Liberal Sugar

Happy 67th Birthday, Biden!

amybdk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:15:37 -0800

This Week's Bidenisms

Collecting the vice president's gaffes and head-slappers.

By Jeremy StahlPosted Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, at 12:07 PM ET

The vice president did not produce any new Bidenisms this week, but we've dug one out of the archives in honor of his 67^th birthday today. Please continue to send your nominations (with a link, please) to

slatebidenisms@gmail.com

. For more, and our stab at a definition, see "The Complete Bidenisms."

"Oh, God … [laughter] … I wish I had that much hair … [laughter] … These guys are incredible … [laughter] … I don't know what to say … [laughter] … I had watched it before … [laughter] … But every time I watch it … [laughter] … They are good man, they are so good. And I turned it on, and I actually thought, I thought that the actress was actually Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. She is so good, both of them … I mean … [laughter] … Anyway, they're … they're … it's funny … [laughter] … Oh, God."-Responding to a question about Saturday Night Live's impersonation of him with seemingly uncontrollable laughter during interview with ABC's Good Morning America, Wilmington, Del., Oct. 8, 2008

Click on the video for a better sense of its Bideny goodness.

Good Morning, Obama Wants to Rape You

amybdk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:52:14 -0800

Source

Maybe it is too early on a Friday for this, but, you know, there is not really a "good time" to post a 2-minute montage of conservative media figures-mostly Rush-repeatedly saying "rape." Over and over again.

Lou Dobbs extended interview at the Daily Show... or... Why Jon Stewart is a inter(national) treasure !

Tulipe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:14:52 -0800

Part 1 :

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Lou Dobbs Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Part 2 :

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Lou Dobbs Extended Interview Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Part 3 :

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Lou Dobbs Extended Interview Pt. 3

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Republicans Think Obama Stole the Election

stephley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:43:56 -0800

Because the situations were exactly the same, see?

Public Policy Polling has blazed the trail in the past few months of asking the kinds of questions no one else is asking, like do you think Obama is descended from Lenin and so on (a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea). And now they've got another one:

PPP's newest national survey finds that a 52% majority of GOP voters nationally think that ACORN stole the Presidential election for Barack Obama last year, with only 27% granting that he won it legitimately. Clearly the ACORN card really is an effective one to play with the voters who will decide whether Hoffman gets to be the Republican nominee in a possible repeat bid in 2010.

Belief in the ACORN conspiracy theory is even higher among GOP partisans than the birther one, which only 42% of Republicans expressed agreement with on our national survey in September.

Overall 62% of Americans think Obama legitimately won the election to only 26% who think ACORN stole it for him, as few Democrats or independents buy into that line of thinking.

Yeah, sure, I get this. Because after all, those evil leftists felt this way about Bush, and really, when you get right down to it, there's no real difference between an election won by 537 hotly disputed votes and an election won by 9 million votes. You just have to have the correct perspective on those 9 million votes, and once you come to understand that they were basically illegitimate and stolen in a vast conspiracy that the leftist media covered up, well then, you're starting to see sense.

Just imagine what things would be like in this country if Obama really had eked out a narrow victory. Thank God for small things I guess.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/nov/19/obama...

Frm. Atty Gen. & the Light Side of Ft. Hood

stephley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:27:43 -0800

Last week, Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) came out in strong support of Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to prosecute the five 9/11 defendants in U.S. federal court and sharply criticized Republicans who were attacking the decision. “They will seize on any opportunity to [demagogue], and that means they’ll even take a stand that’s un-American. It’s un-American to hold anyone indefinitely without trial. It’s against our principles as a nation.”

Former Bush attorney general Michael Mukasey is one of the Republicans who has been speaking out against Holder. Last week at a Federalist Society conference, Mukasey said that holding the trial in Manhattan increased the risk of a terrorist attack on the city.

In an interview with Washington Times radio this morning, the hosts asked Mukasey about Moran’s comments. Mukasey responded by suggesting that the congressman “get professional help” from Maj. Nidal Hasan:

Q: Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia says anybody that questions KSM coming to New York City for a civilian trial - that they’re un-American. What is your reaction to that?

MUKASEY: I think he’s lost touch with reality. He ought to get professional help, perhaps from Maj. Nidal.

The segment then ends with the hosts laughing over Mukasey’s “joke.”

Nidal, of course, is the Army psychiatrist suspected of going on a brutal rampage at Fort Hood and killing 13 people.

Asked for a response to Mukasey’s comments, Moran’s spokesperson Emily Blout said, “Leading conservative activists and scholars agree with Mr. Moran’s position, which is based on this nation’s long history of upholding its most fundamental values- even in the face of horrific crimes.”

Update In a similar bit of rhetoric, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) went on the House floor last night and personally went after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for supporting having the 9/11 trial in Manhattan. "I saw the Mayor of New York said today, 'We're tough. We can do it,'" said Shadegg. "Well, Mayor, how are you going to feel when it's your daughter that's kidnapped at school by a terrorist? How are you going to feel when it's some clerk -- some innocent clerk of the court -- whose daughter or son is kidnapped? Or the jailer's little brother or little sister? This is political correctness run amok."

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/17/mukasey-nidal-moran/

The Going Rogue Index

amybdk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:15 -0800

Sarah Palin didn't put an index in her book. So we made one for her.

By Christopher Beam
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at 10:52 PM ETSource

When Sarah Palin's 413-page autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life, hit stands Tuesday, readers discovered the governor's most mavericky move yet-that the book lacks an index. So Slate has compiled its own. Just print out this index, paste it into the back of your copy, and start skipping around! (And yes, the page numbers are real.)

Alaska________autumn bouquet of, 1________robin's egg sky of, 2________superiority to Lower 48 of, 1-413

Baldwin, Alec________preference for Stephen over, 314

Biden, Joe________gaffes of, 278________pre-debate stretching regimen of, 296 accidental reference to as "Senator O'Biden," 289

blinking, not, 198

Blitzer, Wolf________approval of mother of, 351________implicit disapproval of, 351

Builder, Tito the, 305

Bono, nondescript conversation with, 301

books and magazines, references to________A Conflict of Vision, 385________Animal Farm, 27________Buck, Pearl S., 180________Bible, the, 15 ________Cookbooks, 15________Lewis, C.S., 27________Nash, Ogden, 15________National Geographic, 27________The Pearl, 27________Ranger Rick, 27________Reader's Digest, 15________Seagull, Jonathan Livingston, 27________Service, Robert, 15________Sports Illustrated, 27________The Wonderful World of Oz, 16

cap and trade________brilliant suggested renaming of as "Cap and Tax," 390________characterization of as "environmentalist Ponzi scheme," 391

capital letters, unorthodox use of________"Patriots," dedication page

Clinton, Hillary________accusation of whining of, 287________invitation to coffee of, 287

Community organizing, actual responsibility lackingness of, 65, 242

Couric, Katie________"repetitive, biased questions" of, 271________unfair editing of interview with, 273________condescension of, 276________things I could/should have said to, 274-5________things I could have done instead of talking to, 279

crowds ________unexpected size of, 266________insistence on lingering with, despite objections from campaign staffers, 268

debate, vice presidential ________poorness of preparation for, 281-5________answers they made me give during, 281________answers I wanted to give during, 282________wink during, N/A

"Democrat," usage of as adjective, 155, 227

dialogue, implausibly recreated, 2, 53, 74, 151, 161, 179, 188, 217, 235, 318, 358, 375

diet________forced by Steve Schmidt to go on, 284________Steve Schmidt needs to go on, 285

eBay________attempted selling of jet on, 147________fudging of original claim that I did sell jet on, 147

e-mail, hacking of, 263-5

exclamation point, usage of, 4, 26, 120, 121, 122, 138, 150, 199, 207, 222, 223, 225, 233, 239, 241, 276, 302, 307

evolution________skeptical views of, 217________________use of word "Neanderthal" despite, 30, 172

"experts," wrongness of, 254, 289, 336, 375, 392

Facebook________citation of as example of laudable free-market enterprise, 400________utility of for calling out haters, 400

Ferraro, Geraldine________kinship with, 295

food, Alaskan________halibut tacos, 1________reindeer sausage 1________caribou lasagna, 218

foreshadowing, dramatic, 25, 28, 44

God ________belief in, 22________rewards from________________children (implicit), 23________________Todd Palin, 34________________job for Todd, 50________conversation with, 173________master plan of, 176________inability to make mistakes of, 185________letter written in the voice of, 185-187________deliberate causation of premature birth of Trig of, 195

Going rogue, actual instances of ________handing phone to McCain for a radio interview without permission, 252________expressing regret about pulling out of Michigan, 298________distancing self from $150,000 wardrobe purchase, 317________Todd going onstage on Election Night despite being told not to, 337

Hasselbeck, Elizabeth________"bold and talented" nature of, 315

haters, named________Andrew Halcro, 116________"falafel lady" Andree McLeod, 117________The Huffington Post, 238

haters, unnamed________Ashley Judd, 134________"town crier," 117________Andrew Sullivan, 238________David Corn, 305

Hunting and/or fishing, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25, 29, 31 (before school), 44, 49, 55, 165, 166, 177, 327, 379

Johnston, Levi________single, unnamed reference to as Bristol's "former boyfriend", 375

journalists, top sources for________a defeated former Palin opponent, 236________a maniacal blogger, 236________the "falafel lady," 236

Kerry, John, elitism of, 181

Lieberman, Joe, 285-6________advice from, 286

life, observations about________"Life has a fascinating way of coming full circle," 131

"maverick", various forms of, 90, 252, 299

mavericky decisions, examples of________not using corporate jet, 130________firing personal chef, 133________not spending time on the Juneau cocktail circuit, 140

McCain, Cindy________elegance and beauty of, 210________inaccuracy of "ice queen" reputation of, 221

McCain, John________first meeting with, 210________discussion of candidacy with, 220________final conversation with, 336________characterization of as "my friend," 380

meat________preference for, 18________deep question about: "If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?" 133

media________getting things wrong, 203, 233, 237, 238, 276, 342, 378________getting things right, 246________liberalness of, 270

"midnight sun," 1, 22, 149

miracle, Election Day prayer for, 331

mistakes________betraying Todd's stepmom by not backing her for Wasilla mayor, 87________not making a bigger issue of Rev. Wright, 307

moose, 18, 20, 31, 113, 134, 270

music listened to________Toby Keith, 105________Black Eyed Peas, 114________"an old LL Cool J remix," 114

names, origins of________Track, 53________Bristol, 57________Willow, N/A________Piper, 76________Agia (puppy), 137________Trig, 185

"nerd," characterization of self as, 37, 149

Obama, Barack ________impressive but empty oratorical skills of, 227________"staggering national deficit" incurred by, 388

Palin, Todd________ownership of 1972 Ford Mustang by, 34________quiet maturity of, 34________manly physique of, 352

philosophers, citation of________Aristotle, 63________King, Martin Luther Jr., 86________Paine, Thomas, 146________Pascal, 22________Plato, 24________Twain, Mark, 397

policy, preference for over politics, 156

politics-as-usual, 3, 5, 6, 70, 72, 109, 119, 144, 156, 183________(See also status quo, 5)

prayers________answered________________boyfriend, 33________________job for Todd with British Petroleum, 50________not answered________________winning debate with Joe Biden, 295________________winning 2008 election, 333

pregnancy________descriptions of________________"I porked up," 50________________"ready to calve," 51________________"more nauseated than usual," 171________________"starving for king crab and scallops," 192________________feeling contractions during Texas speech, 194________reaction to own________________"Holy geez!", 171________reaction to Bristol's________________"Truthfully, I was devastated," 207________campaign's advance knowledge of, 214________campaign's botched handling of, 234

"progress," usage of as transitive verb, 64

pundits, idiocy of, 44

Reagan, Ronald, 3, 12, 45, 46, 47, 59, 124, 158, 216, 297, 384, 386, 387, 391, 394, 400________(See: USS Ronald Reagan, 394)

resignation________ethics complaints that led to, 352________FOIA requests that led to, 354________agonizing over, 375-6________announcement of, 377________characterization of as "not retreating" but "reloading," 377, 383

Rock, Kid________approval of as "pro-America" with "common sense ideas", 300

running (exercise)________Refusal of campaign to let her engage in, 285________Injury incurred the one time she is allowed to engage in, 291

Russia, proximity of Alaska to, 275________map proving it, pre-index page

Salter, Mark________willingness to engage in fisticuffs of, 213

Sarkozy, Nicolas________prank call from impersonator of, 326________Schmidt's "screaming" reaction to, 328

Saturday Night Live, 26________watching of, 26________longtime admiration for, 26________excitement to go on, 308________comparing belly sizes with cast of, 311________transcript of moose rap on, 312

Scheunemann, Randy________likeability of, 228________willingness to defend Palin of, 319

Schmidt, Steve________bald head of, 212________24-hour sunglasses-wearing of, 212________unlikeability of, 212________conniving, back-stabbing machinations of, 318-21

science, inadequacy of to explain existence, 47

sentence, actual ________"As the soles of my shoes hit the soft ground, I pushed past the tall cottonwood trees in a euphoric cadence, and meandered through willow branches that the moose munched on," 102

Seward, William H.________mockery of for purchasing Alaska in 1867, 12________ultimate vindication of, 13

shaking things up, locations of________city hall, 72________state house, 128________"across the entire state," 123

skeletons in closet, only________D in college, 214

slogans________"Positive-ly Palin", 64________"New Energy," 86________"Change," 112________"New Energy for Alaska," 119________"Take a Stand," 119________"Greenies. Grannies. Gunnies," 129________"Country First," 269

snowmachine, 17, 18, 34, 44, 47, 83, 125, 187-9, 302________Todd's injury on, 189

speech, Republican National Convention________characterization of as "a team effort," 239________line-by-line rehashing of, 240-6

speech, election night________painstaking drafting of, 332-5________Schmidt forbidding delivery of, 336________added humiliation of having to physically hold it, rolled-up, onstage, 336

sports metaphors________running, 27, 204________softball, 32________basketball, 41________dog racing, 70________hunting, 344

Stevens, Ted________road trip with, 89

Stone, Oliver________Refusal to shake hands with, 313

tax cuts, benefits of, 46

terrorists________Obama palling around with, 306________________regret over inability to talk more about, 307

"Trig Truthers," 238, 347

Troopergate, 201-204, 246________Failure of press to comprehend, 203

turkey, on-camera killing of, 345

upbringing, hardscrabbleness of, ________sewed own clothes, 16________baked own bread, 17________stacked own firewood, 17________unheated, unfurnished family room, 26________didn't ask for money from parents, 32

"Up-do," explanation of, 231

Wallace, Nicolle________disloyalty of, 256________incompetence of, 256________friendship with Katie Couric, 272

wardrobe________disdain for cost of, 230________$150,000 price of, 314________unfair media reaction to, 315________absence of Palin responsibility for, 317

Warren, Rick________praying in the shower with, 302

Wasilla, notable nicknames for________Home of the Iditarod, 64________Duct Tape Capital of the World, 66

wedding________simple city hall-style of, 49

food served at (Wendy's), 49________cost of wedding ring ($35), 230

Wurzelbacher, Joe "the Plumber," 304-7

"you betcha" ________revelation of as not actually Alaska's state motto, 309

Obscenely Rich Bankers Claim to Do God's Work -- They Can Go to Hell

Roarman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:33:52 -0800

"Repent," the preacher cried out, startling those who heard him.

This was no street evangelist ranting at the passing crowd, but the archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England. His sharp admonition was pointed directly at a particular set of sinners, who undoubtedly had never given any thought to the morality of their actions: the barons of global banking.

As in our country, people in Europe are enraged at those hustlers of high finance who wrecked the world's economies, then flexed their political muscle to get governments to replenish their bankrupt vaults. Infuriatingly, these bailed-out bankers have now returned to business as usual, including grabbing monstrous bonus payments for themselves.

In Europe, such greed is not only being assailed politically, but it is also being cast as a matter of fundamental moral failure. As another of Britain's leading clergymen put it, "There is a general feeling that the level of bonuses we've seen have been obscene."

While top executives of Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and other big investment houses were initially puzzled and hurt by the public's moral outrage, their audacious sense of personal worth and entitlement quickly kicked back in. So Europeans are now witnessing the spectacle of bankers draping themselves in radiant robes of ethical purity.

"Profit is not satanic," the CEO of Barclays recently proclaimed. "Size is not necessarily evil," asserted the head of Deutsche Bank.

But leave it to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs (and the world's highest-paid banker -- $68 million in 2007 alone) to combine self-pity with self-adulation in a grandiose PR effort to reposition financial thieves as paragons of social altruism. "I know I could slit my writs and people would cheer," he acknowledged in an interview published Nov. 8 in London's Sunday Times. But, he said of himself and his big banking brethren," We're very important. We help companies to grow by helping them to raise capital. Companies that create more growth and more wealth. This, in turn, allows people to have jobs that create more growth and more wealth. It's a virtuous cycle."

And, just in case you missed the message of Blankfein's morality tale, he concluded by portraying himself as a mere banker "doing God's work."

Wow. What a wrathful god he must worship!

One wonders -- has Lord Blankfein even read about, much less visited, any of the millions of Americans who are out of work or out of business because of the financial schemes and scams that he and his peers conjured up? Who does he think he's fooling? Far from investing capital (including the trillions of dollars they took from us taxpayers) in companies and jobs, these financial whizzes continue to throw it into the global craps game of debt swaps and other speculative nonsense. The game enriches them and their super-wealthy clients, but it creates nothing whatsoever of social value.

Nonetheless, this clueless clique is actually claiming that we commoners should be applauding the return of their multimillion-dollar bonus bonanzas. Why? Because, they aver, the rich payouts allow them to contribute to charity.

Such narcissism reminds me of a story about a selfish, no-good rich man who died and tried to get into heaven. But you can't just walk through the Pearly Gates. An angel reviews your life, then St. Peter decides if you can enter. To counter the angel's negative review, the rich man argued that he had a history of charitable giving. He'd once tossed a nickel into a beggar's cup, he pointed out. Plus, some years later, he had aided a poor woman by giving her a nickel. Then there was the time he put a nickel into the Salvation Army kettle.

Hearing all this, the angel turned to St. Peter and asked, "What in the world should we do with this man?" And St. Peter said, "Give him back his 15 cents, and tell him to go to hell!"

Now that's a story that these big banksters need to hear -- and ponder.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/story/144026/hightower%3A_obscenely_rich_bankers...

Edwards Wanted VP Slot???

stephley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:46:23 -0800

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Edwards tried to cut a secret deal with both Barack Obama and perhaps Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential primaries, offering his endorsement in exchange for the vice presidential nomination, according to a new book by Obama's campaign manager.

Edwards' camp made the offer shortly before the South Carolina primary, when Obama and Clinton had split early contests and Edwards apparently believed he had “maximum leverage” to help deliver Southern white votes to whoever would give him the number two spot on the ticket, according to David Plouffe in his book, "The Audacity to Win."

Plouffe said that Obama ruled out any deals. Obama went on to win the South Carolina primary anyway, and got Edwards' endorsement in May 2008.

The campaign manager did not mention in his book that the National Enquirer already had reported that Edwards had had an affair with former campaign aide Reille Hunter and that she had given birth to his child. Edwards later admitted the affair, but denied that he'd fathered the baby.

Whether the Obama campaign knew about the affair, they wanted Edwards support heading into South Carolina. Obama had won the Iowa caucuses, but Clinton had bounced back to win the New Hampshire primary.

Though Edwards hopes were fading fast to win the nomination himself, he hoped to parlay support in South Carolina into a shot at the vice presidency _ four years after he’d been John Kerry’s 2004 general election running mate.

“Publicly his team insisted they could resuscitate his campaign in South Carolina. But privately, it soon became clear they knew otherwise, and some time after the debate, I got a call from a senior Edwards adviser,” Plouffe wrote in his book.

Plouffe continued:

“This was the pitch: ‘Listen. It's clear unless the race is shaken up, Hillary is going to win. You guys might not even win South Carolina. What would shake the race up is John ending his campaign, but not simply to endorse another candidate. All things being equal, John prefers Barack. They should announce they are joining forces and will run as a ticket. Edwards can vouch for Obama with blue-collar and Southern whites and is running on a change message.’”

The Edwards adviser told Plouffe that Obama and Edwards would be a “perfect fit” and that the pre-nomination announcement of a ticket would knock Clinton off stride, if not out of the race.

“It has to be something that big to slow down Hillary. You need a big shakeup in the race and this could be it,” the Edwards adviser told Plouffe, according to Plouffe’s account.

“I listened intently,” Plouffe said, “and replied that obviously this was something I would need to discuss with my boss. `Am I authorized to raise this offer with him?’ I asked.

“`Yes,’ came the reply. But then right at the end of the conversation, the Edwards rep added a new wrinkle: `Just to be clear, we're going to talk to the Clinton people too. That's not where John's heart is, but he is at a point of maximum leverage now. We want to see what each of you is thinking.’

“My initial reaction was that this was a nonstarter. Of course we wanted Edwards's support and his message was certainly closer in spirit to ours than it was to Hillary's. But political deals like this rarely work: people see right through them.

“Plus I couldn't imagine Obama agreeing this far out to lock in his running mate without going through any process or even being certain that we would be the ones making a selection.

“Obama's answer was quick and firm: he would cut no deals. If he won, he did not want to be locked in to any personnel matters, and he had little interest in deciding on a vice presidential pick in the heat of the primary campaign.

Obama spoke directly with Edwards, Plouffe said, and reiterated that there would be no promises or deals in exchange for an endorsement, Plouffe said.

“Clearly there could be a potential role for him down the line. But if he endorsed us now, there could be no hint of something concrete in the future.”

When Plouffe spoke later with the Edwards adviser, it was “clear” that Edwards had briefed him on the Obama talk. Plouffe said the Edwards camp pressed again that they were still talking to Clinton’s campaign as well.

“The contact said that while John's inclination was to be with Obama, it seemed the Clinton folks were more intent on gaining his support,” Plouffe said.

“He did not allude to specifics, but the message was that Hillary might offer specific commitments,” Plouffe said.

“I strongly doubted that Clinton was offering Edwards anything concrete, and certainly not the VP slot. She knew better than most how important decisions like this were, and I had a hard time believing that even a crucial endorsement on on this level, days before South Carolina, would warrant much more than a thank-you and a promise to talk further down the line.”

Plouffe added that he does not know if Edwards personally sanctioned the talk of a backroom deal for the vice presidency.

Edwards could not be reached for comment.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/washington/story/79016.html

Overseas film audiences racist?

kastarte2 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:13:28 -0800

Universal's UK 'Couples Retreat' Poster Brings Cries of Racism by Removing Black Actors

by Matt Ufford

A racially-tinged advertising decision has gone awry for the movie "Couples Retreat."

Marketers of the Vince Vaughn comedy, which stars four couples in a tropical paradise, removed black actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk from the promotional poster used in the United Kingdom after the U.S. version used all four couples. In response to outrage over the move, a Universal spokesman said the altered poster aimed "to simplify the poster to actors who are most [recognizable] in international markets."

While Love and Hawk aren't generally as well known as the film's other six stars, it's still a questionable motive. As noted in a 2007 New York Times article, American films with black stars typically struggle in the overseas market. According to the article, Will Smith, the undisputed king of the American box office, ranks no better than twelfth when it comes to ticket sales internationally. Simply put, said industry watcher James Ulmer, "The international marketplace is still fairly racist."

However, there's good news for those who believe the removal of Love and Hawk from the UK poster was racist: Universal issued a statement regretting any offense it caused, and the studio has scrapped all plans to use the modified poster in other overseas markets.

US Version:

UK Version:

“Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8”

stephley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:58:20 -0800

A nice sentiment?

Maybe not.

The psalm reads, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.”

Presidential criticism through witty slogans is nothing new. Bumper stickers, t-shirts, and hats with “1/20/09” commemorated President Bush’s last day in office.

But the verse immediately following the psalm referenced is a bit more ominous: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.”

The slogan comes at a time of heightened concern about antigovernment anger. Earlier this year, the president’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, said that Tea Parties could lead to something unhealthy. In September, authorities shut down a poll on Facebook asking if President Obama should be killed.

Still, that doesn’t push the Psalms citation into the realm of hate speech, says Chris Hansen, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The use of Psalm 109:8 is ambiguous as to whether its users are calling for the President to serve “only one term, or less than one term,” he says.

Deborah Lauter, director of civil rights at the Anti-Defamation League agrees that the bumper sticker falls within acceptable political discourse. For it to be considered hate speech, it “would advocate actual violence or cite scripture that was more clear in its message.”

But that doesn’t mean that it’s completely innocent.

“Are we conrned about real hostility towards [President Obama]? Absolutely,” says Ms. Lauter. “Is this a part of that movement? It may be, but in terms of this message itself, we would not criticize it.”

“The problem is you don’t know if people who are donning that message in a shirt or on a bumper sticker are fully aware of the quote or what follows. Obviously that message makes the ambiguity disappear. If they’re just referring to him being out of office, that’s one thing. If they’re referring to him being dead, that’s so offensive. It’s protected speech, but it’s clearly offensive.”

For many, the slogan is just a humorous way express disapproval for President Obama. It’s been tweeted and retweeted by Obama critics with messages like “too funny” and “an excellent prayer for America.”

Twitter user Cheri Douglas felt compelled to share the psalm with others. Reached by phone, she said she found it on website while searching for Bible passages relating to leadership – a topic on which she writes, speaks, and consults for a living.

Ms. Douglas was unaware of the verses that followed the ones she referenced and doesn’t think that those who shared the psalm wish the President harm.

“I don’t believe there’s Christians who wish him ill will,” she says.

But Douglas does say she’s unhappy with the president and used the psalm to convey that she’d like him to serve only one term.

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/11/16/biblical-anti-obama-sl...