Monkey News

If you're a fan of the British version of "The Office" or "Extras" on HBO, check out Ricky Gervais' podcast. Hilarious.

Go Irish! Beat Buckeye!

Thankfully, a nice quiet spot in the midst of the holiday fury to take a moment and write a quick post. Merry Christmas and the hope of a great new year to all of the occasional and avid readers of 2GL. And, Happy Holidays for the non Christians out there. I must apologize for my departure over the last month or so, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to keep this blog going with its founders, Abe and Rudy. My belief is this will be done with ease considering the mid term elections and, hopefully, Iraq taking a positive turn after this recent election. As I sit in my tiny apartment in Austin sipping down a Lone Star Beer (tall boy 160z), I reflect on a tough but necessary year. For the most part, George W. Bush has finally had to answer for the results of his ideological pursuits. We, as a country, have survived the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while mourning the great loss in the Gulf Coast. I analyze a cripple, but lethal, Al-quada, as witnessed in London. The Astros made a great run to the World Series and got swept by a better team, but I enjoyed every inning of it....win or lose. Jessica and Nick finally broke it off. MJ had a thriller of a trial that in the end allowed justice to prevail, whether you judge him culpable or not, through the due process of law. And, as a little treat for enduring, for me at least, the Texas Longhorns have finally made it to the big one and the Fightin Irish are contenders, once again, returning to glory. As I board a plane tomorrow for Nashville to celebrate a friend's wedding and the New Year, I will thankfully carry on my now allowable small scissors and reflect on the good, the unfortunate and the promise of a new, fresh year. Happy New Year and Go Irish!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Giving Bush A Pass

Last week when our Secretary of State struggled through an overlawyered explanation of our torture policies, the Washington Post called her on it.

Ms. Rice said, "It is also U.S. policy that authorized interrogation will be consistent with U.S. obligations under the Convention Against Torture, which prohibit cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." What she didn't explain is that, under this administration's eccentric definition of "U.S. obligations," cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is not prohibited as long as it does not occur on U.S. territory. That is the reason for the secret prisons that the CIA has established in European countries and other locations around the world, and for the "renditions" of detainees to countries such as Egypt and Jordan: so that the administration can violate the very treaty Ms. Rice claims it is upholding

But it seems like folks have given Bush a pass, although his stumbling through a qualification of how we treat international law was less artful.

These are people that still want to hurt us, Brian. And the American people expect us to do that which we can do within international law and our own declaration of supporting the premises of international law is what I really meant to say -- to protect us. I mean, if they know something, we need to know it.

"The American people expect us to do that which we can do within our own declaration of supporting the premises of international law" ??? Please. Someone. Get this man a teleprompter. His stammering over what he's done is torture in itself.

However, as Sullivan notes, today it appears that the Bush Administration has come around to McCain's way of thinking. Of course, they had to. This was killing them publicly - the vast majority of Congressfolk were behind McCain, i.e. against torture. The majority was veto proof. They really had no other choice.

Hawking One In the Buckeye State

Rest easy in Ohio. Our good friends at JP point out that they've finally solved the state's most pressing problem.

David. David. Dagid. Jamie. Major. Molly.

Cool.

Hat Tip: Linus.

Divine Intervention

I've recently reviewed two studies of the interesting relationship between Bush and God, and how Cheney is involved in that relationship.

Here's one interpretation.

Here's another.

We report. You decide.

I Fear There Are Many Folks Like This...

If you have not heard about this story, I will summarize.(The Video is linked) Fox airs a reality show called Trading Spouses where two families that are about as polar opposite as you can find swap wives for a week. (i.e. Hillbilly Hunters in WV with PETA Activists) In this episode, which I accidentally caught the end of weeks ago, Fox pairs a fundamentalist Christian family with Atheists. This video shows the "Christian" wife when she arrives back home after spending the week with the Atheists. Truly frightening, worth the watch(the first 30secs are slow).....I report, you decide.

The Central Front in the War On Christmas

This just gets funnier and funnier.

It's pretty silly what the spinners on the far right dream up to rally the wingnuts. To keep them distracted from real policy issues, they cry that LIBERALS are attacking CHRISTMAS! and MARRIAGE! and THE BIBLE! Thus allowing them to paint "progress" as teaching our children that evolution is fake, enshrining homophobia in the Constitution, and using the Jews' tax money to spread the word about Christ.