This.

My good friend David Terrenoire brings the fire and delivers one king-hell smackdown to a particularly egregious example of anti-health care reform bullshit:

The commercial is paid for by Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a group of right wingers who care as much about patients' rights as Michael Vick cares about puppies.

And that's just him warming up...check it out.

Just When You Think They Can't Go Any Lower

By now, most of you have heard about Bill Sparkman, the census worker who was killed and hanged from a tree in Kentucky with the word "FED" scrawled on his chest. Right wingers, apparently fearing that the crime will be traced to hatemongers stirring up fear of the government, particularly the census, are struggling frantically to pre-emptively blame the grisly killing on someone or something else. So you have this guy, saying it must have been illegal Mexicans, because sometimes gangs grow weed in National Parks, and Mexican gangs grow weed, so there you have it.

But for sheer vileness, it's hard to beat Dan Riehl,* who theorizes that the murder victim may have been a child predator. His evidence? "No teaching degree, no full-time means of employment and no wife or kids so far as I am aware. But he certainly did gravitate towards children."

And we know this because....Sparkman was a Boy Scout leader and a substitute teacher.

Turns out, however, that Sparkman DID have a teaching degree, and a son, who we was raising as a single parent. But in the perverted minds of someone like Riehl, that's probably just more evidence he was a nasty child molester who deserved to be killed and hung from a tree.

The thing is, it's all so unnecessary. It would have been easy for a sane person to simply go, "wait a minute, we don't really know that much about the crime yet, including whether or not it was actually a homicide. Not to mention the fact that anti-federal government sentiment in that area far predates Glenn Beck, teabaggers, or Michelle Bachmann. In fact, a state trooper who worked in the schools with Sparkman warned him: "when you go into those counties, be careful because people are going to perceive you different than they do elsewhere.'"

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/census-worker-hanged-with_n_297114.html

But nooooooooo...these sick fucks think everything is the fault of the Meskins or the Gays, and they're willing to smear a murder victim to make that "point."

Don't ever forget, though: it's the liberals who are filled with hate.

*(I did not, as is my normal practice, link directly to Riehl's blog. I'm not giving that asshole another web-hit if I can help it).

This May Be a Sign of the Apocalypse

Latest Newspaper Column:

My friends, today, I'm going to do something that will shock you. It will amaze you. It will plumb astound you.

I am going to say some nice things about some Republicans.

I know sometimes it seems as if I have it in for the GOP. But see, my schtick here at The Pilot is making fun of people who need making fun of. And you have to admit that the modern GOP offers a target-rich environment for that sort of thing, playing host as it does to a motley collection of birthers, teabaggers, secessionists, death-panel nuts, Sarah Palin cultists, and thugs like Hollerin' Joe Wilson.

The party that once hailed William F. Buckley and George Will as its leading intellectual lights and that now bestows that honor on the virulently anti-intellectual Joe the Plumber is just begging to be mocked. The party that hails a hate-filled drug addict like Rush Limbaugh as its de facto leader...

Oh. Right. Nice things about Republicans. Sorry, got a little carried away there.

It's come to my attention recently that there are actually some voices of reason and sanity crying out in the wilderness, asking for a reasoned debate as opposed to hysterical ranting about made-up bogeymen.
There are indeed some Republicans for whom espousing conservative principles doesn't involve shrieking "socialism," "Marxism" or "fascism" about everything of which one disapproves in such a way that it's crystal-clear that one hasn't the vaguest idea what any of those terms means.
Take, for example Joe Scarborough, former Republican congressman from Florida and the host of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.
Now, I'm not going to say I agree with Scarborough on everything. But he's been one of the few Republican pundits who seem willing to take on those who place themselves out on the lunatic fringe of Republican discourse. And by "lunatic fringe," of course, I mean Glenn Beck.
Speaking of Beck's claim that President Obama is a racist who hates white people, Scarborough said, "I'm talking to you, Mitt Romney, and I'm talking to anybody who wants to be president in 2012. ... When you preach this kind of hatred, and say that an African American president hates all white people, you are playing with fire. And bad things can happen. And if they do happen, not only is Glenn Beck responsible, but conservatives who don't call him out are responsible."
Scarborough said that he's starting a "conservative honor roll" to reward GOP politicians who denounce racism and craziness. Let's hope it's not a short list.
Then there's Charles Johnson, founder and Webmaster of the right-wing blog Little Green Footballs, or LGF for short.
LGF was the blog that first expressed skepticism about documents referenced in a "60 Minutes" report that raised questions about George Dubbya Bush's truncated service in the Texas Air National Guard. Revelations that the documents were insufficiently verified led to the resignation of veteran CBS anchor Dan Rather, a scalp that any conservative might envy collecting.
Johnson and commenters on the blog have frequently sneered at the "loony liberal left." But after the last election, even Johnson became alarmed at what he saw as the growing racism of the Right, especially the approval some right-wing bloggers were expressing towards European white supremacist organizations.
When Rush Limbaugh used an incident where a white student was beaten on a school bus by some black kids to claim that this was an example of "Obama's America" and to call for buses to be resegregated, Johnson called the segment a "vile rant" and wondered, "Where was Michael Steele? What the hell is wrong with the Right?"
Excellent question, Chuck.
All mockery aside, I would like to see a strong, sane, intellectually honest Republican Party. I think any party, including the Democrats, is made stronger by having principled opposition. And I know there are thoughtful conservatives out there. I know this because I know some of them.
Unfortunately, none of those people seem to be in charge of the party. I'd like to see that change. Oh, it would mean I'd have to find someone else to make fun of, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice for my country.

You Have Not Thought This Through

Think Progress tells the story of what happens when a fake conservative like Michelle Bachmann invites a real small-government, limited-intervention conservative like Ron Paul to appear with her:

As Paul spoke passionately about ending all military operations and keeping government out of people’s “lifestyles,” a lone heckler began to shout, “Tell her!” Bachmann remained serene, hands folded in her lap, facing Paul. Bringing up Obama’s announcement that Iran had secret underground nuclear facilities, Paul announced that he had had enough of “fear-mongering” for the sake of the “military-industrial complex.” Bachmann, who once advocated nuking Iran, kept her eyes trained on Paul as her heckler repeated, “Tell her! Tell Michele! Tell her!”

I've noted before that Ron Paul was the only "conservative" running for President last year who actually espoused any real conservative principles, and the other "conservatives" (who were really Daddy-state authoritarians masquerading as conservatives) treated him like a lunatic. I suppose Crazy Shelly Bachmann, who really is a lunatic, figured she and Paul would be kindred spirits.

Look how wrong you can be.

It's Only Treason When Liberals Do it

d r i f t g l a s s:

On Sarah Palin's speech to a group of 'high-flying global investors" in Hong Kong:

She didn't refer to President Barack Obama by name, the Wall Street Journal reported, but said she called his campaign promises "nebulous, utopian sounding... Now 10 months later, though, a lot of Americans are asking: more government? Is that the change we want?"

Some attendees were disappointed by her focus on her home state and her attacks on President Obama.

"Driftglass" notes:

...as all of you who escaped our nation's 25-year-long Conservative prefrontal Limbaughtomy remember, six short years ago when a singer blurted out a dozen unprepared words dissing George W. Bush at a concert in London (or, as wingnuts always ominously intone "On Foreign Soil!"), the Right absolutely lost its collective shit.

There were marches. Vigils. Coast-to-coast Hate Radio rants. A virtual embargo on playing the music of "The Dixie Chicks" anywhere in this Home of the Brave...

But while I might not care what the Wasilla Grifter has to say about anything, anywhere, every single fucking Conservative who pretended to be standing on righteous principle when they went full DEFCON 1 monkeyshit in 2003, and who now stays silent or cheers Caribou Barbie on needs to have their voter registration card confiscated and ceremonially burned atop a pyre of Tobie Keith records.

For starters.

Damn Skippy. Here's a little remembrance from the Dixie Chicks:

Poor Michelle

Michelle Malkin Has Feelings, Too - The Daily Beast

The recipient of occasional death threats, she has twice felt the need to move her family to undisclosed locations—and in recent years decamped from suburban Washington to the flyover wilds of Colorado. When she goes on book tour or lectures on college campuses, she is accompanied by a private security guard. “I limit the amount of traveling and speaking that I do, but you just never know,” she says.

Let me just say very clearly, that threatening people's lives for their opinions is wrong.

But my sympathy for Michelle Malkin is somewhat lessened when I remember that her M.O. often involves posting the names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of people she deems ideologically impure and asking her many readers to badger them. While piously claiming that she doesn't condone threats, she took no action, such as taking down the numbers and addresses when she found out threats were being made. A school which Malkin targeted over a video showing children singing songs about Barack Obama had to go into lockdown because of death threats:

"The tension at B. Bernice Young Elementary School escalated to such a degree Thursday that the school was placed temporarily on lockdown after its principal received death threats over a YouTube video that showed nearly 20 children being taught songs lauding the president, though back-to-school night events continuing as planned Thursday night at the school."

Malkin's record of stalking schoolchildren and their parents for expressing beliefs about health care that she doesn't like is well-documented.

When you make your money out of stirring up hatred against people, you shouldn't be surprised when your readers act hatefully. Nor should you expect a lot of sympathy when some hate comes your way.

Location as Character

I'm part of a virtual panel of writers talking about regional mysteries and settings over at Jonathan Maberry's Big Scary Blog. Drop on by!

Thanks to Jon for inviting me, and if you haven't checked out his book PATIENT ZERO yet, get it. Get it now. It rocks.

Wake up, Democrats. Bipartisanship Is Dead and Joe Wilson Signed the Death Certificate

Latest Newspaper Column:

I had originally planned to compare Joe Wilson, the Republican representative from South Carolina who hollered "you lie!" at President Obama during his address on health care, to Kanye West.

In case you missed it, West is the rapper who disgraced himself during the MTV Video Music Awards by running on stage, taking the mike from award winner Taylor Swift and insisting that Beyonce should have won the award. Both have apologized: West to Swift, and Wilson to President Obama.

Wilson's apology, however, might have seemed a little more sincere had he not immediately started using his outburst as a fundraising tool. He began posting on his Web site that those nasty liberals were trying to "muzzle the American people who have been outspoken against their risky plan" and pleaded, "Will you please make a donation to help me fight back against these partisan attacks?"

I guess I missed the meeting where acting like trailer trash on the floor of the U.S. Congress was declared to be a conservative principle.

In contrast to Wilson, Kanye is apologizing every chance he gets, including a tearful scene on Jay Leno's new show when Leno asked Kanye what his mother might have said about his behavior. He's not using the fuss to tell people they should buy his records because he's being persecuted.

Good Lord. How low have you sunk when a world-class twit like Kanye West is showing more class than you?

The "partisan attacks" that Hollerin' Joe was whining about referred to a resolution introduced in the House for the lowest possible sanction for someone who committed a serious breach of decorum: a "resolution of disapproval."

The idea of even this mild a rebuke set off the usual fits of the vapors from the usual gang of right-wing pundits. Commentator Bill Kristol, for example, warned that if the Democratic leadership pursued a reprimand, they'd be "leading the party off the cliff."

Let me get this straight: The idiot who hollers out during a presidential address like a drunk redneck at a cockfight isn't "leading his party over a cliff," but the people pushing for the mildest reprimand of his boorish behavior are? But, hey, thanks for your concern, Bill. I'm sure you only have the best interest of the Democratic Party at heart.

I want to make one thing clear: I don't think it should be forbidden to call the president a liar. I did it myself during the Bush years, quite a bit, back when it was still considered the Worst Thing In The World. I just didn't do it on the floor of the House during a presidential address.

If a Democratic representative had yelled, "Bush lied, soldiers died!" during, say, the 2006 State of the Union address, the same people lining up behind Hollerin' Joe right now would be demanding he be impeached, at least those who weren't demanding he be sent to Guantanamo.

In any event, the resolution passed upon nearly a straight party vote, and I dearly hope that the tally serves as a wake-up call to the Democrats. Bipartisanship in the House is dead, Wilson's outburst was its obituary, and this vote buried it. President Obama is to be commended for trying to bring the Republicans into the tent, but the GOP has slapped away his hand every time it's been extended.

You want to look at the face of Republican "bipartisanship," look at the face of Joe Wilson captured at the moment when he's yelling at the president of the United States: red-faced, finger pointed in indignation, his pig-eyed, slack-jawed fury a chilling echo of those awful photographs from the early '60s of people shouting at civil rights protesters. Lucky thing Joe Wilson didn't have access to a police dog or a fire hose.

Fact is, when a Republican these days talks about bipartisanship, what he's really demanding is minority rule. He's demanding that his party still set the agenda and make policy for the nation after being soundly defeated in the last two elections.

Sorry, guys, it doesn't work that way. And it's time the Democrats started acting like it.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up, Folks

NYTimes.com

HOUSTON — The highest criminal court in Texas ruled Wednesday that a man facing the death penalty for murder could not have a new trial despite a love affair between the prosecutor and the judge who tried his case.

In a 6-to-3 decision, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said the convicted man, Charles D. Hood, should have raised in earlier appeals the argument that the love affair had tainted his trial.

The affair had been rumored for years in Collin County, just north of Dallas, but was confirmed only a year ago when Mr. Hood’s lawyers compelled the judge, Verla Sue Holland, and the prosecutor, Thomas S. O’Connell Jr., to give depositions under oath. Both officials had since retired.

Let me get this straight. Hood should have raised an unconfirmed rumor that the judge and the prosecutor were having an affair, a rumor that wasn't confirmed till 2008, in an appeal way the hell back in 1990? Do I have this right?

It's like Bill Crider always says: once again, Texas leads the way....

From Your Friendly Health Insurance Company

Getting Beaten By Your Husband Is A Pre-Existing Condition:

It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.

Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.

***

n 1994, then-Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), now a member of Senate leadership, had his staff survey 16 insurance companies. He found that eight would not write health, life or disability policies for women who have been abused. In 1995, the Boston Globe found that Nationwide, Allstate, State Farm, Aetna, Metropolitan Life, The Equitable Companies, First Colony Life, The Prudential and the Principal Financial Group had all either canceled or denied coverage to women who'd been beaten.

***

In 2006, Democrats tried to end the practice. An amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now a member of leadership, split the Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee 10-10. The tie meant that the measure failed.

All ten no votes were Republicans...

Imagine my surprise.

Still think we don't need health insurance reform?

WTF?

Ain't It Cool News:

Universal has set July 1, 2011, for the release of "Battleship," confirming Peter Berg as helmer of the live-action pic based on Hasbro's naval combat board game.
Berg called the pic "a contemporary story of an international five-ship fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense battle" -- but he would not disclose any details about the enemy force.
The film will be the next directorial assignment for Berg, who last helmed "Hancock."

Okay, it made at least some sense to make a movie out of "Clue," because after all, it was a mystery. But "Battleship"? What's next? "Yahtzee?" "Sorry?" "Chutes and Ladders?"

A Small People, A Silly People

Latest Newspaper Column:

If there was any doubt that the modern American right has gotten too silly to be taken seriously and that the movement that once boasted intellectual heavyweights like William F. Buckley and Milton Freidman has now turned into a combination insane asylum and Klown Kollege, it's the recent outbreak of outrage over President Obama's speech to America's schoolchildren.

The very idea that this president would have the unmitigated gall to do exactly what his predecessors, like Saint Ronald Reagan, Bush the Elder and Bush the Lesser have done -- that is, actually speak to the children of America -- was enough to send these people into such a paroxysm of frothing outrage, you'd have thought he was a representative of the North American Man-Boy Love Association, not the duly elected leader of the executive branch.

Vowing that their little ones were never going to risk exposure to the "Socialist Agenda" of the Scary Dark Man, some even swore they would keep their children home from school.

Apparently, they feared that every word spoken by the president was going to worm its way into the ears of their delicate offspring like one of those bugs the bad guys used in "The Wrath of Khan," with the result that pretty soon, their kids would rise up, chanting slogans from the Little Red Book of Chairman Mao, murder their parents in their beds, then establish a Thousand Year Democratic Reich, despite not actually being old enough to vote.

Or maybe the parents were afraid the kids would start nagging them like they do for toys or breakfast cereals advertised on TV until the parents finally break down and accept universal health care.

I didn't say it made any sense.

The profound silliness of the right-wing agenda was revealed in full when the White House released the actual text of the speech before its delivery. The speech, as it runs out, was actually pretty standard stuff: Stay in school. Work hard. Take responsibility. It was something you might hear from Mr. Rogers.

I expect that the majority of kids who were actually allowed to hear the speech quickly tuned out and began texting their friends across the room or playing with their PSPs or whatever it is they do nowadays.

So then the wingnuts, as is their habit, began moving the goalposts. It wasn't the speech they were objecting to, they claimed (even though that's exactly what they'd been doing the day before). The problem was now the "lesson plan" sent out by the Department of Education, which was apparently full of hidden socialist mind control voodoo.

One fellow named Michael Knowles, a self-described leader of the San Antonio "Tea Party" movement, insisted in an interview on MSNBC that the lesson plans were actually illegal under federal law because they encouraged students "to reveal personal information about themselves" during discussions and to "reveal information about their goals."

Yep, that's right. Remember grade school, when some teachers would ask you to "tell us a little something about yourself"? Bet you never knew you were a victim of a federal crime. I sure didn't. And neither did MSNBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

"You must be kidding me," Snyderman said. "Do you not want kids to be talking about what they want to be when they grow up?"

Yes, Dr. Nancy, they really are that crazy.

I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that I was never a big fan of George W. Bush. But you know what? If he'd given a televised speech to the nation's schoolchildren, I wouldn't have kept my kids home from school that day for fear he'd pollute their brains with his scary "legislative agenda."

I know full well that if I had even suggested doing such a thing, the wingnuts would be all up in arms about how "hateful liberals" couldn't even give the president a respectful hearing.

But apparently, under the Wingnut Code, the president is entitled to a respectful hearing, even on the most innocuous issues, only if he's Republican.

And white.

We're # 37!

A little tune celebrating our ranking among the countries of the world in terms of health care, according to the World Health Organization.

That's What I've Been Trying to Tell You

The Party of Love continues to show its class with signs like this one at a "9/12" Teabagger event.

GOP Sees Protest As an Opportunity - washingtonpost.com

Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and other Republicans, said there is an "opportunity for Republicans" to tap into legitimate fears about an overreaching federal government. But he said that "right-wing nutballs are aligning themselves with these movements" and are dominating media coverage.

"It's bad for Republicans because in the absence of any real leadership, the freaks fill the void and define the party," McKinnon said.

Sorry, Mark, that horse has gone and left the barn a while ago. Oh, sure, the Democrats have their share of nutballs and crazy conspiracy theorists. Cynthia McKinney comes immediately to mind.

But they don't let them run the damn party.

Dayum!

I got to get me one of these:



The neopup "P.A.W. (personal area weapon) "delivers sustainded [sic] devastating blows without retarding the ability to move fast." In short, it's a little gun that makes big holes in things.

Stay Classy, GOP

The Associated Press: Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress

WASHINGTON — The nastiness of August reached from the nation's town halls into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as President Barack Obama tried to move his health care plan forward.

South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" after Obama had talked about illegal immigrants.

Does anyone remember any Democratic lawmaker ever shouting "Liar!" at George Dubbya Bush during a speech to a joint session? Even when he was lying through his teeth? I don't.

But never forget, it's Democrats who are filled with hate.

How Hard Can It Be? Or, How I Got Myself Into This Mess

Over at BookPage.com, I and several other authors answer the question: when did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Thanks to Tom Robinson for inviting me!

The Great Congressional Phone Flap

Latest Newspaper Column:

I've written before in this column about a mental disorder which I've dubbed SWORS -- Spasmodic Wingnut Outrage Syndrome.

In case you've forgotten, SWORS is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes impairment of higher brain function in some American conservatives. Sufferers from SWORS experience a near-total loss of any sense of proportion and become prone to manic outbursts of indignation and outright paranoia over the smallest subjects.

Subjects such as the "hold music" on the congressional phone system.

We all know about "hold music": the tunes (usually instrumental) that play incessantly in your ear while you're waiting for the person you called to pick up or, more often, for their secretary to tell you they're out while they finish their game of Solitaire on the company computers.

Hold music varies widely. Some offices play country. Some play classical. Most play the treacly, string-heavy stuff known derisively as "elevator music." Some don't play music at all, but instead run peppy, annoying little ads to tell you how great the company you're calling is, and how important your call is to them, only apparently it's not important enough for a real, breathing, human person to actually, you know, PICK UP THE FLIPPIN' PHONE...

Sorry, I got carried away there for a minute.

For years, it seems, the U.S. Congress' phone system has had "patriotic" music as its hold music. A few days ago, however, the House's chief administrative officer, or CAO, a fellow named Daniel Beard, decided to test a new system whereby various Congress members could choose their music. The CD or tape or whatever that they decided to test the program with was one of "smooth jazz."

I'm no fan of the whole "smooth jazz" genre either, but I don't get all heated up about it when I hear it on the phone. As research has shown, however, nothing is too trivial for a SWORS sufferer not to see it as evidence of a multi-tentacled conspiracy (with, of course, the evil Nancy Pelosi at the controls) to deprive us of our precious freedom or pollute our bodily fluids or sell us all to the Arabs, or something.

The right-wing blog The New Ledger picked up the story first, blaring: "Why Does Nancy Pelosi have a Problem with Patriotic Music?" in big, Omigod-this-is-the-end- of-the-world headlines.

Others, like the conservative flagship blog RedState, followed suit. Republican Rep. Fred Upton (R-Wingnuttistan) wrote an indignant letter to Beard protesting the change. The CAO apparently decided "meh, it's not worth the trouble," and popped the old CD back in.

As usual, the SWORS-afflicted could have controlled the symptoms of the disease by performing an act that used to be standard procedure for journalists, but which now only seems to be practiced by left-leaning bloggers: picking up the phone and asking some questions before you shoot ff your mouth. Which is exactly what blogger Amanda Terkel of the liberal blog Think Progress did.

"The music was changed during recess," Beard's office explained to her, "as a pilot program in an attempt to offer offices a choice of hold music. This had nothing to do with the leadership, not in the beginning or the final outcome."

It does seem rational that the speaker of the House, the person third in the line of presidential succession, would indeed have better things to do than pick the hold music on the phone system. A primary symptom of SWORS, however, is a profound resistance to rational explanations, as well as the belief that those offering them are part of the very evil cabal they're railing against.

By Wednesday, FOX News had picked up the "Nancy Pelosi hates patriotic music" story and its resolution. Morning Host Steve Doocy was beside himself with glee over the victory of the forces of Lee Greenwood and John Phillip Sousa over the encroachment of Kenny G and his Smooth Jazz Legion of Doom.

"America Wins!" he enthused.

Sean Hannity was equally happy, gloating, "Don't mess with our patriotic music!"

Celebrating imaginary victories in imaginary wars: If someone you love does this, he or she may be suffering from SWORS.

Unfortunately, there is no cure, and no help for the afflicted. But you can always do what I do: amuse yourself by making fun of them.

This Is a Great Idea!

I know I get sick to death of conservative family members, and some annoying strangers, spamming me with those e-mails some lying sack of shit has written and spread worldwide, full of outright lies and phony stories designed to stir up rage over things that never happened and fear over proposals no one ever made. I like to go to Factcheck.org or snopes.com, find the articlle on there that refutes it (and they are, invariably, completely untrue) and send it to everyone on the recipient list. Well now MediaMatters.org has compiled a handy resource for countering that bullshit. Their EMail Checker:

....will provide ready-made responses to counter conservative misinformation contained in the most common and most egregious chain and viral emails. This tool will allow you to swiftly respond to emails with fact-based replies.

Cut, paste, send. Pretty soon, I've found they stop sending the e-mails.

Things We All Knew Already

Men get stupider around pretty women:

Research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.

Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.

No shit, Einstein. How long did it take you to figure this out?

Psychologists at Radboud University in The Netherlands carried out the study after one of them was so struck on impressing an attractive woman he had never met before, that he could not remember his address when she asked him where he lived.

Nice moves there, Suave Guy.

Researchers said it was as if he was so keen to make an impression he 'temporarily absorbed most of his cognitive resources.'

Or, as it's also known, the little head took over for the big one.

Psychologist Dr George Fieldman, a member of the British Psychological Society, said the findings reflect the fact that men are programmed to think about ways to pass on their genes.

'When a man meets a pretty woman, he is what we call 'reproductively focused'.

Well, that may be what YOU call it....

But Don't Ever Forget, It's the Liberals Who Are Filled With Hate

ThePilot.com : Obama's Planned Speech Controversial

President Obama will make a live address to the nation's schoolchildren at noon Tuesday -- the first of its kind in American history. The speech will be broadcast through the White House's Web site and on C-SPAN. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the president will "challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning."

But many parents are concerned that Obama will take the opportunity to indoctrinate children with his legislative agenda, and some are threatening to pull their kids out of school that day.

Superintendent Susan Purser said Moore County is no exception, and that she and Board of Education members have been receiving e-mails and phone calls from concerned parents expressing their displeasure with the speech. Purser said the school system is not mandating participation but is instead making it a "site-based" decision.

I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that I was never a big fan of George Dubbya Bush. But you know what? If he'd given a speech to the nation's schoolchildren, I wouldn't have kept my kids home from school that day for fear he'd pollute their brains with his scary "legislative agenda". And I know damn well if anyone had even suggested doing such a thing, the wingnuts would be all up in arms about "Bush Derangement Syndrome" and shrieking about how "hateful liberals" couldn't even give the President a respectful hearing. But once again, IOKIYAR!

The Party of Love Heckles a Handicapped Woman In A Wheelchair

New Jersey Star-Ledger columnist Brian Donohue goes to a town-hall meeting on health care and finds it "far worse than anything [he'd] imagined." Donohue, a self-described centrist, says it best: "Anything those people are against, I should be for."

Can there be any room for a centrist at a health care reform town hall meeting

The Congresswoman From Crazytown Speaks Out Again

Bachmann: We should ‘make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers’ against health care reform.

“This [health care reform] cannot pass…What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing. This will not pass."

You first, hon.

PS: A couple of comments got inadvertently deleted. I had a brain fart and hit "reject" instead of "publish". Sorry. Feel free to resubmit if you like.

Update: Quote of the day, from a poster calling himself The Grand Panjandrum over at Balloon Juice:

I guess we could start a mailing campaign and send razor blades to Michelle Bachman congressional office.

Who's with me?