Chuck DeVore, you creepy son of a bitch, not only do you look like a freak who got his head forceped beyond all human recognition at the moment of your birth, but you’re a fucking idiot to boot.

Republicans never cease to amaze me. And when I say “amaze” I mean “disgust to my very core.”

Also? In reading various sources about this situation, which has been ongoing between the Henley/Campbell and DeVore camps, I see a hell of a lot of comments left on articles by people who wouldn’t know a fact if it bit them on the ass and called them Sally.

People, you need to shut the fuck up about musicians who have political messages and who aren’t afraid to share their opinions about them. You dont have to agree with them, but just because they are musicians and entertainers doesnt mean that their livelihoods erase their right to speak their minds. Their professions do not suspend their status as American citizens. And most of them are a lot fucking smarter than YOU. The only reason you dont want to hear their messages is because you dont know what the fuck theyre talking about and you dont have the brains of a peahen to begin with, so anything you can’t understand pisses you off.

If the fact that they actually use their brains to think with annoys you, stay home and listen to the radio. Dont expect them to keep their opinions to themselves just because you’re too much of a fucking idiot to live in the real world. And I know this is true for one reason: most of the people who complain about it are right-wingers. You dont hear the left screaming about it whenever an artist expresses themselves. That’s because we know all about how to agree to disagree. That’s a concept that’s well beyond you guys.

You see, we commie pinko liberal Antichrist socialist Marxist Jewboy Muslim Negro gay lesbian baby-killing whale-hugging America-haters know that if we dont agree with someone, we can simply ignore them. We dont feel the need to blast you right wing folk off the face of the Earth whenever you say something stupid (which is pretty much any time you say anything at all), no matter how tempting that thought may be. That’s because we aren’t so small-minded and so terrified of anyone who isnt exactly like us that the only reaction we have when faced with it is total annihilation. Just one of the many differences between the right and the left.

Finally, because this detail is clearly something you have failed to notice, allow me to point something out to you: Music has always been about things like protest and political commentary. Just because you are incapable of comprehending any lyric or meaning deeper than the average Britney Spears or Boyz II Men crap doesnt mean that everyone else is as ignorant, uninformed, or stupid as you are.

Go crawl back under your rocks and continue to lay your plans for the secession of Texas (and good riddance to bad rubbish, I might add – good luck with that and may the drug commandos show you no mercy). We’re done with you for now, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to try to repair the damage you people have done before you concoct a new way to steal a few more elections so you can get back in here and fuck everything up all over again.

Snap out of it. Fast. This country can’t afford and will not survive another Republican majority in charge in four years.

Op-Ed Columnist – Has a ‘Katrina Moment’ Arrived? – NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist – Are We Home Alone? – NYTimes.com

I’m TIRED of this shit. It’s a new fucking day. These people need to shut the fuck up, get on board, or get out of the way. No more.

My response begins below:

Commentary: Bush will be vindicated – CNN.com

Clearly, your definitions of “safe” are wildly different from the accepted definitions of the word. As a nation, we are many things because of George W. Bush – almost none of them good – but “safe” is not one of them and never has been.

To even try to compare Clinton’s “moral failings” to the egregious offenses Bush and his administration have committed against this country and the American people is simply more of the same partisan blind rhetoric that the GOP perpetuates, and you are yourself seemingly still blind to the fact that it got your party shellacked in this past election.

Clinton was nearly a decade ago, and yet the Evil Clinton Monster is the only thing you still have to throw in the faces of anyone who tells the truth about George W. Bush. You can’t come up with anything different because there is simply nothing tangible, no reasonable, factual argument you can make in Bush’s defense, and so you fall back on old reliable – only nobody believed it then, and nobody’s believing it now, either.

Aren’t you aware of how this kind of thing makes you look when you do it? Dont you understand that the only way we will ever be functional and whole again is for us to come together and that youve GOT TO drop this nonsense and grow up and act like rational human beings so that we can repair the damage that George W. Bush and his cronies have done to this country? How can you be so selfish, so self-centered, so determinedly pigheaded, so flatly unwilling to accept the truth and work to better this country instead of perpetuating the downward spiral?

The failings of George W. Bush are multitudinous and while you may deny them, the facts are still there and unchanged in spite of you. Commentaries like this one make their authors sound like they’re both on drugs and functionally insane. This commentary is factually and ideologically wrong so often and on so many levels that I’d have to refute it on a line-by-line basis to counter them all with the actual facts that are in reality vastly different from the statements you have manufactured here.

George W. Bush did not keep America safe. He has made America more unsafe and gained us more enemies, perpetuated more terrorism and given birth to more terrorists the world over in the past eight years than we have ever had to deal with in our entire history as a nation. That is only one of his many, many failures, and they are all failures on an extraordinarily deep and profound level.

There are very few victories that Bush can claim that actually benefited the country as a whole. To state otherwise and pretend that you have an actual case to make with regards to a positive legacy for this man’s presidency, to try to claim that he was anything even approaching a good leader, a decent man, a “decider,” someone with compassion and who cared about this country, is merely sticking to typical party-line garbage.

The facts are staring us all in the face, and not just us – the world. Nobody believes you anymore, unless they are in the extreme minority of utter fools in this country who think that Bush did a good job. These same people also strongly support Sarah Palin. If that doesnt flat-out terrify you, then you do not have the mental capacity to either hold public office or to vote, to be honest.

George W. Bush has never done a good job of anything except making his corporate buddies more money. He has done this to the detriment of the entire rest of the world. The current economic situation in this country is a DIRECT RESULT of his policies and administration. The astronomical growth of terrorism worldwide is a direct result of his dramatically failed foreign policies. New Orleans is still a ruined shell of a city because of this man, years after the devastation. I could go on and on and on.

Your defense of his record is pathetic and borderline psychotic. You should be ashamed of yourself for vomiting forth such a commentary, and so should everyone who believes as you do or who refuses to see the truth about this man and his administration.

Civility? Dont make me laugh. This is a man who has said time and time again that he doesnt care about what people say or think; that the Constitution is just a goddamned piece of paper. His vice president, Dick Cheney, told Senator Patrick Leahy to go f*** himself while they were conversing on the Senate floor regarding the highly questionable and at the very least very unethical sole-source Halliburton contracts in Iraq. This, on the SAME DAY that th Senate passed the Defense of Decency Act.

Cheney shot a man in the face while under the influence of alcohol at a hunting outing and totally got away with it. The Bush administration has repeatedly stated that it is above and beyond the laws of this country.

Civility? Are you kidding me? Methinks you obtained the definition for that word from the same place you got your definition of the word safe.

What is the matter with you? What is the matter with the people who agree with you, who think the same way you do? What is WRONG with you? What is it going to take, how far do we have to fall, what level of devastation do we have to reach before you open your eyes and finally admit the truth?

I speak for many people when I state that the end of the Bush adminstration is one of the best things ever to happen to this country. Barack Obama is not made of gold. He is human and fallible like the rest of us. He has a tremendous burden that is about to be laid upon him, and I hope with all my heart that he has enough time and enough cooperation to at least stop our freefall and set this country back on its feet again.

I have no and never have had any illusions that President Obama will be able to keep every promise he made. Neither does he. Nobody should. But at least Barack Obama cares about what happens to this country and every person in it, and that is more than could have EVER been said about George W. Bush.

George W. Bush couldn’t care less about America or the American people. Never did, never will. Anyone who believes differently is either a fool or an oil company executive. It is because of his administration and his policies that we find ourselves today barely a half-step above a third-world country, and when you visit some areas of the United States, even if it’s not New Orleans, the first thought that comes to your mind is that some so-called third-world countries have it pretty sweet in comparison.

George W. Bush has not made this country safer and has not kept us safe. The best thing about the Obama presidency at this point in time is the fact that it’s finally, at long last, the end of the Bush presidency.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. And you, Ms. Wall, need to either wake up, open your eyes, and screw your head on straight or follow him and leave the rest of us alone as we try to repair the damage and hope that it’s not too late to do so.

Enough is enough.

************************************************

Tara Wall’s original commentary begins:

Editor’s note: Tara Wall is deputy editor for The Washington Times. Before joining the newspaper, she was a senior adviser for the Republican National Committee and was named a public affairs director in the Department of Health and Human Services by President Bush. Read her columns here.
Tara Wall says President Bush will be remembered for keeping America safe.

Tara Wall says President Bush will be remembered for keeping America safe.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — In his final radio address as president-elect on the Sunday ahead of his inauguration, Barack Obama said President Bush “extended the hand of cooperation” to him throughout this period of transition. It was a final act of civility, on Mr. Bush’s part.

It is a trait that is not surprising to those who know Bush (or those paying some attention at least half of the time). At least one Democrat has given him credit for it. Unfortunately, that tone of civility has been lost on the Democratic leadership over the past eight years.

Civility aside, how others — more importantly, history — will judge the 43rd president of the United States, is the question that has followed Bush out the door. Lucky for him, it won’t just be up to Democrats to determine.

“I believe President Bush will be vindicated,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview a couple of weeks ago. She may be an ardent defender of Bush, but I believe she’s right. She, like I, have a different vantage point than what has been routinely portrayed.

While sitting in the Oval Office with the 43rd president, for what was his last official week in office last Thursday, I got the sense that he feels he will be vindicated, too.

He won’t say as much, directly, but indirectly points to what matters most in his eyes — protecting the homeland. “History will eventually see … that not only was it necessary to take the steps I took, but [they] led to a better world,” the president told me.
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On a personal level (and for the sake of full disclosure), I must say that I have had the pleasure of working for and knowing Bush from his first campaign for president and throughout his presidency.

I started as a volunteer in 1999, then worked as a spokeswoman during his second campaign and then as an appointee in his administration.

Not only have I counted it an honor and a privilege to serve the 43rd president, but I have always had a deep respect for him as a person of faith, his strident conviction in doing what was right for the country and his commitment to closing the disparities that exist between black and white Americans — no matter the mistakes made and lessons learned. Above all, it is his dignity and civility that stand out to me most.

Yet, for many conservatives (not just liberals), Bush has failed on many fronts. From the miscalculation of the insurgency in Iraq, to failed intelligence gathering and the issues of maintaining fiscal conservatism and delivering real immigration reform — I can’t tell you how many Republicans and conservatives I’ve spoken to over this past year who have told me how “disappointed” they’ve been with Bush. A few among them voted for “change” as a result.

The legacy Bush leaves behind won’t be everything he wanted (particularly as it relates to popularity), but on many fronts, it will be better than that of his predecessor. Bill Clinton may have been popular, but his moral failings brought shame on the office of the presidency and tainted the people’s house.

That will forever be a stain on Clinton’s legacy. Not to mention, there was no such “civility” or “cooperation” when Clinton turned the keys over to Bush. I prefer principle over popularity any day.

On the moral front, President Bush delivered. On the social front, he delivered. On the fiscal front he failed considerably. Yet, on the national security front and on many domestic policies, he succeeded.

Depending on your vantage point, success may mean something wholly different. The details will be debated for decades to come. Among the many uncertainties, one thing is certain — you can’t judge history in the midst of it. Declaring one “the worst” president while he’s still in office is an effort in rhetorical futility. Historians know this all too well.

The best prediction one can make was summed up by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on “Meet the Press” last year: “If Iraq became the model democracy or even just a democracy, and in doing so changed the whole complexion of the Middle East, then obviously that would be the legacy that would justify what Bush did and what our troops did.” And that’s exactly what Mr. Bush is banking on.

During my Oval Office interview with the president, I asked him to complete the sentence “President Bush was… [fill in the blank].”

He responded (uncharacteristically in third person): “President Bush was the president at a time when our nation was attacked, he clearly saw the dangers, he pursued the enemy, he put tools in place so the professionals could better protect the people, and the homeland was not attacked.”

That is the legacy he wants. Popular or not, he kept America safe. And if nothing else, for that, he will be vindicated.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tara Wall.

Commentary: Bush will be vindicated – CNN.com

Monks brawl before religious ceremony

JERUSALEM (CNN) — An unusual sight greeted Jerusalem police as they entered one of Christianity’s holiest sites Sunday morning: dozens of monks punching and kicking each other in a massive brawl.

Monks from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations were preparing for a ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City when a disagreement led to a full-fledged fistfight.

The fight began when Armenian clergy were holding a procession to commemorate the finding of the cross believed to have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus, according to The Associated Press.

The Greek members of the clergy wanted one of their monks present, AP reported, for fear that the procession would undermine their claim to an ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus.

The two sides could not agree and when the Armenians tried to begin the procession, the Greek monks stepped in and the fighting began, AP reported.

“We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through … and establish a right that they don’t have,” a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye told AP. Photo See scenes from the brawl »

Many among the dozens of monks came away with cuts and bruises, said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.

Officers were called to the scene to break up the brawl.

They detained two monks, one from each denomination, Rosenfeld said.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is thought to be built on the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Rivalries between the different sects that share control of the church often lead to tensions between the sides.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/09/israel.brawling.monks/index.html

Brilliant.

The Bush administration has no problem with torture, so what they should do is strap loyal toady Kevin James into a chopper, hook him up to an amp, and fly him over Afghanistan as an aural warfare device to torment the populace into finally giving up bin Laden. I bet it’d take less than a day before his voice began to drill smoking holes into their brains, even if they didnt listen to a word he said.

I can’t believe this guy actually does a radio show. I thought there were laws against noise pollution in this country.

“What did Neville Chamberlain Do?”

Turn down your volume. Seriously.

This shit is getting OLD.

I’d call them fucking barbarians, but that would be an insult to barbarians. Let’s see, how about knuckle-dragging, subhuman, semi-evolved, mentally deranged throwbacks…now that’s more like it.

The human gene pool desperately needs some fucking chlorine.

The Saudi government recently has taken some steps toward bettering the situation of women in the kingdom, including the establishment earlier this year of special courts to handle domestic abuse cases, adoption of a new labor law that addresses working women’s rights, and creation of a human rights commission.

Emphasis is mine. Why they’d choose to make this the last paragraph of a story that has absolutely zero with doing any bettering of anything in any way is beyond me, but CNN isn’t exactly known for their stellar journalism.

Story is C&P after the jump (for posterity).

Saudi court ups punishment for gang-rape victim – CNN.com

Saudi court ups punishment for gang-rape victim

* Story Highlights:
* Woman, 19, gets six months prison, 200 lashes for meeting with unrelated man
* Group of seven raped her and the man, from whom she was retrieving photos
* After lawyer protests light sentences, rapists’ sentences increased
* Victim’s punishment doubled for talking to the media

(CNN) — A court in Saudi Arabia increased the punishment for a gang-rape victim after her lawyer won an appeal of the sentence for the rapists, the lawyer told CNN.

The 19-year-old victim was sentenced last year to 90 lashes for meeting with an unrelated male, a former friend from whom she was retrieving photographs. The seven rapists, who abducted the pair and raped both, received sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in prison.

The victim’s attorney, Abdulrahman al-Lahim, contested the rapists’ sentence, contending there is a fatwa, or edict under Islamic law, that considers such crimes Hiraba (sinful violent crime) and the punishment should be death.

“After a year, the preliminary court changed the punishment and made it two to nine years for the defendants,” al-Lahim said of the new decision handed down Wednesday. “However, we were shocked that they also changed the victim’s sentence to be six months in prison and 200 lashes.”

The judges more than doubled the punishment for the victim because of “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media,” according to a source quoted by Arab News, an English-language Middle Eastern daily newspaper.

Judge Saad al-Muhanna from the Qatif General Court also barred al-Lahim from defending his client and revoked his law license, al-Lahim said. The attorney has been ordered to attend a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Justice next month.

Al-Lahim said he is appealing the decision to bar him from representing the victim and has a meeting with Justice Minister Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh on Monday.

“Currently she doesn’t have a lawyer, and I feel they’re doing this to isolate her and deprive her from her basic rights,” al-Lahim said. “We will not accept this judgment and I’ll do my best to continue representing her because justice needs to take place.”

Al-Lahim said he wanted the Justice Ministry to take “a very clear standing” on the case, saying the decision is “judicial mutiny against reform that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz started and against Saudi women who are being victimized because of such decisions.”

Women are subject to numerous restrictions in Saudi Arabia, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and the need for a man’s permission to travel or have surgery. Women are also not allowed to testify in court unless it is about a private matter that was not observed by a man, and they are not allowed to vote.

The Saudi government recently has taken some steps toward bettering the situation of women in the kingdom, including the establishment earlier this year of special courts to handle domestic abuse cases, adoption of a new labor law that addresses working women’s rights, and creation of a human rights commission.

CNN was unable to reach government officials for comment.