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The online wingnut hippies are having their yearly counseling session. All the usual loonies are there. From the Godfather of Online Wackiness Kos to His Holy Hypocriteness Al Gore. Hotline is covering the madness, including a set of quotes from some of the more prominent lunatics.

“There’s a really huge misconception in the traditional media about who we are as a voting group. And I say ‘traditional media,’ not ‘mainstream media,’ because we are the mainstream…On issue after issue, we are where the American people reside.”
– Markos Moulitsas (aka “Kos”)

Mainstream? You got to be kidding me. This from the same guy that attacked left-winger Harold Ford Jr as a right-wing shill. This from the same guy that helped run the revolt against Lieberman by promoting Ned Lamont, which the voters (the majority) then roundly rejected that choice and re-elected Lieberman.

“I’m even more confident than the money markets that Obama will be the next President.”
– New York Times columnist Paul Krugman

Does that mean I get everything you have invested in the market when he’s not?

“There used to be an old-timey remedy for hangovers called ‘the hair of the dog that bit you.’ They’d recommend going in and just having another drink in the morning if you had a hangover. Well, that’s sort of what this reminds me of. ‘Oh, we have a fossil fuel crisis? Well, let’s just go back for more.’ When you’re in a hole, stop digging!”
– Al Gore

Ok, what’s the remedy when there is also scientific data saying you’re not in a hole, but rather are the fool on the hill? What about when you repeatedly making claims of said hole beneath us, only to be repeatedly proven to be a complete and utterly incorrect baffoon.

“The bigger our victories, the more bipartisanship you’ll see in the Congress.”
– Speaker Nancy Pelosi

So I guess in Nancy’s eyes bi-partisanship means the cooperation of the left and the far left. Neat. They have a place for that, it’s call Europe. And it lags behind the US by leaps and bounds.

“Still today we see the success of the Right’s project of cowing the media…We have a President who has been at 30% approval for about two years now. Where is that viewpoint reflected? Where is the viewpoint on television — cable news especially — that this is a country that soundly, almost universally, rejects this President? Where is that viewpoint portrayed?”
– Duncan Black (aka “Atrios”)

Were is the viewpoint portrayed indicating the even lower approval rating of the Democratic-led Congress???

“The way the mainstream media is treating Michelle Obama right now is a disgrace. It’s an absolute disgrace. And this community is in a better position than any community in our country to make sure it doesn’t go down that way.”
– Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)

That’s a disgrace. Then what do you call the “Bush = Hitler = Satan” mantras that have been going on for seven solid years?? What do you call the racist portrayals of Condi Rice?? What do you call the sexist attacks on Laura Bush?

“[Obama’s campaign has] millions of donors and the average gift is $68. You want campaign finance reform? I’ll give you campaign finance reform. When the average gift to your Presidential campaign is $68, you are owned by nobody but the American people.”
– DNC Chairman Howard Dean

Does that count the supporters he has had to throw underneath the bus?? Virtually everyone he’s known longer than 30 seconds, is either a closet racist or utterly corrupt. So do their contributions count in that total?

If California didn’t exist, we’d have to invent them….or die of boredom.

California is making it mandatory for cars to be labeled with global warming scores, figures that take into account emissions from vehicle use and fuel production.

The law requiring the labels goes into effect at the start of next year for all 2009 model cars, though its expected the labels will be popping up on cars in the coming months.

Clearly this is meant to work on the scarlet letter principle. By forcing you to carry around this global warming number, it’s meant to shame people into buying hybrids and other such “almost-cars”. Now in elite parties all over California you’ll have conversations like this:

Pompous Ass 1 : My this arugula is exquisite. And this wine has such a beached whale aftertaste that goes well with the marsupial spunk highlight.
Pompous Ass 2 : Yes it is a fine selection. It always reminds me of New Jersey in the summer.
Pompous Ass 2 : Did you see my new boy toy??
Pompous Ass 1 : Oh yes, so lovely, and at only 12 years old he’s to die for.
Pompous Ass 2 : Speaking of riding, what are you driving?
Pompous Ass 1 : Oh you’re naughty, I’m driving a 7. You?
Pompous Ass 2 : Puhlease! As if I’d drive a 7, I’m driving a 9.
Pompous Ass 1 : A 9?? Oh how nice. What is it?
Pompous Ass 2 : A bicycle but it’s got such a cute basket!

I’m even envisioning new movies where the global warming number of the bad guys vehicle is used as a plot device. The lunancy of such an idea allows for no end to the idiocy of potential ideas.

Of course I think they are also not considering the other end of the equation. There are people (myself included) who don’t give a damn what their global warming index is. In fact, some (myself included) might even take a certain perverse degree of pleasure in having a “bad” global warming index….if for no other reason that to twist the tails of some of the eco-hippies. It might even work as a selling point

AD : Now announcing the 2009 Hummer, now with a sub-zero global warming index!!

There are people that can be shamed by something like this global warming index. But then again those people have probably already switched to “green” vehicles. And then there are people that either don’t care, or care but for the opposite reasons, that this just isn’t going to affect…and they are probably the ones still driving those “bad” vehicles. In other words, it’s not only a shitastic idea, it’s also ineffective.

Many months ago, I was enjoying an evening with some friends of mine, in the riverside home of one of their parents. And as it commonly does with this group the topic eventually came to politics. At this time the Republican nomination was definitely up for grabs…in fact I don’t even think Fred Thompson was in the race yet.

My friend’s father expressed that he rather hoped Newt would jump into the race because he was the only one that represented conservative ideals. I hated to pop his bubble, but knowing he global warming swindle annoyed him, I had to say something. I pointed out that even Newt had drank the Gore-Aid. He couldn’t believe it and you could see the disappointment in his face even before he expressed it.

Today I think conservatives everywhere are making the same face at the news that President Bush is going to surrender to the global warming conman, lead by the Prophet Goracle. Despite all credible evidence to the contrary, apparently Bush is planning on following Gore, by leading this country straight into a rotting pile of tofu.

Is it any wonder that Republicans at all levels, are having problems raising money?? Is it any wonder that Republican ranks have failed to swell in the face of liberal stupidity? Is it any wonder that conservatives have failed to embrace the Republican Party in general so far this election??

Perhaps is because every time they do, they are betrayed by it’s leaders again and again??

We trusted that the Republican Party would be fiscally responsible. Instead we got rampant spending and a worsening culture of earmarks.

We trusted the Republican Party to keep our country secure. Instead they refuse to secure our own borders and in fact lead the effort to reward lawlessness.

We trust the Republican Party to act ethically. Instead we get the stupid scandals out of many Republicans as we get out of the Democrats.

We trust the Republican Party to push the principals of personal responsibility. Instead we get massive taxpayer-funded bailouts every time the smallest thing goes wrong.

We trusted the Republican Party to at least behave in a competent manner. Instead we have a party acting as if one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing.

Now all we ask is that the Republican Party not intentionally destroy our economy by buying into faulty propaganda, disguised as “science” and pursue policies that are guaranteed not to work even if the science was accurate. Instead we get the Goracle in Republican clothing.

If the Republican Party wants to know why it has issues, it need look no further than the mirrors in the head offices.

…social engineering does NOT work.

Enacting city smoking bans appears to increase drunken driving, according to a new national study of arrests by Wisconsin researchers.

Fatal accidents involving alcohol increased after communities banned public smoking, the study to be released by the Journal of Public Economics found. The authors attributed the increase to people driving farther to drink, either to a place with an outdoor smoking area or a city without a ban.

“The increased miles driven by drivers who wish to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home after a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents,” the study says.

I know this is a shock to many liberals. You just cannot legislate human behavior. Attempts to do so usually results in unexpected, and even worse, results.

Although I do understand their confusion. I mean social engineering has worked in a whole litany of areas, such as :

• Well, there was that one time….oh wait
• errr, how about that time we, uh……
• but……
• well, you see, it’s depends how you define success….
• what do you mean what is the definition of “is”??
• look you asked me for a list I’m trying to make one
• for example…..ummm….
• ….ok seriously….give me a second…
• heh! Where are you going!???
• I’m not finished!!!

Um, yeah you are.

All liberals, repeat after me :

Social Engineering Does Not Work….Ever. Neither Does Socialism Or Communism

Repeat that phrase 42 times and then you can go back to enjoying your Arugula.

Anyone that has been to a Republican convention could fairly accurately tell you exactly how the first half hour of it is going to start. It’s always the same itinerary, you start with the invocation, presentation of the colors, give the Pledge of Allegiance, and then you take care of the preliminary required parlimentary crap.

It stays that way because it works. First the delegation offers it’s thanks to their deity of choice, then acknowledges their duty to country, and then we get to work on the preliminaries that allow us to get to work according to parlimentary rules.

So it comes with some surprise that Democrats don’t necessarily do it the same way.

There was some time to kill as multiple tallies of the delegates and alternates were done, and when the time-killer of taking audience questions had run its course and the idea of teling jokes had been nixed, someone suggested doing the Pledge of Allegiance to pass the time. (Are you listening, right-wing bloggers? This is going to get good.)

At the mere mention of doing the pledge there were groans and boos. Then, when the district chair put the idea of doing the Pledge of Allegiance up to a vote, it was overwhelmingly voted down. One might more accurately say the idea of pledging allegiance to the flag (of which there was only one in the room, by the way, on some delegate’s hat) was shouted down.

Uh, what?!??

Let me ask the obvious question….can we question your patriotism now???

Now that the obligatory snarkiness is out of the way, I’m not even sure where to start. I’m fond of lists….lets go with that

1) Why wasn’t it done already?
2) The ideas of Q&A and joke telling came up BEFORE this??
3) An actual vote had to happen??
4) It got voted DOWN?!??
5) It got booed?!??

Good Lord, I wasn’t aware we ceded this district to the commies already. Seemed a bit premature if you ask me.

There appears to be a shift in the favorite reason for Global Warming™ :

Old&Busted : Carbon

New&Sexy : Too many children….

One way to combat global warming, [Ted] Turner said, is to stabilize the population.

“We’re too many people; that’s why we have global warming,” he said. “Too many people are using too much stuff.”

Turner suggested that “on a voluntary basis, everybody in the world’s got to pledge to themselves that one or two children is it.”

Ted, you idea intrigues me, I wish to subscribe to your newsletter…

But what especially intrigues me is which three of your five children you are ready to abort…

• Laura Lee (46 years old)
• Robert Edward (45 years old)
• Rhett (40 years old)
• Beauregard (39 years old)
• Jennie (38 years old)

Or is this one of those famous cases where liberals insist the rules only apply to OTHER people, not themselves??

Thankfully Code Pinko saved us the work and broadcast their insanity for all to see.

If you don’t have time/patience to watch the video I’ll sum it up. According to Code Pink :

• Marines are war criminals
• Marines target civilians
• WWII was an unjust war
• Al Qaeda is not a threat
• There’s nothing wrong with Communism

Can I question their patriotism now?!???

….and all Vegan activists really. Remember that whole thing about how eating meat was bad for the environment because it required people to raise cattle which fart alot thereby releasing methane which is supposedly bad for the environment??? Well, nevermind, Australian scientists got that all figured out….

Thanks to special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroo flatulence contains no methane and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep who emit large quantities of the harmful gas.

While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a billowing smokestack pushing out carbon dioxide, livestock passing wind contribute a surprisingly high percentage of total emissions in some countries.

“Fourteen per cent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from enteric methane from cattle and sheep,” said Athol Klieve, a senior research scientist with the Queensland Government.

“And if you look at another country such as New Zealand, which has got a much higher agricultural base, they’re actually up around 50 per cent,” he said.

Researchers say the bacteria also makes the digestive process much more efficient and could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers.

You know that very night, this Athol Klieve guy went home and bragged to his wife, “And your mother thought I wouldn’t amount to anything as a Fart Scientist! Yeah, well I just solved one of the biggest contributors to global warming! Take that”

And he has right to brag, this is the type of environmental work that people can actually support. There is little cost overhead, in fact it might even save money. Makes the process more efficient and less damaging. And it doesn’t require massive government regulation and/or control over our lives.

[H/T WizBang]

Some rather misguided organization is selling….well, alternate interpretations of the nativity scene. A rather “interesting” current day twist on a long sacred story.

Quite obviously it is in reference to Israel’s decision to build a wall around their country, since being surrounded by people that want to kill them, they find it necessary to protect themselves. I would guess in the artists mind this is an ironic take on the story that Jesus would not shut out others with a wall.

Although I’m pretty sure this interpretation suffers from a wide range of faults. For example, I always thought the wise men brought gold, frankinsense and myrrh. In this interpretation of the story, I guess the wisemen were instead bringing explosives, mortars and suicide vests.