Over at TomCat's blog, he has a post up about the rightwing nutters and their hate machines. Most progressives are aware of all the astroturf bullshittery that is passing for healthcare reform discussion lately.

Let me be clear.. my opinion is that the right has a lock on hate speech and violence. When a nutter in the comments section was asked to produce a link to prove her point that there are just as many violence-prone haters on the left, she coughed up a link to a rightwing blog of the catholic variety.

When you google news using the name of the individual, Kenneth Gladney, that she was trying to say was beaten up by a bunch of liberal haters who belong to the union SEIU,  no charges were ever filed against anyone in connection with the supposed beat down of the African-American conservative. There was even a video shot by rightwingers! Oh My!!!

Media Matters has been following this 'incident' since it supposedly happened. What's really pathetic is that the rightwing nutters have taken this as one of their cause celebre and frankly it stinks to high heaven with lies and obfuscation on their part, including a YouTube video. From a Media Matters article on this incident:

The problem was when you watched the clip, viewers saw Gladney get pulled to the ground before he popped right back up less than two seconds later. Viewers saw Gladney walking around after the incident without an obvious scratch on his body, and in no apparent pain.

 But within hours, and then days, the tale improved greatly. Soon Gladney showed up in a wheelchair at a right-wing rally thrown on his behalf. Why? because he was viciously beaten!!! Or something.

So yeah, the whole tale has been vastly improved over time in order to suit the right-wing mantra of how violent liberals are. And sure, if Barone wants to peddle that nonsense in his column, he's free to do so. And Lord knows he's peddled worse junk over the years.

 But here's where the correction comes in and I'm not sure how Barrone is going to avoid this one. He wrote that the black conservative victim in Missouri was 65-years-old. (Oh, the humanity!) In fact, Gladney, according to the St. Louis Post, is 38 years old. Barone was only off by 27 years. And yes, it's a big deal becuase the supposed age of the (supposed) victim is supposed to send Barone's readers into shock. (They're beating up seniors!)

It really chaps my ass when the nutters employ the usual Rethug tactics to smear the left. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  They have learned from the best, their elected officials. Even during the darkest hours of Bush43's presidency, No One from the Left was calling for his death or inciting violence on the scale we see the rightwing nutters doing since Obama was elected.

Bonus: If you haven't read the FDL writeup on Kenny Gladney, check it out here. Quite hard on the man, but he has earned every bit of it with his charade as a victim of liberal hatred. 

From Jurist:

A federal judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a case challenging California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said that a trial is needed to determine issues regarding the level of constitutional protection afforded to same-sex couples and the state’s motivations behind the ban. Walker rejected the argument that only a rational basis was needed for the amendment, pointing out that the US Supreme Court does not have a clear level of scrutiny for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Walker also dismissed arguments of tradition and procreation. The trial is set for January.

The lawsuit (PDF) filed in May, challenges Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, on due process and equal protection grounds. The suit was filed by former US solicitor general Ted Olson and prominent litigator David Boies, of Bush v. Gore fame, shortly after the California Supreme Court ruled that challenges under state law lacked merit. In August, Walker ruled that several advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Lambda Legal, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Campaign for California Families, could not intervene in the suit. Proposition 8, approved by voters in November, was a response to the California Supreme Court’s decision last year striking downa statutory ban on same-sex marriage as violating the equal protection and privacy provisions of the state constitution.

YAY! Another shot at the homophobes! Lets hear it for equality!

With the extremists on the right still screaming that climate change is a myth perpetuated by 'libruls', our government is still sitting on it's proverbial hands.

Inaction on this front could become very, very costly. It's the pay me now, or pay me a lot more later scenario. There is a new report out (pdf) that attempts to lay out what American's will end up paying if we don't get in gear and make sizable changes in how we deal with climate change NOW. From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

If global warming emissions continue to rise unabated, we will see growing costs related to climate change. This fact sheet reports some of the projected damages—to our coasts, our health, our energy and water resources, our agriculture, our transportation infrastructure, and our recreational resources—that will occur in states and regions throughout the United States.

Here in Cali's San Joaquin Valley, we already see the effects of climate change on agriculture, our number one job creator. The state is literally running out of water. Actually, it's been running out of water for years..decades even. We are now rationing water, which means the farmers are not getting enough water to plant all of their farmland.

This means fewer jobs and less food just for starters. From the MSNBC writeup in Feb of this year:

Federal water managers said Friday that they plan to cut off water, at least temporarily, to thousands of California farms as a result of the deepening drought gripping the state.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said parched reservoirs and patchy rainfall this year were forcing them to completely stop surface water deliveries for at least a two-week period beginning March 1. Authorities said they haven’t had to take such a drastic move for more than 15 years.

*snip*

Farmers in the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state predicted it would cause consumers to pay more for their fruits and vegetables, which would have to be grown using expensive well water.

“Water is our life — it’s our jobs and it’s our food,” said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the farm bureau in Fresno County. “Without a reliable water supply, Fresno County’s No. 1 employer — agriculture — is at great risk.”

The drought would cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and eliminate as many as 40,000 jobs in farm-related industries in the San Joaquin Valley alone, where most of the nation’s produce and nut crops are grown.

Any move by the Fed worsens the problem here in the valley. The state has already started rationing to all cities and farming areas. The Governator and the state assembly can not, for the life of them, come to an agreement on how to deal with the problem of not enough water. Fuckers are dancing around the problem and playing politics at the same time. From the Mercury-News link:

Democrats and Republicans have tangled over water issues for years, pushing off decisions while conditions have worsened for farmers, water districts and wildlife. The trouble is especially acute in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the water conduit for two-thirds of the state's residents.

Federal courts and agencies have ordered severe reductions in pumping to protect the delta's collapsing ecosystem.

During negotiations, lawmakers have disagreed over protection of water rights, mandatory conservation standards for cities, groundwater monitoring of private water supplies, who should make water decisions in the delta and how to pay for the infrastructure and restoration efforts requested by lawmakers.

So, we are damned if we do, damned if we don't solve this problem. How do you feel about paying 10 bucks for a pound of broccoli, or any other veggie or fruit grown here in Cali? The price hikes also hit the dairy and beef farmers as they are having a hard time finding feed for their cattle and cows at a price that doesn't bankrupt them. Guess what..they pass the costs on to us, the consumer.

Because the less we grow, the more you will pay for what is grown. The citizens of Cali are now paying exorbitant rates for their suburban water needs, plus higher food prices.

Sucks don't it? And the shit hasn't even hit the proverbial fan yet..not by a long-shot.

This post is part of the Blog Action Day on Climate Change.
 Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

Lizard Cheney really is her daddy's girl. She can spew bullshit and bravado like her daddy and then some. All with a straight face.

She has created "Keep America Safe", a one-stop extravaganza for all things neocon. From Foreign Policy:

Neoconservative foreign-policy heavyweights Liz Cheney and William Kristol are at the heart of the new initiative, called the Keep America Safe campaign. Their first Web video attacks Obama's decisions on altering the plan for missile-defense sites in Eastern Europe, the Justice Department's decision to look into interrogation abuses by the CIA, and the pending decision of whether or not to escalate in Afghanistan.

No really, Liz is a heavyweight in the foreign policy area? Who knew? And Billy Kristol, who can't find his ass with both hands, is also a co-founder? Holy fuckamoly..

Ben Smith at Politico has all the 411 on this bunch of nutters that just won't go away:

Keep America Safe will focus on issues like troop levels, missile defense, detainees, and interrogation, according to Liz Cheney, who is heading the group along with Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and Debra Burlingame, the hawkish sister of an American Airlines pilot killed in the September 11 attacks.

The group, incorporated as a 501 (c ) 4 non-profit, launches its fundraising drive online Tuesday with a web video accusing Obama of failing to back up his “tough talk” and with a website aimed to provide an organizing tool for hawks.

*snip*

The group’s mechanics are largely a product of former campaign aides to Senator John McCain: Michael Goldfarb, now a Weekly Standard blogger, is an adviser to the group; its executive director is McCain war room chief Aaron Harison, and the video was produced by Justin Germany, the McCain aide who produced a campaign video titled, “The One,” which mocked Obama as a messianic figure.

They are fund-raising..oh goodie! This means they will lie and obfuscate their collective asses off. All for the almighty dollar...well, it used to be almighty. Get ready folks, the spin machine is warming up!

Watch for Boss Limbaugh to talk this new group up..it's a no-brainer. 

The bag o' batshit will get his day in court sometime next year.

He is appealing all 19 convictions.

                                      Graphic by Dark Black.

On another political front..which also happens to be a sports story..the Colts owner slaps down the whole idea of Boss Limbaugh being a part of an NFL ownership group:

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said this afternoon that the divisive rhetoric of prospective Rams minority owner Rush Limbaugh makes him unappealing.

"I myself couldn't even think of voting for him," said Irsay speaking from the NFL's Fall Owner's Meetings in Boston.

Asked if he'd spoken to other owners about Limbaugh's candidacy, Irsay said, "I haven't and I don't think I would even go to the point of talking to Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Dwight Freeney, talking to those men and seeing what their positions are. I'm very sensitive to know there are scars out there. I think as a nation we need to stop it. Our words do damage and it's something that we don't need. We need to get to a higher level of humanity and we have.

"I come from a different era where Marvin Gaye and John Lennon were speaking about [certain things] and we've been doing a slow crawl to some of the things they talked about. We don't need to go the other way," Irsay added. "We can't go the other way where there isn't forgiveness and understanding but we gotta watch our words in this world and our thoughts because they can do damage."

Well said Mr. Irsay.  Let there be a discussion on this issue, and that way, all of the divisive rhetoric spewed by Limbaugh will once again see the light of day. Limbaugh will bring nothing to the NFL except his money.

Update: The Commish has weighed in on Boss Limbaugh and it pretty much makes him persona non-grata:

“I’ve said many times before, we’re all held to a high standard here,” Goodell said. Then he continued: “I would not want to see those comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL –- absolutely not.”

 Goodell emphasized that the Rosenbloom family, which owns the St. Louis Rams, is not even fully committed to sell its majority stake in the team and that they were extremely early in the process. Limbaugh has teamed with the former Madison Square Garden executive Dave Checketts in a bid for the Rams. But Goodell’s comments were a thinly veiled signal that Limbaugh’s bid –- even if it were the highest –- would most likely not receive support from owners, who must approve any change in ownership.

YAY! Adios mutha fucka! ;)

It is the first time a woman has been awarded the prize for economics. From Reuters:

Of course I have no friggin clue what she does and what she found or figured out..but..Lets hear it for the broad!!!

There are four football games today.

Three baseball playoff games

And of course the NASCAR race in Fontana CA.

So many sporting events and so little time to watch them.

I still hurt, so I need the distractions.