There is no such thing....

"There's no such thing as bad publicity," or so goes so the old bromide. Well, it seems maybe there is. The PR agency representing (pro bono, it should be noted) in vitro octo-mom Nadya Suleman has dropped the account after receiving over 100 death threats.

Ms Killeen said she had received more than 100 e-mailed threats and many others that were left on the agency's voice-mail, AP reported.

"They'd put me in the wood chipper and throw me in the bottom of the ocean and hope I die," she is quoted as saying.

Some of the threats were also directed at Ms Suleman, she said.

"We've never had a public reaction to us representing a client pro bono like this, ever."

This would be a good time to note Brendan Behan's full quote was, “There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.” It seems there is no shortage of idiots in the world who are more than willing to fulfill that sentiment.

That the Killeen Furtney Group didn't see this coming isn't all that surprising. Most multiple births get little to no backlash. Even in the case of the McCaughey septuplets, where the mother used a fertility drug that carried a 20% risk of multiple births, the overwhelming reaction was positive. Both cases have striking similarities--the risk of multiples and knowing in advance the number of children and declining selective reduction. The similarities pretty much end there, though. The McCaughey's received a free house, van and college education for their kids. What does Suleman get? Death threats. Why? Maybe we can glean some insight frim the brain trust over at Free Republic.

What has not gone mentioned is that with a name like ‘Suleman’, she is of no doubt Muslim extraction.--by keithtoo

We might be onto something here.

She’s Iraqi.--by ViLaLuz

Yes, there seems to be a theme developing.

Of Palestinian descent.--by FreepShop1

Yes! When white, Middle Americans have more babies than they can really afford, it's a good thing. When brown people of Middle Eastern descent have more babies than they can really afford, it's a bad thing.

If only some mega-dumbass could really overreach on this one, my day would be complete.

Nadya Suleman to me is the embodiment of the ObamaNation. She is the Cleopatra of Welfare Queens, yet sneers at anyone who has a problem with her $2 million taxpayer bill. Is there a better symbol of the Obama Era of arrogant entitlement than this sick freak?

And she is Palestinian to boot--perfect...a welfare queen from a tribe of welfare cases. Like Fatah and Hamas--on the U.S. dime.--by FreepShop1

Thank you, FreeShop1. I suspect you speak for many Freeprs. Of course, since they never leave mom's basement, and the closest they ever get to procreation is rubbing one out on a pic of Ann Coulter, they are unaware of the concept of gestation. In this case the IVF procedure was preformed just over seven months before the birth, and it had to be in the planning stage long before then. Was Obama president way back then? I don't think so. Bush was.

In many ways this pregnancy, a conception during, and ending just one week after Bush's term, is a fitting symbol of his era. Go for it. Don't think about why, or worry about the consequences or who is going to pay for it. Just do it.

Maybe she will name all eight babies George.

Sign of the Times

The BBC has a wonderful piece on this poster from the British Ministry of Information. Printed in 1939, for distribution in case of national catastrophe, until recently it never saw the light of day.

Consider, this was right before the Blitzkrieg (that's German for Shock and Awe) of 1940. Fifty-seven straight nights of aerial bombardment. Over forty thousand dead. Over a million homes damaged or destroyed.

Yet, the poster was never distributed. It makes one wonder, if not the Blitz, what would qualify as a national catastrophe? In part, the answer to that question is in the message of the poster--it's not only the circumstance that defines catastrophe, but the reaction to it. Hitler hoped the Blitz would demoralize the Brits into surrender. Of course, it didn't work. The resilience, the stiff upper lip of the English is legendary. They didn't need to be reminded to stay calm and carry on, it's what they do.

These days, it is easy to feel as if we are on the brink of global and personal financial catastrophe. This is particularly troubling for Americans, who do not have the tradition of the stiff upper lip. We are given to loud, brash reactions. Nor are we patient--for us, right now isn't soon enough. That is unfortunate, as there is no easy or fast way out of our financial mess. If we panic and act without careful thought, or demand a quick solution, we risk turning this into a real catastrophe.

Right now, we could use that poster. Having an aversion to monarchies (and any reminder of leaders named George), the crown would have to go. The overall design and layout is wonderful, but might be a bit subtle for many. Perhaps we could do something with that as well.

How about something like this?

The Nerve of Steele.

The appointment of Michael Steel seems to have done its job. Otherwise astute, reasonable observers seem to have bought into the idea that this is a good thing. That it is progress. Huh?

This all takes me back eight years, to the floor of the Republican National Convention held here in Philadelphia. Crammed between the stage and the seating for the delegates was like being on the moon of Bizarro World. Up on the stage a parade of black and minority speakers and politicians gave the impression the party was a diverse, big tent. It seemed there were as many brown as white faces represented. Turning around, and facing the delegates presented a very different picture. I remember, at one point, trying to pick out a single black face in the crowd. One. I couldn't. Okay....in reality there were eighty-five, but that's out of 2066 delegates. That's less than 5%. No wonder I didn't spot any.

Eight years later, in Saint Paul, the black delegates totaled thirty-six. Thirty-six out of 2304--well under two percent. How's that for progress? After the convention, Republicans produced some of the most divisive, racially charged rhetoric I have ever seen outside a Klan rally. Progress?

There hasn't been a black Republican member of Congress since J.C. Watts left in 2002. The last time the Republicans had more than one or two African Americans in congress was during Reconstruction. Progress?

Understand that blacks in Republican leadership positions are nothing new. Watts headed up GOPAC, "the premier training organization for Republican candidates for elected office," for over four years, succeded by--wait for it--Michael Steel. After Steel assumed leadership of GOPAC, he had this to say in an interview with Newsmax:

"I'm here to say we're dealing with a new type of political opponent — one who has learned and studied us very well as Republicans and has created great Trojan horses," said Steele, who lost his race for Senate last year. "They come in and they run like Republicans. They espouse their perspective on a number of the core issues that Republicans have been successful on. On pro-life and gun control issues, these guys are hawkish as anyone else. That's how they've won, and that's how they're going to continue to win elections, unless we're prepared to expose the horse for what's inside."

Sound familiar? The Republican Party--white, suburban and recationary to the core--may think they've pulled one over on us. They espouse diversity. They feign moderation. They may have pitched a big tent, but they're sure not welcoming everyone inside. They may think they've pulled off a Trojan Horse, but are they really fooling that many people? Do we really have to, "expose the horse for what's inside?"

No, we don't. This isn't a Trojan Horse, this is Al Jolson. Of course, Jolson didn't think that by putting on a black face he was fooling anyone. Do the Republicans think they are? Are they that out of touch?

Maybe some are buying it, but I suspect not many. For now, there's just one token taking me for a ride, and it's not made of Steele.

Hope is a good thing....

Right now, The Shawshank Redemption is stuck in my head.

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

We, too, are at the start of a long journey, with an uncertain conclusion. But it is a journey worth taking.

Know Hope.

It's the stupid, stupid.

Mark McKinnon makes the case that the campaign options McCain had to work with where limited. The money quote:

If not for a major economic event that interceded a few weeks ago (for which a strong majority of voters blame Republicans), this race might still be competitive. It isn’t Steve Schmidt’s fault. It’s the economy, stupid.

Did being a Republican in a bad economy hurt McCain? Sure enough. Is that why his campaign tanked so spectacularly during the second week of September? Not even close.

Far more than the economy alone, it was his reaction to the economy that hurt McCain.

From early on, Obama seemed to grasp the fact that there were some fundamental problems with the economy, and a significant number of people were under financial stress. He didn't have a plan, but he had an understanding of the situation.

McCain, in contrast, believed, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong." This, on the heels of campaign co-chair Phil Gramm's, claim that we are "a nation of whiners," and that this is a "mental recession." Though McCain tried to distance his campaign from those remarks, they simply continued the narrative he had been spinning for months, "a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological."



Never mind that his message was more nuanced, what people took away was that he just didn't get it. Nor did his response to the credit crisis inspire confidence. While Obama had no more of a plan than McCain, Obama didn't appear surprised or panicked. Again, McCain seemed to be caught off-guard by the economic reality, and his decision to suspend his campaign made him seem unwilling or unable to engage the voters on the topic.

The economy didn't have to hurt McCain. He let it hurt him. He made it hurt him. It's foolish to expect a guy with seven homes, a jet, and a dozen cars to share the pain of the middle class or poor. It would be condescending for McCain to pretend he feels the ill effects of the economy in the same way the working man does. Nobody expects, or wants, him to do that. Just don't tell us it's all in our head.

Well-managed expectations.

Reading the account of Sarah Palin's tour of World Trade Center site, one quote stood out. No, she didn't say anything stupid. That's hardly noteworthy anymore. It was something someone else said.

After the tour, Palin observed a memorial wall with John Morabito, a firefighter with Ladder Company 10.

“She seems to be up to date [with] current events and everything that happened on 9/11. She’s been given enough information. I’m sure she knows as much as the common American.”

Are our expectations of her so low that it is in any way worth noting she knows as much of 9/11 "as the common American"? I would hope expect that anyone within spitting distance of the Presidency would know far more of the whats and whys of 9/11 than the common American. I can't imagine anyone making the same statement of McCain, Obama or Biden.

Whatever happend to all the fun in the world?

Of late, I've been listening to a lot of the Leningrad Cowboys, and Dread Zeppelin.





Until recently, I really didn't get it. There's lots of good new music out there. Much of it is really enjoyable....really good stuff. But there's very little out there that puts a big, stupid grin on my face. Maybe that's because there don't seem to be many bands out there that seem to be having fun. Robert Randolph and the Family Band are one of the few mainstream acts that seem to be enjoying themselves.



It's not that I've given up on finding fun in new music. The search goes on, but it can be a long, tedious slog. It would be nice if every band had some sort of visual clue, like a bunch of faux rastas and an Elvis impersonator, or unicorn hairdos, half-meter pointy shoes and the Russian Red Army Choir, but they don't. But when they do, you just might want to pay attention.

Insane Rant

The Honorable James David Manning defines the art of the Insane Rant. My hat's off to you, sir!

Dumbass!

I can just hear the inner dialog.

"Hmmmmmm....roof rack, or bitchin' paint job?"

"Bitchin' paint job, or roof rack?"

"Bitchin' paint job. Definitely."



From Cycling Weekly's coverage of the Tour of Britain:

Rock Racing's day of pain began when Oscar Sevilla crashed after hitting a cat eye and brought Hamilton down with him. Rock Racing's team car does not carry any spare bikes because it does not have a roof rack and so Hamilton had to change bikes three times, using a neutral service bike and then a bike borrowed from Great Britain. He missed the decisive attack on Exmoor and finished the stage blooded and brooding.

Michael Ball Tyler Hamilton deserve each other.

"Remain calm! All is well!"

Not wanting to sound too much like Kevin Bacon at the end of Animal House, but this week, seeing the panic among Democrats and and Obama supporters reacting to the polls, all I can say is calm the fuck down.

Not only isn't it as bad as it seems....it isn't bad at all. Really.

Back when McCain announced Palin as his VP pick, I wasn't alone in thinking it a Hail Mary. Of course, that was wrong. Right idea, wrong sport. The Hail Mary is an act of last-minute desperation--something you do when there's nothing left to lose. The Palin pick happened at the start of the contest. That leaves us searching for a better sports analogy.

Cycling anyone?

To understand what's going on, and why there is no need to panic, bicycle racing offers us a fitting analogy. Most experienced cyclists, or fans of the sport, have had the frustrating experience of, one hour into a six hour race, being asked by a casual fan, "Who's winning?" It's a frustrating question because you know you're going to spend the next five minutes explaining that, right now, no one is winning, it's a long race, and what's going on is simply tactics. And, at the end of that explanation, they're going to look back at you and say, "Yeah, but who's winning?"

The first weeks of the McCain campaign--the Palin pick, and the constant repetition of cheap and easily refuted lies--remind me of the Suicide Break in cycling. Unlike the Hail Mary, the Suicide Break is an act of first-minute desperation. It's the sort of thing you do when you know you're not the biggest, fastest, strongest team out there. It's what you do when you expect to lose. The suicide break only works when the other teams fuck up. If the chasing teams let the breakaway get too far up the road, or wait too long before starting to reel it back in, the break has a chance. Likewise, if the chasing teams let the breakaway change their tactics, and waste their energy reacting rather than racing their own race, the break has done its job. Usually, those things don't happen, and the break fails. That's why they're called Suicide Breaks. In the end, they garner a little drama, and some television exposure for the team sponsors, but little else.

Right now, it's early in the race. The break has gone up the road. But I've seen little to suggest that Obama is panicking and foolishly changing his tactics. Nor is there anything to suggest he underestimates the potential for danger. He's reacted as needed to keep the lies and misrepresentations from gaining ground. Instead, it seems the meme that McCain and Palin are desperate liars seems to be catching on. The media--always in search of an overriding narrative that will allow them to not actually have to do their job--seems to be buying into this.

Remember back to the primaries? After Ohio, and again after Pennsylvania, Obama supporters started to panic. They wondered why he didn't react. Why he didn't change tactics. They forgot, or didn't understand, that Obama is an Alinsky acolyte. He understands tactics. He didn't panic. And, in case you didn't notice, he won.

So, for now, stop worrying about who is winning. No one is winning. It's a long race. Let the tactics play out. Hand me a beer, sit back, and enjoy it.

Does anyone belive this?

It is, I know, subjective, but I really find McCain's claim that Palin, "knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America" unbelievable. Yes, oil comes from the ground and is piped around, but does she understand the energy market? On a global level? The economics? How our short-sighted monetary policy has impacted the price of oil? That she seems to suggest we can drill our way out of this problem suggests she really doesn't understand all that much. I don't know what is more telling....that McCain is foolish enough to make this ridiculous claim, or that nobody in the press understands enough about economics and the market to challenge him on it.

What's my iPod trying to tell me.

My Shuffle played Fight the Power, then People Have the Power.

Does this mean I'm supposed to fight the people?

An Open Letter to Governor Palin

Governor Palin,

Please accept my sincere thanks for canceling the foolish and wasteful Gravina Island Bridge project. Questions of motive and timing be damned, killing the project was an act of fiscal responsibility, and we could use a whole lot more of that in these troubled times. Thank you!

There's just one small detail you overlooked. The federal government gave you two hundred and thrity-three million dollars to build that bridge. It seems to me, if someone gives you money to do something, and you don't do it, you should really give that money back. That's the way I do things, and tell my kids to do things. It just seems to be the right thing to do.

It's not like you need the money. With Alaska running a surplus in excess of five billion dollars, you've done things like suspending the gas tax, and giving an additional twelve hundred dollars to every man, woman and child in your state. Those are good and laudable things. When possible, government should stay out of the taxpayers' wallet.

Right now, you are in my--and the rest of the taxpayers in forty-nine other states--wallet. And it's money you clearly don't need. At the same time, there is much debt and need throughout this nation.

So I am asking you to do for the rest of us what you did for your constituents in Alaska. Do the fiscally responsible thing. The conservative thing. The right thing. Give it back.

Please.

If you want, you too can ask Governor Palin to do the right thing. Her email address is: governor@gov.state.ak.us

Spare change you can believe in.

So, we know Sarah Palin vetoed the Bridge to Nowhere. We also know she kept the over $200 million US taxpayers coughed up for the project. So, does anyone know what it was spent on? I suspect most taxpayers would like to know. I certainly do.

What are you more comfortable with? Paying for a real project, with a real purpose, no matter how foolish? Or giving a politician 200mil in walking around money with NO accountability?

Am I missing something?

wtf?