Right Wing World: Cheney and Palin and More, Oh My!

In my previous post, I ranted about the idiocy of presenting Dick Cheney (or countless others) on the Sunday political shows, and holding them out as some sort of authority on foreign policy. Or anything else. I left out John McCain and his swooning buddy, Lindsey Graham, both of who appear so often on those shows, they should be noted as the Senators from Meet the Press, rather than the states they allegedly represent. But my rant was just to let out steam. I should know by now that I am but a humble, hobbyist blogger, and that there are pros out there who do it better.

Image from source, NewsCorpse

But the nice thing is, I can share their work, and still feel like I did something! And oddly enough, it does make me feel better. This is from a great site that focuses mostly on FOX "News," but you can apply it across the board.

[Excerpt]

Fox News On Credibility: With Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, And Stuttering Jesse Watters

Bizarro World is contemplating a lawsuit against Fox News for infringing on their patented methods of presenting a worldview that is wholly inconsistent with reality. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Lest We Forget: Who the Hell Cares What Dick Cheney Thinks?

I haven't read a word of the article I excerpted below. I didn't watch the clip. When I grudgingly watched FOX "News" Sunday this weekend to see what was up their asses this week, I turned it off when Dick Cheney was introduced as the guest. Why? Because I don't care what Cheney has to say. About anything. And nobody else should either.

In fact, there are very few members of the Bush Administration that should be appearing on Meet the Press or Face the Nation or any of the other shows, particularly on matters of foreign policy. Cheney and the rest weren't just wrong about damned near everything, they actually started a war under false pretenses. They presided over the worst terrorist attack on our country since Pearl Harbor.

Cheney says President Obama lacks credibility? A thesis on all the reasons Cheney has no credibility would fill pages and pages so lengthy that no one would read it, so I won't bother. I just had to say to the powers that be, and the universe in general, could you please keep this increasingly creepy man off of my TV, and out of the spotlight? Thank you.

[Excerpt]

Cheney Backs NSA Spying; Calls Snowden A Traitor, Says Obama "Lacks Credibility"


CHRIS WALLACE: What do you think of Edward Snowden?

DICK CHENEY: I think he's a traitor. I think he has committed crimes in effect by violating agreements given the position he had. . .

Read more (but I'm not gonna) at: Real Clear Politics

Glenn Beck, Doomsday Prophet

Schtick or the real thing? Image from MStarz.com

There is a whole collection of right-wing heroes that defy description, and are probably best left without media attention to give them what they crave. But they're like catnip in the opposite way to us liberals as they are to their conservative fans. Some of them are easy to figure out. Ann Coulter is a troll, making outrageous pronouncements in order to stir up a controversy, and then she reaps the rewards. Sarah Palin is similar, but with a much shallower reserve of actual knowledge and brain power. Glenn Beck is harder to peg.

It's difficult to tell if Beck is all a show, or if he's really like that. But it's helpful to remember that Beck is an adult convert to Mormonism. That could be an act too, I suppose, to appease his wife. But if not, it might explain Beck's flights of fancy. It takes either an extremely gullible mind to be taken in by such a wacky religion as a full-grown adult, or one with rather odd neural pathways. I may be guilty of being an LDS-O-phobe, but I think if you read The Book of Mormon, and say to yourself, "this makes sense!" you might just have more than a few screws loose. And Mormons, I'm not picking on you, all religions are bananas on their surface. To convert to one in adulthood takes a mind that is not necessarily firing on all thrusters.

But Beck is a showman, so I don't know where the line is. Days ago, he was claiming his vocal chords were paralyzed, and then he was right back on his internet "radio" show, yapping away. Now, he's dragging his Mormonism out into the light, and going on about "the end times." Has the butter finally dripped off Beck''s noodles? Is this yet another ploy for attention? Or is he right?

That last question is a joke.

[Excerpt]

Citing the Book of Mormon, Glenn Beck Warns That 'We Are at the End'


Near the end of today's radio broadcast, Glenn Beck grew solemn as he warned his audience that "we are living in Biblical times."

Read more at: RightWingWatch.org

Movie Review: Man of Steel

Compare and contrast to the photo below. Yeah, this is
an new Superman. Image from Forbes.com.

As a DC comics fan to nearly my infancy, I've been starved for representation in the movie adaptation realm. Yes, Batman has been amply represented, but he was never one of my faves, which has left me very little over the years. So, seven years ago when Superman Returns finally came out, I was ecstatic. I'd take him any way I could get him, and how I got him wasn't too bad. Brandon Routh looked the part, and was a decent actor. Kevin Spacey out-hackmaned Gene Hackman. And it kept the vibe of the classic Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve era.

It wasn't the best movie ever, but was far from the worst one, even if you confine yourself to the comic book world. Contemporaneous reviews back me up on this too, Superman Returns was generally well received. But the film was saddled with a lot of baggage, especially the two decades of development and expenditure leading up to it. And when it wasn't a mega-worldwide blockbuster with stellar reviews, it was recast as a flop, a failure. No.  Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was a flop and a failure. But I protest too much. I'm aware that I am in the minority in my appreciation of the 2006 film. And this many years later, I accept that 2013 was not too soon for a reboot.

C'mon, everybody, was it really so bad?
Image from Fanpop.com

Boy howdy did we get a reboot. Spurred, no doubt, by Marvel Comics' stunning string of successes (just ignore Daredevil, Electra, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, The Punisher again, etc.), not to mention legal matters from the heirs of Superman's creators, DC and Warner Brothers got it together at last. Man of Steel is finally here, and is its own kind of Superman. And unless sales deflate on a scale never seen before, it's already on track to be one of the most successful superhero films in history. For once, the hype, the marketing, and the buildup paid off. It's a freakin' great movie.

With over $200 million spent to make it, I guess it should be really good, but look at the recent Star Trek sequel. Its budget wasn't quite that big, and did respectable business, but has been belittled and berated all over the internets as an under-performer, and a disappointment (again, not to me, I dug it). Today's blockbusters are judged as much for how much money they haul in, as they are for actually being good entertainment.

But I'm off on a tangent here. We're talking about Man of Steel, so named to align with Batman's Dark Knight trilogy. The movie is star-studded, with huge names (Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne), and lauded TV stars (Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni). It starts by creating a whole new planet Krypton, with a re-imagined origin story. It ably combines the elements from Krypton in Superman: The Movie, the John Byrne era Superman comics and the classic silver/golden-age Superman comics.  The reasons behind Krypton's eventual destruction resonate with earthly concerns of today, and the villains consigned to the Phantom Zone (as in Superman I & II) have much more back-story and motivation.

Every adaptation monkeys with the "S" shield, none get it right.
This is one of the better ones, though.

Clark Kent's arrival on earth and growing up years are wisely mostly confined to flashbacks, in nice little nugget-sized factoids, woven adeptly into the story. Since almost everyone already knows about Clark Kent, Ma & Pa Kent, and the rest from Smallville, other TV shows, movies and seventy-five years of comic books, a more through story is unnecessary. Thank you, movie gods! The back-story leading up to the meat of Man of Steel does a good job of showing us how he got here, how he grew up, and where we are now, without belaboring any of it. And it manages to shed all of the Donner/Reeve years while doing so. With beefy, very different looking Henry Cavill playing Clark/Superman, it really does feel brand new. Even the costume (which is updated quite a bit) is given a reason for existing that is far and away better than any previous adapation. The Movie tried, with Marlon Brando's S tunic, but this movie got it right.

Given all of the fan mockups of Jusstice League posters
online, there are high hopes in fandom
land that Man of Steel begets lots of DCU movies.
Image from YoungJusticer.tumblr.com

Once Man of Steel gets going, it really gets going. Previous Superman movies are going to look like high school stage productions in retrospect, after this one. It really looks like super beings pummeling the stuffing out of each other. There's a little to complain about here, if you--like me--have a little difficulty following fast-paced battles in movies. It wasn't like Lord of the Rings, where there are hundreds of participants (I couldn't deal with it, sorry), so I managed. But there is a lot of whiz-bang here. Not to mention a lot of destruction. You thought The Avengers knew how to destroy a city? Well Smallville got a lot smaller, and Metropolis is going to be rebuilding for years.

If I had any other complaint about the movie, it would be one abrupt transition in the film. The bad guys are really making a mess, and things look bad. Supes is getting his clock cleaned. Then, all of the sudden, the good guys have a plan, and put it into action. There felt like there was a scene missing there. But at 2-1/2 hours long, they must have needed to speed things along. Ultimately, I left the theater feeling that it was the best Superman movie ever made. It topped Star Trek: Into Darkness (which I loved), comparatively speaking. And it made me excited at the prospect of more in the series, more in the DC Universe, and a hope for a Justice League movie!

This is a Superman I want to see again, whether he's called Man of Steel, Last Son of Krypton, Man of Tomorrow or just plain Superman. Oh, and as minor character Carrie Farris (awfully close to a Green Lantern character name) says at the end, "he's kinda hot." Perhaps the understatement of the year.

My grade is: A - Highly Recommended

Over Time with Bill Maher, June 14, 2013

Things are getting messy with the NSA and other "scandals" coming out of DC! Liberals find themselves aligned with conservatives, and against people who are usually on their own side. It makes shows like this one interesting, to say the least!

Ep. 286 June 14, 2013 - Overtime

Captain Obvious: Mediaite Has a Little Hyperbole Problem

Some time ago, Jon Stewart lamented the language of blogs and opinion columns, and how one side is always "eviscerating" or "pummeling" their opponents, at least in the headlines. And I'm sure that in my six-plus years of blogging, I've been guilty of it, possibly more times than I'm aware of. But I can tell you, you won't find a front page on this blog, with this many examples!

These headlines are all from one evening's front page at Mediaite, the linchpin of the web empire started by Dan Abrahms. In his Wikipedia entry, he claims that Mediaite is about "appreciating the celebrity of the media." Managing Editor Colby Hall noted that it "plays into the vanity of these individuals" without being "over-snarky or mean and nasty." Maybe. But just look at these headlines (words in red by me), just from the late June 14, 2013 edition.

• Maher Savages ‘Cryptkeeper’ Congressmen: ‘When Did We Become This Weekend At Bernie’s Government?’ 
• Late Night Host Trashes ‘Racist, Child-Killing Coward’ Zimmerman, With Help From Chris Rock 
• Maher Rips Apart Patrick Kennedy’s Anti-Pot Crusade: You Sound Like ‘Nancy Reagan In 1983′ 
• Monica Crowley Slams Dem. Activist: Obama Can’t Face Press Because That ‘Only Works If You’re Not Guilty’ 
• Maddow Blasts Rick Perry’s Bill To Save ‘Merry Christmas’ In Texas: ‘Christmas Is Merrily, Rick Perryily Protected’ 
• Maher Tears Into Panel Over Syria: Obama ‘Looks Like A Pu*sy’ For Obeying Bill Clinton
• Out Of Bounds: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts Attacks GOP’er’s Teen Kid For ‘Racist Crap’ That ‘Trickles Down’ From Dad 
• Kirsten Powers Brutalizes Elitist Politicians And Media Defaming Snowden In Column 
• Al Gore Tears Into NSA Defenders: ‘We Don’t Do Dial Groups On The Bill Of Rights’

What's left?  "Disembowels?" "Tears a new asshole?" "Rips off the head, and shits down the neck of?" Or maybe they've used those?




You can see if they're still doing it at: Mediaite.com

Dipping a Toe into FOX News, It Hasn't Changed

FOX "News" has pretty much been banished in my household by the Other Half. I can get away with FOX "News" Sunday--since that is on regular FOX TV, I usually zip through it on DVR, and frequently turn it off before it even ends--but the likes of Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly are effectively banned.

Not that I ever liked them, oh no. I considered it opposition research; basically just a way to keep tabs on what the wacky Right Wing World is up to. Occasionally, when the Other Half is away, I'll sneak in a show, just to see what they're saying. Friday's experiment consisted of part of On the Record with Greta Van Whatsername and The O'Reilly Factor. On Greta's show, things were exactly as I remembered them: Greta running exceedingly rightward-canted segments, interviewing heavily-skewed rightward-canted panels, and short of a few leading questions, staying somewhat above the fray. I suspect that she's in it for the dough. But I was not hit with anything I wasn't expecting.

The Factor was a different story. Bill-O was away this week, so there was a blonde lady in his chair, and oh, what an unpleasant woman! The picture you see here is what she looked like through almost all of the episode, either a scowl-frown or a snarly smile. I'm wondering, "who is this woman?" Most of the blonde foxbots are a little more pleasant, even if they're basically chewing over the same material! And though O'Reilly's motto of "The No-Spin Zone" has always been as laughable as "Fair & Balanced," it would be a bald-faced lie, applied to this lady.

Monica Crowley is her name, I found out later. Virtually the entire show was about SCANDALS! Specifically, President Obama's second term scandals, such as they are. They're still peddling Benghazi, still harping on each of the scandal-ettes that have cropped up since, and hammering them home. To be fair, so was Greta, and based on the advertising on both shows, so is the rest of the network. Apparently, all the time. There was some push-back from the token "liberal" guests, but they were summarily dismissed, and the thick layer of contempt was practically visible. While I found Greta's show to be a bit groan-worthy, I found Crowley's version of The O'Reilly Factor to be so over-the-top, it was practically parody.

And while the Democrat the article below highlights was perhaps not the best defender the President could have had, I have to ask, who was he? Dick Harpootlian? Who? Yet, I'm sure he's held up as balance. Harrumph. Sure, this experiment was not on one of the FOX "News" hard news programs, but one of the opinion ones. I've found little difference in my sampling over the years. I can say this, I can't imagine--even if my sympathies were with conservatives--that I could enjoy watching this stuff all the time. It's no wonder tea baggers are always so frothing mad about something.

[Excerpt]
 
Monica Crowley Slams Dem. Activist: Obama Can’t Face Press Because That ‘Only Works If You’re Not Guilty’




O’Reilly Factor guest-host Monica Crowley fought with former South Carolina Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian Friday night over whether the mess of scandals around the Obama administration is destroying the president’s credibility or merely distracting the right from policy. . .

Read more at: Mediaite

Sarah Palin Once Again FOX "News" Paid Contributor

Moving from "hot librarian" to foxy granny? Maybe?
Image from source, LA Times.

I said in a recent post (regarding a kerfuffle between Sarah Palin and Bill Maher) that Palin's status as a right-wing hero is a mystery to me. She's not well spoken, at least not if you're a fan of grammar, diction and sentence structure. She hasn't shown herself to be particularly informed, or terrifically adept at deductive reasoning. Her accomplishments are fairly few, all things considered. She quit her job, which she was elected to do, in order to cash in on her sudden fame. Her family is like a cross between the Kardashians and Honey Boo Boo. All I can figure is that she's kind of pretty, gives a rootin' tootin' (prepared) speech, and knows how to rile up a conservative crowd with red meat.

Which, of course, makes her perfect for FOX "News." They are not re-hiring this woman for her smarts, nor her accomplishments, nor her wealth and breadth of knowlege. They're re-hiring her for her cult of personality, and that's pretty much all there is to it. The proof of that, is that she's also going to have a presence on the low-rated FOX "Business" Channel. What in the world does Palin have to do with business news?

[Excerpt]

Sarah Palin returns to Fox News Channel as a commentator

Sarah Palin and Roger Ailes have evidently made up. Sarah Palin returns to Fox News Channel as a commentator The former Alaska governor will return as an on-air commentator on Ailes' Fox News Channel next week, the network announced Thursday. She'll also nab a role on its sister network, Fox Business Network. The move comes as a surprise after Palin's abrupt exit from Fox News early this year. The onetime GOP vice presidential pick disappeared from Fox after reports of tension between her and network boss Ailes, who according to a magazine article had privately dismissed her to associates as "stupid. . ."

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Obama to Send Arms to Syrian Rebels

Image from source, Huffington Post.

And folks, we have yet another topic where your humble blogger will admit to having no position per se. I mean, the words in this article make me a bit uneasy, a bit queasy. But I can't say I know the ins and outs of this one. Of course, I think I'm in pretty good company on that. Check this out, let's get up to speed together.

[Excerpt]

Obama Authorizes Sending Weapons To Syrian Rebels

President Barack Obama has authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, U.S. officials said Thursday, after the White House disclosed that the United States has conclusive evidence President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons against opposition forces trying to overthrow him. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

What Happens in Vegas: Bill Maher Tells Joke, Right Wing World Goes Insane

Bill Maher appeared at The Palms here in Las Vegas this past weekend. During his set, he told a joke about Sarah Palin. Or Trig Palin. Or both of them. In any event, he used the word "retarded" or "retard" along the way (no one seems to have nailed that part down). A former local sportscaster, a conservative, was at the show on free passes. He heckled Maher over the joke, and was ejected from the auditorium. Those are the facts, such as they are, as far as I know them.

Bill Maher, from Wikipedia

Now, I realize that over the past decade or two, the "r" word as it is often called, has slid further and further out of acceptable use, and I'm all for that. I excised it from my own syntax a long time ago (though will cop to having used "celebutard" and other mashups, but I've cut that out too). Comedians still use it. I'm sure if you did an exhaustive search, you'd find many, many of them having used it either in their written material or an ad lib. I'm sure if you tried just a little, you could find examples of prominent conservatives using it too (but good luck finding a conservative comic, they're apparently an endangered species).

On Wednesday, Ron Futrell, the heckler, appeared on Live and Local with Kevin Wall on KXNT, one of several right-wing Vegas radio stations (there are no liberal ones). He related the story to Wall, both of them having a whale of a time telling it, but it was very short on details. Since then, I haven't been able to glean much more, with every source saying pretty much the same thing. And, since then, Palin predictably fired back via Twitter. And since it's Palin--a right-wing hero for reasons utterly lost on me--the right-wing blogosphere is enraged at Bill Maher.

Ron Futrell, ex-sportscaster, Mormon, heckler.
Image from Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ironically, their commentary toward him is several shades beyond calling Palin (either or both of them) "retard." Twitter, Facebook, blogs and message boards are filled with venom toward Maher, or I guess I should say, more than usual. But here's the really weird part: unless I've missed it, nobody has relayed the joke. All of this outrage is a) based on Futrell's sketchy story, b) assuming Futrell's side of the story is accurate, and c) assumes that the joke/punchline/"r" word was directed at Trig Palin, rather than Sarah Palin.

I'll admit, I'm a Bill Maher fan. I watch Real Time on HBO every week, and usually run his Over Time web-only clips on my blog. I'm nearly 100% on board with his religious beliefs as he's expressed them, and probably 75%-80% with him on political topics. But sometimes, I think he misses the point of a story, focusing on the wrong aspect. Sometimes I think he can be a dick, if the audience isn't going his way. And sometimes--like a lot of edgy, adult comics--he can cross a line. He's been known to ruffle feathers, it's kind of his thing.

This column isn't a defense of what he said at The Palms this weekend. Because I don't know what he said. Who does know? Bill Maher does. His audience that night does. Ron Futrell might, but it sounds like he was spoiling for a fight, and was heckling Maher for more than just that joke. But again, unless I missed it, I've yet to see the actual wording of the joke. Until I do, I find all of this hyperventilating from Right Wing World to be ridiculous. To be pissed off about what he said, don't you have to know what he said?

But you know, for a group that likes to throw around the term "libtard," I'm not sure there's a lot of room for them to talk anyway.

And Sarah Palin has never uttered an offensive word. . .
Image from source, Huffington Post.

[Excerpt]

Sarah Palin Hopes Bill Maher's 'White Wimpy A#*' Gets Flattened After Trig Palin Slur

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted comedian Bill Maher on Twitter Wednesday after learning of a slur he directed at her special needs son, Trig Palin. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post


[Excerpt]

Ex-sports anchor chides Bill Maher

Former Las Vegas TV personality Ron Futrell was escorted out of liberal comedian Bill Maher’s show at the Palms on Saturday after a heckling incident. . .

Read more at: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Wisconsin Flies Trans-Vaginal

Wisconsin Governor Scott Wanker Walker.
Image from source, ThinkProgress.org.

I'm still trying to figure out a) why Republicans go all "my way, or the highway," mean as hell, not afraid to appear douchey, you can just suck it when they get power, and b) why voters seem to forget that they act this way when they get power, and continue to vote them in.

And, I'm still trying to figure out what is accomplished by squashing access to birth control, restricting family planning access, pushing "abstinence only" education, something known to be a failure. . .and then also want to squash all access to abortion. It makes no kind of sense. And the dirty little secret is, Republicans have abortions too. I know this sort of legislation makes the shrinking base of the Republican Party have conservagasms, but what does it do to the rest of the populace? How do moderate Republican women, independent women, and unaffiliated women take this sort of draconian, anti-woman legislation? And why do the Republicans have to be such overt asses while they're passing this crap?

[Excerpt]

Scott Walker Endorses Mandating Transvaginal Ultrasounds And Shutting Down Abortion Clinics

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has thrown his support behind an anti-abortion measure that’s currently moving through the state legislature, saying he will sign the bill into law if it makes it to his desk. SB 206 would require women to undergo an ultrasound before getting an abortion — which would mandate an invasive transvaginal probe for some of the women who seek early abortions in their first trimester — and force one of the state’s last abortion clinics to close its doors. . .

Read more at: ThinkProgress

And check out this guy:

Leonard Nimoy & Zachary Quinto in the Best Car Commercial of All Time

I'm serious. It's funny, and if you guess the twist, you're a better guesser than I am. Hand-injuring applause from this blogger! Very, very good. Live long, and prosper, Leonard (and thank you for continuing to forget that you retired years ago).

Rick Santorum and NOM Under Ethics Investigation

Image from source.

If I were going to dream up some people to be investigated for wrongdoing, I could hardly do better than Rick (don't Google me) Santorum and the National Organization for Marriage. Throwing in the unshakably creepy Bob Vander Plaats is just icing on the cake Go git 'em Fred!

[Excerpt]

Rick Santorum And NOM Subjects Of New Federal Ethics Complaints Filings

Rick Santorum, the National Organization For Marriage (NOM) and Iowa anti-gay activist Bob Vander Plaats are reportedly about to become the subjects of ethics and election violations complaints which will be filed by Republican Fred Karger. Karger is charging NOM has been “money laundering” in Iowa elections and engaged in a “pay to play” scandal. . .

Read more at: The New Civil Rights Movement

The Hyperactive NSA (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Well, if the House of Representatives was interested enough in a previous Rocky Mountain Mike parody about Rep. Louie Gohmert, does that mean that the NSA will visit me on this one? Or does that go without saying? This is a knockout parody of Harper Valley PTA by Jeanne C. Riley, featuring "Mary in Ann Arbor" singing. This one took some work. Enjoy it. . .whoever's listening. . .

EDITOR'S NOTE: I want to be sure to point out that I don't have a darn thing to do with these great parodies. I just love them, and Mike is good enough to allow lowly bloggers like me to post them. I haven't disclaimered one of these in a while, and wanted that to be clear. You NSA boys take note too. . .

Someone in the House is Watching Me (and Rocky Mountain Mike)

Click to embiggen!

Forget the IRS and the NSA! Someone from the United States House of Representatives has visited my little ol' site. And what were they doing here? Listening to Rocky Mountain Mike's parody song dedicated to Representative Louie Gohmert (R-Texas). Louie, was it you? Here's the song, if you want to check it out yourself. It's to the tune of Little Deuce Coupe by the Beach Boys. But of course, Louie's version is Little Douche Bag. Enjoy!

Scandal: That Whole Spying On Us Thing

I haven't written much about the whole NSA-spying-on-us thing, for a fairly good reason: I don't have a handle on it. Firstly, there's the fact that we've known that this was going on--to some degree--since deep into the Bush administration. Secondly, though the amount of surveillance seems to be egregious, it also seems like it was legally obtained. Such as "legal" is in these post-PATRIOT Act days. So, even putting "Scandal" as the banner of this post is maybe the wrong word. Maybe I need a new banner for "legal, but really rubs me the wrong way" stories.

Also--as often happens with breaking news and developing stories--the details keep shifting, and some of what has been said might not be altogether true. Por ejemplo:

Glenn Greenwald broke the NSA story. Image from
source, The Daily Banter.

[Excerpt]

NSA Bombshell Story Falling Apart Under Scrutiny; Key Facts Turning Out to Be Inaccurate

It turns out, the NSA PRISM story isn’t quite the bombshell that everyone said it was. Yes, there continues to be a serious cause for concern when it comes to government spying and overreach with its counter-terrorism efforts. But the reporting from Glenn Greenwald and the Washington Post has been shoddy and misleading. . .

Read more at:  The Daily Banter



Now, that is an opinion piece, and as such may not be the whole story either. But it would be wise not to come out with a full-bore, angry opinion piece without really knowing what the facts are, right? Also, much like the other "scandals" we've been dealing with, involving now not just the NSA but the Justice Department, the IRS and State Department, we've got a question of how high does it go? Does any of this come from the Executive Branch? How autonomous are our myriad government agencies? How secret is secret? Do these things span presidencies regardless of who is in power? Should they?

And what about the whistleblower/leaker? This Edward Snowden guy, who didn't graduate high school, and was working for a contractor had access to all of this sensitive information? Why? My first thoughts on this guy were a) kinda cute [sue me], b) awfully young, and c) sounds like he's exaggerating. Notice his phrasing, in how he could have "wiretapped" anybody he chose. He speaks in the hypothetical. My main thought with this guy, is how do we know he isn't vastly overstating things, drawing conclusions based on office chatter, maybe even bragging? I'm not the only one with questions about Snowden:

But should we stand with Snowden? I'm not sure.
There's a thin line between "whistleblower" and "traitor."
Image from source, CBC.

[Excerpt]

NSA data leaker Edward Snowden polarizes observers

Since allowing The Guardian and The Washington Post to reveal his identity on Sunday, the 29-year-old contractor has been described as everything from “a national hero [who] should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon” to “a grandiose narcissist who deserves to be in prison. . .”

Read more at: CBC


And so, I don't think I know enough about this to get overly energized about it, but I recognize that it's a hugely important story. I think it raises a lot of questions, and--as with all the other scandal-ettes of recent weeks--could be used to reign in, or even prune some government agencies, and maybe make things better. Isn't that what government is really supposed to do? The only way for that to happen is to pay attention, and demand action. We've just got to be clear on the facts first.

Louie Gohmert, the Little Douche Bag (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Oh, good. I needed something fun for the blog. I mean, more fun than Glenn Beck losing his voice (oops, I slipped). Here's a great new Rocky Mountain Mike song parody, about that crazy/stupid little weasel, Louie Gohmert, to the tune of Little Deuce Coupe by the Beach Boys.

So, That Happened: Glenn Beck's Vocal Chords are Paralyzed

Oh, come on! How am I supposed to report this little news nugget, and not come off like a jerk? Do I pretend that I think Glenn Beck has any value as a media personality? Do I ignore the irony of a batshit crazy voice being silenced? Do I not mock the faux (or real) air of seriousness in his video? His stolen-from-Bob-Dylan flash card drop? Do I acknowledge the fact that even though Beck is silenced, he'll get to milk this for publicity anyway? Or do I just pose a series of questions that gets me off the hook, without having to answer any of them?

The last one. That'll do.

Ps. I made it about a third of the way through, I couldn't take it any more.

Apple Fanboys Rejoice: Lots of New Goodies

The new iPhone operating system,
from CultOfMac

Apple released a whole bunch of news about their product lines this week, sending the Cult of Mac (which is overdue for a name change) into a quivering puddle of mess. I'm primarily a PC and Android user, so I can mostly just roll my eyes, but I also have a MacBook Pro as my laptop, so I can also wonder what the new OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" has in store for me. Provided it will run on my not brand-new system. And what's up with Mavericks? All of the previous releases have been named after cats. They couldn't think of a better cat than a Mountain Lion?

Anyway, the iWorld will be abuzz for a few weeks, taking the thunder away from the new Android phones, and the new upgrade to Windows 8.  It's just hard to read about it all, if you're brave and enter the comments sections of any of the Apple news sites. Apple fans are insufferably "superior," much of the time, and they've inspired a bunch of backlash from "fandroids" and PC fans. It can be entertaining, but it's kind of stupid. By now, you can buy an awesome phone and a very cool computer for any platform. Personal preference shouldn't have an attitude.

That said, I think the new iPhone interface, iOS 7, looks kind of cartoony. The aim is "flat," which seems to be the new thing for everybody. Dropping excessive gradients, shadows, lens flares and the like makes for a cleaner look. And Apple didn't go completely stark. But I'm not sure this sets itself too far away from Samsung, itself saddled with some cartoonish icons. And as an Android user, I still don't like the iOS default app tray start screen. I much prefer having a start screen, with the clock, weather, frequently used apps. I wonder if iOS 7 allows that kind of modification?

Anyway, for the most part I don't really care, so here's where you go if you do care:

Cult of Mac

Or here, if you want a little less slobber: MSN

So, That Happened: Get Your GOP Fashions!

I'm on several mailing lists for things I'd never be interested in. Sometimes, I'm there on purpose, just to keep tabs, you know. Sometimes, it's from signing a petition to a tangentially related cause. Sometimes you don't know where the heck it came from, I mean BeliefNet? AARP? ChristianSingles.com? So, it's unsurprising for me to be peddled to by groups I will never buy from.

Reince Priebus (vowels removed, it's RNC PR BS, y'know) sends a lot of useless--sometimes unintentionally humerous--money begs. This one, I'll grant you, isn't hilarious, it just struck me as good for a chuckle. I mean, first of all, the shirt in the shot looks like it would fit a slim young man, who couldn't possibly be a sizable portion of the base of the GOP. I'm thinking Ls and XLs would be rare, and that they should stock mostly shirts in multiple Xs. And secondly, I just can't picture seeing hoards of people at "upcoming barbeques, sports games [Ed: sports games?], and 4th of July celebrations" wearing this shirt, as the email suggested.

It's actually a nice looking shirt, and the GOP logo is even attractive (though, what's up with the upside-down stars, anyway?), but what the Republicans represent these days is meanness, contrariness, antagonism and more meanness. Even Sean Hannity claims to be a "conservative" these days, rather than a Republican. So, I'm thinking, if you load up on these bad boys, the people at the barbeque will be cutting a wide berth around you.

But go ahead, get yours at: GOPStore.com