This would be funnier

if I didn't stop to consider that there are still millions of rightwing moonbat idiots out there still watching Bill O'Reilly.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/20/olbermann-mocks-oreillys-serious-reporting/

More evidence of the disconnect between the rich and the rest of us

One of Bill O'Reilly's latest stupid statements is that he's quit covering bombings in Iraq because it doesn't "mean" anything.

O'Reilly is his own punchline, but that statement says something more. This attitude is a symptom of a much larger problem.


When asked on CNN whether the fact that none of his five sons has served in the military might be brought up later in the campaign, surge supporter, serious chickenhawk, and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said:


"Each of my five sons gave two years of their life to the service of their church, and I consider that service to be laudable. But I very highly value those who serve in the military. But it is a volunteer military and I hope that we keep it that way."

Okay.

I don't judge the man because none of his kids went into the army. The army isn't for everyone. Besides, parents can't necessarily take all the blame for what their adult children choose to do.

I have a REAL problem with equating spending two years trying to convert people to Mormonism to military service to one's nation. Surely he's not trying to actually say that.

The message I got was "this war is great, so long as my precious boys don't have to go."

So long as people in these sorts of positions never have to confront the reality of bombs in Iraq, that SOMEONE'S child is dying as a result, this will continue. And, of course, the easiest way to pretend that it isn't happening is to stay tuned to Faux News and then your little applecart stays upright.

And isn't that just like these neocons? Not a one, with less than a handful of exceptions, served in the military, and most of them are old enough to have been drafted. I can't understand how these guys can buy a horribly stupid military theory, convert it into a disaster of a war, cheerlead for it, and then say that what happens there doesn't "mean" anything.

This disingenuous talking head politician has so little integrity that he has no problem just opening his mouth and telling people what they want to hear so that he can be King. He can't decide if he's for or against abortion or gay marriage (and I don't buy his excuses that he's thought about these issues and come to Jesus -- unless by "Jesus" he means his pollster). This man will say and do anything to try to get elected president (I have the same criticism of Hillary Clinton, BTW, so don't go there - I'll deal with her later).

I think what bothers me the most is that while these cancers metastisize on our journalism and political process, people continue to die in Iraq.

Surely we can do better than this.

Surely.

Movies

Lest anyone think I'm such a book snob that I never watch movies, I do in fact watch a lot of movies. I suppose some will consider me a snob because I won't see most of the mindless crap the studios put out -- I tend to watch only indies and foreign. Most of what I've seen lately is courtesy of Netflix, but I've seen a couple with movie popcorn or courtesy of HBO.

Pan's Labyrinth: Loved it.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: The slaughter at the end is just horrifying.

The Lives of Others: One of the best so far this year. Set in East Germany a few years before the fall, concerns a Stassi officer who spies on a playwright, and how his immersion in "the lives of others" force his re-examination of his existence.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: amusing

The Illusionist: Super. Nothing is as it seems.......

The Good Shepherd: Eh. Okay.

The Departed: As usual, a high body count, but not bad

The Last King of Scotland: Yeesh -- some disturbing scenes, but an excellent movie

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont: Not bad. A lovely story of old and young.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada: A study in points of view.

Super Size Me: Not that I eat Mickey's but ick.

Wordplay: Eh.

Hollywoodland: Better than I thought -- but I like a decent mystery.

Cars: Eh.

The Aristocrats: Got old really, really quick.

Little Miss Sunshine: A hoot. I loved it. One day I heard some women talking about how they hated it, but from the look of them, they won't like anything Oprah doesn't expressly tell them to like.

Hustle & Flow: Okay.

Syriana: Not bad.

Blood Simple: Atrocious. I have a 20-minute rule -- if I'm not into it in 20 minutes, I quit. I didn't make it past 5 on this piece of dung. Drew picked this one, and has a historically, um, spotty record of movie selection. After this clunker I took over the Netflix queue.

An Inconvenient Truth: Thought-provoking.

Thank You for Smoking: Not bad.

The Station Agent: Very good.