I was standing at the vending machine, purchasing some Diet Slurm, and another gentleman was beside me purchasing a snack. It occurred to me what a bizarre ritual this is. Drop tokens into a machine, press some buttons, receive food or beverage of no nutritional value, perhaps deleterious to our health. If an alien anthropologist were observing, he might think we were insane.

...and perhaps we are.

I went in to vote at 2:30 today and there was NO LINE. Great for me, but...bad for America???

A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.”

Collectively-owned resources, eh? You share that wealth around, girl!

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/11/03/081103taco_talk_hertzberg?printable=true

lol..."Black Sheep" irl



R.I.P.

The best clip from Wednesday's debate -

now I might have to vote for McCain :(

McSexist

At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain’s hair and said, ‘You’re getting a little thin up there.’ McCain’s face reddened, and he responded, ‘At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.’ 

What a peach!

Also, a good point -

In another campaign stop in Pensacola, Fla., McCain recalled his days as a Florida-based fighter pilot — dating an exotic dancer known as the “Flame of Florida” and “blowing my pay at Trader Jon’s,” a local strip club. Abstinence-only must not apply for the boys.

So he likes the trollops except for when his wife is one? Hmm.

If he really plans on continuing the neocon/evangelical-married social policies of the current administration, my knickers will go right up into a twist. I especially don't like his seeming implication that his pro-life stance is irrelevant to whatever might happen in his family. "It's a family decision" sounds awfully pro-choice to me. I think maybe he hasn't thought this whole thing through as deeply as he perhaps ought to.

Here is an haiku that I wrote for brokn2pieces last week when he was contemplating which drugz might best get him through a flight (random opiate, random benzo, ethanol) -

Roy don't u eat it
Unfamiliar opiate -
Leaves fall on ur grave

More states shred bills for awful medical errors

“You shouldn’t expect to be set on fire, for instance,” he said. “This should never happen.”

ETA:

ty salacious_pop

George W. Bush Sewage Plant plan is on ballot

A White House spokeswoman, when asked about the measure several weeks ago, refused to comment.

and ty brewergnome

Fannie, Freddie host GOP convention party

This really grinds my gears! Wow, like really.

I heard a good description of the setup of these companies being bailed out - "private profit, socialized risk". I think that's apt. As long as everything's going well, they're rolling in cash and using it to wipe their asses etc. When their irresponsible practices get them in trouble, they get bailed out with public money. It seems the opposite of right. But I know that the consequences would be horrible if they weren't bailed out. I feel like a hostage!