Reading the paper

When I read the paper, I usually make a beeline for the letters to the editor. Among the constant onslaught of anti-Progressive, right-wing garbage that usually infests the place, I like to find the gems like this:

...Remember when the Bush administration sent $12 billion in cash to Baghdad on huge wooden pallets? Three-quarters of the cash was never accounted for. Remember when Halliburton was given no-bid contracts and ended up billing the U.S. government $5.5 billion for work that should have cost $685,000? Remember how Wall Street bankers raked in billions of federal bailout money with no strings attached? ...President Barack Obama wants to spend money on schools, roads and bridges, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help disabled veterans, the elderly and the unemployed. And he wants to post all the expenditures on a government Web site. Unscrupulous private contractors and war profiteers had eight years to loot the U.S. Treasury. Now it's time for Congress to begin repairing the damage with the economic stimulus package. For those members of Congress who voted "no," they should feel the full consequences of their actions. Just strip their districts of any federal stimulus funds that will come their way.

Oh, if justice was that easy. Unfortunately, good people suffer when their bad elected officials are punished. We seem to get hit no matter what.

What kind of liberal are you?

I snatched this from over at Politicky Bitch:

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Take the quiz to find out what kind of liberal you are (or would like to be, with a sly wink towards the conservatives...)

President's Day, the Retro Way!

I am reprinting these links from my 2007 president's day post, because, damn it, they are interesting :)

Here's how those dead presidents died,

and,

here are their final words.

Hooray! (updated)

Here's great news for anyone who has lived in or near Maricopa County, Arizona: Finally! House Judiciary Committee calls for investigation into Sheriff Joe By the way, I'm expecting a scream from the wilderness on this one :).

Here's more about the thouroughly corrupt "Sheriff Joe" at Overthrow Arpaio

And at this story from Alternet

Celebrate!

I haven't posted in a long time 'cause I wanted to leave everyone lots of time to read my looooooooooooooooooong final Bush-years post. Now, I have to hurry up and post because the holidays are coming. What holidays, you ask? Why, February 12th, of course...it's DARWIN DAY!



As noted in last year's Darwin Day post, I live with a polydactyl cat (artist's rendering at right - not actual cat). This qualifies me, I think, as one who has done his part to encourage the progressive evolution of cats in general to the six-toed ideal. I mean, my cat can't actually reproduce (please don't ask him, he's sensitive about it). But the cat and I both encourage other cats to maintain an open mind about such things. And that's pretty good, if you ask me (you can also ask the cat, and he will offer an opinion).

By the way, here are my Darwin Day posts from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Rock on, all you non-believers! Crack open some wine (Blue Nun might be appropriate) and evolve! Because when all is said and done, we're right, even if we have to wait until after we're dead to prove it :)