Long May He (It) Wave!

Via Blog-Bud Alison... Robin Williams as The American Flag:



Good, innit? And didja catch who produced this vid? Even MORE amazing, that. OK... I won't question their patriotism. For the moment, anyway.

On Joe

So… like many others around the Right-O-Sphere and elsewhere I’m simply appalled at the way the Left-O-Sphere and the MSM have slimed Joe Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber.” Jeez… the sheer temerity of this guy, questioning The One, and worse yet… disagreeing with him. You can’t DO that… this is a Brave NEW America! About which, a short video from Fox News Channel:

Regarding that “elsewhere” link, above. This is an excerpt from that link (Jules Crittenden, writing on his blog):

Now they’re investigating the “I am Joe” crowd. CBS:

The Republican National Committee is sending around this Associated Press photo of overall-clad McCain supporters standing outside an Obama rally, clutching plungers and a sign proclaiming “I Am Joe The Plumber”:

The only problem? At least two of the members aren’t quite as similar to the newly famous Joe Wurzelbacher as they might like you to think. As CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic, who is traveling with the Obama campaign, reports, the man on the right does say he’s an actual plumber – though he is from Melbourne, Australia, and will thus not be casting a vote this November.

And the man on the left, plunger thrust high in the air, is Charlie Smith – the National Chairman of the College Republicans.

Yeah, well maybe it isn’t that they actually are Joe, but that they’re expressing an affinity with Joeness, you morons. Hard to grasp, I know, after all the energy that’s been put into explaining how sitting on boards with people, kicking off campaigns in their living rooms, sitting in their pews for 20 years, doesn’t make you an America-hating, ex-terrorist-palsing bigot or give you any affinity for them.

There’s much more, and here’s the link again. You should go read, if you haven’t already.

Further: Here’s David Burge (aka Iowahawk) on the subject, deviating from his usual and inimitable satirical take on things political:

First, a pre-emptive apology for the intentional non-humor to follow. I promise that all future non-humor will be strictly unintentional.

We've all witnessed a lot of insanity in American politics over the last few years. Up until the last few days, none of it has seriously bothered me; hey, just more grist for the satire mill. But after witnessing the media's blitzkreig on Joe 'the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, I can only muster anger, and no small amount of fear.

Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. -- obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty shit, but it's right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed. The viciousness and glee with which they set about the task ought to concern anyone who still cares about citizen participation, and freedom of speech, and all that old crap they taught in Civics class before politics turned into Narrative Deathrace 3000, and Web 2.0 turned into Berlin 1932.0.

Godwin's Law! you say? if the jackboot fits, wear it.

If it's meta-memes and meta-meta-narratives these media headlice want, so be it. I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy, Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.

Are you a Joe? Say it proud. Leave it on every goddamn newspaper comment section and online forum. Let these pressroom and online thugs know you won't stay silent when they try to destroy the life of a private citizen for speaking his mind -- because for every one of them, there are a million Joe Wurzelbachers. And for that we should all be thankful.

Dang. What he SAID! Mr. Burge also included a link to the graphic displayed at the top of this post… suitable for insertion in your sidebar, if you have a blog. I’m just gonna include it here… coz my sidebar leaves NO doubt as to who I support and what I think of The One… and his policies. With any luck this whole “Joe” flap might be the event that allows Senator McCain to turn the corner. One can always hope…

And now… it’s Saturday, so it’s All Football, All The Time. For the rest of the day and well into the night.

Just Watch It. You'll Be Glad You Did.

McCain at his VERY best… last night in NYC at the Al Smith Dinner:

This clip isn’t the entire speech, as it’s missing the final three minutes. You can see the entire 13+ minute speech here, if you have a mind to do so. I watched it in its entirety and was most impressed. Not to mention the fact that I laughed my ass off. Yeah... it's that funny!

Hat tip: Lex, for the WCBS link.

Update, 1245 hrs.: OK… equal time, if only for the contrast in style and content. Here’s The One, at the same event.

Your mileage may vary, but I think Senator McCain won THIS one, hands down.

And These People Vote...

From a Yahoo! news article yesterday (Americans Flunk Simple 3-Question Political Survey):

Some news audiences are more politically savvy than others, according to a new poll, with readers of The New Yorker and similar high-brow magazines being the most knowledgeable.

The survey, conducted between April 30 and June 1 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, measured the political knowledge of 3,612 U.S. adults. Participants were asked to name the controlling party of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. secretary of state and Great Britain's prime minister.

Overall, just 18 percent of participants answered all three questions correctly.

Think about that last number… 18%. Fewer than one in five could answer three simple civics questions correctly. OK, I’ll give you the Gordon Brown question, as few Americans are politically aware where furriners are concerned. But I’d venture a guess that the results would have been the same had the survey asked respondents to name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court instead of the UK’s prime minister… possibly lower, even. Lest you think it’s all about ed-u-ma-kay-shun… think again:

However, several news audiences with relatively low proportions of college graduates also scored well on the news quiz. Just 31 percent of regular "Hannity & Colmes" viewers are college graduates. Even still, 42 percent Hannity viewers got perfect scores on the political knowledge quiz, compared with 44 percent of NPR listeners.

Which, of course, substantiates the thought that some sort of intellectual “means testing” should be required of all voters. That’s not elitist sort of thinking… it’s merely prudent. Coz uninformed voters could possibly elect a glib someone with a great smile and not much else. Like this guy…

I never get tired of this image, btw. This is the third time I've posted it.

Joe's 15 Minutes

Via Blog-Bud Phlegmmy:

The man does make sense, doesn’t he? I’m bettin’ The One wishes he’d NEVER had that conversation out on the trail, eh?

While we’re on the subject of last evening… however indirectly it might be… I think Senator McCain scored a thin win last night, on points. But I also believe his (McCain’s) performance was/is too late to change anything, as the “undecideds” are largely a myth at this point in time. In other words… if I were a Lefty I’d be telling anyone/everyone who would listen that I’ll be off to Canada pretty soon (think: Dubya/2004). But I’m NOT a Lefty, and I intend to stay right where I am, thankyouverymuch. The Republic will survive an Obama presidency… maybe even in a form we’ll recognize, four years on. I’m hopeful.

Oh yeah… I should ALSO add I’m not giving up. Stranger things have happened in American politics than a McCain win, ya know.

This Bugs Me

Thirteen and a half minutes, 22 page views… and not a single comment. Perhaps I’m overly sensitive but this bugs me, Gentle Reader. I dunno exactly WHY this is, but it does have a lil something to do with politesse. As in: a general lack of.

But... as it's said: if this is all I have to worry/bitch about, then life is good. Well, sorta... if you discount the upcoming election.

Things That Make Ya Go "Hmmmm"

From the AFA’s Daily Report… “Not Your Father’s Air Force” Department:

A Shower for Every Mobility Airman: Air Mobility Command officials say the construction of new dormitories for single airmen at Dover AFB, Del., MacDill AFB, Fla., and Scott AFB, Ill., is expected to be completed before 2010. These dorms are being built to the new "Dorms-4-Airmen" standard, meaning each airman will have his own bedroom and bathroom in a quad-bedroom set-up that otherwise features a common living room, kitchen, and washer and dryer. "This is a higher standard than previous [dormitory] configurations that didn't provide either a private room or a private bath, or both," said Anthony DeSimone, AMC's chief of integrating planning. The new kitchen set up will make it easier for airmen to prepare their own meals as opposed to having to eat in a dining hall or off base. And the dorm common areas will offer cyber cafes and recreation areas with amenities like pool tables, dartboards, and big-screen TVs. In addition to the new dorms, AMC also plans to renovate existing ones, with improvements including new furnishings, upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and new cyber cafes and exercise rooms. (Scott report by Desiree Mahr)

No word if there’ll be maid service… but I wouldn’t bet against that.

Further… There’s SO much to say about this, and SO many approaches one could use to say it. The first thing that hit my mind falls into the “I walked two miles to school every day, barefoot in the snow, and it was uphill both ways” category. I spent a few years living in the barracks dorms (sorry; lost my head there) during my career, even after I married (remote tours, TDYs, etc.). I always had a room mate or two, and we always shared a common latrine (dang. Lost it again!) bath. Always… at least until I hit the senior NCO ranks. I ate in the chow dining hall (why does this keep happening?) and I did my laundry in Laundromats run by the Exchange, there were no “free” washers and dryers (except at remote sites). I can’t comment on big-screen teevees and cyber cafés, for what should be obvious reasons. We usually had one wonky color teevee in our day room, albeit with flesh tones more commonly associated with psychedelic drugs. And so it went…

Finally… Here’s one other approach I thought about taking: “Eatcher HEARTS out, Navy!”

Today’s Pic: SN2’s living quarters aboard ship in the way-back. What ya see is SN2 in his “quarters” aboard the USS Rodney King M Davis. Sam was a full Lieutenant at the time, or the equivalent of an Air Force captain (O-3). I don’t have pics of how the Navy’s enlisted swine live, unfortunately. You may draw your own conclusions, based upon how their ossifers live. The junior ossifers on Davis lived three to a room and shared a common head. (See... I can speak "Navy!")