Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and state: 'Pensacola Jeff' will be a guest at 4:35 p.m.; and

Nation and international: is it EIT (enhanced interrogation tehniques) or just torture by another name; the New York bankers' coup d'état; and judge not.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have veritasphobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Not All Republi-Cons are Delusional

Many Republi-cons seem delusional nowadays, but not all. Read the Washington Post, True Confessions From the Trail.

Obama Thinks You are Stupid

UPDATE II: Did you know that Bush funded an "education policy attaché" based in Paris, whose annual salary, housing allowance and business expenses exceed $630,000? It will be one of the 'symbolic' budget cuts. Read the Washington Post, President's Critics See a Dull Knife.

UPDATE: Conservative columnist George Will notes that $100 million is "about 13 minutes of federal spending, and 0.0029 percent -- about a quarter of one-hundredth of 1 percent -- of $3.5 trillion. The title of his column in the Washington Post sums it up well, Obama's Budget Follies.

In a worthless gesture you might expect from a Republi-con, Obama has given his Cabinet 90 days to cut $100 million from the federal budget. Read AP, Obama's latest budget-tightening effort hardly makes a dime's worth of difference.

$100 million just ain't what it used to be.

To Bow or to Kiss, What Should a President Do?

Everyone is upset that Obama bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia:



But personally, I prefer that to holding hands and kissing the King:



Of course, maybe Bush and the King had a bromance.

So what should a President do, bow or kiss?

PS

I vote none of the above.

Who Needs the Truth When You Have Right-Wing Media

UPDATE: 'Pensacola Jeff' will be a guest tomorrow at 4:35 p.m. at NoBullU on WEBY.

BTW, a bit of triva, 'Pensacola Jeff' is a trivia master. He was a 2007 Jeopardy Tournament of Champions wildcard semifinalist. So get those answers ready, and lets see if he know the questions.

A couple of blurbs about right-wing media, and the truth:

From RicksBlog.biz:

"The Virginian-Pilot reports that retired Rear Adm. Lou Sarosdy denies that he wrote a wide-circulated email that criticizes President Barack Obama for not authorizing the military to act more aggressively during the stand-off, which ended with snipers killing three Somali pirates. The e-mail claims that Obama rejected two proposed rescue plans and that Phillips was saved only after naval officers at the scene decided on their own to proceed."

And 'Pensacola Jeff': One brave soul speaks the truth, and is greeted by boos, at teabagging party in Pensacola, FL.

Is 'Pensacola Jeff' the new Joe the Plumber? Watch the MSNBC video where he preaches the truth to the disbelieving Republi-cons:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pensacola Jeff has a blog.

I'll try to get him as a guest for the next show.

How to Tell the Sex of a Fly

From an email:

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hunting flies" he responded.

"Oh! Killing any?" she asked.

"Yep, 3 males, 2 females,' he replied.

Intrigued, she asked "How can you tell them apart?"

He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone."

Too cute.

An Impressive Weapon in the War Against the Middle Class

Want to know why most stuff is manufactured in China? There are over 1.3 billion people who want your job, and they are willing to work for a fraction of the average American wage.

And how are those goods transported to America? The Emma Maersk.






Some stats:

Country of origin - Denmark
Length - 1,302 ft
Width - 207 ft
First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006
Construction cost - US $145,000,000+
Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
Cruise Speed - 31 knots
Crew - 13 people
Typical Pacific transit time - 4 days
Net cargo - 123,200 tons, approx. 15,000 containers

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.

This is how Wal-Mart gets all its stuff from China.

According to an email I received "almost all of these containers are shipped back to China EMPTY! You heard that right. We send nothing back on most of these ships. What does that tell you about the current financial state of this country!"

As I said before, this decade may prove to be America's zenith. I predict that the economic mess will be the event leading to the emergence of Chinese economic and military dominance.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and state: Sansom indicted, now he should resign from office; and

Nation and international: told ya so, Navy Seals to the rescue, taxes; is it EIT (enhanced interrogation tehniques) or just torture by another name; the New York bankers' coup d'état; and judge not.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have veritasphobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

Mike & Bert's Coming Out

UPDATE: Maybe Mike & I just have a bromance. Watch this and you'll know what I mean:




NOTE: The audio segment from Friday's show will be ready and posted soon. Check back later if you missed it -- it was hilarious.

The emails, in chronological order:

Mike wrote:

"Is Barack Obama's Momma In Nude Porn Pictures?

Some photos have been making their rounds on the internet that claim to be nude shots of Barack Obama's mom. Those photos are attached.

One photo is of the Obama family. Look closely at is his mom so you can compare her face to the face in the porn photos.

It's amazing what can be done these days with PhotoShop. So these may very well be fakes. But the sites I have been to to research this allegation claim the photos are authentic, and that it really is Obama's momma (Stanley Ann Dunham). Snopes lists it as "undetermined."

I seek only the truth. Sooner or later a listener will call me on the air and bring this up. I'd like to respond with a well-documented, or at least well-researched, answer.

Do you have any information on this that I can use to prove or disprove the allegations that Obama's momma posed for nudie shots that are now circulating on the web?

Thanks,
Mike"

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I have not included the photo of Stanley Ann Dunham. Are they relevant to the discussion?]

Bert wrote:

"I would think that something like this is below even Republi-con low standards for newsworthiness. But I guess there is no shame for the sake of the party."

Mike wrote:

"I seek only the truth.

And if you read it through to the end (if you could keep your eyes off Obama's momma long enough to read my entire text), you would notice that I am seeking information to DISPROVE the allegation that those titties belong to Obama's momma."

Bert wrote:

"And on my next show I will seek information to DISPROVE the allegation that you are a homosexual wife beater."

Mike wrote:

"That would be understandable if photos existed showing me engaged in homosexual behavior or wife-beating.

This is not made of whole cloth. In fact, if you look closely, it appears that "Obama's momma" is not wearing any cloth at all!"

The photo showing Mike engaged in homosexual behavior, with me (!?!), and disclosed to me during the final segment of the show Friday:

On Taxes

Taxes, everyone hates them, but wants something from the government.

After you have prepared your tax return and finished with your local AstroTurf tax protest, sponsored no doubt by your local Republi-con party, read these articles:

The New York Times, Taxing, a Ritual to Save the Species,

The New York Times, Tax Revolts: Some Succeed, Most Don’t, and

The New York Times, Gorging the Beast, in which the writer argues that Obama seems to be trying to do too much at once, spending too much money without making the tough decisions about how to pay for it all. She also includes An Ode to Taxes:

Oh, little tax return form
No longer are you sad and lorn.
Fly away with your friends in a crowd
And try to make your filers proud.
Maybe you’ll fix a road or a park
Just please don’t turn into another earmark.

The Fashion Police

Already more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars. Why should you care? Because it costs a lot of money to lock someone up.

In some places you can even be arrested for failing to be fashionable. Read The New York Times, Ban on Drooping Drawers Faces Legal Challenge.

What do you think, should drooping drawers = jail?

Those Crazy Republi-Cons

A great article about those crazy Republi-cons and their AstroTurf tax parties. Read The New York Times, Tea Parties Forever.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

I'm back after a four week absence.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line, courtesy of Cyber Smart Computers.

Topics:

Local and state: TBD, and

Nation and international: TBD.

But I'll discuss anything. (Disclaimer: the host reserves the right to end any discussion and hang up on you.)

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth!

WARNING: You may not want to call in if you have veritasphobia, especially if you are a certain veritasphobic politician.

A Couple of Good Obama-toons

Obama should lose the teleprompter crutch:



BTW, the Obama teleprompter has a blog.


And here is another great editorial cartoon:

The Republi-Con Fear, Anger, and Hatred Machine

For an interesting perspective on the right-wing media, read the Washington Post, The News From Planet Hannity.

With due respect to FDR, the only thing we have to fear is (Republi-con) fear, anger, and hatred.

No Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Fridays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today so Ken or Mike will substitute. Until the next show, post a comment or two.

Bailout Scorecard

How much money has been allocated and spent, for what and and when? See CNN Money, Economy rescue: Adding up the dollars to keep score.

Republi-Con Fear Mongering

UPDATE: More on the old and unimproved right-wing fear-mongering media strategy for Obama. Read The New York Times, Fox News’s Mad, Apocalyptic, Tearful Rising Star.

And remember . . .

Be afraid, be very, very afraid, while the robber investment banks and financial institutions loot the treasury and buy FoxNews ads:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Glenn Beck's War Room

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Rap Battle
Joke of the Day

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Doom Bunker - Jack Jacobs and Stephen Moore

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Rap Battle
Joke of the Day

The purpose of terrorism is to terrify the target public.

Thanks to the Republi-cons and FoxNews, OBL has won.

How Do You Feel About the Economy?

The New York Times wants to know. You can enter the word that best describes your current mood.

I said I was disgusted.

Why, although you are not asked to explain your feeling, I'm disgusted because the banks (and other financial institutions) are robbing our future.

What did you say? And why?

What is Your Congressman's ROR?

UPDATE III: An update from my initial post in February. Congressman with ties to the PMA Group, AKA Murtha Men, may want to start worrying. The lobbying firm, one of the 10 biggest in Washington, and started by Paul Magliocchetti, a protégé of Representative John Murtha, is closing after prosecutors raided Magliocchetti's office and home last week. See The New York Times, Star Lobbyist Closes Shop Amid F.B.I. Inquiry.

UPDATE II: See The Seattle Times, The Favor Factory 2008, for a database of lawmakers, earmarks, and campaign giving.

It seems that our local Congressman's overall ROR was only 9,050% over five years. In 2008, Miller's total defense earmarks were $7,400,000 and his 2003-08 campaign contributions from earmark recipients was $81,750. However, his PMA ROR remains unchanged.

Is your Congressman a Murtha Man?

Read Congressional Quarterly, Firm with Murtha Ties Got Earmarks From Nearly One-Fourth of House.

Or read The New York Times, 104 Will Get You $300 Million:

"A lobbying powerhouse recently raided by federal agents has hurriedly gone out of business, but not before leaving a detailed blueprint of how the political money churn works in Congress. It was already clear that the PMA Group had heavy clout through Representative John Murtha and his powerful clique of defense appropriators. They, in turn, netted hefty campaign donations from PMA’s grateful roster of defense contractors.

But now, just as the firm implodes in the face of a growing scandal, new Congressional disclosure regulations are revealing the breathtaking breadth of PMA’s influence. The lobbying group — a revolving-door boîte created and run by staff alumni of the Murtha appropriations team — scored a singular coup last year. It convinced 104 different House members to add separate earmarks into the defense appropriations bill worth $300 million to PMA Group clients.

These same lawmakers who looked out for the PMA Group have received $1.8 million in campaign donations from the lobbying firm since 2001, according to an analysis of new disclosure filings by Congressional Quarterly and Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group.

Quid pro quo is the hardest of Congressional crimes to prove. But the new disclosure requirements — created by Democrats after the Republicans’ Jack Abramoff scandal — reveal the shameless back-scratching of lobbyist and lawmaker, tracking the flow of taxpayers’ funds to contractors and back as booty to lawmakers.

The raid on the PMA Group was part of an investigation into possible illicit campaign donations. Fast as PMA quit town, members of Congress have begun donating the lobbyists’ money to charity. Investigators should show the same diligence and enthusiasm following the full PMA money trail."

Then check to see if your congressman is on the list at Congressional Quarterly, Lobbying Firm's Capitol Hill Connections.

Our local Congressman, Jeff Miller, was one of the 104. He secured $3,800,000 in earmarks for clients of The PMA Group in the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations law, which was enacted in 2007. He has received $7,000 from PMA Group's political action committee or its employees since 2001. That is a rate of return (ROR) of over 54,285% over 6 years. Not bad for PMA.

(The actual ROR is probably much higher because there were likely earmarks made in other years. But why quibble whether it was a ROR of 54,000% or 55,000% or more, it is an great ROR for PMA in any case.)

But makes ya wonder why Congressman are so cheap.

UPDATE: It appears that my Senator, Bill Nelson, sold out to the Stanforn Financial Group for $45,000. As The New York Times reported "the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Robert Allen Stanford, the firm’s chief, of conducting 'a massive ongoing fraud' in the sale of about $8 billion of high-yielding certificates of deposit held in the firm’s bank in Antigua."

Is there no shame in Congress.