Thanks to Crooks and Liars, Bill goes to town on Rick Perry after having some fun with the insaniTEA twins.
I disagree with him on one thing there is a “spiritual solution” to America’s problems. Make the American Taliban shut up! He is right on here!
Opening their arms to every extremist group, no matter how absurd, has become a thorn in the elephant’s side, that sometimes gives rise to humor. This is one such such case. While it’s political significance is nil, it’s quite entertaining to see a wing-nut hoist on his own petard.
This is a story for the “So you thought rich business owners are smarter than you are” file.
A man who epitomizes the American dream – a Greek immigrant who started out as a cook in a Giordano’s Pizza restaurant in Chicago and rose to become owner of the 45-location chain – is on the verge of losing it all, in part because he has resorted to pseudo-legal tactics favored by antigovernment “sovereign citizens.”
John Apostolou has owned Giordano’s since 1988, but a bankruptcy judge last month seized control of the business and banned Apostolou from the premises. The trustee appointed to run the business as it deals with its $45.5 million bank debt told the court: “Because of certain perspectives that the Apostolous have … they have done a few things that merit this court’s attention. … Perhaps it contributed to the lack of confidence that creditors have and certainly were part of the reason that I wanted them removed as fiduciaries.”
What Apostolou did to “merit the court’s attention,” according to the Chicago Tribune, was to file legally bogus affidavits in court. One asserted that he and his wife, who co-owns the business, don’t recognize U.S. currency and are free of any legal constraints. Another sought to terminate Apostolou’s bankruptcy by alleging bank fraud and other misdeeds.
It’s ironic that an ambitious immigrant who made his fortune in the United States now claims he isn’t subject to its legal authority. Sovereign citizens generally believe they can remove themselves from the jurisdiction of state and federal government, so that they don’t need to pay taxes or use any form of government documentation such as driver’s licenses or automobile license tags… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <SPLC>
They should have learned the Eleventh Commandment:
Yesterday I did quite a bit of volunteer paperwork and I set up our Fantasy football league. Today, I’m resting, because I have a busy week coming up.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:34 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Report:
Yesterday I set up our fantasy football league, moving it from Fox to NFL. I have it set for ten teams, but I can raise it or lower it, depending on interest. For the first few days, I’m giving previous players a chance to get in, but if you are hot to play in September, shoot me an email. It’s at the bottom of the blogroll on the left.
Short Takes:
From LA Times: Al Qaeda’s longest-serving and most senior operative in East Africa has been confirmed dead in Somalia, adding to the leadership vacuum in the global terror organization since the killing of Osama bin Laden last month.
The death in Mogadishu of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the mastermind of the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, is a major disruption of Al Qaeda’s efforts to expand its hold on havens in the Horn of Africa, U.S. officials and counter-terrorism experts said Saturday.
Karma. This did more good than the last year in Afghanistan.
From Think Progress: Yesterday in Baghdad, while on a congressional delegation visit, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said that Iraq should repay the United States for the war there that President Bush started in 2003 (some estimates have put total war costs at around $3 trillion when all is said and done).
The Iraqis informed our Embassy that this creep is persona non grata, and right they were to do so. Hasn’t that country suffered enough?
From Salon: Rep. Anthony Weiner is asking for a temporary leave of absence from the House while he seeks professional treatment in the wake of his Twitter scandal.
A spokeswoman for the New York Democrat says he has left for professional treatment and will focus on "becoming a better husband and healthier person."
This is the best thing he could do.
Cartoon:
With a big hat tip to Crooks and Liars, here it is. Maher is in his usual incorrect form, but manages to resonate true. as usual. His best line, in my opinion, was “Government isn’t about turning a profit. It’s about taking care of the things that shouldn’t need to turn a profit.” Enjoy!
NFL fans will know that a strike threatens the 2011-12 season. Many won’t care, but I’m in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, and on opening day, that orb had better be carried, passed and kicked! Players want to train and practice, and owners want to lock them out. The owners found a court so Republican that they would rule for the billionaires over the millionaires. Damn Republicans!
Monday evening’s court ruling indicates that the NFL finally might have found what it wants after years of resounding defeats in the nation’s courts: a business-friendly panel of appellate judges who can help the league turn the tables on players in the legal dispute that threatens the 2011 season.
Players’ hopes of returning to work immediately were extinguished when the Midwestern appellate judges blocked a lower court’s order to end football’s shutdown, virtually ensuring that players will remain on the sideline at least into the summer. And the judges all but scoffed at some of the players’ arguments, suggesting they might not fare well when the panel considers the overall legality of the lockout next month.
The NFL has long believed it could score with an appeals court that covers mostly red states in the nation’s heartland and whose most liberal members, attorneys say, would be considered moderate on other circuits… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Washington Post>
Now, it’s bad enough for Republicans to crash the economy, rig elections, ignore the Constitution, interfere with human rights, fully support racists, wage class war against the poor and middle classes, try to privatize social security, try to destroy Medicare and Medicaid, and commit all manner of vile Teabuggery! That’s all horrible, but now they are interfering with my football!
I watched and have the complete video of Obama’s presentation for you. Obama was in rare form and lampooned friend and foe alike with excellent humor. But nothing sums up the evening quite as well as the “Everyone knows I’m a fool” look plastered on Donald Trump’s face throughout the evening.
President Barack Obama poked fun at everyone — from his wife to Donald Trump — during the annual White House Correspondents dinner, before ending his speech with a tribute to journalists who brave deadly conditions to get a story.
No one was safe from the president’s zings on Saturday night, including his wife and Republican presidential challengers.
Days after releasing his long-form birth certificate to refute claims he wasn’t born in the United States, the president began his address by showing what he called his birth video…
Inserted from <CNN>
Note that there appears to be a separation taking place in the hair. Will it be declared a national wildlife refuge? Here’s the video:
A good time was had by all, with one obvious exception. I found it most enjoyable to relax and take in the humor, a pleasant break from the daily struggle to protect this nation from Republican predation.
It’s official. Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Current TV will debut on June 20 at 8:00 PM EDT or 5:00 PM PDT.
Cable network Current TV says Keith Olbermann will return to the air on June 20.
The weeknight news-commentary hour will be called “Countdown,” the same name Olbermann used on MSNBC until his heated departure in January.
Less than a month later, he signed with Current TV, the public affairs channel launched in 2005 by former Vice President Al Gore and Joel Hyatt…
Inserted from <Chicago Sun-Times>
Here it is from Keith himself.
Current TV is available on the following stations: Direct TV, 358; Comcast, 107; Time Warner Cable, 103 NY and 142 LA; Dish Network, 196; Verizon FIOS, 192; AT&T U-Verse, 189.
June 20 can’t come soon enough.
