This:
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.
And this, too:
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop…
Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
Four more beers… :-/
I have refrained in the past from officially supporting one candidate or the other in elections in regards to this band because I feel it is best not to alienate any potential audience members. But this guy is such a freaking nut I just can’t help myself. IT’S ON NOW. Who wants a T-Shirt?
[Edit: changed to make his face larger and uglier]
David Corn:
And is it possible that the last major overseas action of the president who during his second inaugural address said that the mission of the United States was to stand with “democratic reformers” against their “oppressors” will be waving a mini-Stars and Stripes at the Chinese games? How harmonious, as the Chinese say.
One can only hope he’ll leave it at that.
An actual journalist:
Things like “torture” and “illegal eavesdropping” can’t be compared as though they’re separate, competing policies. They are rooted in the same framework of lawlessness. The same rationale that justifies one is what justifies the other. Endorsing one is to endorse all of it.
In fact, none of the scandals of radicalism and criminality which we’ve learned about over the last seven years — including the creation of this illegal torture regime — can be viewed in isolation. They’re all by-products of the country that we’ve become in the post-9/11 era, primarily as a result of our collective decision to exempt our Government leaders from the rule of law; to acquiesce to the manipulative claim that we can only be Safe if we allow our Leaders to be free from consequences when they commit crimes; and to demonize advocates of the rule of law as — to use Larry Lessig’s mindless, reactionary clichés — shrill, Leftist “hysterics” who need to “get off [their] high horse(s)”.
I am having visions of being a member of the resistance movement in Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira thanks to the poor man’s continuing and growingly plausible sounding suggestions of sabotaging the enemy:
If you have a friend, acquaintance, or family member who might be susceptible to this sort of shit - particularly if they have been bombarding you with mass emails about how Barack Obama is a secret Muslim, etc. - why not send them a link to the above video, and ask them why conservative boner idol (and bona fide war hero) Bob Dornan would say such things if they weren’t true. You could perhaps go on to mention the 32 anti-American propaganda tapes McCain made for the Communists (how does that qualify one to be President, I wonder?) some of the other issues real conservatives have raised about McCain’s dubious record in Vietnam, his San Francisco values, his atheism and hatred of traditional Christianity, his crazy temper, such grand unified theories of VC mind control as may suggest themselves, and other issues which might make the true conservative vote for crazy Bob Barr instead. If you don’t have an in like that, you could consider trolling right-wing message blogs and message boards and passing along this important information that the MSM won’t tell you. Outgoing people may brave talk radio call-in shows, even. Manchurian candidate references are encouraged, but no pressure. If you really can’t bring yourself down to this level, you might consider throwing a few dollars at the good, and legally sane, people from Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain. These are things you might do.
[ and also: ]
We can identify two general methods of online ratfucking: propaganda and sabotage. Propaganda is promoting anti-Republican bullshit to a general audience; the model would be Swift Boat Veterans for Truth; the methods would include mass emailing and posting to large, unmoderated general interest message boards. Sabotage is undermining and/or co-opting pro-Republican organizations or communities; the model would be Cointelpro; the methods are legion. Sabotage is the more interesting method, its techniques mirroring those of movement-building
Check out the operational pointers. Exciting!
Comrades, we go forward into the night with hearts full of music! This week we will finish bringing the Good News to New Jersey. In two weeks time: Brooklyn.
Our second EP for 2008, Them Letdowns, will be available very soon. Keep your eyes on our website.
Friday July 11th, 10pm - Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ (w/ Frozen Gentlemen and the McMickle Bros!)
Saturday July 12th, 9pm - Chubby’s, Red Bank, NJ (w/ Sex Zombies and the Vanities!)
Thursday July 31st, 8:30pm - South Paw, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Pale Nimbus!)
(we need you to come to this one, like woah)
