The Neverending Joyride

We weren’t planning on marking the anniversary again, but we’ve kinda grown fond of the car. And since it’s also Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, we’ve picked up a hitchhiker.

Tuesday Joyride! [The Dessicated Husk of the Cynics Party/Wayback Machine/May 20, 2008]
48 Comments

Wow, two years already? This little bastard is shore growing up fast!

p.s. It’s also Victory Day over here, or would be if it would stop raining.

Wow. We still haven’t managed to get a life.

@Benedick:
Hey, speak for yourself. I have a life… hmmm… oh sorry, I thought I had one.

Rand Paul: Rachel Maddow’s question of “Do you think a private business has a right to say ‘We don’t serve black people?'” is an “abstract” question that necessitates a five minute response without a “Yes” or “No” in the answer.

Hooray!!!!!!

MP quits over gay sex scandal.

Of course he’s a conservative family values kind of a guy. He’s Australian – but you can’t have everything. I’m off now to frolic in the garden.

the republicans have a brand new problem. and its name is Rand Paul

Rachel repeatedly pressed Paul on the issue, in fact the entire interview was about this issue, but Paul refused to budge. He said he would have tried to change that Title if he had to vote on the Civil Rights Act. Rachel correctly pointed out that without government enforcing non-discrimination at private businesses, businesses could refuse to serve people based on their race or sexual orientation or on any other basis the business decided. Paul was unmoved and called the issue a red herring, while saying he was personally against discrimination and institutional racism. Rachel pointed to the concrete example of Walgreens refusing to serve blacks at lunch counters back in the 60s, yet Paul stuck to his guns.

this is a fucking gift.

Paul is a Libertarian and those guys hold an absolutist view of property rights. Actually, Paul’s view is pretty much the view of every Libertarian I’ve ever known or argued with.

@Serolf Divad:

well
I hold some distinct libertarian views my self and I know quite a few others that do but I have no problem with the civil rights act.

but I welcome this new wrinkle in the political discourse. and I hope he keeps making this argument:

Paul suggested to Rachel that the discussion could be turned on its head by saying that Rachel’s line of thinking made it possible for the federal government to mandate that private businesses could not refuse entry to gun carrying people. Because of course, refusing to serve someone because they have a weapon and there might be a public safety issue, is the same as refusing to serve someone because they are black, gay or for some other bias of the owner

@SanFranLefty:
excellent

you know I just had a flash. I think Rand Paul and Ru Paul are really the same person.

Nojo, you continue to rock. I need to figure out how to open a tab remotely at this Shakespeare’s Pub so I can treat you to a round or three. Happy key-hijacking anniversary!

I’m celebrating this momentous day by doing something we do so well here: critiquing FLOTUS fashion. What you do think of sparkly, shiny, curly-haired Shelly at last night’s state dinner? I’m not crazy about the fit of the bodice (her right bewbie looks rather uncomfortable), but I applaud the simple ruched styling of the gown. The sparkly fabric with the glittery rhinestone belt is a bit too much for me (it would have been perfect with one or the other, but not both). But the hair is different and cute, and the shoes are killah!

@Capt Howdy:

It’s funny, Paul accuses Maddow of crafting an academic exercise to try and corner him, when in fact, Maddow is positing a fairly recent and well known historical example (a whole slew of them, really). Then Paul turns around and defends himself with an abstract academic argument that is very unlikely to play out in real life. Moreover Paul’s argument is really quite stupid in that, if taken to it’s logical conclusion, Paul’s stance means that the federal government must allow firearms on all public property. This includes courthouses, playgrounds, schools, military bases.

Here’s why. Let’s outline Paul’s premises:

(1) Forcible desegregation of the public sphere is a permissible and desirable function of government and so the government must allow people of any race, religion or creed equal access to public schools, playgrounds, courthouses, parks, and all government offices and buildings..

(2) Forcible desegregation of the private sphere is an unwarranted infringement of private property rights (Paul speaks of freedom of speech in this interview, but only because it’s a more popular position than defending private property rights).

(2b) If we allow the government to desegregate private accommodations, then we open the door to allowing the government to force private property owners to allow firearms on their property.

What Paul does not mention, but which logically follows from these premises is:

(3) Opening of the public sphere to gun carrying is a permissible and desirable function of government, and so the government must allow guns in public schools, playgrounds, courthouses, parks, and all government offices and buildings.

But why does (3) not follow from (1)? The answer is simple: there is a compelling public safety interest in not allowing the carrying of firearms in these places, and the U.S. courts have long recognized that the government can curtail rights if it has a compelling interest in doing so. So for the very same reason that we do not currently mandate that people be allowed to carry guns to schools, the courts would not mandate that people be allowed to carry their weapons in private bars, restaurants, or airports.

@flippin eck: THE HAIR!!! OMFG THE HAIR!!! Love it!

The dress is too sparkly for my tastes, but she pulls it off. I love that shade of blue. And agree that it looks like she’s hurting the girls. If there had been a matching strap on the right shoulder, it’d look better and the right boob wouldn’t have been as squashed.

And hayell to the no on the belt with the dress. She always puts them right under her boobehs. For once I’d love to see her (not with this dress, just in general) wear a belt looser around her hips.

I love how the Obamas tower over every other dignitary at these events.

/Must go check Tom&Lo for more photos

Add: WTF is the First Lady of Mexico wearing?

Add2: Love the photos on T&L of Michelle brushing some lint off of Barack’s shoulder…very cute.

@Serolf Divad:

its on

Paul blames ‘loony left’ for civil rights focus

Rand Paul lashed out at the “loony left” for pressing him on his view of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in an interview with Laura Ingraham this morning.

“I’ve never really favored any change in the Civil Rights Act,” he said. “They seem to have unleashed some of the loony left on me.”

Paul called the Civil Rights Act “settled” but suggested he does view federal regulation of private business on matters of racial discrimination as fundamentally unconstitutional.

A sympathetic Ingraham questioned his political judgement in appearing on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, where he was pressed on the question yesterday.

“Why the heck would you go on the Rachel Maddow Show?” she askd. “What do you think you’re going to get when you go on Rachel Maddow’s show?”

of course! you should just come on FOX where we would never bother you with such silly irrelevant things.

@flippin eck: I like the hair (very becoming) and shoes, but hate hate hate everything in between. That fabric looks cheap and scratchy–table draping from a high school prom. What’s happening under her right arm has got to hurt. And finally, the fucking disco ball belt. Fashion abortion.

@SanFranLefty: I just read that Beyonce performed as part of the festivities–can’t blame a girl for wanting to have her own sparkle and bling going when she’ll be in the same room as Beyonce!

@Capt Howdy:

“I’ve never really favored any change in the Civil Rights Act,” he said.

That “really” is interesting, isn’t it? I suspect that what it means is: though I’m opposed, I realize that it would be a Quixotic venture to make this the centerpiece of my political agenda.

@flippin eck: @Mistress Cynica: Now examining the T&Lo photos more closely. It almost looks like they didn’t measure her correctly, the way the bodice gouges up into her armpits an inch or two too high and isn’t cut loose enough for her bust. Girlfriend probably had some serious chafing and bruising of the girls.

What is the fabric? I like the color but it would be better in silk or another matte fabric. And again, I reiterate my hatred of the boob-belt. Totally cuts up the line of the dress.

Cute earrings. And I really want her to go curly more often.

@Capt Howdy and Serolf Divad: Don’t forget Paul’s other brilliant comment yesterday, that we don’t need the Americans with Disabilities Act because people in wheelchairs could just “work on the first floor.”

@SanFranLefty:

holy shit. I had to google that.
this guy is pure gold.

Link

@SanFranLefty:
Don’t forget Paul’s other brilliant comment today, that we don’t need the Americans with Disabilities Act because people in wheelchairs could just “work on the first floor.”

If I were a GOP propagandist this is how I would frame it:

Rand Paul to disabled Veterans: Drop Dead.

Today Rand Paul quite literally (and by literally, of course, I mean figuratively) shit on the disabled limbs, spat into the blind eyes, and pissed into the deaf ears of America’s best and bravest who sacrificed their legs, their eyesight and their hearing to protect YOUR FREEDOMS from tyranny, telling them they should limit their job search to businesses that have offices on the ground floor of their buildings. In essence, Paul told them “The property rights of business owners who would like to pay off their yacht ahead of schedule rather than add an elevator to their building is far more precious than your silly sacrifice. So fuck off.” Then he figuratively raped their mothers as their father, figuratively tied to a nearby chair, was figuratively forced to watch.

@Capt Howdy: Dude, I couldn’t make shit like that up.

@Serolf Divad: After what happened to Max Cleland in the Georgia Senate race, I’m not sure if that wouldn’t backfire and the patriotism of the limbless veterans would be questioned.

@SanFranLefty: I heard that Paul statement on streaming NPR while shaving this morning. He said that it was preferable to “all of those expensive elevators”.

What is really odd is that Ru and Ron sound alike, and yet Ron is from Pittsburgh and that is his accent. Like Dubya, he can switch on a little Texan, but by and large it’s the Sahth Sahd in him coming out. Where did Ru pick it up?

@Nabisco:

tellin ya
have you ever seen them TOGETHER?

He’s too vain to be interesting.

@SanFranLefty: @flippin eck: @Mistress Cynica: I wonder how much time she spends in fittings? Clearly not enough. Would have all been much better without that improbable shoulder thing that has no practical purpose. Despite David Hare drawing moral and social conclusions from their structure I rarely find strapless a comfortable-looking fit. Crushed breasts up under the chin don’t really work unless you’re performing Sheridan. Though props for her continuing efforts to bring the state gown into the present. All that stiff sparkle might have been sort of cool if it didn’t look like it was superglued in place. And of course, we’re looking at very degraded images which don’t show off that kind of fabric to its best advantage, which is the way it reacts to light. In the flesh it might have looked quite different.

@Benedick:

perhaps I am just unsophisticated but I think she looks pretty stunning in those pics.
and I like the hair.

like I said, not a fashion consultant, me.

@Capt Howdy: She does, I agree. She’s a very good-looking woman.

@Benedick:
ahh
well it sounds like the little guy found a home.

I almost adopted another dog yesterday. fortunately someone beat me to it.

@SanFranLefty: For once, I’m not cringing at the wide belt. The proportion looks better with a long gown than a knee length dress and cardigan.

But the shiny fabric looks chip in a chip way, as La Malandrino once said. Most importantly, Soronen should have sent someone to the WH to fit her. This is the world’s biggest stage; you can’t leave shit like that to chance and it’s obvious from the back too that the bodice is too tight. How fucked up does a dress have to be to give a roll of back fat to a woman as fit as Mrs. O?

As for Sra. Zavala, I kinda like her gown. It’s got beautiful detailing up top. And I can’t hate on the shawl because I think that’s kinda her thing. The shoes almost ruin the whole look though. The funny thing is that Z and O’s outfits complement each other here and at the school they visited earlier that day. (Can’t find a picture of that.)

ETA: Found it but the picture doesn’t do justice to the richness of the color in each dress.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Here’s a better pic from earlier in the day, but I have to say I don’t like that Shelly’s outfit includes the matchy-matchy coat. Mrs. Mexico looks fab though.

Also, I heard on NPR this morning that one of the elementary kids asked Michelle if they were carting away people without documents, because the kid’s mother was undocumented. Awkward!

@SanFranLefty: Did I forget entirely what Bill Richardson looks like or does he look like a completely different person to others too?

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Zavala is attractive, but when MO is in the room, forget about it.

I have to say that it looks to me like Shelly’s just got a waist way up high, and uses that as her cue on where to wear the belt. Or, to put it more flatteringly, she’s all legs. I don’t think the belt looks bad there, it just looks like she doesn’t have as much torso length as you might ideally want for that kind of outfit. I do agree that the stiff wire along the top of that dress looks pretty uncomfortable. I suspect the fabric looks a lot better in person (or even on video) than in still images. It looks designed to sparkle, and stills always kill that effect.

@flippin eck: Richardson is not aging well.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Now that I have found other photos of Zavala that I can enlarge, I’m liking her dinner dress a lot more. Ironically enough after initially shitting on it, it looks like something I might wear.

@Dodgerblue: Zavala has the sweetest smile – in the photos where she’s smiling it lights up her entire face.

@SanFranLefty: Richardson’s lost a bunch of weight since I last saw him. He looks more embarrassed than bad in the picture.

Happy Anniversary guys. The generalissimo needs to give Nojo a chest full of those Soviet-era medals for keeping the place open.

@SanFranLefty: I wonder if racist assholes will start turning businesses into private clubs so as not to associate with non-whites.

@redmanlaw: You mean like the private Bowling Green country club where Rand Paul celebrated his teabaggery victory over the eye-leet?

@redmanlaw: We’ve even disappeared a few bloggers from our Lenin’s Tomb shot.

@flippin eck: Yeah, the coat looks home sewn. Sometimes, Calvin Klein’s clean lines aesthetic really falls flat.

@IanJ: You’re right about that. I’m kinda built like that too (tho’ not that tall) and the key is not to wear belts or to wear very skinny ones because the wide belt makes a short torso look even shorter.

@SanFranLefty: Zavala is really pretty. In my book, she’s right up there with Shelly and Carla. It doesn’t hurt that her name is Margarita either.

Mmm, margarita.

happy anniversary noge
i think i speak for all, some, a few of us, when i say, rather than highlight the lack of our lives, you we enhance our lives here.
who else wants to listen to our drivel?

our girl shell needs a belt intervention.

Nojo, I am going to add to what Baked said, thank you, you do a lot, to create and keep going this little place where we can find solace from the insanity of the world in the company of good people.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Oh, and I meant to respond to this message of yours earlier re: being a torso-challenged person, as I am but perhaps on a taller scale than you, and besides doing skinny belts or no belts, don’t you agree that one solution is a form-fitting long top (never the cropped muffin-top stuff – I’m talking borderline leotard length) with hip huggers, which can do a lot to change the proportions and the line? That’s my solution, otherwise, if I buy pants that would go to my waist, or put a belt where my waist actually is, I look more like Urkel with my pants up to my armpits, and/or on a good day maybe like Shelly O with the boob belt.

@SanFranLefty: Man, I just showed up to say that this is the best nightly cocktail party I’ve ever been to, but now I think I need an ULTRA machine or an NSA computer to decode that last post.

@Promnight: The road goes on forever, the party never ends.

@rml: funny, that Robert Earl Keen song has been running thru my head all day since the post first appeared…

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