Monday, July 31, 2006

Don't blame me, I voted for the guy who actually won.

Almost nothing in this world is more frightening, or more dangerous, than an idiot with nearly limitless power, surrounded by a large group of people constantly telling him that he is a genius, and one of the greatest people in history. This situation has not only happened many times, but it seems to be one of the true universal constants.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The rich get richer, the richer get even richer.

So now it's not good enough that the majority of the tax cuts go to the ultra-hyper-mega rich, now the IRS has announced that it will be cutting the number of Estate Tax Investigators, the ones who look for the few people who are rich enough to pay estate taxes. (The republicans would have you believe that The Estate Tax, which they call The Death Tax, is aimed at the small American farmer, despite the fact that there is no documented case of a family having to "sell the family farm" to pay the estate taxes). These workers recover an average of two thousand dollars for every hour they work. We shold be hiring more of these investigators, not laying them off.

The Republicans failed in their quest to eliminate the tax, so they are eliminating half of the people who would enforce the tax. Tricky bastards. Too much wealth is never enough for them.

Smithers -"What should I do with the million dollars, Mr. Burns?"

Mr. Burns - "Oh, I don't know, just throw it on the pile, I suppose."

Check this out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/business/23tax.html

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Part 38, in which our hero invents a new German word.

Schadenfreude: scha·den·freu·de n.
Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
[German : Schaden, damage (from Middle High German schade, from Old High German scado) + Freude, joy (from Middle High German vreude, from Old High German frewida, from frō, happy)

I thought there should be a word for the shame that one should rightly feel at feeling schadenfreude, so I asked my German speaking friend Colormagickid (who sometimes comments on my blog entries) to help me invent a German word that would cover that. We came up with Schadenfreudescham.

I love a language where you just keep pushing words together to convey whatever concept you need to. I think this one works just fine.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Superman's Greatest Enemy EVER!


Cower before the awesome power of "Catch a Falling Star and Put it in your Pocket"! He's broken the needle on the Swoon-O-Meter! The fiend. Imagine if he teamed up with Super Frank Sinatra. The horror, the horror.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Jesus is returning, and he's got donuts!

I was hoping to post at least a few non political things, but when I saw this in Harper's Magazine, I just had to lift the whole thing. Those who know me know that I have absolutely no tolerance for those who are eager for the end of the world, if for no other reason than they want to see their sick version of God smote anyone or anything that they disagree with, that makes them feel icky. Their attidude seems to be: "Homosexuals, Jews, heck, any non-Christians. Burn 'em all up. They're getting just what they deserve for not agreeing with the way I see the world." Well, the situation in the middle east has these sickos wetting their pants with joy over the upcoming rapture of the faithful, which is just around the corner, as it has been predicted every single year, for the last two thousand years. Check this out:

Silver Linings and a Cross of Gold
Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006.

It turns out there's an upside to the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah—if you're waiting for the second coming of Christ. Here's a selection of excited messages spotted over the last few days on the Rapture Ready/End Times Chat online bulletin board.
By Ken Silverstein.

Praise God! We are chosen to be in these times and also watch and spread the word. Something inside me is exploding to get out, and I don't know what it is. Its kind of like I want to do cartwheels around the neighborhood.
* * *
In another thread, someone brought up the fact that the kidnapping of the first Israeli soldier that started this whole thing was on June 25th and if you count from that day to August 3rd.......it is *EXACTLY 40 days!!!!!*
I find that to be a HUGE coincidence.
* * *
A question just popped in my head. Do you think children of around say 7 or 8 (but before the age of accountability) that have been indoctrinated up until that time by their parents religious beliefs will be raptured? . . . For example, would a 7 year old muslim be raptured? I know G-d will do right but I was just wondering everyone's thoughts. I hate to think of kids being left here.
* * *
Got that dancing feeling on the inside of me.
* * *
This is the busiest I've ever seen this website in a few years! I have been having rapture dreams and I can't believe that this is really it! We are on the edge of eternity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* * *
Whoa! I can sure feel the glory bumps after reading this thread!
* * *
I too am soooo excited!! I get goose bumps, literally, when I watch what's going on in the M.E.!! And Watcherboy, you were so right when saying it was quite a day yesterday, in the world news, and I add in local news here in the Boston area!! Tunnel ceiling collapsed on a car and killed a woman of faith, and we had the most terrifying storms I have ever seen here!! But, yes, oh happy day, like in your screen name , it is most indeed a time to be happy and excited, right there with ya!!
* * *

I am excited beyond words that the struggle of this life may be over soon and I can finally be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
* * *
This is so exciting....I'm having a hard time believing this is 'real'!


This is Silver Linings and a Cross of Gold by
Ken Silverstein,
published Tuesday, July 18, 2006.
It is part of Washington Babylon, which is part of Harpers.org.


Words fail me. More so than usual.
Mel

Thursday, July 20, 2006

A word not chosen lightly. Deranged.


You don't have to listen to the Conservative Nut-Job media machine for too long before you hear any one of them say something utterly false, completely illogical, just plain mean, or decidedly creepy. Hannity, O'reilly, Coulter (shudder), any of them. But there is one who doesn't get that much attention, who has passed them all, as far as I am concerned, and gone on to being classified as completely mentally deranged. Michael Savage. Seriously, anyone who could make the following statement needs to be given lots and lots of antipsychotic drugs. Right. Now.

SAVAGE: "Now, I realize that the American left is cheering today. They’ll probably break open the jug wine and cheer that Jews are dying, One day, the "Deutschland über alles" may be played in Jerusalem, and the American left can tear off their masks once and for all and show themselves to be what they really are — which is the Nazis of our time."

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Death with dignity? There's no such thing.

The really sad part of this is that there are about twenty clowns inside that coffin.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Meow. Ow.



This is a Manekoneki, or Lucky Cat, from Japan. This one, evidently, is not quite so lucky, though. Awwwww.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Everest Update. Far, far worse than previously reported.


In a previous post,
http://blacknewblack.blogspot.com/2006/06/please-stop-climbing-mount-Everest-now.html
I bitched about how climbing Mount Everest has become a dangerous, stupid "must-do" for rich, eccentric idiots. I reported that fifteen hundred people had completed the climb, and just under two hundred have died trying. Well, we've passed the two hundred mark, with a grand, horrible total of two hundred and three dead, and I have found out that the total number of morons who have completed the climb has passed two thousand seven hundred. Apparently, the average modern attempt costs around sixty thousand dollars, and the climbers are so focused on completing their investment, I mean attempt, that they have lost a great deal of their humanity. And not just a few of them. In March, one climber lay dying, after completing his summit, on his way back down, 984 feet from the top. Fourty climbers passed him by, too eager to complete their climb to bother to share their oxygen with him. Yep, they let him die. I'm sure they have their justifications and excuses, but I don't care. I just don't care. There is nothing unique, or impressive about doing it any more. If you do, you're an idiot and an a**hole. In the words of Sir Edmund Hillary: "On my expedition, there was no way you'd have left a man under a rock to die." Evidently, when you climb Everest, you leave $60,000 and your humanity behind.

More details, as referenced in the first post: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3869295
The total of summiters and deaths is low in this article.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

My thoughts exactly.


Slate magazine columnist Amy Sullivan has put into words what I couldn't figure a way to say, and she has done it perfectly.

"For the past six years, the most prominent Christian in America has been the president. His belief is not of the "God said it. I believe it. That settles it," sort that fundamentalists embrace. Rather, Bush subscribes to a syllogistic doctrine of presidential infallibility: God works through Christians; I am a Christian; I have decided to do X; therefore, X is God's will."

http://www.slate.com/id/2144983/

As I said, I couldn't have put it better myself. Thanks, Amy.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Mmmm Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

History Lesson


The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control.

"The President and the Press" (April 27, 1961)