X-Post: Democrat and daughter attend Obama Town Hall

Wingnuts & Moonbats X-Post
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Film at 11.

Michelle Malkin - Little girl at Obama town hall has not-so-random political connections

Malkintent & her posse must be gettin' a little desperate, when the story is that the daughter of a prominent MA Democrat asked Obama a question at his most recent town hall in NH. (I mean, if anyone has anything more than speculation and "we all know..." to support the notion that she wasn't picked as randomly as any other questioner at any other town hall, I'm all ears. But if that's all she has, the post linked above is a pitiful waste of perfectly good electrons.)

Amazingly, it isn't the first time Democrats have attended events held by President Obama, or the first time Malkintent has noticed. Michelle Malkin - The illustrated guide to Obamacare human props. Next she'll post informing her readers that her parents were not WASPS, that she didn't vote for Obama, and that water is wet.

I'm just shocked!!

(It must be a sad little world this woman and her worshipers live in...)

Roundup and Commentary - 8/12/09

Things are not what they seem. They are what they are.

Blog Post:

Wingnuts & Moonbats: Democrat and daughter attend Obama Town Hall

Roundup and Commentary - 8/11/09

Do not wait for a rainy day to fix your roof.

Whose Death Panels are these, anyway?:
Immoderate Monk (Reply to: Legal Insurrection: An Inconvenient Truth About The "Death Panel" commenters William (August 10, 2009 10:15 PM) and alwaysfiredup (August 10, 2009 11:56 AM))

I support the school lunch policy change these people are advocating, but not their using the family of a politician to make their point, especially without the politician's permission.American Power: White House Whines About 'School Lunch' Poster Mentioning Obama Daughters (The big question for Donald Douglas is, does he support the nutrition policy reform, or was post and the the fact that he added a banner with the "offending" ad to his sidebar just a function of the fact that he hates Obama and everything associated with him?)

Is the issue intent, or what is actually in the proposed bill?:
American Power: Obama's Plan for Single-Payer Universal Health

Roundup and Commentary - 8/9/09

#9: Say "thank you" a lot. - Life's Little Instruction Book

Commentary:

Protest is still patriotic, but rude is still rude, too:
Immoderate Monk (Reply to So, Were These Instances Of “Political Terrorism?” | QandO)

Death Panels? Withholding Treatment? Really?!?:
Immoderate Monk (Reply to Legal Insurrection: An Inconvenient Truth About The "Death Panel")

This is you and your doctor discussing and deciding what you want to happen in the event you can't speak for yourself later on. I don't see anything in there suggesting that you make a particular decision one way or another (& further note that financially, your doctor would probably be better off steering you toward taking and using every medical treatment and device possible, rather than "aborting oneself," so there's a good argument to be made that this provision will increase life, rather than cause more death--assuming doctors really do put their financial well-being ahead of their patient's wishes and medical well-being, I mean).:
American Power: End of Life: ObamaCare and the Elderly

Roundup and Commentary - 8/8/09

Blog Post:

Wingnuts & Moonbats: Re: Mr "Insta-" Reynolds: Protest is still patriotic, and rudeness is still rude.

Commentary:

If ya ask me (& I know no one did) the answer is to stop looking at "Liberals" and "Conservatives," and start seeing individuals, instead.:
Is Your Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Liberals and Republicans, Can't We Just Get Along?

The American Power Reader's Digest series:

American Nihilist: Re: American Power: Democratic Deliberation? Congressman David Scott's Town Hall Meltdown - Democrat at a meeting about a highway project gets questions critical of the healthcare plan; loses his cool. Donald celebrates.

American Nihilist: Re: American Power: The Democrats' Soros-Backed Astroturfing for Health Care - When the right starts reflecting your criticism of them back at you, you know it must be having an effect.

American Nihilist: Re: American Power: Democratic Astroturfing in Denver - Another cutnpaste post claiming that any/all protest organized by political or social groups equals astroturfing.

American Nihilist: Nope, they're not hooligans at all... - A little more of that Con misogyny, served up by someone else (what else is new?) then reheated & left on the table again by Donald Douglas.

Pam Geller goes OrlyTaitz about a wingnut kid wrongly accused; Donald Douglas provides echo (& a stain in his shorts, from the looks of things). American Nihilist: Re: American Power: Pamela Geller Gets Results! Atlas Shrugs Hammers Huffington Post on Allegations of Nazi Salute in Denver!
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(The AmPow Reader's Digest series is mostly comments made in blog post form, so I wasn't sure where to put 'em... I finally went with giving 'em their own heading.)

X-Post: Steven Pearlstein: Republicans Propagating Falsehoods in Attacks on Health-Care Reform

Wingnuts & Moonbats X-post
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Forgive the cutnpaste, but chances are slim that I could improve on this piece by stickin' my two cents in, or alternatively, cutting too much out of what Steven Pearlstein wrote. (I'm not entirely without keyboard, including the "delete" key, but the whole of the substance remains.)

Republicans Propagating Falsehoods in Attacks on Health-Care Reform - Steven Pearlstein - washingtonpost.com (memeorandum):

There are lots of valid criticisms that can be made against the health reform plans moving through Congress -- I've made a few myself. But there is no credible way to look at what has been proposed by the president or any congressional committee and conclude that these will result in a government takeover of the health-care system. That is a flat-out lie whose only purpose is to scare the public and stop political conversation.

Under any plan likely to emerge from Congress, the vast majority of Americans who are not old or poor will continue to buy health insurance from private companies, continue to get their health care from doctors in private practice and continue to be treated at privately owned hospitals.

The centerpiece of all the plans is a new health insurance exchange set up by the government where individuals, small businesses and eventually larger businesses will be able to purchase insurance from private insurers at lower rates than are now generally available under rules that require insurers to offer coverage to anyone regardless of health condition. Low-income workers buying insurance through the exchange -- along with their employers -- would be eligible for government subsidies. While the government will take a more active role in regulating the insurance market and increase its spending for health care, that hardly amounts to the kind of government-run system that critics conjure up when they trot out that oh-so-clever line about the Department of Motor Vehicles being in charge of your colonoscopy.

There is still a vigorous debate as to whether one of the insurance options offered through those exchanges would be a government-run insurance company of some sort. There are now less-than-even odds that such a public option will survive in the Senate, while even House leaders have agreed that the public plan won't be able to piggy-back on Medicare. So the probability that a public-run insurance plan is about to drive every private insurer out of business -- the Republican nightmare scenario -- is approximately zero.

By now, you've probably also heard that health reform will cost taxpayers at least a trillion dollars. Another lie.

First of all, that's not a trillion every year, as most people assume -- it's a trillion over 10 years, which is the silly way that people in Washington talk about federal budgets. On an annual basis, that translates to about $140 billion, when things are up and running.

Even that, however, grossly overstates the net cost to the government of providing universal coverage. Other parts of the reform plan would result in offsetting savings for Medicare: reductions in unnecessary subsidies to private insurers, in annual increases in payments rates for doctors and in payments to hospitals for providing free care to the uninsured. The net increase in government spending for health care would likely be about $100 billion a year, a one-time increase equal to less than 1 percent of a national income that grows at an average rate of 2.5 percent every year.

The Republican lies about the economics of health reform are also heavily laced with hypocrisy.

While holding themselves out as paragons of fiscal rectitude, Republicans grandstand against just about every idea to reduce the amount of health care people consume or the prices paid to health-care providers -- the only two ways I can think of to credibly bring health spending under control.

When Democrats, for example, propose to fund research to give doctors, patients and health plans better information on what works and what doesn't, Republicans sense a sinister plot to have the government decide what treatments you will get. By the same wacko-logic, a proposal that Medicare pay for counseling on end-of-life care is transformed into a secret plan for mass euthanasia of the elderly.

Government negotiation on drug prices? The end of medical innovation as we know it, according to the GOP's Dr. No. Reduce Medicare payments to overpriced specialists and inefficient hospitals? The first step on the slippery slope toward rationing.

Can there be anyone more two-faced than the Republican leaders who in one breath rail against the evils of government-run health care and in another propose a government-subsidized high-risk pool for people with chronic illness, government-subsidized community health centers for the uninsured, and opening up Medicare to people at age 55?

Health reform is a test of whether this country can function once again as a civil society -- whether we can trust ourselves to embrace the big, important changes that require everyone to give up something in order to make everyone better off. Republican leaders are eager to see us fail that test. We need to show them that no matter how many lies they tell or how many scare tactics they concoct, Americans will come together and get this done.

One thing I did cut from my cutnpaste was Mr Pearlstein's unfortunate use of the phrase "political terrorists" in the column to refer to the wingnuts and hooligans opposing healthcare reform. As Zandar notes, "...the usual suspects are already using those two words to negate the other thousand."

Sadly, that doesn't surprise me, either.

Roundup and Commentary - 8/7/09

In a controversy, the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. - Thomas Carlyle

Blog Posts:

American Nihilist: ladies and gents, you'll be happy to know the nihilism is spreading

Wingnuts & Moonbats: Steven Pearlstein: Republicans Propagating Falsehoods in Attacks on Health-Care Reform

American Nihilist: AmPow Reader's Digest, 8/7/09

Commentary:

But the "shout 'em down, shut it down" mentality of the baggers showing up to these meetings isn't conducive to that kind of talk from anyone. Instead we get hysterical (in every sense of the word) tales of mandatory sex changes, taxpaid abortions for trannies, and your grandmama and mine, out on the ice floe. Other than making alot of people laugh (which is good for the system, they say) and really stressing out others (the Glenn Beck crowd, mostly), this kinda talk isn't doing much for improving medical care.: DISSENTING JUSTICE: Fighting "Tyranny" in the Bible Belt

Sausage-making:

(Thought I'd try this "backstage pass" style, today... Rather than saving it all up till the end of the day, I'll update both the post itself and the "time posted," live, as it happens. It'll all look the same tomorrow, but be more timely, today...)

Not sure I liked it any better, and may've even liked it less. Tune in tomorrow, to see what I do...

X-Post: AARP Astroturfers Want It NOW!!!

American Nihilist X-post

I can't tell where the meme started, but here are the folks I found selling it:
American Power: AARP Staffers Bail Out as Retired (Swastika-Bearing) Astroturfers Shut Down Town Hall Meeting!, who links to:
Behold those scary, scary swastika-bearing astroturfers. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState, who gives credit to both: The Common Sense Citizens Network, and Ace of Spades HQ.

Wherever the meme originated, here's the story being passed from blogger to blogger:

The AARP representatives did not want to hear from the members at all; in fact, once the members began to ask questions, the meeting was officially shut down. The members, however, continued without them.

This is the video of the meeting that they're all using:



Now, is that story above what you saw?. Because I saw something else...

I wasn't there of course, but it sure looked to me like the AARP reps (who called for & arranged the town hall meeting, from the looks of it) said that they were going to speak first, and then open the floor up for questions & comments... But the folks there--members & otherwise--(that biker lookin' guy didn't look that old, to me... Must be all that clean livin' bikers are famous for...) had other ideas, and wanted to run the meeting their own way...

Try that at a staff or faculty meeting where you work, and see how far you get (assuming you ain't the boss, I mean...)

You don't always get to do things exactly the way you want to do 'em... It's like having a group of students ripping up the course syllabus & dictating for the rest (including the instructor) when & how the professor is going to teach the class.

Even assuming these students are correct, and are saving the class from an awful semester of really boring lectures from a really bad teacher, staging a coup and taking over the class isn't the way to get that point across. No school in America (& probably not most parents, either) would or should permit it.

So why is it in any way admirable when these adults do it?

"No, I want it NOW!!" - Veruca Salt

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Updates, more links, and any other "revisions & extensions" below (Just "reserving the right," for now):
The Redstate version has a memeorandum link.

Kitty's Porn

Kiddie Porn Suspect Says It's Kitty's Porn | CarnalNation

This week a 48-year-old man from Jensen Beach, FL, has been arrested on 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Police say that he had over 1,000 pornographic images of children on his computer. ... Kevin R. Griffin told police upon his arrest that he was not responsible for the images on his computer, claiming he neither downloaded them nor looked at them.

The culprit, according to Mr. Griffin, was his cat. It seems that the suspect would leave his computer turned on all day while he was at work. During that time, the cat allegedly would jump on the keyboard. Mr. Griffin said that he would often return home from work to find strange things downloaded to his hard drive.

While a good mouse might be irresistable to any cat, no cat, in our opinion, would confuse "kitty" porn with "kiddie" porn. ... Mr. Griffin remains in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. No word on any charges against the cat.

Wow. and meow.

Roundup and Commentary - 8/6/09

Blog Post:

American Nihilist: AARP Astroturfers Want It NOW!!!

Commentary:

Here I thought the pic was kinda mean-spirited (yes, :::sigh::: just like the one of Bush), but otherwise pretty stupid and meaningless. (At least the author--or I--got that meaningless part right. (The Joker, a socialist? Anybody who read or watched ANY Batman--even the silly TV show--knows THAT's not right...): Immoderate Monk: JokObama (ObamaJoka?): Not racist, not meaningful; Just mean. (Le.gal In.sur.rec.tion: Joker-ology)

When the same behaviors "spontaneously" break out in town halls across the country--behaviors that don't generally break out at town hall meetings--there's a reason. When so many con bloggers are posting these same kinda videos and gloating, there's a reason. No, perhaps Bob MacGuffie isn't the ringleader, or even a major player, but the memo--and more importantly, the behavior we're seeing at these town halls, as outlined in the memo--is still more than a little troubling.:
Wingnuts & Moonbats: Right-Wing Astroturf Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

Roundup and Commentary - 8/5/09

Blog Post:

American Nihilist: Fresh-Brewed Moral Relativism To Start Your Day

(And see post below this one, too--Elton John)

Commentary:

Yep, ol' Jim was treated poorly. But that doesn't make shouting down/shutting down the town halls of reps you don't agree with any better, even if, relatively speaking, you're more polite about it than these college kids who accosted Mr Gilchrist.:
American Power: This is What Mob Rule Looks Like...

X-Post: Donald Douglas Sums Up The Con Opposition To Health Care Reform...

American Nihilist X-post
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...in one sentence or less. Describing a protest he attended Tuesday morning outside an event held by Loretta Sanchez, Dr Douglas says "We had a couple of leftists on foot stop and annoy us with personal stories of health problems...."

Tell it like it is, Don. Those pesky sick and injured, hoping to get medicines and treatment they can afford, can really spoil a beautiful day, huh...? I say screw 'em. Let 'em keep using the health care we have already. Why should we let the government dictate prices and determine treatments, when those nice folks at insurance companies already do such a fine job keeping healthcare from folks who most need it? Besides, if people can't afford medical care and the drugs they need, it's probably 'cause they're lazy... At least, that's what Michael Wiener (Savage) & the folks at FoxNews told me...

Donald whines about this article in the OC Weekly calling he and his fellow protesters the I-Got-Mine crowd, but judging by what Donald wrote, I'd say they have him (if not the whole group) pegged.:

What had these fine folks peeved? Was it continuing warfare? Rising joblessness? The meltdown of Cash for Clunkers? Nope, seems the demonstrators were there to lash out about healthcare. But they were not representing the millions and millions of Americans lacking insurance coverage, being denied valid claims or experiencing rising co-pays and assorted out-of-pocket medical costs. Nope, that's what the I've-Got-Mines pooh-poohing the Sanchez visit LOVE about the current health-care system.

The Corona del Martians instead took the congresswoman and President Obama to task for trying to improve the conditions of all Americans, economically and physically. Someone's going to have to pay for that, so out come the protest signs. "His agenda is frightening," explained one bottle blonde, probably fresh off The Orly Taitz Hour of White Power Hour on her plasma. Jiggle that diamond-studded bracelet and keep hope alive, honey! - Sanchez Navigates I've-Got-Mines to Get to Newport Beach Cash - OC Weekly

Texan Love Song - Elton John

There I was, with my head all full of politics, during an hour drive to watch / play with my niece & nephew today, and this old Elton John song comes on the radio.



And, I was thinkin' how much it reminded me of the Teabag / mob Right, shouting down /shutting down discussion between the American people and those in congress who were elected to represent 'em. (And don't buy into the spin; it isn't that they disagree with the healthcare plan or whatever, but how disagreeable they're acting while doing it. I'm fine with folks expressing disagreement, and even booing "bad" statements, but shouting a speaker down, following him to his car, or not allowing her to answer the question isn't discussion/debate, it's rudeness and thuggery.)

Anyway... except for that "...kids still respected the President's name" part, (an interesting switch, that) it's a pretty accurate portrayal...

Besides, it'd been AGES since I heard the song. I used to listen to dad's copy of this album all the time, and certain songs stayed with me... I loved this one back then--I think it was the irony of it, and the potential violent confrontation--but confess to having lost touch with it over the years... Hearing it today was like being reintroduced to a person you once knew intimately (a one time lover, or your best friend from 7th grade). I had that glow of "Hey... I remember this song, I think..." before the vocal started, and it didn't take me more than a line or two to be singing along (some lines I knew, and some I only thought I knew...), and having all those other memories come flooding back (singing along in dad's music room & elsewhere, the cover art, the song before/after it on the record, and the other songs in the "redneck set" I put together on a mixed tape--a few southern rock tunes, Lonesome Cowboy Burt, and a really obscure "cowboy" song from the early 70's that made fun of homophobia/judging folks you don't know, that I can't recall the name of, anymore). After that came the political stuff, above.

So, there it is... Enjoy the song.

pay no attention, this is only a test post

(Why are you reading this, after I told you it was only a test post?!? Nosy freak!!)

I didn't want to have to do this so publicly, but if I don't, I won't get all the info I'm lookin' for... Unless you're from blogger help (& thanks for coming if you are), pay this no mind... really.

I'm trying to figure out why some of my blogs give/get "links to this post" links, and some do not.

(American Nihilist shows those links on it's posts--that is, if I reference an AmNi post on another blog, the "links to this post" shows the name of the post where I made that reference-- but doesn't produce those links on posts elsewhere--I could write a whole AmNi post full of links to other blog posts of mine and of other folks, but those other posts won't show a link back to that AmNi post, no matter what I do.)

I know for certain that "What'd I Say?" here (the oldest & most established of my blogs) gives and gets, if ya know what I mean... (...and I think you do.)

The following is a list of test posts I made about 5 hours ago (except that last one, which I made about 5 minutes ago). Each blog post is linked to all the other test posts, and I also linked in my most recent posts on all my blogs. So far, there are no links anywhere, which got me to wondering whether my test post date: 1/1/01, at 1:11 AM, was skewing the results. (Maybe I needed a current date/time post or two to make it all work.) This then, will be one of those posts. Yippie.
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This is a(n) xxx test post. If it works, there'll be one of these test posts for all of my blogs, and links to/from each of 'em, here:

American Nihilist - American Nihilist: American Nihilist Test Post

Immoderate Monk - Immoderate Monk: IM Test Post

Moderation is for Monks (temporary replacement for I.M. above): Moderation is for Monks: Monk Moderation Test Post

What'd I Say? - What'd I Say?: What'd I Say Test Post

Wingnuts & Moonbats - Wingnuts & Moonbats: W&M Test Post

With All Due Respect - With All Due Respect: WADR Test Post

Please don't read this. There is nothing interesting in this post.

(If you already have read it, I'm sorry. But you were warned.)
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AmNi most recent: American Nihilist: Donald Douglas Sums Up The Con Opposition To Health Care Reform...

IM, most recent: Immoderate Monk: ObamaJoka & BushHitler: Another post on the posters

MM, most recent: Moderation is for Monks: The squeaky wheel...

WhatdISay, most recent: What'd I Say?: Roundup and Commentary - 8/4/09

Wingnuts & Moonbats, most recent: Wingnuts & Moonbats: Right-Wing Astroturf Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

With All Due Respect, most recent: With All Due Respect: Re: OBAMA SECRET SERVICE Pulls Guns On Conservative Tea Party Protesters In Bristol
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The "current post" tests:
Mod Monks: Moderation is for Monks: Another Test Post...

What'd I Say?: (I will list the url to this post I'm writing now--8/5/09, 8:27 AM, here)

X-Post: Donald 'Arlon' Douglas Makes Nihilist Spelling Error!!

American Nihilist X-post
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n the post, American Power: Town Halls Get Results! "Audience Shouts Down Sebelius, Specter at Health Care Town Hall in Philadelphia", Dr. Donald 'Arlon' Douglas said the following:

"Arlon Spector and Kathleen Sebelius are loudly heckled. Sebelius' extremely frustrated body language @ 2:05 minutes? Priceless:"

Now, normally I wouldn't care... People make silly spelling errors and typos all the time.

But this spelling error is different.

See, this isn't the first time we've seen it, and the last time wasn't so pretty. American Power: Arlon the Democrat!.

Now, I'm not going to suggest that Don's uninformed or stupid, speaking Klingon, or that his obsessive watching of the Erin Andrews "peeping Don" video has addled his brain. And, I'm not going to make up some kinda silly name for him, like "Dr. Arlon CreepyPowerPeeper-RumorMonger." That'd be snarky & vindictive. (And I already made my snarky comment here: So uh... Who's that Arlon guy, Dr. Douglas?)

I do, however, expect Dr Douglas to hold himself to the same standards he does others, and say those kinda things about himself.

Fat chance.

And, while it may be tempting, I'm not going to comment about this at an unrelated post at Donald's blog, or his friend and mentor, 'Lipless' McCain's blog, or even at Biobrain's blog. No matter how much fun it may be to be snarky, I do have some standards...

My reply, the last time (after Dr 'Arlon' Douglas there was good enough to suggest I write one.): American Nihilist: American Power: Professor Douglas Catches 'Nihilist' Spelling Error!

X-Post: Right-Wing Astroturf Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

Wingnuts & Moonbats X-post
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Think Progress - Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms.

The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:

– Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”

– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”

– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”

The memo above also resembles the talking points being distributed by FreedomWorks for pushing an anti-health reform assault all summer. Patients United, a front group maintained by Americans for Prosperity, is currently busing people all over the country for more protests against Democratic members. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the NRCC, has endorsed the strategy, telling the Politico the days of civil town halls are now “over.”

Read the rest here.

And to be sure, these astroturfers, along with a few legit wingers, are following the playbook. [Teabaggers Try To Shout Down Health Care Reform At Town Halls | TPMDC] Congress folks have been shouted down, had chanting mobs follow them to their cars, and been forced to cancel town hall meetings or call security in locations all across the US. And our fellow citizens on the right are gloating about "shouting down" and "heckling" their representatives, besides, when they should be ashamed of such disrespectful behavior. They're largely a self-interested, corporate controlled mob, and they're getting ugly.

Updates as I find 'em:
More examples and folks proud of the hooliganism:
American Power: Dogging Lloyd Doggett: 'Just Say No"; to Obamacare!
Gateway Pundit: Lib "Blue Dog' Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH) Booed, Mocked & Laughed At During Town Hall (Video)
Delegitimizing Obama by any means at hand - docweaselblog

More folks saying astroturfing & acting like an unruly mob is no way for American citizens to treat each other:
Rachel Maddow on GOP Thugishness at Town Halls: This is Called Hooliganism | Video Cafe
The danger in the right's anger - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com
Is Obama’s Vaunted Political Operation Getting Outworked By Tea-Baggers? | The Plum Line

Roundup and Commentary - 8/4/09

I can't.
That is what people love to say.
I can't.
It's never true.
- Das Energi, by Paul Williams

Blog Posts:

Wingnuts & Moonbats: Right-Wing Astroturf Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

American Nihilist: Donald 'Arlon' Douglas Makes Nihilist Spelling Error!!

American Nihilist: Donald Douglas Sums Up The Con Opposition To Health Care Reform...

Commentary:

So um... Who's this "Arlon" guy you wrote about in this post, Dr Douglas?:
American Power: Town Halls Get Results! 'Audience Shouts Down Sebelius, Specter at Health Care Town Hall in Philadelphia'

Escaped Green Acres Sanitarium patient Orly Taitz buh-rings the crazy to TV (& makes DDouglas looks sane, in comparison.):
TBogg - Ees beeg trouble for mooslim squirrel

ObamaJoka, the "socialist," free speech, and hypocrisy:
Immoderate Monk (Should be here, but ain't: Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker branded 'dangerous and mean-spirited'
| Mail Online)

Yeah, the Bush posters were bad, too. But that hypocrisy thing goes both ways, y'know... Immoderate Monk (Le.gal In.sur.rec.tion: Because Only The Far Right Incites Violence... Didn't realize when I responded to it that this post was over a month old... The Legal Insurecction guy linked to it in another post like he wrote it yesterday--he wrote "read my prior post on this..." [link]--and there were no clues that he hadn't... ...except for those dates, of course.)

ObamaJoka & BushHitler: Another post on the posters: Immoderate Monk (Below The Beltway - If Obama As The Joker Is Wrong ? What About Bush As Hitler ?)

Roundup and Commentary - 8/3/09

Commentary:

[The Palin divorce story] is silly lying bullshit gossip, just like the "obama mama" vintage nudie pix that a few of the more "on the fringe" wingnut sites started hawking again this weekend (in response to the Palin rumors, oddly enough. Hypocrisy? You betcha...) Neither rumor is worth the electrons they're distributed with.: Riehl World View: Politico Pathetic: More On Palin Divorce Rumors

Roundup and Commentary - 8/2/09

Commentary:

"...believe that those pushing the “Elizabeth Gates is an uppity so-n-so,” because she commented on the fact that Crowley’s daughter, like pretty much every mid-teen girl before her–including Ms Gates, herself–doesn’t have a deft hand in applying makeup, have entirely too much time on their hands, and a partisan ax to grind, besides…": Patterico’s Pontifications - Best Caption Ever

I'm pretty sure that none of that will do a thing to convince you--& that's fine by me, because I'm one of those who think birfers taint everyone on the Right with the crackpot label, and the more you folks speak out, the better it is for the rest of us--but I did want you to see what the non-birfer Right is saying.: American Power: Did Obama's Secret Service Draw Guns on Conservative Protesters?

Sorry Riehl... The comedy stylings of Milbank & Cilliza are way funnier than Treacher. And as comedians, Milbank & Cilliza suck...: Riehl World View: Biden Clarifies Earlier Remarks

That, on the other hand, was very funny. And a little creepy.: Riehl World View: Sarah Palin: Anatomy Of A Smear ("That" turned out to be a lipless McCain post, though the link went to Hot Air, and I didn't notice the authorship till much later in the day.)

"Everyone ought to hate the fact that these (& other) corporations control the content of news divisions at the media holdings they own. Rupert is telling Billo, Sean, & the rest of the spokesboys & babes in his employ that they cannot criticize MSNBC or GE, because he shook hands with his new buddy, Jeff Immelt, and made a deal... ...and you don't have a problem with that?!?":
American Power: Glenn Greenwald Confirms 'Win' for O'Reilly Factor

"It [a link to another stupid person pushing the same rumor] doesn't absolve you of the fact that you whine about Palin rumors, and in the same post, spread Obama rumors. You puff up all moralistic, and then become the very slime you claim to decry. And as a bonus, you use softcore porn, found on the internet, to do it. How very 'nihilist' of you...":
American Nihilist: Donald Douglas @ American Power Whines About Palin Divorce Rumors; Links to Naked Pix Rumored To Be Obama's Mom

"It isn't just the porn angle... It's spreading what amounts to unsubstantiated gossip about people, for partisan gain. Sure it's titillating to imagine that Sarah and the Dude are splitting up, or to spread rumors about Obama's dead mother, but whether or not they are, and whether or not she did, it's hurtful to the people involved and to their families, and true or not, it didn't, doesn't, and likely never will have any impact on them politically, or on the American people in any way.":
Le.gal In.sur.rec.tion: Don't Link To Nude Photos of Obama's Mother

"The point isn't whether one rumor is worse than the other. It's whether or not one believes that spreading fucked up rumors is wrong, and whether, like you, the answer to that question hinges on whether the rumor hurts friend or foe.":
American Nihilist: Donald Douglas @ American Power Whines About Palin Divorce Rumors; Links to Naked Pix Rumored To Be Obama's Mom

"The point isn't whether one rumor is more 'unseemly' than the other. It's whether or not one believes that spreading rumors to hurt folks is wrong, period, or whether the answer to that question hinges on whether the rumor hurts friend or foe.":
Piece of Work In Progress: Obama's Mom Nude Photos [UPDATED]

If anyone can authenticate that those pix really are of Obama's mom (and from what I hear, they've had almost a year to do so, already) the people involved are speaking truth. Until then, they're spreading rumors, just like the AK bloggers "reporting" that Sarah & the Dude are going their separate ways...:
Piece of Work In Progress: Obama's Mom Nude Photos [UPDATED] (And, should the Palin's d-i-v-o-r-c-e anytime in the near future, ...)

"The hypocrisy of spreading rumors about Obama’s family in the very same post where you decry folks spreading rumors about Palin’s family is par for the course for these assholes… But “family values” conservatives posting and passing around links to (vintage) softcore porn pictures like old guys at a stag party? WhoDaThunkIt?": TBogg - The return of No Woman, No Fap

Oh Ciolko... (my love will turn you on) I'm sure you're right, and the Secret Service is slackin' off these days, cause that's what they do. It's not like they're dedicated professionals or anything. Day workers, that's what they are... Just Obama hatin' fools. Teabaggers, really. (Just be careful... I hear rumors that you're wrong, and they're actually Obama's private FEMA Camp army, and they're lookin' to round you sheepdogs up. (or kill you.) ((or some such thing.)): American Power: Did Obama's Secret Service Draw Guns on Conservative Protesters?

"You misunderstand... The coverage itself isn't the exploitation... In a video peeping tom case though, the video is. While I do think it was overkill, I don't object to all 10-12 of his posts about 'naked Erin Andrews nude'... I only object to the one with the link to the video, and only because it contained the link to the video.":
Piece of Work In Progress: Obama's Mom Nude Photos [UPDATED]

Ephemera:

"Wow, it's like they can't abide a somewhat upbeat ending to this incident. There's Crowley, who may have gained a newfound respect for the scholar Gates, helping him down the stairs, and Gates, having perhaps gained a slightly diffent take on the incident from Crowley's point of view, apologies for hotheadedness all around, as we all bask in the warm glow of a President taking the time to help smooth a wrinkle in race relations on a personal level, and goddammit, they JUST WON'T HAVE IT!"

Chris is dead on. They saw an opportunity to have Crowley be the new Joe The Plumber and in their excitement, forgot to see if he was interested first.

It turns out (at least so far) he's not and, once again, THEY'VE BEEN STABBED IN THE BACK!!!

To quote Chief Grady, "Desperation is a stinky cologne."
Michael Harrington August 2, 2009 - 3:16:15 AM EDT | #Michael Harrington August 2, 2009 - 3:16:15 AM EDT
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Who are the acorn people?
Fetal oak people. In a nutshell.
--

"Birthers, Birchers, Teabaggers and Palin worshipers. Man I never thought the Presidency could be this easy."
- Comment by spart — 8/2/2009 @ 8:27 am
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Below The Beltway - World Net Daily Sez, Not Only Isn’t Obama A Citizen….He’s The Antichrist

X-Post: Donald Douglas @ American Power Whines About Palin Divorce Rumors; Links to Naked Pix Rumored To Be Obama's Mom

American Nihilist X-post
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American Power: Sarah Palin to Divorce? Left's Biggest Fantasy-Smear Dead on Arrival - UPDATED!! Atlas Shrugs: Time to "Ratchet Truth" on Obama Predilections

Let's hear it for the family values crowd; All bent, because some idiots suggested that the Palin's were D-I-V-O-R-C-I-N-G, and in the same breath, posting pix that they allege to be Barack Obama's mom, naked... Friggin' class, this bunch.

And again, Donald Douglas grabs himself a front row seat in the slime pit. (On the bright side, it appears that, *unlike with Donald's posting of the Erin Andrews link*, the model in question consented to having the pictures taken... ...though (assuming they are not just your garden variety vintage porn pix, which is the most likely scenario, here, no matter what these asses allege) one would assume the model did not intend to have them released to the general public, especially by these rightwing paragons of virtue who so often claim the moral high ground where sexual issues are concerned

Pam Gellar & Donald Douglas have created some fucked up Judeo-Christian morality for themselves, that's for sure... It's ok to distribute porn, as long as you're using it to smear political opponents. (And getting a chubby (or moist, depending) from anything except the thrill of hurting your political foes and their families is forbidden, one would assume.)

Bullshit rumors are foolish things, but as long as they're about the 'right' people (the controversial, the polarizing, the inordinately famous) there will always be a ready made market of folks willing to believe the worst about the people they hate, and a ready supply of miserable, worthless assholes willing to invent the stories to feed to 'em, too.
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UPDATE: More info (about the silly Palin divorce rumors, not Don & Pam's fascination with showing folks their vintage nudie pix that they believe to be the President's mother) at memeorandum
(Of all the post's that've appeared here, THIS is our first memeorandum link?!? Yeesh...)

* = added in update, for clarity

Roundup and Commentary - 8/1/09

Spend thirty undisturbed minutes playing with a pet. Don't allow anything to interrupt this therapeutic time, not even the phone! - The Check Book - Nicholaus & Lowrie

Blog Post:

American Nihilist: Donald Douglas @ American Power Whines About Palin Divorce Rumors; Links to Naked Pix Rumored To Be Obama's Mom (Of all the posts over the years that memeorandum could've picked up, THIS is the first one?!?)


Commentary:

Let's hear it for the Secret Service Counter Assault Team... Scaring the bejeezus out of wingnut teabaggers & conspiracy theorists for almost six months (along with their regular duties, protecting the rest of the Presidential motorcade from harm, of course.):
American Power: Did Obama's Secret Service Draw Guns on Conservative Protesters? (2 comments)

Bomb In The Building? Let's Not Evacuate, Because We Could Be Killed Out There:
Immoderate Monk

The Government Already Knows About That Porn Site, Buddy...:
Immoderate Monk

Whatever one thinks about Olbermann or O'Reilly, allowing the CEOs of their parent companies, speaking on behalf of their corporate interests, to get together and agree to dictate what news & opinion O & O (& one assumes, the rest of the (MS)NBC & Fox(News) talent) do and do not talk about, is another nail in the "free and fair" media coffin.:
American Power: Peace Plan Brokered in Olbermann, O'Reilly Cable Flame War!

Dan Riehl says the right thing, while many of his fellow Cons go in for the cheap attack, based on a photo whose back story they know nothing about. Riehl World View: Is It Wise To Create Political Demons?

The relative merits of the Right's "Obama Hates Black People" photo, and their "Gates Made Up Eye Makeup Gate":
alicublog: THEIR BARREL HAS NO BOTTOM, AND THEY'RE STILL GOIN' DOWN.

It isn't how you play the game, it's whether you get the blog hits (I mean, tv ratings) that counts!! Now, somebody find me a half-naked drunk chick to exploit for my fans:
American Power: Glenn Greenwald Confirms 'Win' for O'Reilly Factor (Situational ethics, at it's finest.)

Bullshit rumors are foolish things, but as long as they're about the 'right' people (the controversial, the polarizing, the inordinately famous) there will always be a ready made market of folks willing to believe the worst about the people they hate, and a ready supply of idiots willing to feed it to 'em, too.:
American Power: Sarah Palin to Divorce? Left's Biggest Fantasy-Smear Dead on Arrival - UPDATED!! Atlas Shrugs: Time to 'Ratchet Truth' on Obama Predilections (Let's hear it for the family values crowd; All bent, because some idiots suggested that the Palin's were D-I-V-O-R-C-I-N-G, but posting pix that they allege to be Barack Obama's mom... Friggin' class, this bunch. And as usual, Donald Douglas has a front row seat in the slime pit.) (2 comments)

X-Post: American Power, and "Body Language"

American Nihilist X-post:
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Body language?

Really?

Now I think I'm starting to get it. Donald Douglas is trying to be the wingnut blogosphere's Bill O'Reilly.

And it all falls into place...
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UPDATE 8/1, 12:07 AM:

Confirmed. (and might I add, damned proud of it, too.)

Speaks volumes, it does...

Volumes.

X-Post: It's all about consent, Dr. Douglas

American Nihilist X-post
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"For sure the Democratic guys at American Nihilist are digging it!" - Donald Douglas, American Power: Democratic Stimulus Funds Go to Perv-Porno Promotions: "Four Men, Three Women and a Gorilla"

As long as it's consensual, and not, y'know, a crime like the Erin Andrews video you linked to, (& beat to death with a sledgehammer, along with a few of your friends) we at American Nihilist refuse no porn position or act... (Bet you wish you could say that, don't ya, Donald... Unfortunately, crime pays in blog hits, right? ) We're big time fans of naked chicks, as long as they want to be naked and want to be filmed, doing whatever it is they're doing, from fixing their hair & ironing, to whatever it is that rocks your tiny right wing world, and beyond.... We also don't care what men do, either as viewers or participants, as long as they consent, and we're not compelled to watch them.

But, hey... Thanks for stopping by...

X-Post: What I Saw at the Beer Summit - (The Daily Beast)

Wingnuts & Moonbats X-post
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Courtesy of The Daily Beast (by way of memeorandum), What I Saw at the Beer Summit - Elizabeth Gates:

In a world in which the conversation on race has traditionally taken a back seat to both logic and reason, it’s no wonder that yesterday’s so-called “Beer Summit” at the White House seemed to make little sense at all. It wasn’t because the president was wrong in offering up a few cold ones to my father, Henry Louis Gates, and the now infamous Sgt. James Crowley in an attempt to tame the media blitz around my father’s arrest—it was because like most issues that make their way to TMZ, the reference point had shifted. The debate over Red Stripe and Blue Moon had somehow overshadowed the fact that this story began with a black Harvard professor and a white cop from Natick, Mass.—and as CNN’s countdown clock to the event taunted viewers like a time bomb, it was clear that this day wasn’t going to be the beginning of a serious discussion on human relations but rather a circus-like ending of a misunderstanding between a couple of very decent men.

I can’t say that I was shocked.

As our family rounded the corner to the White House library and I first caught sight of Sgt. Crowley’s lovely daughter; she was wearing an appropriately heavy and charmingly untrained amount of green eyeliner on her lower lashes, and I saw my former self in her. We were instantly transported from the post-racial myth of America in 2008 to the reality of 2009. There they stood, a pleasant family of five, listening patiently to the overzealous tour guide boast about the fully functioning fireplace to the left of the doorframe.

A down to earth first person account, worthy of a full read.

Interesting spin from some on the right, however... Apparently, Elizabeth Gates, like her father, is a "racist," because she "cattily" made fun of how Crowley's 15 year old daughter applied her eyeliner. (Check the HA comments for descriptions of how "racist" & "catty" this was.) Started at Hot Air from what I can tell, (but repeated at Donald Douglas' American Power blog, and The New Republic's The Plank--without attribution in both cases, I note), and perhaps others, the meme is... well, let's let them tell it, via their "Hot Air Headline":

Hot Air Headlines - Gates’s daughter: Crowley’s daughter wears too much eyeliner:

As our family rounded the corner to the White House library and I first caught sight of Sergeant Crowley’s lovely 14-year old daughter—who was wearing an appropriately heavy and charmingly untrained amount of green eyeliner on her lower lashes—we were instantly transported from the post-racial myth of America in 2008 to the reality of 2009. There they stood, a pleasant family of five, listening patiently to the overzealous tour guide boast about the fully functioning fireplace to the left of the doorframe.

Any sharp eyes notice what's wrong with that picture?

Yes, they edited the line, taking out "...and I saw my former self in her." after "...charmingly untrained amount of green eyeliner on her lower lashes...", making it appear Ms. Gates was saying something she wasn't... Way to go there Malkin, Douglas, & "New Republic"... Good reporting of those "facts."

Updated, as more inevitably join the hot air fictional meme...

X-Post: Donald Douglas' Words Don't Match The Facts

American Nihilist X-post
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American Power: Sgt. Crowley's Press Conference: Beer Summit Fizzles?

Fizzles?

Someone ought to tell Don that it wasn't about everyone agreeing, but about the exchange of ideas, and about turning down the burners, and behaving like rational men. (Something Donald himself might consider, given his recent attacks on fellow Con bloggers, because they dared to take issue with his revictimization of Erin Andrews.) Based on the post-beer statements of all involved, that is exactly what happened.

Roundup and Commentary - 7/31/09

Feelings of inferiority and superiority are the same. They both come from fear. - Think - Dr. Robert Anthony

Blog Posts:

American Nihilist: Donald Douglas' Words Don't Match The Facts

Wingnuts & Moonbats: What I Saw at the Beer Summit

American Nihilist: American Power, and "Body Language" (Donald Douglas - The wingnut blogosphere's Bill O'Reilly.

Commentary:

Lite beer comedy, for a lite beer world.: Riehl World View: Has The Washington Post Lost Its Mind?

"Hits is hits," and moral values ain't shit, compared to that.: American Nihilist: It's all about consent, Dr. Douglas

Naked women are fine, as long as they're of age, and consented to show themselves naked in your presence (publicly or privately, depending on the circumstances).: American Nihilist: It's all about consent, Dr. Douglas