Strollerderby : Bush

Kids Don't Pay Taxes: Get Them Out of Tea Parties

JeanneSager — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:34:00 GMT

The beauty of living in America: every single one of those tea parties was allowed to happen this week. I may not agree with them, and I may have laughed hysterically at the use of the word teabagging, but I respect the "partiers" right to protest.

But when you give your kid a sign that says "We Work. We Pay Taxes. We Pay a Mortgage. No More Bailouts," you've crossed a line.

Because your kid doesn't do any of the above. At least not the kid in this picture, who looks like he's about eight . . . maybe twelve at the most? Legally, he can't get his working papers for at least another two years, and if you're sending him out to a job so he can pay your mortgage, you could be facing jailtime.

There was a large outcry by the right wing media back around election time that liberals were hyping their kids up into a frenzy over Obama, and accusations that a legion of us were brainwashing our kids (remember the Bye, Bye Bush video?). Hello, pot, we'd like you to meet your kettle. It is ink black.

Because a collection of pictures of children "protesting" at Tea Parties around the country collected by the Huffington Post shows a lot of parents making a mockery of their own cause. You have every right to be angry about your taxes, folks. But handing your kid a sign that claims they work and pay a mortgage does what? Shows you're willing to lie to make a point.

How about a sign that says "We Will Not Go Quietly Into the Socialist Night" held by a kid who looks to be about four? Think a four-year-old has that kind of grasp on Dylan? Or on economic theory? I don't think so.

There are a few in there that didn't bother me as much. The little girl holding a sign that shows "Democrat" and "Republican" crossed out, followed by "We the People." That's something I'd get behind teaching my kid - bipartisanship. Even the little kids holding signs about the future, reminders not to spend their future, were at least age-appropriate commentary.

So protest. Take your kids along so they get a sense of the beauty of our country's protection of free speech and how important it is for them to get involved in the political process. But how about trying for a little truth in advertising?

Image: HuffingtonPost

Photo - Obama Shocked by Schoolkids

Brett Singer — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:11:00 GMT

What is the President doing in this photo? Listening to Sasha and Malia's ideas for dog names? Hearing Republican ideas for his stimulus package? Hearing Sasha and Malia's ideas for the stimulus package? Nope. Read on.

The President was surprised by a question from a student during a recent school visit. (Call "shock and awwww.") I imagine that he's just playing around with the kids. At least I hope so. If not, can you imagine what the question would have been?

I know this is unfair, but our current President looks less goofy when he's playing around then George W. Bush did (and does). Then again, he also appears to be less goofy than Dubya. So there's that.

Maybe they should just have Dubya do all the school visits from now on, and let President Obama just, like, work. Bush seems to enjoy it, and he's got time now.

Source

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George W. Bush Visits Texas Elementary School

Brett Singer — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 GMT

This is the age of bipartisanship. So…well…read this.

The former President and his wife Laura dropped by John J. Pershing Elementary School in Dallas. Apparently it really was a "hi, how y'all doing?" type of visit. The former First couple was there for over an hour. It was open house day, according to Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News.

Here are some highlights:

The Bushes were scheduled to visit three classes, but they ended up popping in on any room with an audience.
Ducking in one room, Bush asked, "Hey kids, do you know who I am?"
Gasps all around, and then someone blurted, "George Washington!"
"That's right!" the visitor said. "George Washington Bush!"

Then:

A little later, at an ESL class, Bush tried introducing himself in Spanish. Only it was a little too West Texas for the Spanish speakers. He tried again. Blank looks. Even held up three fingers. You know, a 'W." Still nothing.
Finally, Pershing's innovative, energetic principal, Margie Hernandez, stepped in with a Spanish introduction.
Ohhhhhhh.
The kids laughed at the confusion. The former president laughed. The principal laughed, out of relief, mostly.

Now, these examples are goofy, which is something that the former President was known for during his eight years in office. (Among other things, of course.) Later in the article, he shows off a different side of himself. One of the kids asked him:

"Why did you come here?"
Bush told the kids he came because he saw signs that welcomed him, and it made him feel good, and he wanted to say thanks. He then made some general observations, none more poignant than the first.
"You can be president," he said. "Can you believe that?"

I mean, look. It's not Barack Obama saying, "you can be president." But I think for the kids who were there to meet him, it was probably a special thing. Right?

Then he got a little goofy again. When asked if he would participate in the Dad's Club Haunted House, he answered with a grin and said, "I'd make a good ghost."

When I was in elementary school, I always thought it would be neat to have a President come and visit. I think it's sort of cool that GWB is still doing that. I mean, I don't agree with any of his major policies, but he was still the President. Heck, I wouldn't have minded meeting Gerald Ford.

See Congress? That's how bipartisanship works. Give me a call, we'll talk.

Source/Image

Fun Stuff To Do When The Kids Get Older

RENT Too Risqué For Some Schools

Kid Forced To Stand In Public Square For Bad Grades

Best of FameCrawler: Week of January 23rd

Whit Honea — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

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Ex- NFL Player Shane Dronett Dead

Babies Understand Presidential Material

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:03:00 GMT

This series of photos is so good that a comic strip artist couldn't have invented anything better.

If you haven't yet had the joy of finding these priceless pictures in your inbox, you're in for a real treat. In honor of our new president, I offer you this proof of babies' innate intelligence:

It's all right, little fella. The trauma is over.

Photos: Email without attribution; many are from Yes We Can Hold Babies

Morning News: Goodbye to the Decider

Shannon LC Cate — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

"You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions," said Dubya in his farewell address to the nation. I suppose we can agree with that much.

One of those tough decisions--to use waterboarding in interrogations of prisoners of war and in Guantanamo Bay detention center--was brought into serious question during attorney general nominee, Eric Holder's, confirmation hearings in the Senate. Senator Leahy asked if Holder believed waterboarding to be torture and Holder agreed that it was. He also made it clear that he was ready and willing to un-decide some of the Bush administration's other controversial claims, such as the president, in wartime, being above the law.

It may now be cool to say waterboarding is torture, but the passengers of US Airways flight 1549 aren't complaining about their near-drowning experience. After the plane crashed into the Hudson river, the pilot and every passenger was rescued and brought to safety. Witnesses said it looked like a smooth, but strange landing in the river. The pilot whose only warning to passengers was "prepare for impact" is being praised for a "masterful" emergency landing. Birds gumming up the works in both engines are being blamed for the plane's crisis.

Methane gas has been discovered on Mars. On Earth, methane is most commonly caused by biological functions. Life isn't the only possible explanation behind the presence of methane, and they say that even if it is life, it isn't capable of flying a spaceship to Earth. All the same, scientists can't help but get excited about the possibility of a big field of Martian cows out there somewhere.

And with that, I sign off of Morning News, as Madeline Holler returns from her maternity hiatus, nursing baby in arms, to scan the headlines for you in the wee smalls. I hope you can agree I was willing to make the tough decisions. Welcome back, Madeline!

Morning News: Jimmy Carter, Giddy

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:10:00 GMT

Jimmy Carter looked old but adorably giddy to be in Barack Obama's presence yesterday, when all the living presidents and the president-elect met at the White House for a photo op.

We think Barack Obama looks indulgent of the old white guys and Dubya looks confused "Is this about me? It is, right?"

Bill Clinton seems to be wondering when the refreshments will be served and George Sr. just wants to get back the bridge game he left hanging in Kennebunkport.

Love him or...don't love him, you've only got twelve more days to laugh at the sitting president (let's face it, Obama just isn't that funny). And who doesn't need a laugh in these grim times? A Guardian columnist rounds up some of the best Bushisms of the past eight years and you can LOL while you browse them online. Warning: put the coffee down.

Speaking of grim times, the Atheists would like to cheer you up. A bus advertising campaign promoting Atheism in the UK has spread to Spain. It plans to spread across Europe with the good news that "There is probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Of course it's never that simple, as plenty of people claim that belief in god is not a cause for worry. We have to assume that others couldn't enjoy their lives without it.

New flat-screen plasma t.v. not under your Christmas tree this year? Don't fret, the Consumer Union is petitioning Congress to postpone the Big Switch to all digital beyond the current 17 February date, claiming the public awareness campaign to help people make the switch was underfunded and badly run. For its part, the government is out of money to send people the discount coupons for the converter boxes they will need to retrofit their rabbit ears.

On the other hand, if you are all plugged in but finding the expense of funding your techie habit difficult these days, the New York Times offers a list of pointers to use your gadgets to save money and/or to save money on gadget use.

The government plans to save itself a little money in one dubious area. It has been decided that Post-traumatic Stress sufferers are not "injured" veterans of war. No Purple Hearts for them! Just a lifetime of struggling with a debilitating condition, made all the more debilitating by a lack of recognition that it is real.

Best of FameCrawler: Week of December 26th

Whit Honea — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Michael Jackson Is Dying?

Katie Holmes Needs a Nap...and Some Makeup

Nicole Kidman Skipped Son Connor's Premiere, Too

Bush Twins: The Obama Girls Are Cuter Than We Are

Best Mom Quote All Week

Christmas Eve Eats With the Beckhams

Adam Sandler Meets Frosty

Jennifer Garner is a Giver

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Remains Positively Identified as Those of Caylee Anthony

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Photos: Lisa Rinna Nude For Playboy

White House Sends Chanukah Card With Christmas Tree On It

Brett Singer — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The Bush family really can't win these days.

Not only is the sitting President receiving blame for Republican losses on Election Day, but first lady Laura is getting flak for a farkakteh (pronounced "fuh-kahk-tuh") Chanukah card that had a picture of a Christmas tree on it.

While its fun to make fun of this kind of thing, I have to admit that I don't really care. It certainly is a mistake and shows certain cluelessness on the part of the First Lady's staff, or at least a lack of organizing skills (shouldn't someone have looked at the card first?). But this isn't exactly Hunter Gibson (Mel's dad) denying that the Holocaust actually happened. Also, the card didn't have a picture of the Baby Jesus on it. It was just a tree. (For the record, apologies were quickly offered. Faces, already covered with egg, were red. Feet were in mouths.)

So was it a bit dense for the White House to send a Chanukah card that didn't have a Chanukah image on it? Sure. But is it really that offensive? I don't think so. I'm Jewish, and I happen to like Christmas trees. That's a topic for another post, but for now, I'm not ready to add CardGate to the list of Bush Administration screw-ups.

Source: NY Post via HuffPo

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Child Hunger in the U.S. Doubled in 2007

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Agriculture Department has reported that 700,000 American children went hungry in 2007, up from 430,000 in 2006. Since this sharp increase in the number of kids who are not getting enough to eat came before the economic crisis, it’s very likely that 2008 will be an even more difficult year for children in lower income families.

As if the president-elect didn’t have enough world crises to combat, these new figures make Obama’s promise to expand food aid and end childhood hunger by 2015 even more important—and more daunting.

Among those families suffering from “food insecurity” (i.e., the inability to afford or get assistance for enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle), the hardest hit were—in descending order—those living below the poverty line, single mothers, African American households, and Latino households.

Overall, 12.2 percent of Americans didn't have enough to eat in 2007.

Photo: Total Broadcasting

McCain Campaign Verbally Abuses an Innocent Child

Cole Gamble — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:31:00 GMT

This wretched story comes from the Daily Kos, in which a politically excited kid gets his ass handed to him by the sinister folks at McCain HQ:

I’m fairly certain the story I’m about to relate happened when I was in 6th grade, an age at which I was old enough to appreciate what was happening, but now sufficiently eroded away in my memory to preclude a perfect recall of the event.

The assignment was a grade school perennial: Write to our local Congressperson or Senator. If he wrote back? Extra credit. So I took my #2 pencil in my chubby fingers and applied it with an unmistakably adolescent scrawl to a sheet of wide-ruled, three-hole punched notebook paper.

“Dear Senator McCain,” I began; I probably picked McCain because he had recently been “promoted” from the House to the Senate, and his name was in the news. I wasn’t – at 11 or 12 – what you could call “politically engaged.” I don’t think I knew what the ideological differences between the parties were. I mean, to be honest, I didn’t know much of anything. I just wanted to finish my homework before Spenser: For Hire started.

So I filled the rest of the two “body” paragraphs of the letter with whatever semi-coherent content my preteen mind could generate. I don’t remember the line by line specifics, but a few words and phrases stand out in my memory from the time – words and phrases I was particularly pleased with being able to use at the time, as I was fairly certain they made me sound more grown-up and politically aware than I actually was at the time:

“Constituencies”

“Partisan gridlock”

“Reach across the aisle”

String these three items together and you get the picture: I exhorted him (although I didn’t know that word at the time) to “reach across the aisle” and fight against “partisan gridlock” on behalf of his “constituencies” at home in the great state of Arizona.

As I said: No great indication of a developing political mind— but what could one honestly expect from someone who was saving up his allowance to buy Serpentor?

I mailed my letter and all but forgot about it.

Several weeks later, during dinner, the phone rang. I remember that I answered the call. I don’t remember the name of the youngish-sounding guy on the other end of the phone (in the tall-tale version of this story it would be Mark Salter), but I remember where he worked.

“This is ___ from Senator McCain’s office. Can I talk to Jeffrey, please?

“This is he.”

What follows is, as best as I can reconstruct from my memory, the remainder of the call in its entirety. Once he started speaking, I didn’t say a word.

“Well, Jeffrey, I received your letter to Senator McCain, and I wanted to respond to you. First of all, the Senator has one constituency, the residents of the State of Arizona—not multiple constituencies, as you wrote.”

“Also, since the Senator just arrived in the Senate, he has not been a part of the problem of “partisan gridlock” you write about. What’s more, if you had done your research, you would see that while he was in the House of Representatives, Senator McCain made it a point to “reach across the aisle” on multiple occasions, just as your letter would have him do.”

“I can tell you’re a kid and everything, but if you ever want to be taken seriously you should you get your facts straight, especially before you write a letter like this.”

I think I said, “Okay, thanks,” before he hung up on me. That was it.

“What the hell was that?” I thought to myself.

Whatever my expectations had been for that assignment, one thing I didn’t expect was to be taken to task for my (admittedly middling) effort at engaging with my government. I remember feeling as though I had just been kicked in the gut, or had my pants pulled down by a bully from an older class — neither of which were entirely foreign experiences to me at the time.

I also recall being astonished at the fact that whoever this guy was, he apparently had nothing better to do than call up a grade-schooler during dinner and yell at him. As the schoolyard saying went at the time, I wondered “Who had piddled on his Post Toasties that morning?”

Now, I’m not defending my letter. Clearly, I hadn’t done the homework to do my homework. But it’s not like there was an Internet to research anyone’s congressional voting record back then, and the assignment simply wasn’t worth enough, points-wise, to justify coercing my Mom into taking me to the library (which she would have done).

The perturbed call from McCain’s office actually did teach me a valuable lesson in “not talking out of my butt.” However, I’m certain I could have learned that same lesson, given the same set of circumstances, without the meanness. Since then, I’ve dealt with kids in a variety of capacities (student teacher, camp counselor, etc.) and I can say that, no matter how dumb they act, you’re never supposed to treat them like they’re stupid.

Mainly, I recall this experience as one of those childhood moments—certainly not my proudest—that sticks around in your memory because, even if you’re just a stupid kid, you can see right through a so-called grown-up’s behavior:

At that moment, I knew that he handled the call poorly.

I marveled at the fact that I had been yelled at for using a word (”constituencies”) that I knew I had used properly. I mean, conceivably, weren’t kids one constituency and adults another? Men one, women another? Goldwater Republicans and Udall Democrats? Constituencies.

But mostly, I wondered what sort of jerk Senator McCain must have been to inspire his staff to achieve such levels of jerkiness?

Twenty-something years later, Senator McCain’s conduct during his presidential campaign has provided me with the answer to that question: Whether he’s furiously taking exception with the assertions of mendacity by the Des Moines Register or referring to his distinguished colleague from the Senate and opponent in his race for the nation’s highest office as “That one,” one thing is clear about Senator McCain.

He’s exactly the sort of guy who would tell one of his minions to rough up a naive 12-year-old constituent by phone.

In short, not much has changed since then… Except the shows on Prime time.

In related news, Obama smells like rainbows and unicorns.

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Man Allegedly Threatens to Assassinate Obama and Bush

Madeline Holler — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:13:00 GMT

A Florida man has been arrested and is facing federal charges for allegedly making threats that he would kill Barack Obama if he is elected. He also threated to kill George W. Bush.

Raymond Geisel, 22, made the threats during a bail bondsman training course last week in Florida and is alleged to have said to one attendee the following (from The Smoking Gun):

"That nigger, if he gets elected, I'll assassinate him myself."

A second attendee reported that Geisel said he would also put a bullet through President Bush's head.

Geisel hardly made a case for himself when confronted by investigators, saying:

"he would simply shoot him with a sniper rifle, but then he claimed that he was just joking," according a U.S. District Court affidavit.

A search of the man's home and car turned up the following:

a loaded 9mm handgun, military fatigue uniforms, a machete, armor-piercing bullets, body armor, batons, a stun gun, assorted knives, and tear gas canisters.

Man Held For Assassination Threats Against Obama

Photo: ABCnews.com

[via AP and The Smoking Gun]

Xtina and Max Rock the Vote

Brett Singer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:04:00 GMT

Remember Rock the Vote? How it was supposed to be a game-changer, bringing all these young people to the polls? And then George W. Bush got elected two times in a row?

Well, that hasn't stopped celebrities from using their fame to get us to the polls. Christina Aguilera literally wraps her son Max in the American flag and sings about those Purple Mountains Majesty.

I'm a big fan of voting, and I agree with Rock The Vote's mission. I just wonder how much it really does. I mean, is someone going to say, "Well, Xtina told me I should Rock The Vote. Well, dammit, I'm going to!"?

I guess every little bit helps. Here's the video. It's way better than Puffy's "Vote or Die" campaign.

image: RockTheVote

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Dick Cheney whispering hush: Goodnight Bush

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

"Goodnight Bush" is a new take on an old classic, but probably not something you'll be reading (and reading, and reading, and reading – what is it about "Goodnight Moon"?) to your kids at bedtime.

According to the New York Times, the book was an unsolicited manuscript received by Little, Brown, who noticed it in the pile because it was mailed in a clear envelope. Good move – the package stood out, and the book is now on sale; it currently holds the #1 spot on Amazon.com in the Political Humor category.

"Goodnight Constitution. And goodnight evolution."

Hee hee.

The authors actually take their parody more seriously, with one of them saying, "We wanted it to be the definitive requiem for everything they've done." Um, okay. Can I just think it's funny?

image: sfgate.com

Abstinence Education a Bust: It's the Sex, Stupid

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:19:00 GMT

Shocking news related to abstinence-only education: It doesn't work. As if this hasn't already been established sufficiently, people. This latest study found that teenagers who took part in the programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not participate.

Not surprisingly, the report was ordered by Congress, but only released as a result of pressure from California Congressman Henry Waxman's office. The Bush Administration seems determined to stay the course, regardless of data and findings and studies and any rational conclusions (sound familiar?).

Even though I think Bush is an ass and his human service policies are nightmarishly ignorant, I was shocked that the mean age of first intercourse is a mere 14.9 years of age. Ugh. That cannot be good. Most parents would prefer that their kids delay sex until they can at least drive a car (if not later). As such, we better not rely on government programs to educate our kids.