Sickeningly Liberal

"The missile hits, and after the smoke clears there’s a crater there and you can see body parts from..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:25:28 -0400

“The missile hits, and after the smoke clears there’s a crater there and you can see body parts from the people. [A] guy that was running from the rear to front, his left leg had been taken off above the knee, and I watched him bleed out.

These guys had no hostile intent. In Montana, everyone has a gun. These guys could have been local people that had to protect themselves. I think we jumped the gun.”

- Former drone operator Brandon Bryant, on his first drone strike.

Bryant quit the drone program after realizing its disregard for life and how numb strikes made him feel, saying he “couldn’t do it anymore.”

(via hipsterlibertarian)

"The audience seems quite satisfied with the slick reboot and glossy high-budget look, and that there..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:24:00 -0400

“The audience seems quite satisfied with the slick reboot and glossy high-budget look, and that there is the greatest trick the director ever pulled.”

- Kurt Halfyard in his review of Star Trek: Into Darkness (via rowthree)

"[T]hese films are no longer science fiction films, but are now fully Space Operas in the Star Wars..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:23:16 -0400

“[T]hese films are no longer science fiction films, but are now fully Space Operas in the Star Wars tradition.”

- Kurt Halfyard in his review of Star Trek: Into Darkness (via rowthree)

What did everyone think of the latest Star Trek?

My feelings? Meh.

4,127 people have been killed by guns since Newtown.

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:05:13 -0400

think-progress:

And that number is growing rapidly. Just yesterday afternoon, the number was 4,099.

fortune-n-glory: In the digital age our idea of political...

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:04:39 -0400

fortune-n-glory:

In the digital age our idea of political activism is forwarding an e-mail. You copy four people and think, ‘I’ve fucking done my part for today.’

I’m glad to see Marc Maron getting some serious attention. It may be his addictive podcast that finally helped bring him to the mainstream consciousness, but he’s been a brilliant comedian in the comedy scene for a couple of decades. Since I first heard his stand up, I was attracted to his story-driven, anxiety-ridden, genuinely self-deprecating humor.

His new show on IFC, Maron, probably never would have happened if FX’s Louie hadn’t succeeded first - but make no mistake, Maron really isn’t much like Louie. Whereas Louis CK’s show is more of an observation of the absurdness of the world in which we live, Maron is more about the absurdness of our own personal stories. Marc’s show, it seems, is a form of therapy for him, as he explores those parts of himself that we tend to be dishonest about when concerning ourselves.

Really though, check out his show, check out his podcast, check out his stand-up, and check out his Twitter.

Ten Parting Pieces of Advice for Seniors

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:08:40 -0400

Ten Parting Pieces of Advice for Seniors:

Today was my last day with the seniors, as they move on to spend the last few days of their high school careers practicing how to walk across a stage. I

The Wisdom of a Founding Father

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:45:24 -0400

prettayprettaygood:

Alexander Hamilton’s son dies in a duel that takes place in Weehawken, New Jersey in 1802.

Alexander Hamilton responds by helping to pass a law that makes dueling illegal in New York.

Alexander Hamilton dies in a duel that takes place in Weekhawken, New Jersey in 1804.

Genius.

choosechoice: AMEN

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:44:18 -0400

choosechoice:

AMEN

"Let me remind you: Cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophesy. You have no chance if you assume you have..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:02:20 -0400

“

Let me remind you: Cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophesy. You have no chance if you assume you have no chance.

“But it was different when you graduated,” you say. “The sixties were a time of social progress.”

You don’t know your history.

When I graduated in 1968, the Vietnam War was raging. Over half a million American troops were already there. I didn’t know if I’d be drafted. A member of my class who spoke at commencement said he was heading to Canada and urged us to join him.

Two months before, Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. America’s cities were burning. Bobby Kennedy had just been gunned down. …

It all seemed pretty hopeless. I assumed America was going to hell.

And yet, reforms did occur. America changed. The changes didn’t come easily. Every positive step was met with determined resistance. But we became better and stronger because we were determined to change. …

The genius of America lies in its resilience and pragmatism. We believe in social progress because we were born into it. It is our national creed.

Which is to say, I understand your cynicism. It looks pretty hopeless.

But, believe me, it isn’t.

Not if you pitch in.

”

- Robert Reich, “The Triumph of Progressivsm”

A Mother's Promise

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:11:26 -0400

A Mother's Promise:

As “Sandy Hook Moms,” we often hear the phrase “I can’t imagine what you are going through.” Well, please imagine it. Imagine what it’s like to lose a son or daughter to gun violence and encourage your elected officials to do the same.

redlens: A comment on this article, on the Huffington Post. I...

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:36:12 -0400

redlens:

A comment on this article, on the Huffington Post. I found it very touching.

asdlk-jpwo: okay i’m not for gay marriage but i’m not against it either like i really don’t have a...

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:35:12 -0400

asdlk-jpwo:

okay i’m not for gay marriage but i’m not against it either like i really don’t have a problem with people who are gay or people who get gay married
i know what i need to do and that is to pray for people who are homosexual
and thats that.
not everyone who doesn’t support gay marriage is a homophobe or has issues with gays.
i am living proof
thank you and goodbye

Nah. It’s pretty simple. Homophobic, by definition, means that one is “prejudiced against homosexual people.” If you don’t support gay marriage, you’re homophobic. Simply as that.

An Open Letter to Michelle Obama: Beyonce is Not a Role Model

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:45:23 -0400

An Open Letter to Michelle Obama: Beyonce is Not a Role Model:

In which some person on Yahoo! who is apparently an expert on role models writes an open letter to the First Lady to tell her that Beyonce is not a role model because she wears rubber nipples… and because people are sold as sex slaves or something. Also, nipples.

Photo

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:37:07 -0400

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:24:14 -0400

"The problem is that cinema, as I define it and as something that inspired me, is under assault by..."

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:49:56 -0400

“The problem is that cinema, as I define it and as something that inspired me, is under assault by the studios and, from what I can tell, with the full support of the audience.”

- Director Steven Soderbergh’s Address on the State of Cinema (via rowthree)

"Am I (and others on my side of the issue) that much smarter than everyone else? No. The key to..."

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:38:55 -0400

“Am I (and others on my side of the issue) that much smarter than everyone else? No. The key to understanding this is that the anti-Keynesian position is, in essence, political. It’s driven by hostility to active government policy and, in many cases, hostility to any intellectual approach that might make room for government policy. Too many influential people just don’t want to believe that we’re facing the kind of economic crisis we are actually facing.”

- Paul Krugman, “Knaves, Fools, and Me”

"It really is a crazy world that we’re carving out for ourselves with this..."

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:36:44 -0400

“It really is a crazy world that we’re carving out for ourselves with this everybody-has-to-know-everything, nothing seems to be true in the press reality. I go to the Huffington Post, I can’t fucking believe what is on that fucking website. It’s a fucking joke… people’s lives. I understand they have good news stories and responsible news stories… but isn’t there a place I can go, as an adult, where I’m not going to learn about Justin Bieber throwing up on stage?”

- Zach Galifianakis on “By the Way, In Conversation with Jeff Carlin,” nailing why I’ve come to despise The Huffington Post (and content aggregators like it) these past couple of years. So help me, if I go on there and see another washed-up celebrity’s side-boob, I’m just going to start reading Fox Nation. (via fortune-n-glory)

"But no economy can maintain momentum just on the spending of the richest 10 percent. … So..."

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:15:01 -0400

“

But no economy can maintain momentum just on the spending of the richest 10 percent. …

So what is Washington doing? Worse than nothing. It has now adopted the same kind of austerity economics that’s doomed Europe — cutting federal spending and reducing total demand. And the sequester doesn’t end until September 30. It takes an even bigger bite out of the federal budget next fiscal year.

Earth to Washington: The economy is slowing. The recovery is stalling. At the very least, repeal the sequester.

”

- Robert Reich, “Earth to Washington: Repeal to Sequester”

"Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says treating him as an enemy combatant is appropriate “with his..."

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:45:46 -0400

“

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says treating him as an enemy combatant is appropriate “with his radical Islamist ties and the fact that Chechens are all over the world fighting with Al Qaeda.”

Hold it. Tsarnaev was arrested on American soil for acts occurring in the United States. No known evidence links him to Al Qaeda. He is Muslim — so is Graham really saying Muslims are presumed guilty until proven otherwise? …

Memo to the Xenophobe Party: The so-called “war on terror” is a war without end. If we arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trials, without lawyers, and without the protection of our system of justice, because we suspect they have ties with terrorists, where will that end? …

The horror of the Boston Marathon is real. But the xenophobic fears it has aroused are not. I would have hoped United States senators felt an obligation to calm public passions than pander to them.

”

- Robert Reich on the xenophobia that the Boston bombings have stirred up.