Motley Moose – Archive

Or so says Sarah Palin.

The Associated Press reports:

Gov. Sarah Palin said Thursday that she would accept only 69 percent of the estimated $930 million dollars that could flow to the state, including $514 million for capital projects and $128 million for a hike in Medicaid reimbursement.

Well, what a principled lady! Say, what in particular did Governor Palin nix? Nothing important, really. Just money for non-essential programs, says the Anchorage Daily News, like…

… schools, energy assistance and social services.

Obviously, Sarah Palin knows how unnecessary these funds are, first hand. I mean, it’s not like higher educations levels are linked to a dramatic decrease in teen pregnancy rates, is it? Nah. In that vein, of course, I suggest the Palin/Plumber 2012 ticket use the following graphic heavily in their advertising. It should appeal to Real Mavriks everywhere.

Which god-hating, immoral liberal pantywait said the above statement?

A) Nancy Pelosi?

B) Harry Reid?

C) Samuel “Joesph” Wurzelbacher?

PS- The answer’s always C.

“Ayn Rand is to libertarianism what Fall Out Boy is to punk rock: It’s what you get into before you grow up and start actually thinking.”

Discuss.

… 90 very politically charged minutes.

Buried in the fracas of the Primary Wars last year was the release of a movie about Senator Clinton, financed by a group of neo-conservatives hell bent on doing whatever they could to keep Senator Clinton from winning the Democratic primary, and out of the White House. They were eventually prevented from releasing it, due to campaign financial restrictions- ie, under McCain/Feingold, it was decreed the movie was essentially a political ad, rather than a “documentary”, as the makers claimed.

And now, the case faces the Supreme Court. Of course, the financing group, “Citizens United”, disagrees their film should be considered under McCain/Feingold. According to the AP:

The group says there is nothing in the movie urging people to vote against Clinton. The group says the film is more of a documentary comparable to critical television news programs such as “Frontline,” “Nova” and “60 Minutes.”

This, of course, is complete and total BS- “Citizens United”, if anyone remembers, is a group that released screed after screed about Fahrenheit 9/11 ads. But, heck, that was political grandstanding, taking only a few things out of context for cinematic effect. Hillary: The Movie is completely different. Right? Gee, I wonder how they’d feel if Obama: The Motion Picture was released in 2012?

I don’t know, though, I’m a little conflicted on this. This isn’t as clear cut a case on free speech as they want to make it out to be- but should it be judged under McCain/Feingold? Maybe not; but there needs to be something out there to prevent people, no matter the political affiliation, from partaking in such unmitigated political grandstanding- especially with no accountability. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see what the Supreme Court rules on this.

I started watching Battle Star Galactica five years ago. I watched the mini series that introduced the series and have never missed an episode since. For all of those years, this show was almost perfect.

Yeah, yeah, nothing is perfect. But at this moment, after watching the last show of the series, I have to say it is the best fracking show I have ever seen. I have no idea how they did this, but I will say that each episode, each arc, and every season has mirrored and perhaps even predicted our struggle over these past five years.

For those not in the know, BSG is a series on the SciFi channel. The basic premise is of an advanced civilization, that has been almost completely wiped out by their creation and enemy, the Cylons. Just tens of thousands of people are able to escape in space crafts along with a battlestar named Galactica.

Sure some US TV shows make fun of Canada sometimes, but it’s usually in a fun lighthearted manner. This segment by Fox News however was not even close to being funny, and lacks any respect for the Canadian Military and Canadians in general.  

This utter and complete failure came on the heels of a report that 4 Canadian soldiers died today in Afghanistan.

By a high proportion, Canada has suffered more in losses in Afghanistan than any NATO ally. (The US population, at nearly 300 million, is ten times larger than Canada; the UK population is double the size).

Coalition deaths in Afghanistan by country

USA: 594

UK: 152

Canada: 116

Germany: 31

France: 27

Spain: 25

Denmark: 23

Netherlands: 18

Italy: 13

Australia: 10

Poland: 9

Romania: 9

Czech Republic: 3

Estonia: 3

Norway: 3

Hungary: 2

Portugal: 2

South Korea: 2

Sweden: 2

Finland: 1

Latvia: 1

Lithuania: 1

TOTAL: 1,045

I honestly cannot believe that people watch this network and think that it is good.  The segment above is part of the Fox News Red Eye Report and they can be reached at redeye@foxnews.com.

(cross posted at kickin it with cg)

I have subscribed to a Machiavellian Existentialist philosophy for too many years. Basically, life is pointless, but the bastids are still gonna do anything to get ahead; including, but not limited to coming after you with pitchforks; if so motivated. I was trying to move on from this paradigm, but this week has pulled me back into negative territory.

Friday March 20, 2009 in 100 seconds.

See what I mean?

Thursday March 19, 2009 in 100 screaming seconds. I have officially renamed the chattering classes: ‘the screaming classes’. Take note please.

I think we need a new Congress. These guys don’t work anymore.

So it is Friday again. Thank God? I dunno, it really makes no difference to me. It is almost spring though and that makes me very happy.

Here is a postcard from Iran.

Bloggers encompass a wide spectrum of views and perspectives, and they play a vital role in open discussions of social, cultural and political affairs.  But in recent months, bloggers in Iran have been ‘detained’ and perhaps more frightening, several media outlets are reporting that, Omidreza Mirsayafi, who had been sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the country’s leaders, died in Tehran’s Evin Prison this week.

According to Radio Farda, a Farsi-language station that is part of the American-government-financed network of radio stations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mirsayaf’s family is not certain that authorities told them the truth about how the blogger died:

Prison authorities have notified Mirsayafi’s family that he committed suicide on March 18 by overdosing on sedative tablets. But while Mirsayafi was known to have taken such medication to treat depression, his sister says he would not have possessed enough to kill himself.

So it is Friday again. Thank God? I dunno, it really makes no difference to me.

Here is a postcard from Iran.

Today, President Obama wished the Iranian people a Happy New Year.

March 19, 2009 C-SPAN

President Obama released a special video message for all those celebrating Nowruz. Translated ” New Day,” Nowruz marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of the New Year for millions in Iran and other communities around the world. This year, the President wanted to send a special message to the people and government of Iran on Nowruz, acknowledging the strain in our relations over the last few decades. “But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together,” he says.

After committing his administration to a future of honest and respectful diplomacy, he continues on to address Iran’s leaders directly: “You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right — but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create.”