When wingnuts get punk'd

Hey, remember all that brewhaha last week about some quotes right-wingers claim Rush Limbaugh didn't say?

Well, nobody really came forward with any proof that he did or didn't say a couple racist quotes attributed to him. Evidently, in in 1998, in the days before internet media watchdogs, someone didn't think of recording Boss Hogg's radio show for future prosperity. And because of just a few 'alleged' quotes, the tighty righties got all wound up, cranking the mockrage machine to 11. Never mind that they conveniently 'ignored' the really nasty quotes Limbaugh's critics did have recorded evidence for. Why let the truth get in the way of good spin?

And now, the tables have turned. The Right Wing Noise Machine has now been caught in a similar fiasco. This one emerged from the cesspools of the conservative smear machine. It claimed that Obama, while attending Columbia University, wrote a senior thesis attacking the Constitution. Here's the excerpt they latched on to:

[T]he Constitution allows for many things, but what it does not allow is the most revealing. The so-called Founders did not allow for economic freedom. While political freedom is supposedly a cornerstone of the document, the distribution of wealth is not even mentioned. While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy.

It took awhile, but this little thesis meme eventually snowballed around to other bloggers, who are always foaming at the mouth for anything to attack the president on. The meme went further up the food chain, to The FAUX Nation, then Lou Dobbs. And even the Grand Pillbaugh himself.

Problem is, the thesis story was all bullshit. A hoax. Please, don't be so surprised.

So, how did it all happen? This bogus meme started out on an obscure blog back in August. The story told about how Time Magazine's Joe Klein had obtained ten pages of the thesis. This past Wednesday, Michael Ledeen, a bottom-feeder at Pajamas Media, found the blog entry via Twitter and wrote about it as if it were the holy gospel.

Here's what Ledeen said about it:

Maybe instead of fuming about words that Rush Limbaugh never uttered, the paladins of the free press might ask the president about words that he did write.  Maybe he’d like to parse “the so-called Founders,” for example.  I’d like to know what he thinks of those words today.  And what about the rest of the thesis?

Yeah, what about the rest of the thesis? And what about the persecution of Limbaugh by all those lefty meanies?

The story went viral. Really fast. Other blogs, The FAUX Nation, then Dobbs, then the Fat Man himself. Limbaugh said about the thesis, "This little boy in college" had "disdain" for Constitution. Yes, he called our black president "little boy." Now, if that ain't racist, I don't know what is.

Unfortunately, nobody on the right could pull their heads out of their asses and actually do a little 'fact-checking' before they went nuclear over the alleged smoking gun thesis.

Finally, Klein himself took Ledeen to the woodshed, claiming the whole thesis story was "nonsense."

"I wonder about what the willingness to take this cheesy crap as gospel says about Ledeen's--and Boss Rush's--sensibility," Klein wrote. "Actually, on second thought, I don't wonder all that much."

Oops!

John Lennon once wrote, "Instant karmas gonna get you, gonna knock you right on the head." And that's what happened next. Yes, the story was bogus. In fact, it was initially labeled as 'satire.' Heck, the same blog had even done it before!

So, an obviously embarrassed Michael Ledeen, tail between legs, issued sheepish apologies all around.

But the fantasy was better than reality for some, as the story spread further. Bad enough that some pissant bloggers were spreading more fertilizer, but Lou Dobbs? Of CNN? Even after Klein stated the story was false? C'mon!

But one has to wonder, will Brent Bozell and the usual gang of idiots go after their own for spreading blatant lies about President Obama? Like he did when we justifiably went after Limbaugh? Of course not. It's nothing new really, since right-wingers spread lies about Obama everyday.

Come to think of it, didn't Dan Rather and his staff get the axe for reporting a story that actually had some truth to it? So, what about Dobbs? What about Fatboy?

Claiming "I have had this happen to me," Limbaugh said he didn't care if thesis quotes are fake, "I know Obama thinks it" Yeah, just like we don't care whether or not you condoned slavery, we just know you think it.

So, after weeks of whining and pissing and moaning about how that 'eeeevil librul meedya' gang-piled him to keep him from buying a football team, he knowingly went on his radio show and proceeded to spread lies about Obama, even after he found out they were fake. Sorry Rush, your credibility, whatever you had of it, is now even lower than a snake's ass.

As for attacking him on the constitution, Obama taught constitutional law in college. Limbaugh was a disc jockey. I'd put more faith in Obama's knowledge of how our country works rather than a guy who buys hillbilly heroin at the Denny's parking lot.

The best reaction on this comes from Gawker.com:

It's not like anyone's behavior here is unexpected or even all that terrible, it's mostly just hilarious. Once again: if you make something up and put it on the internet, Michele Bachmann and Rush Limbaugh will believe it.

So true.

News Corp. buying NBC? Don't count on it

A little rumor floated by mainstream news organizations yesterday certainly scared the crap out of quite a few people. Yes, something even scarier than Orly Taitz without a wig.

In the latest curveball thrown in the NBC Universal sale negotiations, a couple new potential suitors were floated about. Namely Liberty Media, which seems to want to buy a stake in everything, and News Corp. Yes, that News Corp. The owners of the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and the FOX properties. Including FOX 'News'.

So, what's the deal? Is Rupert Murdoch looking to acquire a competing movie studio? A rival broadcast network? A business news channel that people actually watch? Would he add more tits n' ass to "Law And Order"? Or, are they looking to squash once and for all MSNBC, that bastion of liberal subversion that competes with their right-wing propaganda organ that is FAUX 'News'? Or, are they just making a little noise, and using this opportunity to peek inside a rival?

Right-wingers are salivating over this one. Syndicated radio talker Mark Levin dreams of MSNBC becoming a branch of FAUX News. 

So, where does the "Australian Mafia" fit into the equation? Well, the deal is far from done, and News Corp. and Liberty Media have surfaced as possible bidders for NBC. Granted, neither company has approached GE.

And the thought of News Corp. buying a media conglomerate like NBC is beyond laughable.

First and foremost, I wouldn't bet on News Corp. being a serious suitor. As it stands now, it appears that Comcast looks to have the upper hand, though there is still quite a bit of wrangling to do before General Electric sells 51% of their 80% stake (Vivendi owns the other 20%). As part of a potential deal, GE could eventually sell their remaining stake to Comcast over the next three years.

So, let's say Murdoch were to buy NBC, he'd have to run through a major government gauntlet. Let's start with the Federal Trade Commission. It is headed by four commissioners, all appointed by President Obama. And we all know what the Obama White House thinks of FOX, right? So, getting through the Obama FTC with a deal to buy a major television network, film studio, station owner and media conglomerate is most certain to raise eyebrows. If you thought getting that Dow Jones purchase through the Bush FTC was a pain in the ass, hoo boy! You ain't seen nothing yet! And that was during the Bush Administration, which was always happy to do favors for them. FAUX hasn't done itself any favors with the current administration. Yesterday, one of their hosts, Glenn Beck, compared their treatment by the White House to Jews during the Holocaust!

But let's suppose they get through that roadblock. Next, it's on to the Federal Communications Commission. It consists of five commissioners, three of them Democrats. And Chairman Julius Genachowski is  a firm backer of media diversity. Among the agency's current goals is the encouragement of competition, rather than consolidation. Considering that a purchase of one network by another would entail haggling over buying not only two broadcast network (NBC and Telemundo), but broadcast properties (i.e. affiliate stations). The likelihood of News Corp. owning four stations in the country's biggest media markets is not going to fly past Obama's FCC (the current maximum is two). Four network affiliates and two newspapers in New York? Yeah, right! Unlike the Clinton White House, Obama isn't stupid enough to cave on deregulation. He obviously knows how that backfired on Clinton.

So, let's say they get past the FTC and the FCC. Well, News Corp. would have to unload stations, as they did last year when they spun off a number of their network affiliates. But in the markets where they still own stations, they own two. One station airs FOX programming (like "24" and "American Idol") and the other is affiliated with their MyNetworkTV, which for this season 'downgraded' itself from 'network' status and started carrying rerun leftovers from other networks (and wrestling!). So, a FOX/NBC combo would have to unload stations in many cities, in what is a buyers' market for broadcast properties. They could ditch a poorly-rated MyNetworkTV outlet and lose their shirts, but in some cases, they'd also have to unload a Telemundo affiliate owned in the same market by NBC. Two low-rated stations in a market at the same time? Yeah, good luck with that. And that's if they could get it approved. And even still, News Corp. would only be part-owner of NBC. Is it really worth it?

Then, News Corp. would have come up with money. And after shooting their load on Dow Jones last year for the Wall Street Journal, and a very soft market for media advertising, they'd have to come up with part of the $30 billion or so it would take to buy NBC Universal. Not likely. But on the bright side, it could bankrupt Murdoch once and for all, and live will be better for all.

So, Keith Olbermann can relax. He probably won't have to work for Murdoch again. The new host of "Meet The Press" will not be Glenn Beck. "Law And Order" won't be resorting to bare tushy shots. And Rachel Maddow won't be forced to wash Sean Hannity's car. The News Corp. Death Star won't be swallowing this planet.

Essentially, Murdoch, often one to make a lot of noise while seemingly standing in the shadows, is just trying to scare the crap out of people.

Hate! Envy! Spite! (and other conservative values)

When Barack Obama was surprisingly named the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, well, one could almost hear the heads exploding across the "Frank Burns Wing" of the nutosphere that currently makes up the core of the conservative movement. Funny thing is, they agree with the terrorists.

Some things are best left without comment from yours truly, particularly the ridiculous reactions from the Greek chorus over Obama receiving the award. So, here's a sampling of the pro-America love showed by the spiteful right:

"Mikhail Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. A year later, he was out of power and the Soviet Union had dissolved." Bill Kristol

"The Nobel Peace Prize should be turned down by Barack Obama and given... to the Tea Party goers and the 9-12 Project." Glenn Beck

"(Obama) has to turn it down -- because it is such a joke -- that he'll turn it down and it's the only way for him make a win out of this. Only his arrogance will stop him from doing it." Glenn Beck (himself an authority on arrogance)

“The Nobel gang just suicide-bombed themselves. Gore, Carter, Obama, soon Bill Clinton. See a pattern here? They are all leftist sell-outs. George Bush liberates 50 million Muslims in Iraq, Reagan liberates hundreds of millions of Europeans and saves parts of Latin America. Any awards?” Limbaugh says “Obama gives speeches trashing his own country and for that gets a prize, which is now worth as much as whatever prizes they are putting in Cracker Jacks these days.” Rush Limbaugh, in an email to Newsweek.

"I think that everybody is laughing. Our president is a worldwide joke. Folks, do you realize something has happened here that we all agree with the Taliban and Iran about, and that is he doesn't deserve the award. Now that's hilarious, that I'm on the same side of something with the Taliban, and that we all are on the same side as the Taliban." Limbaugh

Now Barack, Im really happy for you, and imma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time! Kanye West (oops, sorry!)

"We all know what the Nobel Prize committee is ever since Yasir Arafat won. It's a radical leftist front group that hijacked Alfred Nobel's prize." Michael Savage.

"I did not realize the Nobel Peace Prize had an affirmative action quota." Erick Erickson, RedState.com

"It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights." Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele

"Before they break out the champagne at the White House, they may want to pause over the fact that Obama now shares this honor with Mohammed el-Baradei, Yasser Arafat, and flagrant liar Rigoberta Menchu Tum." Mona Charen, National Review

"Europe wants to reverse the American Revolution and re-colonize us, and it sees in Obama a kindred spirit willing to do its bidding." Dick Morris

"What do Barack Obama and Yassir Arafat have in common? They both hung out with anti-Semites who think Israel should be pushed into the sea. Oh, yeah—and they both were given the Nobel Prize for Peace." Michael Graham

"This makes three times, incidentally, in just seven years that the committee’s turned the Peace Prize into a “f*** Bush” award by bestowing it on a liberal American Democrat." Allahpundit

"He's sided with Marxists Castro, Chavez, Morales and Ortega. ... Obama's bankrupted the US economy and destroyed the morale of our military. No wonder he was awarded the Nobel." Gateway Pundit

"If Obama had an ounce of real humility, he’d refuse to accept the award." Michelle Malkin

"The Nobel committee is preaching at Americans, but they won’t be deceived. He should decline it and then ask to be considered again in three or four years when he has a record." Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton

"Obama did make a big show of appeasing Iran during its election crisis.  Perhaps they should change the award’s name to the Neville rather than the Nobel." Ed Morrissey


"I don't know what it does for us, for the country. I don't care what the French think of us and I could care less what the people in Oslo think of us." Republican strategist Chris LaCivita

"(Obama) got the prize for "de-emphasizing defense in favor of multi-national cooperation." Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)

"Congratulations to President Obama on his prize. I'm not sure what the international community loved best; his waffling on Afghanistan, pulling defense missiles out of Eastern Europe, turning his back on freedom fighters in Honduras, coddling Castro, siding with Palestinians against Israel, or almost getting tough on Iran." Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-SC)

"It's not Republicans that are throwing their lot in with terrorists -- it's the White House." Michael Goldfarb


"If today's headlines said, "Barack Obama Wins Yasser Arafat Prize," that would be perfect." Andy McCarthy

Obama's hope of achieving peace was all that was required, presumably making countless Miss Universe contestants equally eligible." Former Bush spokesman Tony Fratto


"Most people actually tend to think the world is a more dangerous place than, say, it was a year ago." Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)

Again, why do Conservatives hate America?

Thursday Tweeting

And here's a look at the week that was (so far), via the LTR Twitter page...

• First, those tighty-righties are really getting their undies in a bunch. When they're not rooting for this country to crumble, or plotting ways to overthrow our duly elected government, they're out there seemingly doing everything except for the job they were elected to do. Like Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who's still willing to torpedo the effort in his continuous quest to make it "Obama's Waterloo." How about Rep. John Linder (R-GA), who compared the Obama administration to "Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy." Debating Hate Crimes, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), the guy who held up the "What Bill?" sign during Obama's address to Congress last month, has really lost what's left of his mind, rambling on in one speech about bestiality, sex with corpses, and how he once voted for a black man, to somehow prove that Republicans aren't racist (Rick Santorum would be so proud). Or Michelle Bachmann, who's still her usual crazy self.
• Gotta love RNC chairman Michael Steele. First, following a media event at the White House attended by an assortment of doctors, he claimed that the American Medical Organization "doesn't have credibility on health care reform." And then, as his party and its assortment of crazed lemmings have been attacking ACORN, turns out that Steele actually gave props to ACORN in an old speech. Amid all the bumbling of their beleaguered party chair, and his embarrassing attempts at setting GOP talking points, the rank and file have essentially told him to shut up. Moronic policy should be left in more able hands.
• Just the other night, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann gave a blistering hour-long "Special Comment" on the sad state of America health care. As it turns out, voters prefer Obama's approach to health care over whatever it is the Republicans are trying to do/not to do, and why Obama's overall approval ratings are up 6%. Maybe it's because of things like this. And after have all thrown their hats in the ring in support of some kind of health care reform, it appears the GOP as a whole is ready to cave in.
• Allow me to give credit where credit is due. I'll admit that FAUX 'News' is doing well in the ratings. But an abundance of viewers does not make what they report any more credible. Repeating lies often enough does not miraculously turn them into the truth. If anything, they're doing nothing more than contributing to the death of real journalism. And soon enough, what comes up must come down, and people will get tired of the nonsense and start seeking out the truth. They'll especially tire of the various on-air circus geeks and perverts who seek to divide, rather than unite this country. Like Glenn Beck, who this week lost 19 more sponsors. In an interesting bit of irony, Beck, who has long had a history of making shit up, went after a site that tried to make shit up about him. As LBJ once said, make the bastard deny it. Things are so bad that all the pathetic GOP talking points in the world couldn't keep Sean Hannity from getting his ass handed to him by Michael Moore.
  
  And it seems as if the entire Murdoch media empire has it in for our President. Just this week, the company's New York Post fires the editor who dared criticize an outrageously racist Obama-Stimulus editorial cartoon that originated from the paper earlier this year. But I guess FAUX isn't all bad. Shepard Smith jumped off the reservation when he actually swatted down right-wing lies about health care reform. Hmm... they must have missed that one.
• Turn off that FAUX garbage and start stimulating your brain. Here's 15 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter, as submitted by a reader.
• Perhaps the more high-profile right-wing pundits are seeking out new careers after the glitter fades. Rush Limbaugh (subject of what appears to be a new biography) is looking to buy his very own NFL team, the hopeless St. Louis Rams. Yes, the same Rush Limbaugh who seems to have it in for black quarterbacks, and who once called basketball the "favorite sport of gangs." So, what's he gonna do about all those black people playing for the team? Nonetheless, if he actually succeeds in getting the Rams, just don't let him in to the team's medicine cabinet.
• So, the oft-wacky Conservapedia (which I'm almost convinced is a parody site) thinks there's too much liberal bias in the Bible. And they want to change all that by creating their own version, one that fits in to their own beliefs. Does this completely kill their argument that the Bible is the verbatim word of the Lord, rather than a book based on "The Word" as transcribed by biased scholars? Thankfully, the good folks at Twitter have done a great job in giving suggestions for the proposed "Conservative Bible."

So, what else is going on?

• Hey, did you know that the state of Mississippi actually subsidizes a low rated commercial right-wing talk show network? That's what Republicans consider 'welfare.'
• Happy birthday to Monty Python, still lookin' good at 40!
• Paste Magazine counts down Rachel Maddow's Ten Greatest Moments.
• Here's a rather interesting article about the many different web browsers on the market, and how each of them is doing in market share.
• Corrupt former congressman Tom Delay's a quitter, and is also hoping to avoid another upcoming reality show, Dancing Behind Bars.
• Move over, Chuck Norris. Step aside Sylvester Stallone. John Elway is now a bonafide terrorist fighter.
• The latest Rock Band game, featuring The Beatles, is obviously inspiring other artists to get in on the act. U2, after turning down an offer to appear in the game, is rethinking their stance. Not to be outdone, look for David Bowie and Iggy Pop to appear in a new Rock Band game - Lego Rock Band. Pop admitted that he always wanted to have the freedom of being a toy. Speaking of The Beatles, your humble blogger (that's me) has made it through most of the band's remastered catalog, and hopes to have a follow-up review coming soon. Consider yourself warned.
• Finally, Sarah Palin may be "Going Rogue", but Levi Johnston, who formerly was bangin' her daughter, is "going commando" in an upcoming issue Playgirl. Soon, ladies (and lots of gay men) across the land will see Johnston as only Bristol Palin has. That is, if they really, really want to.

Remember, you can follow all the fun at the Twitter page, updated daily.

Teabag terrorism: Why do conservatives hate America?

How's this for phony patriotism?

Radical right-wingers across the land have been blasting President Obama for personally lobbying the International Olympic Committee on behalf of his country and his hometown of Chicago, as he and many others hoped to land the 2016 Olympic Games.

The spin leading up to the moment has been quite ridiculous. They claimed that Obama was taking his eyes off problems at home, though they didn't complain when the last president read childrens' books in a photo op as terrorists flew planes into New York skyscrapers. Or when he ate birthday cake and strummed the guitar while New Orleans drowned. It's quite baffling that the rabid right would rally against something that would bring increased international prestige, jobs and pride to our shores. But their seething hatred for the current president trumps all, and if they could spite Obama at the cost of the U.S. crumbling, so be it.

But events yesterday could quite possibly be the conservative movement's proverbial 'shark jumping' moment. When the IOC, a day after Obama appeared before them to stump for our country, passed over Chicago and gave the games to Rio de Janeiro, wingnuts everywhere cheered and danced. See, this isn't about the U.S. losing the games, it's about feeble attempts to chip away at Obama's perceived ego, America be damned!

Never mind the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Lake Placid, NY games. Never mind Olympic heroes like Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps. Obama got stiffed! Ha ha! Seriously, these people have lots of ego and no pride.

What these feeble-minded fools don't realize is that it's not all about Obama. It was about our country -- their country. Yes, it was a U.S. defeat, not an Obama defeat. But don't let a stupid little thing like facts get in the way of good spin, right?

Here's a sampling of some of the sickening right-wing reaction to yesterday's news:

Upon being informed of the news, a gathering of conservatives at the Americans For Prosperity -- one of the main organizing groups behind the tea party protests -- erupted in applause. They cheered once more after they were told that Chicago had been eliminated during the first round of voting.

RedState's Erick Erickson took glee in Chicago - and, by extension, Obama's - rejection. "Hahahahaha," he wrote. "I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not. So Obama's pimped us to every two bit thug and dictator in the world, made promises to half the Olympic committee, and they did not even kiss him."

Michelle Malkin, meanwhile, wrote that the news effectively ended the Obama campaign motto of "Yes We Can" by dawning in a new slogan: "No, You Can't."

Rush Limbaugh spent Friday's show gloating about the loss, calling the snub a "bitch slap," a "metaphor for weakness" and the "worst day in his presidency." "Obama demeaned the office of the presidency, going on this sales pitch," said the glorified disc jockey.

Glenn Beck, mere days after being called out on one of his usual lies by the White House, practically did his usual insane happy dance when he announced the news on his radio show. "Please, please let me break this news to you. It's so sweet," he gloated.

Weekly Standard blogger John McCormack published a celebratory post on the magazine’s blog, titled "Chicago Loses! Chicago Loses!." The blog entry was soon edited to a more sedate "Chicago loses," lest anyone think they were rooting against their country.

The Drudge Report giddly exlaimed in a big red headline, "The Ego Has Landed." Matt Drudge is evidently dancing more over this than he does in the Miami discos.

The likes of Malkin, Beck, Drudge and Sean Hannity have resorted to blasting the city of Chicago, working overtime to comb the Chicago crime blotter in feeble attempts to tarnish the city.

I should say that at least a few conservatives, particularly MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, thanked the president for helping to land the games, and chastised partisan critics hoping for his loss. And to Mitt Romney, who helmed the Salt Lake City games of 2002 and also supported Obama's efforts.

Now, what these naive souls don't realize is that Obama was not the one who initiated the Chicago bid in the first place. The effort goes back years, long before Obama was even considering a run for the White House. In April 2007, Chicago was selected as the United States' bid city for the 2016 games. That Obama is from Chicago is mere coincidence, but who could blame him for trying to bring the event to his own city, let alone his own country? Hey, if former British Prime Minister Tony Blair could personally lobby (successfully at that) to bring the 2012 games to London, why shouldn't Obama do likewise? Our last president, George W. Bush, made a feeble attempt to bring the 2012 Olympics to New York City, by way of a videotaped plea, yet we heard no squawking from the right-wing peanut gallery when his efforts fizzled.

But it all seems so clear now. After witnessing their ongoing battle to torpedo health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, economic stimulus and other priorities of the current president, I think we've learned quite a bit about the right-wing. Suffice it to say, conservatives don't give a shit about you. They don't need to. They've got good jobs (well, most of them do anyway). They've got health care. They've got their punditry gigs on high-profile media outlets. They've got their dinner party invites. And they've got their own massive egos. They don't care about supporting our president, as they demanded the same of us for our last president. They don't care about the middle class. They don't care about America. And they certainly don't give a shit about anyone except themselves. As stated earlier, if America becomes a big, stinking hole in the ground, they don't care. If it brings down their adversaries and further feeds their own oversized egos, so be it. It's all about them, and fuck everyone else. And it's narcissistic thinking like this that will eventually kill the rabid right once and for all. Then perhaps we can get some level-headed civility back into ideological discourse.

CNN's Roland Martin nails it:

So, to all the critics happy about us losing the 2016 games, turn in your flag lapel pins and stop boasting of being so patriotic. When an American city loses, like New York did in the the last go-round, we all lose. And all you critics are on the same level as the America haters all across the world.

You should be shouted down for not backing your own country. The next time any of you bang out a press release about "Buy American" or "Support our troops," remember this moment when your cynical, callous and small-minded brains happily rejoiced when America lost the 2016 Olympic Games.

Seriously, why do conservatives hate America?

Start the revolution without me

A hypothetical question for all of you: Is it possible to gain respect from the public at large by acting like unhinged crybabies? Or by expressing oneself in the nastiest, most immature ways possible?

The past week has been quite an embarrassing one for the conservative movement. Sure, the single-payer approach to health care is stuck in development hell as we speak, which must bring shrieks of delight to the lunatic fringe of American politics. But let's face facts, these people are really acting like a bunch of whiny assholes.

All summer long, the fringe element of the ideological spectrum has been creeping further into the mainstream, in effect plastering the conservative movement with their own brand of extremist, racist, nonsensical and ill-informed rhetoric. We've seen it in the various "tea parties" that have taken place, along with their ridiculous protest signs. We've seen town hall gatherings, where the unhinged fringe assumed that yelling louder makes their points more truthful. We've seen the ridiculous source where they get their 'news' - FOX. And we've seen it in their choices of false idols, guys like Glenn Beck.

Then things started getting ugly. Really ugly. A Baptist minister in Arizona called for his parishioners to pray for Obama's death. An accountant in North Carolina just lost his CPA license for telling diners in a Waffle House restaurant that he planned to make that prayer a reality. Then, add in all those ridiculous things right-wingers are accusing our president of, and no wonder why people are starting to lose their shit.

This past weekend, a speaker at the How To Take Back America conference, conservative speaker Kitty Werthmann shouted from the stage, accusing Obama of being both a Marxist and a Nazi, all in plain view of attendees like GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who also went off on his own insane tirade.

And this crude behavior has even creeped into the halls of Congress. Rep. Joe Wilson rudely called Obama a 'liar' during a speech before a joint session. Rep. Trent Franks referred to our president as "an enemy of humanity" at a rally, mere days after demanding to see his birth certificate. And of course there's everybody's favorite right-wing lunatic, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, who has been trying to make things like the census seem like Obama's latest attempt to mind-meld with us (wonder what she thought of the Patriot Act?).

Last week, the social networking site Facebook was stung by a third-party application poll asking whether President Obama should be assassinated. Yeah, real classy.

And it gets uglier. A columnist with widely-read conservative opinion site Newsmax has gone so far as to call for an armed military insurrection to help take care of what he calls the "Obama Problem". John L. Perry, in the downright creepy article published yesterday, even spelled out how and why a military coup should take place. Here's an excerpt:

Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration that would do the serious business of governing and defending the nation. Skilled, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars. Having bonded with his twin teleprompters, the president would be detailed for ceremonial speech-making.

Military intervention is what Obama's exponentially accelerating agenda for "fundamental change" toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama's radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.

"Military intervention"? Have these people lost what's left of their minds? Not surprisingly, the article, linked all across the liberal blogosphere, has since been 'disappeared' by Newsmax. But nothing ever disappears from the internet.

It's quite ironic that, after all the unethical stuff done by the Bush Administration, Perry and his ilk nonchalantly shook their pom-poms and put him upon a pedestal. But it's quite sad that these crybaby conservatives can't hold down their hostility and hatred for an elected president (who is neither socialist, Marxist or Nazi), and one who won by a bigger vote total than any other candidate in U.S. history. And it really must piss them off that Barack Obama is not only a Democrat, not only a liberal, but is also part African-American.

The fact that the lunatic fringe has become the mainstream of the conservative movement in this country is both sad and humorous. By catering to a bunch of unhinged goofballs, they are destined to become a minor obnoxious fringe movement, as the more rational folks of their movement become either assimilated by the morons or go elsewhere.

P.S. Obama won. Get over it.

UPDATE: And wouldn't you know it? There is a connection between Newsmax and the Republican National Committee. It appears that the RNC is a sponsor of Newsmax, and even uses Newsmax's email list to solicit donations, as recently as last month. Think the RNC also supports armed insurrection against our elected officials, as John L. Perry apparently does? And following all that time the GOP has been wasting trying to tar-and-feather ACORN (and now even the SEIU), what does this say about them?

Friday Tweets

Yeah, I know. I've been slacking a bit. There's just so much stuff, it's become rather overwhelming.

Well, time to try my best. Here's what I've been tweeting about the past few days...

First, aren't you all getting a bit sick of that whole 'liberal media' meme that right-wingers casually spout about when they're just not as extreme as them? The argument is even sillier when you factor in examples like this?

Need another example? The New York Times is reporting that President Obama's approval rating is at 56%, down a little from earlier this year. Still, it's higher than Reagan and Clinton had at this point in their presidency. A piddly 30 percent of responders said they had a favorable view of Republicans in Congress, compared to 47 percent favorable view of Congressional Democrats. Obama and the Democrats are trusted more on health care, as 76% don't think the Republican game plan, whatever there is of it, is a joke. The funniest thing about all this? The Times' headline, "In Poll, Public Wary of Obama on War and Health." Oh, that liberal media!

Perhaps this is why the GOP is doing so poorly on health care. At a public forum, Rep. Eric Cantor (R) told a woman who had an uninsured and laid-off relative with stomach tumors to seek “existing government programs” or find charity. Heaven forbid these freeloaders hold down corporate profits. And on a related note, Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake."

Several years ago, the Dixie Chicks got slammed by thin-skinned right-wingers when Natalie Maines dissed President Bush onstage at a concert. And the big ridiculous talking point at the time was that the concert was outside of this country (Great Britain). Therefore, Maines was a traitor because she denounced the president on foreign soil. Flash-forward a few years, with tables turned. What are these same mouth-breathing morons saying about their top pinup girl, Sarah Palin, who not only badmouthed President Obama and current U.S. policy in a foreign country, but in Communist freakin' China?

So, wanna call Palin out on it? Well, don't do it on her Facebook account. You'll get deleted and banned from the page.

Evidently, today's right-wingers are living by their own set of rules, making up new ones as they go along. Did you hear that actor/conservative icon Chuck Norris is actually advocating the desecration of the U.S. flag?

Of course, most right-wingers are really just mealy-mouthed cowards. This goofball is trying to sue the DNC because they threw him out of a town hall meeting for acting like the obnoxious asshole that he is. Perhaps he should hire Orly Taitz to defend him. Gee, I never realized there would be such passion for whoring for Big Pharma and overpaid AM radio disc jockeys.

It's not only the dittoheads that are whoring for Big Pharma. Sen. Pat Roberts wants a three-day delay before voting on the Big Health Care Bill so the lobbyists have time to pick through it. I shit you not. Well, at least we know where the Republicans' priorities are.

Hey, you know that undercover video of ACORN from a few weeks ago? Well, the right-wing activists who shot it are getting sued. Turned out recording conversations without the other party's knowledge is illegal in Maryland. DOH!

And here's a few things that didn't hit The Twitter:

Air America's Jack Rice will be broadcasting live next week from Guantanamo Bay. Sorry wingnuts, he won't be incarcerated there, so there goes your little fantasy.

Speaking of Air America, how many obvious errors can you find in this RedState.com blog entry? Facts, schmacts...

That's it for today. But, as always, you can join in the fun on Twitter.

Obama to FOX: Drop dead

Starting later today (Sunday), President Obama embarks on an unprecedented media blitz to promote his policies, most notably health care reform. He will appear in one-on-one interviews on the morning talking head shows of NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and even Univision. In addition, he will appear with David Letterman on Monday night. Yes, Obama will seemingly be everywhere this week.

Notice any glaring omissions? Oh yeah, FOX got the shaft! Ha ha!

"We figured Fox would rather show 'So You Think You Can Dance' than broadcast an honest discussion about health insurance reform," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told ABC News. Last week, the FOX network opted not to carry Obama's speech before a joint session of Congress, deeming a mind-numbing reality show as more important to the welfare of this country than (gasp!) the state of America's health care system, which tells you all you really need to know about FOX.

In addition, why the hell should the Obama administration throw a bone to a so-called 'news network' who's chief aim these days is to rip the country apart.

Of course, the people at FOX News are grumbling about the snub. "FOX News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, all 4'11" of him, is acting rather pissy about it. "They are the biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington," said Wallace. Not sure if he's referring to the White House or his own network, though.

But really, why can't Wallace admit that his show's ratings suck something fierce, and that FOX 'News' is nothing more than a televised freak show, rather than do the typical conservative thing and push the blame around? His daddy should have spanked him with a baseball bat.

Needless to say, it's about time Obama took a stand. Many respected his initial efforts to reach across the political divide to help bring this country back together. But as they say, you can lead a horse to water but... you know the rest. Obviously, FOX, and their contemporaries in talk radio and other entities in right-wing media, see great ratings potential in reaching out to their own base of the ignorant, paranoid and unintelligent of America. And to accomplish this, they seek to do all they can to divide this country and rip it to shreds.

All the while, they prance and dance like their shit don't stink. Who else would take out newspaper ads claiming that their competitors wouldn't cover a ridiculous event that had been needlessly overhyped by their own hosts? An event that FOX News helped to fabricate?

Sadly, this counterproductive thinking has spread to Washington. Elected Republicans, with no real leader to guide them down a more rational path, are following the cues of the insane extremist elements of their party. As a result, they are doing everything they can to stand in Obama's way. They'll even resort to encouraging lies to accomplish this. Not because of his policies, but to stick it to him on a personal level. Why should Obama waste his time trying to appease a bunch of conservative crybabies? They lost, fuck 'em. They rammed the Iraq War down our throats, now it's time for them to bend over and take our health care reform. Fair is fair, right?

Hopefully, FOX will get the message, of being the only television news (for lack of a better word) entity to get the brush-off from the President. Of course, they won't. As a result, let 'em beg for scraps. FOX is a useless joke.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/19/snubbed-by-obama-fox-news_n_292254.html

Attack of the clowns

Meet Mark Williams. By day, he's an idiot with a microphone, a.k.a. an obscure internet radio talk show host/cable news pundit (don't act so surprised). In his spare time (which he most likely has a great deal of), he's the de facto founder and leader of the current 'tea party' movement that's embarassing Republicans across the land.

In an incident that everyone should have seen coming, Williams, who once referred to the President as "an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief", imploded during a cable news broadcast last night. He did nothing to refute earlier statements, and in fact, even turned on his own, calling the more extreme element of the mess he wrought as "no more part of the mainstream of America than the hippies who wear nipple clips and feather boas in San Francisco streets during so-called peace demonstrations." And it all sounds rather funny coming from a guy who wears an earring.

In essence, Mr. Tea Bag is really Mr. Douchebag.

When asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper last night about the 'welfare thug' statement on his blog, Williams was more or less handed more than enough rope to hang himself with. "He's certainly acting like it," he said. "Until he embraces the whole country what else can I conclude?"

And Williams' frequent portrayal of himself as some sort of little guy battling the Big Bad Democratic Government doesn't hold much water, since the current tea party movements are, in fact, heavily organized by big PACs such as Our Country Deserves Better, and promoted heavily by obscenely wealthy right-wing media personalities working for very big corporations. Oh yeah, and the little pissants like Mark Williams.

And how crass are these guys? They blatantly exploited a day of tragic significance (September 11) for their own means, hyping up their "September 12" march on Washington.

Even funnier is their knowledge of history, as their little 'tea party' schtick seems a bit ridiculous than the historical one they seek to emulate.

Coming on the heels of last week's nutty outburst by South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, the combined incidents have led Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten to claim that "the right-wing anti-Obama movement in the U.S. these days is overpopulated with nuts, fundamentalists and paranoids."

But not to fear. At least Wilson and Williams have gotten what they really wanted -- their own fifteen minutes of infamy. And it's really all about ego, is it not?

During the eight years of the Bush administration, right-wingers were very quick to take their ideological counterparts to task whenever they questioned anything the president did. Now that a Democrat lives in the White House (and an African-American one at that!), the tables have turned and they have become a bunch of sniveling crybabies, not realizing that a record number of voters made their choice last December, and voted against them.

Again, don't act so surprised

Television alert: Child indoctrination warning

Here's a heads-up on a couple television appearances designed to scare the crap out of paranoid right-wingers. And it involves their two favorite bogeymen: Michael Moore and President Obama.

And to all you scaredy-cat tighty-righties out there reading this, yes, they do plan on bringing straws, which will allow them to suck the brains of you and your children. Mwaaaah ha ha ha!

First, President Obama , a man not afraid to tell it like it is, will be the sole guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman" next Monday, capping off a weekend media blitz to sell his health care plan. He'll also be on this Sunday morning's talking head shows on ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN as well. Now, this serves as a warning to the weak-willed to protect their narrow-minded offspring, since that 'stay in school' speech, basically the same kind of speech given by guys named Reagan and Bush, obviously turned conservative kin into zombies. Ahh, can't you just feel the sarcasm...

And set those DVRs (or VCRs, for those of you kickin' it old school) for tonight, as filmmaker Michael Moore will proceed to frighten the living shit out of right-wing America, on the new "Jay Leno Show" on NBC (10P ET). He will no doubt talk about his new movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story", set to be unleashed October 2. Lock up the children, or force them to watch FOX Noise or some shitty Kirk Cameron flick.

Although one silly weak-minded fool who commented on a different entry yesterday claimed that "the millionaire is telling us capitalism is evil", he obviously has not seen the film yet, since it hasn't been released yet. Therefore, said garbage-eating animal has no clue as to what it is actually about (at least watch the trailer!). Evidently, the overlords representing him and his ilk have already decided what the film is all about, and told their flock to think accordingly. Quite frankly, I dig it when uptight wingnuts freak out over stuff like this, so I hope Moore's new flick is a box office smash. Meanwhile, they've got crazy shouting guys with chalkboards spouting lies on FOX 'News'. Advantage: Us.

I'm retiring

Well, it's been a long, fun stretch, but now's the time to hang up my jock. I have decided to retire from this thing.

But wait! Brett Favre's back? Do tell! Well, that settles it - I'm back!

Hey, if an over-the-hill primadonna quarterback can suddenly come out of a three week retirement (how many has that been so far?) for buttloads of money and a guaranteed starting job with his biggest nemesis, then why not little 'ol me? Therefore, this entry is dedicated to the Master Indecider, the one and only Brett Favre, who is doing his damned finest to screw up whatever legacy he still has. Only things left are steroids, dog fighting, knifing his wife and gambling on his own games. The only ones screwing up more are the Minnesota Vikings, for pursuing this whole Brett Favre nonsense.

Now, with that out of the way...

Hartmann returning to Air America?

Well, not exactly.

But there is a rumor, and one he mentioned on his show last week. Word has it that he will soon be heard (if not already) on WZAA (1050AM), the station Air America operates in Washington, DC. Likely, it will be on delay status, as the station currently shows nothing on their schedule for their late-night hours. We shall see...

Obama hits the airwaves

Since taking office seven months ago, President Barack Obama has been perhaps the most visible commander-in-chief we've ever had. Seems like he's been everywhere, whether it be in television interviews, webcasts, televised prime time press conferences, on the road and wherever else. And he's got a few radio appearances coming up, as he continues to counter all the right-wing lies about his proposals for health care reform. And what better place to start than where all the bullshit is coming from - right-wing radio.

Dial Global's Michael Smerconish will interview the president Thursday August 20 (that's tomorrow, folks!) directly from the White House. The show will show live noon-3P ET, and the 20-minute Obama interview will air at 1:10P ET, the first radio interview on the grounds of the White House in the Obama Administration.

"I am honored to be the first radio broadcaster to interview the President live from the White House," said Smerconish, who, incidentally supported Obama in last November's election. "My listeners have suggested many pointed questions that I look forward to raising with dignity and respect."

But first, Obama will hit the webcast waves, with an online webcast special featuring a discussion by the religious community of the his administration's health care proposals.

The President will appear on "40 Minutes For Health Reform,' appearing on Blog Talk Radio this afternoon at 5P ET. And no, Obama will not take calls on the show, but a White House spokesperson will be on hand to answer questions submitted by the public.

Okay, I'm retiring again

I hate training camp. I'm too old to sleep in a college dorm. Unless she's cute.

No changes for WCPT

The FCC has rejected a petition from Newsweb, owner of WCPT (820AM) in Chicago. The petition was for reconsideration of the 2005 denial of a proposed dual community of license change for the station, currently licensed to Crystal Lake, IL and another station they own, located in the northwest Indiana suburbs of Chicago.

Newsweb had applied to move WCPT's city of license to Addison, IL, which would enable them to co-locate the stations' studios. The FCC, however, decided that the benefits to such a move did not outweigh the loss of local service to the former communities of license.

Keep in mind, none of this behind-the-scenes stuff has anything to do with what they're currently putting out on the air. It's just that news is slow, and I needed something to put here.

I'm back

Okay, I guess I'll stick around, so long as I don't have to go to training camp. Let me just hop right in and start.

Wendell filling in for Rhodes

KTLK/Los Angeles talker Johnny Wendell will be filling in for the vacationing Randi Rhodes on her syndicated show today (Wednesday) and tomorrow. Just so you won't wonder what happened to Randi.

Time to hang it up again

I do have a concern with that shoulder injury that makes it hard to type all this goodness that you read here. I'm goin' back to Mississippi to ride tractors. But first...

Real-life goodbyes

Two notable media figures have ventured off to the Great Beyond recently. First, we say goodbye to a television news legend, Don Hewitt, who passed away today at the age of 86:

Hewitt was best known as the creator of the venerable "60 Minutes" in 1968, and oversaw the show until 2004. His career in journalism spanned over 60 years, virtually all of it at CBS. As a young producer/director assisting at the birth of television news, it was usually Hewitt behind the scenes directing legendary CBS News reporters like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, using a playbook he had to write himself. He played an integral role in all of CBS News' coverage of major news events from the late 1940s through the 1960s, putting him in the middle of some of history's biggest events, including one of politics’ seminal moments: the first televised presidential debate in 1960.

And we also bid farewell to a less distinguished media personality, conservative commentator and nasty curmudgeon Robert Novak, who died yesterday at the age of 157. But do vampires ever really die?


Okay, I wanna come back


But only if you fork over $12 million. I can't have the money? Well, I'll stick around anyway. I'm back.

Come on feel the noise

The act of picking apart all the crazy stuff that comes out of the mouths of right-wing pundits is a process akin to playing Whack-a-Mole. It requires a large, attentive staff and the job never gets done. That's why I typically shy away from that sort of thing. And quite frankly, groups like Media Matters for America do the job way better than this one man band possibly could.

The right-wing noise machine has gotten even louder, and even more obnoxious, since President Obama arrived at the White House. And even more recently, they have thrown most of their eggs into one basket, hoping that toppling the president on his biggest pet issue, health care reform, will somehow break him. Or, it will be enough rope for them to hang themselves with.

Media Matters has a nice piece up that pretty much sums up some of the things the most noteworthy of wingnut squawkers are yapping about. And apparently, the summer heat must be making them all crazy. Merely a few years after they created their own 'mockrage' over lefties who compared the previous president to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis (remember that MoveOn.org web ad contest back in '04?), well, wouldn't you know it? They're doing it now, Godwin's Law be damned! One well-known radio host even has fantasies of killing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with poison. And of course, they're all playing the victim, hoping that their legion of lemmings will actually believe that the White House is the one that's attacking... them, even as they've been mobilizing naive fans to disrupt town halls with distorted facts, obnoxious behavior and even violent behavior. Wait! Isn't that what Hitler did when he started?

We start this merry adventure with the always-crazy Glenn Beck. Now, over the past week or so, noisemaking bloggers have been making hay about some comments made by liberal talker Mike Malloy. Malloy, never one to mince words, fantasized about Beck offing himself, with the wish of seeing it posted on YouTube (though I suspect he'll go out nonviolently via an overdose or complete mental breakdown). Of course, the Noise Machine went nuts, claiming that us lefties were all a bunch of hatemongers and terrorists. Oh, boo hoo! Meanwhile, Beck himself is not as saintly as they'd like to believe.

From Media Matters:

Then on Thursday, he poisoned the speaker of the House. Not literally, of course -- just in effigy. On live television. What's the problem? Can't you liberals take a joke?

It was a perfect example of the game conservatives in the media are playing: pouring gasoline on the fire, and then, once they are criticized, saying that they were only kidding. But what does Beck expect his viewers to take away from his broadcasts? After a week of increasingly violent protests at town halls around the country, including one such event at which protesters reportedly mentioned Beck by name when explaining what inspired them, he cannot seriously contend that his rhetoric isn't having an impact, isn't stirring up the rage and confusion that is defining opposition to Democratic reforms. How many times can Beck portray Obama as a traitor who is destroying our national sovereignty, or compare the president's health care proposals to those of the Nazis, before the anger spills over? He calls for calm, and then describes the Obama-led "brownshirts" who are silencing dissent and the "enemies list" the White House is compiling of those who dare to voice their opinions. Meanwhile, it is the Democrats, we are told, who are the irresponsible ones. It is Democrats who are using the language of "pure hate," as Frank Luntz told Beck, to describe the brave patriots who are shouting down members of Congress in defense of liberty. Why are they doing it? Beck's answer? They want to create "more problems" so "they can use the iron fist and crush people." In the meantime, Beck urged his supporters to continue pressuring their members of Congress, even if they have to "hold a meeting ... in front of their house."

Cocaine's a helluva drug, huh Glenn?

Next, Beck's partner in slime, Rush Limbaugh, has evidently forgotten Godwin's Law (an unofficial screed that claims that anyone who brings up Adolf Hitler or Nazis in an argument automatically loses - I would personally add Josef Stalin to that rule myself). Lately, he's had no shame in comparing the Obama Administration and the Democratically-controlled Congress to the Third Reich. All because of... ready for this? Health care reform. Yeah, pretty stupid, right?

With the precision the right-wing echo chamber provides on a daily basis, Rush reiterated his heartfelt belief that if Democrats have their way, senior citizens -- the very same group that benefits exclusively from that evil government-run program known as Medicare -- will spend their last days on a "Statist Farm," where they will be unable to see a doctor and suffer at the hands of heartless bureaucrats whose job it will be to "make sure certain people die." On the other hand, if you were a loyal Obama supporter, you know, like an HIV patient, you might get special treatment. Limbaugh also mocked the voice of Kathleen Sebelius (he sure hates it when women talk) and described her work promoting reform as a "campaign of pure fraud and deceit." And he had a warning for some of the crooks in D.C.: "You Blue Dogs are about to see your last days if you vote for this bill." At least he's giving them one more chance to get it right.

(snip)

"[T]he Obama health care logo is damn close to a Nazi swastika logo," he said on air. He went on to explain "the similarities between the Democrat Party of today and the Nazi Party in Germany." Key among them: "Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate." On Friday, he did it again, but blamed Nancy Pelosi for "starting it" because she had pointed out that one conservative protester had made a sign featuring a swastika. There was plenty of photographic evidence to back her up, but Limbaugh still called her "deranged."

...Limbaugh explained that Obama's "brownshirts" were coming, sure to make use of the "snitch website" he had set up. He warned of "union thugs" who had "roughed up" a protester -- "Mussolini-type stuff." He accused a St. Louis SEIU local of violence, and then gave out the office's address.Uhh, yeah.

Finally, if we needed further proof that syndicated squawker and CNN host Lou Dobbs has lost what was left of his xenophobic mind, he has essentially dumped the whole "Mr. Independent" facade he's been shucking and jiving us with over the years and is now a hardcore right-wing Obama hater. Dobbs is still smarting over the much-deserved criticism from the left over the whole ridiculous Obama birth certificate conspiracy theory (nevermind that Obama has been throroughly vetted by the FBI and the Secret Service prior to running for the presidency). And because of all that, Crybaby Lou has unleashed the fangs and has now turned into Bill O'Reilly:

It was actually a banner week for Lou. In fact, he officially abandoned his stance as "Mr. Independent," using his radio show to inform Obama (a regular listener, to be sure) that he was "moving from being an independent, sir, to being absolutely opposed to ... any policy you can conceive of!" Dobbs celebrated his newfound opposition by spreading misinformation on health care reform (it's socialism, by the way, because Obama's a socialist), hosting a Michelle Malkin lovefest, defending Limbaugh, raising the specter of incipient fascism, and repeatedly attacking Keith Olbermann, whom he described as a "cretin" and a "psycho" who was "psychologically scarred" from beatings by "girls" that he supposedly suffered as a child. No wonder, then, that Olbermann works at MSNBC, the network Dobbs called a "coven of thugs."

And not to be left behind by his fellow right-wing media celebrities, Dobbs offered support to a caller who threatened to "brawl" with health care reform advocates at a town hall, encouraging others like him to make their "voice heard."

But whatever you do, don't say "birther" on his show.

So, there ya go. Love 'em or hate 'em, Media Matters does a damn good job keeping up with this nonsense, and they're nice to have around in times like this. Ironic that the right-wing nut jobs they hold accountable are so arrogant and overzealous that they would gang up to torpedo something like health care reform, which is designed to protect the American people from the greedy tactics of Big Medicine (did ya hear that United Health posted a %150 boost in profits over the past year?), all because they want to stick it to President Obama. Hey, isn't that what they accused us all of doing during the Bush regime?

But with Republican favorable ratings further circling the porcelain bowl, does the mass populace really give a shit what multi-millionaire disc jockeys like Beck, Limbaugh and Dobbs think about anything? They're really just preaching to their own misinformed choirs, feeding them endless helpings of bullshit and hoping that, if repeated enough, it will actually be mistaken for truth. However, after surviving eight years of George W. Bush, and a Democratic mandate last November, it's likely that Americans are tired of all the bullshit and conservative crybaby antics, and are just looking for real change.

What Obama himself has to realize, particularly given his past experience as a community organizer, is that he wields far greater power than a motley gang of media whiners. In the current issue of Rolling Stone, in a roundtable discussion involving columnist Paul Krugman, former political advisor David Gergen (hands down the smartest guy at CNN) and documentarian Michael Moore, they all claim that Obama should be doing more to tap into his massive grassroots organization to bypass the right-wing noise machine. Wisely, Obama has even been hinting at using the Democratic power in D.C. to push through health care bills as a last resort, with or without Republican involvement. Given that Obama has more power to get things done than Bill Clinton ever did, this would be a very smart move.

America spoke up last November, and that's that. And the fact that the wingnut militia has fallen into the role that they berated the left for during much of this decade is hypocrisy at its finest.

They hate us for our freedom

There are many unhinged tighty-righties out there still bitter about losing the election. The radio pundits are the most ridiculous, doing all they can to topple President Obama, even if it means taking the country down with it. Why do these guys hate America?

And we all knew one thing was bound to happen. Some talk radio geek loses his shit and actually threatens the Commander in Chief. Whoops!

Turns out Bob Haa, who works for WWJB in Brooksville, Florida, got a visit from the Secret Service after listeners claimed that they heard him threaten President Obama. According to WTVT (TV) (FOX 13) in Tampa, Haa told a caller who was target practicing to "save your ammunition, don't be wasting it on a target, use it on the Administration." Haa denies the conversation went that way, and the station is backing him in the matter, while cooperating with the Secret Service.

Here's more from the St. Pete Times:

Haa, conservative host of the "Haa Wire" show on WWJB-AM 1450 in Brooksville, became the subject of an investigation after authorities were alerted to complaints that incendiary comments were made on the show.

"We're looking into what was allegedly said," said John Joyce, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's field office in Tampa. "We have yet to determine what was actually said that day."

(snip)

Talk about the investigation started Friday, when Hernando County administration staffer JoJo DiViccaro started receiving calls about 10:15 a.m. complaining that Haa was making threats and racist comments about President Barack Obama.

(snip)

Haa also confirmed Monday that he had spoken with the Secret Service, calling the investigation a "waste of time." The topic of discussion on Friday was health care, Haa said, and not Obama.

"There's one fruitcake in town out there trying to start all these rumors," he said. "I would never stand for anyone threatening the president. We do not have that kind of edgy talk on there."

Haa has previously faced accusations of using threatening rhetoric and promoting violence on his show. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office investigated Haa in 2001 after he was accused of trying to incite his audience to "act violently" against the County Commission. But the case was closed when investigators were unable to produce information proving those claims.

So, if spreading lies, innuendo, racist commentary and untruths isn't enough, now they're calling for armed insurrection against the government.

And they call us traitors. Sheesh!

Right-wing station can't afford employee health care coverage

This one is from a couple weeks ago, but I finally have the motivation to say something about it.

Listeners of right-wing talk radio have been hearing a lot of nonsense from assorted pundits and talking heads as of late about our Democratically-controlled government. Most ridiculous of all, aside from the 'Obama birth certificate conspiracy' nuts, is the ongoing debate about the current movement by the Obama Administration and Congress to reform our mess of a health care system.

Much of it comes across as ridiculous, ill-informed and just plain false. Thanks to them, many of their listeners don't even realize that Medicare is actually run by the government! Essentially, people that take the word of the Limbaughs, Hannitys and Becks of the world are heeding the 'gospel' of ridiculously-rich glorified disc jockeys with amazing health care plans who would rather stick up for corrupt medical and pharmaceutical corporations at the expense of the average American, as if paying $100 for a pill is merely proof that the market is effective. That's pretty sick.

And one small station in West Palm Beach, Florida, who's owner and hosts have been rallying against the so-called "ObamaCare", has all of a sudden found itself being unable to afford health care coverage. That's also sick.

Here's more from Page 2 Live (bold comments by me):

The good folks who work at radio stations WFTL (640 and 850AM) — including well-known on-air personalities like anti-immigration afternoon talker Joyce Kaufman... recently found out they’ve had no health insurance for nearly two months.
The stations’ owner, James Crystal Radio, just didn’t pay their premiums, according to this internal memo.

(snip)

“One of us tried to fill out a prescription and was told none of us had coverage,” an insider said.
About 30 employees work for Crystal, which is owned by the legendary radio mogul James Hilliard.

(snip)

“We’re hitting a wall, like most in the media,” Hilliard said, “but employees will get their benefit back when the check clears. It’s been tough. Some years, the insurance premiums go up by 40 percent while the advertising revenues in radio keep going down. For employees who are paid lower salaries, the premiums equal their salaries. I’m a small business owner and most small business owners in this country are having the same problems.

“I do believe that health insurance is the single most important thing a company owner can do for his employees. But there may be a time when we can’t afford it.”

Still, Hilliard says the country doesn’t need Obama health.

“That would make health care even more expensive,” he said. “And those fines to people who don’t have health care? The government would make everything worse.”

You can insert your own jokes here. Or better yet, if you still believe guys like Hilliard, bogged down by misinformation, perhaps it's time to actually read up on the facts, rather than hear it filtered through loudmouth shock jocks pushing nonsense agendas. For those who'd like to get a completely opposite side of the story, may I suggest Michael Moore's astonishing film Sicko?

And if people like Hilliard is pissing and moaning about the cost of health care, perhaps it's time he advocate a solution. After all, the status quo isn't doing anything for him.

Finally, if Hilliard is still deducting health care from his employees' paychecks, while stiffing them on coverage, perhaps it's time the people who work for him can take matters into their own hands.