Anthony Weiner

Good stuff today on web and at Café today. I have a split personality. I know it. I am a Gemini after all. I really do not receive that much 'hate mail' at my blogs anyway, so I feel complete freedom to vent whatever feelings I have any one day.

Kind of off thread here, but I do not like abortion. I do not like the idea of abortion. But I am put in a corner by certain realities.

I mean do we try every abortionist after a procedure is completed for murder and have a jury decide whether the mother's life was in danger or whether the mother was really raped or whether the mother's permanent health were really at issue? And the individual case, the example is always laid at our feet eventually, for all to see.

So standards were set in Roe v. Wade three decades ago; so let us move onto other subjects. People don't seem to understand what goes on in the real world. I mean doctors have told me personally they want nothing to do with an abortion, even by referral if the fetus is more than a couple of months old. I move into the liberal camp quite easily because the people against abortion have no interest is helping that fetus once it is fending for itself outside of the womb. So fuck em.

How's that for rationality?

Enough of that.

Big 'conference' today. I know planning is important. But this conference was merely a play put on by the dems and the repubs hoping that their side would 'win' in the great MSM political version of the World Wrestling Championships.  Funny part of all this is that we know wrestling is 'fake' and yet try to tell that to the combatant's orthopedic surgeons.

So I rooted for my team. Tactics are fun to watch even when millions of lives are at stake in this arena. TPM gives a wonderful play by play on all of this.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) had some choice words for those who would argue that the best approach to health care reform is incremental. "An incremental approach is like a swimmer who is 50 feet off-shore drowning and you throw him a 10-foot rope," Harkin said.

"And you say well it didn't reach him, but we'll throw him a 20-feet next time and then a 30-foot, 40-foot," Harkin said. "Well, by that time the swimmer is drowned."

He added, "It is time to stop this kind of segregation in our country."

Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) told a story during the health care summit about a woman who could not afford dentures.

"She wore her dead sister's teeth," Slaughter said.

Daily Kos has called out Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) for claiming that all lawmakers can "read letters by constituents who are allegedly wronged by our health care system."

In response to John McCain saying the Democrats are using the summit as a campaign opportunity, President Obama had some choice words: "We're not campaigning anymore. The election's over."

McCain responded, "I'm reminded of that every day."

Harkin is precious. For over a quarter of a century I have enjoyed his folksy Midwestern take on progressivism. To me he is faultless. I suppose we would find strong ethanol legislation submitted by the gentleman that went right to the Iowa Farmers. I suppose there may have been some pollution issues surrounding legislation dealing with pesticides and herbicides. But he would have my vote as a presidential candidate any damn time.

This Louise Slaughter, damn do I like her. She wore her dead sister's teeth.  How can you top that for chrissakes?

Cantor, the creepy crawly thing just bugs the hell out of me. Allegedly wronged by our health care system. Can anyone really explain to me what is the matter with these animals who were somehow born without a human soul or lost it somewhere along the way? You know he has been confronted with many stories of pain and loss and anguish and frustration and even death...all related to our health care system. I can see aides giving him summaries from his email cache, and I see him tossing the memos into the garbage.

The stories dealing with healthcare, told here at Café strike me grievously.  I mean you know the people who post these stories are not lying. They are not even getting paid for telling their personal stories. They have nothing to prove. But because of their losses, because of their pain, they are spurred on to add to other voices in the hope that change could somehow be had.

How is the best manner in which to express one's self? When does outrage work and when does it not? Well it is all about odds. There is no answer.

THIS IS NOTHING BUT VOODOO ECONOMICS!!! Well I was never really a fan of H.W. Bush but his criticism of Reagan was right on. But H.W. lost the argument and people have used this line for thirty years to abuse the former president.

I WAS BRAINWASHED ON VIETNAM. Again, I was no real fan of Romney's dad, but he was making a point. This entire nation was brainwashed with regard to the never ending war.  The polite term would be debriefed I suppose. I mean we were lied to by people who benefited from that war.

One of my favorite movies (I only have approximately 1,000 favorite movies by the way) is And Justice For All.  Al Pacino through some sort of extortion is forced to represent a lying sexual pervert who is one of the most powerful judges in his district on a rape charge. So Al begins his opening argument talking about how the prosecution wants to win and how defense counsel wants to win. He speaks of all the big political witnesses he has line up 'all the way from here to Washington D.C.' At one point he refers to lie detector tests that are not admissible and Frank Bowers, the prosecutor stands up and yells objection!!

Ah, sit down Frank, says Al as he ignores warnings from the bench.

The one thing that bothered me, the one thing that stayed in my mind and I couldn't get rid of it, that haunted me, was why. Why would she lie? What was her motive for lying? If my client is innocent, she's lying, why? Was it blackmail? No. Was it jealousy? No. Yesterday I found out why. She doesn't have a motive, you know why? Because she's not lying... And ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution is not going to get that man today, no, because I'm gonna get him! my client, the Honorable Henry T. Fleming, should go right to fucking jail! The son of a bitch is guilty! 

Arthur Kirkland: That man is guilty! That man, there, that man is a slime! he is a *slime*! If he's allowed to go free, then something really wrong is goin' on here!
Judge Rayford: Mr. Kirkland you are out of order!
Arthur Kirkland: You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order! That man, that sick, crazy, depraved man, raped and beat that woman there, and he'd like to do it again! He *told* me so! It's just a show! It's a show! It's "Let's Make A Deal"! "Let's Make A Deal"! Hey Frank, you wanna "Make A Deal"? I got an insane judge who likes to beat the shit out of women! Whaddya wanna gimme Frank, 3 weeks probation?
Frank Bowers: *Dammit!*
Arthur Kirkland: [to Judge Fleming] You, you sonofabitch, you! You're supposed to *stand* for somethin'! You're supposed to protect people! But instead you rape and murder them!
[dragged out of court by bailiffs]
Arthur Kirkland: You killed McCullough! You killed him! Hold it! Hold it! I just completed my opening  statement!

Now we all must conclude that Al's character does not really wish to practice law anymore. I know the feeling.

I was reminded of this scene by Anthony Weiner's recent oration on the House Floor. Ramona and C  and Chthonic  have blogs on this scene.

Anthony begins by saying: "You guys have chutzpah. The Republican party is a wholly owned subsidiary of an insurance industry. That's the fact.

Now when you watch the tape clearly some repub House Member is making noise and Anthony says:

Ah sit down Frank. Not really, but he says ahhhhhhhhhhh you really do not wish to get into this do you?

The Speaker (Pro Tem) quiets Anthony and the objection is formally made by the repub: We ask that his words be taken down.

So Anthony Weiner is asked to take his seat while the Speaker begins to work on this formal procedure.

All of a sudden without formal permission or anything, Representative Weiner gets back to the dais and turning to the Speaker asks if he may amend his previous wording. The discussion that ensues clarifies the point that either Anthony takes back the words so that he can continue to speak; or he sits down. Weiner vascillates a little and then says that sure, he withdraws his previous comments and begins anew.

"How much time do I have remaining?" he began, enunciating clearly. "Make no mistake about it: Every. Single. Republican. I. Have. Ever. Met. In my entire life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the  insurance industry."

His colleague in the 'dock' is laughing out loud. Anthony Weiner sits down and the Speaker says: You still have on and a half minutes Mr. Weiner.

Now this is about as close to Al Pacino you are ever going to see in the House. I mean I love CSPAN when you can see drama like this. It happens more than you would think but this youthful Weiner just grabbing the dais in this ad hoc manner and presenting this wonderful rant makes me wish to see him run for President of the United States.

He managed to slam down the entire repub party right to the mat.

I love folksy speakers like Harkin. And I do so much enjoy the delivery of straight lines as Louise Slaughter was able to do so eloquently.

But Weiner, my god. And any time you think a Hebrew by the name of Weiner could never be President of the United States, remember, my hero is Barack Hussein Obama. Ha!!!

http://www.heebmagazine.com/blog/view/2754/1