October 30, 2007

Wool Gathering

Fryday, 5 Betteroff 2007

It's been another few days (again!) since I've been adding bloggy goodness to the intertubes - which, come to think of it, might be a positive boon top it's overall well-being - and I'm feeling the burden of time in many ways. Not the least of is why I'm shouting into the hinterlands at all, particularly when there's so many others who do it so much better than I.

Then again, I've always been more interested in combining existing stuff in different ways, instead of putting something new of my own into the mix. So the possibility exists that I might get to something which may aid others in their adventures. I might get it right yet...

And then there's the personal stuff:

My friend up in Canada will be seeing his specialist to determine when his second operation to remove the cancer from his body (they didn't get all of it the first time, but at least they think that things aren't spreading). He's just barely gotten through the first phase of recuperating from the first operation. Good luck with that, Bud...

My (oldest) younger sister and her brother in law celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary on October 23rd, which is also the occasion of her forty fifth birthday. Congrats!

The clan has been propagating at an alarming rate for some time now, and there are clusters of rugrats gumming up the waxworks all over the place. Some of them are even getting mild to moderate pressure (more from their societal connections) to get to frumping up a new generation. It's all for the best, and I'm happy to say that they all seem to have worked their way through their adventures (so far) relatively unscathed. I'm also delighted to be able to think that they have hope and foresight enough to figure out how they will be able to make a positive contribution to the future. It makes me feel good to have that feeling about others. However true it turns out to be...

But the ravages of time seem to be weighing more heavily on my melon of late. My mental password list is so overflowing that I can't remember any more new stuff. Sorry - every frelling site that requires me to register in order to comment / see your content / etc. / etc. Praise Koresh for the dailykos userid/password and its' prevalence in the internets. It would be nice to find the site with a bunch of them (that hasn't been hacked to uselessness yet) and link to it somewhere 'round these parts.

And there's a duality of opposites that I need to resolve: I have a growing sense of urgency with some things that I'm waiting to get updates on* and things I'd like to do and there's barely enough time to keep it together through the work week. Not mention friends and family and fun and life, the universe, and everything. And now I've maybe bitten off more than I can chew conned some people (not least myself) into thinking that I might have something worthwhile to say agreed to start posting on the BartBlog as well as the American Street. Given my recent track record (cough), I might not be able to keep up my end of the bargain. But I would like to give it the good old college try, with your kind indulgence, dear reader. The other side of this coin is that there sometimes seems to be so much to do that I become paralyzed with indecision as to what to take care of first - and then nothing gets done.

Plus I've started smoking again, and I can't seem to lose any more weight. I've got around $150 of meds to buy every month and fit into the budget. The dental work I got done in July is coming due for payment soon. And the holidays are just around the corner. It will all work out in the end, but sometimes it doesn't quite seem that way when you're going through it. And of course I could be much worse off and I appreciate that I have it pretty good more often than not. So this diatribe is more in the way of explaining the roaring silence 'round these parts, as opposed to complaining.** Just thought I'd bring all and sundry up to speed.

Talk amongst yourselves while I'm away...

* - that reminds me: where the frell is my flying car?

** - You want to complain? Look at these shoes - I've only had them three weeks and the heels are worn right through. If you complain, nothing happens. You might as well not bother. Look at me - my back hurts, it's not at all a fine day, and I'm sick and tired of this office...

Posted by (: Tom :) at 07:03 PM

October 25, 2007

Time For Some Cartoons

Sunday, 30 Gathring 2007

My good friend Bart scooped me on one of the recent Aislin cartoons, but these two strike particularly close to this border child's home.

Share and Enjoy!

I am not programmed to respond to that stimuli
Homeless getting scrod on the exchange
Posted by (: Tom :) at 09:04 PM | Comments (2)

October 24, 2007

Making A List

Saturday, 29 Gathring 2007

Shamelessly appropriated from Evil Bible by way of Rook's Rant:

Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian

Number 10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

Number 9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

Number 8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

Number 7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

Number 6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

Number 5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

Number 4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

Number 3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

Number 2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

and, the Number 1 sign you're a fundamentalist christian: - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

Posted by (: Tom :) at 05:00 PM

October 23, 2007

Reasoned Discourse (cough) From The Reich Wing

Fryday, 28 Gathring 2007

Shorter Our Lady Of The Concentration Camps:

Pete Stark didn't commit hara-kiri after saying true mean things about the pRetzelDunce, so his apology is not sincere enough.

Shorter concept pioneered by D-Squared and perfected by Busy Busy Busy

Posted by (: Tom :) at 03:55 PM

October 14, 2007

Time For A Cartoon

Thursday, 19 Gathring 2007

Too bad the Supreme Court can't hand this to Putsch, too!
Posted by (: Tom :) at 03:16 PM | Comments (1)

October 11, 2007

Shorter Stalkin' Malkin

Sunday, 16 Gathring 2007

Democrats want to debate facts! And all I got is shrieking incoherency in response...

Shorter haiku:

Hypocrite stalker
Questions 'good faith' with lots more
Stalkin' Malkin lies

Shorter concept created by D-Squared and perfected by Busy Busy Busy

Posted by (: Tom :) at 04:42 PM

October 05, 2007

Happy Blogaversary To Me!

Tuesday, 10 Gathring 2007

It's that time of the year again - time to celebrate five years of blog posts, aspiring journamalism, and the tweaking of Reich wingnut noses for infotainment purposes.

But it hasn't been all fun and games. For example: I have created a number of items in the Funny Farm Country Store, including a bumper sticker:

Lousy Bush depression!

which I have thoughtfully (cough) put up on the walls of my Borg cubicle.

Apparently, there are some within my office that have helpfully (cough) recommended a solution to my 'problem' (which, amazingly enough, does not involve any sort of acknowledgment of the sentiments expressed, or any sort of Republican't responsibility for the clusterCheney going on at the federal government level) in my inter office mailbox:

Thoughtful sentiments towards DFH's from the Reich wing

For some strange reason, this has caused some concern for the Funny Farm Editorial Staff...

[Editors' Note: this entry has been cross-posted at the American Street]

Posted by (: Tom :) at 01:47 PM

October 03, 2007

I Laugh To Stop Myself From Crying

Saturday, 8 Gathring 2007

It seems the Republican't National Committee is beating the dead horse once again:

[snip]

The RNC blast-emailed a solicitation to party members across the country a little while ago in the form of a letter from the incumbent president and nominal head of the party. "In just over 13 months, Americans go to the polls to elect the next President," Bush writes in his "Dear Republican" letter. "We have an important mission: to keep the White House in 2008, and retake the U.S. House and Senate."

Mission impossible? Bush doesn't think so, although he acknowledges that fulfillment won't come easy:


Next year, Chairman Mike Duncan and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will have the job of organizing our Party's national grassroots campaign effort.

Mike and I both are counting on your support to help lead the Republican Party to sweeping victories in the 2008 elections.

We know it is grassroots activists like you who put up the yard signs, knock on the doors, make the phone calls and do what's necessary to win and elect a Republican president and Congress.

And it is people like you who give generously to ensure our candidates have the resources needed to run effective campaigns and win. That is why I hope you will make a special online gift of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $25 to keep the RNC's 2008 election programs moving forward.

Winning the 2008 elections will be the toughest test our Party has faced since we won the White House and added to our numbers in both houses of Congress in 2004.


[snip]

UPDATE: Danny Diaz, RNC spokesman, explains the elision of 2006 this way: "It clearly speaks to the stakes of the upcoming election and the significance of maintaining control of the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ticket." In other words (mine), for Republicans, the stakes of 2008 are higher than they were in 2006 because they stand to lose control of the White House as well as remain in the minority in the House and Senate. That makes sense. Diaz would never say this, but the GOP's chances of retaining the White House, while daunting, are better than its chances of winning back either house of Congress.

But the best part is that they have sent variations of this email to (at least) a couple of bloggers possessing weapons-grade snark. Some brief samples:

From World O'Crap: [snip]

Therefore, with no futher ado, allow me to present President George W. Bush's email, but with all the BS removed:

Dear Republican't,

During my six and a half years in office, you and I have worked together to advance the Republican Party's principles to keep America safe, strengthen our economy, protect our values and extend the American Dream to every person who's fortunate to be a citizen of our great country.

[snip]

Republicans have a solid record when it comes to protecting the United States of America.

After the enemy attacked us, I vowed I would rally this nation and use our resources to protect you. And that is exactly what we have done.

And we have been safe from tigers ever since he installed that special "no more tigers" rock in our front yard.

We have reformed our intelligence services to make sure we can find the enemy before they strike. We have fought to deny them safe haven in Afghanistan and Iraq so they cannot plan and plot again.

And that has worked out exactly how ….?

The fight for freedom in Iraq is the fight for the security of the United States of America and we must prevail. If we leave before the job is done, the enemy that attacked us would be emboldened.

Then why the hell didn't we fight that enemy instead of going to Iraq? Are you TRYING to make me want to smack somebody, George?

[snip]

From Halfway There The president insists on sending me mail. He can't stop. I'm not sure exactly what I did to spark his obsession with me, but he keeps talking about our shared ideals and goals. If he keeps insulting me this way, I shall have to be curt with him. To date, I've contented myself with ignoring his ever more piteous pleas for attention. Today's missive is a curious amalgam of mendacity and chest-beating. In other words, typical of his ghostwriters.
Dear Republican't,

During my six and a half years in office, you and I have worked together to advance the Republican Party's principles to keep America safe, strengthen our economy, protect our values and extend the American Dream to every person who's fortunate to be a citizen of our great country.

Unless you live in New Orleans, of course. That "keep America safe" thing is working better, of course, what with the administration's willingness to send Americans overseas to be killed. It's not just about the oil, of course. That's a vile slander. It's all about plutocracy: no-bid contracts and no-oversight out-sourcing. That's the Republican way.

[snip]

Next year, Chairman Mike Duncan and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will have the job of organizing our Party's national grassroots campaign effort.

Mike and I both are counting on your support to help lead the Republican Party to sweeping victories in the 2008 elections.

Is that the same Mike Duncan who chaired the transition committee for Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky? Boy, that was sure a successful transition! I presume Duncan carefully vetted all of those folks who went on to join one of the state's most corrupt administrations ever. It was clever how Fletcher issued pardons to several members of his administration to forestall further investigations into the criminal abuse of Kentucky's merit system. Now that Fletcher is running for re-election, I assume his campaign will be one of Mike Duncan's biggest priorities. Please pour lots of campaign funds into that rat-hole, would you?

But we mustn't blame Mike for problems that are clearly Governor Fletcher's fault. That would be guilt by association. Mike Duncan no doubt gets enough of that just from being head of the Republican National Committee these days.

Republicans have a solid record when it comes to protecting the United States of America.

After the enemy attacked us, I vowed I would rally this nation and use our resources to protect you. And that is exactly what we have done. We have reformed our intelligence services to make sure we can find the enemy before they strike. We have fought to deny them safe haven in Afghanistan and Iraq so they cannot plan and plot again.

Well, we were denying them safe haven in Afghanistan, but our neglect of that operation has permitted the Taliban's resurgence. Would you like to address that little problem? At least we're keeping up the effort in Iraq, where it was Saddam himself who used to deny them a safe haven. Good thing we took him out and turned all of Iraq into a terrorist training ground. That's going to be part of your legacy, George!

Republicans also have a solid record when it comes to growing this economy.

Republicans cut taxes for everybody who pays taxes. We understand that if you have more money in your pocket to save, spend, or invest, the economy will grow.

If you look carefully at the budget the Democrats proposed, they want to return to the days of tax and spend. They will raise your taxes and figure out new ways to spend your money.

If our candidates remind the American voter that tax cuts have worked, that the economy is strong as a result of the tax cuts, and instead of raising taxes, we ought to make the tax cuts permanent, we will retake the U.S. House and Senate and hold the White House in 2008.

The best part about our federal budget is that the war in Iraq is off the books! Thanks to Bush-style bookkeeping, we can continue to pretend to be good stewards of the nation's economy while maxing out our credit cards. Not to worry! The bill won't come due while Bush is still in the White House.

[snip]

Haven't we heard this song somewhere else before? That bubble must be getting pretty maddening with the echoes of the same old same old still not being bought by the rubes echoing through the halls. I wonder if he's talking to any of the portraits yet?

Apparently even the corpo-weasels are getting nervous about throwing away good money after bad, as far as the current crop of Republican'ts are concerned. I've been reading about other Rovian operations targeting Democratic contributors, but not enough to report on it. And, yes, I am still getting emails addressed to notrelevantto yourinquiry from John Kerry because I signed a petition once - so it's not like there's boilerplate mass emailing going on in both camps. But at least the Dem ghostwriters vary their message - with such as target-rich environment, how could they not? - and they generally don't lie their a$$es off every sentence.

Any others who have thoughtfully taken the time to respond to this propaganda piece (or anyone who has found other examples) please feel free to link to them in the comments.

Share and Enjoy!

[Editors' Note: this entry has been cross-posted at the American Street]

Posted by (: Tom :) at 09:53 PM | Comments (2)