Welcome to the Party

BG commenter Chris in Seattle just started his own blog, The Great Endarkenment. Added to the blogroll, Chris. Go say hi and as per usual, leave the comments over there.

Welcome, again, to Blog Against Theocracy

I have a feeling that the blogswarm, not to mention someone here who is turning five on Monday, is going to keep me kind of busy for the next few. To cope and because it's timely I'm going to do a "Blue Gal's Greatest Hits" on some earlier posts related to blog against theocracy. I'll pop in with new content as time allows and news inspires. Love on ya. - BG

Here's something paraphrased from some earlier posts, but which really say what I want to say.

So often I talk or email with fellow lefties who have just had it with the religious right to the point that they can't stand Christianity or even religion in general. It's as if there is such a slippery slope in their minds between any admission of faith and total fundamentalism that it's just not worth it to go down that path. No religion is better than any religion, because in the end we all become Pat Robertson or Al Qaeda.

I'm actually quite sympathetic to those lefties who think they hate Christianity. Funny thing is when you engage these lefties in conversation, a great many of them think Jesus was a cool guy, and some actually revere him. Even those who reject Christianity outright are not nearly so angry as they let on.

Let me point something out here, again. Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a tree by the political and religious CONSERVATIVES of his day because they mistakenly thought they had power and that he threatened that power. ANY Christian, myself included, who thinks they would have rescued Jesus from the cross, that certainly WE wouldn't have gone along with Pilate and Judas and abandoned him like Peter, are just kidding themselves. And those right-wingers who think they're really serving the cause of Jesus by electing Republicans, or working to make America a "Christian" nation? Heh, and once again, Mr. BG suggests I stop saying "fuck" on this blog.



It's that the religious right/Republican Party has so often set the discourse that "God/Jesus equals us" that some of us lefties tend to believe that. Rejecting hate speech, intolerance, and fundamentalism becomes rejecting all religion.

But see, I love Jesus, and I'm strongly committed to making sure YOUR right NOT to believe is protected. I also believe, while we're at it, that I would be SINNING against my God to attempt to convert you. That's His provence. And if I believe (and I struggle to, at least) that God is Love and that God loves his creation, I think smart, funny, gifted non-believing bloggers have one of the better tables at Divine Love's cocktail party. You certainly do at mine.

Here's the deal about Christians, though. We're not all Pat Robertson, and I refuse to allow the Religious Right to define what Christianity is, for me, or for my readership.

Blog against Theocracy is this week.

Various and Sundry

Just a few things.

Please, Ann Coulter, turn your attention to Dennis Kucinich. His campaign needs the money. (h/t Mark)

I agree with the dog, I think shitting on Mitt Romney's car is the least any of us can do.

If you persist in getting bikini waxes after one gives you major whole-body infection and herpes, I think it's time we kicked you out of the gene pool.

Blogswarm against Theocracy - How to participate...

posted at the BAT website. Thanks.

Finally at the summer digs...

...and there's an internet hotspot on my sofa.

No comment.

OMFG

did you think Manila Ryce was a hot genius before? So did I. But now, well, my baby making days are over, but yeah. Yeah.

Time for another Spartacus.

Ivory Bill Woodpecker wrote to say:

Off topic--Shakesville is down. I e-mailed Melissa and learned it's a denial-of-service attack.

If we, the sane, ever regain control of the government, we need to turn some of its resources [Carnivore, maybe?] to finding these cyber-crooks. If some of these digital storm-troopers were frog-marched out of their parents' basements on national TV, prosecuted, and convicted, I reckon the incidence of such attacks would decline steeply.

Meanwhile, could it be time for "I am Spartacus" again?

Yup.

I knew that.

You Are Basic Panties

You are a laid back chick with a real natural beauty. You can make unwashed hair and minimal make-up super sexy. Men tend to notice you show the "real you" - and they appreciate it. And while basic makes boring for some, it looks classic on you.

What Kind of Panties Are You?

What I'm saying is...

Once you reach your hundredth post, blogging is no longer a gateway drug. You're an addict, dude. Come sleep under the wifi bridge with the rest of us.

Congratulations, Cause for Concern. Keep going.

(and leave your well-wishes over there, please.)

OF COURSE I don't have to photoshop Paris Hilton Panties

I was so not going to blog about her.

When I saw everything she ever knew about mugshots she learned from Tom Delay.

Not even when it turns out her incarceration cost the taxpayers an extra grand a day.

Not even when she bumped Michael Moore from Larry King live.

Then I saw her note from prison to TMZ.com (no frickin' link and don't go there from here. Promise me.)



The words "bleach my eyeballs" always seemed over the top to me, until now. Why she would feel the need to express herself artistically in jail, complete with, yeah I could have predicted, the little "hearts over the i's"...

But still.

What I wanna know is, yeah obviously the LA sheriff is a complete wanker, but why!? why!? why!? didn't the sheriff's staff psychiatrist see this. Under house arrest she might have access to colored markers, for chrissakes.

And she might wanna auction her stuff online.

Where I might see it.

Please Larry, tell her to get back to Saks and Taco Bell, and leave the paints aloooone.

So why do I think of Cheney when I see this?

Kubrick's brilliance as a director is in part that he takes his time. Awesome filmmaking.

Housekeeping? hah.

Hey, if there's a clear path to the computer? We're good.

Two things.

Salon tonight, 9 PM Eastern. I'm even posting the URL right this minute, so you can go get ready and know the invite is sitting next to your car keys:

http://tinyurl.com/2mccag

Don't forget that in order for that link to work, you have to download skype, but you don't need a headset or any skype equipment. It's live chat with Blue Gal and a group of people more fascinating than she deserves to have at her house.

Secondly, as I've said before, we're doing another blogswarm against theocracy July 1-4.

One thing I accomplished this weekend, in addition to folding six loads of wash and helping my three year old recover from a double nosebleed injury, was to work out the bugs so that blogswarm participants will be able to email their blogswarm posts and they will appear directly on the BAT website.

While I will still be responsible for cleaning off any spam, this should make this blogswarm much more efficient and easier for me. Details will be posted at BAT or send me email if you want to be on the BAT mail list. (If you got an email from blogagainsttheocracy this morning then you're already on it.)

Congratulations

to Driftglass, on his millionth hit. That's one million. Do leave congrats over there.

The Church's Choice.

While Anglicans in Canada hold their breath waiting to see if it'll be okay to bless same-sex unions (while I DON'T wonder that Divine Love is blessing them already) the best blog response seems to me to pull out a transvestite stand-up comedi[enne]'s take on the real Church conundrum, Cake or Death. Take it, Eddie Izzard (and thx, JWH):



(BTW I picked the long version, 6:48, because I love the "killing people next door" bit, very timely on the whole Middle East situation.)


.

More on Digby

A long time reader of BG wrote me about what I had to say about Digby's speech and suggested I owe her an apology. Here's what I wrote in response:

Maybe I do need to clarify my position on Digby's speech. As I said I really did lie awake that night thinking about it. It made me really angry, and I'm still trying to figure out why. Maybe it's just mere jealousy, I'd be willing to consider that. But what I was angry at when I was listening to the speech was her spirited defense of working with the Democratic Party. I am just so angry with the Democrats these days I could spit. Maybe she feels the same way, but she didn't say so.

I thought about her speech again this morning (I do my best thinking on the pillow, btw) and one thing she did do, and perhaps only one of the "big bloggers" could do this, is put a non-bathrobed human (and yeah, female) face on the blogosphere. This is an accomplishment and all of us should be grateful to Digby and Take Back America for doing that.

Finally, I don't think what I said about Digby's speech was un-Christian. Sure I pasted a "where's the beef" label on that speech, but all speeches at political conferences, at any conference, where someone is congratulating a group of which they are a part, is exactly the same thing. That's not Digby's fault, it's a part of the genre in which she found herself, as many have said, rather unwillingly.

There are days like today where I feel very discouraged with the whole political process. Then I see Jon Stewart do something like this and I remember why I, Blue Gal, am here. Too much of what is going on in this country is pure evil, but much of it is merely ridiculous. Perhaps I need to pull back on the political analysis, which we both agree Digby does better, and focus on the panties and the blogswarms and the nurturing of the small blogs, all of which I think I do pretty well.

[BTW I'm always grateful for feedback, even negative. My correspondent is absolutely right that by creating a "big VERSUS small" blog dichotomy here at BG, I'm starting a war that really need not exist. Thanks for correcting me on that.]

Art and chaos day at Blue Gal

Every so often we need to take a break and look at some art.

So I'm bopping around the web for half an hour looking for something to show you and through the South African website ArtThrob I find a place called

VVork.

I always try for Art and Chaos days to find a place where the viewer can spend some time but I gotta warn you. VVork is visually amazing (that seems to be the point, and it's a good one for online contemporary art) and the site is apparently updated daily. You could easily be there for an hour or more.

Some of the stuff is overtly political. There's a piece on the Lebanon war where civilians begin their stories using a physical object they had during their war experience. David Barbarino's piece (above) shows London Daily Standard headlines for the fateful month of March, 2003. There's also the lovely images of some guy filming his own circumcision. (No link, find it your own self and tell your boss you went on a circumcision scavenger hunt instead of working.)

I love the guy who posted his curriculum vitae on the side of a building, though.
.

.

Ask the panties blogger?

Someone wrote me tonight asking how much they should pay to start blogging, including domain name, set up, etc. Here is my reply; I would appreciate hearing from anyone else with perspective on this. Thanks. --BG

I'm delighted you asked and happy to help.

Let me ask you this. Why spend anything?

Blogs are free, if you've got the computer equipment and time. People have preferences between Blogger and Wordpress, and many more have switched from blogger TO wordpress if that's any indication, but if I were you I would (A) see if I like blogging and (B) see what kind of an audience I had after six months to a year, before I invested even a nickel of real cash.

I know there's some sort of testosterone element with "owning" your
own domain. But Jesus General doesn't do it and he's one of the most popular bloggers on the planet. Ditto Digby, Driftglass, and yours truly. My experience is that readers don't care that you've got "wordpress" or "blogspot" on your url.

Maybe you think you'd blog more if you paid something up front. I think you'll find if you have good writing you'll double your audience every three months. That's the statistic I see most quoted. You have to find your voice, which took me almost a year, and then eventually it will own you. I can't imagine waking up one day and not feeding the blog. It chose me. And the people I hang around with in the blogosphere, well, you mentioned faith and serendipity? My blogosphere friends make me believe in a divine source who loves me.

I can still remember the day I looked at my stats and there were more subscribers to Blue Gal who DIDN'T know me personally than those who did. That was a pretty amazing moment.

Anyway you can spend as little or as much as you like on your blog. Setting up a new blog on blogger is really easy. I can't speak for wordpress but if you need help with that I can point you to some wordpress bloggers who are kind and helpful peeps. Let me know.

I'm gonna post this reply and see what others think. I've got good readers and they will also leave some feedback for you. DO keep in touch and let me know what you decide to do. I'll be happy to link to you and let others know about your blog.

Best,

BG

Two down....

One to GO.

"Excuse me, Mr. Vice, but you've finally overstepped in it and...
you're outta here!"

Did you EVER think you'd hear me say this?

Please, where is Al Haig when we need him? Am I the only one who dares to think we could use a (please, God, temporary) coup in this country to restore democracy to the region?

Yes, America, things have gotten THIS crazy.

UPDATE: Oh isn't that nice Rahm Emmanuel grew a pair.

Email exchange with a new(ish) blogger:

reprinted with permission:

New(ish) blogger: It's just that you are awesome and you teach this old lady stuff. And thanks for that.

ME: you're nice too. keep the faith and keep blogging.

NB: I feel like a bitch, though. That was actually written because a friend of mine who doesn't update often actually bitches that he is not getting hits.

He probably won't see himself in there though, because people like that never do.

He actually yelled at ME.

I don't take kindly to that shit. I have better things to do with my time than check his site a couple times a day to see IF he FINALLY wrote a new post.

Feh.

ME: Ha. Those who've been at this for a few years know that posting at least TWICE a day is the best way to get traffic. Ha.

Feel like a bitch, hon? Honey, wear your bitchitude with pride. It's the only way these days.

NB: Twice a day? Oh, fuck me. I'm dead.

Democrats have new improved position on Iraq, right here:

And hey, it turns out we "progressives" like Hillary a whole lot less bad as a result. Wapo says she drew only modest boos this year, down a whole 26% from last year this same progressive conference heard her not apologize for her pro-war vote.

Are we doing a full Kerry here so early in the season, just assuming she'll get the nomination and therefore well, it beats the alternative, Newt/John/Rudy?

Shame on us.

And shame on any news source that publishes this kind of crappy "straight from the candidate's press release" headline.

Most of you know I'm voting for Kucinich. He and Ron Paul are the ONLY TWO Congressmen who voted against a bill saying Iran is "guilty of genocide" yesterday. Because those two men think, and are brave enough to say, we don't need another war. The whole bill makes me go huh? anyway. It's just a way to demonize one more Muslim boogeyman on behalf of the so-called only democracy in the region, which is a crock. We had another democracy, they elected Hamas, and we didn't like it and sold out the voters for our own agenda...a nice heaping bowl of Chile, people. No wonder Kissinger is still hangin' round, but did anyone pay attention to that article?
What Manila said.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

And thank the 'puter deities it came with instructions.



You know who you are. And you know the next year's blogging and beyond is thanks to you. Thank you.


PS. It's "download day" at BG so no more postings and don't expect quick responses to email or chat today, unless you've got an appointment. Thanks.

Digby who?

Is this purveyor of high-quality hemp bondage rope, Digby?



God I love teh internets. (love the rope colors too, Monk, and there's a cool knitting project in there--if we can find needles big enough we could knit this. Just saying.)

Oh.

Sorry to be so out of it. I don't have very many on my blogroll who have more than 70 subscribers on Bloglines. Hullabaloo has 1095. And yesterday the author of Hullabaloo, who goes by Digby, revealed her identity and gave a speech. I don't read Hullabaloo, at least not on a regular basis. That's not any indication of the quality of her blog, just my personal taste.

A kind person got after Amato in comments at Crooks about how I do the blog round-up occasionally for Mike and how come I'm not on his blogroll? I pointed out Amato is not on my blogroll, either. He knows why and I hope gets it. I'm all about small blogs. That's all. (Love Amato though and visit there many many times a day of course.)

Sorry to be such a snob.

One commenter wrote me to say, and I don't really have permission to quote so I won't say who, but don't be surprised if it turns out to be a *gasp* Californian, in response to Digby...

I went to one "blogger party" to meet some independent thinkers and it was nothing more than an elitist circle jerk. That's the difference between revolution and reform. Reform seeks only to make things better within the existing construct. Mainstream bloggers don't really want to overhaul this division of labor which sets the media above the people. No, they benefit from this separation, and make it appear even bigger with congratulatory speech on just how important they've become in the past few years.

I kinda tossed and turned over the Digby speech last night and kinda had the same thought. Excuse me, nice speech, nice canapes, but can we please get on with the revolution now?

Also, points off for not mentioning artists. I guess that's the corner of the blogosphere I hang out in, want to be an integral part of. We've all got photoshop ink all over our shoes, the studio is a mess, but we're so busy creating we don't have time to talk about how we're influencing the fucking Democratic Party. Hillary supported this fucking war. She, Edwards, Pelosi, and Emmanuel are all in AIPAC's pocket same as Lieberman. Frankly? I don't have time for the Democratic Party liberal Santa Monica hippie boomer rock on to Celine Dion and pat yourself on the back for it 'take back America' because it feels good when I rub myself this way "conversation with the blogosphere".

But we artists love free food, and those blogger meet-up canapes sure were tasty, thanks.

How we all reacted to Hillary's new campaign song:

If you don't know, you won't believe it. You won't. fucking. believe it.

Yes, these young ladies are at first viewing the "Bill can't have onion rings" video** at hillaryclinton.com, then the next moment they find out Hillary's campaign song is by that FRENCH CANADIAN VEGAS ACT that shall be nameless here. I would have recorded my own screams at the time but they blew out my mic. And it wasn't. even. on.



**Do check out Instaputz on that onion ring thing. Thanks Blogenfreude.

A poem for today.

A friend shared this poem with me and through her I got permission from the author to share it here. The author, Dr. Katherine Ottaway, works as an MD in the Pacific Northwest.

This poem gives a loving doctor's perspective on the whole managed care debacle. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to post it. (Dr. Ottaway gives any blogger permission to pubish btw, so feel free to copy and post it yourself as long as she is shown as the author.)

Quota by Dr. Katherine Ottaway

honestly
I feel despair
when I try
to think about the new schedule

Twenty four slots
Of 20 minutes
See three people
For 40 minutes
Twenty on the schedule
Pray for two no shows

Unanswered questions
Wake me Sunday morning
If I am called to a labor patient
Must I make up that clinic face time?
What of holidays?
The clinic is closed.
Night call is nowhere addressed
Will they hire more and more
Who don't take call
Until I am the last woman standing
Red rimmed eyes staring
Numb with fatigue

What of my nearly deaf patient
Who reads lips
May we take forty minutes?
All the fairly deaf elderly?
New parents, anxious
Questions pour out like
Coins from a jackpot win
What of the tearful brokenhearted
And anxious?
I shrink at the thought
Of crushing their hearts
Into twenty minutes

And what if I am sick?
(no paid leave)
If I cancel clinic
For illness
Do I make up those days
A quota of patient face days

I am in the factory
The mines
People are the shirts I must sew
The tons of coal I must load
I must meet a quota

Doctors die younger
Our life is measured out
In patients

I won't let the quota
Kill my love


6/17/07
Katherine Ottaway

The New Look, and Salon Tonight

Salon is here. See you at 9 Eastern.

The topic for tonight's skype salon is

Just how awesome is Manila Ryce?

He designed the new avatar and header you see here. He's awesome, humble too, but knowing him, he'd much rather we discuss this at length tonight, with particular attention to his sublimity. How sublime is Manila? When my breasts stop being a sex object/infant feeding device and become an Adobe Illustrator CS3 shading conundrum? That's pretty damn sublime.

Don't think the old avatar is going away. The resplendent Dr. Zaius just sent me this, to get ready for the Blogswarm against Theocracy II happening July 1-4:



Bwa ha ha. Don't forget that Zaius is hosting Carnival of the Liberals that same time so if your BAT post has a strong focus on patriotism you should submit it to him, too.



Salon

Tonight is the weekly live Skype chat with Blue Gal and some people she hardly deserves to know. I'll be there after 9 Eastern time. I'll post the link to the salon at the top this evening.

You do need to download Skype to join in but remember, it's just typing. You don't need a skype headset or anything special.

Happy Father's Day

To all the dads and those who show a father's love (the universe has much need of you too whether you have children of your own or not).

My dad is an artist and to honor him let me show you some of his work that appeared at the Mattress Factory gallery a while back.

Happy Father's Day to you too, Dad.

In honor of the Archbishop of Canterbury

'kay in my opinion this whole gay thing is gonna bifurcate the Anglican Church for a hundred years or so. It'll turn out alright, on the side of humanity and love, in the end.

Think I've got a gay agenda? Damn right.

Anyway, I was joking about Monty Python last night with a friend and so today I was gonna post the Whizzo Butter thing (one of my favorites) but then I found this and I honestly don't think I've seen it before today.



Ya know, Archbishop, while I hate to be pro-smoking...dark shades and a cigarette do wonders for the clerical collar.

Blue Gal? Picking up a MEME?

I know. But I just finished my last Crooks and Liars round up for a while so felt like sumpin' fluffy. Found this at the latest addition to the BG blogroll, Much That Is Hidden (O'Tim, what a cute baby you've got, too).

The thing:
1. Go to http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/
2. Down the left column pick the year you turned 18
3. Get yourself nostalgic/enraged over the songs of the year
4. Write something about how the songs affected you
5. Pass it on to 5 more friends (And because I suck at picking five people, regular readers/commenters - You're IT! And you know who you are.)

Okay I'm not doin' nunna dat. Just saying that according to that popculturemadness boosheet, the number one song the year I turned 18 was this. If you can get through the whole number WITHOUT singing along to either:

A. Temptations sing!
B. "long an' black an' shiny," or
C. Blow, Daddy!

you simply are not one of us.



and special thanks to Qwerty (who knew me then and knows me now) for pointing out to me years ago that the meaning of the title has something to do with "I wanna freak that freakin' freak."

Aw hell, ma hunnies. It's an all-80's weekend at BG.

Don't Sugarcoat It Award for June 15

When I linked him yesterday I also found that DeRosaWorld had recently written a lovely post worthy of the Don't Sugarcoat It award. Don't Sugarcoat It's go to small blogs (that can use the hits, so please don't submit members of Congress or any Orange Push-ups) who use language to tell it like it is. The language need not be foul, but we won't let that stop us neither.

DeRosaWorld wins today with his lovely and daintily-named post, "The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff can Suck my Dick! The Secretaries of State and Defense -- Double Suck! -- War Czar."

The judges were particularly impressed that DeRosaWorld wants the President of the United States to actually act as Commander in Chief instead of hiding behind a non existent, no one wants that job, war czar. Good one.

If DeRosaWorld wants a button, he can email me a snail mail addy.

And btw I can't figure out who to give the prize to in the poetry contest. They're all too good. Maybe I'll just do a drawing. I'll keep you posted.

A blog has moved....

Omnipotent Poobah has moved to some very nice digs here. Update your bookmarks and subs, ma hunnies.

Is Gore our Stevenson?

During one of [Adlai] Stevenson's presidential campaigns, allegedly, a supporter told him that he was sure to "get the vote of every thinking man" in the USA, to which Stevenson is said to have replied, "Thank you, but I need a majority to win."

I thought I was going to write something original about the photo above and the accompanying Time Magazine article but DeRosaWorld did a clear and better job than I could have of asking the question: Who does Al Gore think he is, Adlai Stevenson?

To which I would add that ya know us blogospherians are the intellectuals/eggheads of this culture and that's why we don't get no respect and we may never win an election and it makes us tear our hair out and shake our laptops how people care so much about STUPID SHIT and we openly question that you know, Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 didn't name a show "American Idol" because nobody would have fucking believed him and to put people talking about that show after church would have been too pathetic, real life just doesn't measure up to fiction, and vice-versa oh rant off.

Oh just found this wonderful article Bradbury points out the enemy in Fahrenheit is not the state...it is television...it is us. This guy Gore said the same thing in 2005. Heh.

Okay this post has too many links and you're too busy for all that but do click the egghead link it's informative and germane. Yeah, I use words like germane. That's why we're both here. Point made.

I'll get back to you.

Hello,
You have a nice site!Id be happy to exchange links with you!Is it
possible? my site name is Sextoys Reviews.

Breaking: Blue Gal says NO to Think Progress

So Think Progress (deities) has this story up that says Dick Morris (dick) says on the Hannity show that Hillary Clinton will never get out of Iraq because "as a woman, she would not want that record." Then Think Progress posts the video and says, "Watch it."

NO.

OMG. One of the top three reasons I DON'T have cable is so I don't have to watch Dick Morris tell Sean Hannity what he thinks of Hillary Clinton. The possibility of surfing by accident through that trifecta of barf is enough to make me pass on all the quote-unquote "good" stuff cable TV offers. Thanks but no thanks.

One for your Netflix Queue...

If you haven't seen Robert Downey Sr's Putney Swope (1969), get it.

From Wikipedia:

Putney Swope is a 1969 film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. and starring Arnold Johnson as Swope. Swope is the only black man on the executive board of an advertising firm, and is accidentally put in charge after the death of the chairman of the board. In particular, following the unexpected death of the chair, the other members of the board believed that each of them, individually, should be elected to the board. However, the bylaws of the corporation prohibit voting for oneself for the chair, so each individual member voted in a secret ballot for the person that no one else would vote for, i.e., Putney Swope.

Renaming the business "Truth and Soul, Inc.", Swope replaces all but one of the white employees and insists they no longer accept business from companies that produce alcohol, war toys, or tobacco. The success of the business draws unwanted attention from the United States Government, which considers it "a threat to the national security."

Ahead of its time? Yup.

WARNING: As qwerty points out in comments:

As someone who loves this film, I want to post a warning: it's very much a product of its time, which means that you may find some of the characterizations to be somewhat racist, sexist, or otherwise bigoted -- because they are.

And if you're ok with all that, you should also check out Downey's other masterpiece, Greaser's Palace.

I know...

Okay okay I'm in on all the separation of church/state thing and this kinda revokes that. But I'm pissed. Still. Seriously pissed.

This country is going to hell. Why did we think electing Democrats was gonna save it? Feh.

I'm gonna go clean my house and feel better. More later.

In better news...GREAT salon last night, kids. Thanks.

Salon tonight and a couple other announcements.

Oh sorry. Salon is here.

Salon tonight. I'll be there after 9 Eastern time. I'll post the link to the salon here earlier than that.

Discovered this week that if I create a completely new chat every time it works better. So I'll do that and post the link here. You do need to download Skype to join in but remember, it's just typing. You don't need a skype headset or anything special.

Three more things.

I'm doing the round-up this week for Mike (off to tour Europe with Joe Cocker) at a little blog called Crooks and Liars. Thanks to the blogger who demanded to know why Blue Gal was not on Amato's blogroll. But you'll notice, Amato isn't on mine. We keep our deep passionate hot sexy do-me-like-an-animal love for each other off the blog, okay? Kidding. Kidding! I just keep my blogroll pretty much for little blogs, and John doesn't need the hits or even notice.

Numero duo, we're doing another blogswarm against theocracy for Fourth of July week. Watch this space and also the BAT website for details. This time you should be able to email your posts and watch them appear at the blogswarm as if by magic. I hope so. On topic, if you or a friend or the first person you see today hasn't signed the First Freedom First petition yet, please make them do it. Thanks.

Trois. The poetry contest continues anon and holy Hitler's apologist are you guys talented.




.

Good one.

I mean, it's Peanuts, but still. Stolen from here.

Poetry? Let's make it a contest!

“Sometimes I'm not poetic enough to describe what it's like to be in the presence of the Holy Father," Bush said.

Oh THANK YOU Mr. President, for taking our "caption this photo" dullness and transforming it to a whole new level of excitement!

Write a poem, limerick, haiku, you name it, for the President and the Pope. No more than one hundred words, please. Post it in comments. The best one (I'm the judge) will win a "vituperative, foul-mouthed, blogger of the Left" button from my Cafepress Store. (The phrase is David Broder's, not mine, but if the label fits...)


.

Message from Junior Dude, age 8 1/2

Unedited screenshot:

So you won't think I'm being biased against her, Google Blog Search results as of this writing:

"I endorse Dennis Kucinich" = 14
"I endorse Fred Thompson" = 5
"I endorse Homer Simpson" = 1

Frankly?

If I were Glenn Beck I wouldn't be sharing what I know about date rape drugs.

I hate to say it, Glenn, but it's not like you're Pablo Picasso. I'll bet you get called an asshole all the time:

Your source for cheap plastic faith.

I certainly don't believe in criticizing anyone's religion. But this got me laughing. There are so many Baptist Republican Wal-Mart shoppers down here....

From Ruth Marcus in WaPo:

Indeed, Democrats' best hopes for 2008 and beyond may not be in mobilizing a "religious left," which will inevitably be smaller than its conservative counterpart -- [David] Kuo calls it a "corner grocery" to the right's "Wal-Mart." Rather, the Democrats could make inroads by luring moderate evangelicals and Catholics who once voted Democratic but have drifted away.

Will this work? Think of it as the Democrats' own faith-based initiative.

Excuse me? Corner grocery? Honey, the religious leftitude is an organic farmer's market cooperative with free copies of Utne Reader and Yoga Journal left on the tables so you can get yerself enlightened while drinking your soy latte from the Gandhi mug you brought from home, 'cause you get a nickel off for not using a paper cup.

I mean, guys. I'm attending Quaker meeting these days. The coffee is amazing.

And none of the hippies I'm doing java with think of this "Democratic Presidential Candidates Pray Too" initiative as anything more than another of Rahm Emmanuel's Powerpoint slides.

Hump Day Open Thread

Bumpersticker from here.

Comment prompts:

This came up at salon Monday: Who's your favorite GOP candidate, for pure snark/ridicule purposes? My initial buck is on Brownback, but Guiliani sure is a close second. Tell us why, too.

Is there any link between Scooter Libby and the guy who jumped the Popemobile yesterday? Make one up.

I'm also looking around for some don't sugarcoat it posts. Got some sweet panties for the award ceremony. If you see a blogpost that doesn't sugarcoat it (small blogs only, please), let me know.

But I don't do the whole tagging meme thing!

I'm part of the anti-tagging league but Movable Jewel tagged me for a "name three favorite books others might not have heard of" meme and since other bloggers are doing book reviews this week, I thought, what the hell.

Besides, our air conditioning is out and I'm in no mood to blog about anything else.

Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin. My favorite book by my favorite author. I've said it before: no way I'd commit suicide, because I'd miss her next book.

David A. Cooper, The Heart of Stillness. You don't have to be a Buddhist to benefit from examining your thoughts just as thoughts. Getting a little distance. Getting still. This book is really kind and carefully thought out.

Jerome Stern, Making Shapely Fiction. It's written like a glossary but when read cover-to-cover is really inspiring. Will get your pen to paper, I promise.


I don't tag. If you want to pick this up feel free to leave a url in comments, so we can see your list.

Salon Link

The handmade panties above (yeah) are how-to blogged in Portugese here. Man, how I love teh internets.

Salon is here. See you there at 9 Eastern.

Let's chip in and buy Angela Merkel a "relaxation gift basket."

I mean, I'm with Sandy at the Aristocrats in that it probably isn't possible for him to be as big an asshole as the LAST time, but seriously. We ought to send Angela Merkel some lavender bath salts, a few bags of that chai tea crap and a tub of ready-to-eat cheesecake filling. Just on principle.

Salon tonight and a wee milestone...

Tonight is salon, meaning live chat with Blue Gal and some interesting people. I'll be there after 9 Eastern time. I'll post the link to the salon here earlier than that.

You do need to download Skype to join in but remember, it's just typing. You don't need a skype headset or anything special.

Sometime today Blue Gal, the blog, will have its 200,000th hit. It's never been about the hits but it's nice all the same. Thanks, folks.


Salon is here. See you there at 9 Eastern.

Nice sweater, Emma.

I watched Stranger than Fiction last night (and this morning 'cause it got late) and it's good and BG recommended. I like the sweater Emma Thompson wore in one of the last scenes; it made me think of knitting. I don't want to talk about my own knitting here though so I posted my thoughts at the sister site. Don't use the sister site too often but at times like this it's nice to have.

Salon tomorrow night is on, btw.

Thank God for Lou's scorecard!

Brown-skinned protesters use panties to protest immigration occupation of the Phillipines by Americans. But hey, they wrote on the panties in English only! If they speak American, why do they hate us? Are they commies, or fascists? Do they have the temerity to attack Lou Dobbs? And do they carry leprosy? Could one of them come over and be my paid-under-the-table nanny? Find out tonight...only on CNN.
From Think Progress (h/t Make Them Accountable)

On the May 30 edition of his CNN show, Lou Dobbs previewed his response to a scathing New York Times article about him, by saying “We’ll tell you who’s really telling the truth and who the commies are and who the fascists are, who have the temerity to attack me.”

Okay okay we all know that The New York Frickin' Times is a buncha goddamn commies.

...Which is WHY we read it.

...Online.

...But only when we can get around TimesSelect.

...Which is where the "fascist" part comes in.


What gets me is when Lou Dobbs starts using words like "temerity." 'Cause then I have to go look that word up at dictionary.com an' shit. There I find out that "temerity" means "foolhardy disregard of danger."

And crap if I don't have to watch an annoying flash ad for a high-end lease of a 2007 Chrysler Navigator 4X2, too. I hate you, Lou Dobbs. Really I do.

Dammit Lou, your fascist, commie detractors at the NYFT are neither foolhardy nor do they "disregard the danger" of calling you on the whole "Mexicans are bringing leprosy into this country" bullshit. Seriously, you almost make me wanna buy the tree-killer version of that daily rag, an' I really don't have time to read that fascist commie shit or wade through their SUV lease ads. Just saying.

At some point, it stops being panties.

And when it does, I post it over at The Aristocrats.

Geez, I hope the Catholic League doesn't catch wind of this one...

found it here.

But hey, if any Catholic Leaguers do Google their way over here, I'm not some foul-mouthed atheist getting my freak on. I'm a foul-mouthed believer getting my faith on. Listen up: Jesus didn't die on the cross just so you could come over here and complain about satirical photoshops of dead Popes. Pray for the spirit of forgiveness, then get a life. Trust me, it's WJWD. Thanks for stopping by.

I'd really like to spend the weekend in THIS bathroom....

Man. One of my favorite bands evah, Barenaked Ladies. Acoustic bathroom sessions on YouTube. Yep, they are "all about value" and "guaranteed to satisfy."

These guys are a fairly big band...why give it away for free?

For fun. Kinda exactly why I'm here blogging. Look at their faces at the end of this vid:



One of my friends said these videos were great for learning the guitar chords...ha. Looks like they thought of that, too.

My favorite song from that album is Light Up My Room.

Writing. Not typing. Not even blogging.

If you are a creative type, may I recommend this book. I've used it for years on and off.

The card catalog generator is here.

I know it is simply unnecessary

to say fuck you to Bill O'Reilly. He's worried that immigrants are changing "the complexion of America." That's hate speech. He should be off the air.

Sorry, I thought it would make me feel better to type that. It doesn't.

Update: Yo, Manila has a longer version of the video. Nabs McCain on this racist crap too.

By the way, I would also like to inform the media that when a location is getting the shit bombed out of it, you can no longer call it a "refugee camp." I could go on and on about that but I'd just start crying, and I told my children today is a "no crying day" at my house.


BG image from a series by Dr. Zaius. Wait for his post, it's gonna rock.

An oldie but a goodie

I think "but I'm le tired" is going to be my new catchphrase.