Some day, remind me to tell you my Frank Gaffney story…asshat.

Tweety gave that Neocon an ass chewing, I was in disbelief at the astonishing revisionism spewing forth…

Greenwald got him to cuss on the air once on Alan Colmes’ show, which was amusing.

Christy,
tell us your Frank Gaffney story. .( *s*).

Panel says Palin should get a $25,000 a year increase.

Asked to figure out how much Alaska should pay its top officials, the group recommends pay hikes for the lieutenant governor, department heads and legislators too.

“We need the best people we can get to do some pretty tough jobs against some often incredibility well-financed, single-minded corporate and individual interests,” said Rick Halford, a former legislator and chairman of the new State Officers Compensation Commission.

Deciding how much to pay themselves is always a thorny proposition for politicians who answer to an ever-skeptical public. Today’s national recession and relatively low oil prices wouldn’t make it any easier.

But what the heck. We’ll do it anyway you betcha!

That was some good tv. Good for Tweets.

Asked to figure out how much Alaska should pay its top officials, the group recommends pay hikes for the lieutenant governor, department heads and legislators too.

Well now they know how much make up and a hair do costs of course they salary should be increased

I met Gaffney when I was in grad school. He had come to speak to a model UN conference at UPenn, and I was good friends with the person running the conference. He asked me to shepherd Gaffney in from the airport and get him dinner and then make sure he showed up for the keynote on time — because Gaffney had been a little…um…diva-ish in the scheduling.

So I got him to the hotel where it was being held, and to a restaurant for some dinner. He was utterly rude the whole time — treated me like gunk on the bottom of his shoe because I was a nobody grad student, after enquiring about whether I had any family connections or had worked for anyone powerful in DC (I had none — I’m from the sticks, we had no money, and I was in grad school directly out of undergrad. Thus, not useful to his future prospects and free to be treated like crap.) He barked at the restaurant host to get a table, informed me he had a colleague joining him for dinner that he hadn’t told the conference would be coming and then informed me I could wait for him in the chairs outside the restaurant while he waited in case he needed anything.

Which, I did. Because I had told my friend that I would make sure he got to the keynote on time. Luckily, I had a book with me for a class presentation the next day, and spent my time reading.

When we were leaving, he bitched all the way to the conference about his crappy service and bragged about not leaving a tip. So, I dropped him off at the conference speaking area, and then went back to the restaurant and pretended he’d forgotten to leave a tip and slipped $10 (which was all I had on me) to the host to give to the waiter. Having lived on my tips any number of times, I know what a non-tip from an asshole can do to your rent money.

I have loathed his self-centered ass ever since. I cannot stand people who treat you nicely only when there’s something in it for them. Asshat.

The neocons have no need of reality, do they?

Tenet is just another fool.

He needs a pie in the face

Tenet has a point, actually…! ;-)

OMG This is priceless.

You were perfect.

I, on the other hand, would have made a name for myself. *g*

I think that 98% of the beltway folks are narcissistic assholes.

Off to the salt mines! Ciao.

Born and raised in DeeCee I can vouch for that assessment.

A classic Neocon Rethug…!

Had I not been doing it as a favor for my friend, I would have been less than perfect, I’m afraid. Although my parents did beat manners into me in a big way, so I tend to not be big on public scenes. But sometimes, assholes push me over the edge…and this could very well have been one of those times. *g*

sure, tenet’s comment was a bit crass; but fer chrissakes, it’s the fucking truth.

(george tenet in a swimming pool is not an early morning image one wants to entertain…and prince bandar’s pool at that)

Res the above video. Two assholes having a farting contest

Slam Dunk, screaming about “the Jews” while drunk.

I would be very careful about taking this at face value.
Bandar is a corrupt, terrorist-enabling appendage of the Saudi kleptocracy,
and Goldberg is a Neocon shill.

I’m prolly nowhere near as nice as you under such circumstances. Then or now. Particularly now.

Having met a number of them the last few years, I have to say there are quite a few self-inflated egos in the bunch. I tend to judge people on how they treat folks who work under them because my granny always taught me that I was no better than anyone else, and that I was no worse either — and that the way folks treat people who are less fortunate really shows their character.

I’ve found that to be a pretty good measure, frankly, throughout my lifetime. Gaffney was an epic fail.

Gaffney was an epic fail.

Still is.

i doubt fra nkie baby will return to tweety’s show…. neocons have no conscience…. he’s “delighted” that we invaded iraq?? unbelievable but really not a shock to me – but he admitted to said delight!!

Good for you, Christy. I got through college on tips, and now have a daughter doing pretty much the same thing. (I am able to help some…)

What comment?

Goldberg was only citing Patrick Tyler, tho…!

“asshat” is too kind.

Nevermind ;)

Morning All,
Gee I don’t know why Tenet would be bitching, he got the medal of freedom ya know.

A reporter for the St Pete Times wanted a comment from St Pete for Peace about BayWalk’s pending foreclosure. The rag has a history of mispresenting SPFP and its activities and misquoting its members, myself included. Here’s the exchange from the reporter and Chris Ernesto, founder of SPFP:

Chris:

I am writing a story about BayWalk as it heads into foreclosure and would like to talk to you about the weekly protests. Some sample questions: when did you start having them, are they still going on, how has BayWalk changed, etc?

Please call me at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much.

All the best,

Cristina Silva
Staff Writer

Cristina,

The St. Petersburg Times has repeatedly and inaccurately correlated BayWalk’s decline with peaceful antiwar demonstrations, therefore, St. Pete for Peace has no comment on the pending foreclosure.

Chris Ernesto
St. Pete for Peace

Chris:

With all due respect, I have never written about St. Pete for Peace and BayWalk. I really don’t see how we can improve the perception by you refusing to talking about it.

All the best,

Cristina Silva
Staff Writer

Sure, we’re gonna give ‘em another shot at painting us as unreasonable, rowdy, commie war protesters. Ms Silva might have checked out our website for some basic details, like we haven’t done weekly protests at BayWalk in over a year.

Obama named TIME’s 2008 Person of the Year

Christy, please do tell!

That’s a Bah! Humbug story.
I was recently watching an old black and white version of Christmas Carol and in between the first scene at his office and before he goes home to meet the ghosts, Scrooge has supper at a tavern. And, he doesn’t leave a tip.
No surprise. Just saying that’s a very telling story you shared.
I met a lot of self-centered “creeps” in the tv industry who treated me the same way. But, there were some nice people too.

Mathews could enforce a bit more control of the conversation on his program. Like, say, “Gaffney! Zip it for a damned minute wouldja! I’m talkin’ here, and my other guest, David Corn, would also like a turn, if you don’t mind.”

Cool!

Beg to differ only a bit wrt the ass-chewing description…..Caught part of the last rerun of tweety’s show this morning and both he and caffney were talking OVER/AT each other to the extent I couldn’t really tell who “came out on top”. That seems to be a classic technique with neocons…….just keep blabbing and blabbing so it’s hard to tell what the heck is being said/claimed. A prime reason why I’ve come to loathe shows like his and seldom watch.

Caveat – maybe I missed the really good part(s) where gaffney got clearly smacked down.

Thanks, Christy. What a thoughtful thing for you to do, leaving the tip. Conservatives and neo-cons have a slave master mentality.

Yes. Especially since I just read who else was on the short list: Paulsen and Palin. Oh brother.

RE: Vilsack as Sec of Agriculture.

Organic consumers led a petition drive to get Vilsack off the list for consideration.

From their newsletter:

In last week’s Organic Bytes, the OCA alerted readers that President-elect Obama was considering former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for USDA Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack has been an ardent supporter of Monsanto, genetically engineered crops, and corn and soy-based biofuels. Thanks to vocal opposition from thousands of you in the OCA network, Vilksack’s nomination has now been withdrawn. Although Vilsack told the Des Moines Register he didn’t want to comment on why he had been sacked, sources at the Obama transition headquarters reported “a flood of calls and emails” from organic consumers opposing Vilsack’s nomination. Thanks to your participation, the OCA office in Washington, DC is submitting a petition with 8,000 signatures to Obama’s transition team this week, urging Obama to take a strong stand in support of organic food and farming.

More evidence that Obama is DLC.

Watch for the coming “food shortage”…

Even those two beat the mirror trick, which established the world standard for lameness.

The amusing thing about Tenet is the fact that he is just as useless as the Neocons he despises.

Tipping in 1843? HMMMMMMM

Just about all of his appointments have come with the DLC stamp of approval. Here we were hoping this election would be the death knell of the DLC. So much for that idea. The DLC is like one of those candles you can’t blow out.

Okay, someone I know got holiday card with an inserted picture. Henry Kissinger, standing between an other wise nice couple smiling pretty. I am trying not to make hex signs every time I see this card. I am trying not to interpret this as an act of hostility. Please advise.

You’d have to ask Charles Dickens. The waiter goes to clear the table and looks for the tip and is sad where there isn’t one.
Are you a historian too? Maybe the director of the movie added that bit. Movie was from the 30’s I think.
Might be interesting to look up the history of tipping.

Obama seems to be shaping up as nothing more than a transitional rather than the transformative President that his campaign promised. Department of Agriculture should be renamed to the Dept. of Agribusiness. What the country needs is a Department of Food.

I’m unfamiliar with the mirror trick. Tell me?

Tipping is not a city in China.

as enjoyable as that segment was; it would have been more useful to call out these lying murderous scumbags anytime during the prior six years. tweets has never challenged that propaganda like he did last nite. all those years of allowing the gaffneys airtime to spout their propaganda without challenge. but now tweets is remaking himself as an outspoken, anti-war democrat in preparation for his senate run…

Burn it.

Hi ho, hi ho,……

I met Gaffney when I was in grad school. He had come to speak to a model UN conference at UPenn, and I was good friends with the person running the conference. He asked me to shepherd Gaffney in from the airport and get him dinner and then make sure he showed up for the keynote on time — because Gaffney had been a little…um…diva-ish in the scheduling.

The crap grad students have to put up with . . .

Can’t it’s not mine.

I think that might be the Alaistir Sim version of Christmas Carol entitled “Scrooge.” My fave version. *g*

Awesome! Btw, Twolf that was one gruesome photoshop ya did…! It’s seared into my retinas… 8-P

absolutely.
Vilsack’s a tragic choice.

Here ya go.

Your patience on this site illustrates that your momma and papa done good!! I mean it. Sucking up availeth me nothing! *g*

That’s good, I guess. The shoe-thrower came too late to make the cut.

OT to Raven

Trash talk — who the hell are these Georgia pretenders that’ll be playing my Sparties on New Year’s Day?

Agreed. Meet the New Bosses, not THAT different from the old bosses, but with smiley faces.

I just want to cry.

Thank you, SD.
Here’s what it says on the origins of the practice:
The origin of tipping is lost, like so many things, in the Mists of Antiquity. There’s evidence that tipping goes back at least to the age of the Romans, but human nature being what it is, it could just as easily date from the invention of money.
So, yes, I guess Scrooge could have left a tip. But, he didn’t.

Just got this petition amongst today’s emails:

Dear President-Elect Obama,

We, the undersigned, are urging you not to appoint former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture or any other position in your new administration.

-Vilsack has been an ardent supporter of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops, especially pharmaceutical corn. These crops pose huge risks to human health and the environment.

Vilsack is a noted proponent of unsustainable and dangerous genetically engineered crops. Even the biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. He was also the founder and former chair of the Governor’s Biotechnology Partnership. Organic farming does not allow for the use of genetically engineered crops. The Organic Consumers Association is opposed to genetic engineering and supports mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

-Vilsack has fought strongly to limit states’ rights to regulate seed, GE crops, pharma crops and other proactive measures. We believe that municipalities and states have the right to enact laws that protect their welfare, health and the environment.

-Vilsack has a glowing reputation as being a shill for agribusiness biotech giants like Monsanto. Corporations like Monsanto are inherently undemocratic and threaten human health and sustainable agriculture with their toxic products.

-Vilsack is an ardent supporter of corn and soy based biofuels, which use as much or more fossil energy to produce as they generate, while driving up world food prices and literally starving the poor.

We urge you to appoint a Secretary of Agriculture that will support the expansion of organic food and farming, while remaining accountable to citizens and not to corporations.

Sincerely,
(petition signatures)

You should hang out a shingle as a mind-reader. *g* In my book, tweety was, is and shall evermore be an asssole (sic).

history of tipping

To Insure Prompt Service

my inner Flo could write a treatise – without being present, I’m willing to bet Gaffney’s first words to the help was a complaint of some kind, he attempted to order ‘off menu’ (why can’t I get Tuesday’s special on Thurs ?!?!), and sent everything back at least once – all with a running critique of the piss poor service

Altmeyer covered his ass in The Authoritarians (hell, this might have been Case Study #1 for his research) – he doesn’t tip because it’s supposed to be ‘a privilege’ to enjoy his mere presence .

For Christy and anyone else who needs it.

Where’d that come from? I’d like to add my name to that petition.

Came from a farmer activist in my Congressional District. I’ll get the details for ya. Leave me your email address offline? barbara at clotheslineblog dot com.

It looks like it came from Organic Consumers. They’re web addy is: organicconsumers.org.

Done. Thanks.

They’re Should be “Their”

The shiny tinfoil cover that read “You!” for Person of the Year.

For the record it was Hollywood license but who really thinks Scrooge would ever leave a tip before that night? Thanks for the history of tipping, demi.

Scrooge took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern; and having read all the newspapers, and beguiled the rest of the evening with his banker’s-book, went home to bed.

linky

While Vilsack is a terrible choice, I remain absolutely appalled by the selection of completely unqualified, proven failure Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education.

Greg Palast has a great piece on why Mr. Duncan is a poor choice.

To portray Arne Duncan as anything other than a privatizer, union buster, and corporate stooge is to simply lie.

Thanks, nonplussed. It confirms everything I suspected about Arne Duncan. It also confirms something I suspected about the application I put in to teach in the inner city schools–I was rejected although I have a decent GPA and a real desire to make a difference. Perhaps they didn’t want people who actually wanted to make a difference, but toadies who would tow the NCLB line.

Now…how do we go about educating the kids?

Thank you, nonplussed, for the link to the article by Greg Palast. I left a comment there under the name pw.