Pres. Obama to address nation's children on the first day of school? Don't tread on our children, you socialist bastard!

Tomorrow, kids all over the nation will be going back to school; grumbling, tired, wishing the summer that was 2009 didn't have to end on Labor Day. Those of us who remember the first day of school might remember the formula: say hi to all the friends who we've missed because they were traveling for the summer, get acquainted with new students, go to our new classrooms, meet our new teachers, watch the 44th President of the United States give an address to us about the importance of an education and persevering in school, learn the classroom rules (which is mostly a waste of time, because the classroom etiquette is the same in pretty much as the classrooms)...Say what now?!

Yes, President Obama will be talking the children, first thing tomorrow morning.

But some believe Obama's speech to the younglings is nothing more than a dastardly plot to force his liberal, Marxist agenda down the throats of America's youth, thus bringing us one step closer to a socialist nation! If this is allowed to happen, we'll be telling our grandchildren what real freedom in America used to be like...if we're still allowed to talk about what freedom used to be at all...

So what are these proud, non-backward thinking, and most certainly non-racist patriots going to do? I'll tell ya what these fine, angry, overweight rednecks won't do! They're not going to try and make a non-controversial act become a polarized spectacle that further embarrasses the political discourse in this country and makes the conservative base of the GOP look like they deserve to be in a mental asylum, rather than a viable political party! Wait a minute...

The public-school systems in both Collier and next-door Lee counties, a conservative pocket in southwest Florida that includes Naples, announced on Thursday, Sept. 3, that their students won't be seeing Obama's speech..."We tend to be very conservative here," says Dean. "This President is extremely liberal, and we worry that he's leading us to socialism."

School districts in at least half a dozen other states have made similar decisions not to air the President's talk. In one of those states, Minnesota, Republican governor and possible 2012 presidential aspirant Tim Pawlenty called the speech "uninvited" and voiced concerns about its "content and motive."

In Oklahoma, state senator Steve Russell rivaled Florida's Greer for hyperbole, calling Obama's talk "something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."

Nope! No blatant use of exploiting people's misguided fears and intolerance to further divide and make it into another us-vs-them debate! After all, the Republicans are only looking out for the children.
More from the article:

Asked if the Collier school district would have made the same ruling about webcast "logistics" if Obama's Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, had proposed making a similar speech to U.S. students, a spokesman for Thompson told TIME, "exactly." But Dean calls it "a moot question" because "I don't think President Bush would have ever done it. He understood that this sort of thing starts in the home." But when reminded that Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, broadcast a similar speech to the nation's pupils, Dean says, "That was different. It was, if I remember, largely a say-no-to-drugs speech."

See? Pappy Bush was doing it to tell the children to not use drugs, while Obama is indoctrinating the kids the wicked ideas of taking personal responsibility for themselves in school! It's not like the GOP would ever preach that kind of leftist crap onto ordinary American citizens!

This whole episode would be side-splitting hilarious, if it weren't for the fact that the party that loves to stake claims on patriotism, Christianity, and putting country first, from the moment Pres. Obama stepped foot in the Oval Office eight months ago, have been anything but what they claim the GOP is all about. The Republicans are about one thing these days: bringing the president down by any - and all means - necessary, and if that means the country goes down with Barack Obama, so be it. As long it gets them back into power, the ends will always justify the means. Its one thing to be "the loyal opposition." It's another thing altogether to scare the base into doing the party's dirty work.

Shawne Merriman, what the fuck?!

Seriously, dude.

SAN DIEGO (AP)—San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman(notes) was arrested Sunday and accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, as she tried to leave his Southern California home.

Tequila, 27, signed a citizen’s arrest warrant, charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Gary Steadman said.

Deputies responded about 3:45 a.m. to Merriman’s house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman called to say she was choked by the player and physically restrained when she had tried to leave, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.

Merriman, 25, was taken into custody. Authorities declined to say whether he had posted bail or been released, pending an afternoon news conference.

Tequila was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen, is best known for “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” which ran for two seasons on MTV. The bisexual dating show featured men and women vying for Tequila’s affections. She has also modeled for Playboy and other men’s magazines.

Scott E. Leemon, an attorney for Tequila, said in a statement that neither she nor her representatives would comment publicly on the incident.

Merriman’s agent, Tom Condon, said he hadn’t heard about the arrest when contacted by The Associated Press.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Great, just what the Bolts need before heading into Week 1.
I don't know what disgust me more: the fact that #56 put himself, and the team, in a bad situation before the opener, or the fact that the fans are blaming his girlfriend for this mess. Tila Tequila may be some skanky reality TV whore, but ti's never alright say stuff like 'choke that fukkkin ho!' or 'beat that bitch' or whatever. Come on, Charger Nation, we're better than that.

Shut the fuck up, Mr. West!

I love Kanye West. The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation are all some of the best rap albums put out this decade, but after watching this interview, he just needs to shut the fuck up and come back down to earth.

Godspeed, Ted Kennedy

Edward "Ted" Kennedy 1931-2009

Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy, the youngest Kennedy brother who was left to head the family's political dynasty after his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, has died at age 77.

Known as the "liberal lion of the Senate," Kennedy championed health care reform, working wages and equal rights in his storied career. In August, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by President Obama. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, accepted the award on his behalf.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, known as Ted or Teddy, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May 2008 and underwent a successful brain surgery soon after that. But his health continued to deteriorate, and Kennedy suffered a seizure while attending the luncheon following President Barack

This really sucks. America, the Democrats, and liberals everywhere have lost a great man tonight. I will remember the man and his work simply by these words alone:

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die."

Rest in peace, Lion of the Senate.

When They're Full of Shit, Do They Know It?

And the old joke about politicians goes like this: "How do you know when a politician is lying? When his lips begin to move!" This week, two GOP politicos, one we all thought we would never see again, the other is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee have both resorted to the tried-and-proven scare tactics the Republicans have become masters at.

Former Governor Sarah Palin began with the "death panel" talking point last week, when she claimed President Obama's health care plan would kill her special needs baby, Trig.

The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

I've gotta hand it to Sarah on this one. Her bullshit became the right-wing's talking point of the week. Too bad it isn't even remotely true.

Q: Does the health care legislation bill promote "mercy killing," or euthanasia?

A: No.

Q: Then what's all the fuss about?

A: A provision in the House bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues. The conversations between doctor and patient would include living wills, making a close relative or a trusted friend your health care proxy, learning about hospice as an option for the terminally ill, and information about pain medications for people suffering chronic discomfort.

The sessions would be covered every five years, more frequently if someone is gravely ill.

Now, I know what you're gonna say: 'What an idiot that woman is!' or, 'Doesn't that dumb bitch even read the fucking bill that was presented in the House!?' or even, 'How could the people of Alaska voted for that manipulative woman?'. Sure, all three might be the appropriate thing to say and it makes us feel better about ourselves, but it's too simple, and you fall into the trap. Mrs. Palin is part of the reason why I detest the current leadership that passes in the GOP - people like her are the true cynics; she knows better than to make this false accusation, but she also knows that her base - the ignorant, the narrow-minded, the people who hate everything that doesn't fit into their world view - don't know any better, so she'll lie and yell and whip up false outrage to defeat our country's real chance to reform a broken health care system that cares more about making a profit than taking care of the family of a little boy that has asthma and pray that he has a few flare-ups as humanly possible because they might have to take out their second mortgage to pay for another hospital visit. And hey, if that means she has trot out and exploit her baby to do it (which she did), she'll practicably turn baby Trig into a human puppet.

But as the title suggests, I've come to learn that the former Governor of Alaska is completely full of shit. Palin, as it turns out, was for these supposed "death panels" before she was against it....kind of like when she said "Thanks, but no thanks to that bridge to nowhere," when in reality, she already said yes to it during her term!

WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions. [...]

WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a statewide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Alaska’s citizens with advance directives.

Now onto Chuck Grassley. He also latched onto the talking point this week, after Obama praised his willingness to work with him on health care reform during a town hall meeting this week.

"There is some fear because in the House bill, there is counseling for end-of-life. And from that standpoint, you have every right to fear. You shouldn't have counseling at the end of life. You ought to have counseling 20 years before you're going to die. You ought to plan these things out. And I don't have any problem with things like living wills. But they ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma."

But the Chuck Grassley in 2003 would probably scold the Grassley currently riding on his high horse now, along with 42 colleagues from the Senate during that time. You guessed it, he voted for those so-called "death panels" in the '03 version of the Medicare drug bill.

So, Mrs. Palin and Mr. Grassley: when you two are full of shit, do you both know it?

July Nights

Movie, best: I've never said this about any Harry Potter movie (even with Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban) but the film's sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has me saying the following: a sure-fire contender for Best Picture come award season. Yes, I mentioned a Harry Potter movie and Oscar in the same sentence, but this isn't the rantings of a Potter-head. Watch cinematographer Bruno Debonnel work pure magic with light and scenery that captures the bleak atmosphere surrounding Hogwarts, the magical world and Harry's as well; listen to composer Nicholas Hooper's haunting and achingly beautiful score; Look at how visual effects supervisors Tim Burke and Tim Alexander use eye-popping and gorgeous visual effects to contribute to telling the story and not merely using the imagery as a crutch to lean on; witness Tom Felton dig deep to find sympathy for the devil's servant in Draco Malfoy in which he is recited by Lord Voldemort to perform an act that will break his soul, or the madness and seductive nature of Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, or Alan Rickman diving into Severus Snape to the point where even his facial expressions and body gestures do more acting than any line of dialogue he can deliver; then tell me how this knockout of a fantasy drama doesn't deserve a piece of the Oscar pie.

**** stars out of ****

Comedy, laugh-out-loud: When it came to balls-to-the-wall, outrageous and downright nasty comedy, Sasha Baron Cohen is king with Bruno, the newest mocumentary from the Larry Charles, the man who helmed Borat in 2006. This time, Cohen is playing Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion critic looking for his fifteen minutes of screen time in America. Critics have said that it's like an old dog trying to wow everyone with the same trick. Fair point: Bruno is just following the same routine as Borat, which is to expose the dark side of American culture while being as outrageous and humanly possible, leaving any and all decency to the wayside. But who's to say that it's still not jaw-droppingly hilarious and an amazing trick?

***1/2 stars out of ****

Show saver, most needed: Confession: I loathe American horror movies these days. It's all formulaic, slasher/torture porn and no fun. Orphan is basically, a formulaic slasher thriller, but with one key that most horror films don't have: a villain that's completely deranged that leaves an impression on you. Ladies and gentlemen, I give Ester, easily the creepiest and baddest evil kid around the block since Damien. Isabelle Fuhrman plays the seemingly sweet and innocent nine year-old Russian orphan with menace. Her sickly smile alone can give you the willies and will have you screaming at Mom (Vera Farminga) and Dad (Peter Sarsgaard) for not realizing that Ester is one crazy bitch.

Performances, best and baddest edition: As I mentioned above, Fuhrman is delightfully evil in Orphan, but so was Bonham Carter as the sexy, demented second-in-command Bellatrix Lestrange in Half-Blood Prince. Also let me add Tom Felton's haunting work as Death Eater in-training Draco Malfoy, Alan Rickman as the sneering, shadow-dweller of Hogwarts, Severus Snape, and Adam Sandler as George Simmons, an asshole comedian with terminal cancer in Funny People. This July, my attention was on the bad guys, and boy they were so good to watch.

Hypocrite...Opportunist, Part II

Ah, Sarah Palin.

I thought with your departure from the job of Governor of the great state of Alaska, we would no longer have to put up with your incoherent speeches about putting lipstick on a pitbull, or watch you embarrass yourself in front of Katie Couric (though the endless supply of jokes and spot-on impersonations of you from Tina Fey would be missed greatly).

Just as we believed that you were out of our lives, you suddenly jumped right back into ours, only this time you gave us a warning about what the future of Obama's health care bill might entail not only for baby Trig, but for every child who has Down Syndrome.

The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Besides the fact that the former Governor of Alaska is spouting off the standard right-wing talking points that are trying to kill our chance of revamping a fucked-up system that places money and profit over human life itself for the first time in 15 years, Palin sinks to a brand-new low here.

Mrs. Palin, during your final speech to the people of Alaska, you asked the media to lay off your family, and the family of the newly appointed Governor. And yet, weeks later, you're exploiting your own child to inject fear of the president's health care bill. Your own flesh and blood! Doesn't that bother you in the slightest?

In the immortal words of Thom Yorke: "Hypocrite / Opportunist / Don't infect me with your poison."