Tenth Anniversary

Today marks the 10th anniversary of U.S. military action in Afghanistan. Regarded as the "right war," the U.S. sent troops to bolster the Afghan Northern Alliance's fight against the Taliban, who were allies of al Qaeda and who provided a safe-haven for the planners of the 9-11 attacks. Initially successful, the Northern Alliance set up a government in Kabul that has become insular and corrupt under Hamid Karzai.

In the intervening 10 years, Afghanistan struggled against Taliban insurgents, who have made common cause with the Pakistani Taliban across the border in Pakistan. Despite being severely weakened by U.S. efforts, the Taliban remains a threat to U.S. security, as we slowly disengage from the conflict, and as we trust that our efforts in training Afghan military and security forces will bear fruit.

Weekend Two-fer

John Mellencamp turns 60 today, and Sunday would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. Mellencamp is known for both his music and charitable work (Farm Aid, etc.), and Lennon is, well, Lennon, one of the greatest songwriters in modern times. Here are two of their most memorable songs. Enjoy.

He'll Stank No More On ESPN

Hank "Stank" Williams, "Jr.", who provided the theme music for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" for years, has been jettisoned from the network, after comparing President Obama to Hitler, and calling the President and Vice President "the enemy." Not only was Stank unapologetic for his smear, he's claiming he made the decision to withdraw from ESPN. Riiight, clown with the chicken-feather hat! Stank has lived off of his famous father's name (his birth name was actually Randall Hank Williams, vs. his father's Hiram King Williams), and had campaigned aggressively for the John McNasty/Snowbilly Snooki ticket in 2008.

In all seriousness, this jackass should be pitied in some way, given his alcohol and drug problems in the past (which he's obviously not conquered), and should get professional help. For now, good riddance.

Cartoon of the Day

(click to enlarge)
Listening to the petulant talking heads in the media whining about "what's their message?" regarding the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations reminds us of how broken our sound-bite driven, talking points-gobbling media is. They want to be spoon fed, so that they can make it to happy hour. Perhaps they expected the same corporate-backed, phony grass roots demonstrations put on by the teabagger "movement," complete with leased buses, mass-produced signs and coordinated coverage by Fux. Not going to happen.

For laughs, check out this video on how to get media attention.

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

The Quitta From Wasilla Won't Run

Former half-term Alaskan Gov. "Mama Fizzly" Palin has been busy the past two-and-a-half years fleecing the low-information rubes that think she's the second coming. Sadly for them, she announced today that she won't run for President, and therefore avoid the humiliation of languishing in single digits in Rethug preference polls.

The snowbilly grifter must have seen her poll numbers among Rethugs, which showed that two-thirds of them didn't want her to run. An earlier poll indicated that 41 percent of Rethugs said there was "no chance" they'd support her. Another indicator that Fizzly's welcome was wearing out were her weak book sales.

While we would have enjoyed the spectacle of Fizzly getting her well-deserved comeuppance in the Rethug primaries, we suspect that there are still more money-raising scams left in her and that she won't be riding into the aurora borealis anytime soon.

Mid-Week Lazy Line Painter Song

Taking a break from window/ bathroom upgrade disruption to share another Belle & Sebastian tune.

Are You Ready For Some Jackass?

For years, the opening theme song for ESPN's Monday Night Football has been "Are You Ready for Some Football?" sung by washed-up redneck bar singer Hank "Stank" Williams, Jr. Stank, who has lived off of his famous father's name all his life with no talent to speak of, has been an active teabagging personality, and campaigned often with snowbilly grifter Mama Fizzly Palin.

Yesterday, on the awful "Fox and Friends" show, Stank let loose with an angry, over-the-top denunciation of President Obama, whom he compared to Hitler. Stank referred to the President and Vice President as "the enemy" to his somewhat stunned hosts (who are usually more subtle in their wingnuttery.) Within a few hours, ESPN announced that Stank's opening for last night's Monday Night Football would be yanked. Now that Stank has issued a non-apology defense of his outburst, ESPN needs to get someone else to perform the opening. Almost anyone would be better than the talentless Stank.

(photo: Stank might want to stay sober for his next gig on TV)

Bull In A China Shop

Beltway Villager Richard Cohen has a surprisingly biting column in this morning's Kaplan Daily on New Jersey Gov. Chris "Kris Krispycreme" Christie's flirtation with the Rethug Party nomination and the media. Cohen believes that, aside from Krispycreme's own assessment of himself as "not ready" to be President, his bullying persona would not wear well with the general election voters in the long run:

"Chris Christie is a keenly intelligent man who has the smarts and confidence to attract really good people as aides. But he’s been governor for less than two years — one inexperienced politician per decade in the White House is enough — and already he has exhibited the “tells” of grandiosity and implacable certainty. Washington’s problem now is that too many politicians think they have a lock on the truth. The town oozes belligerence and pettiness. Those are qualities Christie has in abundance. American politics now is a china shop. The last thing it needs is a bull like Christie."

The mainstream media is doing a good job so far of diverting attention from Krispycreme's obnoxious behavior, because they want his star to rise. But should he wind up in debates or a press conference for everyone to see, it's only a matter of time before he goes ballistic.

UPDATE: Krispycreme says (again) he's not going to run in 2012. The Village media is in deep mourning....

Hookers and Baggers

Steve "Slimy Steve" Stevlic, head of the Chicago Tea Party, wants you to follow the hard right, moral majority line in everything from taxes to social issues. But as for Slimy Steve, like most self-righteous scolds on the right, he demands to live by his own, different standards, one of which apparently included soliciting a hooker last year. Showing true hypocrisy, Slimy Steve went on line last September mocking Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s revelation that he had an extramarital affair, while only two months earlier, Slimy Steve had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

(photo: "Teabagging will cost you extra, Steve.")

The Racist Right Pushes Back

This tells you all you need to know about the Rethuglican right: according to the latest wingnut messaging, New Confederate Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry is the victim in the "Niggerhead" scandal, and Rethuglican Presidential candidate Herman/Herb "Not Able" Cain was playing the "race card" in saying the sign outside of Hair's family hunting camp was "insensitive."

Weighing in (no pun intended), right wing hate radio guru Rush "Pills" Limpballs accused Not Able of capitalizing on Hair's dilemma. Right wing news outlets and blogs are also piling on Not Able for his "insensitive" charge, circling the wagons around Hair, and turning on their transparently phony symbol of Rethuglican "inclusion."

Cartoon of the Day

You're Crazy, "Herb"

Rethuglican Presidential candidate and pizza pusher Herman "Not Able" Cain was challenged on ABC's This Week to defend his "anti-Sharia law" nonsense. After playing a tape of New Jersey Gov. Chris "Kris Krispycreme" Christie's statement that "this Sharia law business is just crap, it's just crazy," Not Able said, "Call me crazy."

OK, no problem. You're crazy, and an opportunist to boot. You're parroting far-right, teabagger Islamophobia as a way of gaining their favor. After all, pitting one minority against another is an old tactic of the conservative elites, and in "Herb", they have a willing puppet.

(image: After the Rethugs are done with you, you have a career working childrens' parties.)

Another Perry Problem

Regthuglican Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry (New Confederate Party - TX) has some explaining to do. A long article in this morning's Kaplan Daily indicates that the hunting camp owned by the Perry family had a racially offensive slur painted on a rock outside of its gates. The word "Niggerhead" was painted on a large flat rock next to the gate to the camp for many years, with several witnesses claiming it was only painted over with white paint in the last several years. According to the paper, the Perry campaign is not commenting on the story.

While racial slurs won't hurt the Texas Ponz with the rabid teabagging base, it's another, um, rock in the wheelbarrow for him to carry into the debates, especially if he's refusing to discuss the particulars. It also provides context for his comment last year suggesting that Texas might secede from the United States if it didn't approve of Federal laws.

(photo: "Dayam, Ah thought Ah asked that colored boy to paint that rock good.")

A Happy Sports Saturday

The Wisconsin Badgers faced Nebraska on national TV last night in the Big 10 opener for both teams, and pulled off a rout, 48-17. Led by their elite quarterback Russell Wilson (255 yards passing), the Badgers fell behind early, but poured on the points starting late in the 2nd quarter. Plays by Montee Ball, Nick Toon, and Jared Abbrederis led to the big win.

Earlier in the day, the Michigan Wolverines clobbered visiting Minnesota 58-0, winning the Little Brown Jug trophy for the fourth straight time. QB Denard Robinson passed for 169 yards, and Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for 109 to lead the Wolverines to victory.