Karl Hungus

That's right. We got cable. Solely for the purpose of watching the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, MSNBC, and election night coverage. It was waiting for us when we got home tonight (along with the vomit and hair balls that Frankie left on the comforter, I suppose as retribution for being locked up all day so Karl could fix the cable [Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey.]).

I already regret it. We have more than 150 channels (I'm guessing; the channel numbers seem to go on forever) just so we can see the Daily Show the night it broadcasts. This was very stupid.

I'm going to guess that close to 10 percent of the channels are home shopping programming, which is shocking to me because I thought everything was purchased online these days.

Anyway, as I'm sure you've guessed, we watched some of CNN's lineup tonight. It reminded me of what an empty feeling watching all-news networks is, and CNN is the epitome of this. We flipped to Matthews, then caught Olberman, and finally Maddow. Matthews bugs the shit out of me. Olberman and Maddow are entertaining satirists or humorists (whatever you prefer). Neither strike me as hateful or negative, but rather as mocking the absurdity of politics with easy irony. Which is what I think will become very boring and predictable after a while.

I also ventured--very briefly--to Fox News, where I find the detestable Sean Hannity and Anne Coulter being [see aforementioned adjective]. If Rush Limbaugh is the Jackie Treehorn of rightwing commentary, Sean Hannity is Karl Hungus: standards have fallen, the plot is preposterous, he threatens castration. (Not sure about his ethos...)

And is that really the same Pat Caddel I read about in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail: 1972? The guy that ran McGovern's campaign? Oh dear...

It wasn't all bad, though. The Daily Show and Colbert Report were great. And we got to see Wilco. I didn't know Colbert did musical guests. Angela says Jeff Tweedy looks like Harvey Keitel.

P.S. The old rabbit ears are still on top of the television, where they shall serve as Receiver Emeritus (or should that be "Receivers Emeriti").

Of Palin, Fruit Flies, and Autism

You really need to watch this video, a response to Palin's monstrously stupid remarks about fruit fly research.



Now, you may oppose the government spending tax revenue on scientific research projects because you generally oppose government spending. I think that position is wrong, but it is not bat-shit insane like Palin's. (Well, it is almost, but, I digress.)

That is not, though, what Palin is arguing. She is arguing, simultaneously, the following:

• Fund more autism and special needs programs and research (guess what, programs don't do shit without research to back them up)
• Strip public funds from scientific projects researching questions such as what is autism and how can we help those with it
  

You could ask the candidate "which is it?," but that would miss the point: Sarah Palin does not care about autism. She does not care about people with special needs. At least not anymore than as a bludgeon for political speech.

This is part of one of the most disgusting parts of the McCain-Palin candidacy: watching them argue for an across-the-board spending freeze while simltaneously arguing for more programs and spending. And they do this because they have no intention whatsoever of implementing an across the board spending freeze--or McCain's hatchet, or whatever absurd metaphor he chooses tomorrow--because such a "policy" would cause an enormous amount of harm to everyone in this country, but especially to the people who need the most help. As campaign bluster goes, it sounds good and plays very well to the meathead, knuckle-dragging contingent that seem to pack the GOP standard bearers' rallies these days, but as a matter of public policy, these sorts of ideas court disaster and the people saying this shit know it and don't care how cynical their public pronouncements are. And if that does not tell you enough about who to vote for...

Additional reading:
Christopher Hitchens
PZ Myers

P.S. If you care about science education, visit the Texas Freedom Network and take a quick peek at what the State Board of Education is trying to do to our school system.

Not if you can't spell

Stupid fucker.

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