From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
No formal intro today. Just some odds `n ends:
CIA Director Porter Goss in Time magazine when asked if the U.S. could go to war again on false intelligence: "I would not agree to surmise that America has gone to war based on false intelligence." Jeebus, did he know the tape recorder was running?
"Privacy" vs. "Choice" In my opinion (and it's been discussed here at DailyKos recently), privacy is a stronger term than choice, and we should adopt it to use against Republicans who have become far too invasive of our lives in the last four years. "Choice" is paper vs. plastic. Coke vs. Pepsi. A Honda or a Hummer. Dog or cat. It implies a sense of casual preference. But privacy says, "My life is behind this door, and you stay the hell out. Don't tread on me without my permission." I think it packs more of a wallop. What sayeth you?
Welcome, first-time C&J'ers! Some folks have asked, "What are the rules here?" The short answer: there are no rules. Just get whatever you've got on your chest off your chest. Political, personal, professional, family...it's a little corner of Daily Kos where you can let `er rip without posting a full diary about it. Got a new job? Kid lost your cel phone? David Brooks is a hack or your spouse is acting like an ass? Local Dem group in your area is growing? Let it out. All we ask is that you say it, don't spray it.
And now, a few Deeeeep Thoughts...by Jack Handey:
"How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."
"If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at some guys, throw one of those little baby-type pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think of how crazy war is and while they're thinking, you can throw a real grenade."
"I wish outer-space guys would conquer Earth and make people their pets, because I'd like to have one of those little basket beds with my name on it."
Yeah, that would be nice. Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, June 23, 2005...
Note: Cheers and Jeers contains no MSG. It may, however, contain small bug parts.
By the Numbers:
Days `til July 4th: 11
Days `til the Lisbon Falls Moxie festival: 15
Days `til Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 24
Number of fatal lynchings in America between 1882 and 1968: 4,743
(Source: Boston Globe)
Fortune 1000 CEOs who quit or were fired in the first 5 months of 2005: 64
Number who quit or were fired during the same period a year ago: 39
(Source: USA Today via The Week magazine)
Number of years I've used the same chair at work: 11
Your Puppy Pic of the Day "Do you mind? I'm kinda naked here."
CHEERS to must-see TV. Tired of the lame, clueless guests who have sauntered onto the Daily Show set lately? That changes tonight when Howard Dean goes mano-a-snarko with Jon Stewart. VCR, don't fail me now.
JEERS to focusing on the wrong issue. The House of Infants Who Weren't Cuddled By Their Parents Enough approved a fag-burning amendment yesterday. So we're packing our bags and moving to Eur... Oh, sorry, a FLAG-burning amendment. That's totally different. Because there was one incident of it last year and, dammit, that's gotta stop.
P.S. Have you goons seen your approval numbers lately?
P.P.S. John at AmericaBlog suggests tossing a few more amendments on the pile while we're at it. Those Bush kids bring such shame upon our country.
JEERS to David Brooks. The New York Times op-ed page oddity says we should stay the course in Iraq because---are you sitting down?---"Franklin Roosevelt told the country on Feb. 23, 1942: `Your government has unmistakable confidence in your ability to hear the worst, without flinching or losing heart. You must, in turn, have complete confidence that your government is keeping nothing from you except information that will help the enemy in his attempt to destroy us.'" And that, kids, is why you shouldn't eat hallucinogenic `shrooms before you sit down to write.
CHEERS to 1-900-CLARENCETHOMAS. 16 years ago today, the Supreme Court refused to shut down the dial-a-porn industry. The justices in the majority were the ones with cauliflower ears.
JEERS to bad typos. Headline yesterday morning: "Priave Accounts Not in Soc. Sec. Bill." Thanks, AP...my spellchecker just entered therapy.
CHEERS to Lane Smith. The always-dependable character actor died of Lou Gehrig's disease at 69. He did Nixon spot-on perfect in `The Final Days.' When filming ended, he spent a whole weekend in the shower. We'll miss ya.
CHEERS to `Mission Accomplished...revisited." Cartoonist Tom Toles takes us back to the aircraft carrier for an update on Bush's Lollipops and Roses speech. Maybe if you tossed your codpiece overboard...??
JEERS to Wayne Gillman. A summary of yesterday's noon news on Air America: Top hour chimes, followed by 30 seconds of funk music, followed by another top-hour chime, followed by silence, followed by newsman Gillman gasping for air as he muddled through half-written stories. Don't ya hate it when the alarm clock doesn't go off?
CHEERS to magic words. AFI has posted their list of the top movie lines of all-time. Their #1: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from Gone With the Wind. Our #1: "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive..." from Fahrenheit 911.
JEERS to lame attempts. Five drivers have told the Montana Supreme Court that their convictions for driving with revoked or suspended licenses should be tossed out because---this is the fun part---they didn't have licenses to begin with. Says the group's lawyer: "There was no privilege that could be revoked or suspended." I think we just witnessed our next White House press secretary in action.
CHEERS to Darth Cruise: Sith Lord. C&J'er Joeesha posted this in yesterday's comments. It's too funny not to post again. "If you can not be turned to the dark side, you will die...!" (I know, Tom... "I'm a jerk...jerk...I'm a jerk!")
JEERS to stiffing the little guy. 21 years ago, 115,000 U.S. companies offered traditional pension plans. Today it's below 30,000. On the flip side, more companies are springing for embroidered logos on company golf shirts this year...not those cheapo iron-on decals.
C&J Flashback: June 23, 2004...
CHEERS to the power of women scorned. 1.6 million of `em have been given the green light by a federal judge to sue Wal-Mart for gender discrimination. Their beef: less pay and fewer promotions than their penis-toting coworkers. This could take a wee bite out of the mega-corporation's petty-cash drawer.
JEERS to smokers. New study in the British Medical Journal says a lifetime of smoking will definitively take...[drum roll please]...10 years off your life. Memo to mean people: Want a butt?
And just one more...
WHAAA??? to Crying While Eating. Tell me this is a joke before I start sobbing in my corn flakes. [Sniff...Sniff...]
Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless Testimonial:
"The most important thing in this country is not the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. It's Cheers and Jeers. That's what the Republicans have forgotten."
Howard Dean
6/20/05
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