Political Games - Where the fuck’s the reset button?

So a while back, I made a promise to try to make posts around holidays, including ones I don’t celebrate. Instead, I ended up not posting about any holidays, even the ones I celebrate. So, here’s my effort to wish everyone peace on earth.

To those who have already celebrated their holiday [Solstice, Ramadan, Festivus, etc], I hope you had a wonderful time, and that you spent time with those you love.

For those celebrating a holiday religiously tomorrow or soon after [Christmas, Hanukkah, etc], may you celebrate your God, find inner peace, and feel the love of your friends and families.

For those celebrating a holiday secularly tomorrow or soon after [like me; secular Christmas!], may you find hope and peace in the world, celebrate one another, and spend quality time with your loved ones.

From all [two] of us here at Political Games… have a Happy Holidays.

Share This

I just want to take a moment to say a few words on the current Whitehouse wiretapping scandal. It’s frightening to see such abuse of power, and yet have as many people as there are defending this abuse.

First of all, I’m sick of this image that the media is painting that the wiretapping debate is between people who want to prevent another terrorist attack and people that care about civil liberties. This isn’t the case! And if we’re fighting a war in the name of “freedom” we should all care about civil liberties. Those of us that are frightened by the president not getting warrants for wiretapping realize that if he wanted to he could very well get a warrant for any and all wiretapping that needs to be done in the name of national security, and it can be done in a matter of minutes or even retroactively. With such a system put in place to not only effectively let the government do its job of protecting its citizens physically, and the courts protecting their rights, it’s curious to see that the president has bypassed such a system.

If congress doesn’t act on this it will be setting a dangerous precedent for the future, and we may see the power of the executive branch extend beyond its intended reach. We have a check and balance system for a reason, and if congress lets this go for political reasons they will be failing their sworn duty to uphold the constitution. I’m not saying impeach the guy, (though I’m not saying that’s not an option… just saying that the thought of President Cheney is a thought that keeps me up at night) I’m just saying that there should be an investigation on this matter, and it shouldn’t take 3 years and get nowhere. This is a serious breach of presidential power, and it needs to be acted on without delay.

Media Matters for Today has composed a good list of myths on this topic.

Thought of the Day:

“They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
- Benjamin Franklin

~Justin

Share This

I know, that if someone from the right sees this, and comments, I’m going to get the “they aren’t representative of the conservative movement” apology. Well hypothetical conservative, unfortunately, they are. Every single one of these conservatives were defended by mainstream conservatives; hell, most of them ARE mainstream conservatives.

I’m doing my part to expose these nutcases for what they are. Why aren’t you?

So, from Media Matters… Most Outrageous Statements of 2005:

* Former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett: “[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.” [Salem Radio Network’s Bill Bennett’s Morning in America, 9/28/05]

* Pat Robertson: “If [Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez] thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it.” [Christian Broadcasting Network’s The 700 Club, 8/22/05]

* Bill O’Reilly to San Francisco: “[I]f Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we’re not going to do anything about it. … You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead.” [Westwood One’s The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly, 12/8/05]

* Bill O’Reilly, agreeing with caller that illegal immigrants are “biological weapon[s]”: “I think you could probably make an absolutely airtight case that more than 3,000 Americans have been either killed or injured, based upon the 11 million illegals who are here.” [Westwood One’s The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly, 4/15/05]

* Rush Limbaugh: “Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.” [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 8/12/05]

* Rush Limbaugh on the kidnapping of peace activists in Iraq: “I’m telling you, folks, there’s a part of me that likes this.” [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 11/29/05]

* Ann Coulter: Bill Clinton “was a very good rapist”; “I’m getting a little fed up with hearing about, oh, civilian casualties”; “I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning.” [New York Observer, 1/10/05]

* Ann Coulter: “Isn’t it great to see Muslims celebrating something other than the slaughter of Americans?” [Syndicated column, 2/3/05]

* Radio host Glenn Beck: “[Y]ou know it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims’ families? Took me about a year.” [Premiere Radio Networks’ The Glenn Beck Program, 9/9/05]

* Tucker Carlson: “Canada is a sweet country. It is like your retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and sort of pat him on the head. You know, he’s nice, but you don’t take him seriously. That’s Canada.” [MSNBC’s The Situation with Tucker Carlson, 12/15/05]

* American Family Association president Tim Wildmon: Liberals “don’t have the kind of family responsibilities most people have, and certainly not church responsibilities.” [American Family Radio’s Today’s Issues, 5/11/05]

* David Horowitz on Cindy Sheehan: “It’s very hard to have respect for a woman who exploits the death of her own son and doesn’t respect her own son’s life. … She portrays him as an idiot.” [MSNBC’s Connected: Coast to Coast, 8/16/05]

* Radio host Neal Boortz on the execution of Stanley “Tookie” Williams: “[T]here will be riots in South Central Los Angeles and elsewhere. … The rioting, of course, will lead to wide scale looting. There are a lot of aspiring rappers and NBA superstars who could really use a nice flat-screen television right now.” [Boortz.com, 12/12/05]

* Pat Buchanan: “Our guys” in Iraq “have got every right to have good news put into the media and get to the people of Iraq, even if it’s got to be planted or bought.” [MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, 12/1/05]

* National Review editor Rich Lowry: Given EPA-mandated “small-flush” toilets, “[h]ow is it possible to flush a Quran down the toilet?” [Young America’s Foundation speech, 8/5/05]

* Neal Boortz, suggesting that a victim of Hurricane Katrina housed in an Atlanta hotel consider prostitution: “I dare say she could walk out of that hotel and walk 100 yards in either direction on Fulton Industrial Boulevard here in Atlanta and have a job. What’s that? Well, no, no, no. … Well, you know what? [laughing] Now that you mention it … [i]f that’s the only way she can take care of herself, it sure beats the hell out of sucking off the taxpayers.” [Cox Radio Syndication’s The Neal Boortz Show, 10/24/05]

* Focus on the Family founder and chairman James C. Dobson: Same-sex marriage would lead to “marriage between daddies and little girls … between a man and his donkey.” [Focus on the Family radio program, 10/6/05]
* Accuracy in Media editor Cliff Kincaid: “Have you noticed that many news organizations, in honor of former ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings, have embarked on a quit smoking campaign? So why don’t our media launch a campaign advising people to quit engaging in the dangerous and addictive homosexual lifestyle? … It appears that the homosexual lifestyle is as addictive as smoking.” [Accuracy in Media column, 12/14/05]

Apparently, they tried to limit these to a Top 10 list, but “it was simply impossible”. Hell, I’m impressed they narrowed it down this much! They forgot Barbara Bush’s “people in the Astrodome are better off now than before”, Boy-King George’s “Treasury bonds are worthless IOUs”, and a million others. But I guess they didn’t want to kill too much bandwith…

Share This