah. Leadfoot’s commentary is CERTAINLY more interesting, entertaining and insightful than anything on the program. [BBT: I will give Dr. Drew credit for his subsequent observations about how “enmeshed” Bristol has become with Sarah’s persona; but he obviously didn’t do his homework for the interview. We are witnessing the sorry outcome of Sarah’s decision to thrust Bristol into the harsh media spotlight, for which she was completely unprepared. Her sudden notoriety has done her no favors. She comes off as an increasingly disturbed young woman, IMO.]

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Real World Consequences of GOP Policies, Part 3

Ennealogic returns with another brilliant post on what happens when the GOP holds the reins of power. She reminds us of the budget surpluses under President Clinton that were quickly disbursed back to the wealthiest Americans by W’s massive tax cuts. Where does the money go? Largely to the Pentagon, which could not account for 25% of its massive spending, as was reported by CBS on 9/10/2001. The next day’s events not only overshadowed that story but opened the Pentagon’s coffers to Halliburton and other for-profit, largely unaccountable contractors. More trillions gone missing. The post includes an excellent chart showing that the corporate and total tax burden of the US is a lower percentage of GDP than for almost any other nation (which is the real issue; let’s face it). BBT adds: this issue is all the more important given the Citizens United decision allowing corporate wealth = political power.

Sadly, we once again extend our heartfelt condolences, this time to the people of Norway, who have become the most recent victims of right-wing extremism.

Some comments and links:

Ivyfree: Britta was just trying to fit in with the whole family values shtick.

Sunnyjane: It appears to me like we have MUCH to fear from those terrorist Muslims! After all, it was a Muslim terrorist who shot and killed Dr. George Tiller while he was…Oh, that’s not correct?

Well, it was a Muslim terrorist who killed the guard at the Holocaust Museum, right? What! It was a white supremacist named James von Brunn? Oh…

OK, it was that anti-American Muslim Schaeffer Cox from Alaska who founded that terrorist militia and thought up the idea involving a murder pact to kill law enforcement officers and…huh? That wasn’t a Muslim either?

But I betcha it was a treacherous Muslim politician who put up that map with the cross hairs targeting Democratic politicians in the 2010 elections, which ultimately ended in the deaths of six and injury of thirteen others! Oh…that’s not right either? Are you SURE?

Hmm…maybe I need to rethink this whole thing.

Mrsgunka: …I guess Rupert's last statement was to make us all believe he is honest man and he will make it all go away and it will never happen again. :-) No, Rupert, we don't believe you and it's time you be held accountable for most of the current ills of the world that you have orchestrated. We the people have had it with people like you who think you can control us. We didn't vote for you to lead us, but we are voting now that you pay for what you have done. We want our world back from people like you!

Elizabeth44: I love those promises of investigations. They usually seem to mean, "We'll investigate all right and you'll never see the evidence because when we get done there won't be any."

JCos: Why does it sound like Cameron is apologizing to Murdoch and not the public?

Maelewis: If Murdoch had no idea what was going on, he is not fit to run that great big media empire.

Leadfoot cracks me up!: OMG. Bristol is seriously the worst abstinence spokesperson EVER... I just saw a clip/commercial, in which she says, "I'm not telling people NOT to have sex. I think that is stupid. I'm just saying they should use protection every single time." Didn't she get paid about $300,000 to tell people not to have sex?!

Also, supposedly in this hour long freak-fest, she discusses Levi and how she wishes Tripp's father were in his life. AGAIN. Whine, whine, whine. 1) You purposely made a baby when you were 17-years old so STFU. 2) Your life is not hard, so STFU. 3) Levi does try to be in Tripp's life and you won't let him, so STFU you big giant lying sack of dog crap.

I feel better now.

DebinWI: OMG, either she thinks abstinence means abstain from getting pregnant -- not abstain from having sex; or if she does know, she's about to be canned from Candies -- or already is. Mommy is calling her right now. Cans are being thrown. "What did mother tell you to say??!! It's all your fault I'm not popular anymore!""

NJfan: If she is a "rill" journalism "expert" then why the hell did she have a ghostwriter write her books and Ram write on facebook for her?

SLQ quoted Bristol: "My family is the closest family EVER." (even though no one knew I was sleeping with Levi for 2 years, and my mom and dad don't sleep in the same room, and my sister smashes my other sister's face into a cake, and when we go on adventures in my mom's Alaska or a real American really expensive R.V. vacation to see the fabulous historical sights in our great shining nation on a hill, only some people get to/want to go)

Maelewis: The best example of that close loving family was the recent family vacation. No Bristol, Tripp and Trig. Todd and Willow left early. Piper acted out on a regular basis. Sarah was busy posing for the cameras and teaching us American History. We've seen Bristol's close family, and it's a mess.

Psalm023: I hope media or any feeling human who watched that last night starts to realize the Palins aren't victims of anything, except themselves. They persecute themselves by doing whatever they want; when they get caught, they blame others, blame the pills, blame, blame, blame. Don't care about how it might hurt or affect their brother, sister, daughter, son, grandson, parents, siblings, just say anything if it makes them feel like a victim.

Cackling Rad: Every time she starts whining about how hard it is being a single mom (was your nanny sitting in the audience with Tripp, Brissy?) I just want to slap her. Being a mom is hard, Brissy, period! It's even harder with no money and no family, as millions of women out there can attest. The difference is, we don't whine about it, and we certainly don't get PAID to whine about it.

Older_Wiser posted this link on Marcus Bachmann.

BellPeppery found this by The Guardian.

Bandit Basheert linked to Raw Story’s critique of The Undefeated and found this on HuffPo about Sarah Palin: The Undead…

HopeforAmerica linked to this article on Palin’s lack of appeal to the middle, from Alaska Dispatch.

Emily Peacock™ linked to The Guardian on how News International deliberately blocked the investigation and Zane1 found this on The Guardian’s questions about the hacking scandal. Let’s hope they keep asking these questions, and more, until they get truthful answers.

Cheeriogirl found this – hahahaha!

BBT: This is totally O/T but explains the Dodd-Frank Act more clearly than I have seen elsewhere, so I thought our readers might find this of interest.