Posts by Tana Ganeva

Fred Phelps' Church Protesting Outside Sasha and Malia Obama's School
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on November 9, 2009 at 11:00 AM.

Members of Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, who think 9/11 was punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality and express their views on that issue by protesting the funerals of dead soldiers, were seen demonstrating outside of the school attended by the Obama girls. TPM reports: 

Protesters were carrying signs with anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-Obama slogans, slowing down traffic all along Wisconsin Avenue this morning.

[...]

"Quakers?! Are you frigging kidding me? You pretend to be all non-violent, and you allow the most bloody, deceitful, evil, murderous bastard and his shemale sidekick to place their satanic spawn within your four walls?" reads the posting for today's protest at Sidwell Friends, which is a Quaker school.

The appearance is part of a busy schedule that also includes demonstrating at the funerals of the 12 soldiers and civilian killed at Ft. Hood last week.

Would You Pay Sarah Palin $100,000 Dollars to Come to Dinner?
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 29, 2009 at 10:42 AM.

A conservative Iowa organization really wants Sarah Palin to attend an upcoming banquet, because somehow, even post-odd-resignation, post-trashy public flaps with Levi, post-joke book -- Palin is still a draw for social conservatives. So the Iowa Family Policy Center is trying to raise $100,000 to entice the former Governor to the state. But they are meeting opposition from GOP activists, who seem to think they shouldn't pay for the privilage of giving potential Presidential hopefuls a crack at a roomful of influential Iowa insiders. Politico reports:

The Iowa Family Policy Center’s effort to cobble together $100,000 for Palin would represent a striking departure from customary practice in the first-in-the-nation state, these Republicans say, noting that a generation of White House hopefuls has paid their own way to boost their party and presidential ambitions.

But representatives from other Iowa-based political advocacy groups said they would never consider shelling out money for what many politicians see as a privilege: the opportunity to speak to a room full of sure-fire caucus-goers who often serve as precinct captains and can be instrumental to a presidential candidate’s success.

“If somebody tells me they want me to pay an appearance fee, it tells me they’re not very serious about running for president,” said Ed Failor, Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief and an influential GOP insider.

As it turns out, Palin might be too busy anyway:

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Conservative Doctor Valiantly Keeps Women From Becoming Sluts
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 26, 2009 at 4:59 PM.

Who says anti-choice extremists don't care about women? A USA Today article on conscience clauses -- legislation that lets health providers deny patients contraception -- quotes a doctor who obviously has only the best interests of women -- stupid, stupid women -- in mind: 

Faced with a request to give an unmarried female patient a prescription for birth control pills, Dr. Michele Phillips looked to her conscience for the answer.

“I’m not going to give any kind of medication I see as harmful,” said Phillips of San Antonio. The drugs would not protect her patient from “emotional trauma from multiple partners,” Phillips reasoned, or sexually transmitted diseases. “I could not ethically give that type of medication to a single woman.”

Unwanted babies, of course, do heal STDs and emotional trauma. 

Via Feminists for Choice (an Feministing)

Former Fox Pundit: I Quit Because Glenn Beck Is Scary
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 25, 2009 at 5:43 PM.

On CNN's Reliable Sources Sunday former Fox News contributer Jane Hall explained why she left the network: basically, she noticed a decrease in debate featuring opposing viewpoints. Also, Glenn Beck is terrifying: 

Jane Hall: “The reason I left is because I think they have less debate than they used to. But you know it’s a fair point to say, how much debate is there on MSNBC? How many Republican strategists? We have a bifurcation of the media that I think is going on ...

Howard Kurtz: The reason you left is because you feel they have less debate than they used to? In other words, it used to be Hannity and Coombs, now it’s just now it’s just Hannity. It used to be Bernie and Jane. Now it’s just Bernie.

Yeah, i think there’s less debate than there was before. And I am frankly uncomfortable with Beck, who i think should be called out, as somebody whose language is way over the top. And it's scary ... 

Kurtz: Was that a factor in your deciding to leave Fox?

Hall: Yeah. It was.

Video of a longer segment after the jump. 

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Glenn Beck's 912 Project Threatens Washington With Giant Snake Monster
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 21, 2009 at 3:08 PM.

Something really terrible happens when you tread on that snake that conservatives don't want you to tread on.

It transforms from this coiled up rattler, crotchety at the prospect of a viable health care system, or maybe higher taxes on the super rich:

To this giant snake monster choking the Capitol:

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Rachel Maddow Mocks Bush's Classy Motivational Speaking Gig
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 21, 2009 at 12:00 PM.

Next week, George W. Bush will cement his legacy as the most successful President ever with his latest gig: motivational speaking at the "Get Motivated!" business seminar. Classy, and fitting.

The seminar, which will also feature Rudy Giuliani and Colin Powell, confidently promises to "INCREASE your productivity and income." 

Rachel Maddow takes aim, after the jump:

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AT&T's Hilarious and Shameless Astroturfing (or Sock-Puppeting)
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 20, 2009 at 1:24 PM.

AT&T has a really good (and democratic) plan to undermine FCC regulations in support of net neutrality: pressuring employees to post anti-regulation talking points on an FCC website while hiding their affiliation to the cable company. Grassroots! 

In an internal company memo obtained by Free Press, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President James Cicconi writes "We encourage you, your family and friends to join the voices telling the FCC not to regulate the Internet. It can be done through a personal email account by going to www.openinternet.gov and clicking on the "Join the Discussion" link." (italics added).

That should totally work, because ordinary citizens are often inspired to make impassioned pleas about ISP regulatory policy.

The memo also helpfully provides talking points "in addition to your own thoughts," such as:

America's wireless consumers enjoy the broadest range of innovative services and devices, lowest prices, highest usage levels, and most choices in the world. Why disrupt a market that's working so well?

An oligopoly totally lacking in transparency? Really, why mess with perfection?

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Bill O'Reilly Takes on Sexy Dancing High School Girls
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on October 14, 2009 at 2:19 PM.

Bill O'Reilly, who hasn't been sued for obscenely propositioning a coworker in over 5 years (5 years and a day), often bemoans our 'anything goes' sexual culture. On a recent show, O'Reilly and "culture warriors" Gretchen Carlson and Margaret Hoover took on the latest harbingers of America's moral decline: sexy dancing high school girls.

The segment singled out a song team from a Sacramento high school. "At Rio Americano High School in Sacramento California, a song team displayed their talent ... for the student body" says O'Reilly pointedly. That really clever double entendre is followed by an overly long segment of footage from the performance, ensuring Fox viewers have time to truly appreciate how gross the young, pretty girls really are. 

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Glenn Beck, a Toucan and a Chimpanzee [VIDEO]
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 30, 2009 at 1:30 PM.

Here's what Glenn Beck was up to before he devoted his life to saving America from socialism and fascism. (via the Rumpus).

The View Takes on Roman Polanski, Whoopi Comes Up With New Definition of Rape
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 29, 2009 at 1:33 PM.

Some of the most complex issues of our time have been tackled (and figured out!) on The View. So it's no surprise that on their Monday morning show the hosts weighed in on the Roman Polanski arrest scandal.

"He had a terrible time, and he's a wonderful director." says Joy Behar.  "But, he did rape a 13-year-old child."

Rhetorician/legal scholar Whoopi Goldberg has a problem with that seemingly non-controversial point: "The language that we use here is very important, because, that is not the allegation ... "

There's some more back and forth, during which Goldberg berates the other guests for talking about Polanski as if he ... raped a 13 year old? Guest star Melissa Gilbert appears similarly hesitant to come down hard on Polanski, making the points that the girl's Mom was in the building; and it's been a pretty long time since it happened; and, you know, years later the victim doesn't want deal with it, so ... (A large picture of the victim flashes on the screen to underscore the sensitivity of that point).

Then, Whoopi Goldberg outdos that brilliant reasoning by coming up with a really good legal defense for rapists: "What I'm saying is that he did not rape her, cause she was aware, and the family, apparently was aware ... "

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Facebook Poll Asks If Obama Should Be Killed
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 28, 2009 at 11:00 AM.

Hey, look, the democratization of media: Pam Spaulding reports that a user-generated Facebook poll  asks "Should Obama Be Killed?"

Users can pick 'Yes', 'Maybe', 'If he cuts my health care', 'No'.

Other polls listed as popular include "Obama is Socialist", "Dog fighting", "Sarah Palin for President 2012" and "Take Your Gun Away".

Update: Facebook took down the poll Monday. The Secret Service has launched an investigation, the LA Times reports.

Screenshot after the jump.

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Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory: American Girl Doll an Agent of Political Indoctrination
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 24, 2009 at 5:00 PM.

Last week, the intrepid reporting of Matt Drudge -- and incisive analysis of Rush Limbaugh -- revealed that in "Obama's America", kids get bullied by other kids. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since then. Today, we learn that an American Girl doll named Gwen is faring even worse than that white kid on the bus: she's homeless! And, if sleeping in a car weren't bad enough, she is also a tool of a sinister left-wing agenda. Glenn Beck isn't going to take this well.

An outraged Andrea Peyser writes in the NY Post today:

And while you were snoozing, the creators of American Girl, which is sold by Mattel, got bold. They engaged in all-out political indoctrination.

Snuck into the collection is a doll that comes with a biography that is weird and potentially offensive enough to keep Mom running to the Maalox. Gwen, you see, is harboring a terrible secret.

She is homeless. A homeless doll.

Bringing attention to homelessness is unforgivable. But the left-wing propaganda machine does not stop there:

But what is Mattel subtly selling along with its outrageously expensive progeny?

It seems obscene that a company that prides itself on teaching impressionable children about history and grooming -- you can have your doll's hair done for $20! -- should engage in political preaching. What message is being sent with Gwen?

For starters, men are bad. Fathers abandon women without cause. She's also telling me that women are helpless. And that children in this great country, where dolls sell for nearly 100 bucks a pop, are allowed to sleep in motor vehicles. But mothers don't lose custody over this injustice. Because, you see, they are victims, too.

The radical ideology espoused by Mattel (which often gets flak for its aggressively feminist, social justice agenda) is evident in the customer reviews of the doll published on the American Girl website:

"I totaly L-O-V-E Gwen!Her dress is beautyful and the flower print at the top is on her beautyful light pink under!Her sandals are 100% tought to get on." writes AGGwen1997.

CRAZY4Americangirl also seems to be on the verge of trying to overthrow Capitalism:

"Gwen is so pretty her dress looks cute on her. Her headband is a great add on I just love her so much I cant explain !!!!!"

What's Peyer's takeaway from this alarming state of affairs? Barbie is a much better role model for her kids than that laggard Gwen:

So take a close look at what your daughter is playing with. Barbie, the feminists long complained, gave girls body issues.

But she never attempted to politically indoctrinate me.

I'll stick with the thin girl.

That's a really good point. Much better for your kid to absorb unrealistic body images than empathy for those less fortunate.

Anyway, Peyser also whines about how it's ironic that a homeless doll is so expensive ($95), a very serious issue also addressed on Fox and Friends this morning. Which, I suppose, is a totally valid criticism. Except that I'm having some trouble figuring out how buying kids overpriced crap they don't need when other kids don't have homes is a symptom of untrammeled liberalism/socialism.

Wait, maybe reading through the comments on Fox Nation, which features and links to Peyser's article, will help me understand her argument better:

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FCC Chairman Proposes New Net Neutrality Rules
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 21, 2009 at 8:53 AM.

 In a speech at the Brookings Institute today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined a more aggressive approach to preserving a free and open Internet. Genachowski proposed adding two new rules to the four principles codified by the FCC in 2005. The new rules would prohibit ISPs from blocking or slowing content and applications, and require ISPs to be more transparent about their network managing practices. 

Here's the speech in full:

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Boehner and Cantor Worried Crazy Person Michele Bachmann May Harm GOP Reputation
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 17, 2009 at 12:10 PM.

There's a downside to letting crazy people hijack your party? John Boehner and Eric Cantor learn an important life lesson:

Politico Reports:

Long before the tea parties or Wilson’s outburst, Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) had struggled to moderate the rhetorical excesses of House conservatives hammering away on Obama’s birth certificate, decrying the creation of “death panels” and ferreting out signs of creeping socialism.

Sources say they have been especially wary of the possible damage inflicted on the party’s reputation by bomb-throwing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who last fall called for an investigation into whether members of Congress are “pro-America or anti-America.”

h/t Think Progress

Glenn Beck Gives Tutorial on How to Engage in Civil Dialogue, Says You Can't Make Wild, Baseless Accusations
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on September 16, 2009 at 1:26 PM.

On his radio show today Glenn Beck expressed concern about the declining quality of our public discourse. Apparently, the national dialogue is being polluted by people who say things without basing their assertions on solid evidence. Really? Like who? According to Beck, the main culprits are those who point to race as a motivating factor in some of the crazy attacks (you lie!) against Obama.

Said Beck, without any shred of irony that I could suss out,

"I would say that the false cries of racism on Joe Wilson ... when there's absolutely nothing to back it up... Just back it up! Just back it up! You wanna say "Hey, I think this guy's a racist ... let's listen to the explanation. What is your evidence that this guy's a racist....what is your evidence."

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