Skip to content

The only thing worse than the smell of slaughterhouses is the stench of corruption

This is insane. Just who is the government supposed to be protecting here?

A federal appeals court ruled today that the federal government can prohibit meat packers from testing their animals for mad cow disease. A premium meatpacker in Kansas wants to test all of its cows for the disease, but the government won’t let it. Why?

Because larger meat packers are objecting. They worry that if companies are allowed to perform the test and then advertise its meat as safe, then consumers might demand that all meatpackers perform the expensive test, too.

Is it any wonder that other countries (like Japan) have banned US beef?

From USA Today and the Washington Post.

Share

Bridge to Nowhere

Rex Babin
© Rex Babin

UPDATE: According to the New York Times, the McCain campaign sold out to the Christian conservatives. McCain had wanted to pick Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge.

But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates.

As a result, Palin wasn’t seriously considered until the last minute, and even the team assigned to vet Palin didn’t arrive until the day before the announcement was made.

Share

Just before they picked Palin as VP nominee

Watch this video clip from Friday morning, just before McCain announced his pick of Sarah Palin as the VP nominee. Joe Scarborough, Pat Buchanan, and others discuss the possibility of Palin as VP, her qualifications compared to Obama and Biden, her ability to be commander in chief, and even as a substitute for Hillary Clinton, and they are not kind. Best quote: “that will not work.”

From Daily Kos.

UPDATE: As expected, it only took Scarborough and Buchanan four days to do a complete flip-flop and endorse Palin. How do they keep from getting whiplash?

Share

Are safe elections like safe sex?

xkcd
© xkcd

Share

The Undecided Voter

Bruce Beattie
© Bruce Beattie

Share

Be careful what you pray for, it might rain irony

Stuart Shepard of Focus on the Family asked people to pray for torrential rain to start exactly two minutes before Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver, because he wants our next president to be against abortion and gays. I’m not kidding:

Strangely, Obama’s speech had perfect weather.

Which makes Hurricane Gustav extremely ironic.

UPDATE: Read An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore.

Share

Is Obama ready to lead? Oh, never mind.

John Sherffius
© John Sherffius

Share

Buchanan says Palin was a “brigadier for me in 1996”

The McCain campaign is denying reports that Sarah Palin was a supporter of Pat Buchanan in the 90’s, but Buchanan himself says that Palin “was a brigadier in 1996 as was her husband… they were at a fundraiser for me, she’s a terrific gal.”

Why is this significant? Well, let’s look at what Buchanan has said about women:

  • “The rise of women to power in a civilization is very often the mark of its decline.” – On “The McLaughlin Group”, July 2007
  • “In short, the rise of feminism spells the death of the nation and end of the West.” – in his book “Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization” (p 42)
  • “Rail as they will against ‘discrimination,’ women are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism…The momma bird builds the nest. So it was, so it ever shall be.” – Washington Times, Nov. 1983

Buchanan is also no friend to Jewish voters, having praised Hitler for his “great courage”.

Share

Daily Show & Colbert Report on Sarah Palin

Head on over to Crooks and Liars to see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert respond to McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin to be his VP.

UPDATE: Also check out Gail Collins’ sarcasm-drenched report on Palin. Here’s a quote:

McCain does not believe in pandering to identity politics. He was looking for someone who was well prepared to fight against international Islamic extremism, the transcendent issue of our time. And in the end he decided that in good conscience, he was not going to settle for anyone who had not been commander of a state national guard for at least a year and a half. He put down his foot!

UPDATE 2: Maureen Down also wrote a very funny and sarcastic column on Palin. The best part, however, is that not everyone got the joke. Hello?

Share

Late Night Political Humor – Sarah Palin edition

“Thirty-eight million people watched Barack Obama at the stadium in Denver. There were 84,000 full-throated supporters who turned out there at the field. The Republicans fired back today. They say, ‘We can also fill a stadium with thousands of screaming people. For example, the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina.'” –Bill Maher

“John McCain’s VP pick is the governor of Alaska, a unknown hockey mom named Sarah Palinthat no one ever heard of. The only other job she had in politics was the mayor of a small town known as Wasilla, Alaska, and now she has the opportunity to be on a ticket opposite of Barack Obama, the first black man she’s ever seen.” –Bill Maher

“This isn’t a presidential ticket, this is a sitcom. The maverick and the MILF.” –Bill Maher

“Are you kidding me, the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska? Yeah, that’s who you want in the White House during a time of crisis. When she got a phone call at 3 in the morning, it was because a moose had gotten in the garbage can.” –Bill Maher

“I think this is pertinent because McCain has been running this campaign based on ‘We’re at war, it’s a dangerous world out there. The democrats don’t get that. I John McCain am the only one standing between the blood-thirsty Al Qaedas and you. But if I die, this stewardess can handle it.'” –Bill Maher

“When they were vetting her for this job, like three seconds ago, she said, quote, I’m not making this up, ‘What is it exactly that the VP does every day?’ Let me field that for you, Sarah. They start wars, they enrich their friends, they subvert the Constitution, and they shoot people in the face. That’s what the vice president does.” –Bill Maher

“The McCain people believe that Americans will disregard her inexperience because they will fall in love with her story. She was a runner up in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant., which may sound trite, but you try walking in high-heeled snow shoes.” –Bill Maher

“She’s not bad looking. She looks like one of those women in the Van Halen videos who takes off her glasses, shakes out her hair, and then all of a sudden, she’s in high heels and a bikini. All of a sudden, I am FOR drilling in Alaska.” –Jimmy Kimmel

“Not only is she young, they’re saying she’s the prettiest candidate for Vice President since John Edwards.” –Jimmy Kimmel

“There was some breaking news out of Dayton, Ohio today, where Republican presidential candidate John McCain introduced the world to his third wife.” –Jon Stewart

“Now obviously Sen. John McCain has made an enormous amount over Barack Obama’s lack of experience, so it seems curious that the 72-year-old, four-to-five time face cancer guy would choose a running mate whose resume appears to be more suited for a Northern Exposure reunion show.” –Jon Stewart

“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is John McCain’s choice. Here’s what we know about her: her name is Sarah Palin.” –Jay Leno

“Actually, it was kind of a smart choice. McCain went with a woman because he didn’t want to have to be in a position to have to get CPR from Mitt Romney.” –Jay Leno

“Palin and McCain are a good pair. She’s pro-life and he’s clinging to life.” –Jay Leno

“President Bush called Gov. Palin and congratulated her. Bush told Palin the job of vice president is very important because as vice president, you get to tell the president what to do.” –Jay Leno

Share

John McCain’s Wandering Eyes

Hilarious new video from Jed Lewison:

And some of the comments on his site are equally hilarious:

  • Awkward.
  • McCain had actually been eyeing Palin for a while
  • John McCain’s ‘Rove’-ing Eyes
  • He’s looking at her . . . podium! Yeah, that’s it! He’s checking out her podium!
  • Nice shoes!
  • I guess this brings a whole new meaning to “vice” president.
  • “I wanna DRILL HERE, and I WANNA DRILL NOW!”
  • Careful Sarah! He might take you to Sturgis!
  • Viagra – Vagina ’08
  • He looks like he’s trying to remove his wedding ring in a couple of shots!
  • I also notice the way Cindy was staring at him rather intently throughout the speech. I think she knows what’s up.
  • McCain / Palin = POW / WOW

 

Share

Palin – ceremonial head of Wasilla AK

Sarah Palin’s longest political experience is as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, so one might ask what the mayor does in Wasilla. Lucky for us, the Powers and Duties of Mayor of Wasilla are listed online. Here are the first two duties on the list:

  1. Preside at council meetings. The mayor may take part in the discussion of matters before the council, but may not vote, except that the mayor may vote in the case of a tie;
  2. Act as ceremonial head of the city;

Lovely Wasilla
Downtown Wasilla, Alaska

Other than that, she has been governor of Alaska for less than two years. Note that the entire state of Alaska has a population smaller than Brooklyn, NY. And while the McCain campaign has touted that she has a 70% approval rating at that job, they don’t mention that 75% think she lied in office about trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired.

Some people think that she might be the worst VP nominee in US history. Even Alaskans are scratching their heads.

UPDATE: Apparently Palin opposes the use of birth control pills or condoms, even among married couples. I wonder how that will fly with America.

UPDATE 2: It doesn’t look like McCain did a very good job of vetting Palin. In 1997, she almost got recalled as mayor of Wasilla. Why? Because she fired the city’s police chief and library director because they supported her opponent in the election. The police chief sued, but lost only because under Alaska law, the mayor can fire the police chief for any reason whatsoever. So while it wasn’t illegal, she has now put politics over safety twice (the second time was when she fired the state commissioner of public safety for not firing her ex-brother-in-law). 

Share

Divine Providence in Minneapolis

Republicans are saying that they might have to cancel, postpone, or at the very least scale back their national convention because of Hurricane Gustav, which is expected to slam into Louisiana as a deadly Category 4 or 5 storm on Monday. Note that Hurricane Katrina had weakened to Category 3 before it hit Louisiana.

It’s times like this when I’m glad I’m not one of those fundamentalists who blames disasters on the wrath of God. You know, like:

Otherwise I might have to do a little soul searching.

Share

Anna Nicole Palin

mccain-palin-anna-nicole

Share

Yeah, experience … that’s the ticket!

Glenn McCoy
© Glenn McCoy

Share