It's The "Fear Factor," Stupid!

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Stop me if you've seen these TV show plots before: "Ned Lamont will cause another 9/11." "If Dems take the House or the Senate on November 7th, the terrorists will have won." And there's no time like the president's vacation for a juicy news-ratings "Bonanza" of a terror plot. Blair's got his own "Project Runway," Lieberman's new favorite show is "Survivor," and… oh yeah, big bad liberal bloggers are ruining the country. Are you sufficiently afraid today? Just wait. It's not even Labor Day yet.

Project Runway

Big summer TV hit... but not the one with fashion designers. Here's the plot: it's an election year, Bush takes a vacation at the pig farm, Blair is tanning in Barbados, a British MP resigns suddenly, and anti-war candidate Ned Lamont defeats Joe Lieberman. Naturally, the Bush/Blair consortium that cried wolf so many times is… er, crying wolf again. Maybe there really is a wolf this time, but many of us see this latest airline threat as the result of not doing a damned thing since 9/11 to secure either nation. If you only have time to read one blog post questioning this "foiled terror plot," make it this one from Dr. Gonzo:

London Scare Tactics

The shit keeps on falling. This morning officials at London's Heathrow airport detonated the dawn by making announcements that 21 subversives were arrested as a result of a "covert counter terrorism" operation. This bulletin sent waves through the airport industries, instantaneously making security and screening even more of a living hell, limiting baggage to absolute necessities, and sending the alert levels in the US and Britain to their highest standings.

Why? If the operation of theirs nabbed 21 of these terrorists why is an alert out for them? Were there others that eluded their grasp and are plotting TODAY? Why make such a huge security deal if everything is already rounded up and the plot is spoiled? Plus, it's being said that theses terrorists, who have been caught, we're targeting American, United, and Continental airlines.

(snip)

Releasing all these titillating details offers no protection in any sense. The news I'm watching right now isn't even focusing mainly on the damned plot, they're talking about what you can't bring onto an airplane. And they're making that out to be the real horrifying thing, that you have to unpack everything you were taking. This is attacking the national sense of vanity AND praying on its sense of Fear.

Granted, this plot could've been the real deal. But don't you want to ask Michael Chertoff, Robert Mueller, and Alberto Gonzales (the press conference three) what makes them think they can do a better job this time? Or why we should ever trust them again?

And where's George W. Bush? Probably sleeping one off while the Rove machine tries to spin...

Kissmas In Connecticut

All eyes were on the Lieberman vs. Lamont primary on Tuesday. ConnecticutBlog and Connecticut Bob kept us informed on slow starting times (New Haven) and strange happenings (Brookfield) with their real-time posts.

How did Lamont get so far so quickly? YouTube has the answer. And what's in store for Connecticut? Spazeboy knows. Last, but certainly not least, Skinner explains why the Lieberman website hacking story is bullshit.

If they were genuinely concerned about getting their message out to people who visit their site, then they would put their old homepage back up. They haven't done that. Instead, they put up this BS "update".

BOTTOM LINE: The existence of this "update" page proves that the Lieberman campaign has access to their server, and they could put up anything they want.

UPDATE: THEY CHANGED IT BACK! The page now shows the "This account is under construction Please check back soon. It will be available shortly. Thank you." Fortunately, I have a ?click">screen capture.

Thanks, Skinner! Meanwhile, Lamont offered to send his campaign techie guru over to Lieberman's HQ. Think I'm kidding? Here's the link to the post on Lamont's Blog.

Wait! There's more. After Ned Lamont's decisive win (52%-48%), Taegan Goddard reports (a la George Stephanopoulos) that Karl Rove has already reached out to offer Lieberman's new Party Of One some help... proving that "how low can you go?" has nothing to do with the Limbo. Update: ABC News has finally picked up this story, which was originally reported by one of its own. Duh.

Biggest Loser

No, not the humiliating weight loss show… unless you (along with all sane people) have always considered Bob Ney dead weight. If you're still giggling about Tom DeLay getting shafted by his own band of Supreme Court cronies because of a law passed by Republicans to shaft Dems, it's even funnier that the same legal precedent is shafting Republicans with their eyes on Bob Ney's (R-Sudden Retirement) congressional seat. OH-12 explains:

Sore Loser Law

In an interesting twist, a law passed last year by a Republican-controlled state congress designed to hamstring Ted Strickland may prevent Joy Padgett from replacing Bob Ney on the ballot.

In one of their typical nasty little maneuvers, the Republican-controlled state legislature in June, 2005, stuck a torpedo amendment in a budget bill designed to prevent Strickland from running for Governor AND re-election to his House seat at the same time. At the time, Strickland was still trying to make up his mind whether to run for governor. Republicans thought this restriction would reduce his options.

(snip)

Since Padgett was on the primary ballot as Jim Petro's running mate for governor, this law would presumably prevent her from running for federal office in the same election cycle.

Hoisted. Own petards. Delicious! But how about some new & improved TV shows for a change?

The InDUHvidual

There's no current TV show highlighting George W. Bush stupidity ("That's My Bush" was cancelled shortly after 9/11), but there should be. We all know those Bush words - you know, the ones that he always mangles - but many of us have one single word that makes the hair stand up on our arms. Mine is the Bush-mangled word individual. The way he says it, I hear inDUHvidual. But what if he's pronouncing it that way on purpose? What if he's secretly smart enough to know how profoundly stupid his supporters really are? Wouldn't that explain a lot? I mean, what else could explain the Bush administration's Pet Goat/Katrina-esque decision to ignore the escalating Middle East bombings and killings these past few weeks?

Fortunately, when I begin to feel completely georgewbushed and totally roved, a blogger like Chuckman comes along with art, insight, and... did I say art?


Here's a snippet from Chuckman's blog profile:

John Chuckman is former chief economist for a large Canadian oil company. He has many interests and is a lifelong student of history. He writes with a passionate desire for honesty, the rule of reason, and concern for human decency. John regards it as a badge of honor to have left the United States as a poor young man from the South Side of Chicago when the country embarked on the pointless murder of something like 3 million Vietnamese in their own land because they happened to embrace the wrong economic loyalties. He lives in Canada, which he is fond of calling "the peaceable kingdom."

Visit Chuckman for the art, but stay for the thoughtful commentary. Definitely bookmark-worthy!

We interrupt this summer TV season for an important message:

Thank A DUer!

Many thanks to Swamp Rat for this screen capture:


Of course, we all know that Hannity sucks ass. It's just fun to see it on TV.

Thanks to Unpossibles for this gem:

Blogs don't unseat incumbents.

People do.

And thanks to Philosoraptor, who speaks so eloquently for me:

Screw that Anti War Label, I'm Anti UNNECESSARY War

I'm not some old hippie sitting in the lotus position in a field of daisies saying make love not war, I'm a pissed off old man because two thousand and six hundred young Americans have DIED IN VAIN.

If war is needed, who can argue with it? But this war was not needed, all those thousands of people who died DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE.

If need be, I'll pick up my rifle and join in the damned war, if I thought it was necessary, and so would any good American, but this is not a just war, this is a money making death machine about to explode into utter chaos.

When they toss the words anti war at us they mean it as an insult, to call us weak, cowardly, unmanly even. Screw that, we aren't anti war, we are anti bush war.

Always throw their idiotic labels and insults right back in their faces.

We now return you to your previously scheduled TV fare...

Life On The D-List: How To Bribe A Republican

Brent Wilkes (who's definitely not good enough to stand in the same room with Kathy Griffin) has no intention of going gentle into that good night. TPM Muckraker has a snippet of Wilkes' primer, which could easily be called "How To Bribe A Republican."

Mr. Wilkes had set up separate meetings with the lawmakers hoping to win a government contract, and he planned to punctuate each pitch with a campaign donation. But his hometown congressman, Representative Bill Lowery of San Diego, a Republican, told him that presenting the checks during the sessions was not how things were done, Mr. Wilkes recalled.

Instead, Mr. Wilkes said, Mr. Lowery taught him the right way to do it: hand over the envelope in the hallway outside the suite, at least a few feet away.

Got that? "Republican Bribe Envelope Exchange" should probably be a chapter title in the next edition of Emily Post's book of etiquette, or at least a TV show episode in its own right. As for new show ideas, here's another TV show pitch for you...

It's The Smudge Tool, Stupid!

Everyone is writing about Adnan Hajj and the photoshopped war pics. Lauren's MySpace diary entry, however, is the snarkiest:

Photoshop War



The Society for the Prevention of Photoshop Abuse withdrew all 920 photographs by a freelance Lebanese photographer from its database on Monday after a review of his work showed he had altered two images from the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

(snip)

"There is no graver breach of Society for the Prevention of Photoshop Abuse standards for our retouchers than the deliberate abuse of the rubber stamp tool," the society stated Monday.

"Society for the Prevention of Photoshop Abuse has zero tolerance for any flagrant use of the rubber stamp tool, gradient fade, and the lens flare filter and constantly reminds its retouchers, both staff and freelance, of this strict and unalterable policy."

Isn't the truth horrifying enough, Hajj? Guess not. Another possible TV show...

Blame It On The Bloggers

Corporate news stories this week have simultaneously credited and discredited liberal bloggers for the Lieberman loss and the anti-war sentiment as we near the November 7th mid-term elections. Hey, did you know there's actually a Liberal Party Of America? Their blogger thinks blaming bloggers is pure-D-dumb:

The supporters of Senator Lieberman are blaming the bloggers for stirring dissent within the Democratic Party.

That is the one of the most ignorant statements that I have ever heard. Dissent is not caused by people writing against a candidate. The dissent is already there for the writer to comment on. Blaming his loss on "liberal left blogs" is akin to blaming the loss of an election to unkind editorials in a newspaper.

"The Fear Factor" is the only platform Republicans have left in their arsenal of campaign tactics. Will America cave in to the Rovian "fear & smear" pressure again, or will we finally stand up and shout that we're not going to live in fear anymore? Will we buy more duct tape and plastic sheeting, or will we demand that our elected officials prove that they're doing everything possible to secure the nation?

Fear sells in all time zones, but it shouldn't be easier to sell than bravery. After all, this country was founded on bravery. The question we must answer on November 7th: is it finally time to cancel the BushCo Show?

-- Delilah Boyd

[LTR]

1. That Adnan Hajj pic looks like it was done with MS Paint

FARK had a photoshop contest done in honor of this:

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=2214689

Some of the better ones:

[displacedtexan]

2. Those are great!

Thanks, Fighting Irish!