Saturday, December 31

A David Brooks Photoshop for Driftglass

Because as much as I love Charlie Pierce (they are not the same person thanks for asking)  "The Husband" gets first dibs.  Apparently David Effin Brooks wrote something 800 words long about how neighbors taking care of neighbors is

is part of a communitarian conservative tradition that goes back to thinkers like Russell Kirk and Robert Nisbet. Forty years ago, Kirk led one of the two great poles of conservatism. It existed in creative tension with the other great pole, Milton Friedman’s free-market philosophy.

So tight communities are a form of the good conservatism we (we?) lost sight of in our pursuit of Milton Friedman profit margins.  Oooh kay.   Still not sure if DG is going to write this one up, but still.... Has Brooks taken a really CLOSE look at the co-stars of his drama?

CLICK FOR LARGER

Friday, December 30

Hillary for Vice President?



I call bullshit. This is to remind everyone, particularly middle-aged "independent" women, that Hillary is in Obama's cabinet. Vice-President would be a huge demotion for her. She's seriously changing the world on a daily basis in her current job. Plus, she really likes to travel.


It's not likely she wants to preside over the Senate.  I mean, would you?


"Naah."
  

Ep 108 The Professional Left Podcast

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Links for this episode:

Batocchio honors Jon Swift with the Blog Posts of the Year.

Andrew Sullivan searches for "the real bigot" in the GOP.

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Thanks again Marlene at ZMac Consulting and  Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left.

Friday, December 23

Professional Left Podcast Ep 107

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Thanks again Marlene at ZMac Consulting and  Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left.

Tuesday, December 20

A Question I Haven't Heard Asked of Newt Gingrich

His affair with Callista lasted six years; and he also cheated on Wife Number One with Wife Number Two.  He was in Congress from 1979 to 1999.  Divorced Wife Number One in 1981.   You can say the past is past, but Newt Gingrich lied to his own constituents during re-election campaigns regularly.

How many "family values" campaigns did Newt Gingrich run in the Sixth District in Georgia while bopping a mistress?

By my rough count, he lied to his own constituents in that manner during at least four campaigns, possibly as many as six.

If Republicans want to forgive his affairs because he's too old to have one now, oh well.  But people who vote for Newt Gingrich are proving they don't mind voting for proven liars one little bit.  

I don't think Gingrich supporters want to beat Obama, nor do they have any interest in governing.  They want to beat up Obama, with a stick, and Newt is the meanest stick on the stage, the end.

Monday, December 19

More photos of the global warming snowman cookies




Directions here.   I used something called "Duncan Hines Amazing Glazes", vanilla, instead of royal icing, and the cookies are break-n-bake, two cookies per snowman smooshed together on the cookie sheet.

Friday, December 16

Response to the queries about Callista's hair....

responded on Twitter last night, but here it is in living color:


Christopher Hitchens is greeted by Saint Peter

click for larger to see the look on 'is face, mate.

...who's been waiting for him for a looong time.

Professional Left Podcast Episode 106

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Tuesday, December 13

I can't watch "Meet The Press" anymore. Ever.


"Reporting Newt's Controversies" is not the same as reporting the truth.  I'm too appalled for words.


Oh, here. Thanks Jon Stewart. After the stoopid ad, fast forward to about 3:20.

Friday, December 9

Ep 105 The Professional Left Podcast

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Mika Brezinski asks T. Boone Pickens to be honest about his tax burden. 


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Friday, December 2

Ep 104 The Professional Left Podcast

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Links for this episode:  Driftglass's Twelve Days of Zappadan.


And our audiobook review at the end of the show is this book:






Thanks again Marlene at ZMac Consulting and  Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left.

Thursday, December 1

End Welfare for the Rich Except When It Is NOT Welfare.

A listener to the podcast writes:

Just found you guys two episodes ago. Love it! 


I need someone to drive trucks through this. 


End welfare for the wealthy by Tom Coburn 


 I hate this guy, but this seems to make some sense: I agree that we should end these ridiculous tax breaks for the wealthy, but if Coburn says it, I immediately become suspicious. 


Short-time listener, 


A.B. 

Dear A.B.:

Sounds good to slam the rich in every event, right? The razor in the apple of that article is needs-testing unemployment INSURANCE and PENSIONS. Those are items that even millionaires paid for and deserve.

 If you're a millionaire and lose your job, you are still entitled to collect on your unemployment insurance, because you paid into it and you have LOST that income due to job loss. That is INSURANCE that you paid for, not welfare.

 Newt Gingrich needs to be slapped with that two-by-four as well.  Sorry, Newt, it's not welfare to be on unemployment.  You are collecting on insurance, just as if you got rear-ended by another car.  You pay into unemployment insurance just in case the economy rear-ends your job.  You don't have to go work for it, jump through massive hoops (except prove you're looking for work) or feel as if you are a welfare case in order to get it.  You paid for insurance.   If you make it needs tested, no wealthy individual is going to agree to pay for insurance they are forbidden from collecting if they lose their job.

Also, I like the idea of hitting Newt with a figurative two-by-four, just on principle.  But I digress....

Retirement benefits are the same and moreso. It's BS to say that JUST because someone is rich, they shouldn't get the pension they worked for and are entitled to.

 This is also Coburn's slippery slope to needs-testing Social Security. Betcha betcha betcha.

Once those basic social safety-nets, (paid for by the recipients!),  are taken away from the upper classes, they CEASE to have a constituency that is worth one rat's ass in the Congress. Poor people do not have a lobbyist. And the big reason the New Deal included the upper classes was to make that program an absolute third rail in American Politics, and it has worked.

Thanks for writing!   -- BG

Wednesday, November 30

More #Zappadan Art for Zappadan 2011

...Which starts on December 4.
Those are St. Alphonso pancakes and a real poncho, natch. :D And a reminder from here in 2009, "Some people say" that the Miracles of Zappadan stuff is a buncha hooey, but I disagree. During the first Zappadan in 2006, John Bolton resigned. Then the year after that, Sandy Underpants went to the registry of motor vehicles during Zappadan and got a new license plate with no lines, no waiting, and free donuts. Expect Miracles.

Tuesday, November 29

Is anyone else just completely disgusted at this point?

Reading RECENT articles about people shopping at WalMart at midnight on the first (which has been going on for years) and at exactly the same time the noon people on MSNBC were talking about NEWT FUCKWAD GINGRICH as if his candidacy is a real thing in the world. I broke down and cried for ten minutes. I have a real hate-love-hate thing with Chris Matthews, but dammit I owe Chris a thank you for saying what needs to be said at least on one day. I still expect Chris Matthews to fail us -- he'll cover this like a horse race no matter how big an asshole the horses are, for RATINGS. Look at how long he rode the Sarah Palin nag. I, too, am very very sad for our Republic.

Friday, November 25

Ep 103 The Professional Left Podcast - Thanksgiving Letters Episode

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Monday, November 21

A photoshop challenge: Michele Bachmann's "Core of Conviction"


Yeah, the white background and black lettering make it pretty easy.
Or you could get creative and show how some other GOP personalities might react to it.  Mrs. Palin got kinda jealous and stuff:

What have YOU got?  Let us know with a link in comments, and thanks.

Photoshop Meme Overload!


Click image for larger.  h/t Paul Hinrichs

Friday, November 18

Ep 102 The Professional Left Podcast

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Occupy Cal floats tents over campus.

Verizon Building in NYC gets its own 99%er Bat Signal

David Brooks yearns for that old time religion?

David Gregory's wife is a former Fannie Mae executive?

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Thanks again Marlene at ZMac Consulting and  Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left. PS our listener Kevin H. made a podcast after dark video. Hilarious!

Sunday, November 13

A certain blogger gets her artwork on the teevee.

 


 Thanks very much to @hrmelcher at UP with Chris Hayes for his interest, and to Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for the video. This is tonight's open thread at C&L; a compilation of these photoshops, from me and other 'shoppers, is now at Run Oprah Run!

Friday, November 11

Ep 101 The Professional Left Podcast

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Congressman Walsh screams lies about the housing debacle.





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Saturday, November 5

A new photoshop meme? (click all images for larger)

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

Remember this meme? Well, there's a new one. Oprah Fire Walking with Tony Robbins. Or you can leave Tony Robbins out. I did the easy, obvious ones...

for @hrmelcher, the beginning of a photoshop meme?  on Twitpic

for @hrmelcher, part deux.  #photoshop #oprah #UpwithChrisHayes on Twitpic

Friday, November 4

Ep 100 - The 100th Episode of The Professional Left Podcast

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Wednesday, November 2

Why I love Princess Sparklepony

Because he analyzes the Fred Harger campaign so very well:


Fred is trying to become the "go-to Republican Gay™" for media appearances, etc. The problem with this, obviously, is that nobody wants or needs a go-to Republican Gay™.


To which I replied:


Well hyuh!  If they needed one of THOSE, they could ask Ken Mehlman.  Or Mark Foley.  Or just call a GOP congressional office and ask the receptionist to put "the new staffer" on the phone.  





At least the guy from Log Cabin Republicans doesn't pop his p's.  

Today Is My Seventh Blogiversary

Modesty's 7th Birthday Cake

My husband, who most definitely would not be my husband were it not for blogging, reminded me that my blogiversary is today.

When I started podcasting I had to make a decision -- give up writing daily or give my children to some public agency. And yet, my kids consider themselves lucky that this is not a Mommy Blog. And I know they are blessed by my activities -- they compete for mom's attention by seeing who can come up with the best Michele Bachmann joke. The youngest child often wins.

I'm still glad to be here after all these years.  Thanks for being here, too.


Sunday, October 30

Happy Birthday to my Husband, Driftglass

Blogiversary video from a couple years ago....and honey? Thanks for coming to church to hear the girls sing and me read. ( And don't say I never link ya.) I love you. And Andrea can still eat her heart out.

Friday, October 28

The Professional Left Podcast Ep 99 (Percenter)






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Thanks again to Frank Chow for the graphic and Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left.

Open Letter to the GOP Field - Take Bachmann Out.

Perhaps it's because she's doing so badly and you think you kinda need a woman, any woman, on your stage.

Saying that as she sits on the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and she is very concerned that Hezbollah might install missles or training sites in Cuba (no, really, video is at the link) is just one in a long line of embarrassing and insane statements on her part.

There was another candidate, someone who was doing well in Iowa, back in 1988, who tried to pull the crazy shit switch regarding Cuba.  His name was Pat Robertson.  He said early in the campaign that the Soviets still had missles in Cuba from back in the Kennedy days.

As an aside, Soviet missles would be Intercontinental Ballistic Nuclear Warheads with a minimum range of Cuba all the way to Bachmann's district in Minnesota. On the other hand, the longest range Hezbollah missles are 45 Km, which, may I remind Congressman Bachmann, is about a 36 minute drive from Walker to Park Rapids, if the weather is nice.

approximate range of Hezbollah missile if placed in Walker, Minnesota


To make a long story short, both Jack Kemp and George H.W. Bush called Pat Robertson on his BS, told him to provide proof of his crazy or shut up, and along with the mainstream media, forced Robertson out of the race in a matter of days. It was the responsible thing to do for country and party. But the party of responsibility is dead now, isn't it?

Friday, October 21

Professional Left Podcast Ep 98



Links for this episode:






Adventus: “People are Messy” 


Charles Pierce at Esquire channels Driftglass





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Thanks again to Frank Chow for the graphic and Heather at Crooks and Liars Video Cafe for their help. And don't forget you can listen to our archives for free with no downloads or registration at Professional Left.