The Washington Post reported today that “Niggerhead” was the name of Rick Perry’s family hunting camp and ranch in West Texas. The word was also painted in three-foot high block letters spread across a 5 foot wide rock at the entrance to the ranch.  The word has now been painted over in white paint and the rock has been turned over.

Ranchers who once grazed cattle on the 1,070-acre parcel on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River called it by that name well before Perry and his father, Ray, began hunting there in the early 1980s. There is no definitive account of when the rock first appeared on the property. …But the name of this particular parcel did not change for years after it became associated with Rick Perry, first as a private citizen, then as a state official and finally as Texas governor. Some locals still call it that.

Herman Cain is pissed. Unclear if Cain is surprised.

[WaPo: Rick Perry Family’s Hunting Camp Still Known By Racially Charged Name]

[LAT: Herman Cain: Name Shows Insensitivity]

“No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
— U.S. Constitution, Fifth Amendment

“The constitutional guarantees of free speech and free press do not permit a State to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force.”
— Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444, 447 (1969)

[American Citizen and Al-Qaeda Supporter Killed by U.S. Drone Attack]

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,

Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,

The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,

Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,

And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,

For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,

For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,

Here is a strange and bitter crop.

[Amnesty International: Georgia Kills Troy Davis]

[Sister Helen Prejean: Would Jesus Pull the Plug?]

In case you missed the latest asshat hatred action to come out of Virginia, heeeeeeeere’s Pat!

A caller to Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” Ponzi scheme television show called to ask the Good Reverend for his thoughts about a “friend” of his:

[The caller] said that a friend had begun dating other women while his wife lies seriously ill with Alzheimer’s, and justifies it by saying that “his wife, as he knows her, is gone.”

Robertson said he agrees with the man: “What he says basically is correct. I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her.”

His co-host pressed Robertson about whether that violates the marriage vows. Robertson responded that Alzheimer’s “is a kind of death” and added, “I certainly wouldn’t put a guilt trip on you” for choosing divorce in such a scenario.

I’m sure this threat to the sanctity of marriage is somehow the fault of the gheyz, Messicans, abortionists, and feminazis.

[LAT, h/t Mistress Cynica]

Glad to see she’s still this spry:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is 78 and has battled cancer, was forced to slide down an emergency chute to evacuate a flight at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, a court spokeswoman said.

Ginsburg was on her way from Washington to San Francisco and was not injured, said Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe Estrada.

ADD:  Best comment on SFGate: “Did TSA ask a Supreme to disrobe?”

[SF Chronicle]

While all eyes point to NYC, DC, and PA for Sunday’s 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, overlooked in all of the media frenzy was the fact that Friday the 9th was the anniversary of another inferno.  One year ago on Friday, a neighborhood in San Bruno, California went up in flames due to the incompetence and negligence of the local utility, Pacific Gas & Electric.  If only the incompetence had been as benevolent as that seen in Stinque World Domination Headquarters last night.

To recap what is going on today, 8 people are still dead, multiple survivors are dealing with debilitating burns and other physical and emotional injuries, and half of the homes destroyed have owners who are still haggling with insurance companies over getting any money to rebuild.

Oh, and PG&E? What’s going on with them?

Read more »

Streets are almost empty, shops are closed down
There’s not a soul left in the bar to tell my troubles to
Think I’ll walk down to the river that runs just south of town
I hate like hell when there ain’t nothin’ left to do
But stand beneath the river bridge and listen for the train
It’s been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

I broke down in December
I headed for the coast
I thought the wind and water would elevate my mind
I surfaced in the springtime feelin’ like a ghost
Missin’ more than ever the things I left behind
Now I’m standin’ on this riverbank and still cannot explain
It’s been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

Read more »