... and finally blogged about it last week. My blog post generated an interesting reaction from a conservative commenter, who wrote: "Let them go bankrupt if they will. We'll all survive somehow and come out better for whatever pain we endure."

Which to me explains perfectly why conservatives have been such an utter failure in addressing the nation's economic woes.

The folks elected in 2008 haven't even been sworn in yet and we're already looking ahead to 2010? Give it a rest, already.

I went to that petition that supposedly has 150,000 signatures on it and found this hilarious comment:

"Have the Dept. of imigration force the proof or have Obama handcuffed and put in jail as a trater and a criminal that he really is. He was born in Kenia and you can get proof from his brother that he ignores.Take him away in chains and the Democratic leaders should force the issue before the election not after."

Just a sample of the ignorant types supporting this piece of theater. Bet he's all in favor of making English the "nashunal langwedge" too.

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG it's a Constitutional CRISIS!!! ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ...

{wingnut}

This is why I started a blog and started writing letters to the editor. I knew we'd all be held to account for the sins of the Bush years some day, and I wanted the record to be crystal clear as to where I stood.

Good story. I live in Tennessee; Bob Corker is my Senator. Up until now, he's been pretty independent-minded, for a Republican, so needless to say his derailing of the auto bailout disappointed me mightily.

Corker might be excited about the VW plant coming to Chattanooga but he forgets that General Motors is already the largest employer in Spring Hill, TN, at the Saturn plant. Spring Hill was once the pride of Tennessee, a growing and prosperous community symbolic of the "New South." Last night's local TV broadcasts were all over the news that 2,000 people would be layed off in Spring Hill, just in time for Christmas.

Thanks, Senator Corker. And thanks to all the Tennesseans who voted for this guy because they were afraid that Harold Ford Jr. would steal your white women.

Elections have consequences.

There's a lot that's great about this move, not the least of which is Democrat Lois deBerry was re-elected speaker pro tem, the No. 2 House leadership position. All of the Democrats and Kent Williams voted for her.

Considering this is Tennessee Republicans' first capture of the state house since Reconstruction, I'd say they aren't off to a bang-up start.

Even sweeter has been seeing wingnut heads explode, like TN GOP chairwoman Robin Smith who called Williams a "traitor."

The Republicans like to forget they pulled this same maneuver when TN Dems in the Senate tried to get rid of octogenarian Lt. Governor John Wilder. But the Republicans supported him and gave them some key committee chairmanships as a thank you. So, payback's a bitch.

There's some great blogging on this story, BTW .... A good place to start is http://politics.nashvillepost.com/

Hit the link to see why ... My roses have leaves on them, the lilacs are sprouting foliage, the creeping phlox and daffodils are all in bloom ... yes, it's spring, about 6 weeks early. Screw that rodent in Philadelphia, Puxataweny who? It's getting warmer and my garden knows it.

"Government of, by, and for the corporation" -- is that what the founding fathers had in mind? I don't THINK so ...

Not any more, chumps! Maybe if fundies hadn't devoted so much money and energy into defeating gay marriage in California, San Francisco would indeed be the country's "gay marriage Mecca," and the good Kreeeestyan people of Iowa could breathe a sigh of relief that their little corner of paradise was protected.

They really screwed the pooch on that one. Think before you act next time, people.

Sez WHO? Drudge? Feh. What a load of BS. Obama is only polarizing to the folks who actively campaigned against him.

As a church-going Christian I have to ask: why would we want America to be a "Christian" nation? Right-wingers love to point to Europe as an example of secularism run amok, but they fail to observe that many of these Western European countries have a STATE RELIGION! Clearly the surest way to destroy religion in America is to label America a "Christian nation." Separation of church and state protects religion from government influence, as much as it protects the government from religion.

But even more to the point: why on earth would MSNBC have an atheist debate this issue with a far-right wackjob like Blackwell? I'm sick and tired of our clueless media framing all religious discussions in such two dimensional terms. You're either an atheist or a fundamentalist Bible thumper who wants the 10 Commandments at every county courthouse. This is offensive.

The vast majority of religious people in this country fall into neither camp. I live for the day when reporters from coast to coast chuck their Rolodexes out the window and look for new ways to cover this tired old story.

I have a relative who was a psychiatrist for the VA for years. He retired 2 years ago. He told me he was pressured to return Iraq War and Afghanistan War soldiers to the front, people he knew had PTSD who shouldn't be sent back. He couldn't take it any more and finally left the VA.

Motive? How about the fact that military recruiting numbers have been down, especially in the early years of the Iraq War. The military has lowered their standards for recruits, raising the age requirement, and even resorted to such last-ditch efforts as stop-loss, and still the numbers needed to fight two wars have been down.