Totally cool website

This site offers Canadians comprehensive, up-to-date riding by riding information on how to defeat Harper and his anti-environment policies.

Honestly, is this SUCH a hard question???

The cost of the war

Excellent video that quickly and clearly lays out the direct and indirect costs of the war to the United States.

Comparing Palin to other U.S. VPs

If this is beating a dead horse (because NO ONE truly believes that Palin is fit to be vice-president of the United States), please forgive me. This video does an awesome job of comparing her experience to all other American veeps - in 12 minutes. Pretty interesting.

I like this sentence: "I reject this simplicitude." But I am a geek.

Wes Clark video on the economy

Wes Clark is the shit. Well worth watching this video:

Man, am I glad ...

... that I don't drink coffee.

Back to Bloggerland

Hey folks! Sorry for the extended absence. I was visiting my family last weekend, and I've been fighting a nasty cold ever since (like many of my relatives, apparently ... I guess we like to share!).

Anyway, not much has been going on here the last few days (other than mouth-breathing and feeling clammy), but hooo boy American politics has been INSANE!

The first thing you absolutely MUST do is watch this portion of Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric. Seriously. WATCH IT. WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!!



This woman makes George Bush look like a member of Mensa. Quite frankly I did not know that that was even possible. And for the life of me, I can't imagine how Couric kept a straight face.

So here's last night's Saturday Night Live skit about this interview:



If a lot of the skit sounds familiar, it's probably because the SNL writers figured that they couldn't make it any more ridiculously funny than the original.

I have lots more thoughts/links to share, but it's been almost a week since I've gone grocery shopping, and I'm starting to worry about the scurvy. Later!

Froth Moonshine Palin

... might be my name if I had happened to be born to VP-wannabe Sarah Palin.

Everyone knows she's had some interesting names for her kids, right? First there was Track, then Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig. So now someone's invented a baby name generator so you too can "discover" your Palin name.

Enjoy.

A study in green

DSC_1372
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Taken yesterday at the Silver Creek Conservation Area.

American politics soup du jour

Some random bits to share with you ...


This actually came out during the Democratic National Convention, which perhaps explains why McCain made such a desperate move by nominating the inexperienced and unqualified Sarah Palin as his running-mate. She certainly has added to the "excitement" of this race, but there are plenty of American women who are downright insulted. My proof? This website. Check it out - it's fantastic. If you happen to be an American woman, I'd encourage you to write in as well!



Folks, McCain has anywhere from a 1 in 6 to a 1 in 3 chance of dying in his first term, should he be elected as President. Palin as his successor would be a combination of the worst traits of George Bush and Dick Cheney:

At BalloonJuice.com, John Cole (a former Republican) writes -

And Sarah Palin is the distilled essence of wingnut. She has it all. She is dishonest. She is a religious nut. She is incurious. She is anti-science. She is inexperienced. She abuses her authority. She hides behind executive privilege. She is a big spender. She works from the gut and places a greater value on instinct than knowledge.

And most dangerous of all, she is supremely self-confident to the point of not recognizing how ill-equipped she is to lead the country. This from last night stood out for me:

Charles Gibson, the interviewer, asked her if she didn’t hesitate and question whether she was experienced enough.

“I didn’t hesitate, no,” she said.

He asked if that didn’t that take some hubris.

“I answered him yes,” Ms. Palin said, “because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.”

George Bush in a dress. The Palin interview should be a gut-check for Republicans and conservatives who think the last eight years has been a perversion of conservative principles.

The New York Times -

When Ms. Palin had to cut her first state budget, she avoided the legion of frustrated legislators and mayors. Instead, she huddled with her budget director and her husband, Todd, an oil field worker who is not a state employee, and vetoed millions of dollars of legislative projects ...

Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials ...

Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.

:

And the lies coming from the Republican ticket! Their audacity is breathtaking!






Oh, and the documented McCain flip-flops too!

But Obama's campaign demonstrates consistently its focus on the REAL issues:




Please, please America - do not mess up yet another election.

I laughed so hard I cried

Why I'm voting Republican (as IF!)

I don't know who wrote these, but I found them here.

I'm voting Republican because being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

I'm voting Republican because Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.

I'm voting Republican because "Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.

I'm voting Republican because a woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

I'm voting Republican because Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

I'm voting Republican because the best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

I'm voting Republican because group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.

I'm voting Republican because if condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

I'm voting Republican because a good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

I'm voting Republican because HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.

I'm voting Republican because providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

I'm voting Republican because global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

I'm voting Republican because Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

I'm voting Republican because a president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

I'm voting Republican because Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

I'm voting Republican because the public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

I'm voting Republican because what Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

I'm voting Republican because trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

God save us from these two

This vid rocks

Yet another "entertainer" who makes total sense, refreshingly:

As IF Zen and I needed another reason

... to lust after Matt Damon:



Okay, all kidding aside, doesn't this sound NORMAL? Like the sanest thing you've EVER heard????

Too funny

As someone who regularly writes/posts system maintenance notifications, I found this cute.

Speaking of elections

... have any of my fellow Canadians seen the new election ad for Stephen Harper, which is just him talking about parenthood (rather than any policy)?

It's like ... they're trying ... to make him ... seem human???

Great advice for my American friends

If you are an American looking forward to voting this November, please read this diary on things you can do to prepare.

Poor squirrel

As if any of us needed evidence that baseball is one of the most boring sports ever, regardez:



Seriously, it seems as though the squirrel is far more "entertaining" than the actual game. I say they just replace the stadium with the forest that was likely there originally.

"The Cream of the Republican Party"

The best segment of the Daily Show I can remember. Definitely not for you, Mom!

"Oh God it feels so good to be Republican!" ROTFL

He goosebumpified me

I need to clean up my Firefox tabs

As I've been reading various blogs and articles about the U.S. election, my browser has become increasingly crowded with tab after tab of information I think is helpful/important, so I'm going to slap it all - in no particular order - in this blog posting for future reference.

Obama Adviser Touts His Even Temper

Former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, a senior national security adviser to Barack Obama's presidential campaign, said that he has never seen Obama lose his temper, even in situations of "exceptional stress."

By comparison, Obama's GOP rival John McCain is known for "losing it." Danzig said McCain is known for forming an opinion or a decision quickly and then "digs in." McCain's volatile temper is well known to Beltway insiders ...

Danzig traveled with Obama on his recent trip to Europe and the Middle East. At some point in Jerusalem Obama was so tired that he said he could fall asleep on his feet, Danzig recalled. But despite the "extraordinary fatigue… I have never seen Barack Obama lose his temper; I have never seen him lose his balance," Danzig said.

Danzig added that he was also impressed by Obama's ability to listen.

On the claims that Barack Obama has "zero" experience:

Obviously, a legislator IS a leader ...

When Obama stood on the steps of the Illinois State Capitol to announce his candidacy, it wasn't just because the backdrop was nicely evocative of Lincoln. It was because he'd spent seven years inside that building, working hard. That had been followed by a briefer but equally-impressive productivity record as a U.S. senator. The guy gets stuff done.

The Republican strategy is, of course, to attack the opponent's strengths, not weaknesses. It's taking shape around the Big Lie that Palin mouthed: Obama's all talk, no action ...

820 is the number of laws Obama sponsored in the Illinois State Senate.

427 is the current count of the number of bills Obama has co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate.

And the final number, 152, is the most recent tally of the number of bills that Senator Obama has authored. You can see his current legislative record here. Three of them, including S. 3558 ("A bill to provide for enhanced food-borne illness surveillance and food safety capacity") were moved upon just last week.

On the claims that Republicans are fiscally responsible:

Finally, isn't this photo adorable? To me it speaks to the sweet nature that seems intact in the fully-grown man:

Too. Much. FUN!!!!

Makes me grin! :)

He makes me want to be a better person

This man has a unique gift to communicate truths about how the world can and should be.