Late night open thread

Any late night thoughts? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

I finally got my TIVO-to-go set up. Kind of cool, actually. In addition to being able to download to my computer (I still need to learn to hack that), I can show my photos on my TV, which is kind of cool, though perhaps not useful. Anyway, now that Joe has TIVO, I had to one up him somehow. Read the rest of this post...

GannonGuckert accused of illegally using non-profit

UPI and the Washington Times pick up on a DailyKos.com scoop. Read the rest of this post...

FOX News announced the Pope was dead while he was still alive

And funny, we don't hear much about it. Imagine if CNN or any of the real networks had killed the Pope prematurely. There'd be hell to pay from the right-wing - about credibility, about spreading lies as journalism, we'd hear an earful about Dan Rather and we'd probably even hear some say that CNN actually wanted the Pope dead.

But FOX's Shep Smith, according to press reports and reporters I talked to who witnessed the on-the-air report, actually had the Pope pegged as dead hours before he actually died.

A reporter friend of mine says he "definitely" remembers FOX saying "Pope John Paul the Second has died." And a Houston Chronicle story confirms it, though the Chronicle says CNN announced the Pope's premature death too, an allegation my friend says is false: "CNN only alluded to 'conflicting media reports.' There were a few minutes there where CNN and MSNBC seemed as though they were being beaten to the punch. To their credit, though, they waited, presumably out of a belief that accuracy is more important than speed."

FOX, on the other hand, had John Paul II dead dead dead. As a Reverend said in the Chronicle story:

The Rev. Leon Strieder, assistant professor of liturgy and sacraments at the University of St. Thomas' school of theology, compared the confusion to sitting in a hospital waiting room and first being told a loved one had died and then being told it was just a mistake.

"It is unconscionable," he said. "There has to be more dignity to all of this."

Yeah. FOX News. Dignity. Accuracy. Uh huh. Read the rest of this post...

Mortgages - and that old bubble

Atrios posted an interesting LA Times article about the housing market, and how a really really really large number of new buyers are using interest-only loans. I've been looking to buy for a long while now, and the market just keeps getting more and more expsense, to the point where I don't understand where these people are getting their money. Initially, several yeares ago, perhaps they were getting it from stock market successes. But now? People are still paying ridiculous amounts of money for ridiculously mediocre places in ridiculously bad neighbors, at least in DC. Where's the money coming from? Read the rest of this post...

Al Qaeda claims raid on Abu Ghraib prison

Yes, it's come to this - we're defending Abu Ghraib, they're "liberating" it. Lovely. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Well that was an interesting post, below. Dying to know who the conservatives are who simply can't put partisanship aside in order to move ahead on issues of mutual concern. Read the rest of this post...

Check this out on MyDD.com

Jerome Armstrong from MyDD has a post about John Aravosis and the National Press Club mess....it's great. Now, John wouldn't link to it. He's too modest, so I will (and not because he hooked up my Tivo, but because it's true and Jerome nails it...) My two favorite lines:

About the National Press Club:

I think they are scared of having John Aravosis come to the event, because he scares the shit out of Republicans and the status quo in DC that cowers to Republican dominance.

About the Republican/right wingers:

An articulate gay man that's a partisan political operative who knows how to hardball in the media is their worst fear.

It's great to know that John strikes fear in the media and the wingnuts. The Democrats and their consulting class here in D.C. could learn a few things from him about playing hard ball and playing to win. I know I have. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Morning Open Thread

What's going on? Read the rest of this post...

The tattered legacy of John Paul II

While most of the media around the world has migrated from death watch coverage to mourning overdrive of John Paul, a few people are raising serious issues related to John Paul II. Even here in Paris friends seem to be revolted by the excessive news coverage, especially for a "leader" who is not really in touch with modern values. His refusal to accept the use of condoms is unforgivable in my opinion. More recently, his failure to act with the rampant pedophilia problems within the church may very well be his lasting legacy. This article in today’s Post offers a proper contrast to the otherwise glowing obituaries. It's nice to see that the Pope could apologize for ancient history but somehow, he just could never manage to offer a serious apology for anything that occurred during his own reign.

During his long reign, Pope John Paul II apologized to Muslims for the Crusades, to Jews for anti-Semitism, to Orthodox Christians for the sacking of Constantinople, to Italians for the Vatican's associations with the Mafia and to scientists for the persecution of Galileo.

He apologized so often, in fact, that an Italian journalist compiled a book of more than 90 papal statements of contrition.

Yet victims' groups say the pope never apologized adequately for the most shocking behavior that came to light on his watch: sexual abuse of children by priests and the church's attempts to hush it up. To some alleged victims, that is a puzzling omission and a deep stain on his legacy.

And now brace yourself for the classic "blame everything on those damned 60's hippies. Now where have we heard similar anti 60's rants before? Who are the idiots that are drinking this Kool-Aid? I'm still searching for a serious apology and now that he's dead, we certainly never will see it from John Paul II.

Like many traditionalist Catholics, [Papal biographer George] Weigel also contends that the origins of the scandal lie in the 1960s, under previous popes who tolerated dissent and allowed a gay subculture to develop in the priesthood. The solution, in his view, is to continue down the path set by John Paul: strict fidelity to church teachings that support celibacy for priests and condemn homosexual activity.

Read the rest of this post...

Ayatollah DeLay

How fitting for this democracy hating creep. Read the rest of this post...