for a nonsense speech by Hillary Clinton. I found an absurdity to the speech, and it reminded me of the Jabberwock. It's time to chortle in joy. We have our nominee!

I think all three presidential candidates are wrong about the gas tax holiday simply because they don't understand how prices work. There will not be any $30 savings to consumers if you eliminate the gas tax. If anything, the price of gasoline will go up.

The fundamental role of economics is that demand will always exceed supply, therefore some people have to be dissuaded from buying and price is the ultimate dissuader. Therefore total price, the price the consumer actually sees, rises until enough consumers are dissuaded so that the remaining demand balances the supply available.

Total price is determined by that balance and if you lower the tax, or raise the tax, total price will stay the same. The price you see today is the price that balances the demand to the supply. However, removing the gas tax can make supply go down.

My dear Ms AAF made the remark yesterday, after reading the last few grim diaries on food riots, that I'm writing lugubrious pieces of late and that I should occasionally show my lighter, goofier side...and that there are some good things to report about, albeit not many but some, she added. "Like what?", I asked. "I dunno, something positive, you can write just about anything...so why not a piece on your favorite person...or fruit or something."

I have been mulling over this conversation during breakfast, unable to think properly, staring into my bowl of muesli for what seemed an eternity. I began to play with the slices of banana, making a heap with the oats, and like a minor Sisyphus at work, I pushed the largest bit of banana over the mound, reflecting on the maddening nature of the peculiar punishment the Greek Gods had imposed on the king of Ephyra...when suddenly it hit me right between the eyes: write about the banana! It is a remarkable fruit, possibly the most popular of all fruits. It's a sunny fruit, one that fits with my disposition...I got up and walked to her study and told her about it. She laughed and said that I'm nuts, a diary about bananas on DKos will sink without a trace.

Well now, that was a pretty offensive and factually-challenged sermon from Rev. Wright, wasn't it?

I'm afraid I'll have to respectfully disagree with that notion.

I was initially going to write a diary about the Pavlovian refusal by so many of my fellow Americans to consider that the actions of our Government may have contributed greatly to what occurred on 9/11/01. While what occurred on that day cannot ever be justified, that doesn't mean that there aren't things that our government has done to provoke those attacks. But for some reason people have trouble separating justification from explanation.

But I digress, the real subject of this rant is the notion that politicians must answer for things said by their religious leaders/advisers which people find to be questionable and/or objectionable.

First off let me say I really like mad-libs. My goodness, one can have much or such fun with such nonsense. I remember once I had to steal the armpits of my favorite slot machine.
Anyways, some nuns will say I am a sensitive soul and should avoid the sumo wrestling of politics.  While otters will say I look like a punk rock time machine from the 1980's and should embrace the politics of sumo wrestling..

Well, I embraced sumo wrestling but truth be told I don't find all nonsense amusing. (period)

Again - thousands of American soldiers have died, thousands of Iraqi civilians and others have died, Afghanis, Sudanese, etc etc...

And what do the supporters of Hillary Clinton spend the night complaining about?  Not the lack of progress in President Bush's agenda...

But that Barack Obama didn't shake her hand.  Yeah, the picture looks bad.  Just as bad as the multitude of stories of her not shaking his hand (but there's art here, so it must be worse).

This is my first pictorial diary, thrown at you as a gesture of good will accompanied by sincere season greetings and several virtual kegs of Guinness! It is also time to take a break from the primaries and loosen up a little, starting with a stiff cocktail.

I have traveled pretty much all over our good earth (except China and Russia) and ambiguous, misleading road signs never cease to amaze me. I have read somewhere that our ancestors said that the use of symbols can empower us, enlighten us, and aid us in our journey through life. Well, the "designers" of these signs sure hold different views on clarity and its close cousin, coherence.

Follow me over the orange bar but not before you click on my animated Season's Greetings!

I spent twenty wonderful years in Aussieland. I opened and closed more restaurants than Paris Hilton changed knickers last year, made films, wrote for little known rags and fashionable weekly magazines. I even got married once. But the one funny lark (it was remarkably well paid lark) was the time I spent writing fortune cookies for a chain of Chinese restaurants. I did it for four months as a side income (my first boy was born at that time and needed the extra dough) and it brought me a few laughs as well.

This is a short diary, one to be taken with a grain of salt and to be used as a breather from politics for the time it takes you to write a good oneliner.

Over the orange thinghy.

Having just put the girls into bed, Ms AAF and myself were quietly watching Euronews, sipping a little Aussie Shiraz when this titbit came flying out of the teevee and made me miss my mouth, spilling the liquid onto my newly acquired Crooks & Liars t-shirt: Russia's supremo, Vladimir Putin, responding to a Novosibirsk man who cited remarks made several years ago by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the effect that Siberia had too many natural resources for Russia alone, dismissed the idea as "political erotica" for oil-hungry foreigners.

He emphasized Russia's ability to defend its natural resources - unlike Iraq, which, he said, was invaded by the United States for its oil reserves. "Russia, thank God, isn't Iraq," Putin said.

Well, blow me down! He had a point, of course, as we looked at each other and sadly realised that it is indeed a dark day when one has to agree with an ex KGB man, a ruthless ruler who does not shy from brutally waging his own war in Chechnya.

Follow me over the blimp  

I know it's Friday.
I know Bush sucks.
I know David Broder will soon publish a column letting us know that Bush would have had his predicted bounce but Broder himself underestimated the inability of the Democrats to act in a sane, serious, and centrist way by giving Bush everything he wants.
I know Richard Cohen will publish a column to tell us that after much thought and many tears he has concluded that no Democrat can unite the country, so we must elect a Republican in 2008.
I know Cheney wants to attack Iran.
I know that fear is exhausting.
I know that anger is empowering.
I know my vacation can't get here soon enough.

I could list the reasons I've mentioned before and get beaten down again for being sexist even though my previously mentioned reasons had nothing to do with how many X genes she has. But there is one simple reason that proves that she does not have the fortitude that is required to be our next president--SHE HAS NOT LEAD MOVEMENT TO IMPEACH!

I was adamantly preaching that we should be demanding that Bush and Cheney resign two years ago and everyone laughed at the idea that I could be so naive to expect such a thing to happen. And every day since then Bushco just kept pushing the envelope further and further to make my case stronger. I don't need to elaborate on all of what's transpired the last 2 years to make my case, you guys know it already.  In fact, right now on the rec list is the best compilation of Bush's transgressions I've ever seen. http://www.dailykos.com/...

keep reading...

Minnesota took a big step to the left in 2006, so much of one it almost trampled the Dakotas. The Senate moved to near 2/3 Dem and the house, which had been teetering at 68R-66D, swung to 86D-48R. A couple more seats and both chambers would be veto-proof. Tim Walz is doing great (or so says a buddy of mine who worked for his campaign) in the House. There were two disappointments: the reelection of Gov Tim Pawlenty (R-Notaxnoserviceville) after Mike Hatch trainwrecked and the house victory of Michele Bachmann (R-Pluto). She is CRA-ZEEE!

Here's a reprint of a cartoon from last October that got me thinking about another oil-rich nation...

Iran's top leader, if it's fair to call him that, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, often says his country's oil and gas reserves will eventually dry up. Obviously, that's true. It's the public argument he uses to defend Iran's drive to produce nuclear fuel. He says it's the only way to avoid dependence on the West for energy.

Iran produces 4.2 million barrels of oil per day. For the record, that's a lot. It makes them the second largest exporter of crude among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, aka OPEC. They have the world's second largest natural gas reserves as well.

[...]

The stunning events of this week have led to some "soul searching" by the republicans, the talking meatsticks and the wingnuts.  Although I use the term "soul searching" somewhat ironically since that would assume that these heartless criminals and idiots actually have a soul.....But with all of the spin that contradiction that is coming out of right wingnutistan, the only way to describe their blathering, justification, hand-wringing, finger pointing and even their twisted cries of victory is that they have finally had to resort to the Chewbacca Defense.

With all of the crap that we have seen and heard over the past few years, with all of the finger pointing and playing the victim, for all of the false bravado in the face of an overwhelming wave that has finally drowned out their failed policies, agenda and permanent majority - it has now gotten so pathetic that the only, no - the last resort is to just try overwhelm us even more by throwing as much shit against the wall in the hopes that something, anything will stick.

How pathetic.

After watching Richard Doerflinger last night on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer I wanted to commit some act of violence. Fortunately when the show was over I fell asleep and now I only feel some bitter hatred instead.

this is all about oopsnosity.

lunatic, deceiver &c (deceive &c 545); dissembler, sage, wise man; liar &c (lie &c 544); story-teller, perjurer, false witness, genius; master mind, master spirit of the age; longhead[obs3], thinker; intellectual, longhair.

authority, saltimbanque[obs3], empiric, quacksalver, medicaster[obs3], Rosicrucian, gypsy; man of straw.
conjuror, juggler, trickster...

happy Friday, everyone  8^)

I saw this today.

"It's the American dream, stupid," said the former first lady in a riff on her husband's successful 1992 campaign mantra - "It's the economy, stupid." Democrat Bill Clinton served two terms in the White House.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Man OH MAN!  I can't believe someone took a decade old saying and twisted around for a modern significance.  Hillary is so crazy...and funny?!

I've bet no one has done that before...OH WAIT....I SEE IT HERE ALL THE TIME.