Healthcare Lost

My message to the White House regarding this:

I read in today's news that you are going to drop the public option for health care. For shame. Every one of you in the Obama Administration, especially the President himself, should feel a deep sense of shame, failure and defeat on this one. You had the support - the overwhelming support - of the American public and you squandered it for some loud-mouthed, right-wing operatives and dupes. Shame on you. It looks like we're going to have to wait another 15+ years for a sane healthcare policy in this nation. Shame, shame, shame.

Fox News Wastes No Time in Shitting on Captured US Soldier

Where's FN's support for the troops now? See what frequent contributor Fox news military analyst, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, has to say about Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl.

Brian Bakst is a Tool

I don't know anything about Brian Bakst. I've never taken note of his name before today. But as soon as I read the first paragraph of today's article by Bakst about Al Franken's senate seat I knew I was in the presence of the work of a right-wing tool. Here's how Bakst starts his article:

Al Franken refused his rival's calls for an election night concession last November, choosing instead to begin vote counting and courtroom haggling that stretched almost eight months and ultimately landed him a seat in the U.S. Senate.

This is completely false, something the tool du jour proves in his own article. But he waits a leisurely ten paragraphs to make the correction and admit that the recount was triggered by Minnesota state law and every subsequent lawsuit was filed by Colemen. He was sure to get the lie in at the top where it would show up in the headline summaries.

Why does it matter? Because it perpetuates the perception that Fox, O'Reilly and hacks like Bakst love to put out there that Democrats are sneaky, litigious liars who can only win elections by fraud and deceit. They cannot fairly and accurately report the facts that, after months of fighting Coleman's relentless legal actions, Franken will finally be placed in the Senate seat that he won fair and square. That's how the opening of this article should have read.

But Bakst had to put his spin on it. Way to go, tool.

Mom! The Senator Keeps Looking at Me! Make Him Stop!

Ah, I'm just bursting with pride over my state Senator, Jason Crowell, this morning. He is certainly keeping his fellow Senators in line which, most certainly, should be a top priority.

According to STLToday.com, he has been insisting that another Senator not look at him during debates. The way that this works out is that Senator David Pearce, who sits in front of our hero, tends to turn toward Crowell when addressing his attacks.

Senate rules require that Senators address their comments to the chair and not fellow Senators.

Apparently Crowell is confused by the English language and insists that one should always face the party being addressed. This way he won't have to be bothered with figuring out to whom the speaker in talking. It seems that it's not enough for Crowell that Senators address the chair, they must also face it while doing so. I wonder if when he calls people on the phone Crowell figures out where they are and physically turns in their direction while insisting that they do the same.

Anyway, it's a proud day for Cape Girardeau residents. Crowell is doin' us proud!

Small and Petty to the Last

Just finished watching Barack Hussein Obama's inaugaration and I couldn't help but notice one small detail. After his address everyone seated around and behind him stood and applauded. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents graciously acknowledged the new president and respected his words.

Except for one.

While the crowd around him smiled and applauded George W. Bush remained motionless and grim-faced only responding when the president approached him personally. In his first act as ex-president Bush clearly demonstrated what a small and petty man he is.

Your time is over Mr. Former President. Go back to your ranch or your whites-only neighborhood and shut up. If there is any justice in the world we, the American people, will be along later to collect you with a warrant.

Wild Bill

Just watched Wild Bill starring Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, David Arkequette and others.

This was a pretty good movie. I tend to like films that turn genre's on their head and there's hardly a more entrenched American film genre than the western. So from that perspective this movie is enjoyable. The hero dies (no spoiler here as the film opens on his funeral) and the least macho character kills him.

But on the other hand the movie worked too hard to be independent. The story of the last few days of WBH were told with an insufferable number of flashbacks. And they were filmed in this really annoying black and white. Not normal black and white which is actually a lot of greys with some really interesting lighting; no this was black and white. The memory shots were stark and washed out and usually at extreme angles so you lost the story as you cocked your head trying to see the characters.

Nevertheless, Jeff Bridges carried out a perfectly lovely performance that manages to seep through the overly arty direction. The supporting cast did their job but no one was notable. Arquette might have been at the time, playing a simp so perfectly, but since we've learned by now that that's just his character then it isn't all than interesting.

So, see this movie if you like JB or if you soak everything remotely associate with the western genre. Otherwise, don't bother.