Get ready for it: another surge in the Anti-Obama wars will be arriving in about a week with a new and more specious attack from the Derangement Rangers, or as these vampires call themselves, the Our Country Deserves Better PAC. Twisting facts and flinging fallacy, they intend to pump up the rage junkies for some purpose we can only imagine and we can be sure that if someone stupid enough to buy their product acts on that rage, they will wash their hands of it and blame the liberals. In fact they're already doing it.
I can say that because the ad will apparently reference the recent intelligence report warning of increased right-wing terrorist activity -- which of course proved true: blood, bullets, bodies, and all -- as an example amongst many, of how Barack Obama is just like Adolf Hitler:
As the regime spun out of control, they labeled political opponents domestic terrorists, and warned of confrontations between such groups and government authorities.
This is their view of an all-too-correct observation. Too damned bad more attention wasn't payed over the howls of offended wingnuts and too damned amazing that they're still howling after the warning was proved accurate.
Of course, it takes a special person to see this alleged spin-out of the administration, but the accusation is quite predictable. Indeed, every accusation made against Bush, no matter how true, is going to be re-labelled and returned in the same fashion as Watergate was reprised in every word and action and relaunched against Bill Clinton:
They proposed a civilian security force, and a Congressman warned it was exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany. Opposition heightened after voter fraud by the president's allies, including thousands of bogus voter registration [sic].
Since I'm personally involved with civilian security (Amateur Radio Emergency Services), I would have to laugh at a bunch of retired engineers volunteering to do emergency communications in a disaster being compared to Storm Troopers, but it's hard to understand why a thousand or two bad registrations, which don't seem to have produced any actual votes could account for the 9-million-vote Obama victory. Hard, unless you're up to no good yourself, and of course the OCDB PAC is up to just that. It's the illegitimate child of Howard Kaloogian, the fellow who during his losing campaign to replace disgraced Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham told us that Iraq was safe and almost free of violence and that the fact was being hidden by -- you guessed it -- the Liberal Press, which of course supports terrorism. Is there any doubt?
And now the Obama Administration is warning law enforcement to focus their attention on the dangers of conservatives,
says the website. They're not, unless you describe murderers as conservatives, but I am, and I can't help but mention that this kind of rhetoric and this kind of campaign was pioneered by Adolf Hitler himself.
These people are deranged, malignant, well-financed, and well-armed. Oh, yes, and dishonest -- did I mention dishonest?
On the one hand, he's an intelligent, compassionate man, Harvard-educated and yet from a working class background. My exposure to him has been limited to his stint on Saturday Night Live and his daily radio show on Air America, in which he spoke to progressives who were tired of being made to feel like second-class citizens. His thoughts on his show were better than most hosts of talk radio, even lefties, and you could tell he'd made an effort to understand the other side.
On the other hand, he's a Jew!!!!!!!!
Just kidding.
On the other hand, because he's a thoughtful and intelligent man who's reached out to the other side, you have to wonder about his loyalties. After all, a liberal from Minnesota is more like a New York City Republican than a true progressive, although Franken may be the exception that challenges that rule-o'-thumb. A liberal from Minnesota who can count Norm Orenstein of the American Enterprize Institute (who's considered a liberal there, but you know...) and Joe Scarborough, that's a tough call.
On the other OTHER hand, to quote Tevye, Al was a protege and admirer of Senator Paul Wellstone, and no one could ever accuse Wellstone of being anything less than a progressive.
The other misgiving I have about Al is, well, he comes off as kind of smarmy and unctuous. When I listen to him, I feel like I need a shower sometimes, and not because he can curse a blue streak. There's just something in his manner that rubs me the wrong way. I wonder if it's just me (probably) or if this is a general impression (and so how is he going to work with other senators?).
Not that other senators are necessarily down-to-earth people who can't rub a cat the wrong way, mind you, but there is a hierarchy and it will be interesting to see if, like Hillary Clinton, Franken can work with the system or if he'll end up like another famous Minnesotan flop, Jesse Ventura, and rail about "process."
We shall see. Certainly, the fact that this election was as close as it was in a year when Barack Obama established new records for a first term Democratic president speaks volumes about the two men running (who actually had a chance of winning, I mean).
A dead heat tells me this election was between Odious and Odiouser in the eyes of Minnesotans. Neither candidate amassed a simple majority of the vote and many people registered their disgust by simply voting for the third candidate in the race.
But, another famously odious politician won his first Federal election in a similar manner and went on to become the "Greatest. President. Ever, to quote Al Franken: Bill Clinton.
And, it's a good thing he's a fictional icon, otherwise, if he hadn't already been replaced by a younger bear, displaced due to outsourcing, been bought, and liquidated, hitting 65, he would be slapped with mandatory retirement, and, likely, given a watered-down pension (if one, at all).
Smokey Bear is celebrating his 65th birthday in a series of new PSAs from the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters in conjunction with the Ad Council. The TV, radio, print and online campaign is being launched in time for the July 4 holiday to raise awareness among people lighting campfires and outdoor BBQs and setting off fireworks
[snip]
Since his "birth" on Aug. 9, 1944, Smokey Bear has become a recognized symbol of conservation and protection of America's forests. According to the Ad Council, his message has helped to reduce the number of acres burned annually by wildfires from about 22 million in 1944 to an average 7 million today. Of those fires, nine out of 10 are caused by people. At the same time, Smokey has become one of the most recognizable figures in the U.S., ranking with Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus, according to the Ad Council. Smokey is recognized by 97% of adults, and 75% can recall "Only you can prevent wildfires" without prompting, according to an Ad Council tracking survey.
[snip]
"Smokey Bear is the center of the longest-running -- and one of the most successful -- public service campaigns in U.S. history," Peggy Conlon, president-CEO of the Ad Council, said in announcing the new campaign. "Our 'Wildfire Prevention' campaign has helped children and adults throughout the country understand their role in preventing wildfires, and these new PSAs and online components will continue to have a significant impact."
Smokey's correct full name is Smokey Bear. In 1952, songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a hit with "Smokey the Bear". The pair said that "the" was added to Smokey's name to keep the song's rhythm. This small change has caused confusion among Smokey fans ever since.[2] Note that, from the beginning, Smokey's name was intentionally spelled differently from the adjective smoky. The Forest Service emphatically denies that the name was ever "Smokey the Bear"; however, in the 1950s, that variant of the name became very widespread both in the popular imagination and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia.[3] The campaign to remind the public of the correct version of the name is almost as old as the Smokey Bear campaign itself.
The fictional character Smokey Bear is administered by three entities: the United States Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council. Smokey Bear's name and image are protected by U.S. federal law, the Smokey Bear Act of 1952 (16 U.S.C. 580 (p-2); 18 U.S.C. 711).[4]
And remember, "Only you can prevent forest fires."
With the longevity (and tons of money) of this campaign, I wouldn't mind seeing, say, a Leno "Jaywalking", or some other man-on-the-street interview, posing the question to average citizens: "Who is it said can prevent forest fires?"
