Green Eagle

In this case, primarily the agony, I guess.  Yes, we are still in the midst of National Impeach Obama Week- the week with two weekends.  I thought I'd just bring you some of the photos graphically demonstrating the fountain of wrath at Obama that is bursting forth in this country.  Ready?  Here we go: There you go- seven demonstrations, about 30 people (being very generous.)  Compare this to what just happened in Ferguson, where thousands turned out in a single place, without a shred of organizing in advance, despite being threatened by imminent violence from the police.  This would be so laughable if the incredibly small number of people who hold this crazy view didn't include a large part of the Republican members of the House of Representatives. Well, I'm afraid that these malicious, hate-filled fools are going to get their way soon.  We'll see how it works out for them.

In the next six to eight months- Green Eagle's prediction. At the present, I think the "leaders" of the Republican party are clinging to just enough power to prevent the delusional masses that make up their base from committing political suicide by shutting down the government or voting to impeach Obama before November 6th.  But the truth is that at this point, they are riding the proverbial tiger, and we all know that sooner or later they are going to end up inside. After the mid-term election, all bets are off.  And I must tell you that I think all of this has very little to do with whether they manage to seize control of the Senate.  At this point, they have perfected their anti-democratic scheme to frustrate anything the majority tries to accomplish anyway, so all they will really gain is a chance to engage in more Darryl Issa style posturing until they are unseated in 2016. However, win or lose, this is what they can accomplish: "One should not mistake...

Every couple of years I try to explain why I take such an interest in a seemingly small group of right wing lunatics.  Motivated by a request from Sammy, here's what I have to say now: I first began to take an interest in deviant political, religious and scientific beliefs in the late 1960's.  I was a university student at the time, and in the course of studying medieval manuscripts I found myself spending a good deal of time in the university's rare book collection.  One day I discovered that someone had left them what was believed to be the world's largest collection of fringe literature.  I started to read this material, and found myself fascinated.  I made a discovery there: in the course of my studies I had taken quite a few philosophy courses, and eventually found that, when a person believes something for a rational reason, it tells you very little about the person, except that he is rational.  But when a person believes things for irrational reaso...

This edition of Wingnut Wrapup is respectfully dedicated to the editors of the Washington Post, who managed to publish an article about climate denial on Monday: "FOR MORE than a century, scientists have understood the basic physics of the greenhouse effect. For decades, they’ve realized humans can affect the climate by burning coal, oil and gas. But the country’s leaders remain divided on the need to curb greenhouse emissions, let alone how to do it.  Among mainstream scientists, this paralysis is mind-boggling." An article in which they said that " the country’s leaders remain divided on the need to curb greenhouse emissions," without ever once mentioning that the divide is strictly along party lines, with virtually every Democrat concerned about the issue, and virtually every Republican determined to corruptly follow the orders of the energy industry and do nothing.  Another perfect example of the "both sides do it" political narrative which belt...

Hey, I bet you guys didn't even know that we are in the middle of National Impeach Obama week.  From their website (I mean, everyone's got one these days) here is the only photo so far of a demonstration: Impressive, no?  Well, Green Eagle thinks he'll go back to worrying about the volcano in Iceland. And More:  Green Eagle just couldn't give it a rest.  I searched until I found some pictures of these impeach Obama events around the country.  Here's what I found before I got bored and gave up: redding CA:  8 people riverside CA: 1  (really, one) Jacksonville FL: 5 Savannah Georgia:  this was the same picture as Redding, making me wonder if anyone at all showed up at those two events San Diego CA:  5 As I went on, I saw the same pictures over and over again.  They are most likely from earlier events.  Either way, I think we can say that this week is turning out to be as big a failure as all the other rallies and march...

120 rockets fired from Gaza into Israel today, and here is some footage of Hamas rockets fired from next to a hospital and right by two schools: I don't have much to say at this point.  This is just for the record.  Of course anyone so lost to vicious delusion as to see Hamas as the good guys will immediately claim that this video is a forgery.

Well, it has been a couple of unusually slow news days, giving Green Eagle plenty to worry about concerning the threatened massive volcano eruption in Iceland.  If you have been following this story, here is an update from Daily Kos, which has been following the story.  Think it has nothing to do with you?  A previous Icelandic volcano eruption a couple of hundred years ago caused the Mississippi river to freeze down to New Orleans. Here is a little map of earthquake activity in the area over the last ten days: The color of dots indicates the day the earthquakes occurred.  As you can see, there is this swarm of earthquakes leading out from the volcano in a more or less northeasterly direction.  This is caused by lava, in a quantity roughly equal to the flow of the Hudson River, forcing its way through solid rock. Maybe it will all go away; maybe not.  No one really seems to know at this point. So far, I haven't found anyone blaming this on Obama y...

Today's Wingnut Wrapup is dedicated to Jim "Dim Bulb" Hoft, widely recognized as the Dumbest Man on the Internet, and also a perpetual finalist for the most dishonest too.  Here's Jim's contribution to the Ferguson situation: This is an x-ray showing an injury called a "blowout fracture" of the eye socket.  Hoft published this photo on Tuesday, being very clear to imply that this was an actual x-ray of injuries sustained by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, in the course of killing Michael Brown. But wait! There are two pictures shown here.  The one on your left is what Hoft originally ran with, before notiicing that, in the lower right hand corner, it said "University of Iowa."  An hour later, he switched to the second picture, in which you can see that the phrase "University of Iowa" has been crudely blotted out.  The original x-ray can, in fact, be found at a number of medical websites explaining this condition, and has ...

Let's get the history out of the way first. Here's what actually happened: "...in 2008 George W. Bush signed the U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. It included a deadline of 31 December 2011, before which "all the United States Forces shall withdraw from all Iraqi territory". The last U.S. troops left Iraq on 18 December 2011, in accordance with this agreement." Or from another source: "The Bush administration had agreed to withdraw all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, in order to obtain a status of forces agreement in 2008. President Obama later urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to accept American troops in Iraq after 2011, but after the Iraqis would not grant a status of forces agreement that would grant certain immunities to American soldiers, the U.S. military advised Obama to completely pull out of Iraq." Got that straight, now?  It was George W. Bush who locked the United States into an ironclad departure date from...

Well, as anyone could have predicted, the right is working itself up into a fury at President Obama's refusal to display a state of utter craziness over the death of one American at the hands of ISIS.  A good case in point, one of the great number of Conservative pundits who have never been right about anything in their lives, Bill Kristol, here in an interview with Newsmax (no link to this sort of thing, as is Green Eagle's habit:) "Conservative editor Bill Kristol says President Barack Obama's lackluster response to the beheading of American journalist James Foley smacks of the dismissal of the Nazis during World War II.   "To have an American murdered and have the president just go out and say he's very angry . . ...These guys are coming after us. They're coming after any American they can get their hands on and others in the region. They're going to come after Poland and Americans elsewhere in Europe and others," Kristol said.   "O...

I'll tell you what makes me just about ready to give up and crawl in a hole somewhere:  The absolute certainty that the death of an American journalist at the hands of ISIS is going to be the justification for another two year round of Republican attacks on Obama.  Is there anyone out there that thinks for one second that Darryl Issa is not already planning more hearings?  Or that Republicans everywhere are warming up their distortion machines?  An election is coming up, and this is just perfect for them. There used to be this thing in our country about coming together in a time of crisis.  Republicans called those who wouldn't fall in line behind Bush's criminal conduct traitors.  Well, that is all over now.  Instead of a shred of an attempt to deal rationally with this nearly intractable problem, we are going to get nothing but lies and abuse from the Republican party. And if that is not enough, we now have a virtual promise from Mitch McConnell ...

Because of course it is an opportunity to blame it all on Obama.  Before the firestorm of attacks on him over this issue really gets going, I want to state clearly what in our conduct is to blame for this: 1.  The Bush-Cheney administration decided to conduct a war of aggression against the relatively stable country of Iraq, leaving behind hundreds of thousands dead, a destroyed infrastructure, and a government of religious zealots.  This should be enough to make any sentient Iraqi believe that the United States is their enemy. 2.  The Bush-Cheney administration's conduct of the war constituted one of the greatest military blunders in world history, leading Iraqis to believe that the United States is an incompetent, powerless country despite all of its military equipment.  This leaves ISIL and others of its ilk with the opinion that they can do whatever they want without fear of an appropriate response from the world's only remaining superpower. Still blam...

The Republican Party's great intellectual honors us with his wisdom about Ferguson: "WASHINGTON -- Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) waded into the Ferguson, Missouri, controversy on Tuesday and said the best way to bring about resolution is to let law enforcement do whatever they need to do. "We should take a deep breath, sit back and let law enforcement do their job," he said during an interview with SiriusXM's David Webb." Ryan is apparently of the opinion that letting law enforcement "do whatever they need to do" includes murdering unarmed teenagers. I don't know why, but I thought I'd illustrate this comment with the following picture: So, sue me.

I suggest you take a look at this article.

So I'm making a nice batch of Ragu Bolognese, and watching TV while I'm at it.  I see Chris Hayes, who has really done a pretty good job with his Ferguson reporting.  Today, he's going around talking to residents of Ferguson- the mayor, a barber, etc. about how they are going to come together after what has happened. You know what, Chris?  In the end, this is not about coming together.  This is about white people giving up the stranglehold they've had on this country since its inception, and letting other people have an equal chance.  It would have been a hell of a lot easier if whites hadn't spent the time of their ascendency treating everyone else like human garbage, but that's what they decided to do, and a lot of them are still at it.  So now, that's the rule in this country- whoever is on top gets to destroy the lives of everyone underneath.  This is what our real problem is: giving the others a seat at the table, while somehow convincing them n...

Law enforcement in our country today. That's about all I have to say about Ferguson at this point. Image via Crooks and Liars

That, once again, will go absolutely unnoticed by the mainstream press: As my readers may know, I have devoted a large part of my blog to following the malicious antics of the right in this country.  In the course of this probably useless exercise, I have detailed over the years the various secessionist, seditious lunacies that are a perpetual stock of the right wing trade, threatening some sort of fantasy revolution against the Federal government.  Well, as I have continuously reported, these promised revolutions have have all ended in ludicrous failure.  The best they could do was turn out twelve hundred or so overarmed loons to defend one of their own's God-given right to not pay his bills.  Much has been made of the fact that the Feds backed down in this case, but no one seems to want to mention that the right wingers backed down too- they had the government authorities outmanned and outgunned, and had them in the sights of their snipers, hidden behind concrete...

The "swat teams," i.e. militarized police units, were removed from Ferguson.  The result, calm, peaceful protests.  Then, last night, someone sent them back in.  The result: violence. They say that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  Our country should have learned this lesson from the 1968 Chicago police riots, but it didn't.  Far too many people become police officers because they crave the opportunity to bully and abuse others without penalty; the result, over and over again, is what happened in Ferguson. I would like to suggest that it must be made clear to police officers that, when they put on that uniform, they are accepting the fact that it comes with a greater risk to themselve, just as, say, firement do without protest.  They do not have a right to use deadly force unless they are damned sure that their own lives or the lives of others are in danger.  If they violate this principle, they must be treated like any o...

I just noticed the following: "Jefferson City, MO -- Gov. Jay Nixon tonight issued the following statement on events in Ferguson, Missouri: “The worsening situation in Ferguson is deeply troubling, and does not represent who we are as Missourians or as Americans..." Yes it does, Governor.  Yes it does.  It exactly represents " who we are as Missourians or as Americans..." Deal with it.

This totally unexpected news today: " Chuck Todd has been named as the next host of "Meet The Press," NBC News confirmed Thursday.  Todd is replacing David Gregory, who is leaving both the show and NBC News as a whole after 20 years with the network." As far as I am concerned, this news would have been equally significant if it had amounted to this: "In a major shakeup at NBC, David Gregory has been replaced as host of "Meet The Press" by David Gregory, who is expected to bring an incisive new approach to covering the news that we could never expect from the former host, David Gregory. In further news, Wolf Blitzer at CNN will now be known as "Wolf Blitzer," and will continue to offer the laser-like perspective on current events that we have come to expect from Wolf Blitzer.

Wolf Blitzer may be the most disingenuous cable TV presenter in the entire business.  This jerk, who started his career with Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, has been playing a moderate on TV for decades now, and no one has the guts to point out what a right wing jerk he really is. Evidence of the day: " Why can't they shoot to, injure, shall we say? Why do they have to shoot to kill?" Right, because all of this would go away if a single policeman had only decided on his own that the appropriate punishment a black man deserves for not getting on the sidewalk fast enough would be to wound him, not kill him. Then it would just be standard police practice instead of an outrage, right?

It's well under way.  Having a week or so to concoct their story, the Ferguson Police have now decided to try to convince the world that Michael Brown was nothing but another black thug, and maybe a gang member too, so he deserved to be gunned down as an appropriate penalty for allegedly stealing some cigars. Of course Michael Brown is now dead, so the police can accuse him of anything they want, without having to prove a bit of it in court, just like George Zimmerman's supporters were able to create an entire mythology  of drugs and gang membership, demonizing Trayvon Martin. Funny that this whole tale didn't emerge until days later, just like George Zimmerman's account blaming Trayvon for forcing him to stalk and murder him. And this being in the red state part of the country, you would have to be crazy to think this out of control police maniac is going to face a shred of penalty for cold blooded murder committed in public view. I wish I were wrong about this...

This is the story of two movements, and their two protests that arose at almost the same time. The first gathered together in rage at the idea that the government could force one of their own to pay for the services he consumed, charges which should not apply to him if he just hated that government enough. The second gathered in rage that the government could gun down one of their own in cold blood, without consequence. The first cursed the government, and threatened its workers, and posted snipers ready to kill them. The second came unarmed to demand that the most basic form of justice be done. The first was allowed to indulge its rage without consequences; the debt remains unpaid, no one was ever arrested for their behavior, and they continue to crow about their success in threatening so much violence that the government backed away. The second has been tear gassed, beaten, arrested.  It has seen unarmed people threatened with assault weapons and the press attacked an...

I am disgusted to have to do this, but I want to show you a sample of what the Presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton is going to be like.  Watching this, try to think about the most vile thing you have ever heard a left winger say about Republicans, and see if it is one thousandth as bad as this item, which I found accidentally online: For those of you who made it this far, I am really sorry for subjecting you to it, but normal, decent people who could never conceive of manufacturing such a smear, just find it hard to believe how malignant the right really is in this country. The internet is full of such things from the right.  I challenge anyone to find its equivalent on the other side of the political spectrum.

So, somehow, visiting right wing websites for material, I got myself on a wingnut mailing list.  Here's an e-mail I got today: "BENGHAZI BOMBSHELL Trey Gowdy just announced the Benghazi Select Committee will begin hearings in less than one month!  Gowdy and the Committee are moving forward with their investigation, despite tremendous opposition from the White House, Hillary Clinton and the media.  But here is what we don't know: will Hillary be forced testify under oath? That's why I'm asking you to click here immediately to sign on to our Citizens Subpoena of Hillary." "Citizens Subpoena?"  What the hell is that?  If you really want to see this idiotic imitation of a legal document, demanding that Hillary respond via Federal Express to agree to testify under oath, you can find it here.  The e-mail continues: "You and I must bring the full force of the American people behind Trey Gowdy's Benghazi Select Committee AND ensure Gowdy...

So, here's my latest collection of idiocy to force on you.  Of course, some might think that applies to my other posts, but there you go... Tea Party.org:  "Ebola Outbreak Can Lead to Gun Confiscations, Martial Law...The Obama administration is perpetrating the conditions required for a government-declared crisis...Gun confiscations and martial law are both plausible government responses to an Ebola outbreak in America considering recent policies by the Obama administration" Thanks, Obama. John Hawkins, Town Hall: "Obama's 15 Worst Excuses For His Failed Presidency" I can't say that I really bothered to read this article, but the first real "excuse" is that the Republican party has sabotaged this country for the last six years. The other excuses are all irrelevant. John C. Goodman, Town Hall:  "Three Cheers for Ryan’s Plan...Ryan’s approach is based on well-known conservative ideas" That's for sure- at least it's ba...