Michelle Malkin heard whining about litmus tests for sports team owners. What's next, we heard her cry...

My oh my. Someone should tell MM that the NFL wasn't discriminating against Rush because he's a conservative (!), they were discriminating against him because he's an asshole.

Socialist Sharia

Where the fuck did these people get their definitions of socialism? It's like people throwing all these political philosophy terms around don't have any interest at all in their actual meanings. Sharia Socialism is up there with Communist Czars.

Simple. Such terms sound more weighty to the ignorati than "Doodyheads."

...the NFL is just not that into you.

Sorry, dude.

...These idiots wouldn't know a "radical leftist" it one bit one on their flabby asses.

The Golden Egg

Shoot yourself in the leg

And the goose lays the golden egg.

I had that golden egg before,

But it disappeared as I limped out the door.

Never reveal what you know

That the whole thing is just for show:

A cardboard world with painted skies,

Because we all must agree to believe in the lies.

Bring yourself down to your knees

And they'll give you the golden keys.

The keys will open any lock

To an empty room or a Chinese box.

I can forget how I feel

And pretend that it's all for real.

The pot won't call the kettle black

And I don't even feel the knife in my back.

And when we go off to our bed,

After struggling for our bread,

A pleasant dream may stand instead

Of the clamor and noise that goes on in your head.

So carry on like before

And don't listen to me any more.

Don't believe a word I sing

Because it's only a song and it don't mean a thing.

Obama has a lot of important work to do, and he needs to do it and not worry about trying to run a population contest.

This after all the wreckage the GOP & Co. have wreaked upon our country. In fact, I daresay that if only half of the Republicans think what they do, then Obama isn't trying hard enough.

I say go for the full 100%, and if the GOP doesn't like it, tough shit. They can all move to Somalia for all I fucking care.

Um, make that a popularity contest.

My bad.

...my ass.

Go tell it to someone who gives a shit.

...and show up at the portrait session in drapes, awright- with a big, heavy curtain-rod showing!

(h/t The Carol Burnett Show, "Went with the Wind")

To sell more trashy newspapers!

Duh.

...was arrested on some bullshit petty possession charge, so she ought to know what it's like to be caught up in the gears of the so-called criminal justice system.

Or, paraphrasing the old saying, "Conservatives who get arrested oft become Liberals."

...who will be here any minute to delight us all. We will stand agape as they twist themselves into pretzels defending this excrable character.

...Yelling at the rain again, are you?

...it's what for Breakfast, Lunch AND Dinner!

Good work, Bozos.

That is outright silly, Andrew. The U.S. economy and the health of the U.S. economy is key to global revival. That is what will drive the stock market, not a billion Chinese, Indians, or all of South America pushing material through a sewing machine. You can have the cheapest labor cost, but unless you have a "market" for your product it will stay on the shelf.

True enough, but isn't a certain critical mass of fairly-compensated people engaged in value-added activities (e.g. real work) necessary to have a market in the first place?

Funny how that was conspicuously absent from your post. I wonder why.

As an engineer in the automated manufacturing trade, I have seen the complete collapse of manufacturing infrastucture in many parts of the US over the last 20 years. This is, no doubt a reaction of the monied and powerful to all those annoying skilled workers and their temerity to expect a living wage. It's no surprise, of course- the only reason that state of affairs was ever tolerated in the first place was our need to demonstrate the superiority of American Style Capitalism (anyone even know what that is anymore?) over Communism.

Funny that the standard of living of American workers plummeted even more severly once the Cold War was declared dead.

The sad thing is, manufacturing depends of the establishment and maintenace of a large and highly skilled workforce. Once a factory town is closed, their workers, as well as all the allied suppliers have nowhere to go. Why in the world would millwright's kid bust his ass for 10 years to make journeyman craftsman when there is no place left for him to ply his trade like his dad and grandfather before him?

Besides the loss of employment opportunities is the loss of American security, of which skilled labor is a critical component. I shudder to think about what would happen if we suddenly needed an emergency industrial mobilization like we did during WWII. Maybe we can get a good deal on some Chinese-made tanks.

I bet banks wouldn't be hoarding so much cash if there was something worthwhile to invest it in.

There is some evidence that the Obama administration is at least aware of this situation, and has made some encouraging moves towards recognizing the need to build up critical manufacturing skills and infrastructure.

The upshot of this recession is that people will be forced to learn how to live with less. I hope that once they realize that the world won't come to an end for want of a few shiny Chinese-made baubles, that we can move towards a more sensible pattern of sustainable construction and growth.