A Chicken Is Not Pillage

Democracy Really Sucks When You Don't Get What You Want!

Shorter Steve Eschenbacher, Idiot for HD 96:

'Identity politics and laziness is dooming our Democracy, and the best proof is that people won't vote for *ME*.  ~mumbles~ Stupid voters ...'

A few things, Steve.

1)  As I've tried to point out to you before, the fact that politicians lie to us is not the special knowledge that you have.  It's strange how many Republicans think they are the only ones privy to that insight.  If you accept the fact that most people expect politicians to be lying, then maybe you might be able to make sense of how people could agree with your positions, and still not vote for you.  Here's a hint, Steve, they might think you're lying.  You are a politician, after all.

2)  You tied yourself to the party of Identity Politics.  The Republicans, for going on 30 years now, have branded themselves to an ideal, and begged people to identify with it.  Only one problem.  That ideal has turned out to be a complete sham, a con-job.  People are waking up to the fact that they just don't like 'Brand Republican'.  You chose to smack that label on yourself, and it's pretty damned tawdry to blame the voters for not trusting the brand you sell.  To be more honest with you than you deserve, I'd have respected you infinitely more if you'd have run as the Independent you see yourself as.  You didn't.  No one will or should see you as an adherent to the ideals if those ideals don't demonstrably fit the actions of the label you chose.  That's your fault, Steve, not the fault of the voters.

3)  Now you done told me yer piece 'bout how I ain't gots no common sense, and I ain't no intellectual like you is,  so I  hope you'll take this here advice in the kind spirit it's meant.  You prolly ought not start your stump speakin' with the phrase:

"Hello, Mr. and/or Mrs. Pinko.  I'm Steve Eschenbacher, and I'd like to represent your district of this disgusting little commie collective."

Steve, simply put, voters aren't as dumb as you think they are.  The difference as I see it, between Republicans and Democrats, is that Republicans expect voters to be dumb.  In that sense you are the perfect Republican.  You've just written a post about how voters don't know shit, and really don't deserve your beneficence.  If that's the attitude you knock on doors with, don't you think people might just pick up on the fact that they're being talked down to?  Our Democracy will be just fine, in the long run, even without you.  I sincerely hope that in the next 5 months until the election you aren't going to spend the whole time whining about how icky voters are, and how it should really be all about your values.  Face your impending Epic Fail without insult and with some dignity, would you please?

Right Wing Fantasy

Andy Hammond in his toss-off reflections:

I can't believe the Supreme Court has given foreign enemy combatants captured on the battlefield, Constitutional Rights.

Reality responds (via Atrios):

Akhtiar was among the more than 770 terrorism suspects imprisoned at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They are the men the Bush administration described as "the worst of the worst."

But Akhtiar was no terrorist. American troops had dragged him out of his Afghanistan home in 2003 and held him in Guantanamo for three years in the belief that he was an insurgent involved in rocket attacks on U.S. forces. The Islamic radicals in Guantanamo's Camp Four who hissed "infidel" and spat at Akhtiar, however, knew something his captors didn't: The U.S. government had the wrong guy.

"He was not an enemy of the government, he was a friend of the government," a senior Afghan intelligence officer told McClatchy. Akhtiar was imprisoned at Guantanamo on the basis of false information that local anti-government insurgents fed to U.S. troops, he said.

It's very difficult to move the country forward when so many of it's people live in a backward facing fantasy.

Further Andy Hammond:

Obama scares me.

Wulfgar responds:  Good.  Maybe you'll learn something from your fear ... but I doubt it.

What A Doof!

It seems that Mikey lives in a time warp.

I'm proud still that Montana shed the Paultards from Big Sky Country and gave Mitt Romney the win when it still mattered.

Ron Paul, just yesterday, got 20,851 votes.  That was 22% of the Republican ballots cast in yesterday's primary.  Ya see, kitten, Mittens didn't matter.  He wasn't even on the primary ballot in Montana.  Paul was, and there has been no 'shedding' of his support.  But fuck yeah!  Go Mittens!

So Deep Apologies To Patty Duke

But this hits the nail square on the head:

Picture Stories

Doughbob Loadpants, always incompetent at doing his own research, asked his readers to submit their suggestions for characterizing Bush's legacy.  The Bradrocket, ever helpful, responds with pictures.  Kinda puts a fine edge on that one.  Brad did miss a couple of the important ones, though.  Here they are:

We can't afford 4 more years of this shit, people.

Why Does Dennis Rehberg Hate His Mother?

Okay, so we're all very tired of our do-little Congress.  Our friendly Republicans would have us believe that  it's all the Democrat's fault; after all, aren't they in charge of Congress now?  The Righties here in state even want you to believe that the current state of the economy is all the Democratic Congress' fault.  (Here's a joke for you:  Texas oil-man President sends his Vice President to meet with his BFsF, the Suads to attempt a resolution to high oil prices.  The VP comes back, winks and claims his meetings were beneficial.  And oil goes up another $30/barrel.  ~wink~  Oh wait!  That's not a joke.  That's actually what happened.)  But this post isn't about the colossal failings of the Republicans in their leadership role (dare you to say that and keep a straight face).  No, it's about their hatred for the country, beginning with their own mothers.

I think we have a little insight into why this Congress is bogged down.  It's probably because it's over-populated with tantrumming Republican children.  Case in point:

Every year, Congress passes another resolution affirming their support for our National Mother's Day.  Now, I love my Mother, and I hope she knows that even if I usually am a slouch about the whole arbitrary Mother's Day thing.  But seriously, I'm not alone in thinking that such ridiculous Congressional rituals and resolutions are a huge waste of taxpayer's time and Representative's effort.  Fine, hold the vote and get it over with.  On Wednesday, the House did.  The resolution H.R.  1113  "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day"  passed the House by a unanimous vote, 412 to 0.  No problem and let's get on with the taxpayer's business.  But wait ...

The only thing more godawful wasteful than meaningless Resolutions are Resolutions voted twice, that serve no one but Congress itself.  The only thing that could be worse than that are voice-count Resolutions manipulated by one party for *no* reason other than to waste effort and time.  And which party did that?  You guessed it.  The party of hating mom, apple pie and condescending to Nascar did that; the Republicans.

Republican Representative Todd Tiahrt called for a recount  voice vote, and 177 Republicans  said "Nay", they are not  "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day".  And who should we find here?

Montana

Nay       MT-0 Rehburg, Dennis (R)

I guess Dennis doesn't like dear ole Mom or something.  If you think I'm going too far, just take the word of the House Minority Leader:

House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."

This couldn't be more plain; Dennis Rehberg is on record as NOT supporting Mother's Day.  At best, this can be seen as a huge flip-flop from the stupid among the House minority.  At worst, it is a blatant attempt to derail the honest efforts of the US Congress.  The next local righty who blames the Democrats for accomplishing nothing will get laughed at.  The next local righty who tells me that Dennis Rehberg isn't the lowest form of loathsome party suck-up will get pointed to this vote.  He is Montana's sole Representative to the House, and he just said that Montana doesn't support Mother's Day.  The worst part is that he said it just to disrupt the people's business for no good reason at all.

I don't mind that Dennis Rehberg hates his mother; I just wish he didn't hate his country enough to screw with its governance.

Ur Doing It Rong!

Like most folks throwing words into the Great Online, I don't have a lot of faith that political types with aspiration aren't constantly pandering to our desires and fears.  It's often hard to tell whether they are  sincere or lying to you, the voter  (unless of course, they announce that they're going to lie to you.)  But one thing you can be pretty well certain of is that if a politician tells you to your face that they don't like you, they probably aren't lying.  They really don't like you.  Most politicians are smart enough not to tell voters how much they don't like 'em.  Some politicians just aren't so smart.

This is especially true in local and regional contests.  So imagine my surprise when 2 candidates for the Montana House of Representatives hurled insult at the very voters they wish to represent.  Carol Minjares, The Frightened for H.D.  97 in Missoula really doesn't like Missoula.   In a post about 3 young Republicans running in Missoula, she headers it by referring to the city as "the People's Republic", an obvious (and worn out) euphemism accusing Missoula of being communist.  Not to be outdone in racing to the bottom, Steve Eschenbacher, Idiot for H.D. 96, picks up the same insult.

"The People's Republic of Missoula", written without irony (or any sense of how not-funny that 'joke' has gotten) by two folks who need votes from Missoulians to get elected.  They really don't like you, Missoula, not the town, not the people.  They apparently seem to think that they can save you pinkos from yourselves, but they certainly won't do it out of caring or respect for you.  So, when the time comes for you 'commies' to remind these idjits that Missoula and Montana are democratic republics, cast your votes accordingly.  Kindly show these fools the meaning of 'EPIC FAIL'.

Republicants For The Promotion Of Cowardice

Pete Talbot picks apart the lame attempt by Eric Iverson (MiniMe to Dennis Rehburp's  Dr. Stupid) to promote the GGF, Great Gun Fear (The Gubmint Gonna' Take OUR GUNS!!!)  What Pete doesn't highlight quite to my satisfaction is the shear disdain that promoters of the GGF have for voters.

Through more posts than I can link here (given my laziness) I have attempted to show the lunacy of the GGF.  I have argued that no politician would be stupid enough to think they could succeed in such an effort without an epic FAIL on their part.  I have argued that law-enforcement would  not even attempt to follow such a dictate, and if they did, it would be with the help of military or paramilitary enforcement, i.e. you're screwed anyway.  I have shown that most every gun restriction can, has been and will be subverted by the clever populace.  There will be no taking of our guns.  None.  Not Ever.

MiniMe argues that there are people, fearsome frightening people, who *want* to take our guns.  MiniMe wants you afraid of those people.  MiniMe thinks Montanans are cowardly enough to be afraid of those people ... Boo!  This is an insult and absolute bullshit.  I for one have never been afraid of what other people want, except for those with power who want us to be afraid.  There are people out there who want everyone to be blond and blue-eyed.  Though I don't fit that bill, I am not afraid.  There are people out there who want us to accept everything they say as if from authority, when they have very little.  I'm not afraid of them either.  No, it's the one's who want me so afraid that I give my rights and money to them and their friends.  That, I am afraid of, because they tend to be successful in making my fellows afraid.

MiniMe, the NRA, and other lying politicians and political organizations all want us filled with the GGF.  To them I say, "Bite me."  Worse still, they want us terrified of the scary black man who 'wants' to take our guns.  They know that some seemingly rational, non-bitter people will suddenly become bed-wetting children when faced with the GGF.  They bank on it, and I do mean 'bank'.  They want your money to prevent the GGF, when in fact it's already prevented, in part by the very fact that you have those guns.  The Scary Black Man ain't gonna take anything, and he hasn't said one word about his desire to do so; yet MiniMe will lie to you, for he desires profit at your expense in money and dignity.

Barack Obama has been called elitist because he believes that some folks cling to gun ownership (the GGF) out of poorly thought out fears (bitterness).  But he supports the Second Amendment, and is willing to defer to the will of Congress and the people.  Some of my best friends on the right use a litmus test for truth.  Does someone use an issue (like race, guns, gender) to make money?  Despite the claims of Hillary Clinton (Republicant candidate Senator from New York) or John McCain (lobbyist Gelding candidate from Arizona) Barack Obama hasn't attempted to gain funds with his comments about taking guns (comments he's never made).  MiniMe sure has.  Eric Iverson is an elitist because he believes that he can toy with your feelings and manipulate your base fears, and he can make a buck for Richy McRehburg while doing it.

In bringing this to a close, I would be remiss if I failed to point to this comment from Carol Minjares, Fearful Rabbit for H.D. 97:

So they assembled a list of lefty notables who hunt and fish to certify that Obama is an okay guy who won't take our guns away. Wow.

Apparently, MiniMe's manipulation of the cowardly works on some folks ...

She's terrified.  Vote accordingly, Missoula.

Why I Can't Take The Montana GOP Seriously

Looky what's I got in my e-mail, a missive from the Montana GOP titled "Answers Montanans Deserve To Know!".  You'd figure, with such an impressive header, that they would be asking Denny Rehberg whether he believed his continued support for the Iraqi boondoggle is good for Montana, or will more likely bankrupt the country.  Perhaps Montana Republicans want to know why Senator McCain, their Presidential candidate, can't tell the difference between Iranian Shi'ites and Sunni al Queda.

But no, in a classically retarded bit of 'concern trolling', they want Montana Democrats to find out where the Democratic candidates stand on a gun-ban in a city 2000 miles away from Montana.  A gun-ban ... in Washington D. C.  Not the fact that the national economy is going down the crapper.  Not the continued borrow-and-spend policies of the Republicans, which has put our dollar below the currencies of most every 1st world nation.  Not our continuing military losses in the eternal occupation of a country that doesn't want us there and was never a threat to us.  These things affect Montana.  But, no, what the Montana GOP wants Democrats to ask of the candidates, candidates that Republicants will *never* support or vote for,  is a gun ban that has already been challenged and heard by the Supreme Fricking Court.

~sigh~

Every rational intelligent person already knows that the Supreme Court will endorse the individual right of citizens to keep firearms.  The only real question now is whether the Republican Bush administration has argued effectively that the "reasonable" term of law equates to local governments limiting access, such as to handguns in DC.  Montanans needn't worry about such trifles because our right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed in our own Constitution.  We can, however, hope for a loosening of gun restrictions (contrary to the hopes of the Republicans) based on the SCOTUS interpretation of the term "reasonable".  Perhaps Iverson and the Montana GOP have missed this point, and don't get that it's now a non-issue to Montana.  Or, more likely, they're playing the 'fear card'.

"The GUBMINT gonna take your guns and HitleryoBamamuslimangryblackman gonna let 'em!!!"

What a bunch of retards.

The Montana Republican Party understands and appreciates the excitement Montana Democrats feel about having their leaders candidates come to our state. But it's our hope they will also use this wonderful opportunity to demand answers to issues important to Montana.

I'm sure we will.  But Heller v. DC ... that just ain't among them.

Idiots.

MY GOD! We Are Powerful!

Redstate.com goes a' begging:

(Short version: We need you to open your wallet and give what you can to build RedState 3.0. Go here to help. We need the money ASAP.)

And why?  Liberals!  Liberals have failed to aid the incompetence of the Red State Inaction Network.  Allow Erick (the red) to explain:

You see, when we started RedState in May of 2004, we used a website program called Scoop — the same program a lot of similar sites on the left used. But, as the number of visitors to our site grew, Scoop kept crashing on us.

If we’d been a liberal website, we would have been able to fix the problem quickly and relatively cheaply. The online left loves Scoop. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any conservative Scoop developers out there to help us. We kept crashing and were out of money. We had to close down or take drastic action.

Well, we didn’t close down. We ditched Scoop and moved to the best alternative at the time, a program called Drupal. But, in accomplishing the switch, budget constraints forced us to sacrifice some popular site features in order to alleviate the strain on our overused servers.

Needless to say, we always regarded those “downgrades” as temporary, and we hoped to restore the eliminated features – and to add new and even better ones – as soon as we could afford to.

Unfortunately, we still can’t afford to. But we’re convinced that America can afford even less to have us operating at anything less than our absolute peak potential during the coming presidential election season.

Just so that we're clear, Lefties are responsible for Redstate's plight because  the Redstaters are incompetent at administering and programming their chosen software.  The really funny part is what was emailed, and not posted publicly; but quoted by Atrios (from whom I get this word):

The good news first: RedState.com is about to embark on a major upgrade of our website that will make it easier, more informative, and just plain more fun for you to visit.

The bad news: our liberal “friends” – you know, the ones who believe so strongly in free speech and open debate – have done what they can to prevent us from making these improvements, so that our influence will be minimized just as we head into the 2008 presidential primary season.

No, our Blue State buddies haven’t succeeded in stopping us from improving our website. But they’ve made it more difficult and more expensive – which is why I’m coming to you for help.

Incompetent flip-floppers too embarrassed and cowardly to even take responsibility for their own beliefs.  I guess that's the fault of us lefties as well.  What was that phrase so enamored of the myopic few?  'Society-owes-us-help-hand-wringing-kittens' was it?  But, just for the comedy Redstate  provides, I'm sending 'em a buck.

Hehehehhh.  No I'm not.