From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
Questions Worth Re-Asking
Why did the president sit in that Florida classroom for several minutes after being told "America is under attack"?
Why did Rudy Giuliani put the anti-terrorism command center in the World Trade Center against the advice of experts who knew better?
Could there be any greater examples of heroism than the passengers who fought back on Flight 93, the rescue teams at the Pentagon, or the NYPD and NYFD responders who ran into the towers without hesitation because "It's my job"?
Father Mychal Judge: Saint...or Supersaint?
-
Why did firefighters have faulty radios instead of dependable ones, Mr. Giuliani?
Was it really necessary for the president to tell us to go shopping?
Why were rescue workers at Ground Zero told by the EPA director that the air was safe to breathe when it wasn't?
When rescue workers got horribly sick from breathing contaminated air, why were so many given perfunctory treatment and then left to fend for themselves?
Why did Rudy Giuliani say he "was at the site as often, if not more, than most of the workers," when he only visited the site for 29 hours over a span of 41 visits?
-
When Glenn Beck---one of the most respected figures in the Republican party---said, "When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh shut up!' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining," why wasn't he banished into obscurity?
-
When the president stressed the importance of safeguarding our ports and vital infrastructure, why did he take so long actually get started? Are they much safer today?
When the president called for greater security at airports, why was there such a lopsided focus on passengers and very little on cargo?
When we found out that most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, why did the president continue holding hands (literally) with their leaders?
Why were habeas corpus rights suspended years after the attacks of 9/11, when the country wasn't in a state of rebellion or invasion?
When Congress found out the president had broken the law before 9/11 by snooping on American citizens without warrants, why did they patch up the law to make his---and the phone companies'---illegal activities retroactively legal?
Bush nominated Bernard Kerik to be the head of Homeland Security...and he wasn't joking???
-
When Ann Coulter---one of the most respected figures in the Republican party---said, "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much," why wasn't she banished into obscurity?
-
When Bush had bin Laden in his sights at Tora Bora, why didn’t he take the shot?
Why were we told repeatedly that Saddam Hussein was a co-conspirator in the attacks when he had nothing to do with them?
When we needed more troops to vanquish the Taliban in Afghanistan, why did we invade Iraq?
How unspeakably crude was it for the Republican party to exploit the 9/11 attacks in a promotional video during their convention last year in St. Paul?
-
When Jerry Falwell got on TV and said, "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen'," why wasn't he defrocked and sent to work in soup kitchens for the rest of his life?
Is it possible to adequately express the importance of the work done by Beverly Eckert on behalf of truth, accountability and transparency?
-
What's going on at Ground Zero?
-
Are terrorists pricks, or what?
-
Are politicians who use fear to scare citizens into submission pricks, or what?
-
Will the shock of that day ever wear off?
-
C&J starts---and lightens up---down below...
Cheers and Jeers for Friday, September 11, 2009
Note: ALERT---There will be no C&J on Monday. But I shall gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
-
By the Numbers:
Days 'til the Autumnal Equinox: 11
Days `til ¡Globalquerque!: 14
Average decline in the size of new U.S. homes being built: -7%
(Source: CNN via The Week)
Number of U.S. veterans mistakenly (a "clerical error" they say) told by the VA that they had Lou Gehrig's disease: 1,200
(Source: Time)
Percent of Europeans who support President Obama’s handling of foreign policy: 77%
Percent of Europeans who supported President Bush’s handling of foreign policy in 2008: 19%
Number of words in the quote, "The Obama bounce is huge": 5
(Source: Transatlantic Trends survey via Politico)
And from the Department of Homeland Security:
Days the color-coded federal terror alert system has been in place: 2,740
Days spent at terror alert level Blue or Green: 0
-
Puppy Pic of the Day: And now...a French bulldog puppy's impression of the current state of the Republican party.
-
CHEERS to pennies sacks of Franklins from Heaven. Can you even imagine what it must be like to be South Carolina Democratic congressional candidate Rob Miller right now? One day your campaign is plodding along, trying to generate some attention, and the next day you're getting an avalanche of donations---close to a million bucks, a quarter of which was given by the Daily Kos community---all thanks to two words that slipped from the lips of your opponent. That's the equivilent of finding a needle in a haystack that you didn’t even know was there. As for his opponent, Rep. Joe Wilson, he could learn a valuable lesson from his local Century 21 agent: When shooting your mouth off, the three most important considerations are: location, location, location.
CHEERS to riches beyond your wildest dreams. Linda Lee says she received a lot of cool donations for the Netroots Nation auction which starts on Tuesday, the proceeds of which support the annual convention and also the regional salon events throughout the year. There's still time to get in on the fun and kick in some goodies. My original post about the event (including a partial list of items on the block) is here. This is the donation procedure:
To donate an auction item: Just go to this web page. You'll be asked to provide information and, if you have them, digital photos for your item(s). Netroots Nation will contact you after it has been reviewed.
Or, if you'd rather the auctioneers do the posting for you, email Karen at this address: Karen (at) netrootsnation (dot) org As for the bidding process itself, I'll make a deal with ya: you stay away from the autographed Paul Krugman book, and I'll stay away from the autographed Joe Lieberman electric buttscratcher. Sounds fair to me!
CHEERS to great moments in music. As Beatlemania sweeps the country again over the release of their remastered albums, it's worth noting that on September 11, 1962, the Fab Four recorded their first singles for EMI, including "Love Me Do." Or as it's called today, The Hairdressers' National Anthem.
-
-
Gong! Gong!! BuddaBuddaBudda... GONG!!!
This is another edition of The One Word Answer Man. Pastor Dwight McKissick of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas, asks: "Why is it appropriate for students to hear from former President Bush on Sept. 21 at the Cowboy[s] Stadium, but inappropriate for the current president to address students while they remain on school campuses?"
Politics!
Now back to Cheers and Jeers.
Gong! Gong!! BuddaBuddaBudda... GONG!!!
-
-
JEERS to the 9/12 Project. Tomorrow there will be a "celebration" of the, um, day after 9/11, funded and organized by groups like Freedomworks, the National Taxpayer's Union, and Tea Party Patriots...all tied up with a frothy bow by Glenn Beck and the Fox Opinion Channel. On their agenda: bashing Obama, raising money for Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson, and lamenting about how everything sucks because of that damn socialist "Democrat party." Last night on Rachel Maddow's show, Princeton University professor of politics and African-American studies Melissa Harris-Lacewell summed it up in ten seconds:
Harris-Lacewell: It does seem that this is a shrinking party---an exceptionally vocal, incredibly well-organized faction, but still a minority faction. ... I'm gonna say that, for now, let's just take it as a group of individuals who apparently are as terrified today as they were the day after our country was attacked of September 11, 2001.
Rachel: ...and who want the rest of us to feel that way, too.
Isn’t it funny---not in a "Ha Ha" way, but more of a "Heh...you effing hypocrites" way---that Beck and Co. didn’t bother to make a special effort to invite folks from across the political spectrum to share in their Big Happy Day of national unity and togetherness? [sigh] Back to the shop my lime-green rental tux goes. Again.
CHEERS to home vegetation. The glow box...it beckons. NFL action cranks up this weekend. Tons of re-issues but no new movies of note on this week's DVD release slate. But who cares when you've got this AMAZING lineup on the Sunday shows, all of whom will be asked repeatedly why the dirty fucking hippies are being so mean to America by fighting for a healthcare reform "sliver" that only 80 percent of Americans want:
Meet the Host Who Really Makes Us Miss Tim Russert: Durbin, Cornyn, Dean and---NOT AGAIN!!!---Gingrich
Guestus Interruptus with George Stephanopoulos: Sibelius, Pawlenty, Rockefeller and Landrieu
Face Bob Schieffer in His Bunny Slippers: David Axelrod and the new shadow president of the United States of America, Olympia Snowe
The McLaughlin Group: The pros and cons of SCREAM THERAPY!!!
Bill Moyers Journal: Health care, and the perils of being a photojournalist or reporter in a war zone
Fox Opinion News Sunday: All Twitch, All the Time
60 Minutes: Obama's first interview since his healthcare speech
Oh, and you'll like this: Stewart and Colbert are back next week. What, oh what, could they possibly have to say? It's been such a lovefest in this country lately. Scrape that barrel, guys.
CHEERS to a bright spot on an otherwise dark day. Happy Birthday to Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. The man who put the "Daily" in "Kos" turns 38 today. Many blessings on your camels, sir. My gift (besides a new star pin for your Che beret): allowing you the privilege of believing you're in charge of this site for 24 hours. Just stare at this spinning crystal and count backward from one hundred... You are getting delusional.... deluuuusional......
Five years ago in C&J: September 11, 2004
JEERS to inaction. Colin Powell tells the Foreign Relations Committee that Sudan is ground zero for genocide---killings, rapes, and burning of villages. The response was swift and bold---World leaders agreed to schedule a meeting. Right after lunch.
CHEERS to John Edwards. Dick Cheney suggests that our economy would be peachy if we just took eBay auctions into account. Kerry's attack dog delivers the smackdown: "If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking." And don't forget penny poker.
-
And just one more...
CHEERS to the inside scoop. Okay, I've pieced together the facts via inside sources and secret bow-tie spycams, and here's the real story behind Joe Wilson's Macaca "You Lie!" moment. We take you inside a secret GOP conference room Wednesday morning, where Congressional Republicans are plotting:
Rep. Cantor: So when the president debunks the illegal immigration lie, we're all gonna jump up and shout, "You lie!" It'll send a powerful message that we're serious in our opposition. Got it?
GOP Congressmembers in unison: Got it!
Rep. Cantor: Congressman Wilson, would you go out in the hallway and watch for Democrat spies? I hear there might be some lurking around and we don’t want 'em to know our secret plan.
Rep. Wilson: Will do, sir. And if I may say, jumping up together and yelling "You lie!" is a stroke of genius, sir. Really crafty. I'll be outside looking for spies! I sense their presence, too.
[ker-SLAM!]
Rep. Cantor: Okay, listen quick! We're punkin' Wilson tonight.
Rep. Boehner: This is gonna be awesome!
Rep. Cantor: When Obama debunks the illegal immigration lie, everyone just kinda murmur real soft. Half of ya say murmer murmer; half of ya say robble robble; and the third half of ya say peas and carrots peas and carrots. And Congresswoman Bachmann---you just sit there and look fabulous. Got it? Let's try it on three: One... Two... Three...
GOP Congressmembers: murmur murmur murmur... robble robble robble... Peas and carrots peas and carrots peas and carrots...
Rep. Cantor: Perfect! Nice robble, guys.
Rep. Boehner: This is gonna be awesome!
Rep. Cantor: While we're quietly murmuring, Wilson'll be jumpin' out of his skin yelling, "You lie! You lie!"
Former Rep. James Traficant: This is gonna be awesome!
Rep. Boehner: What the fuck are you doin' in here? Take a hike.
Rep. Shimkus: Um...why are we throwin' one of our own to the wolves like this?
Rep. Cantor: Because we're becoming extinct and we're fuckin' bored, okay? So don’t ask why. Ask why not.
Rep. Bachmann: Look! I'm a walrus! Snorrrk Snorrrk!
Rep. Boehner: Take those pencils outta your nose, you idiot.
Rep. Cantor: Okay, bring Wilson back in and we can do shadow puppets. Remember: Shhhh...
GOP Congressmembers: Heh heh heh heh heh.....
And people say Republicans don’t have a sense of humor. Or a heart. Or a soul. Or common sense. Or empathy. I'll stop now---the list is too long and the weekend too short...
Have a great Sat-Sun. Blaze a new trail. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
-