thejoshuablog

I thought this video commentary by The U.K.'s Charlie Brooker I blogged about last April, was worth repeating now that the Obama White House is "at war" with Fox "news." This is what people on the other side of the pond think about our "news" media? And, while he mentions Keith Olbermann, his real scorn is left for every one at Fox (h/t to News Hounds for reminding me about this great vide). Charlie Brooker Rips American News Media; Emphasis on Fox The U.K.'s Charlie Brooker rips the American news media, particularly cable news and with an emphasis on Fox and their lunatic pundicks. It's one of the best smackdowns you will ever see. This is hysterical. His tear-down of Fox news will become a classic. Video courtesy of cbsection8 from April 09, 2009: var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

"Tom, I'm a veteran. Okay? I did not get a deferment because I was too depressed to fight a war I supported in Vietnam. I'm a veteran. They want a more effective V.A. ..." Markos Moulitsas Just in case you missed it.... Markos confronted resident GOP racist & xenophobe extraordinaire, Tom Tancredo, on last night Ed Show, after Tommy acted as if he knew what veterans were thinking about health care reform. Via Jed over at DKos: Share this on Twitter - Chickenhawk Tancredo storms off set after Markos confronts him on veterans health care //Create your sharelet with desired properties and set button element to false var object = SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title:'Chickenhawk Tancredo storms off set after Markos confronts him on veterans health care', url:'http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/6/801495/-Chickenhawk-Tancredo-storms-off-set-after-Markos-confronts-him-on-veterans-health-care'}, {button:false, offsetLeft: -200}); //Output your customized button document.write(''); //Tie customized button to ShareThis button functionality. var element = document.getElementById("share"); object.attachButton(element);  A few minutes ago on The Ed Show, Tom Tancredo tried to make the case against government health care by claiming that the Veterans Administration is unpopular with U.S. military veterans. The only problem for him was that he was up against Markos...who is one of those veterans, unlike Tancredo, a pro-Vietnam War chickenhawk who got a 1-Y deferment. When Markos pointed out that Tancredo was (a) wrong about the Veterans Administration and (b) not qualified to speak for veterans, Tancredo exploded in anger, demanding an apology. Markos did not oblige, and Tancredo stormed off the set. read more.... var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";Huntington Post points out in their piece about Tancredo walking off that as a Republican student activist, Tancredo spoke out in favor of the Vietnam War, but did not serve. As a Republican student activist, Tancredo spoke out

Remember this from Michele Bachmann' anti-anything-Obama protest in D.C. the other day (h/t Think Progress)? ThinkProgress’ Lee Fang snapped this photograph of a prominent sign being displayed at today’s GOP anti-health care rally. It’s unclear whether this sign is one of the many being handed out by Americans for Prosperity, the corporate front group sponsoring today’s rally. The sign reads “National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany – 1945”: Here's a close up of the sign: “National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany – 1945.” MSNBC's David Shuster highlighted this "orgy of bigotry, racism, antisemitism and hate" while standing in as host on the November 6th edition of MSNBC's The Ed Show: (via MSNBC): Op-Ed: A real debate on health care, please Nov. 6: David Shuster talks about our elected officials should be debating, instead of the talking points of extreme right seeping into the dialogue. “How to recognize living under Nazis & Communists” (via Think Progress): Right-Wing Conference Tells Activists To Get Their Guns Ready For ‘Bloody Battle’ With Obama The Nazi At the How To Take Back America Conference last weekend, conservative speaker Kitty Werthmann led a workshop called “How to recognize living under Nazis & Communists.” Announcing the panel in a column preceding the conference, talk show host Janet Porter gushed how Werthmann’s description of Austria in the 1930s is a “mirror to America” today — noting “They had Joseph Goebbels; we have Mark Lloyd, the diversity czar.” The room was packed over capacity to hear Werthmann, who grew up as a Christian in Austria and serves as Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum South Dakota President. During her session, Werthmann went through a litany of examples of how President Obama is like Adolf Hitler. She noted that Hitler, who acted “like an American politician,” was “elected in a 100% Christian nation.” Although she failed to once mention Anti

In today's Weekly Youtube-Radio Address, President Obama address the horrific attack at Fort Hood, in Texas, warning not to jump to any conclusions (like the nutters on the right haven't done that already). From The White House website: The President condemns the "despicable" attacks at Fort Hood, honoring those who were killed and injured. He also commends those who stood up to help and console those affected: "even as we saw the worst of human nature on full display, we also saw the best of America." "They are Americans of every race, faith, and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers. They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is a patriotism like no other. What they share is a commitment to country that has been tested and proved worthy. What they share is the same unflinching courage, unblinking compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that the soldiers and civilians of Ft. Hood showed America and showed the world." "These are the men and women we honor today. These are the men and women we’ll honor on Veterans Day. And these are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures."Read the full transcript...var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

This is cool. Will Ferrell's "Funny Or Die" is linking up with YouTube! Here's the announcement (via techradar.com): YouTube has announced it is to partner Will Ferrell's comedy website Funny Or Die, offering up a channel featuring a boatload of the site's comedic content.Funny Or Die has been around since 2007 and is the brainchild of Will Ferrell and writer Adam McKay. The site has garnered something of a cult following due to the amount of exclusive skits that they post, usually with A-list talent involved.

Instant Classic. From last night's Daily Show: The 11/3 Project There's a war going on in America, and the stakes are nothing less than Glenn Beck's internal organs. var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

From Wednesday's Daily Show' & Colbert Show: Indecision 2009 - Local Election Results The losers of the New Jersey, Virginia and New York elections become winners thanks to some turd polishing. var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog"; '09 Off-Year Semi-Presidential Electferendum Barack Obama loses the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races, and Chris Christie uses Monty Python to attack Jon Corzine.

Andy Cobb and Brave New Films have teamed up. From bravenewfilms: Hi, I'm Andy Cobb and I did all the damage I could being a spokesjerk for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Now, it's time to move on to the next hugely irresponsible, profit driven monopoly. Tell me where I should work next: http://facebook.com/sickforprofit or at SickforProfit.com var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

Jed put together this great mash-up about Fox's role in the Congressional race in upstate New York’s 23rd district, and the subsequent loss of the seat held by the Republicans since the Civil War! A video montage showing how Fox’s coverage of the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District empowered Republican teabaggers to push aside moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava in favor of a hard-line conservative candidate Doug Hoffman, allowing the first Democratic victory in the district since the Civil War: var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";Thank you, Sarah Palin, Dick Armey, Glenn Beck & Rush Limbaugh. Thanks for the extra Health Care Reform vote. You gave Speak Nancy Pelosi a bit more breathing room as she counts the votes.

Check out Eric Burns, President of Media Matters, on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer discussing how conservative media "regularly peddling conspiracy theories, lies, smear campaigns." more from Media Matters....var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

Obstructionist Sen. Orrin Hatch let the cat out of the bag in an interview the other day with Brent Bozell's CNS News, by admitting that health care reform MUST BE killed if the GOP is going to prevent a Permanent Democratic Majority. From Crooks & Liars: The Hatch Truth: GOP Blocking Health Care to Prevent Permanent Democratic Majority A gaffe, Michael Kinsley famously mused, is what results when a politician inadvertently tells the truth. And so it was Monday when Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch came clean about his party's scorched-earth opposition to health care reform being championed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats. Hatch acknowledged, as I've long argued, that the GOP is worried not that Obama's health care initiatives might fail, but that they might succeed. As he did in his pivotal effort to block Bill Clinton's health care efforts starting in 1993, conservative strategist Bill Kristol warned his Republican allies then as now that that a victory for President Obama would earn his party the thanks of a grateful public and guarantee Democratic majorities for the foreseeable future. In an interview with CNS Monday, Senator Hatch revealed that was his darkest fear as well: HATCH: That's their goal. Move people into government that way. Do it in increments. They've actually said it. They've said it out loud. Q: This is a step-by-step approach -- HATCH: A step-by-step approach to socialized medicine. And if they get there, of course, you're going to have a very rough time having a two-party system in this country, because almost everybody's going to say, "All we ever were, all we ever are, all we ever hope to be depends on the Democratic Party." Q: They'll have reduced the American people to dependency on the federal government. HATCH: Yeah, you got that right. That's their goal. That's what keeps Democrats in power.read more...var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

Always a classic and a good way to remind the Democratic Party what a real a Democrat looks like. From February 09, 2007 (cspanjunkie07): Want to Subscribe? Sign In or Sign Up now! Rep. Anthony Weiner rips the "Republic Party" for criticizing Speaker Pelosi's security arrangements. Rep. Anthony Weiner rips the "Republic Party" for criticizing Speaker Pelosi's security arrangements. var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";UPDATE: It's people like Ari Fleisher that I think Anthony Wiener is riffing when he use the pejorative, "The Republic Party" (via Crooks & Liars' John Amato): From the comment section of C&L: Fleischer on CNN Tue, 11/03/2009 - 19:16 — fastfeat Can we finally nix guests, hosts that call the Democratic Party the 'Democrat' Party? I'm truly sick and tired of the hosts being limp-d*&ked on the terminology. Networks that cover politics should at least have their "experts" get the name of the party they are talking about correct. Is that too much to ask? I know we all at times say "Democrat," but there's is a conscious effort to smear the party by the Karl Roves of the right. Is it OK if every Democratic strategist and party member refer to Republican party members as "Repukes?" read more....

House Republicans failed to cut off Democratic Rep Alan Grayson's health care speech, as he reads the death count totals from GOP congressional districts due to lack of health care. From Rep. Alan Grayson: November 05, 2009 Want to Subscribe? Sign In or Sign Up now! After Republicans attempted to shut down Grayson and fail, Congressman Alan Grayson discusses deaths and health care on the floor of the House. After Republicans attempted to shut down Grayson and fail, Congressman Alan Grayson discusses deaths and health care on the floor of the House. see more from Rep. Alan Grayson...var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";UPDATED: Alan posted another diary at DailyKos describing in detail what happened: How to Get the Republicans to Back Down: Last night, the House Republicans tried, and failed, to squelch a speech that I gave on health care. Here's what happened. I had reserved an hour on the Floor of the House for a "special order." When the hour began, I noted that a Harvard study had concluded that 44,789 Americans die each year because they have no health insurance. I also noted that the Urban Institute had released figures on the number of uninsured in each Congressional district. Observing that every single House Republican had pledged to block health coverage for the insured, I then did the math: "Alabama District 1, Congressman Jo Bonner, 114 dead." "Alabama District 3, Congressman Mike Rogers, 88 dead." I continued for 23 minutes, from Alabama to Ohio. Then the Republicans demanded that I "yield," so they could object and interrupt me. I said no: "My time is limited, and I intend to use it." Flustered, the Republicans then asked my "words be taken down," and threatened to call a roll-call vote, at 8 p.m., on whether I should be sanctioned. This halted the proceedings, as you can see here.The House staff informed the Republicans

From Media Matters (h/t GottaLaff): ar addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

From DKTV: see more video from DKTV... Read more from News Corpse: Chris Wallace Romances Rush Limbaugh On Fox News SundayRead more from Think Progress: Fox’s Chris Wallace Conducts Sycophantic, Softball Interview With Rush Limbaugh Read more from Sam Stein: Fox Gives Rush Limbaugh 30 Minutes To Tee Off On Obama (VIDEO)Read more from America Blog: FOX gives Limbaugh half an hour to trash Obama Read more from Crooks & Liars:

Americans United for Change highlights all the great progressive achievements -- Social Security, Medicare, The National Parks & Child Labor Laws -- and compares them to today's fight for Health Care Reform (h/t Greg Sargent):var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

Jason Leopold covers all the details -- or lack there of, from the release of Dick Cheney's FBI Special Prosecutor interview transcripts in the Valerie Plame leak/Scooter Libby trial in, "Cheney Could Not Recall Key Events About His Role in the Valerie Plame Leak." Here's a bit of it (via T r u t h o u t) : A month before Valerie Plame Wilson's covert status as a CIA operative was revealed in a newspaper column, Vice President Dick Cheney told his then-chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and his press secretary, Cathie Martin, that Plame Wilson worked at the spy agency. But according to a 28-page summary of Cheney’s May 8, 2004 interview with the special prosecutor probing the leak, Cheney did not recall having that conversation. "Cheney has no recollection of Cathie Martin entering his office at some point while Scooter Libby was present and advising both of them that [Plame Wilson] was employed by the CIA," states the interview summary, released late Friday by the FBI after a lengthy court battle between the Bush and Obama administrations and the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The "Plame-gate" affair dates back to 2003, when Valerie Plame Wilson’s husband, former US Ambassador Joseph Wilson, publicly disclosed that he had undertaken a fact-finding trip to Niger which had disproved President Bush’s claim that Iraq was seeking to buy yellowcake uranium from the African nation. As Wilson was going public with his knowledge of the Niger falsehood, Bush administration officials began leaking the fact that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA and had a hand in arranging Wilson’s trip to Niger. The leakers included Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, White House political adviser Karl Rove and Libby. read the full fascinating piece here... You can also read about the stunning fact that Cheney failed to answer 72 (!) FBI Questions in this CBS report: Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzge

Like others, I have been screaming that "Lieberman Must Go!" for a long time. When do Democrats say they have had enough of Joe Lieberman? Yesterday on Face the Nation, Joe Lieberman told Bob Scheiffer, " I would use the power I have as— as a single Senator to stop a final vote." What was the point of President Obama stepping up and and saving his ass just after the election last November (see here, here, here, here, here & here) and after things like this, this and this (during the 18 month election) when Senate Democrats -- like Sen. Patrick Leahy -- (and most Democratic voters in general) wanted Lieberman stripped of all committee chairmanships? Since saving him, Joe has said he May Hold Hearings On Obama's “Czar” Problem (also see here & here) courtesy of Glenn Beck. Since saving him, Joe has said Obama Must Keep Guantánamo Open, calling it “humane,” and along with John McCain & Lindsey Graham, writing a bill to ensure prisoners aren't brought onto U.S. soil for trial in an attempt to thwart Obama's effort to close this international embarrassment and terrorist recruiting tool. All this despite the fact that there is broad, bi-partisan consensus for closing Guantánamo. What was the point of Senate Leader Reid Harry Reid stepping up and and saving his ass, when all you get in return is a spit in your face based solely on his ego? Now, I get that there's a possibility that this is all bluster. And the truth is, I'm not as anxious about his bloviating today as I was last week when all his threats first surfaced. Lieberman IS a lying scumbag. After all, he was once supposedly in favor of universal coverage. However, there's no reason Reid can't come out and make it clear that Joe will lose his committee chairmanship on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. As Think Progress points out, holy Joe wouldn't be voting for health care reform no matter what was in it. The public option is what is really stopping him: In his

This was actually the first in Angry Films' "Privatize" series. Privatize The Police Department was #2 & Privatize The Military were #3. I just had to go back and post this one because I love the other two so much. Keep 'em coming, boys! Privatize The Fire Department The Fire department is one of the largest missuses of money in America. Every day millions are spent so that the select few can live lavish lifestyles . In return the public recieves very little. When was the last time you needed the fire department? So why are you paying for someone else to sit around? var addthis_pub="thejoshuablog";

Continuing my guest blogging feature, which I think I will now make a regular Sunday feature, GottaLaff had an excellent piece about the notorious for NY Times/Cheney stenographer, Judith Miller, and Guantánamo prisoner Fayiz al-Kandari (originally posted at the The Political Carnival on October 25, 2009): Hey Judith Miller, call Fayiz al-Kandari. He begs to differ about "model prison" Gitmo, torture Via former jailbird Judith Miller, that paragon of fine reporting, we get "news" that is simultaneously clearly laughable and utterly despicable: In an interview with PJTV's Bill Whittle on Friday, former New York Times reporter and now Fox News pundit Judith Miller had nothing but praise for the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and claimed that not only was no one ever subjected waterboarding there, but that any harsh treatment took place only during the first four months of its opening.Hey Judith, you might try interviewing Lt. Col. Barry Wingard. He'll be happy to introduce you to what many of us like to call "facts". Oh wait. He's unavailable for awhile, because he's in the middle of Fayiz al Kandari's Gitmo hearings. See, Fayiz has been imprisoned and mistreated for about 8 years now. Most of those 8 years were spent in a cell at Gitmo, where stuff like this happened. Tell you what, Judy: If you don't think any of those things constitute torture, I'm sure someone would be more than happy to subject you to one tenth of what Fayiz has been through and see what you call it then. Asked by Whittle if Gitmo still had a bad reputation overseas, Miller expressed dismay that, indeed, Gitmo carried the stigma of many media reports of torture and abuse at the facility, "Even though this hasn't been true for many, many years now," she explained. "No one was ever waterboarded at Guantanamo, according to Guantanamo officials," Miller continued. "Torture as ordinary people would call it took place only during four months when it first opened...like sleep deprivat