Today in the Nooz

Peter Daou tweets:

Annoying that these #Egypt protests prevent us from getting continuous updates on Charlie Sheen's drug-fueled parties and his rehab.

I was thinking the same thing this morning when I happened to be in a room with a TV tuned to Showbiz Tonight the Today Show. The Charlie Sheen story (he wants privacy!!) was reported before the latest news from Egypt.

An Absence

Astute readers of this blog (is there any other kind?) will notice an absence.

I know it's very poor Internet etiquette to remove a post, but I woke up Sunday morning (the day after, as it were) and realized that perhaps an overwrought drama-queen post about a Facebook friend request might not be the best way to "Ignore" something.

Thanks to those who responded with advice/comments! My apologies.

"Rahmageddon"!

Dang - this was even reported on the BBC.

From Chicagoist:

Whoa. We repeat: WHOA!!!! The Illinois Appellate Court has tossed Rahm Emanuel off the ballot for next month's mayoral election, reversing last month's decision by a lower court.

BEARS * BEARS * BEARS * BEARS * BEARS

(Apologies to those who may have been expecting something else based on the title of this post.)

For my e-contribution to the GO BEARS effort, I offer this fabulous YouTube vid of Bryan Griffin, presumably costumed for some operatic role or other:



I admit I'm nervous about tomorrow's game! I'm not what you would call a die-hard football fan, but I'm always ready to jump on the bandwagon when it's time and if there's enough room. [Although I grew up mostly in Wisconsin, I've been anti-Packers ever since Reggie White opened his ugly mouth . . . not that I'm under the deluded impression that the rest of the NFL is a bunch of Ben Cohens.]

If the Bears win, it's a glorious victory over their rivals and on to the Super Bowl and all the civic fun and pride that comes with that. If they lose, it's a devastating defeat with them going to the Super Bowl - all of which could have been prevented if the Bears hadn't decided to lose to the Packers back in week 17. Gah.

At least with professional sports I can remind myself that the lowest-paid player on the losing team is making A LOT of money to play a game that he must love. (That's not as easy to do when it's your favorite college team losing.)

Could. Not. Love. More.

Rude Pundit, last week, after the Idiot Queen of the Pig People opened her illiterate yap again:

Palin responded to Beck's letter with, "I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence. Thanks for all you do to send the message of truth and love and God as the answer." The Rude Pundit imagines she was talking specifically about her own kids and not children in general, the majority of whom probably don't give flea fart's worth of thought to who is portrayed as inciting violence. So, sure, feel crappy for Piper having to hear that her mom is an uncontrollable, gun-fellating attention whore who would sell Trig for medical experiments if it got her five more minutes of spotlight time.

"I hate violence." Of course you do, honey.

My MLK Post

From Harpers, via the excellent (NSFW) Bill in Exile:

Someone Actually Believes This

Here's a comment on what Peter Daou rightfully calls Charles Blow's "shameful" column.

Let’s get real here. In 2008 an electoral over reaction to the failure of George Bush to communicate effectively policies that remain virtually unchanged under President Obama led to total control over our government by a group of extremists whose philosophy is supported by a small minority of the population. That extremist group used their brief period of control, not to talk about making dramatic changes to our society, but to actually ram them through.

To equate passionate rhetoric on the right to the dramatic damage done to our political system by those whose philosophy is supported by a naïve minority is nothing short of breathtaking.

To use a tragedy to demean the very patriotic folks that successfully rose up to halt this distortion of our system is beneath contempt and deserves the very obvious reaction that resulted.

However, the extreme left will never get over it. They had their chance and failed. The American people have spoken. Their blatant attempt to libel and smear political opponents failed in the 2010 elections. It has failed once again. The election of 2012 has begun and this was the first round.

What a drama queen! Such victimhood, such fantasy! "Passionate rhetoric" . . . "very patriotic folks that successfully rose up to halt this distortion of our system" . . . Gawd.

When the hell was the "extreme left" in power? I'm sorry I missed that. If Obama is "extreme left", what does that make their beloved, sainted Ronald Reagan?

On what planet are the meek Democrats who "rammed through" all this drastic change a radical "extremist group"? If only Obama were one-tenth as liberal as he is in wingnuts' Limbaugh/Beck/Palin, etc.-fueled imaginations.

False Equivalence Alert

Can we please immediately stop pretending that "both sides do it"?

I'm totes willing to listen to the other side (I don't really remember stopping) . . . as soon as they stop saying I don't have a right to participate in American politics . . . or exist.

Quote of the Day

Peter Daou:

The imbalance is stark: Democrats and liberals rail against the right’s ideas; the right rails against the left’s very existence.

Perfectly concise and true.

(This, as well.)

Fallows FAIL

The ordinarily excellent James Fallows, on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday, discussing the horrific shootings in Tucson:

Mr. FALLOWS: Yes. And she was one of the, you know, one of the people who had supported the Obama health care plan and the financial rescue plans and still won this very tough election and what is becoming increasingly - which has been a polarized state. And I think this has been testimony to, as other people have said, her essential centrism and popularity. And she is married to an active service member and an astronaut. And she has been very moderate on many issues. And so that she would perhaps, for a reason, be the target of this kind of political violence is all the more striking and tragic.
emphasis added

Excuse me? Giffords getting shot in the head is more tragic because she's married to an active service member and because she's very moderate on many issues? Does that mean that if she were a DFH then it wouldn't have been a big deal?

Revolting. So now the lives of the mythical "moderates" everyone in Washington loves to love are worth more than those of us crazy, shrill, libruls? I see. Good to know.

Gotta love that librul media.

What Climate Change? Part 1

Massive flooding in Queensland. Whatever.

Maybe they weren't praying hard enough.