Mid-Week Song

Today is rock/blues/jazz vocalist Van Morrison's 65th birthday. Honored with 6 Grammys, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1993) and Songwriter's Hall of Fame (2003), and awarded the Order of the British Empire (1996), Morrison's early albums, Astral Weeks and Moondance, were considered groundbreaking works. His popular hits include "Brown Eyed Girl," "Domino," and these two classics: the first when he was the lead singer with Them, and the second a mellow solo effort from the early '70s.

It's a Wildfire! Pass the Tax Cuts!

O.K., it's satire, but oh so close to teahadist/ Rethuglican Reality (see "Cantor, Rep. Eric "Can't"):

"With a massive wildfire currently raging out of control in his district, Tea Party Caucus member Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) pressed Congress to pass immediate tax breaks Tuesday to combat the rapidly spreading blaze. 'This fire has already burned hundreds of square miles and left thousands of helpless families with only one hope: across-the-board income tax cuts and a sharply lower corporate tax rate,' said Franks, stating that broad-based tax relief would spur investment and extinguish the towering flames that grow larger by the minute. 'We must act now. The longer the oppressive tax burden on honest, hardworking individuals remains unaddressed, the larger and more deadly this fire will become.' According to staffers, Franks plans to honor the nine individuals who have perished in the blaze by introducing additional legislation this week that would eliminate Medicaid."

(h/t Daily Kos)

Department of Unmitigated Gall

The ferocious attack by Rethug politicians in Wisconsin on the collective bargaining rights of public employees is gradually being turned back by voters. With Labor Day approaching, Rethuglican politicians are eager for the voters to develop temporary amnesia and let them strut in Labor Day parades around the State. However, the unions in Wausau are having none of it, and have disinvited elected Rethugs who have opposed union rights from Labor Day parades. One Rethug, Rep. Sean "Puffy" Duffy is crestfallen:

"Having walked in this parade in past years, Congressman Duffy was hoping that for a moment, we could set our differences aside and simply have some fun in a family-friendly event."

Why, yes, the Rethugs say! Let's set aside the fact that our party is doing its daily best to kill unions in the State and nationwide. Let's have a beer and brat together to celebrate labor, which we're trying to destroy the other 364 days of the year! Cheers!

In His Dreams

Former (Vice) President Dick "The Dick" Cheney's memoir, "In My Time," is making its appearance today, and from the initial snippets that have been released to publicize it, it's vintage The Dick: arrogant, delusional, unapologetic, and dishonest. His version of events often diverges from those of his clueless boss, Dumbya, especially surrounding the events of 9/11. Dumbya retold it as a "let's get them" moment; The Dick says Dumbya asked him what to do. The commercial plane shootdown order issued on 9/11? Dumbya says it was his order; The Dick says it came from him. It appears that The Dick's most cutting comments are aimed at Dumbya's two African-American Secretaries of State, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice. Under both, The Dick says the State Department worked at cross-purposes with the Administration. A true misogynist, he suggests that Rice was too emotional for the job (nudge nudge -- can't trust those weak wimmen!).

Well, The Dick is gone, but not forgotten. Some of his targets -- notably Powell and Rice -- haven't published their version of events, so there's time for setting the record straight with The Dick.

(photo: The Dick is shown developing material for his memoirs)

Krugman on the "Anti-Knowledge" Party

Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman on the state of the Rethuglican Party, the "anti-science," "anti-knowledge" party:

"Within the G.O.P, willful ignorance has become a litmus test for candidates..."

Why? Because, as any reader of this blog should know, willful ignorance defines the teatard, Rethuglican base.

"Hair"-Brained Keep Digging Comment

Texas Governor and crackpot cowboy Rick "Hair" Perry is refusing to back down from his previous description of Social Security as an unconstitutional "ponzi scheme." Doubling down on dumb, Hair told an audience of wingnuts in Iowa that Social Security was also "a monstrous lie." That should work with senior voters, who turn out in high numbers for elections.

We're pleased to see this big-mouthed dunce keep digging the hole deeper. With the next Rethuglican candidate debate coming in a little over one week, Hair will have an opportunity to do further excavation before a national audience.

Sunday Quotables

"The people of this country recognize when a leader is trying to do what is right. Take a stand, he [Martin Luther King, Jr.] would say. Go with your gut. Let the people of this country see that you are fighting for them and they will have your back." -- Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), veteran civil rights leader, in "What Would King Say to Obama?" in today's Kaplan Daily.

"I said to him [Obama], 'Do not look at what is possible -- look at what is necessary...If you only propose what you think they'll [the Rethugs] accept, they control the agenda...You need leadership with a sharp cutting edge to say, 'This is what I stand for, this is what they stand for'...Give them the narrative about why it will work [rather than] 'more of the same, of "we're muddling along.'" -- brother Hackwhacker's friend and AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, today in Milbank's Kaplan Daily op/ed, "When will the Great Nibbler show bite?"

Are you seeing a common thread here?

"Hair"-Brained Cartoon of the Day

This just about sums it up (click to enlarge):


(Drew Sheneman via GoComics.com and Balloon Juice)

Obviously, notwithstanding Irene, the Hackwhackers have the Power!

Al Qaeda's Top Operative Killed

U.S. officials have announced that al Qaeda's operational chief, and number two in their organization, was killed in an August 22 drone strike in Pakistan. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was a major figure in the organization's apparatus, and was second in command to Ayman al-Zawahiri. He was the key conduit for messages from Osama bin Laden to al Qaeda units around the globe.

With major blows being struck against al Qaeda in recent months, many U.S. officials are saying the organization is nearing its demise. Let's hope that we keep the pressure up, and that the "Arab spring" will make that terrorist organization irrelevant to a new generation.

Rethug Family Values, Salsa-Style

Rethuglican Commonwealth Sen. Roberto "Mucho Hango" Arango from Puerto Rico is following in the proud tradition of self-loathing gay Rethuglican office holders (see yesterday's post, below): the fervently anti-gay Rethug had pictures of him show up on the "gay hook-up site" Grindr. From looking at one of the photos, it appears Sen. Arango wants to be some lucky hombre's catcher. Shocking indeed! Can we now say it's pretty much axiomatic that the more a Rethug politician proclaims his anti-gay bona fides (hee-hee, he said "bona"), the likelier it is that he's a closeted homosexual (not that there's anything wrong with it, except for the transcendent, destructive hypocrisy)?

UPDATE: Adios, "Mucho Hango!".

(Photo: "Mucho Hango" Arango (Rethug-PR) in partying attire (left) and in his closet-wear.)

Just In Case...

This Hackwhacker is already experiencing hinky internet tube issues possibly related to Hurricane Irene. If blogging ceases in the next 24 hours, it's likely due to a power outage, not because we don't love you any more. Yay!

Monterrey Casino Tragedy

At least 52 people, mostly women, were killed in a drug-cartel terrorist attack Thursday on the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico. The drug-cartel carnage that has taken place in Mexico in the last decade numbs the mind (perhaps as many as 40,000 since 2006 alone), but often only rises to world attention when there's a concentrated loss of life as has occurred in Monterrey. That these were innocent victims of psychopathic killers makes the crime even more horrific.

Good Advice, But Will Obama Listen?

In a new Pew poll out, the Rethuglican / New Confederate Party's favorable ratings are at all-time lows, at 34% (Dems fare better at 43%). Not a big surprise, given their antics during the debt limit fiasco. What is more surprising is the public's view that President Obama needs to push back more on the Rethugs. A plurality of 37% wants him to oppose the Rethug agenda, including some Rethuglicans.

The question now is whether the Administration will respond to the public mood and show some spine in dealing with unpopular Rethug obstruction, or whether they'll continue to give up ground that even the Rethugs haven't asked them to give up.

Weekend Hurricane Song

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the East Coast, let's hope people stay safe and that the water doesn't rise too high!

Rethug Family Values, Cont'd.

Indiana Rethuglican State Rep. Phillip "Kinky" Hinkle apparently is a fan of the "casual encounters between men" section of Craigslist. That wouldn't be especially noteworthy until you understand that Kinky Hinkle is a big "family values" opponent of same-sex marriage. Kinky, 64, is alleged to have offered his 18 year-old male meet-up $80 "for a good time." What's Kinky say to all this? He admits he paid the youth, but that all they did was talk about baseball. Riiiiight! Maybe they were comparing bat sizes. Better work on that explanation a little, Kinky.

(photo: Kinky must have misplaced his catcher's mit)