Republican First Aid

of course there's more!

from the Department of WTF

Seriously, WTF?

Dont try to match wits with Jon Stewart

And he does this on Wallace's turf.

via

quote for the day

"Blaming teachers for education is like blaming policemen for crime."

me

This thought came to me after watching the Texas Legislature try to hash out a new budget for education.
Another thought also occured to me. Why is it that Republicans, the party that is supposed to be so gung ho about Personal Responsibility, is so hard on teachers? What is it exactly that teachers are expected to do when the horses they've led to water refuse to drink?
Look at all the players involved in education, the policy makers, the administrators, the teachers, the parents, the students and the (for-profit) test makers. Of all those, teachers are probably the group with the least amount of power, yet they seem to be bearing the brunt of the blame for inability (or should we say disinterest) of students in learning anything. This seems not only stupid, but really, really unfair.

a suggestion for Democratic voters

Since this year there's no Democratic presidential primary, maybe this would be a good year to register for the Republican party and make your contribution to making sure that any possible conservatives elected to office have at the very least had all their shots.

Yeah, yeah, I realize that there are other, more (or at least equally) important races going on that you might like to have a Democratic say in, but really, considering the extremity of the GOP these days, it seems to me that you could do far more good with your vote on the opposition's side than on your own.

Hell, I'd almost be willing to suggest that the way primaries out to be set up is that only the opposition is allowed to elect a party's candidates, but that's probably result in the same problem, just seen upside-down.

for Boo's Birthday

Natalie time: Birth to 10 years in 1 minute 25 seconds.

My youngest turns 10 today, and it almost seems like it's been this fast sometimes.

quote for the day

read the set up.

sea kelp

all of it here.

video time!

Republican Whisper Campaigns

the full cartoon here.

quote for the day

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”

E.E. Cummings

Overheard:

"There aint nothing more selfish than a baby"

My thought: Except the guy who made that statement.

funny

quote for the day

"Sarah Palin should not be on vacation. She should be in summer school."

Bill Maher

linkage

- Hey, do you like Pac-Man? I mean, really like Pac-Man?

- Before I die... (via)

- Make your own candybars. (via)

- Want to know why America is doomed? Here's why. The solution to the problem is included, too, but I believe it will never, ever be acted upon in this generation.

- This may be the ultimate expression of the mad idea that the free market can solve every problem. No, probably not, I'll bet I can come up with something stupider if I think about it, but my head hurts too much right now. (via)

- The Chrome Experiment (via)

- Here is the future for our state-run institutes of higher learning, how our own home-made aristocrats will control them. This is privatization incarnate, the ultimate goal is control, and profit from that control.

- Teachers will appreciate this more, perhaps: the most popular names for CEOs in 2010. Compare with the most popular baby names in general. (via)

- On buckets and boomers (we're makin' a list).

- You Thought Birthers Were Bad? Seriously, WTF?!

- On revealing true colors.

- Axe Cop videos!

- Art made with crayons. No, not art made in crayon, with crayons!

- Just because black people dont like you doesnt make you a "victim" of racism. (via)

- Republicans ought to contact Mr Roarke about accommodations for the next GOP convention, maybe. Boss, da plane, da plane! (via)

- Is it the Rapture, or is it something else? (via)



- Ever hear of an Armonica? Me neither.

wow

this is just cool

quote for the day

"At this point, can anyone actually claim that the point of cable news is to inform? Does anyone even pretend that is what it is all about? It’s nothing but a game, and a wicked one at that."

John Cole at Balloon Juice

For proof, look no further than the bullshit surrounding Sarah Palin these days.

video time!

Seasick Steve. Never heard of this guy before, but he's been around for a while now, apparently.

quote for the day

In politics today...

"'Brave' (like Serious and Bold) is, as always, defined as stomping the fuck out of the poor, the weak, the sick, the young and the elderly."

Driftglass

a thought

Maybe this has always been true, but something occurred to me today: With the decline of Union power in America, and the returning of Management to aristocratic status, there is really only one way which you can attempt to make changes in your workplace. Quit. Unfortunately, since quitting is, for them, a minor inconvenience and expense at best, it's going to have very little effect. Except on you, of course.

quote for the day

"Around 1980 Americans began to accept in large numbers the idea that wealth should be concentrated entirely in the hands of a small group of people – sure, we tried that in the 19th Century and the results were subpar, but this time there were fancy Austrian economics to reassure us that the rising tide would lift all boats. Abandoning the social safety net, public schools, and the like was a recipe for increased wealth inequality and, as the past 30 years have shown, it worked like a charm. So now our society is less like those we used to consider peers (the U.K., Germany, Canada, etc.) and more like the ones we usually condescend (Brazil, India, and other 2nd World countries with great but poorly distributed wealth)."

Ed at Gin And Tacos. Actually, the quote comes from a post on this generations Prohibition, The War On Drugs.