Credit where credit is due

The Oval Office Iraq speech

I guess I'm in no mood to nitpick, to fight. I thought the president's speech tonight was strong. He must be given credit for removing 90K plus troops. If president McCain was in there, I doubt the withdrawal would have happened at all. I can even overlook his kid-glove approach with Bush. Like I said, I'm in no mood to fight.

Truth in Comics

If it's Sunday, it's Truth in Comics.

Friday Cat

Quote of the Day

"Saturday night, when the event is done, the Lincoln Memorial will still be the place where King gave one of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century. People who came to the rally in search of answers will still be looking. And Glenn Beck will still be a legend in his own mind." -- Eugene Robinson, in a must-read piece, on Glenn Beck's "all about me" rally in D.C. tomorrow.

Good News

While all you are seeing and hearing on the news is the non-story about the "Ground Zero Mosque" that is neither a mosque (it is a cultural center) nor at Ground Zero (it is two blocks away), there is actual good news about what the Obama Administration has been up to. Also, pitch-perfect news about Republicans blocking funding for 9/11 First Responders while fanning the "Ground Zero Mosque" smokescreen that was started by a crazy blogger who believes that Malcom X is President Obama's father (she probably also thinks the President is Muslim and was born in Kenya, regardless of how the latter contradicts with the Malcom X assertion, but I don't have time right now to research the views of said loon any further).

Quote of the Day

"Last week I was in a cab when the sun officially set at 7:47 pm. My cab driver promptly broke out food for his iftar, and volunteered to me that he was Muslim that he could finally break his fast . Then he offered to share his food with me. It never occurred to me to stab him. I must not be watching enough Fox News." -- Gawker comment by doctorzizmore in reaction to the "are you Muslim" hate crime, cabby stabbing in NYC.

Quote of the Day

"The only way to get offended by the community center is to fully buy into the clash of civilizations rhetoric and believe that terrorists didn’t attack us on 9/11, but Islam did." -- John Cole, with the bottom line on the Park51 saga.

Embarrassed

It's hard to watch this video and feel pride about being an American right now. It seems the man being harassed for being Muslim (and, it's absolutely irrelevant if he is or not) was simply a "union carpenter who works at Ground Zero." As I said earlier, I really don't want to talk about Park51 anymore, but it's hard to ignore when the hate looks like this.

My problem, among many, is that I know a few good people who are on the anti-Park51 side. They don't pay close attention to the news, they read a few headlines, they hear their friends talk, and their opposition is born. These people are not bigots. However, they are a bit too knee-jerk patriotic and I fear this is what makes them easily susceptible to the lies being told. It pains me. All of it pains me.

Truth in Comics

If it's Sunday, it's Truth in Comics.

Quote of the Day

"We keep on hearing from the far right that America is Germany in the 30’s. It may be coming true only there won’t be brown shirts, they’ll be wearing red, white and blue and carrying crosses." -- GregB, commenting over at Balloon Juice.

Friday Cat

Secret Muslim

Sure it sucks that Americans can't get President Obama's religion right, and it sucks more that the religion they think he is so hated, but what really sucks is that we care at all.

Shameless

I would usually reserve that word for Republicans, but Chris Dodd's working overtime for Wall Street these days in trying to keep Elizabeth Warren from the consumer agency job so the shoe fits. Dude, you'll get your payday when you leave regardless. Why must you hurt the rest of us on your way out the door?

Quote of the Day

"The big lesson of 2010 for Democrats will be that if you govern like a Blue Dog and put corporate contributors ahead of your constituents, you lose. If you listen to what progressives have been telling you all along and stand up to corporations on issues like the public option and Wall Street reform, you win -- especially among Independent voters." -- Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) reacting to Charlie Cook downgrading the re-election chances for eight Blue Dogs.

Good riddance.

There is no Ground Zero Mosque

It's a damn community center and it's blocks away. I really need to stop hearing about this bogus story and I'm going to do my best to not blog about it from this point on (I hope). So, in that light, I'll give Keith the last word: