Headline on WaPo.com:

White Male Vote Could Be Key

No shit.

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Filed under: Mock the Vote

There has been plenty written about Geraldine Ferraro’s comments re: The Obamanator. I think this cartoon sums it up pretty well:

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Filed under: Politics is Personal, Mock the Vote

I write for F&S because I need an outlet for my more outlandish and less-serious thoughts — and I was terribly flattered that Aynnie invited me to write here. I have my own blog to which I affix my given name to keep my name in the public sphere — even if no one regularly reads it — and to keep my writing sharp (-ish). I don’t fear legal retribution for anything I write here not because I am anonymous, but because I think most rational people can see the absurdity of the government and individual actions I write about. I’m sure I piss some people off, but such is the beauty of the medium.

That said, perhaps I should be more concerned:

It’s a mystery that has gripped Whitewater city government since July: Who is John Adams, the anonymous blogger at www.freewhitewater.com?

…

He is critical of the School District and other local officials, calling a former municipal judge who was convicted of lewd behavior last year a “vulgar laughingstock.”

But much of his criticism is reserved for Whitewater’s police chief, James Coan, whom the closeted critic accuses of misusing his position.

Case in point: Coan’s use of city employees to try to unmask Adams — exposed in a series of posts on his blog earlier this month — that is part Keystone Cops and part challenge to Adams’ constitutional rights.

According to Whitewater Police Department e-mails obtained by Adams under the state’s open records law, Coan involved at least two detectives, the city’s director of public works, its information technology officer and the city clerk — all working on city time and using taxpayer-funded resources — to find the identity of a man described as a “suspect” but who had not committed a crime.

Granted, working inside the Beltway provides me certain protections because it is a major city — albeit a rather shitty one — that thrives on criticism of government and its policies. So many of us here would be entirely out of work if the government stuck to its functions and only did what it was meant to do.

Nevertheless, it troubles me that what I do, namely what you’re reading, is being targeted by law enforcement in our country without even the common decency to pass a law outlawing anony-blogging. But really?:

In Whitewater, the effort to discover Adams’ identity included examining his e-mails and Web site registration, running a license plate check on a man suspected of being Adams (he wasn’t), and suggesting city officials conduct surveillance at the dedication of a restored historic landmark on the chance he might be there.

“I think it is someone we want to keep an eye on…,” Whitewater Police Detective Tina Winger wrote in an e-mail to Coan. “Seems like an anti-government radical to me.”

The investigation culminated in a Jan. 4 visit from Coan and Whitewater Police Lt. Tim Gray to the home of Scott, whom Coan said afterward he was “99.9 percent convinced” was the blogger.

In fact, said Adams, who revealed his identity to the Wisconsin State Journal on condition of anonymity, the chief was “100 percent wrong.”

Whitewater City Manager Kevin Brunner said he sees nothing wrong with city employees’ attempts to expose Adams. He said the efforts took very little time and were aimed at seeking a dialogue with the blogger to address his complaints about the city.

“I think it was a very legitimate use of their time,” Brunner said. “I think the impetus was to try to engage in some civil discourse with that person.

Regular readers know that I’m not one to be generous with the benefit of the doubt for public — and especially police — officials. But I don’t know what backwatered moron could possibly buy the “efforts took very little time and were aimed at seeking a dialogue with the blogger to address his complaints about the city” bullshit.

Honestly, when is the last time you called a man with a gun something to the effect of “bumbling fucktard” and expected his reaction — with his similarly armed friends with surveillance capabilities — to include “seeking a dialogue”?

More power to “John Adams” and his libertarian crusade in Wisconsin.

Much love to Fark.

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Filed under: Behind Every Law..., Profiles in Governance, Daily Rant

I don’t normally read advice columns, but when scanning headlines over at the Chicago Tribune, this Jerry Springer-esque header caught my attention: Son tells mom he’s having affair, puts her in the middle.

Ew.

The story isn’t nearly as interesting as the headline would suggest, but that’s to be expected from the Trib. But since I was already there, I read the following letter:

Dear Amy: I am a 12-year-old girl. I am very tomboyish and have never been attracted to boys.

I am friends with a boy; we love professional basketball and talk about it 24/7.

I think he likes me because he is always smiling and gazing at me, and he nods weirdly toward me.

I am so confused. I feel special, as if I’m the only one in the world, when I talk to him. I don’t think I like him. But I’m not sure what’s going on because I’ve been such a tomboy and haven’t been paying attention to romantic stuff. Do I like him? Does he like me? Should I just talk about the NBA and ignore everything else?

– Basketball Fan

Dear Fan: You do like your friend. He also likes you. Even tomboys get crushes on people, and whether you are attracted to boys in general doesn’t really matter right now.

You both display classic crush symptoms: non-stop talking, weird nods, feeling special and being confused about it all.

All of this is normal.

At your age, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about what the future holds. Relax, enjoy this special friendship and learn to listen closely to your own feelings. Your feelings will guide you. Even if your feelings change over the course of this friendship, that’s normal too.

And I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but liking the NBA does not make you a lesbian.

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Filed under: Sexxx, Pop! Goes the Culture

A look back to a time (1989) when Flavor Flav was in Public Enemy fighting for freedom and shit– not a public embarrassment whoring himself to VH1 and shit.

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Filed under: Afternoon Dance Party, Pop! Goes the Culture

As noted in Suetonius’s last post, government lackeys will be going door-to-door asking residents to voluntarily turn over their first born sons…or I mean asking permission to search homes for contraband. The terror that such action strikes in the hearts of liberty lubbers should reverberate well beyond the borders of the district. But any action needs to emanate from D.C.

My suggestion: Let’s help them.

Make their job a little easier by letting them know ahead of time that you do NOT give them permission to search your home. I suggest putting a red sash on your door, signifying that the cops can Passover your residence.

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Filed under: Politics is Personal, Jesus is Magic, The Homeland

In what can best be described as “desperation” in the face of the D.C. v. Heller case, the D.C. Police plan to go door-to-door, asking for permission to search residents’ homes for illegal guns and drugs.

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced several new initiatives today aimed at combating gun crimes, including one encouraging residents to submit to voluntary searches of their homes in exchange for amnesty if the residents have illegal guns or drugs.

Right. “Submit” to “voluntary” searches for things that shouldn’t be illegal in the first place.

There won’t be any pressure, I’m sure. The police will never get suspicious if a nervous resident turns down them down. The residents will just assume that the cops will just forget — they won’t record who assents and who doesn’t. And we all know, if there is one group of people who trust the police to protect them, it’s the people in the poor, urban neighborhoods.

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Filed under: Behind Every Law..., Daily Rant

Huckabee has Chuck Norris. Obama has Oprah. Hillary gets…the Joker?

I like the selections in the video. First, you have a psychotic clown killer who (fittingly) yells “MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! Who do you trust?!?” The next guy is a stir-crazy homicidal maniac talking to an imaginary bartender. And then, of course, you have a Marine colonel from Gitmo who, as Nick Gillespie points out, supports torture of his own soldiers.

The best line of the video was taken out of context, so I thought I’d refresh your memory as to what Col. Jessup actually said about superior officers:

And finally, one clip I’m really surprised didn’t make the cut for the Hillary ad:

Via our good friends at Hit & Run.

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Filed under: Freedom on Film, Mock the Vote

Modern racism certainly rears its ugly head in a variety of forms. But this letter of discipline to an employee of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis is just so patently absurd I can’t…I just….I mean…wha??:

The Affirmative Action Office has completed its investigation of Ms. Nakea Vincent’s allegation that you racially harassed her by repeatedly reading the book, Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan by Todd Tucker in the presence of Black employees. In conducting this investigation, we interviewed you, Nakea Vincent, and other employees with information relevant to the mailer.

Upon review of this matter, we conclude that your conduct constitutes racial harassment in that you demonstrated disdain and insensitivity to your co-workers who repeatedly requested that you refrain from reading the book which has such an inflammatory and offensive topic in their presence. You contend that you weren’t aware of the offensive nature of the topic and were reading the book about the KKK to better understand discrimination. However you used extremely poor judgment by insisting on openly reading the book related to a historically and racially abhorrent subject in the presence of your Black co-workers. Furthermore, employing the legal “reasonable person standard,” a majority of adults are aware of and understand how repugnant the KKK is to African Americans, their reactions to the Klan, and the reasonableness of the request that you not read the book in their presence.

During your meeting with Marguerite Watkins, Assistant Affirmative Action Officer you were instructed to stop reading the book in the immediate presence of your coworkers and when reading the book to sit apart from the immediate proximity of these co-workers. Please be advised, any future substantiated conduct of a similar nature could result in serious disciplinary action.

Racial harassment is very serious and can result in serious consequences for all involved. Please be advised that racial harassment and retaliation against any individual for having participated in the investigation of a complaint of this nature is a violation of University policy and will not be tolerated.

This concludes this matter with the Affirmative Action Office. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Yeah, I have a question: What the fuck?

While I would wholly disagree with taking action even in the following circumstance, I could at least imagine someone getting offended at someone else reading Mein Kampf. But a book about a bunch of Notre Dame students taking on the KKK? Unless a fan of the Klan, USC, or Michigan, I just don’t see how any rational person could possibly be offended by this.

In a rare moment of sanity from the Ivory Towers, the university caved. But this situation is so ridiculous it borders on the obscene.

You can read the rest (at “this” link above) at Volokh Conspiracy.

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Filed under: Politics is Personal

I have, in recent years, become a bit of a fan of AFF’s Doublethink Magazine. Generally good for the genre, I think. And there’s been a bit of buzz lately about the article in the current edition, “D.C.’s Kid Speechwriters.” Interesting to know that our president’s words are written by 25 year olds.

Have to say though, that one of the kids interviewed for the story, Chris Michel–the “26 year-old number three speechwriter for President George W. Bush”–could, like many of his co-workers and superiors, I suspect, use a little fucking perspective.

When asked about the very clear negatives about being associated with the Bush administration, Michel says:

I’ve been there for an interesting sweep of history. I came right after Iraq started. I’ve seen the excitement of the transfer of sovereignty and the Iraqi elections. I’ve been there for the nomination and confirmation of the chief justice. One of my best days in the White House was when [former staff secretary] Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as a federal judge — a good friend, a lifetime appointment. I’ve gotten to travel around the world. So for me, it has not been a troubled time. [emphasis added]

Oh, well, good for you, Chris Michel, you lucky sonofabitch! I think we’re all pleased to know that as a significant contributor to one of the most dangerous and disastrous presidencies in recent history, you haven’t been troubled.

Honestly? I don’t even blame him for taking the job; that’s a sweet gig, dude. But just the tiniest bit of perspective would be nice.

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Filed under: Politics is Personal, Profiles in Governance