Men who have sex with non-human animals are twisted criminals, period.

Why? The animals aren't being hurt. They're not in pain. They don't FEEL exploited.

I agree it's way creepy, but tell me why.

I'm probably making too much of a few minutes on a satire news show,

Yeah, you are. Colbert delights in pushing things to the edge. Fonda gave him some of his own medicine, and Colbert almost flinched...then he took it and ran with it.

It was two fine performers riffing off each other, and it was freakin' awesome.

Jane Fonda got a lot of flak and name calling for sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun during that war. Remember "Hanoi Jane"? Watching her sit in Colbert's lap reminded me of that older seating error. Perhaps she just has bad judgement?

THE STUPID! IT BURNS MY EYES! IT BUUUUURRNS!

Form the HBO synopsis of the last episode:

A stiff wind blows clouds of asbestos from a pile of construction debris, unceremoniously dumped in the New Jersey Meadowlands

Meadowlands, huh?

Jesus, lighten the fuck up.

I know that suspicion of DoD rhetoric is fully justified, but...

might it be the actual focus of military operations that's changed? That is to say, maybe we've finally decided to fight the right enemy there rather than try to police the civil war?

And yes, I know the invasion has strengthened al_Quaeda's foothold in Iraq, where they had at best a shaky pre-war presence in an area over which Saddam had only nominal control. I know the war was a huge fuck-up. I'm posting an alternative explanation here.

I wish I could find the article I was reading online the other day that noted that even some of the Iraqi militias are starting to turn on the Al-Quaeda forces, essentially becuase the Al-Q's are such total dickheads to everyone.

I don't understand the purpose of allowing the anonymous option.

Obviously, you've never had some right wing nutjob Google the real name you post under, find your employer's website, and begin harassing your employer with anonymous e-mails and phone calls asking "why do you let this anti-American traitor work for you?" I have; that's why I started posting under a pseudonym.

Unfortunately, the Plan ended with the Fall of Baghdad. It's everything after that that's gone to shit, because Rumsfeld not only didn't plan for the postwar period, he threatened to fire any general who brought it up.

But no matter how many times I turn it over in my head, I can't seem to convince myself that my roommate's cat bouncing isn't giving the cats slight, cumulative brain damage.

How would you be able to tell?

And it was freaking BRILLIANT. The best weapon against the Rehtuglican bullshit attacks is going to be savage mockery. Let's hope it continues.

We should totally sing this every time Rudy appears in public.

A. "Bill Clinton!"

B. "Barney Franks!"

C. "Sandy Berger's pants!"

D. "911!"

You forgot:

E. "William Jefferson!"

F. "Robert Byrd was in the Klan before any of us were born!"

G."CHAPPAQUIDIIIIIIIIIICK!"

H. All of the above

OUGHT to be ignored. They're the lunatic fringe and it was time we started treating them as such.

But it'll take more talented writers than these three hacks to do it.

"I have come to the conclusion that the right-wingers just hate cleverness or straightforward intelligence of any sort."

Since the average wingnut's stock response is often a sneer along the lines of "you think you're pretty smart don't you, mister smart person?", I'd say this is a pretty good bet.

Look back on the speeches that have moved and inspired America. "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself", "I have a dream", "The torch has been passed to a new generation". All pretty light on "policy initiatives," at least none that anyone remembers.

And be honest. Obama could lay out an exhaustively researched multi-point plan with charts and Powerpoint and you Obama bashers still wouldn't be satisfied, or you'd call him boring.

Sure the UK press is a lot less deferential. And you know what? As you can see from the interviews, the politicians can take it. They argue back. They defend. they don't get all pissy about the way they're being treated.

"Mr. Obama is to hope, change, and unity what McDonald's is to health--a death sentence, and if Mr. Breathed is blind to this I am voting for Bill the Cat because obviously the human race has lost. Period."

This is either incredibly clumsy satire or the most ridiculous hysteria from a Hill-bot I've ever seen. And I've seen a LOT.

...the recs for Tasha Alexander and Brett Battles. Both excellent writers on the verge of breakout (and no, I'm not their publicist).

And whoever asked about Ian Rankin: Definitely worth the read. Wonderful Scottish hardboiled police prcedural.

For really dark Tartan Noir, though, try Allan Guthrie and Stuart McBride.

The world is divided between people who consider Bill and Hillary Clinton monsters, and people who don't.

This statement is so incredibly ridiculous, it's impossible to take anything that follows seriously.

Well, Hillary has some healing to do, too. She can start by repudiating sites like NoQuarter and Hillaryis44.com, which have been cesspools of racism and Rovian smear tactics, including a picture of Michelle Obama as Zira from "Planet of the Apes."

I mean, if Obama's going to be held responsible for alleged sexism from his supporters, shouldn't Senator Clinton be held to account for the racism of hers?

I find it hard to imagine any devoted Clinton supporter who would be unmoved by her appeal Saturday, but time will tell.

You don't need to imagine it. Look at some of the letters here. Go over to Larry Johnson's cesspool of a blog where they're still holding out for the release of the Michelle Obama "whitey" tape and posting pictures of Mrs. Obama photoshopped to look like Zira from "Planet of the Apes."