the last word on palin

from redstateupdate.com:

hypocrisy

If you are biracial and born in a state not connected to the lower 48, America needs darn near 2 years and 3 major speeches to "get to know you." If you're white and from a state not connected to the lower 48, America needs 36 minutes and 38 seconds worth of an acceptance speech to know you're "one of us."

don't you just want to scream?

a bush legacy

In the last two weeks we have seen multiple examples of what civil liberties advocates have been warning about over and over again. The infrastructure of the police state, put together behind the scenes and with secret rooms and fusion centers, was put on display in a number of different places.

sundown

gaudi

The Sagrada Familia is the undisputed masterpiece and life’s work of Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. It is also a building mired in controversy and just plain bad luck. As the building edges ever closer toward completion, which is estimated to be in the next two decades, another protest has broken out questioning whether anyone is capable of doing justice to the late Master’s vision.

gaudi died in 1926 after being run over by a streetcar

flatware for the elegant

this is a cool site, remodelista---flatware by renzo piano, top, but i like john pawson's black-handled set better----

pine trees and blue sky

me and the dog like the little grove of virginia pine at the corner of cypress and eighth---smells good when the sun has heated it up----excellent clear blue sky, except to the southeast and the outer rings of hannah---but it will be like gustav and not give us any rain----ivan looks more promising

mclame

this is hilarious:

[A]pparently, the Republicans couldn't find very many African American supporters to show on the Big Screen Of Triumph, when introducing McCain (see 6:45, 7:02)... so they simply put up stock photos of black people. You know, riding bicycles and appreciating their moms and stuff. Both these images appeared in McCain's introduction, but you can also buy them for a buck or two from iStockphoto.com:

mccain/palin: a bridge to nowhere

now that's a slogan---

"democratic" congress

the republicans people love to point out how the current congress, which they describe as being under democratic control, never gets anything done----what they hope people forget is that a party really has control only when they have at least 60 members in the senate, the rules of which basically require a 60 vote majority to ensure passage of legislation----the mistake the dems have made, i think, is not forcing more straight-out filibusters, which is all the control the republicans have---they still might not have gotten any more passed, but at least it would make it clear which party was being obstructionist

grrrrrr

the palin speech was totally depressing--- i can't believe they've again reduced themselves to rovian politics---actually i can believe it, but being the sucker that i am, i gave mccain the benefit of the doubt and thought he might be at least marginally better than bush. But palin was smug and sarcastic, belittling half of the country (you and me) as she mocked obama, with nothing in between to suggest how they might differ from the wretchedness of the last eight years other than doubling down on the blatant appeals to bigotry, ignorance, and religious intolerance---

obama has raised $8 million just since last night and expect to hit $11 million by the time McCan't speaks tonight---i just did my part to make that happen---i can't really afford it right now, but i can't afford not to---

and a little local color, if you will: the illustrious rep. lynn westmoreland (fayette, coweta counties) , who i think is the state's most retarded congressman at this particular point in time, was quoted today as calling obama "uppity"!!!!!!!!!! and asked if that was really what he said, he repeated it: "uppity"----- he didn't say "uppity n_ _ _ _ _ _" but anybody that grew up in the south could fill in the blank----

jeez---i hope my stent and cardiovascular system in general hold up for the next two months

skeery stuff

it is painful to watch----these people are even more insane than '04

gallup at 50

palin

the republicans have outdone themselves

big ol' messes

and this is one:

Still, you have to admit that in all that time, especially since Palin became governor about two years ago, no Russian invasion force has come across the strait, maybe because she was in charge of the Guard, maybe because she herself is a hunter and an athlete. The record is unclear because no high-ranking Russian appeared on any of the weekend talk shows to say how they had considered an invasion of Alaska and then backed off when Sarah Palin became commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. Who could blame them?

mccan't

try not to laugh out loud

sol

there have been no sunspots for a month, the first time that's happened since 1913----is there gonna be an ice age?

our civil liberties in shambles

so much goes on under the radar

So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do. And as extraordinary as that conduct is, more extraordinary is the fact that they have received virtually no attention from the national media and little outcry from anyone. And it's not difficult to see why. As the recent "overhaul" of the 30-year-old FISA law illustrated -- preceded by the endless expansion of surveillance state powers, justified first by the War on Drugs and then the War on Terror -- we've essentially decided that we want our Government to spy on us without limits. There is literally no police power that the state can exercise that will cause much protest from the political and media class and, therefore, from the citizenry.

black gay pride

one of the more interesting parts of the festivities at the park yesterday were the teams of dancers doing some sort of take-off on vogueing---we had watched one team in an impromptu show at the park a few weeks ago---never seen anything else quite like it

dragoncon2008

courtesy of cousin robert