Last night was, I guess, the final sparkin' live Keith until after the new year, and since I could use some chuckles today, I figured I'd bring this logo out again. AND, thanks to the House of "Representatives," this image is gonna be permanent & applicable all year 'round.
To add insult to injury, I'm one of the ones that gets to read the House roll call tally & retch; thanks, Andre' - NOT! The way things are going, I will be staying home on Election Day in November 2012 because 99% of those "representing" us in DC are full of $hit, and nothing's ever gonna change. BOTH SIDES of the political aisle are too beholden to interests that run afoul of we, the people's interests, and that's never going to change. The 2 minute 30 second point (approximately) of the following George Carlin video is my new mantra & sig line!
Since we'll get analysis out the yin - yang about the tax cut extension deal passage & other assorted ilk making the news these days, I'm going to again - for a bit - focus & celebrate what makes me happy & brings joy to my life that NOTHING OR NO ONE can take away from me. The gentleman shown above, of course, is one of those things. Gawd, I miss miss MISS him!
A "this day in history" item boosts my happy - happy joy - joy battery, too! On this date in 1989, The Simpsons premiered on Fox. Today, I'd vote for Ralph Wiggum for POTUS!
And, let's wish Tweety a Happy You're - Officially - Eligible - for - Social Security & Medicare - Now Day! He has his moments, and he has his MOMENTS. ;D
It's time for SPARK now! If anyone on your holiday buying list is just DYIN' for those damn Silly Bandz, don't bother. Consider a Cabbage Patch kid or a pet rock instead! :D I'm also damn curious to know if Lonesome Rhodes got an invitation to this grand unveiling. I can think of many specific body orifi where all his gold pimping can go! Santa will hopefully leave a particular "extra gift" for this "lovely" person on Christmas Eve. HO - HO - HO, indeed!
Finally, to continue last night's theme, we've got rockin' grannies! Too...damn...funny. :D
Let's Countdown!
Well, it would appear Keith began his holiday break early – yet another valley in this day FULL of peaks & valleys. Oh well, he’s earned it; this Christmas will be he & his sister’s & the family’s first without both their parents. It will be a very poignant time for them, so I hope they can all just be together & be comforted by all the memories of good & fun times. Thanks to Chris Hayes for "elf duties" tonight! :D
#5 "Battle Dome" AKA "Bipartisanship: Two – Faced" AKA "Don’t Act, Don’t Tell, RIP?" - President Obama today signed the tax cut extension deals into law. And, there was much rejoicing.
Did any of y’all watch this signing today? Was it even on the television machine this afternoon? Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz gets to talk tax cut extensions & a possible government shut – down. The GOBP in the Senate killed the omnibus spending bill they helped create because they were afraid of being tea bagged. Rep. Wasserman Schultz voted for the tax cut extension deal. BOO!
Yes, unemployment benefits have been extended for 13 months, but there is still absolutely NO HELP on the horizon for the "99ers," and those unemployed who did get their benefits extended will be 99ers soon enough, AND, we’ll get to have this battle over unemployment benefits AGAIN in the run – up to a POTUS election. Again, there was much rejoicing.
Rep. Wasserman Schultz said the oft – repeated mantra that politics of the art of the possible. Well, when you surrender your best hand before "negotiations" even begin, what is "possible" is a damn bitter pill to swallow. Both Chris & Rep. Wasserman Schultz called GOBP irresponsibility "shocking." Uh, where have they been for the past couple of years? They expected the GOBP to play nice all of a sudden?! Man, I am *itchy tonight, but I’m pi$$ed. I need another happy – happy joy – joy battery boost. I am thrilled beyond belief that I can call this smart, funny, DREAMY Brit a friend & not feel like a total moron doing it – especially after my "Happy Holidays!" email today!
The DREAM Act may or may not see meaningful action this weekend; I still refuse to hold out hope for DADT repeal until a vote’s taken & there’s a roll call tally I can see. The new START treaty? Well... Alex Nicholson is back to talk possible DADT repeal. Chris isn’t holding his breath, either! ;D We should all know by now that just because someone goes for cloture doesn’t mean they’ll vote for passage, and, again, I wouldn’t put it past Senator DADT Bull Conner McCentury to get up there & bemoan & yak for hours on end; and, not a damn person could stop him if he decided to do just that. Mr. Nicholson gave DADT repeal "MVP Awards" to Rep. Patrick Murphy (who’s out of a job in a couple weeks), Joementum, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Mark Udall, Senator Kristen Gillibrand, and their respective staffs.
#4 "Muslim Inquiry" - Rep. Peter King is salivating at the chance to investigate Muslim Americans. He will be the Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. Thank you, November American electorate!
An FBI informant was so aggressive about jihad talk that the Muslim group in CA he was supposed to be infiltrating issued a restraining order against him. Muslims have actually helped to foil 10 terrorist plots since October 2001! Zahra Billoo discussed her less – than – hopeful feelings about the possible hearings. She sees another McCarthyism possibility directed toward the Islamic community in this country.
** Hey – hey – HEY! Now, Chris Hayes is getting into my diary drafts??!! THIEF! :D I thought of The Simpsons before he did!! 2 thieves walked into a Turkish jewelry store; the store owner tackled the guys through the window. WOW! Can this guy come to this country & teach the Dems how to fight? An American robber needed to be a bit more aware of his surroundings; there was a cop right behind him during the attempt. Someone drove through a restaurant – not in the drive thru area – actually THROUGH A RESTAURANT! **
#3 "FAUX News" - Someone actually got a study funded to show that viewers of FAUX News are more misinformed than most people are?! Lordy, I am SO in the wrong line of work. I could’ve told that person that fact MONTHS ago, and I would’ve worked for probably WAY more cheaply. FAUX viewers tended to believe the following – based on the University of Maryland poll: the stimulus package causes job loss, the stimulus package didn’t include tax cuts, income taxes have gone up, HCR will increase the deficit, scientists aren’t totally convinced about climate change, and most of the GOBP opposed TARP.
MSNBC viewers believe the Anti – Chamber of Commerce helped to fund GOBP candidates. Ari Rabin – Havt works for Media Matters. FAUX News employees – all of them – are in on this culture of misinformation, and it’s a political strategy. The lie of the year 2010 has been identified as the supposed "government takeover of health care." Guess who helped push THAT memo? The FAUX News response was very typical of FAUX News – dismissive of those who created the study.
#2 "GOP Hypocrisy" AKA "Worst Responders" - The Senate GOBP has said clearly & without ambivalence that we just can’t afford to provide health care to 9/11 first responders. Giving tax cuts extensions to the super rich that will grow our deficit & put us more in the financial soup with China & various unknown powers in the Middle East is both hunky & dory.
As I’m sure we all know by now, Jon Stewart WENT TO TOWN on this issue.
#1 "Dear Santa..." AKA "Letters to Santa" - A lot of letters to Santa are asking for clothing, jobs, school supplies, etc. MSNBC is donating $10,000 to the families mentioned in the letters read by the post office worker in Chicago. Other families & information can be found on Countdown’s website.