Damn. What to write about now that the P-I is gone? Well, not completely since theyÂ’re now a blog and you can go visit them here.

Maybe some little nugget that got pushed to the side during all the recent fun? Why not.

A little while back the American Film Institute did one of those lists that everyone loves to hate and poke holes into. This one is The 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of all Time. They have lots of other lists you can disagree with as well. The list of quotes is available here as a PDF document.

As always with lists of these types, there’s plenty of good ones and plenty of WTF? quotes. As you might suspect, films like “Casablanca,” “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” dominate. Below the fold I’ve placed the most egregious omissions from the list, at least in my opinion. Feel free to add your own in, along with anything else troubling your already troubled minds.
more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:07 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 477 words, total size 5 kb.

Hello, he lied.

This is great. As soon as I heard "Obama's taking responsibility for the AIG mess," I asked, "Is he really taking responsibility, or dodging it responsibility while he makes a spectacle of graciously accepting responsibility that isn't his?"

You be the judge:

President Barack Obama said he will take the blame for bonuses being paid at American International Group Inc. if it will settle an intense finger pointing under way over how such payments were possible at a company that has received tremendous taxpayer aid.

"Washington is all in a tizzy and everybody is pointing fingers at each other and saying it's their fault, the Democrats' fault, the Republicans' fault," he said at a town hall meeting Wednesday.

The Republican's fault? The only Republican in this mess is Olympia Snowe, whose contribution to the bill was language prohibiting the controversial bonuses.

It was a Democrat, Chris Dodd, who changed that language to permit the bonuses, at the behest of a Democrat, Tim Geithner, who was appointed by another Democrat, Barack Obama.

So who the fuck exactly is saying it's the Republicans' fault except for our graciously blame-accepting president?

"Listen, I'll take responsibility. I'm the President."

Note: He will take responsibility. Not that he is actually responsible. He'll just take responsibility, because he's a great guy.

And he's not taking responsibility because he's actually responsible -- just because he's president.

He also make clear that it isn't really his fault. "We didn't grant these contracts," he said.

Grant them? Um, I guess AIG itself "granted" them. But it was Obama's Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner who demanded they be allowed, and Obama's Democrat ally Chris Dodd who slipped the language in.

Forgive me for repetition -- but these facts seem rather relevant and I don't want anyone to miss them.

But he added: "So for everybody in Washington who's busy scrambling, trying to figure out how to blame somebody else, just go ahead and talk to me, because it's my job to make sure that we fix these messes, even if I don't make them."

Chris Matthews and Andrew Sullivan to squeal how noble and forthright Obama is about accepting responsibility in 3... 2... 1...

Thanks to gg.

I'm Going to Start Calling Obama "Shaggy:" Because he operates a lot like Shaggy in this (content warning) song, in which a guy gets caught red-handed cheating on his girlfriend -- she sees him banging the chick over the kitchen counter -- and he just decides to tough it out insisting "It wasn't me."

Posted by: Ace at 06:42 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 463 words, total size 3 kb.

This article, published this morning, and the accompanying Youtube video are getting snickers from the usual suspects. And it really is too good to pass up, even though I suspect the actual change occurred some time ago:

One of the nation's most prominent dictionary companies has resolved the argument over whether the term "marriage" should apply to same-sex duos or be reserved for the institution that has held families together for millennia: by simply writing a new definition.

"I was shocked to see that Merriam-Webster changed their definition of the word 'marriage,' a word which has referred exclusively to a contract between a man and a woman for centuries. It has now added same sex," YouTube user Eric B. noted to WND.

"The 1992 Webster's Dictionary does not mention same sex at all," he wrote.

Here is Eric B.'s slightly overwrought video.

A Webster's associate editor defends the change:

"In recent years, this new sense of 'marriage' has appeared frequently and consistently throughout a broad spectrum of carefully edited publications, and is often used in phrases such as 'same-sex marriage' and 'gay marriage' by proponents and opponents alike. Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing our readers with accurate information about all of the word's current uses."

Prescriptivists Unite!

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 06:17 PM | Comments (1)
Post contains 216 words, total size 2 kb.

I guess we know what they were doing at the Office of the President Elect.

Not only does he get the cash, it's going to be a school propaganda project.

Mr. Obama approved the $500,000 advance on Jan. 15. The advance is against royalties under a deal with Crown Publishing, a division of Random House. The project calls for an abridged version of his book "Dreams From My Father" for middle-school-aged children, according to the disclosure.

A White House aide said that the deal had been in the works for weeks and that the publisher will abridge the book. The aide, speaking on a condition of anonymity, said the publisher will get half of the money while Mr. Obama will sign off on the final version.

In addition, the financial disclosure showed Mr. Obama brokered an amendment to an existing book deal with Crown Publishing to put off writing a nonfiction book until after he leaves office.

It's almost like the rules and traditions of the office don't apply to Him or something.

Imagine the media reaction if a Republican did something like this upon entering office.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:09 PM | Comments (3)
Post contains 215 words, total size 1 kb.

I'm guessing they won't be released in his neighborhood but that's a you problem.

Holder told reporters at the Justice Department that the administration's review, made on a case-by-case basis, would determine whether the prisoners need to be put on trial or whether they can be released.

"For those who are in that second category, who can be released, there are a variety of options that we have. Among them is the possibility that we could release them into this country," he said.

Holder said it was possible the 17 Chinese Muslims who have been held for years at Guantanamo, and two or three others prisoners, could be freed in the United States.

...Holder met earlier this week with European Union leaders, and urged them to take some of the Guantanamo prisoners. They questioned why they should take some of the detainees if the United States does not make similar efforts to take some.

The Chinese Uighurs have been determined not to be a threat to US interests but that doesn't mean they are choir boys or that they might not be a little pissed at the US after their time at Club Gitmo. But hey, they have rights so shut up.

As for the "two or three others", who knows who they are. But hey, what's the worst that could happen?

Posted by: DrewM at 05:47 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 244 words, total size 2 kb.

Governor Bill Richardson signed the bill today, calling the criminal justice system "inherently defective" in its use of the death penalty. The bill replaces the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole.

New Mexico has executed only one person since the penalty was reinstated in 1976. It is the second state to have banned capital punishment since the reinstatement by the U.S. Supreme Court (the other is New Jersey). There are now 15 states which have no death penalty.

The law goes into effect in July and will apply only to crimes committed after then. Two current death row inmates' sentences are unchanged by the law.

Note, however, that individuals sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, though they are not eligible for parole may seek amnesty, commutation, or pardon from the governor.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:13 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 147 words, total size 1 kb.

As the Overwhelmed One hasn't filled seventeen of the top 18 slots at Treasury, I'm guessing (but can't be completely sure) that "Treasury officials" refers to Geithner. Update: Video.

So not only was Congress in on this, so were the President's men, but now they're going to pose as angry populists outraged about what they themselves did?

Yes, that's exactly what they're going to do.

Posted by: Ace at 01:42 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 103 words, total size 1 kb.

Partisan? Granny Rictus McBotoxImplants? How silly.

Posted by: Ace at 01:38 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 32 words, total size 1 kb.

A stupid unforced error that had no chance of passing and could only create ill-will with those who serve and those who support them.

“We are glad that President Obama listened to the strong objections raised by The American Legion and veterans everywhere about this unfair plan,” said National Commander David K Rehbein of The American Legion. “We thank the administration for its proposed increase in the VA budget and we are always available to assist by providing guidance to ensure a veterans health care system that is worthy of the heroes that use it.”

Following a meeting this afternoon with The American Legion and other veterans service organizations, the White House announced that it will no longer considering billing insurance companies or veterans for their service-connected disabilities.

“Although we disagreed with the proposal, additional revenue streams are needed by VA,” Rehbein said. “I strongly encourage Congress and the administration to allow VA to begin billing Medicare for the treatment of Medicare-eligible nonservice-connected veterans. They paid into Medicare for their entire working careers and should be able to use it in the medical system that was built specifically for them.”

Added bonus...Speaker Botox tries to make lemonade out of these lemons. Fail!

Posted by: DrewM at 12:42 PM | Add Comment
Post contains 232 words, total size 2 kb.

Bear in mind, she invited police to search her computer.

Meet Michelle Owen. Concerned that an ex-boyfriend had used her laptop to search for child pornography, the Indiana woman asked police to search the computer for illegal images, but had her plan backfire when cops discovered two videos of her engaged in illicit acts with a dog. Owen, 24, was charged last week with two felony bestiality counts in connection with the video files....

Cops believe that the dog in question, Toby, is a beagle.

She claims she was drunk at the time. As if that explains it.

Thanks to RobG.

Posted by: Ace at 11:47 AM | Comments (5)
Post contains 113 words, total size 1 kb.