Author: Nate

Best. Comedy… err, recently.

Ok, it’s not going to win any Oscars, but Harold Kumar Go to White Castle was a lot better than I expected, and is my favorite comedy recently – plenty of gross-out, yes, and stoner jokes that would make Cheech and Chong proud, but also real heart, likeable characters, and a fine sense of the absurd.

Rumor has it, there may be a sequel. So if you missed it in the theater, give the DVD a rent.

I also broke my long string of not making it to any films in the theater for a while (the last one was The Incredibles) by going with Marie to see Phantom of the Opera this past weekend. Overall, I thought it was pretty good… more after the break, minor SPOILERS

Continue reading “Best. Comedy… err, recently.”

A veiled attacks on abortion rights?

Dunno, but scary legislation all the same.

From: Democracy for Virginia

Guess what? You just earned yourself up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Why? Because you failed to call the cops and report your miscarriage within 12 hours.

True? Not yet. But if Delegate John Cosgrove (R-78) has his way, HB1677 will become law in a few short months, and this scenario will be reality for many women in Virginia.

Incredulous? Outraged? Read on below the jump for more information on this odious bill.

Worth a read. Via Atrios

To any readers in California…

On TPM, Josh Marshall notes a great deal of ambiguity in Senator Feinstein’s position on Social Security privatization. Please take a moment to read his article, and then consider writing an email to her (as I’ve done) urging her to take a strong public position against privatization.

To readers not in California, I doubt writing to our CA senator would help much, but do consider following the issue (Talking Points Memo is doing an excellent job of covering it) and consider taking the time to contact your own Senators and Representatives with your concern and opposition. This is especially important if they’re Democrats who may side with the President on this, but it’s probably also worthwhile if you’ve got a more loyal Democrat, or if you have a Republican.

My response to “Kerry Sucked.”

This was my comment on “Kerry Sucked” on AMERICAblog:

Face it. He was a shitty candidate. My question is why it’s ok to talk about everyone else who screwed up but not Kerry?

OK, count me in the “unwilling to turn on Kerry” column. I don’t agree that he sucked… unless, of course, we as Democrats also sucked by choosing him.

I mean, I rather liked that he was something of an intellectual and had some pretty good foreign policy credentials. But he was also a relatively stiff and colorless moderate… out of a field of candidates where I saw little to be enthusiastic for. In the initial debates, the only candidate with any real fire was Sharpton… who was no just “not electable” but well, genuinely unelectable.

Frankly, given that I actually went so far as to consider voting for former-Republican Wes Clark should indicate just how bad I felt our field of “electable” candidates was.

In the end, by the time the primaries got to California, it didn’t really matter. I voted for Kucinich, since despite the lack of a real shot at it at least he didn’t announce that he was dropping out and he was a genuine liberal.

Didn’t matter, of course. The tide of Kerry victories carried on by “electability” concerns continued.

And we got what we asked for… and “electable” colorless moderate, who got beaten – though closely – by one the worst Presidents since Buchanan.

I can’t believe I’m posting one of those stupid quizzes

Well, if you’re reading for the politics, just ignore these. Sadly, if I’m bored again there probably will be more.

From What’s your ideal drug?created with QuizFarm.com

 You scored as Mushrooms. Shrooms! You’re still goin for one of the most natural drugs. You’d like to visit a whole other world, and see things you’ve never seen before. Fucking trippy.

Mushrooms
81%

Ecstacy
63%

Inhalents
56%

None!
44%

Cocaine
38%

Alcohol
38%

Marijuana
31%

Yuck, mushrooms. I won’t even eat the non-hallucinogenic kind, so this was bit off. But heck, cute Smurfs, eh?

Oh, and my actual drug of choice: dark beer (especially brown ale).

Today’s Blatant Shilling:Mr. Beer Premium Micro Brewery kitMr. Beer Premium Micro Brewery kit

In light of all the “Attack on Christmas” crud

There’s been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about the right-wingers’ claims of an “Attack on Christmas” and frankly it seems to be entirely hot air … to the point where I’m not sure whether the discussion of it at all in the left-wing blogosphere isn’t simply giving them undeserved attention. Or maybe it’s something that needs a response… I don’t know.

See this note on Americablog for an example.

Well, while I don’t know what to make of the current issue, if you haven’t seen it in past years, you MUST go and check out Saturnalia, a comic strip at e-Sheep which pretty much is the response I’d like to make to all the “Attack on Christmas” types.

For the record, I personally celebrate an entirely secular holiday which happens to also be called “Christmas” but which simultaneously celebrates crass consumerism and an annual mini-family-reunion… and which I think is far more dangerous to any remaining shreds of a Christian holiday than a generic “Winter Holiday.” After all, how much “Christ” is there left in such a “Christmas” when practiced by a mostly-agnostic/vaguely-deist-at-times and totally non-practicing Jewish guy?

Ironic, in light of my last post.

From Today’s Daily Illuminator:

It’s A Wonderful Life
In 30 seconds. Re-enacted by bunnies.
Right here.
If this doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit, we’ll try again. You’ve been warned.

No direct link, sorry, it’s on the AngryAlien front page. And not up to their prior horror parodies. But worth passing on nonetheless.