Über die Freiheit / de libertate

Does the United States really want a vice-president whose child is so blatantly unpatriotic? She clearly hates America.

(Photo via Yahoo)

It tells us what we already know. McCain likes younger women. [Link]

Example No. 1

Jimmy Carter called Barack Obama a “black boy” during a chat with Jim Lehrer.

JIMMY CARTER: Around the world. Around the world. And I think it already has sent a wave of approbation and admiration in many countries around the world, just knowing that this black boy who grew up with just a loving mother and grandparents — and that was about all he had to start with — does now have a chance to become the nominee of the Democratic Party for president.

Well.

Actually, Jimmy Carter said, in context, that Obama was once a black male child (”boy”) who had little has become one of the most important people in America.

Example No. 2

This is not a great speech, and it is not a great delivery. Obama is unloading every catch-phrase that has been uttered at these conventions since Franklin Roosevelt. His arrogance punches you in the nose. And he is on the stage way too long. He will be appeal to many because of our times, but hopefully not enough.

Actually it was a great speech and it was possibly Obama’s best delivered speech to date. I much prefered his delivery tonight than at his A More Perfect Union speech.

Example No. 3

The crowd is loving this Fighting Barack, but several times he’s seemed angry to the point of stridency.

I’m interested in seeing how it came across on TV.

It came across like a speech.

A fascinating night that gave us a peek at the fundamental contrast between these candidates. They both were very good, but in entirely different ways. Obama was relaxed, reflective, polished, and conversational—truer to the spirit of the event. McCain was energetic and forceful, but relied more on his favorite lines—treating it more like one of his townhall meetings (he had the advantage of an overwhelmingly friendly crowd). Obama was every bit the impressive, likable young man. McCain was the elder statesman telling his best stories. Obama was fluid and comfortable talking about his faith. McCain said the bare minimum about it. [Rich Lowry]

Meanwhile Michael Moynihan at Reason points (via Andrew Sullivan) to this article:

At the risk of heresy, let it be said that setting up the two presidential candidates for religious interrogation by an evangelical minister — no matter how beloved — is supremely wrong. It is also un-American.For the past several days, since mega-pastor Rick Warren interviewed Barack Obama and John McCain at his Saddleback Church, most political debate has focused on who won… The winner, of course, was Warren, who has managed to position himself as political arbiter in a nation founded on the separation of church and state. The loser was America…

If the Olympics lets swimmers race using the backstroke and the front crawl, how come there isn’t backward sprinting?

“I think, ‘Let’s just be a fun restaurant with great food.’ Noise isn’t always a bad thing. My plates are from IKEA, and they’re $2.99. You’ve got some [restaurant raters] that will include you only if you use high-quality silverware, fancy tablecloths—they’ve got checklists. Well, [I summarily reject] that. I’m not spending $95 on a plate so some critic will put me in his book.”

I agree with Arnold Zwicky when he says that that ”is the subtlest replacement of fuck in “fuck that” that I think I’ve ever seen”.

You can now expect me to say “summarily reject” a lot more nowadays.

Breastfeeding is disgusting and no one wants to see it.

The end of a news story about a breastfeeding protest in Windsor, Ontario finished with this:

“Windsor needs to get a grip and wake up because breastfeeding is a normal, natural thing,” said Diane Pepin of Windsor.

To which I reply: so is defecating.

Current location: Casper, Wyoming - Relative’s House

I’ve decided that Casper must have the highest ratio of lesbians in the whole United States.

Also, having religious right wing Republicans for family is intellectually taxing. That is, it’s hard to keep one’s mouth shut when they emphasize that Obama is going to destroy the country and repeatedly mention that his middle name is Hussein. When you realize your family is Fox News, you know you don’t fit in.

Current location: Miles City, Montana - Holiday Inn Express.

You know you are in Republican country when the restaurant bar is playing Fox News on the TV.