I've mentioned this before. It's the funnest little documentary ever -- The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, about the skullduggery and political machinations in the glamorous world of competitive classic arcade gaming.

Yes, it's a documentary about the Donkey Kong high-score world record, and the insider-cheating that goes on to deny the new high-scorer his actual place in the record book.

It's on Current TV now (yes, Gore's channel), but is mostly over. But it replays at 5am.

I know it's Al Gore's channel, but if you DVR it and fast-forward through commercials, you cost him money. Does that make sense? It does to me.

Seriously great movie. Everyone raves on it, and for once the critics aren't wrong.

Posted by: Ace at 06:12 PM | Comments (33)
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Camp Romney is pretty thrilled about this exchange. While Perry never said he'd abolish Social Security, or had any plans to, Romney made it clear he wouldn't (hint, hint), and his campaign is now putting out the word that "The Perry Plan," as they dub it, is to abolish the program.

Eh, politics isn't beanbag. Still, I don't know how you convert a Romney statement about not abolishing Social Security into a statement by Perry that he would.

He didn't say that. Romney's just kind of... makin' stuff up.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 05:51 PM | Comments (420)
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The third (I think) in our series of debate liveblogs begins tonight at 8:00pm Eastern from our virtual barstools outside the Ronald Reagan Pub in Simi Valley, California. Hopefully the Cover It Live application won't crap out on us again like it did last time.

MSDNC is handling the broadcast ... man, is their viewer going to be pissed when he and/or she sees all these Republicans on the screen instead of the usual evening lineup of hosts representing viewpoints across the ideological spectrum from the merely only very leftwing to the extremely leftwing. Debate we much!

It's also being livestreamed by the DNC's Internet-era leafletting service othewise known as Politico.

Update: Also being streamed by MSDNC.

Participants are Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Liveblog thingy below the fold, and, as always, the comments will be moderated to keep them from scrolling by at ludicrous speed. So be witty or intelligent. Or both. Luck helps too.

Also, if you've never been to the Reagan Library and find yourself in the state of Southern California at some point, GO! It's well worth the trip.

Note [ace]: Your comments do not automatically display. So don't ask "Why aren't my comments displaying?" They don't display.

They're not posted comments a la chat room. Instead they go to queue, which the producers (cobloggers) read, and we post them, by hand, if we think they make a good point.

A comment stream with 1500 people commenting simultaneously would not be readable. But we couldn't even do that if we wanted.
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Posted by: andy at 03:35 PM | Comments (756)
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AP is sort-of happy that the US hasn't suffered another major terror attack since 9/11. Is The Cost Too High?! Have the terrorists won after all?!?!

Times Square ... another spectacle: helmeted police with machine guns...

In other words - the same cops we had before but with helmets instead of hats and with guns equivalent to what terrorists use. I'm more scared of OSHA inspectors and the Guitar Wood Gestapo. They're staffed with the guys who weren't good enough to be cops.

Ten years after the September 11 attacks of 2001, the United States has altered the balance between freedom and security, turning an open and casual society into an ever-vigilant one.

Vigilance = Price of Freedom.

The country has not suffered another attack,...

But at what cost in lost liberty and dollars? Civil libertarians fear the era of surveillance and circumspection could become permanent.

Eat me. Eat Me, Bitch.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 03:17 PM | Comments (83)
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Jews-- Is there nothing they can't do?

Today, Weprin was dealt a blow by fellow Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who endorsed Turner. Hikind said that electing Turner would "send a message to President Obama about his failed, disastrous economic policies and his reckless policies toward Israel." The bad blood between the two Democrats began when Weprin voted for gay marriage and compared opposing gay marriage to "outlawing marriages between Jews and non-Jews or interracial marriages.” Both Hikind and Weprin hail from the 9th district's sizable Orthodox Jewish community. (Turner is a Catholic, and he opposes gay marriage.)

Posted by: Ace at 02:02 PM | Comments (186)
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Guy's like friggin' Marvel Comics-- The House of Ideas (TM)

Obama also is expected to continue for one year a tax break for businesses that allows them to deduct the full value of new equipment. The president and Congress negotiated that provision into law for 2011 last December.

... which was better known as the "New Corporate Jet Republican Tax Loophole Law" just six weeks ago.

Oh, I suppose he can insert a special provision that says "all new business equipment except for jets."

But's all so stupid either way.

Via Gay Patriot.

Posted by: Ace at 12:37 PM | Comments (440)
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Not pictured: 44% of America now racist, straight up

Schadenboner:

“He has sort of lost the sense of power and mystique of the presidency,” says longtime Obama ally Andy Stern, former president of the powerful Service Employees International Union. “There’s also a sense that people aren’t scared of him. That’s very dangerous.”

...

“He’s allowed the Congress to manhandle him, said one top Democratic ally of Obama’s. “Every time he’s put his foot down they’ve kicked him in the shin. It’s goddamn embarrassing. He’s losing power. He needs to grab it back.”

Political power isn't just something you switch on, like electricity. It comes from good results, and pleasing the public.

Obama has no good results (except a dead OBL, and some other dead high-ranking terrorists), and gave the public the finger when they pleased with him to not pass ObamaCare.

Just "getting tougher" and all this other nonsense misdiagnoses the problem.

Obama's not just weak because he's acting weak. He does do some of that; he's not the world's steeliest man, of course.

But he's weak because he's a complete and utter failure. And until he actually succeeds at something, he'll continue being weak.

Posted by: Ace at 11:54 AM | Comments (301)
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I'm linking this without having listened to it because it just sounds like it must be good.

Norm was guest-hosting Dennis Miller. Duvall is known as a conservative. Norm MacDonald kind of seems like he is. Do they talk about politics? I have no idea, as I haven't listened yet.

Does Not Appear To Be About Politics; Is Completely About Movies. So far. Duvall says he fins The Searchers melodramatic and cory.

That is controversial, at least.

Here's Something: From Allah's twitter feed, some parents will do anything to get their kids famous. Or notorious.

A sort of NSFW article and pic about stage-moms who decide to dress a baby up like the Pretty Woman hooker character.

Sorry for the late warning; it didn't occur to me at first it needed one. Now I see it actually does.

Posted by: Ace at 11:29 AM | Comments (177)
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In this outbreak, of course.

Firefighters gained ground on Wednesday for the first time in their days-long battle against a large and deadly wildfire southeast of Austin, Texas, officials said.

The 34,000-acre (14,000-hectare) Bastrop County Complex fire, which has forced the evacuation of about 5,000 people in the rural community, was about 30 percent contained and that number was expected to grow throughout the afternoon, said Mike Fisher, the county's emergency management coordinator.

"We're feeling like we're gaining enough control that we're not going to lose a lot more acreage today," Fisher said. "Perhaps today, we'll have the perimeter secure and the fire will not get larger."

The Bastrop fire, one of nearly 200 fires that have broken out across Texas in the past week, has killed two people and claimed 785 homes, the most houses ever destroyed by a single fire in Texas history, the Texas Forest Service reported Wednesday morning.

Firefighters who have fought the blaze since Sunday were helped overnight by decreased winds and cooler temperatures, conditions expected to continue on Wednesday, officials said.

If you want to help, there are lots of ways to do so.

The below video was posted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife agency.

Video shot September 5, 2011 on the north edge of Bastrop State Park. All but about 100 acres of the 6,000-acre park have been blackened by fire. Firefighters have been battling blazes for 3 days.

It spreads very fast. more...

Posted by: Ace at 11:10 AM | Comments (116)
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Or is it only Republican rhetoric that is capable of exciting dark passions?

Posted by: Ace at 10:56 AM | Comments (49)
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