Things that take too long:
Baseball games- especially the televised Yankee v. Red Sox games...of which there are 67. Yankees v. Mets comprise the other 95 on the Yankee schedule. They take too long, too.
Playoffs in hockey and basketball. Playoffs that start in April should not end in June. The fact that there are franchises in cities that have only two traffic lights (Oklahoma City? Columbus? San Jose?)adds to the tedium. These playoffs go on longer than the first Gulf War. Between the NHL and the NBA there are 16 different playoffs in progress. By the time a winner is crowned in either sport, the Supreme Court will have nine judges again; Congress will have recessed and come back eight times and Jay Leno will have left and returned to the Tonight Show...twice.
The pending trial of Rod Blagojevich. Nothing short of a judicial tsunami is going to get this annoying hair-ball off the stage. I'll pay for the trial myself. Just put this creep in a cell.
Tom Hanks' HBO specials. Clearly Mr. Hanks wishes to show us the interminable nature of the War in the Pacific by dragging us through interminable television, one hour at a time. The battle scenes are gripping but the story lines are hard to follow. Using virtually unknown actors has advantages but with everyone wearing helmets, covered in mud and smoking it can be difficult to keep the characters straight. War isn't just hell; it's hell to produce.
The trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Civil trial? Military tribunal? Straight to a firing squad? Hell, try him in front of Judge Judy, just try him! Then we can all sing America the Beautiful and pack this vermin off to Florence, CO where he can occupy the Gotti Suite for the remainder of his life. Also, get him a new mug shot. There are children watching.
The closing of GITMO. There are estimated to be 193 prisoners still in Cuba. Send four to every state. Problem solved.
Healthcare. So we passed the bill, the tea baggers expressed intelligent rebuttal (ensuring that they spelled "nigger" and "Hitler"correctly on their placards) and now; what? No insurance until 2012? Well, I'll see if I can get granny to hold out that long.
The political effects of the healthcare legislation will be the same whether it starts today, tomorrow or in two years so why not roll it out now? At least the morons holding Joker signs on the National Mall would have a chance to see how it works before condemning the congresspeople who voted for its passage. That would, however, require some logic which is tragically incompatible with hysterical spitting and sign waving. Never mind!
Showing posts with label Rod Blagojevich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rod Blagojevich. Show all posts
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, January 17, 2009
...or can you be a woman President and still have inaugural balls?
Things to contemplate during the commercials of Tuesday's coronation...
Item
George W. Bush acknowledged "some mistakes" during his eight year catastrophe tour as President. Well, if you count the fact that he didn't screw up the oath of office, that would make the second thing he got right. Mistakes? When a baseball manager leaves a pitcher in for one-too-many batters, that's a mistake. When you leave the keys in your car and someone steals it, that's a mistake. However, when you ignore the suffering of thousands of Americans in New Orleans after a hurricane, when you lie America into a war that kills thousands and displaces tens of thousands, when you allow a cabal of mean-spirited, neo-con bureaucrats to mismanage every department of government from Interior to Justice, these are not mistakes; that's reckless incompetence.
Bush 43 was over his head the day he took office. After 9/11 he abdicated his responsibility to a gang of sour, vengeful cronies of his father's who never much cared for the Constitution and saw the attack on New York as their opportunity to run it through a shredder.
Thanks God this national nightmare is over. George...go...and take that sulphur smell with you.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
On to the Senate. Yes, Harry Reid looks like a dumb-ass for pontificating about who will be allowed to sit in his chamber. He was out-maneuvered by a Governor who is too stupid not to know when he's being recorded. Harry didn't count on the introduction of a sympathetic, 71 year old black man who would have taken this job if it had been offered by Bernie Madoff. Race was never a factor in anyone's actions, but the sight of 99 white guys (actually 16 are women) slamming the door on one black man...in the rain, no less, made the Senate and Harry Reid look like the membership committee at Augusta National.
One can only speculate as to what Gov. Blago hoped to gain by choosing Roland Burris but maybe he was hoping for some really good Nats tickets.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Among the names you pray-to-God never to hear again, are Sarah Palin and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher. Sadly, both of these cancers are still making the papers. Governor Snowshoes is now granting all the interviews she dodged during the campaign. Sarah is currently conducting the "Katie Curic Ate My Baby" tour with nothing good to say about the media. Apparently, it was that gaggle of liberal intellectuals at ABC, NBC, CBS, et al, that was solely responsible for making the Governor appear clueless, ill-informed, woefully under-qualified and a bad mother. Most Americans think that Sarah was giving that impression without much help.
Nevertheless, we must be charitable. After all, it's January, it's cold in Alaska. Most of Sarah's constituents are curled up with the livestock. If she doesn't talk to Sean Hannity or create some buzz on YouTube she might be forced to run the state that elected her. Boring!
Joe the Plumber, on the other hand, is squeezing every ounce of celebrity possible from his fifteen minutes. He was recently dispatched to Israel by the right-wing blog Pajamamedia that has some sort of broadcast arm called PajamaTV. What anyone in the news biz at any level thinks this bag-of-hammers could add to our knowledge of the Gaza War is anyone's guess. His novel take on the complex events in Gaza included a condemnation of all news coverage of wars. "I don't think journalists should be anywhere around war." He, not being a journalist by any definition, was apparently exempt.
Please, America, whatever God you pray to, pray that PajamaTV only gave this hamburger a one-way ticket.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Although this blog has never pretended to be fair and balanced, (You want fair, watch Canadian TV) there has been recent criticism that isitjustme has ignored certain issues that, had they involved conservatives or Bushies, would have drawn more attention. Answering that criticism, we submit the following:
Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is getting some flak for non-payment of federal taxes. The details of this are murky but they have to do with self-employment taxes and Social Security withholdings. While there is delightful irony in the fact that Geithner will, if confirmed, control the IRS, there isn't much scandal here. Embarrassing, yes. Damaging, no. Even the Republicans aren't making much of this. As to his housekeeper and her immigration status; please!
Eric Holder Jr., Obama's choice to run the Justice Department, has also drawn some criticism. In his case the issue is his role, or lack of a role, in some of Bill Clinton's dubious pardons as he left office in 2000. Holder was, at that time, deputy Attorney General and decided not to oppose Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive financier. This may have been a bad choice but, it hardly rises to the level of criminal conduct. Besides, Obama could appoint Bernie Madoff and still not approximate the stench created by such legal brite-lights as John "cover up those tits" Ashcroft or Alberto "attach electrodes to their nuts and call it macaroni" Gonzales. Anyone crazy enough to attempt to clean up the Justice Dept. should be granted a free hand and as much industrial-strength Mr. Clean as the job requires.
As for Governor Richardson of New Mexico, this is a tough one. He must have known that he was under investigation (paging Gov. Blagojevich) and so must the Obama transition people. Why the incoming President, especially this incoming President, would appoint a tainted politician to his cabinet, I cannot say. Chalk it up to bad Karma.
Hopefully these comments will put to rest any further whining that isitjustme isn't eager to tackle the tough issues, regardless of which party is involved. As long as we can circle back to some good old-fashioned Bush/conservative bashing, no topic is off limits. Fear not soon-to-be-former President Bush. Your legacy is safe with me.
Item
George W. Bush acknowledged "some mistakes" during his eight year catastrophe tour as President. Well, if you count the fact that he didn't screw up the oath of office, that would make the second thing he got right. Mistakes? When a baseball manager leaves a pitcher in for one-too-many batters, that's a mistake. When you leave the keys in your car and someone steals it, that's a mistake. However, when you ignore the suffering of thousands of Americans in New Orleans after a hurricane, when you lie America into a war that kills thousands and displaces tens of thousands, when you allow a cabal of mean-spirited, neo-con bureaucrats to mismanage every department of government from Interior to Justice, these are not mistakes; that's reckless incompetence.
Bush 43 was over his head the day he took office. After 9/11 he abdicated his responsibility to a gang of sour, vengeful cronies of his father's who never much cared for the Constitution and saw the attack on New York as their opportunity to run it through a shredder.
Thanks God this national nightmare is over. George...go...and take that sulphur smell with you.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
On to the Senate. Yes, Harry Reid looks like a dumb-ass for pontificating about who will be allowed to sit in his chamber. He was out-maneuvered by a Governor who is too stupid not to know when he's being recorded. Harry didn't count on the introduction of a sympathetic, 71 year old black man who would have taken this job if it had been offered by Bernie Madoff. Race was never a factor in anyone's actions, but the sight of 99 white guys (actually 16 are women) slamming the door on one black man...in the rain, no less, made the Senate and Harry Reid look like the membership committee at Augusta National.
One can only speculate as to what Gov. Blago hoped to gain by choosing Roland Burris but maybe he was hoping for some really good Nats tickets.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Among the names you pray-to-God never to hear again, are Sarah Palin and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher. Sadly, both of these cancers are still making the papers. Governor Snowshoes is now granting all the interviews she dodged during the campaign. Sarah is currently conducting the "Katie Curic Ate My Baby" tour with nothing good to say about the media. Apparently, it was that gaggle of liberal intellectuals at ABC, NBC, CBS, et al, that was solely responsible for making the Governor appear clueless, ill-informed, woefully under-qualified and a bad mother. Most Americans think that Sarah was giving that impression without much help.
Nevertheless, we must be charitable. After all, it's January, it's cold in Alaska. Most of Sarah's constituents are curled up with the livestock. If she doesn't talk to Sean Hannity or create some buzz on YouTube she might be forced to run the state that elected her. Boring!
Joe the Plumber, on the other hand, is squeezing every ounce of celebrity possible from his fifteen minutes. He was recently dispatched to Israel by the right-wing blog Pajamamedia that has some sort of broadcast arm called PajamaTV. What anyone in the news biz at any level thinks this bag-of-hammers could add to our knowledge of the Gaza War is anyone's guess. His novel take on the complex events in Gaza included a condemnation of all news coverage of wars. "I don't think journalists should be anywhere around war." He, not being a journalist by any definition, was apparently exempt.
Please, America, whatever God you pray to, pray that PajamaTV only gave this hamburger a one-way ticket.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Although this blog has never pretended to be fair and balanced, (You want fair, watch Canadian TV) there has been recent criticism that isitjustme has ignored certain issues that, had they involved conservatives or Bushies, would have drawn more attention. Answering that criticism, we submit the following:
Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is getting some flak for non-payment of federal taxes. The details of this are murky but they have to do with self-employment taxes and Social Security withholdings. While there is delightful irony in the fact that Geithner will, if confirmed, control the IRS, there isn't much scandal here. Embarrassing, yes. Damaging, no. Even the Republicans aren't making much of this. As to his housekeeper and her immigration status; please!
Eric Holder Jr., Obama's choice to run the Justice Department, has also drawn some criticism. In his case the issue is his role, or lack of a role, in some of Bill Clinton's dubious pardons as he left office in 2000. Holder was, at that time, deputy Attorney General and decided not to oppose Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive financier. This may have been a bad choice but, it hardly rises to the level of criminal conduct. Besides, Obama could appoint Bernie Madoff and still not approximate the stench created by such legal brite-lights as John "cover up those tits" Ashcroft or Alberto "attach electrodes to their nuts and call it macaroni" Gonzales. Anyone crazy enough to attempt to clean up the Justice Dept. should be granted a free hand and as much industrial-strength Mr. Clean as the job requires.
As for Governor Richardson of New Mexico, this is a tough one. He must have known that he was under investigation (paging Gov. Blagojevich) and so must the Obama transition people. Why the incoming President, especially this incoming President, would appoint a tainted politician to his cabinet, I cannot say. Chalk it up to bad Karma.
Hopefully these comments will put to rest any further whining that isitjustme isn't eager to tackle the tough issues, regardless of which party is involved. As long as we can circle back to some good old-fashioned Bush/conservative bashing, no topic is off limits. Fear not soon-to-be-former President Bush. Your legacy is safe with me.
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