Month: October 2008
In the Park (Redux)
Cleveland Park in downtown Greenville has undergone a renovation, and it's a favorite destination for the Girl.
We only took the Sigma 10-20mm lens with us. It's a challenging lens to use because it's so difficult to fill the frame.
It also severely distorts some things: lengthens noses (for all the obvious reasons) and generally does weird things to body shapes.
But it can certainly provide some interesting perspectives.
They’ve Lost It
If they ever had it. Common sense, that is. Republicans see “politically motivated attempts to damage the [Republican party]” everywhere. Even when it’s a Republican-selected prosecutor:
After his investigation, Steven Branchflower, a former prosecutor hired by a Republican-controlled legislative committee, concluded that Monegan’s rebuff of the entreaties played a role in his firing but was not the only reason.
Palin’s supporters argued that the report, released less than four weeks from Election Day, was a politically motivated attempt to damage the Republican presidential ticket. The report initially had been due at the end of the month, but the Democrat managing the investigation said its release was moved to Oct. 10 so it would not come on the eve of the election. (washingtonpost.com).
Shades of Kathleen Parker.
I’m so freaking sick of that — anything critical of the Republicans is just “politically motivated.” Yet this kind of crap is fine:
With Mr Obama leading in the polls and only 24 days to go before the US presidential election, the series of outbursts have sparked the interest of the Secret Service, which guards the candidates and other dignitaries.
They launched a brief investigation after a man was heard — but not recorded — by several journalists shouting “kill him”, when Mrs Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, was speaking of Mr Obama’s links to Bill Ayers, a former domestic terrorist who is now a professor in Chicago. The two men sat together on educational committees but have rarely been in contact for six years.
Before a rally in Pennsylvania this week, local Republican leader Bill Platt warmed up the crowd by several times referring to “Barack Hussein Obama,” focusing on the Illinois senator’s middle name, trying to highlight his differences with other Americans.
When John McCain asked “Who is the real Barack Obama?”, a supporter shouted back: “He is a bomb.”
Chants of “Nobama, Nobama” mingled with cries of “terrorist,” as one banner in the crowd declared: “Go ahead, let the dogs out.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Astounding: was it a political rally or a potential lynch mob?
They might as well have said, “Turn the dogs loose on that darky socialist pink commie bastard, boys!”
A comment on the Post piece pretty much sums up how I feel about McCain now: “Well that’s the end of her political career. Now McSame has no where to go. Just think this was a man I use [sic] to respect. Now with all of his hate motivated rallies leaves him with shame. HOW SAD.”
And just below it:
Remember to Win Back America:
Last census
Whites=80.2% of population
Blacks=12.8% of population
Proof positive that this is bringing out the worst honesty in people. And here are two videos to prove it:
The McCain-Palin Mob in Strongsville, Ohio, Part I
The McCain-Palin Mob in Strongsville, Ohio, Part II
Two for Palin
First a joke my friend sent:
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher,whose hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Palin and her bid.
The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Palin is a 'Post Turtle.'' Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.
The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain.
'You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, and she doesn't know what to do while she's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with'.
Second, the Palin debate flow chart:
Make a Face!
And she did…
Issues or Popularity
I've been thinking about writing, for some time, about the coming VP debate. "Palin won't touch the issues," I was going to say. "It will be a personality show. She'll tell some cute stories and avoid saying anything of substance."
The BBC beat me to it.
"She has an amazing ability to turn a 45 second answer into a folksy story... she's never been forced to know the issues."
Mr Halcro said Mrs Palin's biggest strength is her ability to "fill the room with her presence". (Palin: The great debater?)
The article goes on to suggest that the economic crisis might make a difference, that people might expect the candidates to know the issues.
And it's clear Palin doesn't know the issues: