Well, it seems Representative Mark Kirk, a Republican from the interior—that would be Illinois—sees the map a little differently.
You see, Representative Kirk took a little trip to China. It was a business trip. He went to have high level (or high level-ish) talks with the Chinese about America, that nation of which he represents one-435th. More specifically, he went to talk about America’s financial situation, and here is what he said:
The budget numbers that the US government has put forward should not be believed.
Yup. That’s right. To read between the lines—and I don’t think I am stretching here—what Kirk is saying to the Chinese—the country that holds ridiculous amounts of US debt—is, you know, don’t believe our “government” (wink, wink) ‘cause, you know, it’s run by. . . well, this is going to sound funny, and I am only just thinking about this as I write. . . Kirk is there to tell the Peoples’ Republic of China that the US budget numbers shouldn’t be trusted because the US is now run by. . . wait for it. . . socialists!
Man, sometimes I really love my work.
I saw this piece a few days back, and, actually, I thought it would kind of die. . . because, you know, it is so effin’ stupid! But there it is, now, on Rachel Maddow. . . and she tells me there is more, that Kirk is going around saying other stupid and potentially dangerous shit. Talkin’ smack about the country’s credit worthiness. All I can say right here right now is I hope that the rest of the world sees Representative Kirk as the circus clown that I see him as. . . .
Or, make that the circus elephant.
I’m told elephants are good swimmers. That’s lucky, because the world is like 7/8 water or something, and, you know, with so much, sometimes it’s tricky to see the water’s edge.
That’s my punk pachy pick of the week—what’s yours?
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Kwatz!
gregg! so glad you did not pick the gov of alaska’s bullshit for this week’s elephant. this forker kirk takes the elephant cake this week.
Hokolen! Stupid treasonous git.
Obviously Mark Kirk needs to be on somebody’s Do-Not-Fly list. :-)
I take it that “elephant cake” is the equivalent of “cow pies” and “horse apples”?
yup
Did this guy’s mother have any children that lived?
I wonder what this guy had to say during the excoriation of Clinton for protesting Vietnam overseas, or the uproar over Jim McDermott’s trip to Iraq before the war.
That 7/8 calculation is not to be believed…
Actually, to play devil’s advocate here, U.S. government figures are ALWAYS derived from cooked books and at best should be taken with tons of salt. I’m certain the Chinese were already aware of that, although for a U.S. rep to travel there and utter such a statement makes him an effing a-hole.
Nope. All born brain dead.
This is in reply to SD at 7.
IOKIYAR.
This has been another installment…
I don’t think elephants are good swimmers. The are just good floaters, thanks to Archimedes.
Just to be on the safe side they like to wear giant water wings.
(huge splash)
“Eureka!”
Before leaving, Kirk further confused the Chinese by adding, ” American Republicans always lie.”
You raise an interesting dilemma. Given that he has told the Chinese that everything the US government says is a lie and he is a member of the US government, why would they listen?
I think what he said about the budget was undoubtedly accurate, albeit undiplomatic. Perhaps Republicans are only able to speak the truth when they are outside the U.S..
Yay! Thanks for this Gregg!
Can you IMAGINE the RWA poo-flinging if a junior Dem congressman had done the exact same thing in, say, September, when BooshII was still in office?!!
Key-rist on a raft!
FunnyWheelieDiva
Elephants On Parade
More like when they are out of power and only rarely then.
PS, and we remember all the RWA poo-flinging after Obama’s Mid-East “Apology-palooza,” right?!
Baby Jeebus in a sammich…
FunnyWheelieDiva
He’s probably too young to remember Jane Fonda in Hanoi, too.
(as am I, but while we’re compiling the scorecard…)
FunnyWheelieDiva
Just out of curiosity, are Baby Jeebus sammiches kosher?
I am not too young and they still bring that up occasionally.
Only if you get them Brised (sp?)
It depends on how you kill…
I’d better not finish that.
Chinese Gvt: “But he says all American Republicans lie. But he is an American Republican, so he is lying. But he says the budget should not be believed-but if he is lying, then the budget is correct…
Depends? If they’re with butter and/or cheese, then no.
Sorry about that turn of phrase…just trying to be funny, not necessarily offensive. A variation of JC on toast, or whatever…
FunnyWheelieDiva
She could spend the next ten years fluffing Limbaugh and it wouldn’t make any difference, wingnuts never give up a grudge.
Oooooh! Half-wit R outsmarts himself again!
“Truly, you have a dizzying intellect!”
FunnyWheelieDiva
T’wern’t offended, thought t’were funny, Diva.
smart move :)
The judges also would have accepted, “b’ris-ited.”
fixed
I know. I just had some crazy urge to claim some sensitivity cred, it not being Late Late Night yet, and all.
FunnyWheelieDiva
Well, not actually as often as the Clenis.
And she was just an actress. This is a member of congress fer fux-sake!
FunnyWheelieDiva
Well, it’s only been FORTY years. Glad I didn’t do anything in my twenties that I
regretremember.I made my peace with Fonda many years ago. They need to let that shit go.
ya would think that congress would have rules about that kinda thing
We’re not technically at war with the Chinese, although we were never officially at war with North Vietnam either.
Rethugs: Rules? We doan need no steenking rules.
I’m sure there ARE rules about that kinda thing…
but they only apply to Democrats…
FWDiva
Maybe they do. We could only hope, right?
Like I said, wingnuts never let go of a grudge. It was a youthful indiscretion… apparently none of them ever made any.
Or North Korea. The
famousinfamous “Police Action.”Didn’t she do a movie with some right-wing nut job… Voight, was it? Strange bedfellows indeed.
I actually believe that there are laws on the books prohibiting Americans from engaging in private foreign policy.
My Rethug boss didn’t speak to his mother for the last 20 years of her life over some petty grudge he held all those years. Regretted it after she died. Great timing for mom.
iirc, we haven’t officially been at war with anyone since, um, Korea?
I get what you’re saying, but, c’mon, the moneyed crowd should be just as threatened by this idiot saying things that could clearly destabilize the economy (costing them profit) as by some actress protesting a (not-yet-unpopular) foreign conflict.
FunnyWheelieDiva
We’ll see. If he were a senator, you know Reid would roll over for him, but once in a while Pelosi gets one right.
i’m sure hrc at state is not happy about this buffoon’s gift for gab
Since WWII. Korea wasn’t a declared war either.
“Coming Home” with Bruce Dern as the Marine husband. 1978.
Oh, that other Asian conflict justified by a false-flag “attack” on the US (in the form of a, what, aircraft carrier?)?
FWDiva
sorry, I shoulda remembered we never officially declared war on N Korea
My pachy pick is Chief Justice Roberts. In the Massey case the majority determined that due process required that a Justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court, after receiving direct and indirect campaign contributions in excess of $3,000,000 from a litigant, should have recused himself in considering a case involving that litigant.
Roberts in dissent wrote:
Korea, the police action that never ends.
Gaaaah! I was afraid I got that wrong as soon as I sent it. Not sure I’m young enough for this particular history-of-war faux pas.
Hangs head, slinks over to corner…
FunnyWheelieDiva
come sit with me in the corner funny – i got the good stuff tonight
I think this is a criminal offense. Goes back to the early republic when you had loose cannons running around all over the place stirring things up..
It won’t make any difference on the diplomatic front. As I mentioned, (a) his statement was uncharacteristically (for a Republican) honest, and (b) he didn’t tell the Chinese anything the didn’t already know. It was an act of tactless douchebaggery but that’s about it.
Okay, let’s be honest: that’s both stupid and disingenuous. But then, Roberts is one of the SC faction that I call “The Usual Suspects.”
Thanks, Suz
Does your good stuff go with ice-cold OJ? It’s a fruity-beverage kinda evening here.
FWDiva
the good stuff goes with everything funny :)
You’re probably right, but if it’d been a Dem, it would’ve been HIGH TREASON! HANG THE SOB!!!
Plus, since when are facts the primary concern of diplomacy? You’re supposed to help your side save face, or at least keep from pointing out that you’ve stepped on your dick.
I hope this idiot’s political career is over at anything above city dog-catcher level.
FWDiva
Mmmmm. Thanks. Feelin’ better already.
How’s your little slice o NW paradise this week?
FWDiva
I can speak to that with some authority. The Tonkin Gulf Incident. August 1964. North Vietnamese Swatow Class PT boats allegedly attacked the destroyers USS MADDOX and USS C TURNER JOY, 2 of the 4 destroyers assigned to DeSoto Patrol, as the operation was called. Three days later the 2 destroyers that relieved MADDOX and C TURNER JOY opened fire on what they believed to be an attack by Swatow Class PT boats. The incident became known as the “Flying Geese” incident. Both incidents occurred at night. The other 2 destroyers were USS MORTON (DD 948) and her sister ship USS RICHARD S EDWARDS (DD 950). I was aboard MORTON.
I think all the batshit crazy folks out there should get themselves a tattoo like this guy. Make ‘em easier to spot.
actual sunshine after the week started off overcast. birds flying all over the place
Now that’s just ugly.
All Republicans need to get this bodily modification to remind everyone.
Looks good on him though…
Thereby proving the essential premise of relativism….
Ack.
truth in advertising
I have to admit I clicked that link with some trepidation. Yup, that seems appropriate. Makes me think, perhaps Rush’s cyst is actually the leftover stump from a barbed tail removed in infancy.
Time for me to power down. Have yerselves a splendid weekend, everybody.
Dude, I was teaching a HS history class this spring, and I built it all up-then showed them the video of McNamara saying, “It didn’t happen.”
I’m gonna call it a night, too. Peace out, y’all!
Thanks for the history lesson, SD.
I was confused about the carrier vs destroyer thing because the Naval Base at Bremerton, WA had both a small carrier and the C Turner Joy there at the same time.
So, what’s the general consensus on Tonkin/FlyingGeese? Was an attack by N. Korea the most reasonable conclusion to draw? I know there are some out here in the blog-o-verse that say not, but it’s hard to tell reasonable re-evaluation from mere opinion.
Thank you for your service, btw (all USM fire-pups). Korea was also my father’s war. He enlisted in the Navy in ‘51 as an alternative to being drafted into the Army, and re-upped once. Left in ‘58. Never looked back. Has no interest in VFW or other veteran’s stuff. He’s got some good stories, though.
FunnyWheelieDiva
Night.
Soft landings to you, Dr. P.
Night, EDP.
waving g’nite to the leaving sleepy pups
Night, ratfood and EDP
FWDiva
So…did it or didn’t it? And if not, was it maliciously manipulated or just a “fog of war” kinda thing?
Please, brothers, lift some of this ignorance from me!
FWDiva
Think I will head out as well. Take care all.
g’nite dr dick
good evening everyone…… I just had dinner with Cujo359, he was down here from Seattle ……
how kewl katy
We’ll never know. Every ship has a Combat Information Center (CIC), commonly referred to as Combat. On MORTON and others of her class Combat had a large bottom lit chart table known as a Dead Reckoning Tracer (DRT). It has a mechanical bug under the glass representing the ship and you could either plot distance and speed of surface or air contacts or use it to plot positions on charts. The bug moved in conjunction with the ship’s movements. My battle station was next to the DRT with a radio connection to the White House, call sign American Chief. MORTON’s call sign was Downwind. Radio checks every 15 minutes. UHF, sounded like scifi movies. Watched the whole thing evolve as marks on the DRT. Radar contact was solid and consistent. Flocks of birds are intermittantly solid. We opened fire and the contacts split up and reversed course. Quite the adrenalin rush.
On Edit. The plotting paper, which was close to 20 feet long was packaged up with the action report. I’d love to see that again.
In 1964, there were commando raids along the coast of NV, OPLAN 34A. While the NV were chasing one of these missions, the encountered the USS Maddox, and apparently opened fire. The reported second attack from Maddox and Joy, 2 days later, is the one that McNamara later admitted never happened. Contrary reports were suppressed, and these two attacks, one real though minor, and one nonexistant, were the justification for the US jumping off the cliff in Vietnam.
Hey, Katymine!
Sounds like you’re doin’ good! So glad to hear it, and that you and Cujo359 got a mini-meetup. Good company always lifts the spirits, nu?
FunnyWheelieDiva
Getting to be quite a social butterfly…… first my nephew and now FDL pups
Thank you. I now have my SE Asian conflicts somewhat sorted out. Sheesh.
FWDiva
BTW, SD, we still gotta have a beer one night…
It would be fun if a couple of the Seattle pups could of joined us….. we went to Efe’s again – the Turkish restaurant I took my nephew to….. he must of liked it because all that was left on his plate was the lamb shank bone….
Wow. Just wow. Very cool to hear your story.
Yeah, I bet it was an adrenaline rush for those involved. Brrrrr…have I mentioned recently that I’m a complete weenie…and very glad I haven’t had to go through anything like that?!
FWDiva
I’m up for that, though I don’t get to Tampa very often.
Ooooh, I’ve never had Turkish, but if lamb is involved, SIGN ME UP!
Wrong time of year for an AZ vacation, though.
It was gorgeous here today, for the nth day in a row! I’ve got the first mild sunburn of the summer. A new acquaintance just moved here from NY in January, and hadn’t discovered the beach near to where she’s living. I’m out of practice on the whole sunscreen thing. It’s always fun to introduce a newcomer to a place they really, really “click” with.
FWDiva
Fog of War excerpt
funny – i’ve heard that you guys have had 24 days in a row of no rain and lotsa sunshine.
Aren’t a lot of folks know about the RVN commando raids into the North. De Soto was set up just to provide support for them. Three days on station, refuel close to Yankee Station, provide plane guard for the carrier or return to station, refuel. Rinse, repeat. Not as bad as patrolling the Taiwan Straits, but almost. Assuming an average speed of 16 knots a destroyer has to refuel every 3 days.
which guys?
Our temps have been in the low to mid 90″, no humidity (12%) and breezy…. which means just right for me….. can’t get in the sun anyway from my chemo so either under the patio or pool umbrella….. ahhh
Yep. You should have seen my clinical instructor’s face when I laid that story on her class. She dug it, though-she had never heard of it either.
the funny diva crew up around the puget sound
Time to climb into my tree.
Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.
Namaste
‘night, Dragon. Soon.
Wow, that many? Whew.
We have had some cooler, overcast spells in between, fortunately. It’s not that much fun for the pollen-sensitive, but for those of us who were tired of the #@$!! snow, it’s great.
Not-quite 70 today, and breezy. Perfect!
FunnyWD
Night SD, good to see you.
Seattle-ish. My place, Katymine.
You remember!
FWDiva
Me too.
Good night, all. The best of all possible tomorrows to you all.
Every Christmas I hang a red dog on my tree….. of course I remember….
Fire-pup!
I still have a coupla extras. Hope to get down to Suzanne’s place with one, eventually.
FWDiva.
I don’t know if anyone has read this blog but it is hysterical and written by two 80′ish women….. just like Molly Ivans, they tell it like it is…
Margaret and Helen
Think of the United States of America as a computer…and dangerous right-wing fanatics as malware.
Or think of the MSM as a computer…and Faux News and the Washington Times as both malware and scareware.
Or think of the Bush/Cheney administration as a computer…with what they did to the executive branch and so many federal agencies (malware), what they did before starting the Iraq War, along with their repeated invocation of 9/11 (scareware) and the illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens and bypassing of FISA (spyware).
And, of course, when the Bush/Cheney administration decided to trash over two hundred years of American tradition, the Geneva Conventions and the International Convention Against Torture, as well as numerous federal anti-torture statutes, they created a new category…tortureware.
And who were these programmers who decided to reprogram America to fit their warped and twisted conservative vision, the neo-con Republicans with the help of both lapdog Republicans and conservative DLC Blue Dog Democrats…so the header over the Bush/Cheney administration’s malware, scareware, spyware and tortureware activities should be neoconware, a really viral and often lethal “control” program.
Anyone have an anti-virus program that will help? Can we de-bug our democracy before it’s too late, before more right-wingers go berserk and kill even more innocent citizens? Has the Republican Party and conservatives in general become so consumed and compromised by scareware, malware, tortureware and spyware that they are self-erasing before our very eyes? Will the culture of corruption, lies and greed Republican Party crash the computer (our country, our beloved democracy), just as they’ve worked so hard to crash our economy???
and think of the Democratic Party as one of those blinking anti-virus malware alert windows, that says “Your Computer is infected!!! Click here for help!” and after you pay $29.95, it fucks up your system even worse, and its your fault for having clicked ‘accept’ so you have to try even harder to blame someone else . . .
Who’s telling Kirk to destroy the US’ credit?
Or is he simply a ‘lone wolf’ committing an act of terrorism without any support whatsoever?
Do Republicans really want the US economy to fail just so they can blame Obama?