A few interesting links for September 4th through September 5th:
- Austinist: Las Manitas Closed Forever – That's a real shame, I've eaten at this place hundreds of times.
- Thursday Night Convention Speeches Live Blog – " What does this line mean?: "I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's." Did he really not love his country before that? Sure sounds that way. Most Americans I know love their country. A lot. Even without being a prisoner in someone else's."
- No Shame – "One of the most enduring taboos in American politics, the airing of graphic images from the September 11 attacks in a partisan context, died today. It was nearly seven years old.
The informal prohibition, which had been occasionally threatened by political ads in recent years, was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 CST, when a video aired before delegates at the Republican National Convention included slow-motion footage of a plane striking the World Trade Center, the towers' subsequent collapse, and smoke emerging from the Pentagon.The September 11 precedent was one of the few surviving campaign-season taboos. It is survived by direct comparisons of one's opponents to Hitler."
yes, and they cheered 9-11, keep it classy, RNC - Brendan Calling » Blog Archive » Thin-Skinned at McCain HQ – transcript of a hilarious phone call to McCain HQ
"And I went down the list I posted here and here going through the achievements of giants like Franklin and Paine and the medals doled out by pipsqueaks like George H.W. and George W.“I think it’s pretty clear that our country was founded by community organizers,” I said, “and Mrs. Palin denigrates their memory and their patriotism by saying things like ‘community organizers have no real responsibilities.’ That’s bad enough, but even worse she’s disrespecting both a sitting president and his father. So why should I vote for someone like that, who looks down on the things my neighbors and I do for out community?"
- Can The Dems Throw A Hissy Fit by dday… – "Let's see if the media will react to a Democratic hissy fit. Because there's ample opportunity. Roland Martin laid this out immediately. Community organizers, which were part of George H.W. Bush's thousand points of light, provide comfort, help save jobs, create opportunity. In a nation ripped asunder by right-wing policies, they are often the last line of defense. Leaders of this nation like Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Susan B. Anthony, even Thomas Paine and Sam Adams, were community organizers. …Jesus was a community organizer and Pilate was a governor.
In the largely white confines of the Republican National Convention, the phrase is a slur, like "ghetto hustler," but lots and lots of people today derive great benefit from community groups, including church groups, and the help they provide ordinary people. …Think bake sale."
- The professionals speak about the OKC Thunder logo – Clay Bennett is an ignoramus as well as a liar. Horrible graphic design, horrible name. I hope the team flounders for twenty years, never once making the playoffs. Oklahoma City Thunder? Lame.
- Joe Biden says Barack Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush administration if elected | – ""If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued – not out of vengeance, not out of retribution, out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president — no one is above the law."
Obama sounded a similar note in April, vowing that if elected, he would ask his attorney general to initiate a prompt review of Bush-era actions to distinguish between possible "genuine crimes" and "really bad policies".
- Rudy 9-11 is a Megalomaniac – "Confirmed: Rudy ran way long in his convention speech, forcing planners to nix a planned soft-focus bio video of Palin that was set to run before she spoke.
You can view the Palin vid here."
But I don't know why you'd want to, unless you are a masochist. - TheHill.com – Westmoreland calls Obama ‘uppity' – "Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term "uppity" to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.
Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.
"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.
Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”
- Sarah Palin Bush Cheney Rove’s speech last night – "The talking heads on my tv are telling me Sarah Palin was very funny last night, and I have to agree. The funniest line in Palin’s speech was when she said something like “Let me tell you exactly what the mayor of a small town does,” and then she didn’t."
- Romney Gore Jet – Mittens is a liar:
"ThinkProgress contacted Gore spokesperson Kalee Kreider, who replied, “Gore doesn’t own a jet.” - Media Matters – The sun ain't gonna shine anymore … – "Speaking of imputing non-existent feelings on liberal voters, Ron Fournier's bureau pushed this story out on Tuesday:
Many liberals are belittling the choice [of Sarah Palin], suggesting that as a mother of five children — including an infant with Down syndrome — she has neither the time nor the experience to become vice president.
Atrios challenged the reporter, Tom Raum, to name one liberal who suggested any such thing. So far as I'm aware, Raum has not. But MoveOn has started another campaign based on that story as well. Have a look."
- Media Matters – ABC, CBS aired no analysis from Dems during Day 2 of RNC coverage, despite airing analysis by Republicans during Day 2 of DNC coverage – Librul Media, my arse.
"Neither ABC nor CBS aired analysis from Democrats, Democratic strategists, or progressive media figures during their live coverage of the second day of the Republican National Convention on September 2 (the first day of the networks' live coverage of the convention). By contrast, both networks aired analysis from Republicans and conservatives, as well as from Democrats and progressives, during coverage of the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 26."