AMERICAN NONSENSE

Feds to Raid Isolated, Black-Robed California Sect

Posted on May 16th, 2008 by

(2008-05-16) — Federal agents and National Guard troops surrounded the gleaming white temple-like San Francisco enclave of an isolationist sect after the black-robed “high priests” of the group yesterday declared themselves to be above the laws of the state of California.
California Sect Compound
In a move reminiscent of recent raids on polygamist compounds elsewhere, authorities prepared to seize documents and computers, and to rescue any young interns or clerks who might have fallen victim to the cult’s bizarre, extra-legal rituals.

Yesterday, the “Supreme” leaders of the sect, briefly emerged from hiding to issue a declaration overriding two state laws and loosening the definition of marriage to include “any practice or lifestyle the prohibition of which might make one feel discriminated against.”

“We’d like this siege to end peacefully,” said a Justice Department spokesman, “but these people need to know that this is still the United States of America. You can’t set up your own sovereign nation within its borders, and make up your own set of rules that counter the will of the people and violate the law of the land.”

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The $100 Cheesesteak

Posted on May 16th, 2008 by

Philly cheesesteaks, which normally sell for a greasy $7 at the local authentic hot spots on South Street, Philadelphia, have just jumped to a whole new level.

Barclay Prime has the mother of all cheesesteaks on its menu, and it will cost you $100 for one. This queen of steaks is made from genuine Kobe beef, topped with fresh lobster and sprinkled with summer truffles. CBS 3 in Philadelphia reports on the monster:

$100 Cheesesteak - Watch more free videos

The executive chef at Barclay Prime, which is located in historic Rittenhouse Square in Philly, says he pays $17 per pound for the cheese he uses, $21 per pound for the Kobe beef and $900 per pound for the summer truffles. That’s a lot more than the big squirt bottle of Cheez Whiz found at most authentic cheesesteaks locales.

The Chef estimates around 5 or 6 patrons order the cheesesteak per night at his restaurant. Most split it as an appetizer. His creations nets him about $250,000 a year from cheesesteak sales alone.

I’m not sure how well that lobster would sit with the rest of the sandwich, and I have no clue what those ‘truffles’ taste like, but I definitely want to to try this thing. Even if it is gross, Barclay Prime has won awards for its strip steaks and raw bar separately, so you could always order a ‘backup steak’.

I wonder if anyone orders these in the same way people order the $7 steaks on the street? Can you imagine stumbling into this fancy restaurant at 3 in the morning, completely wasted from the bars and demanding extra ‘cheez’ on your steak while fighting a crowd of impatient drunks? Probably not.

CBS3: Philly’s $100 Cheesesteak, May 15, 2008

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The Funny and Money Friday Daily Links

Posted on May 16th, 2008 by

I can’t believe I didn’t think of this and why did it take so long to be invented

An interesting look at the holdings of hedge funds in Q1

I really need to move to Homewood IL

T. Boone Pickens puts a $2 Billion dollar bet on wind energy

Think 1% doesn’t matter? Take a look at this chart and I think you’ll see that over the long run it’s huge

Zimbabwe had more billionaires than any country in the world. Of course it has 80% unemployment and worthless currency. But how else in the world do you get to see a half billion dollar bill.

Wow! CBS to buy CNET for $1.8 billion. Yes with a B.

Yet more proof that gambling or going to Auburn (Roll Tide) never pays. The Charles Barkley is slowly pissing away his millions

You know you’ve got some real cash when you can afford to hire a guard to watch out for you when you take a dump. From our good looking friends over at Holy Taco

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Musings over Morning Coffee

Posted on May 16th, 2008 by

This has been a really bad week for the Republicans. Not only are a slew of polls showing a disillusioned and pissed off electorate that wants little to do with the GOP (see ABC/WaPo: Bush At all Time Low (31), Obama Extends Lead Over McCain, Whom Do You Trust? Not the GOP and No One Wants To Be A Republican Part II), the MS-01 win for Dems is reverberating throughout the political world. More than that, it is setting the media narrative that Republicans are in trouble this fall.

The MS-01 stories completely wiped the Dem primary battles off front pages everywhere (and left even less room for McCain). Of course, that battle is just about over. So, given McCain’s lack of money and need for exposure, and given Bush’s “I am relevant, honest” status, our fearless leader decided to cross an unspoken line and attack Obama from overseas. The backlash was swift and fierce (and isn’t over). It prominently included Hillary Clinton and even brought in John McCain, so arguably Bush in one fell swoop highlighted his own foreign policy failures (how much did gas cost today?), united the Democratic party, gave Hillary a chance to support the presumptive nominee and tied himself even closer to McCain. Nice job.

If anything, the week brought out many of the inconsistencies in McCain’s positions (he contradicts himself frequently) and the difficulty he’ll have in running away from Bush and the Republican party he was and is so much a part of.

The funny thing is that some Republicans like Pat Buchanan think this is great for the GOP because it talks about their strength (foreign policy and security). Yeah.

Perhaps the biggest surprise comes from the fact that Democrats are now trusted more when it comes to National Security and the War on Terror, an issue long considered a GOP stronghold. The latest polling, however, shows that 49% of voters now trust the Democrats more on this issue while 42% trust the Republicans more. This shift comes at the same time that confidence in the War on Terror has fallen significantly.

The fun thing running against Republicans is that they still think it’s 2002. They also don’t get that the national conversation won’t stop being about the economy, health care, Iraq and the direction of the country because of any decisions they make. It seems to me that they haven’t even grasped that they don’t control the national conversation.

Even the idea that the California Supreme Court’s decision that the GLBT community should not be considered second class citizens won’t do much for the GOP. The Republican governor does not support a referendum to overturn, and neither presidential candidate is going to make this a flagship issue this fall ([no phony sanctity of marriage campaigns as distraction,] not with real concerns to be dealt with). The fall campaign is going to be more about issues than any recent Presidential campaign I can remember… not because the candidates want, but because the voters want.

Oh, well. I won’t be the one to tell them. They’ll have to figure out that one themselves.

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BlogPulse Top News Stories for May 14, 2008

Posted on May 16th, 2008 by

Robert Rauschenberg, American Artist, Dies at 82 - New York Times (citations)

Careless Detention | Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation (washingtonpost.com) (citations)

Edwards endorses Obama, praises Clinton - CNN.com (citations)

Italian’s Detention Illustrates Dangers Foreign Visitors Face - New York Times (citations)

The Neural Buddhists - New York Times (citations)

Vatican: It’s OK to believe in aliens - Yahoo! News (citations)

Clinton Beats Obama Handily in West Virginia - New York Times (citations)

Dana Milbank - This Is an Ex-Candidate - washingtonpost.com (citations)

BBC NEWS | Europe | Vatican says aliens could exist (citations)

Democrat Wins House Seat in Mississippi - New York Times (citations)

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Open Thread for Night Owls & Early Birds

Posted on May 15th, 2008 by

At the Washington Post, Robert D. Novak writes:

^{A Column’s 45 Years}

On May 15, 1963, Rowland Evans and I published our first column. That makes today the 45th anniversary (the first 30 years under the Evans & Novak byline) of the nation’s current longest-running syndicated political column. …

The longevity record for syndicated political columnists (57 years) is held by David Lawrence, whose life and column ended in 1973, when he was 84. As he did, I would like to die in the saddle without retiring. But Lawrence, the founder of U.S. News & World Report, had done little reporting since he covered President Woodrow Wilson for the Associated Press. I cannot write a column without reporting, and I hope I can continue to do so and newspapers see fit to print me so that I can celebrate my 50th anniversary.

Hey, Bob? Bite me.

You’re a waste of ink and newsprint and pixels. As Amy Sullivan so perfectly put it four years ago:

Novak likes to trade on his reputation as a reporter to retain credibility as a journalist. But if challenged, he shifts and claims that he is only a columnist, voicing opinions.

If only your editors and all the folks out in syndication land would get a clue, Bob, they wouldn’t see fit to print you until you reach that golden anniversary. But then, they haven’t wised up yet, so I’m sure we’re stuck until you fall out of that saddle. The only good news - bittersweet as it is for us old journalists - is that the plunging circulation of most of the nation’s newspapers means fewer and fewer people are subjected to your crap.

+ + +

The Overnight News Digest is posted.

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Open Thread and Diary Rescue

Posted on May 15th, 2008 by

This evening’s Rescue Rangers are Louisiana 1976, watercarrier4diogenes, hhex65, Got A Grip, BentLiberal and joyful with Avila as editor.

Please take a moment to read Cantinflas’ compassionate photo diary, China’s Grief and Pain (Graphic Images Warning) and help if you can.

juliewolf describes the rigors and requirements of volunteering to do “defense” at clinics which performs abortions in I did clinic defense for three years. (hhex65)

StrangeAnimals gives us a personal account of a terrible tragedy in It Was Ten Years Ago: The Thurston Massacre. (Got a Grip)

Julia Rain gives a moving personal account of two of her friends, one who left us too soon and another who may soon follow, in Why Are Republicans Killing My Friends? (Got a Grip)

Not Brit points out an obvious flaw in Bush’s “appeasement” drivel in A REPUBLICAN said that, Mr. Bush while Crashing Vor throws some light on one very special Nazi appeaser and how the media might help in educating the country in general and one of his descendents in particular in My Challenge to the Media. (Got a Grip)

LithiumCola eloquently dissects the seemingly mild-mannered but actually alarming call for a permanent U.S global counterinsurgency campaign, in Robert Gates’ New Rhetoric and The Forever War. (Avila)

NeverStopTheProgress continues a heartrending series on the despicable treatment of our military in Diary Series, Part IV: The Trauma of Silence. (Got a Grip)

Thomas Dobbs examines, from a position of knowledge and expertise, our planet’s food crisis and its roots, in More reliance on ‘markets’ to deal with world food crisis, or less reliance? (watercarrier4diogenes)

Project Vote’s Erin Ferns writes of the alarming trend toward laws that require voters to provide proof of citizenship, with a potential to disenfranchise an estimated 13 million Americans lacking ready access to documentation. Block The Vote! Proof of Citizenship On The Rise, Flashpoint Mo. (BentLiberal)

Breakfast this morning, Wow is nuggatron’s simple and elegant lament on the loss of his diner and his town to the short-sighted economic policies of the Bush Administration. “The truth is war is armed robbery, plain and simple…the American people are being robbed…” There’s plenty more nuggets like this one. (BentLiberal)

“The nail sticking up is very likely to be hammered down.” dogemperor delves into a fascinating scientific study demonstrating how people’s basic psychological makeup changes after spending time in coercive religious groups, when compared to a control group of mainstream, non-coercive denominations. Cell churches, personality changes, and coercion. (BentLiberal)

All right, history buffs: Line up to see how the 13th century Catholic Church compares with the Bush-Cheney administration in iampunha’s May 15, 1252: The beatings will continue until morals improve. (BentLiberal)

BENAWU tracks in detail the 2008 slate of Democratic House candidates in 417 House races filled. (hhex65)

GOTV for the Republican candidate as CarmenT brings us all the snark-a-lious reasons why in the hilarious THANK YOU: Vote for John McCain. (joyful)

jotter has High Impact Diaries - May 14.

emeraldmaiden has Top Comments - Internetus Interruptus.

Please promote your own favorite diaries in the open thread.

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Obama Superdelegate Round-Up

Posted on May 15th, 2008 by

The superdelegates continue to trickle in and Obama continues to widen his lead. This morning US Congressman Jim McDermott (superdelegate) announced his support for Obama:

Congressman McDermott said, “I am proud to endorse Barack Obama today, because I believe he will bring us together to achieve the kind of change we need in this country moving forward. As Democrats, we are fortunate to have two very talented public servants running to be the nominee of our party, and I have great respect for Senator Clinton. But I believe now is the time to unite behind Barack Obama so we can be in the strongest place possible to win in November. Barack Obama has chosen to spend his career speaking out for those who need a voice and reaching across the aisle to bring change that matters in the lives of working families. I am confident that as president, Barack Obama will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home, he will make universal health care a reality and he will restore our moral standing in the world. Barack Obama won the race in my home state by an overwhelming margin and I am thankful that so many new voters have become engaged because of the kind of campaign he has run, and I am happy to support him today.”

He was followed by Congressman Henry Waxman and Congressman Howard Berman. Both are California superdelegates:

“Senator Obama’s vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans,” Chairman Waxman said. ”And he’s also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, and toughness to bring real reform to Washington. Our nation faces big challenges. We need to bring our troops safely home from Iraq. We need to solve global warming and finally enact universal health care legislation. And we need to create new jobs and strengthen our middle class. Senator Obama is the leader we need both here and around the world. He will be an extraordinary President, and I look forward to working with him to make his vision for change the new reality in Washington.”

“Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand,” Chairman Berman said. “I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me. He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we’ll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again—that we haven’t abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else.”

Communications Workers of America President, DNC member, and superdelegate Larry Cohen got on board:

I’m convinced that Senator Obama’s message of hope and ‘change we can believe in’ has resonated across our country. He is building a broad base of support, inspiring new voters to join in the political process and demonstrating great appeal to all those who are looking for positive leadership to move us beyond politics-as-usual in Washington.

The Democratic unity theme continued as the United Steelworkers Union weighed in with an Obama endorsement this morning, having previously backed John Edwards.

As a result of the Edwards endorsement, Obama began picking up former Edwards delegates, including the eight listed below. Hat tip to ourhispanicvoices for the list:

EDWARDS DELEGATES FOR OBAMA
CNN finally listed names

Joshua Denton (NH)

Mike Evatt (SC)

Lauren Bilton (SC)

Daniel Boan Kershaw(SC)

Machelle Crum (IA)

Christine Brennan-Bond (SC)

Robert Groce (SC)

Susan Smith (SC)

note: John Moylan is an alternate delegate for Edwards, if he’s needed he has backed Obama.

Obama +1 Addition in NC: NC Officials have said Obama will gain an extra delegate and Clinton will lose one due to numbers becoming official and he over performing in an area.

All told, Obama picked up 13 votes and Clinton loses one vote. He’s in cruise control at this point.

On a final note, for those interested in becoming a community organizer for Obama, today is the last day to apply for the Obama Organizing Fellowship. Applications are due by 11:59 PM EDT.

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O’Reilly’s hateful cadres

Posted on May 15th, 2008 by

Okay, so this is funny, as reported by Media Matters:

O’Reilly compared Moulitsas to white supremacist David Duke

Summary: Bill O’Reilly compared Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive Daily Kos blog, to white supremacist David Duke and criticized Newsweek for its decision to hire Moulitsas as a regular contributor, stating: “And Newsweek magazine, by the way, has legitimized him by giving him a columnist position. I talked to the editor by email, and I said I can’t believe that you’re — that’s like hiring David Duke. Again, I use Duke too much, but I have to — the level of hatred coming out of that website is unprecedented.”

O’Reilly is pissed that we’re mocking him for his Inside Edition freakout. So he had one of his hapless interns find some diary which juxtaposed images from Jenna’s wedding with images of the Iraq War. Apparently, that was The Worst Thing Ever because we must pretend that we’re winning and that war has no consequences.

O’Reilly’s rant predictably generated a “flood” (like 20) emails from his acolytes. You want to see an “unprecedented level of hatred”? Check out some of those emails:

You are a queer little fucking retard!! Stay gay you cock sucker!!

You have gone too far with this liberal, fascist bullshit….sit down and SHUT UP and stop posting despicable stories to further your own ends. I am sick and tired of the radical left and I hope people like Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck can exert their influence to SHUT YOU DOWN!!!!! If you don’t like America, get the fuck out!

Hey asshole if I ever run across you in public I am going to really gonna give my best attempt to beat the living dogshit out you!!! Especially if I see you fly through DFW or if I go through O’Hare and run into you there. You suck!!!!

ive given ur actual city, state address to al qaida websites…i do believe they will be taking you out very shortly and not a soul will care…not even ur mother……

now i know why u dont go driving around or walking around in public…ur the skinny, nerdy high school kid who gets punched out for just being stupid looking and im sure that would still happen….after all, cowards are always cowards….

Fuck you communist sons-of-bitches! If you really want a war your leftist ,commie,scumbag asses had better be good to go! there is no more room in the United States for garbage like you! Anytime motherfucker!!

you guys are the scum of the earth. Your hatred of America and Bush is treasonous. Bush is a man of honor. You are not even in the same league.

You are truly disgusting.

Too bad you came back from visiting Grandma with little Spannish-speaking Eli.

Better luck for all of us next time you visit your homeland.

Go home, foreigner.

Hooray. I only found out about you today and I am celebrating. Your web site is so outrageous and literally full of it that intelligent people will be turned off, the same as with Michael Moore, Moveon.org, and totally incompetent people like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and all your ilk!!!!

You are pieces of shit. You do not deserve to live in our great Nation. Get the fuck out. Do not let me catch you on a free street.

Hey Fagg,

Go let your Gay lover buttfuck you to death and quit taking up bandwidth!

You’re an incredible asshole ‘Markos’ for your idiotic snot / blog on the bush wedding. The only jackasses that had a problem with that are the few liberal freaks who have nothing to contribute other than complaints. And I think ICE should check your status.

You classless fucktard. You’re the fucking problem with this country you cocksucking asshole. I hope some one beats the living shit out of you and that Mahler3 scumbag soon.

Drop fucking Dead!

Watch your back you fucking liberal ass….. ALL our days are numbered and yours is getting shorter… trust me.

Hmmm, a bizarre obsession with homosexuality, as if being gay is bad and being called gay is an insult (it’s not and it’s not). Mix it in with hatred toward my Latino heritage (some of it even directed at my one-year-old daughter). Some standard-issue threats. Unhealthy anger levels. Fake bravado. And, without a doubt, an unprecedented level of hatred.

But my favorite is this one:

Markos is a pig,and a certain secret society is watching you. And we dont like liberal Pigs like you, and the people that read this shit.The left are few,the right are many, and Pigs like Liberals will never run America.And your boy Obama is a Pig like the rest of you scum.

You know who else is a member of a “secret society” which doesn’t like people like me (immigrants) and Obama (black)?

David Duke.

Bill O’Reilly and his illiterate fans are truly comic relief.