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November 30, 2006

New York enlists in War on Christmas

Who would have guessed that the TABC's reputation for heavy handed stupidity is not unrivalled?

A New York beer distributor has received word by telephone that the New York State Liquor Authority will not allow six beers with cheerful holiday-themed labels to be sold in the state this Christmas season. The SLA representative explained that the labels could not be approved for sale because Christmas imagery would “appeal to underage drinkers.” The banned beer labels are:

• Santa’s Butt Winter Porter (depicting Santa enjoying a pint atop a large barrel, or ‘butt,’ of beer) • Warm Welcome Nut-Browned Ale (depicting Santa arriving to a fiery welcome at the bottom of the chimney shaft) • Very Bad Elf Special Reserve Ale (depicting a wayward elf celebrating Christmas a little too early) • Seriously Bad Elf English Double Ale (depicting the same elf taking aim at Santa and his sleigh with a slingshot) • Criminally Bad Elf Barley-Wine-Style Ale (depicting the intractable and belligerent elf finally behind bars) • Rudolph’s Revenge Winter Ale (a straight-on cartoon portrait of the famous red-nosed reindeer)

Shelton Brothers, importers of the beers, have retained an Albany attorney, George Carpinello, of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, to seek a court ruling overturning the SLA’s decision. George Carpinello was the lead attorney for the plaintiff in the case of Bad Frog Brewing Co. v. New York State Liquor Authority, which culminated in 1998 in a decision by the federal Court of Appeals holding, among other things, that the brewery’s First Amendment right to use the label image of its choosing could not be infringed by the SLA on the tenuous assumption that the image would appeal to younger people.

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 08:08 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Gambling on the backs of teachers

Both Capitol Annex and The Somervell County Salon tagged Perry's desire to further erode the financial health of the Teacher's Retirement System. You know, the one that guarantees the retirement incomes of hundreds of thousands of Texas teachers... yeah, that one. The one that's 13 BILLION underfunded.

Texas Governor Rick Perry wants the Texas Teacher Retirement System to invest as much as $600 million in so-called emerging start-up businesses that his Texas Emerging Technology Fund has also invested in. This is in spite of the fact that most of these companies have uncertain futures and no worthwhile revenue to speak of.

Don't rip on Perry too hard for wanting to invest retirement money in untested companies. He could have suggested investing in Enron.

Posted by mcblogger at 06:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Senator Edwards in Dallas Friday

Yes and you'll want to go see him... here are the deets (and a lovely flier):

Friday, December 1 7:00 PM Borders - 10720 Preston Road - Dallas, TX For more information please call 214-363-1977

Come on, Dallas readers! Tell us how it goes! I know it looks nasty as hell now, but the weather will be better manana!

Posted by mcblogger at 02:08 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

I don't give a damn about Michael Richards

The whole "Ban the 'N' Word" flap. I was watching CNN and saw a running headline, "Black leaders want to ban the 'N' word, but is Hollywood listening?"

What a bunch of hooey. Racism is a fundamental and seemingly intractable problem in our country. NYC cops shooting unarmed men engaged in NO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY is a problem. The drop out rate among young people of color is alarming. The number of black men rotting in jail for what amount to crimes associated with drug addiciton is a travesty.

Banning the 'N' word is pablum served up to an eager white public. ...As long as we don't say the 'N' word, we're not racists and racism isn't a problem. The End.

I've got my hopes and dreams for my country set a little higher than Thou Shalt Not Say The 'N' Word! We are better than this foolishness. Words carry weight. Words do have impact, but actions change lives. The word "justice" sounds great, but means nothing unless we do the work required to render/ensure/augment/manifest it to all people in equal measure.

Posted by genvc at 11:47 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Grab the Vilmentum!

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack launched his long-shot bid for the presidency Thursday, calling for an end to U.S. dependence on foreign oil in favor of alternative energy sources.

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 11:23 AM

¿Jorge Bush Habla Español?

I read with utter amazement this from Salon:

In 2006, Hispanics went for the Democrats 69 to 30 percent, a 10-point increase in the spread from two years ago. Unpopular as Bush may be today, he has been the most accessible Republican to Hispanics ever, a Spanish speaker from a state with a large Hispanic population. Next time, in 2008, the Republicans do not have a potential candidate who can remotely approach Bush's appeal.

Really? Because I wasn't aware that Bush knew how to speak English.

Just as an aside, Salon, I think most people are finally seeing through this "Bush's appeal" business. Just saying.

Posted by Boobilicious at 10:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Help out the LSG so they can help you and the DCCC makes an ad for Ciro

Posted by mcblogger at 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why does Attorney General Greg Abbott want to flood Houston?

The State of Texas filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court ostensibly on behalf of the EPA but really for TXU and other companies here that SPEW CO2 into the atmosphere. The case isn't about if CO2 contributes to global warming (despite what Myron says, we already know that it does), it's about whether or not the EPA should be regulating CO2 output as well as other carbon emissions. Basically, the entire case involves whether we can consider carbon a pollutant, which the EPA would then be obligated to control.

This is the dumbest goddamn thing I think I've heard since the TEC's decision on Monday to allow public officials to call a 'bucket of cash' merely a 'bucket'. Here, SC and Attorney General Greg Abbott, let me help you to understand. Arsenic occurs in nature. HOWEVER, when it's concentrated too much, it becomes a POISON. CO2, when there is too much of it in the atmosphere (like that produced, oh, I don't know, BY COAL FIRED POWER PLANTS), is a poison as well. Of course, before it reaches poisonous levels, it will already have allowed the atmosphere to heat up to such an extent that human life will be unsustainable. Even for you, Attorney General Greg Abbott and there won't be anyone left for you to sue.

The facet about this that really irritates me? Attorney General Greg Abbott did this all himself, with no input from TCEQ.

But in Texas, where the state climatologist says global warming is a pressing concern and scientists say the Gulf Coast could be flooded within the century, the attorney general has joined a smaller coalition of states that sides with the EPA, which says the gas is not a dangerous air pollutant.

The Texas attorney general's office did not even consult the state's environmental agency before signing onto the legal brief submitted to the high court, according to one of the agency's commissioners.

"The State of Texas' intervention in this case wasn't derived from any formal request" from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said Larry Soward, one of three members of the commission. "This agency did not ask the attorney general to intervene in the lawsuit on our behalf, nor have we been involved.

"It's routine or common course for the agency with regulatory authority to be integrally involved. And that hasn't been the case."

The balls on this cocksucker, no? He doesn't know a damn thing about the environment, other than that sometimes trees fall, yet he thinks EPA shouldn't be regulating carbon emissions?

Posted by mcblogger at 09:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 29, 2006

Rahm does something else right...

Strategically, I don't think he's all that bright with the targeting. However, he's a master fundraiser and one member of Congress with a great idea.

Lobbying Reform. Now.

Posted by mcblogger at 06:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Update - Ask A... Dildo that may (or may not) have been in Rick Perry's ass about dating

I'm sure you remember the Dildo that may (or may not) have been up Rick Perry's ass. You should also remember that the Dildo is waiting for your dating questions. So far the Dildo has received

ONE QUESTION

WTF is with you people? I know you're busy with the holidays but I know some of you have relationship issues with which you desperately need help. Help that only the Dildo can provide. Help that the Dildo is willing to give.

Don't make the Dildo get ugly. If it's not allowed to help... well, you don't want to know the consequences. Seriously, the last person to cross the Dildo was Rep. Vicki Truitt. Let's just say there is a reason she wears her hair that way. At least, that's what I heard... email those questions to mcblogger@mcblogger.com

Posted by mcblogger at 02:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Plutonium production a-booming in Amarillo

Jobsanger has a post up about a new nuclear weapons facility to be located (possibly) in Amarillo. Do we REALLY need ANOTHER facility to produce plutonium pits for nukes? Seriously, there are already 12,000 cores sitting at Pantex... in Amarillo.

What are they going for? Most radioactive city in America?

Posted by mcblogger at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Just in time for the Holidays... the BAC Calculator

Here at McBlogger, when we're not drinking we're thinking of you. So yeah, we're only paying attention to y'all for a few hours in the morning before the bloody's start to have their desired effect. However, we do love y'all (even if we don't necessarily LIKE all of you) and want you to be safe this holiday season. Or Christmas season, if you're Bill O'Reilly. If you are Bill O'Reilly, why the fuck are you here?

Here's a super helpful site to let you know how much is too much. And, from our good friends at the insurance industry, an interactive BAC calculator.

This is one of those times when lying about your weight is way counterproductive.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

So what's up with President Bush FINALLY becoming a rancher?

Has President Bush bought a ranch in Paraguay? Conspiracy theorists say yes and there are reasons why...

* The Cuban news service reports that George W. Bush has purchased 98,840 acres in Paraguay, near the Bolivian/Brazilian border.

* Jenna Bush paid a secret diplomatic visit to Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and U.S. Ambassador James Cason. There were no press conferences, no public sightings and no official confirmation of her 10-day trip which apparently ended this week.

* The Paraguayan Senate voted last summer to “grant U.S. troops immunity from national and International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction.”

* Immediately afterwards, 500 heavily armed U.S. troops arrived with various planes, choppers and land vehicles at Mariscal Estigarribia air base, which happens to be at the northern tip of Paraguay near the Bolivian/Brazilian border. More have reportedly arrived since then.

OK, so it's not the Boys from Brazil. Will it be the President from Paraguay? Will Connecticut native George W. Bush escape justice in Paraguay? Who the fuck knows. I'd just be glad if he actually did decamp for Paraguay... as long as he takes Cheney and Condi with them.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:15 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 28, 2006

The War on Chistmas returns!

Check it out over at Casual Soapbox. It seems that our good friend Bill O'Reilly has decided to keep is ratings from falling too far by dredging this bullshit up again.

Posted by mcblogger at 03:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Waxing nostalgic for Watergate

Yes, in part the elections were about the Iraqi invasion perpetrated by Connecticut Native, George W. Bush and his Administration. Yes, it was about rampant Republican corruption. You can also make a case for it being a referendum on the fiscal irresponsibility of Congressional Republicans. Hell, you could say it was all about Mark Foley's taste in boys.

One thing everyone will also allow is that it was about restoring Congressional oversight of an out of control Executive Branch, currently occupied by the aforementioned Connecticut Native George W. Bush. For that, we have Dingell, Pelosi, Murtha and Henry Waxman. The AP (via ABC) has a great story about Waxman... I thought it would be nice for you to get to know a little about the man who will be inquisitor.

The lawmaker poised to cause the Bush administration's biggest headaches when Democrats take control of Congress may just be a grocer's son from Watts who's hardly a household name off Capitol Hill.

Rep. Henry Waxman has spent the last six years waging a guerrilla campaign against the White House and its corporate allies, launching searing investigations into everything from military contracts to Medicare prices from his perch on the Government Reform Committee.

In January, Waxman becomes committee chairman and thus the lead congressional hound of an administration many Democrats feel has blundered badly as it expanded the power of the executive branch.

Waxman's biggest challenge as he mulls what to probe?

"The most difficult thing will be to pick and choose," he said.

Posted by mcblogger at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ethics Commission fucks up, drops Texas in the grease

You have got to be kidding me... according to a ruling from the Republicans who run the TEC yesterday, electeds and public officials DO NOT have to disclose the value of a gift that's received, they only have to disclose what the gift was.

So, if (for instance) a Houston area homebuilder (no one particular) were to give (and I'm just speculating here) $50,000 to a board member of the Employees Retirement System, all the board member would have to report is that he received a check.

Oy. No gifts over $100. Period. I have to deal with that in my job and there is no reason why public officials should not have to live with that rule as well. The Lege needs to fix this and make it retroactive, if possible. Either that or at some point the upper echelons of state government are you going to be part of a RICO prosecution. Actually, from what I've seen, I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be now.

$50,000?!?!?!?!??! That smells bad from hundreds of miles away.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Voters To John Kerry, Voters to John Kerry

STOP IT! STOP RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! WE DON'T FUCKING LIKE YOU ANYMORE EVEN IF WE ONCE DID!!!

Posted by spamburgler at 12:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

So, is the Railroad being shut down or not?

Cody over at BOR has a post up about the Texas State Railroad (an East Texas childhood staple... is there ANYONE didn't ride it when they were kids?) possibly having to shut down at the end of the year because of a lack of funding. Then Vince over at Capitol Annex posted a letter from Dewhurst and CradDICK saying that the Lege had appropriated enough money to keep it open.

So, who's telling the truth? It sounds like someone in the Lege is playing fast and loose with the facts...

Posted by mcblogger at 12:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 27, 2006

Texas Republicans should totally listen to Dan Patrick

The Chronicle (not THAT one, the good one) has a story up about the incoming 80th Lege and the Senate. The Democrats now have the ability to block legislation from even reaching the floor because of the two-thirds rule. Some Republicans (I'm looking at you Dan Patrick) think they should use their majority to override Senate tradition and eliminate the two-thirds rule.

But Patrick said the power of the Democratic bloc can be broken just by changing the Senate rules. There are 20 Republican senators, and only 16 are needed to eliminate the two-thirds rule.

"I'm hearing some Republicans say we've got to move to the middle. If we do that, the Republican Party will be destroyed in Texas," Patrick said.

PLEASE, Republicans, listen to Dan. It'll make 2008 and 2010 so much easier! Of course, I leave it to you to figure out for whom.

(hat tip to PinkDome)

Posted by mcblogger at 04:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Phunny Pharm(a)

PinkLady has a great post up about the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to persuade the new Democratic majority in Congress not to beat it to a bloody pulp. I kid. All the Democrats want to do is get the industry to play fair and allow the government to negotiate for the best prices for medicines (instead of the corporate welfare system we have in place now).

Of course to the industry it feels like someone is taking a lead pipe to their heads. Get used to it, fuck-o's. You've abused the people of this country long enough.

Of course, there are even those in Congress (Dingell) who actually believe that bullshit about how much big pharma spends on R&D (the only R&D they spend a lot on is how to 'entertain' doctors... if you ever have a chance to befriend a pharma sales rep, take it). The line goes that while production of medicines is, for the most part, cheap, the first pill is incredibly expensive.

It's also bullshit.

A word of advice to Democrats in Congress... play hardball with these fuckers. Put price negotiation into the law and tell the industry if they don't like it and want to offshore, you'll rewrite the patent laws. You really want to put the fear of God into the pharmaceutical industry? Tell them you're going to remove their IP protections.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:03 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Houston Press names 'DraculaCunt' Gibbs Turkey of the Year

This makes me laugh. And laugh. And laugh. The Houston Press (as the title clearly states) has named Shelley Sekula Gibbs their Turkey of the Year. I know it's terribly exciting and all for Shelley and I'm sure she enjoyed the section of the article that described some of the names that were used by voters to write her in.

The name "Sekula" was spelled as Sektula, Sukla, Sequila, Sedoko and Sedoka (by puzzle fans?), Meklua, Sekluda and Shecola.

One voter couldn't be bothered, just putting in SSG. (It counted.) Another, for some reason, entered Sekula Smith.

Another voter entered "Shelle Sekula Fibbs," which might have been a hidden political message. Not so hidden, but counted as a vote just the same, was "Shelly DraculaCunt Gibs." (We like to imagine the bipartisan discussion on that entry: "Well, they misspelled the first and last name, but that's definitely a Shelley vote.")

But... there is a dark side to all this. Until I read this article, I just thought Shelley was a joke... then I happened upon this:

She single-handedly created the move to ban smoking in bars, marking perhaps the first time that Houston tried to do something because it had been done in New York and Austin.

You are a dark, bitter, evil soul DraculaCunt.

Posted by mcblogger at 10:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

My ordeal, part 2

OK, so it wasn't so much and ordeal as it is whining. I get it. However, it was a PAIN IN THE MOTHERFUCKING ASS. I was in Waco this afternoon for two and a half hours. Just for reference, it normally takes me less than 6 minutes to flye through Waco. Seriously, I timed it once when I was trying to beat my previous best for a trip from Dallas to Austin (two hours fifteen minutes. Top that, bitches).

If ever there was a testament to the need for expansion on 35 NOW, today was it. TTC 35 might be ready for traffic in 13 and that's not soon enough. The Lege and Perry have to act now and they have to make them freeways... if the economy is to a keep growing in Texas, it's vital that the surplus everyone in Austin is crowing about be used to fund a rebuild of the 35 freeway.

While heading into hour two I decided to pull out my camera as I noticed people getting out of their cars.

Some people were out playing football in the ROW on the frontage road. I'm not kidding. This was about the time my bladder was about to go POP.

This is the dickhead who cut me off about an hour before the picture was taken. I guess he took this literally.

The offending tractor trailer. No idea how the driver is doing.

The remainder of the trailer.

Some how a crane was involved.

Smooth sailing for me, not so much for the northbound folks. As I passed them I though 'sucks to be y'all'. The jam up went on for miles but at least their frontage road was moving. Occasionally, so were their main lanes.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 26, 2006

I knew this would suck

I'm on the road heading back to Austin. I have now been stuck for 45 minutes because the 35 is shut down. A wreck, you ask?

No. Traffic's not jammed all to hell for a wreck. It's jammed up because TXDoT shut down the fucking freeway. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Brill idea, TXDoT. Y'all suck ass.

UPDATE: I've now been sitting in this miasma for 2 hours, 20 minutes. Apparently, this wasn't TXDoT being stupid (which is not to say they aren't dumb... They are), it was a north bound tractor trailer that decided to cross the median. Needless to say, quite the clusterfuck.

I'll have some pix up later...

Posted by mcblogger at 03:10 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 25, 2006

Old Skool, or, How Putin takes out an enemy

Don't criticize President Putin or he'll jack you up with some polonium. Putin don't play, bitches.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 24, 2006

A quaint New England Thanksgiving

It's not all turkey and cranberries up here.

A St. Johnsbury man is facing deer-jacking charges after allegedly plowing his Chevrolet Cavalier into a buck decoy that was planted in a Danville meadow.

Game wardens say 31-year-old Joseph Clark believed the decoy was a real deer and was deliberately trying to "bump it" the evening of Nov. 17 as a warden and two deputies watched from hiding places nearby.

The three were monitoring the stuffed deer as part of a routine sting operation to deter illegal hunting when they saw the Chevy stop and shine a light on the fake deer. They saw the vehicle drive onto the field and accelerate into the decoy, sending it flying about 30 feet, Danville game warden Dennis Amsden said.

"That decoy is out of commission," Amsden said. "It has an amputated leg and broken antlers. It's history."

Clark could not be reached for comment Wednesday to respond to the allegations. In addition to being cited for taking deer illegally, Clark was cited for felony unlawful mischief, possession of marijuana and driving with his license suspended. Clark's girlfriend and 4-month-old daughter were in the car when the incident took place, Amsden said.

Clark told Amsden he thought it was a real deer and was just trying to "bump it" with his car, the game warden said. Why Clark wanted to hit the deer is unclear.

"I guess I wouldn't speculate on why somebody might drive into a deer," Amsden said. "I guess everybody could have a different idea. I know it's not what most of us would do."

Alcohol and drug use is common in nighttime road hunting incidents, he added. "There's no rationale. They are not poaching for food. It's strictly for entertainment."

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 08:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 23, 2006

Thankful that I'm posting

Traveling with the 'rents. Thanking God for high speed wireless. Ready for pie and a cocktail (fuck a bunch of turkey).

How's your Thanksgiving?

Posted by mcblogger at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 22, 2006

Dobbs : Free traders should be afraid of Dobbs Democrats

Interesting bit of commentary by Lou Dobbs up on CNN.com. It's a bit strident, but spot on in that we need fair trade, not free trade. My favorite part:

Bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi CEO Steve Miller said of the company's recent collapse, "We are in a market for human capital, supply and demand. If you pay too much for a particular class of employees, you go broke." Delphi was and is one of the country's most enthusiastic outsourcers of American jobs and its business model is still a disaster. As Miller was making his remarks, he was also rationalizing the outrageous salaries and retention bonuses for the same senior management that had led the company into bankruptcy.

I wish more of the 'journalists' in the financial press would take their jobs seriously and start reporting on the real problem in American business. It's not overstaffing, high health care and pension costs or competition. It's bad management.

Posted by mcblogger at 02:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

To everyone... Happy Thanksgiving

Yes, it's been a long year... however, there is much to be thankful for like

Honestly, I'm thankful for a variety of things, but mostly for .

Posted by mcblogger at 10:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Fun with the minimum wage

ELLN has a great post up about the minimum wage including some data you might will find interesting.

The best recent research on the economic impact of the minimum wage shows positive effects without job loss.

Posted by mcblogger at 08:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 21, 2006

Overheard in a nursing home elevator

Woman to old guy in wheelchair: "You had Lucille Ball in your cab once, didn't you?"

Old guy: "Yeah The BITCH!"

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 05:03 PM

Daddy Does Best

Man, this has got to sting. What would Barbara think?

Only one in four Americans believe President Bush is a better president than his father, George H. W. Bush, a new CNN poll has found.

Six in 10 said the elder Bush, who served one term from 1989-1993, did a better job in office, according to a poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Twelve percent said both were equally good or bad, and 2 percent offered no opinion.

The poll also found that 59 percent disapprove of President Bush's handling of his job; 38 percent approve of it.

Posted by spamburgler at 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dregs : WOW... this is some funny...

Posted by mcblogger at 03:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Karl Rove : Deciphered

Interesting article up at Vanity Fair on Karl Rove, the evil genius behind the ascension of Connecticut native George Bush. The best part is this from Matthew Dowd that quite effectively explains how Bush got elected in the first place and why there will never be a Rovian Republican majority:

"The vast majority of the country is a mix," says Dowd. "If the country sees the parties only representing those segments on the outer edge, the middle is going to get more and more frustrated, and seek out somebody who has some ability to speak to a broader interest. And that's where I think we're headed. I think the successful people in the years ahead are going to be people who in the public's mind bring consensus, and are not ideologically driven, and have a desire to bring people together." Bush's vow in 2000 to be "a uniter, not a divider" had seemed to promise a new kind of politics, and it helped inspire Dowd, a former Democratic consultant, who had first gone to work for Bush in Texas. "It's one of the things I'm most disappointed in, as you look back, that it didn't happen," Dowd says.

The entire article is extremely informative, especially for those of us who like to gather as much knowledge as possible on the opposition.

(hat tip to Pink Lady)

Posted by mcblogger at 11:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

McCain and Kerry continue to be delusional

Obviously oblivious to the fact that the large majority of people in this country think that they are

a) one small step up from carnival scum
b) stupid
c) pitiable

Sens McCain and Kerry continue to think they are viable candidates in 2008. Yeah. Let me cut to the chase for the Democrats and Republicans in the hizzle: YOU CAN NOMINATE EITHER OR BOTH OF THESE LOSERS. However, once you do that, you're going to lose the White House. Even if it was McCain v. Hillary. Allow me to detail the objections:

KERRY

MCCAIN

Both Kerry and McCain are like punchlines to the same bad joke. Please, let's not tell it again because it won't be funnier this time.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Kissinger : The Iraq War is unwinnable

Things are prett-y bad when Henry decides to drop you in the grease.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 20, 2006

Dregs : Houston janitors win; drafting a new Draft; and Ogden's gone crazy

Posted by mcblogger at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ben Wear : Still not getting it...

I know I should expect less of the Statesman, not more. However, this is just inexcusable nonsense on the part of Wear.

Her (Felthauser's) Web site and signs featured this slogan: "Schools yes! Tolls no!" And she told voters that Krusee was lying when he said the Trans-Texas Corridor highway through Central Texas will be Texas 130, which is partially open and should be complete by next year. Her point to the eastern part of District 52 in and around Taylor and Granger: the REAL Trans-Texas Corridor is yet to come and will take your land.

Actually, Krusee was telling the truth, although other elements of the Trans-Texas Corridor — rail, pipelines, electric lines — could end up requiring more land buys.

Ben, you're just wrong. I went to several of the TX DoT meetings on the TTC in the area and at none of them did engineers say or even affirmatively indicate that SH130 would be the corridor segment through WillCo. How exactly would it work, Ben and Mike? I mean, no one at TXDoT seems to know what the master plan is, so why not tell them? Explain to them how a tollway that is supposed to run parallel to 35 is going to connect with it directly at two points. Why is it that at the Manor meeting, which is just east of SH130, TXDoT wasn't explaining to the crowd that it would be the TTC? It would seem to me that would have saved them a lot of headaches.

One of the primary rationales for creating the TTC was to get hazardous materials out of the metros (forgetting the idiocy of the argument, hazardous materials are normally used in manufacturing IN metros, for a moment). Now, according to Ben Wear and Mike Krusee, that's not going to be the case through WillCo. as SH130 passes extremely close to more than a few homes as it arches to connect back to the 35 freeway.

So who's telling the truth here?

(thanks to EOW)

Posted by mcblogger at 01:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Immigration on my mind...

While working for Hank, occasionally I'd get email from nutters who were hellbent on stopping illegal immigration. Of course, the Ag Commissioner's race had little to do with immigration but that didn't stop them from asking about it which makes as much sense as a jackass city council worrying about illegal immigration.

Vince at Capitol Annex has a great piece up about Culberson and McCaul (R- ClearChannel Communications) bleating on about immigration. Then Pink Lady points out that our insanity, or at least that of the Republican legislators who will be returning in January and who are already filing bills, has drawn the attention of the NYT. Something to be proud of, no?

Posted by mcblogger at 12:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

NOOOO... What IS it with you people and concho belts?

I've never been a big fan of the concho belt on men. I know this will come as a suprise to some of you. A few of you will think I've been hiding this dreadful secret for years... I mean, how horrible is it that native Texan can't stand the belts that so many of his fellow citizens wear?

Actually, if you stop and think about it, it's not that big a deal. Regardless, the belts are stupid and I stopped caring what others thought around the time a group of my former 'friends' tried to have an 'intervention'.

It all started over two weeks ago when I was returning from a trip to an undisclosed location in the midwest. We had problems with a plane and I got bumped to a flight to Houston to THEN board one to Austin. Sucks? To be sure. When I was on line trying to get out of the aluminum tube the people at NWA have the nerve to call an airplane, I was trapped behind the family who looked like they'd been carved out of a bar of Ivory soap. They were also slow as hell getting their shit out of the overheads and I was on the phone from the moment we landed (yeah, I'm one of those people. Didn't we discuss this?) so for a few moments they overheard my conversation in which I called someone we were talking about an asshole. I know, I know... I was really irritated, it was a long day but still I shouldn't have said it in front of the kids. I apologized to the father who didn't even turn around, he just shook his head like I was a bad boy.

Which made me instantly regret that I'd apologized. Fuck his condescending ass.

About that time I glanced down and saw he was wearing a concho belt. Not only does he have to deal with his delicate ears hearing bad words like asshole, he has the added humiliation of being a man wearing a concho belt. With khakis and a pair of tassled loafers.

There are some strange people in Houston metro.

Since then I've made a conscious effort to be a little more observant about what people are wearing to keep their pants up. And I can tell you, we have some problems... even here in Austin, there are men who think concho belts are a great idea. I saw six of them on Friday alone and it's not like I was in northeast Austin on my way to Manor or Elgin.

So I thought I'd ask you guys what you thought was going on. Am I overreacting?

Posted by mcblogger at 10:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Have you noticed that gas prices stopped dropping?

Oh, come on. You know you did. I did tonight as I pumped 12 gallons in at $2.19 per gallon. As Hal at Half Empty points out, this isn't unusual for the oil companies. I can add to his pessimism the fact that prices of crude have not continued to drop but have still gone down a little. It may not conclusively prove big oil was trying to swing an election, but it does beg the questions you and I are bothing thinking.

Let's ask them aloud, shall we? Let's have Congress do a real analysis of the price of crude on a contract basis (the price the big oil companies pay for crude oil) vs. the price of gasoline, which is priced off the spot market on the NYMEX.

How about a nice, fat tax on earnings that aren't reinvested into the business? Or a tax that's levied against earnings and used to finance public transportation and alternative energy projects? Combine either with an elimination of tax loopholes and pretty soon you've got an oil industry that's more responsive to the consumer.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Rock! The Onion comes to Austin

Friday, while stopping for 'milk' at the 'Randall's' on Mesa (which is totally true except for the 'milk' which was actually scotch and 'Randall's' which was really Twin Liquors), I looked down while waiting on line and what do you think caught my eye? No, not the dingy floor that needed to be swept.

The Onion, America's Finest News Source, has finally made it to Austin. SOOO nice not to have to pick up the Chronicle to find out what's going on.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 19, 2006

To our friends overseas : Y'all are fucked up!

From time to time I take some moment out of my busy life to go through the visitor log... you know, to find out where our readers are geographically, how they got to McBlogger and, if through Google, what they were searching for.

Turns out, our friends in the Netherlands, France and England are searcing for HOOKERS. Seriously, image search on google, page two top row. That's us... indexed there because of this post which is definitely NOT about hooking up overseas freaks with trashy women.

Our friends in Germany are even more fucked. They've been searching for 'teenboys' (I shit you not. Every single one of them) and hitting this post which is pretty innocuous and all until you read a comment that's a spam ad for teenage porn. Yeah, I'm deleting it.

Austrians have a bit more of a sense of humor... they were searching for camel toe and happened upon this gift idea from last year.

Just think of us here at McBlogger as your own special NSA. And by special I mean... well, you should know that by now, no? I think I'm going back to watching some asshole making turkey au vin on the Food Network.

Posted by mcblogger at 02:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Person of interest

When did this term become ingrained into our lexicon? At first, it was kind of cool and edgy in a weird Orwellian way when describing possible terrorists, but when law enforcement representatives use it to warn about Jim Bob who had a little too much hooch and decided to streak through the church foyer, then it has just gotten idiotic.

The term is suspect

9/11 changed everything or so we were told

Posted by Captain Kroc at 12:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

If I ever needed another reason to hate John Kerry

I now have one.

If you haven't watched Hacking Democracy, you really should. If you come away from it thinking that the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections were legitimate, then you weren't paying attention. Or you're retarded.

But why beat up on Kerry? Well, in the movie there is a scene in which one of the 'election attorneys' Kerry had in Ohio tells a story about a call from Kerry the night of the election. During that call Kerry said that independent of demographics and other voting indicators, all precincts in New Mexico that had either electronic or optical scan systems were reporting for Bush.

Now, if that isn't enough of a reason to call bullshit, pull in the attorney's and delay your concession, I have no idea what is. I have a feeling he was trying to do what was best for the country. However, that's nothing more than bullshit ego and noblesse oblige. He dropped us in the grease.

Considering that he only recently regained his spine, one has to wonder if maybe now he'll contest the results of the 2004 election.

Posted by mcblogger at 11:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 18, 2006

I am so sick and tired

of these muthafuckin' snakes in this muthafuckin' garden!

It's been at or near the No. 1 spot among the best-selling books listed on Wal-Mart's Web site since its early fall release. The retail chain Family Christian Stores say it's the fastest-selling audio Bible it has ever stocked.

The 21-hour production, which lists for $49.99, features the voice talents of more than 250 singers, clergy and actors, including Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., Angela Bassett and Alfre Woodard. Blair Underwood portrays Jesus, and Samuel L. Jackson, who played a Scripture-spouting hit man in "Pulp Fiction," is the voice of God.

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 05:32 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Meatloaf : Still alive. That's a bad thing.

Apparently the ogre named Meatloaf is about to release a new album. Here's the first song...I warn you, before you click the video you have to know this may cause bleeding from the eyes and ears. It may also cause you to smash your computer.

That's right. It's Meatloaf covering Celine Dion. I hate this song. I hate Celine Dion. I hate Meatloaf as much, if not more. I hate the people who commented about how much they loved it even more.

mgourlay2002 (2 months ago) luv the song and vid, meatloaf makes this song better than celine dion....

Yes, honey. And all your taste is in your mouth. Pick your knuckles up off the floor.

Posted by barfly at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cruella Sekula

Obviously, Hastert loves him some puppies, but the holdover DeLay staff apparently does not. They were about to walk out the next morning during her coffee and danish reception.

Posted by Boobilicious at 07:45 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 17, 2006

Ask A... Dildo important dating questions

I'm sure you remember the Dildo that may (or may not) have been up Rick Perry's ass. The Dildo certainly remembers y'all so if you don't specifically remember it, when you see it on the street and it says 'hello' just act as if you know it. Seriously, it's for the best. Otherwise, the Dildo can be a little brutal in that oh-so-special way.

The Dildo has been hungry for more contact with people. Not that kind of contact, the kind that allows the Dildo to really show off it's astounding knowledge of all things. So, after damn near being raped by the Dildo, we are bringing it back so that you can ask it dating questions.

How should a blind date end? What's the best way to propose to a prospective spouse? Does this shirt match this tie? How do I get rid of my chronic halitosis (I got this one... stop eating blue cheese and washing it down with coffee. It's gross, dog breath)? There are literally millions of things you can ask the Dildo that may (or may not) have been up Rick Perry's ass. However, this time it want's to help you through the minefield that is modern dating.

Don't make the Dildo do to you what it may (or may not) be doing to Rick Perry. Email your questions post haste to mcblogger@mcblogger.com subj: Dating advice. Follow the rules this time, Harry!

Posted by mcblogger at 03:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Dutch seek ban on burkas in public

Oh no! Paul better not plan on going to the Netherlands anytime soon.

Posted by spamburgler at 12:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Joe Barton's A-OK with mercury poisoning!

Bubba over at Southpaw has a great post up about Smokey Joe and his love of all things polluting.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

You're dumb, Ben Wear

Man, do y'all ever do any substantive research at the A-AS? First you endorse Perry who now you have to call out on something he did BEFORE you endorsed him. Did y'all just not do your homework on this one?

Now you have Ben Wear writing articles on toll roads, a subject about which he clearly knows little. In fact, he knows so little he doesn't even know the right questions to ask. For one, what would it take to replace the revenue from toll roads? Note I wrote REVENUE, not profit. The paper, for an organization so interested in it, has done comparatively little research on this. I'm wondering if somewhere Ben has a financial incentive in all this... he's certainly been writing a lot about tolls with nary a word of it criticism. That's interesting because there really isn't anything good that can be written about toll roads.

I work in finance. Unlike our electeds, I know how to get a transaction structured so that it makes the most sense for all concerned. How exactly does funding a project off of the smallest possible income base make sense? It doesn't. It's like giving a couple a loan and then requiring one of them to stop working. By concentrating the funding base you are increasing substantially the cost to each consumer. In the case of someone in Round Rock, the difference is $4.83 per day. If the funds raised from tolls and the funds raised from the gax tax were put side by side (in terms of consumer cost per gallon), you'd be looking at this:

$5.00 VS $0.17

Keep in mind, when you look at this and realize just how much you're being screwed, that 'tolls are cheaper', 'tolls make sense' and 'it's the only way we can get the roads built'. It's the last one that's really disingenous as the reason these come on so quick is that bonds are sold up front, and the service on them is assured by the tolls. So all the money is available to construct the road, at the outset. There is absolutely no reason why those bonds have to be backed with toll revenue... gas taxes would work just as well. See? It's pretty cool when you demystify the 'new and innovative' financing that has been touted as making toll roads possible. That's right... it's nothing more than one of the oldest financial assets in use worldwide, bonds.

You also should consider that the 17 cent number for the gas tax is really a bullshit number. It'll actually need to be MUCH lower. That's just the one that TXDoT uses. Even it makes tolls look bad.

We've been told and Ben reiterates several times the tired talking about how long it will take to get these roads built if taxes are used. I guess he wasn't thinking about backing the bonds with another revenue stream. Then again, it appears from reading his inept work that he wasn't thinking about much of anything.

Bottom line, while tolls don't really bother me too much, it's how disingenous the sales job on this has been. Lest you think me purely partisan, there are some (inexplicably) pro-toll Democrats as well (Kirk, we love you, but you're on the wrong side of this).

Ben, you need to actually dig in and do a little research. Tolls were explored DECADES ago and passed over for the gas tax because of one thing... it's the fairest, most equitable way to broadly spread the burden for building roads that, whether we drive on them daily or not, help us all in a number of ways.

Would y'all quit with the toll roads? I'm sick of hearing and reading so much about it from so many people who clearly don't know what they are talking about.

(tip 'o the hat to Somervell County Salon)

Posted by mcblogger at 10:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When happy hour becomes happy hours

I went out to drinks with some friends earlier. I expected to be home around 7:00, maybe 7:30. But, due to a conspiracy involving a very good waiter (who was cute as hell... I know you're not supposed to date the help but it kinda appealed to that dirty side I indulge far too infrequently) and the fact that the bar had decent scotch, I got home far later than anticipated. I am so drunk, in fact, that I can't sleep. Not because of spins (what am I, in college?!?!). I'm just charged up and watching

The Food Network

How fucking cool is that? Being a blogger is so rad, right? I just suffered through Paula Deen's A Very Gross Thanksgiving filled with sickeningly sweet foods (seriously, girl lurves her brown sugar) and am njow on Sandra Lee's Half-Assed Gourmet which actually prompted this post...have y'all seen her show? She kinda cooks shit but uses a lot of prepared ingredients that I know are loaded with MSG. I wonder if people that eat at her house ever realize why they feel like shit after the meal?

I just saw an ad for Ritz Crackers featuring a Rachel Ray recipe for some kind of ham dip. Now I'm going to throw up.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack