Demotivational materials

This site and stuff it sells are a must-see for anyone who has ever had to attend a motivational seminar or who cringes at the phrase "chicken soup for the ...." Truly a completely inspired attempt to discourage and beat down the soul and set the inner cynic free.

Sick but funny and also appropriate
the Talent Show provides the pictures for the Schavio story, you'll need to scroll down to Gallows Humor, apparently the joke started with a thread on Fark.com (highly recommended site). I've avoided writing about the Republican favorite vegetable since ketchup since most of what needs to be said has already been said by others, but just to summarize:

• Tom 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain' Delay is an evil shit who is doing what he is doing to distract from his own numerous ethics violations and the Republican assault on Social Security.
• "Culture of Life" - don't make me laugh. People might take the evil chimp a bit more seriously on this if hadn't made all those jokes about how he had teenagers and mentally retarded people executed in Texas, and especially if he hadn't killed tens of thousands in Iraq, Afghanistan and who knows where else.
• Where were all these Right-to-life activists when the hospital pulled the plug on Sun Hudson , a six-month old boy who was conscious at the time, against the wishes of his family and why hasn't anyone asked why Bush signed the Texas Futile Care Bill that let them do it.
• Theresa Schavio's brain has pretty much turned to goo, and she isn't going to get better. There is no there, there. Let her go.

Armageddon sick of fundementalists
Bill Moyers is too. Check out his excellent essay
"They are sincere, serious, and polite as they tell you they feel called to help bring the Rapture on as fulfillment of biblical prophecy. To this end they have declared solidarity with Israel and the Jewish settlements and backed up their support with money and volunteers.

For them the invasion of Iraq was a warm-up act, predicted in the Book of Revelation, where four angels "bound in the great river Euphrates" will be released "to slay the third part of man." A war with Islam in the Middle East is not something to be feared but welcomed—an essential conflagration on the road to redemption. The last time I Googled it, the Rapture Index stood at 144—approaching the critical threshold when the prophecy is fulfilled, the whole thing blows, the Son of God returns, and the righteous enter paradise while sinners will be condemned to eternal hellfire."

photo of the dayYahoo! News - Sports Photos - Reuters

Anarchist infiltrates US Army

I think Skippy must have been motivated to join the army by watching "Stripes"
100 Things Skippy has been officially ordered not to do in theU.S. Army
"7.Not allowed to add 'In accordance with the prophesy' to the end of answers I give to a question an officer asks me."
"58. The following words and phrases may not be used in a cadence- Budding sexuality, necrophilia, I hate everyone in this formation and wish they were dead, sexual lubrication, black earth mother, all Marines are latent homosexuals, Tantric yoga, Gotterdammerung, Korean hooker, Eskimo Nell, we've all got jackboots now, slut puppy, or any references to squid. "
"166.No, the pants are not optional. "
"197.I am not allowed to sing 'Henry the VIII I am' until verse 68 ever again. "

108 and counting

The Roachblog makes an interesting observation on the number of American POWs who died in North Vietnamese custody over the long years of the Vietnam War (114) versus the number of prisoners who have died in U.S. custody since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (108 and counting). CBS news has the facts

Holy Shit(s)
Christian Nation
"Their mission is not simply to save souls. The goal is to mobilize evangelical Christians for political action to return society to what they call "the biblical worldview of the Founding Fathers." Some speak of "restoring a Christian nation." Others shy from that phrase, but agree that the Bible calls them not only to evangelize, but also to transform the culture."

And then there is this dimbulb who despite the fact that several people died considers it a happy ending that he now has a summer home in Nova Scotia. For a full parsing of the good parson's sermon, have a look at the Poor Man - especially the comments.

Sinking globalization
Niall Ferguson is a very smart man, that what makes this all the more scary - he's probably right.