Monkey see, monkey do

I'd like to take a moment to recommend New Orleans blog Yatpundit where New Orleans Commentary, Funky Music, and Hubig's Pies are the fare. Yatpundit also has an unavoidable interest in national politics, and like me, shares a fascination with space science.

So you're wondering what a Yat is? Gumbo Pages has an explanation of the local vernacular - one of many in this city of diverse neighborhoods and cultures.

A recent post on Yatpundit observed that the Bush vacation death count was 47 - i.e., 47 deaths in Iraq since Bush left the White House for some rest and relaxation. Hey Mr. Preznit, do you think some of those troops in Iraq could take the month of August off too - you know, like Scott McClellan said, modern communications being what they are and all, maybe they could just call into Iraq once a day to make sure everything's under control.

I wouldn't normally dignify a vitriolic blathering whore of the Bush administration with a link, but a blog now disparaging Cindy Sheehan, a mother mourning the death of her son Casey, definitely merits tarring and feathering in the great patriotic tradition.

Yatpundit has a post (via tbogg) about Darleen's Place, where you can find the age-old Rovian tactic redux of assailing the mental well-being of an opponent when the Bush team can't win an argument. Once again, the fascist wing of the Republican party is stepping up to the plate, hoping to allow Duhbya to remain above the fray, speeding past Camp Sheehan in his black SUV motorcade without having to bear the grief of Americans who lost loved ones in Iraq. Bush administration surrogates have now stooped to attacking mothers who lost their sons in the Iraq war:

Enter Darlene, just a good old-fashioned common-sense mom with good old-fashioned common-sense advice for the common people for their own good. Darlene strings together a series of posts in the time honored manner of over-the-backyard-fence gossip. You know:

"Oh that poor Mrs. Sheehan down the street. She lost her son, bless his soul, and now she's gone bull-goose, bat-shit loonier than a shit house rat, bless her heart."

Just to get your underwear in a twist, here's an image of Ms. Sheehan which Darleen posted on her blog:


How bizarre that with such bilious defamation spewing from the keyboard of Darleen, she should see fit, on the same page, to solicit the generosity of her readers to help get her daughter through college. So I guess once you've started prostituting your conscience for the Bush administration, pimping out your daughter is the next logical step (I have smudged the image to protect the innocent):


By the way, if I had a daughter, I wouldn't take a million dollars from anyone to post her picture on the internet. That pretty much explains Darlene's value system to anyone who remains unsure.

Meanwhile, tbogg hit the nail smack on the head when he proposed that Darlene's daughter help out the military with that recruiting shortage. The army would be happy to give her a signing bonus and enough money for college to get a great two-year degree. Note the appeal to visit Darlene's Place to ask this very question, which I wholeheartedly endorse:

When was the last time that you sacrificed something Darlene? After all, I notice that you've put a link on your blog to raise money to send what I presume to be your daughter to college.

Couldn't she avail herself of the many educational opportunities and signing bonuses from one of the fine arms of our military branches?

This comment was subsequently deleted by the blog owner. If you have a spare moment, perhaps we all could ask her why she's not encouraging her daughter to sacrifice?

Casey Sheehan, and hundreds of other soldiers who died in Iraq thought the college money was a good trade off for risking their lives when they enlisted.

Sadly, not a single man nor woman killed in Iraq now has the opportunity to say whether it truly was worth it.