Radical Georgia Moderate

A natural reaction to hearing that new U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is making prosecuting “obscenity” cases a top priority of his tenure might be to say “there go those Nazis again, attacking free speech.” And you wouldn’t be in the wrong to do so. But that puts you in an undesirable position politically, since defending free speech is often an exercise in defending the basest degenerates the human race has to offer (as a degenerate smut addict and foul-mouthed hate-invoking curmudgeon, I thank you for your efforts). Maybe a better reaction would be to ask “How does an attorney general who spends his time going after two-bit sleaze merchants have time to prosecute the murderers who attacked our country?” If the FBI and the CIA and all the other intelligence bureaus are as fucked up as they supposedly are, shouldn’t every ounce of energy be dedicated to getting them back to speed on what’s important rather than wasting time pandering to the Republican electoral base? Sounds to me like Alberto is too much of a weakling to do his real job, so he needs to create a distraction. I wish he’d been born in Mexico rather than San Antonio, Texas, because now it’s inaccurate to make a “Mexican’t” joke.

…a mail order outfit that dredged up cash from senior citizens by writing scare letters, telling them their Social Security benefits were in danger and they should donate money… at least according to Rawstory. In other news, it’s rumored the U.S. House majority leader kicks puppies, drives through mud puddles with the intent of splashing pedestrians on the side of the road, and uses old-fashioned neck-snapping mouse traps instead of glue paper. He’s the Jolt Cola of heartless bastards.

This week, we’ve got HB 221, which would potentially lower child support payments for non-custodial parents who spend time with their kids. This could be argued either way, and I don’t really have a strong opinion on it other than to say blanket standards for this sort of thing have always seemed like a bad idea to me. For every case of a divorced mother struggling to make rent payments while the father jet sets around town, you can also point to a mother who’s milking some poor bastard dry even though she doesn’t need the money. Seems like it should be an option for the judge to determine on a case-by-case basis, but not a blanket application (I get that impression perusing the bill).

Despite four years of U.S. efforts to stop the sale, Russia said it will sell nuclear fuel rods to Iran. On the surface, that means either the U.S. has been lying about the threat Iran’s (potential, supposedly hidden) nuclear weapons program poses or Russia doesn’t respect the U.S. at all. The latter because any Iranian-built nuke would be directed at the U.S. or Israel long before Russia would have to worry about it, so their own profit would have taken precedent over its so-called friendship with the U.S.

Thinking beyond the surface implications of the apparent U.S. diplomatic failure…

Ever see Canadian Bacon (which I hadn’t even realized was a Michael Moore film until I looked just now)? Remember when the president (played by Alan Alda) was shopping around for a war to boost the economy? First, he asked the Russian president, who answered:

Mr. President, please. Is this why you called us here? We already gave up! You won! We are too busy trying to perfect universal indoor plumbing!

After the Russian president refused, the U.S. attacked Canada instead. If Bush presented Vladimir Putin with the same proposition Alan Alda presented to the fictional Russian president, would he accept it?

Spongebob Square Pants, a cartoon character, advocates tolerating all people without taking their sex lives into account. Buster Bunny, also a cartoon character, visits a lesbian family living in Vermont during a segment discussing how different types of families are composed. Both of those segments, involving fictional characters, stirred the contempt of “family values” organizations. Yet, when in real life a prostitute and plagiarist is given access to the most powerful man in the world — with the assistance of the “family values” White House — there was not a whisper of protest. Hypocrites and jellyfish, they are. Check this article, where Bill Berkowitz tries to solicit some sort of statement from some of the groups regarding PropaGannon. Money segment:

[A Focus on the Family] administrative assistant called me to say that no one there could answer my questions about Gannon. She said a lot of folks were out sick and no one was available. “Would someone be available tomorrow or Thursday,” I asked. She pointed out that no one would be available the following day or the day after to talk about this issue. “Next week?” “No.”

Several times from several sources, I’ve heard a rumor that strip club patronage doubled in Atlanta when the Southern Baptist Convention was held in the city in 1999. Google didn’t give me a good reference, so that should still be taken as hearsay.

Most of these people who feign outrage about about the way other people behave when it doesn’t affect them in any tangible way often have suppressed desires to partake in the behavior themselves.

Getting past the verbal constipation, what I’m saying is James Dobson is a homo.

I‘ve slacked on blog updates in general this week, mostly due to my new job with Big Box. Being on my feet all day there is kicking my ass more than UPS ever did. When I left Thursday afternoon, it felt like I’d been through two weeks of Chinese foot binding. I immediately went to Sports Authority and purchased some all-black tennis shoes and gel insoles… which didn’t help at all Friday, when the gates of hell opened.

The never-ending supply of crowds with complicated, time-consuming problems wasn’t really the worst part. The worst part was the bastards haven’t given me a password to use the cash register yet, so I have to walk around and get someone to log in for me every goddamn time something needs to be rung up — which is almost every time. Compound that with my general sluggishness within their systems and likelihood to make mistakes because I still don’t really know what the hell I’m talking about when it comes to their totally inane store procedures and acronyms and rip-off service plans, on top of the crowds and my brutal hangover, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Lines… lines… lines… that never end, and get angrier as the day progresses. It must be sort of the way you ladies feel when in the presence of a bona fide pervert, whose glare you can feel without even looking in his direction. Yet, when you turn your head toward him, he somehow is looking at his shoes or at a television or at the book in his hand… somewhere other than where you damn well know he was looking just two seconds ago.

Our team name: To Ken, who broke up with one girl so he could bang her best friend the next week. Happy birthday! Here’s a gratuitous reaction shot from when the couple heard the team name:

Also pictured: the best friend (Mel). Coming up next is a series explaining the mid-game addendum to our trivia team name:

That addendum: P.S. — Sorry you couldn’t hold your liquor.

It must be true love since she was willing to wipe up his puke with a rag. Thanks for the entertainment tequila! And thanks, karma, for swinging my way and placing me at the other end of the table, out of range from Ken’s projectile vomiting.

I should note our team name was technically inaccurate. Ken actually waited two and a half weeks to bang Mel, not one week.

Better pictures from a real digital camera to come later if Eric gets his laptop straightened out.

UPDATE: Gannon/Guckert (supposedly) started a blog! Oh God, this is too funny if it’s true.

—

A portion of the announcement on the Talon News website:

Talon News will be offline while we redesign the web site, perform a top-to-bottom review of staff and volunteer contributors, and address future operational procedures.

Meanwhile, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y are calling for an expanded investigation into the White House’s role in propaganda. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has signed on too. I don’t like the phrase “pre-packaged stories” that showed up in the AJC article (login) though. I don’t think the desired outcome is to outlaw press releases.

Not that more than eight or ten people read this site frequently, but I’ve been trying to be careful about what I reprint since there’s a lot of disinformation floating around. For example, I suspect the supposed $10,000 reward offered for concrete information linking Gannon/Guckert to the Bush administration is fake, but I don’t know.

The Georgia House Reapportionment Committee is likely approving a new congressional map right now (I won’t be near my computer when the decision hits the news). Though I’ve been told this particular map isn’t that bad, any congressional map drawn by any state legislature (regardless of which party is running it) is going to be designed with the purpose of keeping districts safe for incumbents. This leads to ideological radicalism becoming the accepted M.O. from both sides. Candidates who advance through primaries usually do so by pandering to the most extreme factions of their party. Post-election, in a safe district, they are not held accountable for pushing legislation totally against the wishes of the ideological minority population in the district, but face a potential challenge from within their own parties if they don’t deliver to the base. Good people with pragmatic attitudes interested in working toward the common good are weeded out during this process.

The Legislature should have taken Iowa’s lead and formed an independent, non-partisan commission to draw the maps (Governor Schwarzenegger is trying to do the same thing in California). As Iowa has illustrated, taking the power to draw congressional maps away from the legislature creates more competitive districts where extremists from both parties are held accountable by their constituents if they push too far in one direction.

For (apparently) putting the kibosh on the concealed weapons in restaurants bill (HB193). From yesterday’s Political Insider (login).

No explanation was given, but we can hazard a guess. With the exception of a very few bills intended for the Republican base, this session’s low-volume agenda has been devoted to: A) reinforcing GOP ties with a business community that will be funding the ‘06 contests; or B) convincing suburban women — now a key swing vote in Georgia — that they need not fear the excesses of GOP rule.

Apparently, the concealed weapon issue didn’t go over well with either “A” or “B.” Restaurateurs had nightmares over liability issues that come when 9mm semi-automatics mix with surly waiters and dirty spoons.

And women somehow found no comfort in the possibility that the gentleman in the next booth at Applebee’s could offer cover fire in a pinch.

Also referenced in PI, check HB539, which would give the film industry tax credits for shooting in Georgia. The theory is a film crew is attracted to the state by incentives, stays a few months, generates enough sales tax revenue to more than make up for the initial incentive, then leaves. PI dubs them “super tourists.”

Finally, there was Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Greg Hecht’s letter to Christian Coalition leader Sadie Fields.

Dear Sadie,

I hope you are doing well. I appreciate the invitation to the event this Saturday. Unfortunately, I have a conflict, but I am grateful for your hard work. You have been dedicated to families for a long time, and I appreciate your service. While we agree on some issues and disagree on some other issues, I have always been appreciative of your concern for all people. Also, I thought the paper took an unfair shot at you last year. Take care.

Greg K. Hecht.

That pissed Decatur Guy off.

I will not be voting for such a pathetic panderer. Sorry Greg Hecht. Hopefully someone, and I’m not sure who, will be running against you.

I agree in less concrete terms, with the caveat that “pathetic pandering” is what politics is all about. So, rather than saying “I won’t vote for him,” let’s just call that a strike against him. Mae, I hope there is some sort of ulterior, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” motive behind that letter.