The operative word is "moron."

Last night I was watching Anderson Cooper. On his "Keeping them honest" segment, he discussed the constitutional scholar, Christine O'Donnell and her understanding--or lack thereof--of the separation of church and state. He had three panelists discussing the issue. Two men and a woman. The woman turns out to be someone named Dana Loesch. She claims she is not a Republican, but a member of the Tea Party. That association earns Ms. Loesch the status of "moron." What? I have to respect these idiots? They give the old expression "collective unconscious" a new meaning.

But I digress... let's get back to the issue at hand.

I Googled Ms. Loesch. She's a 31 year-old stay-at-home mom, who had been a liberal until she met and married her husband, Chris. But, Dana is no Tammy Wynette. Tammy kept her mouth shut, except to warble and pop them pills. Dana spews. I tried Googling her name and the word "education." Nothing came up. Hmmm. It is claimed that she is the co-founder of the Tea Party. An auspicious honor if there ever was one. Playboy said, "Loesch is the sweet Midwestern goth version of Laura Ingraham." I wonder if they've gotten her to take her clothes off for that pictorial, "naked morons on the right." Actually, she is kind of cute. I think she was having a bad hair night last night. It was stringy and glued to her head. Meeoww. Michael Savage called her "My mental match" and has had her substitute for him, on "The Savage Nation." Now, there's an honor... coming from one of the most hateful, self-centered dicks on the planet and on the airwaves. There's a special place for Michael Savage but it is not on the earth but under it. Another topic for another post. For now, the topic is Dana Loesch and the idiots who buy into her nonsense speak.

Kind of cute, huh? Reminds me a bit of
The Mothers of Invention's song, "What's the ugliest part of your body?" Some say your nose. Some say your toes...
I think it's your mind.

From the transcript of Anderson Cooper's show:

" ...when you deny rights in the classroom to one group, when you deny rights to one group in favor of secularism, which is its own religion -- religion is not -- is not patented by just a faith in God or Christian principles. It's a devotion and a set of beliefs to a certain something."

A "certain something?"

Are you shitting me?

Does Dana really believe "secularism" is a religion? I think she does. Which earns her a merit badge is stupidity. About.com says that "Calling secularism (the insistence on separation of church and state) a religion should be instantly recognized as an oxymoron." The operative word is... moron.

Dana and her ilk, and their access to the media scares me and makes me dread election day. Maybe she's smarter than she lets on and is just leading the lemming to the cliff's edge. But maybe she is really a moron... and is just leading the lemming to the cliff's edge. It is kind of a no-win situation. As Frank Rich pointed out in his column in the Sunday New York Times, if the Tea Party loses, they're just going to get angrier. If they win, they will gloat over the remaining sane.

This is no longer about birth certificates or being a muslim. This is about the safety and future of this country. Dana Loesch and her minions make me want to take my ball and jacks and play the game somewhere else.

TRANSPARENCY

Yesterday's Statesman Journal endorsed former NBA center and 75th draft pick and current Republican candidate for Oregon governor. On the front page of the same edition, the Statesman Journal ran a piece headlined, "NO GUARANTEES-- Biggest war chest doesn't always deliver governorship." It seems Dudley has almost twice as much in campaign funds as his Democratic rival, former governor John Kitzhaber. Dudley has received $2.25 million from the RGA (Republican Governors Association) and $285,000 from the Stimson Lumber Company. Kind of reminds me of the out-of-nowhere quip from candidate George Bush in his debate with John Kerry... "I am the owner of a timber company? Want some wood...?"

On the other hand, Kitzhaber/s biggest contributor (at $175,100) is the Oregon Educational Association PAC.

Does that make Kitzhaber a better person and/or a better candidate?

Perhaps, but not for that reason. I personally find a candidate for the governor of a state that has a fucking pine tree on their license plate in the pocket of a lumber company transparently repugnant.

Where is Ken Kesey when you need him?

Deja Vu all over again.

This seems to be a familiar subject and extrapolation of a Pete Townsend song. It's illustrated this blog before. According to www.songfacts.com, "Pete Townshend wrote this song about a revolution. In the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one ("Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"). Townshend felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt."

Townsend said in a Rolling Stone interview that, "It's interesting it's been taken up in an anthemic sense when in fact it's such a cautionary piece."

Today's extrapolation is driven by the Washington Post piece, (carried in the Oregonian), "Reports rip White House's response to BP spill." It seems the Obama administration "failed to act upon or fully inform the public" of the worst case scenario. Their underestimation delayed action on a response to the spill. The article quoted one of the reports, "the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent top handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem."

Great.

It's not like the current president and his administration haven't done anything. They have. He and his staff have accomplished a lot, in a short time, especially considering the adversarial climate in Washington. By the same token, the previous administration also accomplished a lot... let's see, they initiated an unprovoked war with Iraq, committed war crimes, created one financial disaster after another (including cutting taxes for the rich). Oh, and Dick Cheney was a disaster all his own. That's all behind us, right? The left plays the blame game–-and an accurate one--but who cares? They're as full of shit as the right... maybe more so. The right makes no claim to utilizing intellect. Melodrama and scare tactics are their ticket. The left is more disingenuous by claiming compassion, representing the "people" all the while bending over backwards and taking it up their collective ass, seeming to be thanking their rapists.

The Gulf disaster truly is Obama's Katrina, just like the right said early on. At this point, I really don't care what else he has accomplished. His administration's response to the reports was to minimize, and in some cases, flat-out deny the findings. Where have we heard this before?

DENY & LIE.

The thing that makes this report so disheartening is that it completely feeds into the right's initial criticism. "Hope and change," they jeer, like some taunting chant at a baseball game.


So, what's left? (pardon the pun). A massacre is predicted for the mid-terms. The president has proven to be much less of a concern because of his color or foreign birth than for his same-old same-old. Really. I can't exactly turn to the dark side and start chatting up half-governor Palin or Newt. From the frying pan and all that. Really... what's left? If we gong the incumbent, what will replace him?

I don't know.

Not that long ago, we heard chants of "anybody but Bush." That "anybody" appeared to be somebody special. A charismatic, unifying agent of change... hope and change. Now that "anybody" doesn't seem to be working out.