Verizon Wireless is sponsoring a union-busting mountaintop removal rally. [HuffPo]
Afterbirthers demand to see Obama’s placenta. [The Onion]
The Courier-Journal mistakenly published a column by Cal Thomas under the name of Al Cross. That made for hilarious reading. [C-J - if the link still works]
Friends of coal, friends of Mongiardo. [Barefoot & Progressive]
If you’re like Stephenie Steitzer and enjoy old rocks, this is going to be an interesting read. [H-L]
Have you seen the Billy Gillispie frog march? [Billy G's Frog March Video]
Louisville is getting cable television competition. Will AT&T’s U-Verse be good for the city? [C-J]
Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry let this happen. [Barefoot & Progressive]
This should be the new oath of office in Kentucky. [Tom Eblen]
The GOP’s Ted Kennedy is not MItch McConnell. [WaPo]
Because he supports corrupt measures like allowing corporations to flat out buy elected officials with much more ease than they currently can. [NY Times]
And he closes discussions on health care to the general public. [HuffPo]
23 responses so far ↓
1 Bob // Aug 31, 2009 at 8:07 am
Beware of AT&T television service if it goes the same way as internet service which recently without warning shifted to Yahoo email with all its childish “services,” multiple ads exactly where you don’t want them, required “codes” to forward messages (and the codes are stupidly difficult to read)–and so much more. This shift to Yahoo gives AT&T extra fee income per customer–but customer had no say in the shift. In my case if I had wanted Yahoo’s middle school approach I would have bought it in the first place and now I can find no way to get out. My homepage is ruined, my email service is childish–there is no improvement in service, just aggravation. Want the same with your television reception? Go AT&T (or Yahoo or whichever shift AT&T decides to make after they have you signed up).
2 Mark H (Not Hebert) // Aug 31, 2009 at 8:12 am
Mitch makes an annuity look risky. He has survived so long in the Senate by keeping a low media profile, not taking a publicly controversial stand on anything, and keeping the level of rhetoric low.
Pretty much the opposite of Ted.
3 Novena // Aug 31, 2009 at 8:57 am
“Mitch & Ted”
Mark, you’re right. Mitch has done zippo for average Americans. He is the High Priest, if in low tones, of the greedy U.S. oligarchy that could care less about coal miners in Hazard, teachers in Louisville, and small farmers in Bowling Green. Opposite of Ted in so many ways.
4 Who'd a thunk it? // Aug 31, 2009 at 9:31 am
AT&T might want to implement 3G service statewide before taking on another service like CATV. We don’t have 3G in Owensboro so watching their TV ads about having “the world’s fastest 3G” gets rather nauseating after awhile!
5 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:04 am
My AT&T DSL uptime has been remarkable. I’d recommend it to anyone. More competition for Insight in the cable space is very much welcome.
6 Mark H (Not Hebert) // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:10 am
As you can see, I am not a Mitch fan, but I don’t think Ted was an altruistic as you believe he was. Two of the three groups you cited are heavily unionized.
I have found in my experience that most trustfunders (which Ted was) are really good and caring for others by increasing taxes and forcing businesses to pay hirer employee salaries because they have never had to work for their money.
The other dirty secret they don’t want to disclose is that trustfunders have no problem with higher payroll income taxes, because they don’t have income to be taxed. They have capital gains, which are taxed at a far lower rate than income.
That said, being born and raised in Kentucky, I my bar is very low for native politicians.
1) Don’t embarrass the state on Derby day
2) Don’t get indited for anything
3) Don’t cause an evacuation of public buildings by flying onto restricted airspace
4) Don’t have a public affair on your spouse
5) Don’t hire any family members who do any of the above
7 Cal Dohrn // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:39 am
The GOP has no Teddy. You say that like that’s a bad thing?
8 Tom Degan // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:54 am
Watching George W. Bush at the funeral of Teddy Kennedy on Saturday was, to say the very least, amusing. It’s always great fun to witness the members of the vast right wing conspiracy confronted head-on with the theological flaws that are inherent in their philosophy. Watching that event with my pal, Kevin Swanwick, we both were mesmerized and just slightly overjoyed to be reminded yet again that the basic tenets of Liberalism are in perfect harmony with our Christianity – our Catholicism: feed the hungry, shelter the poor and clothe the naked. Oh, how I wish the camera would have cut to Bush’s face the moment he was confronted with the most famous line (and justly so) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
“I tell you this: whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me.”
Jesus of Nazareth
One can only imagine how uncomfortable that passage from the scriptures must have made him feel. Or how about the Sermon on the Mount?
“Blessed are the peace makers
For they shall be called Sons of God.”
I imagine being confronted with the words of Jesus Christ might make old George just a tad uneasy. The prayers that were offered up by the youngest members of the Kennedy clan, in Teddy’s own words, were the most touching part of the entire day:
“That human beings be measured not by what they cannot do. That quality health care becomes a fundamental right and not a privilege. That old policies of race and gender die away. That newcomers be accepted, no matter their color or place of birth. That the nation stand united against violence, hate and war. That the work begins anew, and the dream lives on. We pray to the Lord.”
Lord hear our prayer.
After the mass had ended, and Kevin and I headed into town to get a cup of coffee, I was almost stunned by the good cheer I felt. Ted Kennedy’s funeral was truly a joyous event. Truth be told, it was damned-near therapeutic! The politics of joy as opposed to the politics of fear. There ain’t nothin’ like it in the world, Baby!
The stark contrasts between the ideals of the Progressive movement and the right wing’s backwards and greedy ideology were out in public Saturday for all to compare and contrast at Our Lady of Perpetual Comfort Church in Boston. The differences were so obvious, you could not have missed them had you tried.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
9 Novena // Aug 31, 2009 at 11:45 am
“On Ted, Bush, and God Almighty”
Tom Degan, you are the kind of Catholic I can appreciate. Your words are so in keeping with Christ’s message (and often so forgotten, or unlearned) by many wingnuts. It is fitting that George W. Bush was a mere cypher at Ted’s funeral. Bush said he took us to war in Iraq because he heard God’s call. But there is no way the Lord could be nearly so dumb as Bush would make Him out to be.
10 Bruce Maples // Aug 31, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Did a piece on Ted and religion on my site last night. Very moved this week reading about Kennedy’s care for people, especially the unsung acts of charity.
11 Carter Burger // Aug 31, 2009 at 2:48 pm
two points. First, the AT&T service is rebranded Directv. Second, I find it ironic how liberals want to keep God and Christ out of things, until it suites their agenda.
“Blessed are the peace makers
For they shall be called Sons of God.”
Wonder how the people of Iraq, who are no longer under the crushing regime of Saddam feel about this one?
Again, the irony of liberals invoking the name of God at that service was astounding.
12 Mark H (Not Hebert) // Aug 31, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Cater, I believe what Tom said was:
“blessed are the cheese makers.”
“Aha, what’s so special about the cheesemakers?”
“Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.”
13 Mark H (Not Hebert) // Aug 31, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Sorry Tom & Novena
I had to throw the Monty Python quotes in there when the opportunity presented itself.
14 Carter Burger // Aug 31, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Obama turned me into a newt.
15 Novena // Aug 31, 2009 at 6:46 pm
“For Christ’s Sake”
Carter, I doubt most Iraqis like us much better than they did Saddam. After all, the war we started (by choice, not necessity) has cost over a half million or so lives (most of whom were innocents)–several hundred thousand more than Saddam killed. Not picking up for that beast, but we have a number of our own (e.g., Cheney, his kitchen cabinet, Bush, Rummy, etc.). As for God and liberalism, I thought Tom Regan covered it well. Some additions: The Bible has more than 300 verses on social justice and serving the poor. Very few on so-called “prosperity theology” and the greed it incites. And the latter is a large reason for our economic and moral poverty today.
16 Carter Burger // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:44 pm
“social justice and serving the poor”
If we didn’t stand up for the Iraq people against Saddam, who would? Saddam counted on us to remain passive, we didn’t. We did what had to be done. Ronald Reagan said it best, “that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest”. We liberated the Iraqi people from Saddam.
Where did you get your numbers on the lives lost? And how many innocent people did Saddam kill?
Yea, we started the war by choice because nobody else was going to stand up to Saddam and get rid of him. 12 years and 18 UN resolutions. While we started it by choice, it was not on a whim.
If you had your way, would you want Saddam back in power?
If it were up to the “Progressives” like Tom, Saddam would still be in power.
17 Carter Burger // Aug 31, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Since liberals, oops I mean “Progressives”, are suddenly interested in God and quoting the Bible, read the story of Purim in the book of Esther for a lesson on standing up to evil.
One of the messages of Purim — a message that applies to Jews and Christians alike — is that in a world with no shortage of “Hamans,” we need more “Esthers” committed to standing humbly before God and seeking to defend His people in the face of all difficulties.
18 Novena // Aug 31, 2009 at 11:17 pm
“Rapid Responses to Carter–It’s Getting Late”
(1) In Iraq, we are seen as occupiers, not liberators. I have a close relative who fought there and saw that every day of deployment.
(2) The Lancet (one of the world’s oldest scientific medical journals) puts the Iraqi civilian death toll at 654,965 as of June, 2006 (based on household survey data). Rough estimates for Saddam’s killings were about 500,000 (though murkier and harder to get at).
(3) I would want neither Saddam nor Cheney/Bush back in power–for similarly obvious reasons.
(4) You know God no better than I do.
19 Carter Burger // Sep 1, 2009 at 8:29 am
“In Iraq, we are seen as occupiers, not liberators. I have a close relative who fought there and saw that every day of deployment.”
Examples?
“Rough estimates for Saddam’s killings were about 500,000 (though murkier and harder to get at).”
So then it could be 100,000 or 1,000,000 then. Where does the Lancet get their numbers?
20 Novena // Sep 1, 2009 at 9:24 am
“More Rapid Responses to Carter”
(1) My relative’s examples include daily shows of hatred toward our troops–too countless to put on just one page.
(2) Actually, Saddam’s killings might be somewhat higher than estimated, given that they are tougher to ferret out (e.g., mass graves). However, the 2006 figure for what the U.S. had done up until that time would mean significantly ballooning figures since then. Thus, our killing figures are still much higher than Saddam’s (though he, Cheney, Bush, et al. are of similar beastly nature).
(3) Lancet did house-to-house assessments, as I noted, throughout Iraq. A rather strong empirical methodology.
21 Carter Burger // Sep 1, 2009 at 6:04 pm
“My relative’s examples include daily shows of hatred toward our troops–too countless to put on just one page.”
Then just post a couple of pictures then. Link to pictures/statements. anecdotal evidence isn’t the way to win an argument.
“Actually, Saddam’s killings might be somewhat higher than estimated”
So then the number of people who died under Saddam could be higher than the number of people you say have died in the war.
“Lancet did house-to-house assessments, as I noted, throughout Iraq. A rather strong empirical methodology.”
So then it should be easy enough for you to put up a link to their reports to back up your claims then, right?
22 Anita // Sep 1, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Insight has been a great internet provider, but I have AT & T for phone which is outrageously priced. Has anyone used AT & T’s 3G service successfully?
23 Carter Burger // Sep 2, 2009 at 8:16 am
Anita, I’ll relate to you what I use. Yes, Insight is great for internet service, I use them. Directv has the best TV service. I have used both them and Dish Network. I tried Insight’s phone service and wasn’t impressed. I switched to Vonage and I’m pleased with them. I switched to Verizon Wireless after years on Nextel. Talking with friends on T-Mobile, Verizon has both them beat hands down.
Hope that helps.
Leave a Comment