Various Thoughts

Some responses to various comments:

I have the balls to say it But as you have pointed out todays controlled media doesn't allow it. Not to mention that I would probably lose my job. So you have your wish as far as not being allowed to express in public the truth. -- CelticTexan

Do you ever read The Amarillo Globe-Republican? They print racist tripe all the time. Virgil Van Camp is what you might call a PTS favorite, but there are others to choose from. Granted, you'll have to clean your filth up a little bit, but I'm sure you could get a letter in.

"Why do you care if this guy is a racist or not?" -- bodacious

Because we are liberals and liberalism is an inclusive ideology. Because, sadly, there is nothing unique about him. I'll wager that the number of people in this town who think like he does number at least in the thousands, probably in the tens of thousands. People who think, "I don't hate minorities, I just don't want to be around them...or hire them...or have them in my community...or my neighborhood...or my school...or my church...or my government, etc." You can bet that a number of these people are part of the Amarillo Good Ol' Boys^TM and have a lot of power and influence. Want to know why there is a lawsuit brewing over single-member districts in Amarillo? Take a good look at CelticTexan and you'll have your answer.

"I always find it hislarious that the people who say they embrace tolerance and understanding the most have seemingly no tolerance for those they disagree with." - bodacious

Don't mistake dog-piling on some racist ass for the same type of intolerance that leaves people beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. We aren't depriving him of anything.

Once again, I find Bodacious to be the voice of reason around here. -- CuriousTexan

Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha. Bodacious may come across level-headed on this particular issue, but surely if I were to bring up the war in Iraq, or anything related to the military for that matter, the accusations of traitor and terrorist sympathizer would undoubtedly fly from his mouth just as they did when he first started commenting here. He's as hot-headed as anyone else. "Voice of reason", puh-leeease.

That being said, re: 2. above, I only have one question: What if you unwittingly made plans to take your kids to Orlando the first weekend in June. How could you avoid this? (Check out the Gallery, especially the last few photos) : -- CuriousTexan

What if I unwittingly answer my front door only to find some far-right fundamentalist idiot who's just itching to "cram" his particular take on god down my throat? There's offensive stuff every where - billboards, radio, television, the Internet. Have a good look at the magazines next time you are standing in line at the grocery store. "10 Things That Will Drive Your Man Wild In Bed" It's only a matter of time before I have to start explaining stuff like that to my kids and I'm not looking forward to it. It's annoying as hell, but that's life in an open society like ours. You suck it up and you deal with it. As far as Disney is concerned, are they, and other area businesses, supposed to put up "gay alerts?" I would sarcastically pre-empt your answer with "How about nigger alerts?", but obviously there are some among you who actually would appreciate that.

Here is anouther example of the lack of moral restraint that plauges liberal's. -- CelticTexan

Spare me your bullshit about "liberal immorality." Do you even live here in Amarillo? If so take a good look at the town around you. Do you think Amarillo's tiny liberal population is capable of keeping all the strip clubs, bars, pornography retailers and liquor stores in business? Only liberals go to Las Vegas? Only liberals flash their boobs at Mardis Gras? Only liberals have premarital sex? Only liberals get knocked up? Only liberals walk through the door at Planned Parenthood? Only liberal women find themselves wondering if they should terminate a pregnancy? Please don't tell me you're so hopelessly naive that you believe that.

A couple of other points... If my fellow PTS'ers want to agree with me that's fine, but I speak only for myself.

1. I have no mindless loyalty to the Democratic party. 2004 was the first election when I actually chose a side. So if I take the Bush Cheney Administration to task for something they've done don't bother responding with something similar Clinton did, or Johnson or FDR. The Republican Party controls this country right now and for the foreseeable future. They control the federal government. They control Texas government. They control business at all levels. They control just about everything in the Panhandle.

2. It's Friday ya bastards:

Why We Must Fight: I am American

Every day . . .

Fighting the lies and repub spin the traditional media regularly churns out.

Fighting your fellow Christians when they say that America was 'founded' as a Christian nation.

Fighting when you get accused of being an Al Quada sympathizer and then fired, for having an Air America bumper sticker . . .

Standing up and calling bullsh*t on hate filled people like radical cleric James Dobson and this jagoff. (thanks to crooksandliars)

Fighting because you are called a traitor for having a leftie radio show, or comparing your political opponent to Osama BL . . .

Fighting because repubs will say anything to hold onto power, including a sitting vice president who says voting for John Kerry will bring on a terrorist attack . . .

Asking for a little balance and accuracy in the local frikkin' state-run paper for chrissakes . .
___________________

It's exhausting. It's maddening. It's easy to think of your opponent as the enemy after a while and not your fellow/sister American.

So here is the question . . . at which point do good repubs stand up and tell the fundies and far-righties that now dominate their party to act with decency and honor? That we are Americans first?

Don't hold your breath.
________________

We saw the past few days that reasonable repubs like Curious Texan, will not fully denounce a bastard like Larry Kilgore, much less write a LTE to the Amarillo Globe News saying that sh*thead does not belong in his party.

Country club Repubs like Lou Dobbs have been trying to expose the Bush family connections on the smelly Dubai deal, but seen FOX do a story? Heard Hannity or O'Reilly discuss? NOPE.
____________________

Personally, you damn repubs have had your chance(s). For years now you could have stood up for conservative values. . . smaller gov't spending, no deficits, no wars of choice, keeping gov't out of people's bedrooms and lives.

But your silence has been thunderous.

Me . . . I choose to give no quarter. And since repubs control all three branches of government I make no qualms about it . . . for me repubs are the internal enemy tearing the country I love to shreds:

"A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people. Whoever rejects it does, of necessity, fly to anarchy or to despotism. Unanimity is impossible; so that rejecting the majority principle, anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left." - Abraham Lincoln, first inaugural address, March 4, 1861

I fight because I am an American first.

-Prodigal Son

bipolar politix

January, 2006: The S.O. seemed torn. She had just had dinner with her grandparents and had been discussing politics with her grandfather, always a questionable pursuit. They had discussed the Alito nomination, and she said it seemed like Democrats were bringing up a lot of old things that didn't matter, especially since Bush wasn't going to nominate any judge to our liking. She said he had tried 4000 cases and was therefore at least a qualified judge. I tried to explain why the CAP membership mattered, and that those 4000 cases demonstrated contempt for individual rights and an aconstitutional subservience to the executive branch.

And then she said it: I was telling her what I believed to be true based on the sources I read and her grandfather was telling her what he believed to be true based on the sources he read. Surely, she asserted, the truth was somewhere in the middle.

This—the truth is somewhere in the middle—is the great fallacy of our time. We should give it a Latin name and stick it on the list next to post hoc ergo propter hoc, and ad hominum. It's used all the time in discussions by perfectly rational people and extremely smart people (like the S.O.) and it's completely untrue. Truth is an elusive concept that sometimes lies in the middle, sometimes lies at the extremes and sometimes lies off the chart. You can't find it by simply dividing the difference between extremes.

Slavery is a perfect example. I hesitate to bring it up because I really don't want to spend days in the comments arguing about states’ rights and northern hypocrisy. Frankly, I find it amazing that I should have to spend time in history graduate classes down here begging certain people to acknowledge that slavery was even a peripheral issue in the Civil War.

But, whatever. That particular grudging acknowledgment is all I need, anyway. I'm perfectly willing to admit—for the sake of argument—that the North was full of closet racists and that all the kids in the south just loved their black mammies and really only wanted their lifestyle to be left alone by that mean mean Mr. Lincoln way up in Washington. Even if all that were true, human slavery was still one-hundred percent dead wrong and the closet racists and mean federalists who used it a wedge issue to destroy the southern way of life were absolutely, completely and utterly right about that one issue.

One side was right right right and one side was wrong wrong wrong. And attempts to find the truth somewhere in the middle led to monstrous notions like the three-fifths compromise. Furthermore the veritas in medias res fallacy (correct, if you can, my broken Latin) benefits the right wing more than it does us. Because the ideologues on Fox News and in this administration have steadily learned how to move the center farther and farther to the right.

Then there is the adversarial nature of boomer politics. Boomer activists on both sides grew comfortable with being at each other's throats during the Good Old Sixties. Younger net-roots progressive tend to believe that our philosophies benefit the most people and that they will realize this if we only find the right way to approach them.

Recent events on this site illustrate the dangers of bifurcated politics with a center rail that passes for “truth”. Larry Kilgore, gubernatorial candidate, advocated that homosexuals should be executed. I was appalled—and, yes, offended—by Kilgore's candidacy for the Republican nomination. He received fifty thousand votes, and I posted about his candidacy. My initial post assumed that most Republicans were not that radical and would kick Kilgore out from under their big tent.

I was disappointed.

Curious Texan— our most reasonable troll by a country mile—weighed in first by pontificating about our system’s tolerance for dissent and reversing the numbers (90% didn’t vote for him!). But then CT negated that last point by admitting to surprise that Kilgore had done so well, and asserting that he’d considered him a “side show”. But he stopped short of repudiating Kilgore entirely.

The real fun was yet to begin.

Celtictexan popped in with a demand that this “abnormal lifestyle” stop being “crammed down [his] throat”. He then proceeded to rant for two solid days. Curious Texan defended him at first, but then stated that celtic's racism had no place in today’s Republican Party. I kneejerkingly, reflexively (and wrongly) grafted celtictexan’s opinions onto the entire Republican party.

Both of our initial reactions were based on party extremes. Both were wrong.

I believe that Curious Texan and I are both reasonable people who could agree on many things in less charged environment. But in this world we have to defend our dawgs: and, in doing so, we both say things we don’t mean. You could split the difference between us, but where would that get you?

Look: Panhandle Truth Squad is a Liberal site. Not Leftist, not necessarily, not all of us, not today. But we’re always liberal, according to the old Age of Reason definition. And so are you. If we could all let go of the stereotypes and the hate, the kneejerking and the reactionism, we could find answers not in some ridiculous, trumped-up middle but in our minds and in our souls. If we could only—somehow—let go of Left and Right.

spacedark

the quiet this time

Our Republican troll has been scolding gay people who want equal rights. Previous civil rights battles, he reminds us, were fought with "quiet dignity".



The civil rights marches of the 1950s and 1960s were quiet, polite affairs in which marchers gently asked The Man for equal rights and The Man wisely contemplated the marchers' request.


Equality was achieved without flamboyance or disruption of lives and no one had to go beyond societal norms.


The public behavior of all remained appropriate throughout the Movement.


And society changed without sacrifice . . .



spacedark

Pre-Brokeback

Reading the comments over the past few days, a repub troll brought up an old post. I always liked this oldie but goodie after attending a serman at Church here in the heart of dixie.

After reading Spacedark's post about Larry Kilgore I wonder . . . was it really satire?

_________________________

Reposted from November 11, 2005.

Dear . . .

. . . Rev Stan Coffey, AND Larry Kilgore

When someone tries to defend the homosexual agenda, like civil rights and other sissy Democrap stuff, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states that faggotry is an abomination. End of debate for those slack-jaw, gold lamee' shorts wearin', commie pinkos!

But since you are a holy man, I do need some advice from you regarding some of the other specific biblical laws and how to follow them.

1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. Taking into account 2000 years of inflation, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking women at work, but most take offence.

4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Should I kill him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play touch football if I wear gloves (Goatskin?)

10. My brother-in-law has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

Lovingly heterosexually yours in Jesus,
Prodigal Son

are there any queers in the theatre tonight? get 'em up against the wall!

First off, Anette Carlisle should've challenged Swinford as a Democrat. At least she'd still be in the race.

We were shocked, shocked!, that Republicans had insisted that they wanted change, wanted to turn the bums out, but had voted for Swinford and Tom Delay.

But it gets oh so much worse.

At this writing, Larry Freakin' Kilgore has 47,714 votes. That's 7.52% for Larry Freakin' Kilgore, who challenged Rick Perry for the Republican nomination. Larry Freakin' Kilgore. He's running in second place in the Republican primary.

It seems so quaint, so long ago and far away, that I expressed my disappointment that Brokeback Mountain hadn't won the Best Picture Oscar. Now I'm facing the reality that 7.39% of voting Republicans supported killing-- killing-- homosexuals.

That's not a dramatic overstatement. That's Larry Freakin' Kilgore's stated position. There is no way anyone can whitewash the fact that at least 47,714 Republicans supported killing homosexuals today.

How on earth could a reasonable person like Anette have imagined that she would prevail in a party like that?

We have a number of Republican trolls here at PTS. I have believed them to be reasonable individuals. For one thing, they are obviously not afraid to look a different opinion in the eye. And they have shown themselves in comments to be capable of judgment independent from their party.

Now is the time for such Republicans to stand up.

Almost fifty thousand of you have stepped into the voting booth and supported the execution of gays. That's not a statistically insignificant aberration. That's not a few radicals. Liberals have grown accustomed to taking boatloads of grief for the opinions of Wade Churchill-- a single individual. So reasonable Republicans will surely be responsible enough to disavow the fifty thousand among them who would murder all gay people.

We hear a lot about Godwin's law in the blogosphere and how we're not supposed to compare anyone to Nazis. But let's put this in perspective. Fifty thousand people is fifty people a day for almost three years. And here's what Arlo Guthrie had to say about "fifty people a day":

friends they may think it's a movement.

. . . and if it's a movement
. . . and if they want to start killing every-- single-- representative of groups that offend them . . .

Republican Trolls: for God's sake, take out your trash before we all regret not violating Godwin's law and speaking up when we had the chance.

spacedark

local boy makes good

Here's a fella who was born into a "Christian family in Amarillo, TX in 1964". And he rose from those humble beginnings to run for Governor of the Great State of Texas. He's challenging Rick Perry for the Republican nomination. Here are some of his positions:

• Execution for crime of murder including abortion.
• Execution for crime of adultery.
• Execution for crime of homosexual acts.
• 1-40 lashes for crime of maliciousness, like graffiti, porn, strip clubs.
• Eliminate TX budget for government indoctrination of children. (public education).
• Texas should secede because the US has sealed its doom.
• Illegal immigrants should receive a minimum punishment of five lashes, $3,000 fine & deportation.

If those punishments sound familiar, it's because he lifts them directly from the pages of the Pentateuch. He cites chapter and verse. It's hard to believe that this guy is for real, since his site reads like a parody posted by Prodigal Son. But the Dallas Morning News apparently thinks so.

At least he's not one of those hypocritical, backsliding RINOs.

spacedark

sitting in the dark with strangers

I'm not sure what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did last night, but it is clear what they didn't do: they didn't deny the Best Picture award to a liberal polemic. The favorite, Brokeback Mountain, was a tragedy with a narrative that followed a convention thousands of years old. It was political only because its narrative was driven by the socio-poltical mores of our time.

The winner, Crash, required subscription to a belief most right-wingers would protesteth much: that every human transaction is essentially racial in nature. The movie's themes were overtly political and the direction made Oliver Stone look subtle.

I dunno. Maybe the wingnuts were right-in-the-wrong-way going into the Oscars. Maybe the Academy did want to make a statement. It wasn't the statement anyone thought they were going to make, but that's the onliest escuse I can think of for giving the Oscar to a film that was probably inferior to half a dozen movies last year.

spacedark

Friday is here at last...

Another Voice - It's Your Choice

Don’t let the focus on Bush and his conservative Christian Taliban turn you away from a situation in Amarillo with people who would be just as controlling, only on a local level.

The Amarillo Globe-Snooze’s editorial Sunday sided with the good-ole-boy power structure again. See http://www.amarillo.com/stories/022606/opi_4059313.shtml

This time Amarillo’s power elite, represented by the Amarillo National Bank’s puppet commissioner, Jim Simms, wants representation of “people who ‘know how to get things done’” on a downtown planning task force. That’s code, folks, for setting up a downtown planning effort to foster the interests of ANB and its friends.

Beth Duke, the executive director of Center City of Amarillo, and Alan Taylor, the city manager, want a group more representative of various ethnic, racial and neighborhood groups. That backs Mayor Debra McCartt’s push to include more people in discussions about the direction of the city and could dilute the power of the elite.

And, of course, making Amarillo more responsive to all the people instead of the few who have controlled things up to now challenges everything for which the Globe-Snooze stands. One can’t help but wonder if the AGN’s position arises from something more personal. Publisher Les Simpson pushed Duke out of the newspaper last year. Does he resent she landed on her feet and, at Center City, contributes more good to the overall community than the newspaper?

Amarillo needs another media voice — one that represents a progressive view of local and national public policy and one that presents local news without skewing content to make the Globe-Snooze’s friends look good and its enemies look bad. The right-wing rag pulled that stunt again in Saturday story on the GOP primary. See: http://www.amarillo.com/stories/022506/new_4069519.shtml

Amarillo’s other media voice now has a corporation and a name: The Amarillo Independent.

The Indy will be an alternative newsweekly offering readers “Real News, Honest Journalism.” It will cover what alternative weeklies like the Santa Fe Reporter or the Austin Chronicle do, but with the twist of some mainstream reporting.

The publisher has gotten an initial infusion of capital and seeks to raise more capital through loans or investors. Anyone who would like to support a progressive media voice in Amarillo should contact newsguygeorge@gmail.com

PTS Shout Out

Send Ted Rall some scratch: How Ann Coulter Gets Away with Defaming Liberals

open the doors, let everyone in redux

Gosh, that whole W-selling-U.S.-seaports-to-the-United-Arab-Emirates thang amazes, confuses and disturbs me!

I have nothing to add to the conversation. I just throw that out there because I cannot imagine what the right-wing talking-point defense of this action could possibly be¹, and I am curious. But not so curious as to head over to LGF or Freeperville. I just took a shower, f'r Chrissakes.

So, anyway.

"Gosh, that whole W-selling-U.S.-seaports-to-the-United-Arab-Emirates thang amazes, confuses and disturbs me!"

Over to you, CT and/or Bo. Educate me.

spacedark

¹I'm guessing it will either be research about Clinton selling something to someone or a condescending lecture about the global economy.

open the doors, let everyone in

I wish I could get excited about the goobernatural primary. But I find myself wanting to strangle both candidates. Today it's Gammage.

Gammage seems to be racking up some endorsements and is presenting himself as a "real progressive." I have to question what he means by that, however, when he sends out e-mails like this:

On his campaign website, Bell initially proposed altering the Top 10 percent plan to eliminate automatic admission to the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University and would allow only for automatic admission to these University of Texas and the Texas A&M University systems. The UT and A&M systems would then select which university -- such as University of Texas Pan American, University of Texas El Paso or Texas A&M Kingsville) -- the student would attend removing the students freedom to choice.

Gammage goes on to claim that

Education experts and organizations representing minority interests fear that the Bell plan would create a separate but unequal system that punishes students attending smaller, under-funded or lower-performing high schools. Students graduating in the top 10 percent from these schools would automatically be at a disadvantage when compared to students graduating from wealthier, higher-performing and predominantly Anglo high schools. In addition, the so-called "feeder" universities are already experiencing rapid growth but are under-funded. The Bell plan would steer more and more students to these already strapped schools.

Frankly, the top 10 percent plan does not work in Texas. Gammage claims that the feeder schools (like WTAMU) are under-funded and "strapped" but the flagships are in similar straights. U.T. is bursting at the seams and no longer accepts students who apply after October of their senior year. The admissions office has very little latitude to accept students who are not top-10 but may have other talents because they have to keep space open for the five gazillion top-10 students in Texas.

A plan like Bell's that guaranteed acceptance but allowed students to be appropriately placed would alleviate the crowding and maintain the prestige of Texas's most elite public universities. Furthermore, Gammage's fretting that students from "under-funded or lower-performing high schools" seems disingenuous. He should find a plan that would serve to fund those schools adequately to improve their performance rather than simply giving up on them and hoping the colleges can fix the kids.

spacedark

Cheney Redux

OK, enough with the parsing of the softball FAUX news "interview"

The sitting vice president shoots a 78-year-old man with a shotgun while hunting illegally.

Then he avoids the authorities.

Then the administration actively covers up key details.

Then the victim has a minor heart attack. (Such a thing as a 'minor heart attack'?!)
_______________

Stuff I wanna know . . .

Did Cheney wait 24 hours before talking with police because he had been REALLY drinking?

Texas has an open container law, where you cannot have an open container of alcohol in your vehicle. Were they drinking and driving?

How does his drinking interact with his medication?

How can we get the traditional media to ask these questions?

-Panhandle Truth Squad

your liberal media

I'm actually slightly amazed at the anti-administration slant the Amarillo Globe-Republican is giving to the Cheney-got-a-gun story. I mean, obviously the Panhandle Truth Squad will be here to note the oddity of the turned-away deputy and the fact that the news got out much faster the last time a sitting VP shot a dude, despite the fact that we now use the internet and satellites and not horses to deliver messages.

But at the end of the day, a newspaper worshiping the false god of objectivity ought to be left with this-is-apparently- a-tragic-accident- with-no-solid- evidence-of-any- wrongdoing-yet. I wouldn't blame the AG-R if they framed it that way.

But, no. The Ghostly Voice^TM is all "gang that can't shoot straight" and "bungled operation" and "nonsensical excuses" on this morning's opinion page. And for two days the front page has headlined Harry Wittington as Cheney's "victim". (But, really, aren't we all?)

Not that we're complaining about the slant of the coverage. But, seriously, what's up? Are the editors driven into madness with the realization that, my god, it could have been Our Buddy Boone?

spacedark

Conservatives?

Per Atrios:

Things I Learned Recently . . .

"-Every conservative on the internet is an avid hunter and they've all been shot multiple times.

-Shotguns aren't really guns, just toys. You can't really hurt people with them, only animals.

-It's standard hunter etiquette to yell and scream at your fellow hunters as they're stalking their prey.

-The most dangerous place to be is behind the people with the guns."

Any hunters out there disagree?

-Prodigal Son

best headline of the week

"Friday Brings New Prophet Drawing Protests"

I s'pose they mean "Friday Brings New Prophet-Drawing Protests"

But, with no punctuation to guide us, it could also be read "Friday Brings New Prophet, Drawing Protests"

Frankly, the latter is more interesting.

spacedark

Not all the news today is bad...

Libby: My 'superiors' authorized leaks

Ex-CIA official: Bush administration misused Iraq intelligence

Brown says he's been made Katrina scapegoat

Jack Abramoff Describes Relationship With President Bush

there they go again

There's this wild story going around that the Emperor W has pointed to a four-year-old thwart of a terrorist plot as proof of the need for domestic spying. Let me get this straight. Obviously, this plot was kept secret in 2002 for a reason. Surely the Emperor has been protecting us from knowledge of this plot.

And there is no new reason to release this dangerous information. So why are we hearing about it now? The only reason for the Emperor to tell us about the plot now would be to save his political arse.

The Emperor has far more integrity than that. He would never knowingly expose us to the dangers of terrorism for political reasons. I mean, his whole presidency has been about protecting his American children.

So I don't believe it for a minute. Surely this story is fabricated, the product of a liberal media out to get the Emperor. Poor Emperor. So much he has to put up with.

spacedark

another fox without a job

. . . another henhouse to guard.

spacedark

it's official

Our once-great nation is now a third-world country.

spacedark

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

This passage in the Globe-Republican's post-SOTU Bush Worship caught my eye:

While alternative energy sources may be a homegrown option, the president maintained that a nation of freedom did not become that way by limiting its potential in the world.

The Ghostly Voice of the Globe-Republican is a big fan of patriotic platitudes, just like Dear Leader. "Liberty this..." and "freedom that..." At first glance, this quote appears to be more of the same. If we look at it again, however, it seems an odd pairing of concepts: "alternative energy" at home vs. our "freedom", which is apparently dependent on our "potential in the world." Like so many things in Bush's America, the truth is hidden behind pretty words. Replace "freedom" with "hyper-consumerism", "potential in the world" with "military strength" and we get a better understanding of what the Ghost is getting at, that our way of life is dependent on our ability to subjugate other countries. Ponder the Ghost's words awhile longer and another problem becomes apparent. Dependency is the opposite of freedom, so in terms of our energy sources we'd be much better off producing at home rather than importing. Of course, when Exxon Mobil is pulling down $36 billion a year in profits there will be little motivation to invest in alternative energy. The American economy is an insatiable beast, and some brown oppressed people somewhere are going to die be liberated to keep it fed free.

we got yer SOTU right here

Official Panhandle Truth Squad^TM SOTU transcript:

I won’t keep y’all very long, I only have about 911 things to say.

911-score and 911 years ago our founding fathers . . . uh . . .

I would like to announce my new tax cuts which will cut taxes by $911 for 911 of the richest Americans. I also wanted to reform Social Security, but 911 Democrats voted against my plan.

This year, 911 American soldiers will come home from Iraq. And I will commit to finding an alternative to fossil fuels within 911 years.

[GEORGE WILL, golf-announcer voice: That was the 911^th standing ovation of the President’s State of the Union]

This is President George Bush, signing off from 911 Pennsylvania Avenue.

SPACEDARK, with SPACEDARK, JUNIOR

Self-Abuse or SOTU?

Anyone going to watch the Chimperor tonight?

Reasons to not watch; (Props to Rude Pundit)

- Because President Bush authorizes spying on Americans without a warrant.
- Because President Bush authorized torture by Americans and through renditioning.
- Because President Bush detains people without charge for an indefinite period.
- Because President Bush ignores whatever laws he wants, even if he signs them.
- Because President Bush lied about Iraq to get us into the war.
- Because the Army is stretched "to the breaking point."
- Because the reconstruction of Iraq is being fu**ed up, too.
- Because President Bush refuses to acknowledge what it's gonna take to help the people of the Gulf Coast.
- Because Ford is getting rid of 30,000 employees.
- Because Karl Rove still has a job.
- Because President Bush and the Republicans fail to fully fund the bullsh*t "No Child Left Behind" program.
- Because President Bush denies the existence of global warming.
- Because the Medicare prescription drug program is a clusterf**k that will end up in people dying because of its existence.
- Because President Bush denies any connection to Jack Abramoff.
- Because President Bush refuses to speak before any audience that doesn't adore him.
- Because Dick Cheney exists.
- Because Osama Bin Laden is either living free or died free.
- Because Donald Rumsfeld still has a job.
- Because the White House has stymied every investigation into its f**k-ups.
- Because President Bush calls spying "terrorist surveillance" and pollution "Clean Skies" and money to churches "Faith-Based Initiatives."
- Because Richard Scaife doesn't need another tax cut.
- Because there has to be a line in the sand, somewhere; otherwise, it's just one long desert until who-knows-when.

-Panhandle Truth Squad

Cake Walk?

Anybody have any scoop on whether or not Thornberry is going to have opposition this time around: Tx-13?

[Update: 01/30/06]: Looks like Thornberry will have competition after all:

http://www.dccc.org/races/candidates/TX_13_Roger_Waun.html

Anyone know anything about this guy?

Filibuster Open Discussion

The grassroots are NOT letting the democrats fall down again.

HERE and HERE and HERE


Whadda ya think? Me? Better to die on your feet than begging.

-Prodigal Son

has anyone seen sadee lately?

The following suspicious e-mail was sent out to the West Texas A&M community by Ty Lawrence, Assistant Professor of Animal Science:

We currently have a large stock of highly marbled beef cuts available for purchase at the WTAMU Meat Lab. Please feel free to stop by 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, or call ahead (2565) to place an order .. . Simply tell us what you prefer and when you would like to pick it up.

So has anyone seen the WTAMU mascot, Sadee?

SPACEDARK

we eat our own

On their Other Opinion page Wednesday morning, the Amarillo Globe-Republican called guest columnist Allen Finegold a "longtime Amarillo resident and Democratic Party activist."

Well, he's certainly a longtime resident.

And until I read his latest column, I would certainly have agreed about the other, too. Hell, I've seen Mr. Finegold at Democratic events for years.

But, while Democrats have widely-ranging views and are possessed of a Quite Big Tent, there are, there must be, certain values that unite us.

The most charitable thing I can say about Mr. Finegold's column is that it is very vaguely worded and, uh, "not up to his usual standards." It's quite possible that I completely misunderstand Finegold's backhanded prose. Maybe he's not advocating the effective dismantling of public education-- but it sure looks like it.

If I do understand this column, Finegold's joining with Texas Republicans to dis and destroy public education.

Here's where I should say: I'm sorry, but that's my line in the sand, my deal-breaker, my litmus test. Here's where I should say: I'm sorry, but if you don't support public education, you ain't one of us.

Except that I'm not sorry.

Because public education is, was, and remains What It's All About. In the world of symbolism, as well as the dirty and compromised Real World, public education remains Democracy's Last Hope.

You can give up on it if you want, Mr. Finegold, but that makes you one of Them. Tell Joe Lieberman we said hello.

SPACEDARK

Whatsa Up?

What's goin' on? OPEN DISCUSSION

-Panhandle Truth Squad

Connect the Dots

I remembered this Alternet piece from a few years ago when I read this article from this past weekend.

Tip O'Neill: “All politics is local.”

It’s all well and good to rail against the Globe-Snooze’s right-wing editorial stances and support of the Christian Taliban columnists, but keep your eye on the impact on local issues. It’s what makes the always-pro-capitalist local rag all the more hypocritical and lacking credibility.

Take note of the editorial in Monday’s issue that backed the City Commission’s restricting billboards. What self-serving clap-trap. Remember this the next time the Globe-Snooze calls for fair and even competition — like in political races or votes on Supreme Court justices.

And, woe betide Paul Harpole for standing in the way of the wishes of the Wares.

What this town needs is an alternative news source and people are working hard to bring it one.

Stay tuned.

Democrat Strategery

Your humble writer asks for American patriots to take a stand.

Will Pitt had a great idea, democrats should walk out of the SOTU.

I propose going one step further. . .

DON'T GO! Have a big rally outside the capitol. A press conference that makes Chimpy's speech have to go split-screen.

Following Topics for Press Conf. and presenters;

• National security is too important to be left in the hands of republicans. (Plamegate, Rove still has security clearance) - Russ Feingold. MORE HERE
  

• Demos will filibuster Sloppy Seconds Sammy Scalito. The bill of Rights is too important to be left in the hands of republicans. (Illegal wiretapping) - Chuck Schumer

• Demos will hold hearings on OIL gouging, 'cause our economy should not be left in the hands of republicans. (Easy one, everyone is feeling the price, and we are at war riiiggght? War profiteering bad!) - Harry Reid MORE HERE
  

Pink TUTU democrats, the SOTU will be just more horsesheet. Show some spine! Get organized!

Standing up for what is right is not rocket science.

Your thoughts?

-Prodigal Son

(Cross Posted at DailyKOS)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Treadmill

Two or three months ago I noticed a new member at the health club who bore a striking resemblance to regular Globe-Republican guest columnist Virgil Van Camp. The racist overtones that typify Virgil's writing make him a frequent target of PTS criticism. Well, you can imagine that I felt a bit awkward when Virgil struck up a conversation with me a couple of days ago. We only spoke for a few minutes, just "how about that weather" stuff. Believe it or not he actually managed to take a small swipe at blacks during our brief visit. I debated whether or not to formally introduce myself. Would he recognize me as one of his liberal counterparts in Amarillo's political forum? If so, what would be his reaction? Some good natured ribbing over politics or that icy cold stare that makes me want to install security cameras at my house? You never know what your going to get. Ultimately no names were exchanged, though I'm sure they'll come up sooner or later.

If there is a lesson in this I suppose it would be that calling someone a racist in print is easier than looking them square in the eye and saying it. Or maybe that's just an observation. I'm not entirely sure what the lesson is. The truth, or at least personal conviction, shouldn't be sacrificed in the name of politeness. A spade should still be called a spade, but how does one do so in a civilized manner, especially in this day of venomous public debate?

This morning (Saturday, 01/21) the Amarillo Globe Republican published an article by Morton Kondracke supporting, nay justifying, nay praising president bush's spying on any and all citizens he chooses to. He quotes Michael Chertoff time and again about how it is not only justified but legal to do so. The one Chertoff quote that is scary, introduced by Kondracke saying "Civil libertarians seem to fear the government is collecting huge quantities of data that it can use later politically" is, "I don't think anybody has an interest in accumulating a lot of information."

Gentlemen, I refer you back to the days of the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover who collected dossiers on everyone from movie stars to waiters, and used them constantly. Who are you kidding?!

Incidently Kondracke's article was in the space that local writers can now use only once every three months! Why did the Globe Republican editorial board make that decision? I guess the paper needed more right wing space!

The Liberalator

"Do you know what it means, to miss New Orleans?"

"And miss it each night and day.
I know I'm not wrong, this feeling's getting stronger, the longer, I stay away.


Miss them moss-covered vines, the tall sugar pines,
Where mocking birds used to sing,


And I'd like to see that lazy Mississippi hurrying into spring."
-Louis Armstrong





. . . "politics really aren't worth getting that enraged over. Chill!
-Curious Texan


It's just a game see, this politics thing.

War in Iraq? An exercise in PNAC theory.

So what if we put cronies like "Brownie" into cushy jobs. Everyone does it. Sheesh. What can happen?

Who cares what a Supreme court nominee might say to get his job (Or not say! Sorry Ted 'Mary Jo' Kennedy! Sucker!). What can a Supreme approve anyway?

And everyone knows Libruls don't support our troops.

But it's all just politics. Nothing personal.

It's just business.

Hell, national politics can't effect me! I live in Amarillo!

So, you darn Billary loving America hating traitors just take it easy, alright?

-Pariah Jenkins

Raw Hate, Thy Name is Conservative

Reading the posts the last couple of days, I just don't get the hate from the right. . . Billary, Mary Jo Kopechne, Monica . . .

It's the same old shit time after time.

Clinton was eeeevil! Bush is the greatest! Carter was the worst ever! Reagan was God! Teddy Kennedy is eeevil!

It's interesting the way facts, evidence, truth, or mercy never seem to be uttered or demonstrated by conservatives who nevertheless never hesitate to let us all know how godly and how patriotic they are.

Dissenting against Bush is worthy of the swift boat liars, but it's liberals who denigrate our vets.

Radical clerics like Falwell, Dobson, and Robertson, who overwhelmingly back Republicans, spew lie after lie, and are as crooked as a dogs hind leg, but it's Liberals who are immoral.

Clinton did not tell the truth about having a girlfriend and Republicans screamed, "Rule of law! Rule of law! No President is above the law! Impeach!", but Bush violated the constitution he swore to uphold and broke the FISA law REPEATEDLY, and Repubs yawn.

Government is the source of all problems, but Republicans suck off the DOD tit for billions, engage in money laundering, have a 'k' street project, and engage in insider trading out of the taxpayer funded offices, and have massive deficits and pork spending.

Government is too intrusive, but Republicans are using it to tell you who to marry, what to consume, what to watch on TV, what they feel is immoral, that the uterus is state property, and what you can do with your wife in your own home.

On and on and on and FU**ING ON!

Republicans, are you alive? Can you think? Is a blind allegiance to ANYTHING the American way?

Has your hatred of Liberals led you to betray the American ideals of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

-Prodigal Son

shooting fish in a barrel with a fully automatic submachine gun

Recently, the Amarillo Globe-Republican reprinted this piece by William Rusher claiming that "evolutionists" are "terrified" of Intelligent Design mythology. I could point out Rusher's "silly" oversimplication of contemporary cosmology. Or I could impugn Rusher himself by mentioning that he was a founding member of the now-infamous Concerned Alumni of Princeton who recently said the following (in a sympathetic interview by his own magazine):

Lopez: Was [CAP] racist and or sexist? Anti-gay? Ted Kennedy read a pretty bad-sounding quote from its publication today.

Rusher: CAP was none of the things Senator Kennedy is smearing it as being: anti-black, etc. . . My only regret is that CAP didn't have a bigger effect on Princeton. . . I will always remember fondly the Princeton I knew, and regret what has happened to it.

Or I could get really personal and point out that the photo usually attached to Rusher's columns does the time warp again. In this century, Rusher actually looks more like this. But at least the half-century old photo graphically shows us exactly what the Concerned Alumni want Princeton students to look like.

Or I could ignore Rusher completely, and simply say that another AP article reprinted by the AG-R documents which group is actually confrontational, negative, argumentative, and terrified.

SPACEDARK

Note: Freepers have pointed out that one of the quotes cited by Kennedy ("In Defense of Elitism") was meant as satire. I'm not sure how that makes it better, since satire by definition seeks change, and it's obvious what change CAP seeks. Nevertheless, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one; that only leaves them about a dozen CAP quotes to "debunk."

Hit Back

Ever wanted to write several newspapers and traditional media at once?

GO HERE

-PTS

somebody's watching me II

Regarding the post below about Sheriff Shumate, I should make clear that I was commenting solely on the irony of his being turned in by neighbors after his Crime Stoppers commercials of old glorified such neighborly behavior. Shumate's not any more guilty before being proven so than anyone else.

The rumors I've heard for years around town, moreover, don't help. Shumate could be guilty, his wife could be crazy, Shumate could be crazy, his wife could be guilty, none of the above, all of the above, or some combination of the above. So I'll let the lawyers and judges (and good luck finding an impartial one) sort it out.

I write this only because I've thought about it for a couple of days and wanted to make clear that I wasn't posting out of schadenfreunde. I don't like Schumate's style: neither his law-enforcement style nor that ridiculous bozo-the-clown hairstyle he insisted on wearing well into the nineties. But I wish him and his wife the best in this difficult time. And I sincerely hope he's exonerated for the crime of domestic abuse.

Because if he didn't do it, my point will be even more germane: spying on citizens, and relying on meddling neighbors is no way to run a criminal-justice system.

SPACEDARK

News, what news?

Here’s what’s interesting about the Globe-News:

The entire front page was wire copy — no local news. And the Today page ran another “progress report” on the Ware Tower at Baptist-St. Anthony’s Health Care System. How many stories is that on BSA with no recognition of Northwest?

It’s clear that personal agendas, politics God knows what else drives the news content, not news judgment.

So, isn’t it time for the community to have an alternative source that offers “Real News, Honest Journalism?”

There’s one being developed and looking for investors.

Stay tuned.

self-evaluation

So the Amarillo Globe-Republican ran an AP story on the front page that claimed that people no longer find obesity unattractive. How do they know? Because the market research firm NPD group called people up and asked them.

I think we can all see what's wrong with this claim. A pollster calls you up and asks, "Do you think fat dudes/chicks are ugly or what?" Being an enlightened, P.C. citizen (and aren't we all?), you politely answer, "Why, no. I think everyone's beautiful in their own way."

But when you're looking through the postings at Match.com, and you see the description "a few extra pounds," you're not quite so enlightened and P.C.

We all know that there are better ways to determine peoples' values and morality than simply asking them.

All of us, that is, except the Amarillo Globe-Republican News page, and the Amarillo Globe-Republican Opinion page:

The Republicans need to find someone, such as, say, Mac Thornberry of Clarendon, whose office said this past week had taken nothing from Abramoff.

So, Mr. Thornberry, how do you feel about fat people?

SPACEDARK

I always feel like somebody's watching me

Remember the old Crime Stoppers promos narrated by Mike Shumate? The idea was that wimpy P.C. libruhls were saying that Crime Stoppers used unfair and possibly unconstitutional tactics like spying on citizens and "airborne surveillance" to catch criminals. Shumate listed these tactics as he mockingly demonstrated himself using them. Finally, he concluded, those limp-wristed ACLU types were saying Crime Stoppers used the shocking tactic of

your own neighbors turning you in.

He grinned maniacally and then smirked

Well, maybe we do!

Indeed:

Officers had responded to the Shumates' home in the 6200 block of Adirondack Trail about 12:20 p.m. after receiving a call from a person who reported that a woman told him to call the police.

Mike, I don't know why people are complaining about NSA spying and all the other civil-rights abuses of the early 21st century. If you're not doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about.

SPACEDARK

they eat their own

I gotta say, if Swinford was behind the ruling that Anette Carlisle is ineligible to run against him, I totally understand. She's a serious threat to the dude.

More importantly, I totally get why the state Republican party doesn't want her to run. I don't think she's a real Republican.

For one thing, she supports public education. Spacedark, Jr. attended Bivins with one of her sons. She was quite dedicated to the PTA.

And the S.O. and I had a conversation with her at the Amarillo Little Theatre's production of Tommy right before she declared her candidacy. She complained about "those Republicans" down in Austin.

We also saw her at the movies Saturday night.

She has a Masters degree in zoology and named one of her sons "Darwin". We're not saying that means anything, but-- if she really wanted to be a Republican she'd change his name to Pat Robertson Dobson Phelps Carlisle.

I've listened to Anette in PTA meetings and other contexts. I respect her. I wish she had run as a Democrat.

But no Democrat will win this race this time. D's are only on Panhandle ballots to give the happy illusion of democracy. I'm hoping that Anette will win her court battle in time to run in the primary against Swinford.

The best Panhandlians can hope for is a Republican with a grudge against the Texas Republican Party.

SPACEDARK

Shorter Republican-News Re: Scalito

. . . "Bush said he would appoint a conservative so everyone should just fall over in fawning approval of Sloppy Seconds Sammy."

. . . "Also the ABA likes SSS."

OK . . . so if Bush had said during the election that he wanted to nominate Ted Kasczinski to SCOTUS that's OK? 'Cause he said it?

And just when did the ABA approval of appointees suddenly become important to the Bushistas?

-PTS

Just a Question This AM

Should Liberals be publishing books titled, "Help! Mom! There are conservatives under the bed!"

A book for parents who want to share patriotic American values with their kids.

. . . or just indoctrinating hate speech from the right?

Repubs out there?

-PTS

in which we leap to the defense of curious texan and bodacious

Guys, your president signed a bill into law that makes it a federal crime for you to annoy us without posting your real names.

We of course find this ridiculous, and won't press charges against you.

But this (yet again) brings up the serious question: How many times can this guy betray you before you will turn against him? How far is too damned far?

SPACEDARK

broke culture

The S.O. and I saw Brokeback Mountain last night. It was the second night of the movie’s Amarillo engagement and the theater was about three-quarters full. Before the movie started, the S.O. pegged the first couple who would walk out: he was wearing a black cowboy hat and she looked a bit dowdy. We theorized and stereotyped about the couple. They probably drove in from Clarendon or something and just looked at the poster: hey, look it’s a western; I hain’t seen a good western in ages.

Of course, that small-townie cluelessness doesn’t really exist anymore in my real-life experience. It’s not really conceivable that they didn’t know, in the age of satellite television, satellite radio, the internet. Hell, if nothing else, they had to read Mallard Fillmore’s latest plotline. Last week Bruce Tinsley portrayed his stereotype of the liberal media, Mr. Noseworthy, as being a closet homophobe who was really “grossed out” by the sight of cowboys kissing. It was no more believable than our theory of the Clueless Clarendonians.

Frankly, I’m sick of stereotyping each other, but I don’t see the alternative. That’s why Brokeback was such a beautiful and devastating story and why it is such a beautiful and devastating movie. It doesn’t stereotype. At all. Some of the audience laughed inappropriately at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons, seeing stereotypes where none existed, but it was their own issues that provoked their laughter. Jack’s and Ennis’s love isn’t a bit stereotypical; it is completely new and incomprehensible to them. For that reason they are exactly like all other lovers, and for the same reason they are completely unique.

An example: in a mountain scene before the two men consummate their love, a blurred Ennis undresses behind Jack. The camera is focused on Jack. In some stereotypical gay-cowboy farce in some alternate universe, Jack—played by Carson from Queer Eye—peeks. He holds his hand in front of his eyes, and he turns his head slightly and he mugs and he peeks and he makes that lecherous Carson expression.

Our universe, for once, got a better deal. In Brokeback Mountain, Jack doesn’t look; the camera holds on the scene for an eternity, and the visual holds more sexual tension than a years' worth of the latest sitcom about two characters who love each other but won’t admit it.

But our universe is also stuck with stereotypes, from fag basher to fag hag. I suspect that the real continuum of attitudes is as complicated as the complex strata of human sexual desire itself. In both Rent and Brokeback, I’ve been baffled by the walkouts. Offended audience members stayed through relatively passionate early scenes, but left during tender later scenes. In Rent, they stayed when lesbians made out, but left when they were married. In Brokeback, they stayed through the first violent/passionate sex scene, but left when Jack and Ennis held each other and kissed. It was as if they could handle gay sex, but not gay love.

I don’t understand it, but I don’t understand homophobia so I’m forced to stereotype and ridicule it. Tinsley doesn’t understand the position of enlightened straights so he parodies us as hypocrites.

I’m on the verge of concluding that explaining myself one – more – time – won’t matter, but I’m not there, yet. And I’m outraged at being called a hypocrite, and, yes, I do take Tinsley’s cheap jokes personally. So, here goes: I’m not a hypocrite. I’m not even a well-meaning liberal of the “some of my best friends are gay” ilk. I have had gay friends all of my life; I’ve experienced their anguish at coming out with them. I've hung out, and partied, and gone to church with gay people. When I was younger and presumably cuter, I experienced the worst fear of some homophobes. I dealt with it, the same way I dealt with it when girls I wasn’t attracted to flirted with me. And the men involved remained my friends.

So, yeah, some of my best friends are gay. But I also know some gay people who are cliqueish, and insincere, and, worst of all, Republican. I’m way past being ashamed or proud or defensive of the fact that I am a straight man who has been and remains connected to gay culture and gay politics and, especially, to gay human beings.

I’m going to go way out on a limb here and predict that Jack and Ennis will join the ranks of literary history’s great tragic lovers. And someday the politics of the time that makes their story tragic will be as difficult for future students to comprehend as the socio-political backdrops of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde are to us.

SPACEDARK

Question War Film Series

(from PazAmarillo)

Sunday January 8, 2006
2:00 pm
Downtown Library

PBS Frontline Documentary
A Company of Soldiers

Macho Man

Well, the policeman has been "pastored" to:

Okla. Pastor Arrested on Lewdness Charge

What right-wing, anti-gay crusader wants to handle the other five?

This is what a constitutional crises REALLY looks like

We cannot let the republicans get away with spinning their way out of the criminal spying scandal aided and abbetted by the Amarillo Republican-News.

PTS needs all good believers in democracy and in our republic to start hitting back fast and furious.

What do I mean? Letters to the editors and calls to local talk radio and local TV stations. To contact many at once use CLICK HERE and check off who you want to email.

For facts, the left coaster has done remarkable heavy lifting here. GO NOW

Bush BROKE THE LAW and violated FISA. Worse, he came out and confirmed he broke it in a "Whadda ya gonna do about it" speech.

I remember a lot of conservatives out there screaming, "Rule of law! Rule of law!" about Clinton. Where are those conservatives now? A few are around.

More important . . . are the rest willing to put country before party and join us in the fight to save the constitution?

Take five minutes today to at least write the Globe-Republican and support whats left of our country.

Monday, Abramoff. NOT a bi-partisan scandal.

-Prodigal Son

America 2020

You know the lords and ladies of America, Inc. look at news articles like this and smack their lips in anticipation of the day it will be possible here:

Microsoft Shuts Down Chinese Blog

Will they have PTS busting rocks in a forced labor camp, or will they simply shoot us in the head?

Bush Administration Catch Phrases for 2006

1. Take my liberty and spare me death.
2. Better red than dead.
3. We have everything to fear, including fear itself.
4. Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country is going to do to you.
5. All of your privacy are belong to us.

41-38

"The Chosen One. The burnt-orange Messiah."

Best. Game. Ever.

Dear Leader Loves Me, This I Know

Dear Leader loves me.

He loves me enough to protect my freedom.

"Give me your freedom", says Dear Leader, "and I will protect it for you. I will put it here, in my pocket, where it will be safe. There it will be safe from the Evil Doer."

"But, Dear Leader", I say, "I cannot be free without my freedom."

"The Evil Doer hates your freedom", Dear Leader states. "By letting me protect your freedom you will help me defeat him. When the Evil Doer is gone we will all be freer."

"Dear Leader, I am bothered by this. How does one gain freedom by giving it away?"

Dear Leader smiles. "You don't have anything to hide, do you?"

"No, Dear Leader", I reply, "nothing to hide."

"Good.", says Dear Leader. "Only those with something to hide will complain when I watch them. They are the enemy. But you are not the enemy are you? Only the enemy needs to worry."

"Dear Leader, you possess enormous power, more power than I can fathom. How will I know you will not use that power against people who are not the Evil Doer? How do I know you will not use that power against me?"

Dear Leader frowns. "You will know because you will trust me. Dear Leader has told you he will only watch the Evil Doer. You are not the Evil Doer, but you help him with your questions."

"Dear Leader", I say, "my freedom is what makes me different from the Evil Doer. I don't want to give it away, it is too precious a thing."

Dear Leader becomes stern. "You can give me your freedom, or I can take it. Either way I will have your freedom so I can protect it and defeat the Evil Doer. You will trust me because I told you to and you will stop helping the Evil Doer with your questions. And if I decide to watch you, you will let me, because my power is great and my authority is absolute...and there isn't a goddamn thing you can do to stop me."

signals from space

From firedoglake:

As a side note, anybody ever get stuck driving through like the West Texas panhandle where Jesus radio is the only thing besides the cattle futures you can get? I always start thinking about what kind of mindset you would have to be in where that shit actually starts to sound good and then I creep myself out. I'm fairly certain the idea for satellite radio was hatched somewhere between Amarillo and Lubbock.

Yup. The S.O. got me a satellite radio for Christmas this year, and terrestrial's now dead to me.

There's a little more variety than what firedoglake expresses, but not much. I mean, I like Jamey Karr as a person, but his station plays the same ten songs over&over&over&yougettheidea. Some people say that satellite doesn't have the local connection, but almost every commercial station other than Jamey's is owned by Wal-Radio. And almost all of their shows are off satellite, anyway. There's NPR, but my satellite unit gets three public radio stations. Which leaves college radio. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes you get a deadly blast of noise followed by a non-FCC-approved word and then thirty minutes of silence.

Yup, satellite radio's become the latest, greatest way to pretend I'm not living in the middle of an unihabitable cloud of dust.

SPACEDARK

onetoughgrandma to run as an independent

Carole Keeton R'ander Strayhorn MacInerney Shaw announces. Early reaction from Dems seems to be that any increased chaos is a good thing.

SPACEDARK

Removed from respirator

(We, the ever-prompt management of Panhandle Truth Squad, have been starting our new year by going through old mail and we found the following note that Iman sent along on 15 December. Sorry for the delay, Iman!)

I'm told this is what would happen if we ever move to national health care system. Removed from respirator.

Where are the protestors? Why are the culture warriors not fighting for the sanctity of life? When is Dr. Frist going to make a long distance diagnosis? What TV station is going to debate this 24/7? Will this even make a blip on the national radar?

IMAN

The Redneck Liberal: Part One

True "Life Is Good" moments don't come around very often, so when they do I take notice. I had one last month. Standing on the edge of a field of winter wheat I found myself gazing straight up into the sky, watching a flock of sand cranes as they passed overhead. The long shadows of the winter afternoon were making their way across the ground, the air was perfectly still, and we were far from the sounds of traffic or industry. Though the cranes were far above me I could hear their wings beating, pushing them through the air, the sounds of their chatter echoing off the ground below. "This one moment makes the whole day worthwhile," I thought, "Life is good."

BLAM! One of my buddies saw a pheasant and took a shot. So much for my brief solitude.

It's been 10 years since I last saw this group of friends from Dimmitt. Even more than that since we all went hunting together, something that was a regular occurrence in our high school days. We have thinning hairlines and sagging guts now, families instead of girlfriends, but despite all that it seemed perfectly natural that we were together again. As if not a day had passed since the last time.

I don't consider myself to be a redneck, far from it these days, but my redneck roots are undeniable. A good part of that particular day could have come straight from a Jeff Foxworthy stand-up routine. Four guys riding around the remains of a sorghum field in a Polaris ATV, shotguns in the air, ready to blast any pheasant that decided to take flight. You know you're a redneck...

That excursion has given me a lot to think about in the weeks since, and I haven't really come to any conclusions, yet. "This is a conservative hunt, we don't allow liberals.", one of my friends joked earlier in the day. I just rolled my eyes as I shook his hand. They are conservatives. I am a liberal. What makes us so different? Are we really different from each other?

After a long day of hunting, I drove back to Amarillo. A rabbit ran out into the road in front of me. I swerved so I wouldn't hit it. Interesting...

peace on earth, goodwill to men

In an extraordinary act of contrition and holiday season goodwill, Virgil Van KKKamp's column of Friday the 30th says Islam is

the greatest[!]

Okay, actually he says the religion is

the greatest threat to civilization and our way of life since Hitler, Mao and Stalin

but, hey, it's a start, right? Virgil also brags that his church had two services on Christmas Day. Virgil and I actually go to the same church, but we won't the day Virgil's hate becomes church doctrine. And not to nitpick, but our church only had one service on Christmas Day, so I'm guessing that Virgil was the same place I was on Christmas morning: home with family. Which is just one of many reasons I didn't join the throngs harassing churches for cancelling Christmas morning services. In a word, hypocrisy. Not theirs; mine.

A little below Virgil's letter, Lance McCown seems to suggest that "Islamoloonies" be hanged.

Glad to see things are back to normal after the holiday season. Nothing left but to name Virgil & Lance Amarillo Globe-Republican Man and Other Man of the Year and call 2005 a wrap.

SPACEDARK

some day we'll live in kansas / men will walk in dover / but we will still be monkeys / down deep inside

I try to blog on widely-discussed issues only when I have something specific of my own to add, and in this case I do:

Take that, Jay Richards!

SPACEDARK

spacedark finally gets it

The SO and I have been obsessing on The Emperor W's brilliant three-point plan for Iraq. If you missed the speech, the plan went something like this:

1. Go on the offensive in Iraq.
2. Establish Democracy in Iraq.
3. Rebuild Iraq.

Dare I call it genius? Man, when I heard that speech I just hung my head in shame. To think of all the time I've wasted naysaying and being one of the nattering nabobs of negativism. While I was "protesting" and "blogging," The Emperor was calmly solving the problems. It just goes to show you why he was elected. I mean, Kerry's plan was what, ninety-eight points?

Go on the offensive, establish democracy, rebuild. Such elegant simplicity. [shakes head] Why didn't we think of this?

SPACEDARK

Victory - Again!

The ghostwriters at the Amarillo Globe-Republican have once again claimed Victory for the U.S. in this morning's paper, and I quote: "Victory comes in the form of more than 10 million Iraqis who voted Thursday for 275 members of the country's new national assembly." There you have it - Victory! - let's see - how many victories is that? The aircraft carrier speech; the January 2005 elections; capturing Saddam (by the way, I saw on a blog that it has been 1,550 days since the prez said we'd get Osama "dead or alive," just as an aside!), voting for the constitution; well, you get the idea.

We keep getting the "victories" that the preznit and his mouthpieces keep saying would signal - victory? - so we can begin bringing our troops home. Well, it certainly is a moving target, isn't it! Thanks Globe-Republican for another Victory!

The Liberalator

What He Said

A Fitting Epilogue

Real Men Love Real Men

Leave it to a right-wing radio preacher to come up with one of the gayest things ever: Mr. Hetero

U.S. Corporations: Bah, humbug!

Merry Christmas.

If corporations were really people, we'd never invite them to our holiday parties.

SPACEDARK

sexual abuse of the mentally handicapped? bring it on, sez Alito

I've told y'all before that I have a relative with a learning disability who has had a hard time finding and keeping work, despite the fact that she is very willing to work. It's so important our family that be able to work that I've even been willing to give Wal-Mart a conditional, half-hearted pass because a local store has employed her and treats her well, so far.

You'll also notice that I haven't written anything about Judge Alito. I've been sure that he was quite dreadful, but hadn't seen anything to convince me that he was any worse than anyone else the Bush administration would create in their dark labs from the collected body parts of the dead.

So I've remained an Alito agnostic. Until now.

SPACEDARK

since we've been accused of not being in the proper holiday spirit . . .

this provincial life redux

Remember 4 November 2005, when the Globe-Republican sang the praises of Don Powell who had just been tapped to run the Gulf Coast reconstruction effort?

Word is he isn't doing such a good job.

SPACEDARK

Support The Troops

Hey righties. . .

Is transporting our fallen soldiers as regular freight without an honor guard or flag drapped coffin OK with you?

I look forward to your criticism of the Bush admin. on the editorial pages of the Republican-News!

-Prodigal Son

'tis the season to be jolly

fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la

SPACEDARK

Give A Listen

There is an interesting phenomenon going on in the Panhandle - a fair and balanced talk show right here in Amarillo!

Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. on 710 AM - KGNC Radio - the John Terry Show is on, and I'm daily amazed that the powers that be have kept him on. He is well read, obviously explores many sources beyond the Amarillo Globe Republican for information and listens to more than FOX and Rush Limbrain (even though his station requires a promo for Rush periodically).

He doesn't hesitate to constantly stir the pot on the Republican debacle going on (and rightly gets after errant Democrats as well!). It's fun to hear the few conservative callers trying to defend the indefensible - in that this is blood red country he doesn't get many right wing call-ins. And - he puts the lefties on the air also - imagine that!

What is really good though, is the fact that Mr. Terry is unfailingly polite to all callers (except the most outrageous), and treats all discourse with respect. What a pleasure to listen to a real fair and balanced talk show!

Give him a listen.

The Liberalator

Ghost's editorial just part of Republican mess

The Amarillo Globe-Republican Ghostly Voice^TM offered up a huge load of contrition to the newspaper's readers just before loosing Virgil Van Camp and the dogs of hellish racism.

The former Republican specter quit being such a jerk Monday after pleading guilty to several counts of conspiracy to commit perjury, mail fraud, wire fraud, fraud by newspaper subscription, and truth evasion.

He had to go. And now he has to face the consequences, which could include a 10-year reassignment as admin of TalkAmarillo.

But the Opinion page he leaves behind has some serious work to do, namely in repairing its image.

Most outrageous of all is that Republicans, who won control of the Amarillo newspaper on a program of staff “housecleaning,” now seem to be at least as guilty of sleazy conduct as the Amarillo National Bank and Mesa Petroleum employees who used to run the place.

Republicans took command of the Amarillo Globe-News with a noble goal: to rid the place of any semblance of journalistic integrity. They vowed to set higher ethnical standards and to make government that instills pride in white folks instead of making them laugh at Dave Chappelle’s jokes.

It hasn't turned out that way.

The Republicans who now control the Amarillo media have some serious housecleaning to do.

If they don't, then the citizens of this city just might decide to do the job themselves.

SPACEDARK