This is yet another example of why 1) You should verify all facts before spreading them far and wide, Even if said so called "facts" come from someone on a news channel.  Yes, just because Limbaugh or Olberman says so doesn't make it fact.

A while back I discovered Twitter, just before the big boom with Ashton Whatshisname and Oprah.  I "follow" about 60 some people, some of which I am not ashamed to admit are considered "celebrities".  Mind you, my choices of who to follow though are based on the thought provoking "tweets" they post, as well as the genuine ability to make me laugh.

Among those celebrity Twitterers I follow is author Neil Gaiman.  When he posts a link, you can bet I will click it, because I feel that his links are never a waste of time.  This more recent one is no exception.

"neilhimself Dear (fightforyourrightobookburn) Christian Civil Liberties Union, whatever side you're on, I am now on the other one: http://bit.ly/twerps"

Unbelievable.  Book burning.  A lawsuit to demand the right to burn and ban a library book.  I thought those days were long gone.  If you don't like it DON'T READ IT!!  If you don't want your kids reading it then that's your business and up to you to enforce that (ha), but to deny others... GRRRRR!!!! 

 

Then, just as I was recovering from that, I heard about this on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me from this past weekend.

Oh My GOSH! HELLO!!>???????

There are no words to describe what I'm thinking right now.  Well, polite words that is.

Really, I just sat there dumbfounded when they were talking about it on Wait Wait, then of course I laughed at the "Heaven-O!" and their musings that workers might rebel by saying, "Heaven-O, how may I HELLp you?"

Seriously though, WTH?

Ok, gonna stop the rant now.  Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Oh, and if you to have a Twitter account, feel free to stop by and say Hello!  :-)

http://twitter.com/MetzDarling

PS:  I've also fallen in with the facebook crowd, http://www.facebook.com/Metzdarling

 PPS:  Forgot to add this very important public service message from Neil Gaiman as well.

"neilhimself No! Do not arm squirrels! They will take over the world if you do. http://bit.ly/1950k"

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96890409#commentBlock

Please do click the link and listen to the commentary if you can.  If not the text is copied below.  Note it is better to hear it though.  ;-)

 

Get Our Help While You Can, Obama

by Paula Poundstone

People still seem full of hope after the historic election of Barack Obama. This is America, though, it can't last. Pleased and proud as we are, Obama hasn't been on American Idol, so we're bound to lose interest soon.

That's why President-elect Obama needs to waste no time in harnessing this feeling and ask something of us. We'll spend. We'll save. We'll do laps. We'll wear sweaters.

My parents are a part of the "Greatest Generation." They pulled our nation through the Depression and World War II, and when they heard the call, they collected rubber.

My generation rode out the Beanie Baby crash, ran up both credit card debt and the nation's weight, and brought us reality TV and the SUV, but it's not all we can do. We've grown up collecting box tops and shoes. We've earned free doughnuts by getting our cards punched with every dozen purchased. We're the "a-thon" generation. We've jogged, walked and pedaled thousands of miles because someone said it would cure cancer.

It's our turn now. Just ask us. We've adopted freeways and been up all night with night feedings. We'll bring an unwrapped gift. We'll bring canned goods. We'll collect flip-tops. Yes, we will.

What do you need us to do, President-elect Obama? We could form a bucket brigade to bail out the banks. We could collect Band-Aids, not the useless little ones, for the health care system. We could take shifts forming human pyramids to hold up our crumbling bridges.

The entire country could hold a progressive dinner party to feed the homeless. We could all commit to wearing the same clothes two days in a row to save water, energy and time. I'll go three, because I care more than the others. We can carry road-mending materials in our cars and fill pot holes during traffic jams. We can put a wishing well on Wall Street.

Our leadership has told us that we have a long, hard climb before us, which I would welcome, because I love the outdoors, and I could use the weight loss, but I have a bad feeling it has nothing to do with climbing.

I'm waiting. I'm punching my glove. It's oiled and ready. Pitch it in here, sir.

Commentator and comedian Paula Poundstone is a regular on NPR's game show Wait Wait Don't ... Tell Me!

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

You just might be surprised.

Maybe they should do the election this way.  Voters could go into a booth and statements from both candidates would appear (chosen by the candiates to express their views on specific topics).  But there would be  no names attached to the statements.  The candidates would select their statements so there would be no quibbling over "that was out of context" or anything like that.  Just clear cut "I will do____" or "I believe __________".

Then we'd be sure about who we'd be voting for.  Right?  ;-)

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/last-week-the-vanity-fair.html

And these are the people who are supposed to be concerned for and "feeling" and "knowing" the pain and financial struggles average Americans are going through?

 

 

So the definition of "rich" is, about $5,000,000.00?  So maybe he was joking, but honestly, the man can't remember how many houses he owns.  He's going to be concerned about people who can barely hold onto the one house they might own or rent?

When scrolling through some pics on Pundit Kitchen I saw this one and couldn't resist a jab of my own.

moar funny pictures

http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=1943780

 

And I know this one is "shopped" and all that, but well...

 

moar funny pictures

http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=1932701

I'm going to let this article speak for itself.  I really have nothing more to add.  I know it is mostly publicity seeking and pretty toothless but not all that much more toothless than the attempts in Congress lately.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080126/NEWS04/801260359

Brattleboro to vote on arresting Bush, Cheney January 26, 2008

By Susan Smallheer Herald Staff

LINKS AND MEDIA Links: Story about petition-drive to charge Bush, Cheney with war crimes generates flame war

BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro residents will vote at town meeting on whether President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be indicted and arrested for war crimes, perjury or obstruction of justice if they ever step foot in Vermont.

The Brattleboro Select Board voted 3-2 Friday to put the controversial item on the Town Meeting Day warning.

According to Town Clerk Annette Cappy, organizers of the Bush-Cheney issue gathered enough signatures, and it was up to the Select Board whether Brattleboro voters would consider the issue in March.

Cappy said residents will get to vote on the matter by paper balloting March 4.

Kurt Daims, 54, of Brattleboro, the organizer of the petition drive, said Friday the debate to get the issue on the ballot was a good one. Opposition to the vote focused on whether the town had any power to endorse the matter.

"It is an advisory thing," said Daims, a retired prototype machinist and stay-at-home dad of three daughters.

So far, Vermont is the only state Bush hasn't visited since he became president in 2001.

Daims said the most grievous crime committed by Bush and Cheney was perjury — lying to Congress and U.S. citizens about the basis of a war in Iraq.

He said the latest count showed a total of 600,000 people have died in the war.

Daims also said he believed Bush and Cheney were also guilty of espionage for spying on American people and obstruction of justice, for the politically generated firings of U.S. attorneys.

Voting to put the matter on the town ballot were Chairwoman Audrey Garfield and board members Richard Garrant and Dora Boubalis.

Voting against the idea were board members Richard DeGray and Stephen Steidle.

Daims said the names submitted to the town clerk's office were the second wave of signatures the petition drive had to collect, because he had to rewrite the wording of the petition.

He said he gathered nearly 500 signatures in about three weeks, and he said most people he encountered were eager to sign it. He started the petition drive about three months ago.

"Everybody I talked to wanted Bush to go," he said, noting that even members of the local police department supported the drive.

"This is exactly what the charter envisioned as a citizen initiative," Daims said. "People want to express themselves and they want to say how they feel."

He said the idea is spreading: Activists in Louisville, Ky., are spearheading a similar drive, and he said activists were also working in Montague, Mass., a Berkshires town.

The article asked the town attorney to "draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution and publish said indictments for consideration by other authorities."

The article goes on to say the indictments would be the "law of the town of Brattleboro that the Brattleboro police ... arrest and detain George Bush and Richard Cheney in Brattleboro, if they are not duly impeached ..."

Daims said people in Brattleboro were willing to "think outside the box" and consider the issue.

Daims had no compunction in comparing Bush and Cheney with one of the most notorious people in history.

"If Hitler were still alive and walked through Brattleboro, I think the local police would arrest him for war crimes," Daims said.

Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.