“We were walking into the gate area and the man taking the tickets told me he would need me to turn my shirt inside-out before entering the park. I questioned why and he told me because it was a family park.” —Olivier Odom, explaining why she couldn’t wear a “Marriage is So Gay” tee while visiting Dollywood Splash Country water park with her partner. Dolly herself supports gay marriage. [Knoxville News Sentinel, via RML]

We ignored Thomas Friedman’s column this week, because we always ignore Thomas Friedman’s columns, and ignoring Thomas Friedman’s columns is a right we cherish as an American.

However, upon reflection and incessant reminders from all over the fucking place, we realize that we have made a mistake — an exceptional mistake — because finally, Thomas Friedman has removed the mask and revealed himself to be a Tom Tomorrow cartoon:

Thanks to a quiet political start-up that is now ready to show its hand, a viable, centrist, third presidential ticket, elected by an Internet convention, is going to emerge in 2012. I know it sounds gimmicky — an Internet convention — but an impressive group of frustrated Democrats, Republicans and independents, called Americans Elect, is really serious, and they have thought out this process well. In a few days, Americans Elect will formally submit the 1.6 million signatures it has gathered to get on the presidential ballot in California as part of its unfolding national effort to get on the ballots of all 50 states for 2012.

Yes, an “Internet convention” does sound gimmicky, unless you’re talking about Comic-Con. But more to the point, it also sounds profoundly naive — because it focuses solely on one office.

Oh, and it also produces counterproductive results.

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Stinquer Tommmcatt forwards an email sent today by Team Sarah, imploring adepts to attend the Sarah Palin bomb movie to keep the Lamestream Media from calling it the abject failure it is.

At least we think that’s what it says. If you view the original at our Scribd account, you’ll see why we’re having difficulties deciphering it.

“According to Bachmann’s latest campaign finance filings, her campaign spent nearly $4,700 on hair and makeup in the weeks after she entered the presidential race on June 13.” [Mother Jones]

[ThinkProgress]

“Rep. David Wu announced his resignation from Congress today, moments after U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden called for his resignation. The Democrat said in a statement that he would leave office after Congress resolves the debt ceiling crisis.” [Oregonian]

“Yes, many want government to start living within its means. And many are fed up with a system in which the deck seems stacked against middle-class Americans in favor of the wealthiest few. But do you know what people are fed up with most of all?”
—Barack Obama, Monday night

• Craven Democrats
• Centrists being mistaken for Progressives
• Triangulation being mistaken for Principle

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