Look, we live in a tumultuous time. The markets are chaotic, peace in the middle east continues to evade the best and brightest of us, and Jack Bauer still can't seem to catch a break until the 23rd hour. But through it all, we look for the staples, the mainstays, the foundational institutions to which we might cling and find some sense of normalcy. Understandably, one of those beacons of hope is this blog.
Which is why I've decided to make some changes. Today will be the last day that you'll find my random thoughts and musings on oblogmyblog.blogspot.com. Over the last two weeks or so I have been diligently planning and working for as many as 2 hours a day to bring you...
New blog (created using WordPress), same great satisfying flavor. I'll leave this site up for those who, drunk with nostalgia, want to relive some of my greatest hits (I was watching this Michael Goldfarb flap the other day and it made me smile). Ne'ertheless, make like a tree and click on the link above to enter into the new era of unnecessary commentary from your favorite curmudgeon.
Oh, you haven't heard of them? Well, take a listen...
The song, called "A Child is Born", is an original written by Mark - you can here more of his stuff on his website. The three of us are the core musicians at our church, and this video is from the Advent concert. If I find a longer clip somewhere I'll put it up.
Full post and comments here...
...since last I posted. Following the historic and overwhelming election of Obama I needed to take a break - you know, sit back, relax with a cold glass of Turkey Hill Southern Brew Iced Tea (yeah Ben!), and figure out what to blog about next. And then, while flipping channels last night, I saw this clip on Olbermann's show...
She's baaa-aaaack... And nuttier than ever!
An urban legend? Seriously?! Is Rep. Bachmann truly under the impression that a bunch of high school kids invented her comments about Obama and the "anti-American" members of Congress for the purpose of scaring awkward freshmen and the voting public? I don't remember any mention of her in the movie.
I think it is of utmost importance - paramount, I say - that someone pulls Ms. Bachmann aside and explains to her that YouTube has exposed her for the blithering idiot (move over, Sarah Palin). WE HAVE THE TAPE, BACHMANN! I understand that this is the fourth or fifth iteration of her making excuses to explain off why she said something stupid out loud while wearing a microphone and being televised across the nation, but c'mon... I am simply in awe of the personal fortitude and firmness required to blatantly and unequivocally deny making statements that you quite obviously made, and not that long ago.
...pointing out all of the disloyal, anti-American, multicultural-loving socialists/communists/Marxists.
You would think that after witnessing the progression of Michelle Bachmann's FIM disease (from which Joe Biden suffers occasional bouts), folks would be especially careful to get lots of sleep, plenty of fluids, and change out the filter between their brains and their pieholes regularly.
It appears Joe the Plumber-turned-McCain-surrogate-and-possible-future-Congressman failed to follow the doctor's orders...
It'd be interesting to see if he could handle an interview somewhere other than FOX news.
Full post and comments here...
According to Nate Silver over at www.fivethirtyeight.com and his fancy (and relatively accurate) model, there are fewer and fewer scenarios in which that will be the headline tomorrow night/Wednesday morning. His post is definitely worth taking a look at in its entirety (it's not long at all with lots of nice visuals), but for the lackadaisical, here's the gist:
Also, there are some states that truly do appear to be "must-wins" for McCain. In each and every one of the 624 victory scenarios [out of 10,000 possible] that the simulation found for him this afternoon, McCain won Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Indiana and Montana. He also picked up Ohio in 621 out of the 624 simulations, and North Carolina in 622 out of 624. If McCain drops any of those states, it's pretty much over.
The partisans and pundits can predict and pontificate all they want - I'm putting my money on the computer simulation.
Full post and comments here...
Doesn't that just sound like a banner neoconservatives would loooove to wave at McCain rallies. "Look at their names! There's no way he could be pro-Israel, right?"
Wrong morons.
Anyway, this post is in regards to a previous post in which I shared my latest frustrations with the McCain camp and its newest attempts at "guilt by association", using Obama's relationship with Palestinian college professor, and alleged former PLO spokesman, Rashid Khalidi. I was engaging in my morning screening of blogs and came across an article by Jeffrey Goldberg responding to this post by Joe Klein, in which Klein also defends Obama's friendship with Khalidi by engaging in a bit of wordplay. Goldberg disagreed with Klein's assertions about "semites" and "anti-semites", but he did have the following to say specifically about Khalidi:
But about Khalidi -- he's a fierce partisan of the Palestinian cause, of course, and in my conversations with him, and in his writing, I see that his sympathies frequently cause him to distort Middle East history. But an anti-Semite? I don't think so. In fact, Rashid Khalidi is one of the rare Palestinian advocates who argues, as he has with me, that Arabs must study Jewish history, including and especially the history of Jew-hatred, in order to better understand Israel, and to reach a compromise with it.
Food for thought.
UPDATE: I just found the footage of Michael Goldfarb, a national spokesman for McCain's campaign, talking about Khalidi with Rick Sanchez of CNN. Take a look...
Let me spell out exactly what the tail end of that dialogue looked like:
SANCHEZ: Now, is the -- I need to parse this out as best I can from you, Michael. The fact that John McCain's organization gave $448,000 to this group that was founded by Mr. Khalidi, is there no reason for some to be critical of as well just as some might be critical of Barack Obama for being at a meeting with some girl read a poem for example?
GOLDFARB: Look. You are missing the point again, Rick. The point is that Barack Obama has a long track record of being around anti-Semitic and anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric.
SANCHEZ: Can you name one other person besides Khalidi who he hangs around that is anti-Semitic?
GOLDFARB: Yes, he pals around with William Ayers.
SANCHEZ: No, no, the question I asked you is that can you name one other person who he hangs around with who is anti-Semitic? Because that is what you said.
GOLDFARB: Look, we know there are people who Barack Obama has been in hot water--
SANCHEZ: Michael, I asked you the name one person. One.
GOLDFARB: Rick --
SANCHEZ: You said he hangs around with people who are anti-Semitic. Okay. Khalidi and name other people that we all know about?
GOLDFARB: And rick, we both know who number two is.
SANCHEZ: Who? Would you tell us?
GOLDFARB: No, Rick, I think we all know who we are talking about here.
SANCHEZ: Somebody who is anti-Semitic that he hangs around with.
GOLDFARB: I think we all know who we are talking about.
SANCHEZ: Say it.
GOLDFARB: I think we all know who we're talking about, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, you say that his policies differ from Barack Obama and many other people, and either way, we have the leave it at that.
John McCain should worry less about Obama's association with Khalidi and more about his own association with this...unsavory character.
Full post and comments here...
Always at the End
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There’s a classic Matt Drudge, Gloria Allred, and Internet Freak Show
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