Politics, Everyday, All day... morning, noon and night....

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:25 am

DVD Burner wrote: Click the pic to guess who this is.

And look at what kind of under-achiever he turned out to be.
But that's old.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:24 pm

Israel fires on Gaza militants denting truce hopes

13 hours ago

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... yLnOkzsQOQ

GAZA CITY (AFP) â€” Israeli troops hit three Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday denting hopes that a truce with the territory's Hamas rulers might after all be renewed.

There was no immediate word from Palestinian medics on the health of the three targeted militants but the Israeli army said the trio had been hit as they prepared to plant explosives.

"Three Palestinians were spotted by the army near the border as they were preparing to plant explosives along the border near Nativ Asara," an army spokesman told AFP.

"Soldiers immediately intervened. There were exchanges of fire, the Palestinians exploded one of their bombs and one of them threw a grenade at the troops," the spokesman said.

"Our forces hit the Palestinians but we don't know their condition."

The new violence came as the Islamist Hamas movement said it might be ready to renew an Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel that expired on Friday.

Hamas would consider renewing the six-month truce "if Israel respects the conditions of a ceasefire," a senior leader, Mahmud Zahar, told AFP

The conditions include lifting the blockade of the Palestinian enclave and stopping military raids on the stronghold of the Islamist movement which Israel and the West blacklist as a terror group.

"We demand that Israel respect truce conditions... in particular that it stop all form of aggression and open the border crossings," said Zahar, one of Hamas's most hardline leaders.

Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal also appeared to leave the door open to a renewed truce.

"Those who want to talk with us about the truce must address the blockade imposed on our Palestinian people," Meshaal told the Russia Today satellite channel from his base in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

His comments came two days before Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is due in Cairo for talks on the Gaza situation with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The six-month ceasefire that has just ended had been largely violated by both sides for more than a month, and its expiry ushered in two days of escalating violence and bellicose rhetoric.

As the Israeli military carried out air strikes and Palestinian militants fired rockets, Israel threatened to launch a major offensive on Gaza and Hamas warned it would respond by resuming suicide attacks inside the Jewish state.

A relative calm returned to Gaza after Hamas announced on Monday it was holding its fire for 24 hours in response to an Egyptian request.

The overcrowded land of some 1.5 million people has been subject to Israeli sanctions and repeated raids since 2006, when Hamas won parliamentary elections and later participated in a deadly cross-border raid in which militants seized an Israeli soldier, who is still being held.

Israel cut off much movement of goods and people in and out of the territory in June 2007 after Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, seized Gaza by ousting forces loyal to secular Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Aid groups have repeatedly appealed to Israel to lift its restrictions -- which at times have seen Gaza sealed off completely -- to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the territory, where most of the population depends on foreign aid.

Coming less than two months before February elections, the latest developments around Gaza pose a dilemma for the Israeli leadership.

In public comments, officials have called for major military action in response to continuing rocket fire and have vowed to topple Hamas.

But in private there is little enthusiasm for such an offensive, for fear that voters will punish politicians at the ballot box if a military operation fails to score a decisive victory against Hamas, observers say.

Speaking in Cairo, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that a truce in Gaza was essential to advance the staggering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

"Nothing will be possible if the truce is not continued, if there is no real truce," he said.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:50 am

Denting? Oh, it was Israeli troops, my bad.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:58 pm

RNC chairman condemns controversial Obama song

From Rebecca Sinderbrand
CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/27/obama.song/

(CNN) -- The chairman of the Republican National Committee said he was "appalled" by a song called "Barack the Magic Negro" on a CD distributed by one of his political rivals.
"The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement reported Saturday afternoon by Politico.

"I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Chip Saltsman sent RNC members the parody CD "We Hate the USA" for Christmas, which includes the controversial tune. He defended his decision Friday, telling CNN the song was clearly intended as a joke.

"I think most people recognize political satire when they see it," Saltsman told CNN. "I think RNC members understand that."

Saltsman, a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, was a top advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.

He is one of several candidates running to replace Duncan in the closely contested race to lead the Republican Party.
Don't Miss

* 'Barack the Magic Negro' defended as satire

The song, set to the tune of the 1960s pop hit "Puff the Magic Dragon," was first played on Rush Limbaugh's radio show in 2007. Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column that suggested Obama appealed to those who feel guilty about the nation's history of mistreatment of African-Americans.

Saltsman said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.

The CD includes parody songs referencing former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

Also Saturday, Peter Yarrow, who co-wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon," called Saltsman's decision to distribute the parody tune "offensive," and "shocking and saddening in the extreme."

"It is almost unimaginable to me," Yarrow wrote in a statement sent to CNN, that Saltsman "would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."

Yarrow, a member of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, was a contributor to Obama's presidential campaign.

Post by **Elderberry** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:11 pm

[youtube][/youtube]

JK

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:42 pm

SFW, BFD...............

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:43 pm

ygmir wrote:SFW, BFD...............

Huh?

littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:12 pm

ho hum ... prelude to the fairness doctrine legislation fight. and, as usual, totally misrepresented by the MSM, which is, of course, why this has not been an issue for the 2 years or so that this song has been around...

don't expect any of limbaugh's fans to run from him ... they are so used to this sort of thing.

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:16 pm

The song is certainly racist trash, and it's not the first or last time that Rush plays the race card is his search to profit by hate speech.

He's got the legal right to do this, and I think that he should have the legal right to do this (being a 1st Amendment supporter myself), just as I have the right to call him out on his fecal-flinging follies.

Chip Saltsman also has the legal right to promote this trash, but there should be some political fallout from it, and anyone who cares about improving race relations in the US should contribute to the consequences. It is good for the country that RNC Chairman Duncan disavows the tune. It is not good that racism, regardless of the targeted group, should be embraced by any part of any political party in the US.

littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:39 pm

yes, doc, as usual you know everything...

except, of course, the context.

that song is not a parody of obama, it is a parody of people who suggest that obama was not black enough to represent african americans ... e.g., al sharpton. and it was based on an article written by a black journalist for the L.A. times.

the "new and fresh and clean" comment was lifted directly from joe biden's comments during one of the first presidential debates...

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said.

this is a common subject for limbaugh, the racism of low expectations, as practiced by the democratic party ... in his view, to keep them poor and in the democratic camp. whether or not he is correct is debatable ... but i do think it is an interesting argument, and one supported by plenty of conservative black people.

but that is what i hate about posts such as your last one. you state something with the sort of "authority" that makes everyone who already hates conservatives nod their heads with admiration, while making anyone who actually enjoys ideas and debate want to puke.

betrdanevr · Post by **betrdanevr** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:22 am

I've come to believe that anybody who believes that Limbaugh is anything better than a "professional wrestler" -- or that even HE takes himself seriously -- has sawdust between the ears!

He does it for RATINGS, folks. . .

Hope you can enjoy that "idea."

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 7:55 am

Must be tough these days to be a Republican and look at yourself in the mirror.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:08 am

G.O.P. Receives Obama Parody to Mixed Reviews

By JASON DePARLE
Published: December 27, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/us/po ... nc.html?hp

WASHINGTON â€” To the issues that divide the Republican Party, there comes one more. Some Republicans find humor in the song â€œBarack the Magic Negro.â€

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:12 am

So, like, uuummm.......

even Newty thinks the song is racist.

Go figure?

Littleflower thinks the song is not so much of a big deal eh?

Wait, did I hear something about sawdust?

littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:19 am

of course the song is racist.

my question is: is the content of the song racist, or is its existence racist?

for the song is a parody of words and ideas that were expressed by democrats...

(in other words, DVD, the democrats parodied in the song are the racist ones ... think about it)

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:22 am

Oh, hey, here's a good one,

Imagine being a racist and not know it.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:56 am

DVD Burner wrote:Oh, hey, here's a good one,

Imagine being a racist and not know it.

Most of us are.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:59 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:
DVD Burner wrote:Oh, hey, here's a good one,

Imagine being a racist and not know it.
Most of us are.

spot on, accurate,
thanks UD..........

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 9:25 am

DVD Burner wrote:Must be tough these days to be a Republican and look at yourself in the mirror.

beats the notion of looking at your mug, as well as listening to your claptrap function.

and no, i think the parody song was not a good idea.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 9:31 am

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 9:56 am

joel the ornery wrote:
DVD Burner wrote:Must be tough these days to be a Republican and look at yourself in the mirror.

beats the notion of looking at your mug, as well as listening to your claptrap function.

and no, i think the parody song was not a good idea.

*watching Joel, dressed as the old woman in the park in "Mary Poppins", singing*

"Feed the trolls, topence a bag, topence, topence, topence a bag"..............

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:04 pm

Mrs. Bush, Rice: Bush presidency not a failure

By JESSE J. HOLLAND â€“ 3 hours ago

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... QD95BTL880

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” The two most influential women in President George W. Bush's White House â€” first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice â€” are strongly defending the president's legacy against critics who are calling his administration one of the worst in history.

"I know it's not, and so I don't really feel like I need to respond to people that view it that way," Mrs. Bush said in an interview that aired Sunday. "I think history will judge and we'll see later."

Rice took a similar view in a separate interview, saying that claims that the Bush administration has been one of the worst ever are "ridiculous."

"I think generations pretty soon are going to start to thank this president for what he's done. This generation will," Rice said.

"Because I think the fact that we have really made foreign assistance not just an issue of giving humanitarian aid or giving money to poor people, but really insisting on good governance and fighting corruption," she said. "I think the fact that this president has laid the groundwork for a Palestinian state, being the first president, as a matter of policy, to say that there should be one, and now, I think, laying the foundation that's going to lead to that Palestinian state â€” I can go on and on."

In her interview, Mrs. Bush called the shoe-throwing incident in Baghdad an "assault." She rebuffed Bush administration critics who contend the U.S. turned its military might and resources to the war in Iraq before finishing the job in Afghanistan.

Mrs. Bush noted that under her husband's watch, the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein and liberated millions of people in Afghanistan and Iraq from oppressive governments. She also highlighted the president's work to provide treatment for disease like AIDS and malaria to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. She said her husband responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a way that has kept the nation safe.

"I think that's very, very important," she said.

Mrs. Bush said that while the president laughed it off when an Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at him during a news conference earlier this month in Iraq, she was not amused. The president deftly dodged the shoes and wasn't hit. He continued the news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki after security officials dragged the journalist from the room.

"The president laughed it off," she said. "He wasn't hurt. He's very quick. As you know, he's a natural athlete and ducked it. But on the other hand, it is an assault. And I think it should be treated that way. And I think people should think of it that way."

On the other hand, she said the incident reflects change in Iraq.

"As bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves," she said.

Mrs. Bush challenged critics who contend that Iraq was a distraction the U.S. mission in Afghanistan where heightened violence is causing renewed instability.

"Well, I don't know that I would agree with that at all," Mrs. Bush said. "I don't think that's true at all. We've stayed very, very invested in Afghanistan. Not as invested militarily, maybe, and maybe that's what the critics say, that it should have been more military. But I think we stayed very invested."

Rice said it won't be long before Bush's contributions to the world will be acknowledged.

"When you look at what this president took on in terms of AIDS relief and foreign assistance to the world, when you look at the number of countries ... and the number of people that this president has actually liberated â€” you know, I really am someone who believes that you don't want to pay too much attention to today's headlines," she said.

But recognition of big achievements sometimes take a long time, Rice said.

Rice noted that while Germany was reunified in 1990, the work that made it possible was done in the 1940s, "when things didn't look quite so rosy." So historians who are now making judgments about the Bush administration and its Middle East policies aren't very good historians, Rice said.

"One cannot yet judge the effects of decisions that this president has taken on what the Middle East will become," Rice said. "I mean, for goodness' sakes, good historians are still writing books about George Washington."

Mrs. Bush spoke on "Fox News Sunday," while Rice was on CBS "Sunday Morning."

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:08 pm

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:33 pm

Just a real close look at what Israel is doing.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:04 pm

Hey DVD Burner, do us a favor and post similar pictures from 9/11.

The media has always been a great propaganda machine.

Oil it.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:07 pm

meh!

911 was preventable.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:09 pm

Was the Holocaust?

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:11 pm

You talking about the Holocaust Israel is creating these days?

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:11 pm

IOF forces attacking rocket launchers targeting Israel was also preventable.

All Hamas had to do was abide by the cease fire

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:13 pm

Actually Hamas did abide by the cease fire.

I posted these facts days ago.