Ann Coulter's Sense of Humor

Sometimes Ann C. can be pretty funny, in a warped sort of fashion (snippet; emphasis mine):

Remove Dennis Kucinich's feeding tube! Posted: November 13, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 Universal Press Syndicate In the current battle over whether to remove the feeding tube from Florida woman Terri Schiavo, the basic positions are: She is in a permanent vegetative state; no she's not. She is unconscious and does not react to stimuli; yes she does. She will never get any better; yes she will. She would not have wanted to be kept on a feeding tube; you don't know that. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that the husband is creepy. Terri's parents are fighting like mad to keep Terri alive. The husband, Michael Schiavo, is living with another woman with whom he has one child and is expecting another. Yet he has mounted a monumental crusade to have Terri's feeding tube removed. Terri is not brain-dead and requires no extraordinary means to be kept alive. She is breathing, her heart is pumping, her organs are functioning. All she needs is food and water. (Of course, all three are technically true of Kate Moss, too.) But her husband wants to starve her to death. As Larry King asked him, why not "walk away"? That is the eternal mystery of this case. Assuming everything Michael says about Terri is true – she has no consciousness, she will never recover, and she would not want to live with feeding tubes – well, then, she's not in pain, bored, angry or upset. Dennis Kucinich has been in a persistent vegetative state for 20 years – how about not feeding him? Why is Michael Schiavo so obsessed with pulling Terri's feeding tube? Why can't he just walk away?

There are so many things wrong with her reasoning, just in this small snippet from her article, it would take the rest of my life to mend the errors. However, I wanted to point out that Kucinich must be entering the big time level of politics if Ann the Slimeslut is taking the time to comment on his lifestyle. Way to go, Dennis!

Kucinich Shines on NPR

Dennis Kucinich on today's Talk of the Nation on NPR. Be sure to listen to it; you need either RealAudio or Windows Media Player.

It's always so enlightening to hear him succinctly and definitively state his views, assumptions and beliefs. They are very specific, very consistent in a unifying manner, and do not sound like he's trying to please everyone, unlike all the other candidates' platforms. He's the only candidate that makes you feel like you know for sure what you're getting. He's the only candidate who sounds like he thinks people can make decisions about their own destiny and that they just need the support (socially and financially) to do so, that government doesn't need to intrusively tell people how to run their lives. (Of course some people do need such assistance, but that's beside the point.)

If he can ever break out of that 1-3% poll standing, he's got a chance to make something out of this election. Everyone who like him says they would vote for him if they didn't feel like they were wasting their vote. Well, you won't be wasting your vote in the primaries if you checked off the Kucinich box, so Left is Right says go for it!

Uh oh

Did Kucinich allow a no-no? Snippet from In These Times:

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) got a letter the other day from the Illinois chair of the Dennis Kucinich for President campaign. In These Times got a copy of the letter, too—after all, it was an open letter intending to provoke controversy over Jackson’s decision to endorse Howard Dean. Lance Del Goebel, depicting Dean as Bush’s immoral collaborator, wrote, “Will you, Congressman Jackson, be explaining to your constituents that they should support Howard Dean because of the project undertaken by Texas Governor George Bush and Vermont Governor Howard Dean to dump Vermont’s toxic waste on the poor Hispanic town of Sierra Blanca, Texas?”

I wonder several things, including, did Kucinich know about and endorse this letter, and, if so, why would he allow something that is more divisive than informative to emanate from his campaign staff? If he didn't know, what will he do about Del Goebel?

Bush Beats Democratic Candidates' Appeal

This is one reason why Bush will win next year:

Voters are evenly divided between Bush and a generic Democrat, but the president retains a significant lead over all of the actual candidates for the Democratic nomination. (See p.5 for further analysis.) The gap between support for a generic Democratic candidate and support for actual candidates reflects a lack of familiarity with many of the Democrats as much as a lack of appeal on their part. A good portion of the advantage Bush has in the individual match-ups comes from voters who expressed no preference between the president's reelection and a Democratic victory. Of the voters who were undecided on the generic ballot (16% of all registered voters), roughly four-in-ten (42%) say they would favor Bush when his name is placed against the current Democratic candidates, while just 27% favor one of the Democrats. There are no significant differences in the appeal of the five leading candidates ­ Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Gephardt, Kerry and Lieberman among these voters.

From a recent Pew Research Center poll, "The 2004 Political Landscape"

Cojones

Found this article in Mother Jones, describing Kucinich giving a fundraising speech at the L.A. home of actor James Cromwell. Snippet:

In the study, Dennis Kucinich calmly feeds a Los Angeles Times reporter his positions. He is five feet seven, about 135 pounds, and swaddled in a suit that looks like something grabbed off the rack at a discount store and intended for a larger man. His 56-year-old face looks boyish, his hair cropped rather than shaped. He seems a miniature candidate out of scale and out of place among the perfect bodies and faces (well, not completely out of place since Shirley MacLaine is his daughter's godmother). Finally, the wine and trays of food disappear, the crowd drifts into the rows of chairs, and Kucinich takes the podium. At first, as he says his anti-war position "arises from a vision that views the world holistically," the audience listens listlessly as the heat bakes the yard. Then suddenly Kucinich's knuckles hit the podium like a drumroll as he says he will "cause the U.S. to work toward total nuclear disarmament.... Fear has led this country to pass a law that attacks numerous provisions of the Bill of Rights. Fear is leading this country to a kind of paralysis," and now his voice grows louder and louder and overwhelms the crowd wedged in among the roses. He shouts that he wants to "call this nation to a higher calling!" And the small man in the ill-fitting suit suddenly grows large and becomes some no-neck Teamster on a loading dock exhorting the working stiffs to the cause. The wind chimes softly toll on the perfect patio behind the perfect house with all the perfect bodies listening intently. He ends his talk in eight minutes flat -- always he ends in eight minutes flat. He uses no notes, never falters. He never skips his points: bring the troops home now, cut the Defense budget by 15 percent, found a Department of Peace, withdraw from NAFTA and WTO, cancel the tax cut, fully fund health insurance, sign the Kyoto Accords and the land-mine treaty. And always, take back our country. He plays off the word "fear" as if it were a chord in a blues song. He began sounding like someone in a high-school speech class, then became a union rabble-rouser, then soared into some ghostly presence of Huey Long, and now he is walking through the crowd with the smile and grace of Phil Donahue. Their eyes say this is too good to be true, too good to ever win the nomination much less the presidency. Hector Elizondo (Chicago Hope, Tortilla Soup) confides that Kucinich can't win but "he's got big cojones." Dennis Kucinich, totally engaged, totally exact in his answers, seems somewhere else. He always seems somewhere else, some place that is hard and cold and where the roses never bloom. And he always seems alone. "Dennis has always believed in himself more than most people around him," says Tim Hagen, a Democrat who grew up in Kucinich's ward and lost the Ohio gubernatorial election in 2002. "He's been on a crusade his whole life. He's always fashioned himself as the darling of the left. You'd have to drive a stake through his heart to get him out of the business. He has a borderline messianic point of view. There's been a constant theme in his public life -- rallying against the establishment. The only avenue for him to feel he was somebody was in political life."

Even if Bush had cojones, he wouldn't know where to find them. Cojones... that's one big difference between Kucinich and everyone else in this race (except maybe for Clark).

Enough with this "Bush refuses to attend the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq" crap.

Honestly, would you want that asshole present at your son's or daughter's funeral? Thank god he has the decency NOT to attend.

Ornicus sez:

The record is unmistakable: George W. Bush's presidency has been an unmitigated disaster from nearly the day he took office, and it has compounded exponentially with every week the man occupies it. Even if he is defeated in 2004, Americans will be paying the price for his spectacularly misbegotten ascension to the nation's highest office at one of the most critical junctures in history for years, perhaps even generations, to come. Which makes the thought of him winning election for the first time, thereby handing him another four years in which to deepen the problems beyond the point of recovery, even more chilling.

I think "chilling" is the most understated word in the entire essay.

Praise be to George Soros!

Note to wife: Please DON'T take me to Anaheim Memorial Medical Center if I start clutching my chest.

Toddler Pulled from Fullerton Pool Pronounced Dead, Later Found Breathing FULLERTON (AP) 11.9.03, 9:40am -- A little girl revived nearly two hours after she was believed to have drowned in her family's swimming pool remained in critical condition Saturday, officials said. Twenty-month-old Mackayala Jespersen was responding to sound and touch, said Children's Hospital of Orange County spokeswoman Denise Almazan. The toddler's mother found her floating face down in the pool early Friday, police Sgt. Sean Fares said. Police believe she had been in the chilly water for about 10 minutes. Mackayala was rushed to Anaheim Memorial Medical Center after police officers and paramedics failed to revive her. Doctors there pronounced her dead at 10:06 a.m., an hour after her mother had called 911. Forty minutes later, police Detective Mike Kendrick was investigating her death when he noticed her chest billowing up and down, as though she were breathing. He summoned doctors, who revived her. She was later transferred to Children's Hospital of Orange County.

UPDATE 11/12/03:

ORANGE, California (AP) -- Brain scans of a toddler revived two hours after she was believed to have drowned showed no serious problems, a doctor said.

I'm sure the only reason the child survived was because the pool was not heated at the time.

Another one of those things-are-getting-worse-because-things-are-getting-better quotes:

L. Paul Bremer, the coalition's chief administrator in Iraq, warned that the coalition should expect intensified attacks in coming months. "We're going to have increased attacks and increased terrorism because the terrorists can see the reconstruction dynamic is moving in our direction," Bremer was quoted as saying in The Times newspaper of London. "It will be more of a problem in the months ahead unless the intelligence gets better."

Intelligence IS lacking, especially at the White House.

Want a chance to marry Dennis Kucinich and possibly become the next First Lady? Then go HERE

GORE

The American Constitution Society today hosted Al Gore who spoke about all things Bush. HERE is the text of the speech and HERE is the video, courtesy of the co-sponsor, MoveOn.org.

Prominent Republicans claim that the Bush Administration never said that Iraq's WMD were an imminent threat to the U.S. Josh Marchall corrects those lies.

"Wounds of War"

This article from today's L.A. Times should be required reading of all registered voters. A tour of Walter Reed Army Hospital and some of the staff makes a sobering summary of the real Iraq war from an American perspective. Since the Bush government will not allow photo journalism of the facilities, this is the next best thing. Here are a few snippets:

As the U.S.-led coalition forces battle an increasingly fierce insurgency in Iraq, the military's medical system is waging its own war — and Walter Reed, its premier medical center, is in the thick of it. The world-renowned teaching and research hospital, which opened in 1909, has treated presidents and senators. Since World War I, Walter Reed has been a crucial, and often a long-term, stop for the most seriously wounded in war. Last week, more than a dozen survivors of the Chinook helicopter shot down by insurgents in Iraq Nov. 2 were carried in on stretchers. They entered a hospital transformed over the last seven months by the first big wave of combat casualties since the Vietnam War. Since April, when the first casualties began arriving, more than 1,875 have been treated at Walter Reed, an average of about 10 a day, 300 a month. On any given day during that time, the hospital has had about 50 inpatients and 180 outpatients from the war.

"The number is big to me now, bigger than anything I've seen since Vietnam," said Jim Mayer, 57, who lost both legs in that war and now volunteers at the hospital several days a week helping amputees. "When we see each other here, me and the other volunteers, our line to each other is, 'They just keep coming and coming.' " In Ward 57, orthopedic surgeons work day and night. In the physical therapy rooms, young men missing limbs lie side by side and head to toe on mats, lifting weights. Hospital staffers come in on their days off, bringing pizza to the wounded soldiers, taking those who are well enough out to the movies.

"I don't think this is going to go away," said Army Major Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, an obstetrician and gynecologist by training who is commander of the hospital. "Our people are pedaling as hard and fast as they can. We can do this for a long time. But at some point, if there's no letup, the casualty demand will have to start affecting what Walter Reed is."

The staff at Walter Reed, with responsibility for the majority of the seriously wounded, has tried to address potential problems before they arise. When they had trouble getting timely information from their counterparts in Germany on the number and type of casualties being flown to Walter Reed, it sent over its own nurse to report back. Meanwhile, doctors have been known to schedule the multiple surgeries of patients who have become friends on staggered schedules so the patient who is in better shape on a given day can console the other. "The whole hospital is on a war footing and emotionally involved," said Kiley, the commanding officer. "The broader challenge is how do you keep the battle tempo up for a long period of time." As casualties continue to mount in Iraq, the bulletin board at Walter Reed's physical therapy unit long ago ran out of room. "This is like 1%" of the Iraq casualties who passed through the hospital, said Hannah, one of the physical therapists. "If we had a picture of everyone, it would take up a whole wall."

Note: One-time registration is needed to access L.A. Times articles.

FRIDAY FUN

Japanese Animation
The Monkey Shakespeare Simulator
Holy Bellbottoms, Batman! (1971 Sears Catalog with comments)
Especially for my son, Will
End of the World (some language)
Church Sign Generator (create your own pastor's message)
Hot Dogs

Kucinich showed a sense of humor "during the first joint forum of the primary campaign in New Hampshire" (snippet):

Kucinich, who is divorced, stole the most laughs of the night when he was asked to define the role for the candidate’s “first lady, first man or first partner.” “As a bachelor, I get to fantasize about my first lady. Maybe Fox (TV) wants to sponsor a national contest or something,” he cracked. A divorced father of a 21-year-old daughter, Kucinich then ran down that criteria for the perfect partner that brought the house down. “I would certainly want a dynamic, outspoken woman who was fearless in her desire for peace in the world and for universal, single-payer health care in a full employment economy,” he said. “If you are out there, call me.” Deadpanned Kerry: “That is the first presidential personal ad I have ever seen.”

Europe Says U.S. Is Dangerous

From The Daily Star (snippets):

European opinions on Israel are a wake-up call for all of us It is not so surprising, according to a public opinion poll commissioned by the European Union and released Monday, that Europeans ranked Israel as the greatest threat to peace in the world (59 percent of respondents). Neither is it surprising that the next two ranked countries were Iran and North Korea (53 percent each). More noteworthy is that the United States shared that second place with Iran and North Korea, also at 53 percent. There is scope here for serious analysis of recent global political trends, and also much ammunition for simplistic, knee-jerk reactions from both Americans and Europeans. My own sense, after discussions this week with Europeans, Americans and Middle Easterners in Paris and London, is that these poll results should be treated as a sobering wake-up call by all concerned. They should prompt us to understand the polarization that has brought us to this situation where the two countries that see themselves as the fountainheads of democracy, peace, and prosperity in the Middle East (the US and Israel) are perceived in Europe as the No. 1 and 2 threats to world peace. ... The message is very clear because it is so frequently and clearly expressed: the world respects American values and domestic practices, but dislikes the way that the US uses its power around the world. The same applies to Israel and its behavior: The world generally admires Israel’s feats in nation-building, human ingenuity, and economic productivity and prosperity, but strongly rejects Israel’s colonial, often racist, policies towards the Palestinians. The US and Israel, like all countries, do good and bad things. This dichotomy explicitly challenges and negates the more simplistic, one-dimensional approach to the world that American and Israeli leaders try to foist on us: that you are with us or against us, that you love or hate Jews, that you are tolerant or racist, that you accept or reject freedom, and other such black-and-white, cartoon-like worldviews ­ views that are more reflective of the relationship between Popeye and Bluto than between hundreds of millions of human beings who live in real time and real history. This is a grossly inaccurate description of how the world works and how decent people feel about the US, Israel, and any other country. ... I hope these European poll findings elicit a more rational and reflective response in the US and Israel than has been the case to date. But I also hope they get the serious attention of people in the Arab-Islamic world, because there is also a wake-up call for us in this poll: Eight of the top 14 countries that Europeans perceived as threats to world peace were from the Arab-Islamic world (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia). The US and Israel are a real problem for the world, but so are many Arab and Islamic societies. It’s time to talk, folks, preferably without foreign soldiers, candy bags, or local tyrants. Rami G. Khouri is the executive editor of The Daily Star

Kucinich Looking for Dean Castaways

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Posted on Thu, Nov. 06, 2003 Kucinich Hopes to Get Ex-Dean Supporters - SHARON THEIMER - Associated Press WASHINGTON - Calling the doctor out, Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich is hoping to capitalize on the possibility that rival Howard Dean will skip public financing.The Ohio congressman urged those who backed Dean because they thought he'd take the federal funds to support Kucinich instead. He announced the creation of a new Web site, "The Dr. is Out," aimed at attracting former Dean supporters. Kucinich released a statement criticizing Dean, noting a March story by The Associated Press in which Dean committed to accepting public financing and said he would make it a campaign issue if other Democratic hopefuls opted out of the system. "I'm making it an issue now," Kucinich said. "Dr. Dean may feel that he can drag his supporters into agreeing with his preconceived decision because in the end he believes they have no other place to go. Well, he's wrong. Our campaign is reaching out to them." Dean is polling his supporters on whether he should join President Bush and skip public financing and the spending limits that come with it. Those who accept government money for the primaries get a government match of up to $250 for each contribution, up to a total of about $18.7 million, and are limited to about $45 million in spending.