Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Gila Courier Seeks Integrity

Artis struisvogel leest krant van oppasser / O...Image by Nationaal Archief via Flickr

The folks who brought you a misreading due to stupidity or dishonesty (take your pick) of a post at RealClearPolitics seem to be backing away. Today the Gila Courier posted a piece about the Giffords fundraiser attended by VP Biden. No where in the article do they make the assertion that they boldly made in a tweet last night.

I guess their goal was accomplished. Some twits retweeted Gila Courier's lie and now they don't have the integrity to pull it back or apologize.
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Teabaggerz read minds

The post below was about a big time blog that can't be bothered with facts, a local blog that will write anything to hit Rep. Giffords and a bunch of twits who will RT (retweet) anything, fact-based or not. One of those twitterers got back to me:

@kennyjacobs Yes, blog did say debates wr nuts; however, I stuck w/ rt b/c only the attendees could make them that way in her mind #tucson

I sent this gentleman a direct message, he chose to "spread the word." What we have here is a person who claims to read minds, doesn't care if Gabby actually said something she was quoted as saying AND wants to make sure lots of people know he did this. So, who is really concerned about lies and the folks who repeat those lies?



This is a succinct explanation of the Tea Baggerz movement.


Monday, September 21, 2009

Real Clear it's Politics

{{w|Gabrielle Giffords}}, U.S. Congresswoman.Image via Wikipedia

Gabrielle Giffords is kinda a big deal. She's a successful Democratic Congresswoman in a red district. She is so successful, in fact, that it's unlikely anyone of consequence will mount a challenge to her in the foreseeable future. None have announced as of now.

While Congress is in session there are often fundraisers back east, and Rep. Giffords was toasted by some good folks back in Delaware including Vice-President Biden. See? She is a big deal! When the VP shows up so do the press. One of the outlets at this event is the opinion blog from right-of-center, Real Clear Politics.

But something must have happened during the translation of the article in Real Clear Politics (RCP) to a Twitter on behalf of the Southern Arizona blog Gila Courier. Gila Courier made it sound like Gabby said something she wasn't quoted as saying. Shocking, right?

Here's the deal, in RCP Gabby is quoted describing the August of Crazy Town Hall fiascoes in Southern Arizona as being "nuts."

Here's the RCP quote:

Giffords referred to the town hall debates of August in her district as "totally nuts."


Here's how it appeared in the Gila Courier's tweet:

At her fundraiser hosted by VP Joe Biden, Giffords says voters "totally nuts." http://bit.ly/kZirw
Mon 21 Sep 20:13 via web


See what they did there? How cute! Gila Courier implied that Giffords thinks the voters are crazy except she didn't say that. How did "Southern Arizona's Leading Conservative Blog" get that so wrong? Could it be that a leading teabagger outfit is so desperate to lay something on Gabby that they made up a quote? Maybe it's simply not being able to read with comprehension? What about all the Twitter teabaggerz who simply RT (retweet) without bothering to read the RCP article in question? It's like they don't care if what they repeat is accurate or not, just so it adds up to what they want to be true. Gosh.



And about that piece in RCP; Rep. Giffords is married to Mark Kelly. He's an astronaut, an active duty naval aviator. His last name is not Giffords as it states in your sorry-ass effort, you big-timey bloggy outfit. Who told you that Congresswoman Giffords' husbands last name is Giffords? Who edited your article? Is there anything is this attempted hit-and-run that is accurate? Ace reporting there, you guys back east are AWESOME!

For those who find this post incredible here are the screen shots:

RCP (with

and the shot of the Gila twot




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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Teabaggers can't handle a little dissent

An idiot took up a sign and marched through the Teabaggerz Ball on Saturday, September 12, 2009. Who knew the teabaggerz would try to shut him down just like they tried to shut down town halls during the August of Crazy.

Monday, September 14, 2009

We're Number 37

h/t to Donna at the Diva: http://www.democraticdiva.com/2009/09/14/were-37/

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Gaysong - a Rocky and Balls creation.

Which is More Pathetic? The "Author" or the Post?

A coward ironically named "Veritas Vincit" (truth conquers) puked out some racism this past week. Last Tuesday's ditty was pointed at President Barack Obama's address to school children. Remember? The speech that turned all who watched into godless, commie, fascist, natzi, maoist, chavezista zombies? BTW, the comments on his post are hilarious!

Well, he/she/it means nothing. I just point this out because Shane Wikfors is VV's digital sponsor. Because VV has pushed out so much trash through Shane's portal and because Shane is/was the astro-turf organizer for much of Arizona's shenanigans this summer, I just thought one should point out they have so much in common. That is what I will be doing next.

After all, the people have a right to know AND be heard, right?

But not with Lime

He Should Apologize for the Lousy Apologies


Image via Wikipedia
First things first:


To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

Pretty clear to me, but as the old saw goes, let's walk a mile in Rep. Addison Graves Wilson Jr's shoes:

  • In September 2002, on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, while engaged in a debate on the possibility of going to war in Iraq, Wilson called Congressman Bob Filner (D-California) "viscerally anti-American" and charged that he had a "hatred of America" after Filner suggested the United States supplied chemical and biological weapons to Saddam Hussein. Wilson said later that he didn't intend to insult his colleague.
  • In 2003, following Essie Mae Washington-Williams' revelation that she was the illegitimate daughter of Wilson's former employer, the late Senator Strom Thurmond, Wilson was among those who publicly doubted her claim. Wilson said even if her story was true, she should not have revealed it because "it's a smear" on Thurmond's image was a way to "diminish" Thurmond's legacy.[13] After Thurmond's family acknowledged the truth of Washington-Williams' revelation, Wilson apologized but said that he still thought that she should not have revealed that Thurmond was her father.
  • Wilson is a member of the Southern heritage group, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which favors secession and defends slavery.
  • Wilson went against his own party and voted with seven lone right-wingers to keep the Dixie Rebel flag flying over the South Carolina state capitol building.
  • As a federal lawmaker, Wilson became a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus (HIRC), a group of (mostly Republican) representatives founded by former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) with the mission of stopping “the explosive growth in illegal immigration,” “reversing the growth in legal immigration,” and halting “amnesties.”
  • Other notoriously anti-immigrant members of HIRC include Steve King (R-IA), who described immigration as a “slow-motion Holocaust,” and Lamar Smith (R-TX), who equates undocumented immigrants with “terrorist weapons.” HIRC members Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), and King all proclaimed that undocumented immigrants would receive health care benefits long before Wilson’s outburst. The two Republican representatives, Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV), who proposed amendments to the House health care bill that would’ve added stringent citizenship verification mechanisms are active members of the HIRC as well. Heller and Deal also lead the fight to overturn the 14th Amendment and end the policy of automatically granting anyone who is born in the country US citizenship. (Addison hangs with the coolest crowd!)
  • Wilson has co-sponsored several pieces of English-only legislation and supported efforts to report undocumented immigrants who seek emergency medical care. In 2006, he declared “it is time to curtail the invasion of illegal aliens.”
It's almost as if he has a professional responsibility to "lose it" when the topic of brown people is being spoken of by all things, a brown person! Unless, of course, this was just performance art, an attempt to bring a little tea party to the Joint Session. By that standard Rep. Wilson was timid. At least he's consistent with the pathetic apologies.

Thanks to La Fronterra Times for some of the items in this post. Photo of Sen. Strom Thurmond.



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What Does a Majority Leader Do?


Image via Wikipedia
Arizona Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray got all tweety last night during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress. While I enjoy a good back-and-forth with the best of them, Sen. Gray is not one of the best, at best:

Gov. Brewer vetoes tax repeal. http://ow.ly/oLCV
That's a tweet. His tweet tweeted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. He's tweeting about Governor Brewer vetoing a tax bill last Friday. Just how far out of the loop is this guy?


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Step Away from the Caffeine


Image via Wikipedia
Over at Arizona's Own Espresso Pundit the often smart but always partisan Greg Patterson is not as smart but very partisan on the topic of Arizona's "Resign to Run" law. My take from about a week ago, ahem, is here. The law in question was passed by voters in 1980 but Patterson makes a bizzare inference:

While the Star and other members of the media believe that the purpose of law is to prevent distraction, the real purpose is to ensure that Joe Arpaio doesn't run for Governor while remaining Sheriff.

Greg finds a way to list several elected officials and some potential race they might engage. OK, big deal. Why not mention Rep. Ray Barnes who actually has filed a Committee a full 600+ days before the General Election? Where's the reference to Sen. John Huppenthal who has bragged about gathering signatures for his next run since April? The truly silly moment of his subpar effort is this:

The Star's editorial board finally acknowledged Godard and Sinema's violations of the law, but used them as an excuse to say that the law isn't working.

No where in the Star editorial do they acknowledge Sinema, Godard or even Goddard broke the law. No where. Patterson sees things where they do not exist. To parse out Greg's words is to engage in the question of what is is. While Greg never passes on an opportunity to bash newspapers (sometimes rightly) he does so with the skill sets of an even less popular profession, a dirty stinkin' lawyer!

Coyote catches Road Runner

What Birthers Believe

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Ted Kennedy's Letter to President Obama

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to write a few final words to you to express my gratitude for your repeated personal kindnesses to me – and one last time, to salute your leadership in giving our country back its future and its truth.

On a personal level, you and Michelle reached out to Vicki, to our family and me in so many different ways. You helped to make these difficult months a happy time in my life.

You also made it a time of hope for me and for our country.

When I thought of all the years, all the battles, and all the memories of my long public life, I felt confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the President who at long last signs into law the health care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society. For me, this cause stretched across decades; it has been disappointed, but never finally defeated. It was the cause of my life. And in the past year, the prospect of victory sustained me-and the work of achieving it summoned my energy and determination.

There will be struggles – there always have been – and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat - that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.

And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will – yes, we will – fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.

In closing, let me say again how proud I was to be part of your campaign- and proud as well to play a part in the early months of a new era of high purpose and achievement. I entered public life with a young President who inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great hope that as I leave, another young President inspires another generation and once more on America’s behalf inspires the entire world.

So, I wrote this to thank you one last time as a friend- and to stand with you one last time for change and the America we can become.

At the Denver Convention where you were nominated, I said the dream lives on.

And I finished this letter with unshakable faith that the dream will be fulfilled for this generation, and preserved and enlarged for generations to come.

With deep respect and abiding affection,

[Ted]



Monday, September 7, 2009

A poster claiming to be RNC member Bruce Ash posted this on Sonoran Alliance:

Bruce Ash Says:

How ’bout we return to message here for a moment……….

The topic here is NOT Governor Brewer. The issue is freedom and liberty and the attacks to the foundations of our country which Obama and this dangerous “pledge” represents .

Obama’s pledge is a throwback to Joseph Goebbels and Stalin’s guy Mehkil. I said this before the election when I read about people “fainting” at his rallies and watched little kids chanting OBAMA songs like Hitler Youth as their proud parents watched on admiringly.

This man is more about creating the “culture of Obama” than he is about defending and protecting the US Constitution. The symbolism , the art, the writings, comparisons to deity, people referring to him as Barack. All right out of the Hitler,Stalin,Kim Jong Il, Saul Allinsky playbook.

This is America.Not Nazi Germany. We don’t pledge our allegiance to ANY leader. We are citizens of a great republic and not “citizens of the world.” We take a pledge of allegiance to a concept of freedom , to liberty, to support the US Constitution and our American values which are a damn site better than the supposed values of this slick Chicago political thug who has packaged himself to become president ( for a while ) .

Americans were duped by Obama. He took advantage of their fears. Promised them something but took so much else away from them. Any politician can promise to put a few bucks in your pocket. But no one should be fooled about the price to be paid by such sleight of hand.

This president is a dangerous man and the people who surround him are hungry for power . Good people from across our land are telling him they do not agree with the direction our country is going. Oor voice is louder than any microphone Obama controls. We need to keep our message strong.

American is in a fight to regain it’s political balance. We must stay focused. We must continue to speak up and not allow the lies which the Obama crowd play fast and free with to drown out the truth.

If this was the real Brush Ash who posted, let us hope he is getting the mental health care he needs.

Someone claiming to be Bruce Ash wrote this at Sonoran Alliance:

Bruce Ash Says:

How ’bout we return to message here for a moment……….

The topic here is NOT Governor Brewer. The issue is freedom and liberty and the attacks to the foundations of our country which Obama and this dangerous “pledge” represents .

Obama’s pledge is a throwback to Joseph Goebbels and Stalin’s guy Mehkil. I said this before the election when I read about people “fainting” at his rallies and watched little kids chanting OBAMA songs like Hitler Youth as their proud parents watched on admiringly.

This man is more about creating the “culture of Obama” than he is about defending and protecting the US Constitution. The symbolism , the art, the writings, comparisons to deity, people referring to him as Barack. All right out of the Hitler,Stalin,Kim Jong Il, Saul Allinsky playbook.

This is America.Not Nazi Germany. We don’t pledge our allegiance to ANY leader. We are citizens of a great republic and not “citizens of the world.” We take a pledge of allegiance to a concept of freedom , to liberty, to support the US Constitution and our American values which are a damn site better than the supposed values of this slick Chicago political thug who has packaged himself to become president ( for a while ) .

Americans were duped by Obama. He took advantage of their fears. Promised them something but took so much else away from them. Any politician can promise to put a few bucks in your pocket. But no one should be fooled about the price to be paid by such sleight of hand.

This president is a dangerous man and the people who surround him are hungry for power . Good people from across our land are telling him they do not agree with the direction our country is going. Oor voice is louder than any microphone Obama controls. We need to keep our message strong.

American is in a fight to regain it’s political balance. We must stay focused. We must continue to speak up and not allow the lies which the Obama crowd play fast and free with to drown out the truth.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Is Anybody Listening?

NJ.com has footage of a meeting where the crowd shouted down a wheelchair-bound woman with "two incurable auto-immune diseases" who tried to ask a question.













Committee ID entered: 201000055

Arizona Republican Party Chairman held a press conference asking Attorney General Terry Goddard to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate both Mr. Goddard and Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D-15) for possible violation of the "Resign to Run" law. Here is video provided by the AZ GOP, the content of the video is theirs and theirs alone.

A question about charges Senator John Huppenthal (R-20) apparently engaged in gathering signatures was put to Pullen. Chairman Pullen, who also serves as the Treasurer of the Republican National Committee, seemed to be waiting for the question although his explanation seemed, well, goofy.

The "Resign to Run" law is almost as goofy. For example, Representative Ray Barnes (R-7) has had a Campaign Committee for his district's Senate seat, currently held by Jim Waring since February of this year. The title of this post is his official committee number as assigned by Secretary Ken Bennett. A screen capture of his filing is below:














So, according to Randy Pullen's version of integrity, one can file all the paperwork necessary for a campaign as in Ray Barnes' example, a full 629 days ahead of time, but one must not publicly utter the word "intend" when asked about a future office. In Randy Pullen's world a Facebook fan page is more of an indication of running for office than gathering signatures on a petition.

Of course, the more we speak of this press conference the less we write of Randy Pullen's LD-6 escapade when he attended a meeting of PC's and called out Senator Pamela Gorman for not being loyal enough to his sensibilities.

Sunday Fun day Activities

 Polls in Germany close at 9:00 AM Tucson time. Sipping a Kaffee watching these results come in. Also, the Swiss (!) are voting on a marria...