Putting my asbestos suit on. I am unambiguously trying to stir things up. Devils Advocate. Discuss. Tell me I'm wrong. But.

African Americans will be rioting on election day 2008. I'm likely to join them. When their voting rights are suppressed in the first election of one of their own are enforced, the result will be inevitable.

UPDATE Epilogue (10:40 CDT June 16, 2008): I could have worded things more delicately, but I'll stand by the main premise. Also, "concern trolls" are usually interested in raising doubts in order to support the opposite stance of the community. We all overuse the term in lieu of engaging in the substance of an argument. So, if I'm a concern troll, how is my diary going to inadvertently influence how black and white people vote? Yup. Logically, not at all. In the end, my point is more to ensure that caging doesn't happen and that enough working voter machines are in place in locales such as Cleveland and St. Louis (when they have NOT been sufficient in the past).

If you don't think it can happen, you haven't been paying attention for the last dozen years. Make me wrong (as usual) people.

There are actually quite a few of us inflating Redstate's hit rate, and this diary might contribute to that. But, dang it, the schadenfreude is just too exquisite. I bring to you below the fold, a totally biased extraction of some of the juiciest comments today from Erick's Three quarters of a loaf better than nothing ... thread. Here's an appetizer in the intro:

My problem with McCain, is that I just don't believe him. I fear he'll stab the conservatives in the back at his first opportunity. The opportunity to get good press coverage will be too much for him. (muxedo76)

Just using my daily diary (which I don't write daily) to record some ongoing dirty, as well as blatantly racist, campaign tactics. I just received a message from a web site called warrantysupplies.com entitled 'Muchas gracias Senators Mccain and Clinton!' with an unflattering photo of some anonymous brown skinned folk. Full information (the message, the photo, the WHOIS information on the domain) below the fold. Comment freely and document similar atrocities.

I have obtained footage from Jib Jab regarding the recent tragic events at the first annual Inside the Beltway Math Camp. A number of our country's leading intellectuals, including Rush Limbaugh, were attempting to beef up their analytical skills in order to more accurately report on the various polls that confuse many of us, when they apparently met their tragic end at the hands of one of their own. Be aware that the video is EXTREMELY VIOLENT and should not be viewed by children. Should any of you come across similar video footage regarding this tragic incident feel free to post them down-thread.

Links to video below the fold . . . (I tried to embed but that failed - sorry).

I attended the screening of In the Valley of Elah on Saturday at the YearlyKos convention in Chicago. The film is directed by Paul Haggis (screenplay and story for Crash; screenplay for Flags of Our Fathers; story for Letters from Iwo Jima) and stars Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, and Charlize Theron. It is scheduled to be released  September 21, 2007.

In cruising the IMDB message boards on this film (to be released in September) I saw a lot of posters letting their pro-war biases affect their opinion of a film they haven't even seen. The palpable disgust for "Susan Saranwrap" is mildly entertaining by itself. Anyway, for one person's amateur insight (mine) into this movie, go below the fold. I will try to avoid spoilers and speak more broadly about the film.

Go HERE for a plot synopsis with potential spoilers.

I expect to be troll rated to extinction for this diary, but my conscience dictates that I fill in the blanks for you about a lot of the bad things that happened at YearlKos. I think this is necessary so that we don't get a false feeling of security about our own power and about part of the true personality of the overall Kos community. There truly WERE some bad things that happend at the Chicago YearlyKos Convention. If you go below the fold, you won't have to read much of my litany of shame to get the gist of my diary and decide whether to heed my words, or tell me to get the hell off of DailyKos (at which time I will post a brief GBCW diary).

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.

A lot of punditocracy hot air has been wasted on the fact that John Edwards, being rich (he is, no shame in that - I want to be rich) is a hypocrite for talking about helping the poor.

Easy to find morons who make this case but never, never, never, apply the same logic to those they support about other issues. Like health care.

Republican politicians against universal health care. They hold the high ground? Time to explode that meme beneath the fold.

I'll delete if covered (I searched and was amazed that it hasn't been covered - or I screwed up my searching).

Republican Senator Craig Thomas has just passed. All condolences to friends and family, as those of us who have had friends and family die know that politics become irrelevant (unless you're a brown Iraqi but that's another diary).

If I read things right, the Governor of Wyoming is a Democrat. Dave Freudenthal would be the guy who would appoint Thomas' replacement (correct me otherwise).

What does this mean for Joe "I got you all by the short hairs" Lieberman?

The more important a site like DailyKos becomes, the more likely input (e.g., voting in polls) will be manipulated. I hereby dub this the "Kos effect."

The Kos effect: An increase in the influence of a blog, increases the probability of the blog being influenced.

Second effect? The "duh" effect:

The "duh" effect: If something CAN be done, it WILL be done.

Consider.

1. DailyKos is perceived as a mover and shaker in the liberal blogosphere (and perhaps bumps general liberal opinion eventually . . . we wish . . . might be true!).

2. Straw (and other) polls shape the attitudes of the "most involved" (i.e., Kossacks) because we're smart. Say, I like Howard Dean, but the straw polls indicate Wesley Clark is more likely to be elected. There is a cascade effect of people abandoning Dean for Clark - Kossacks are realists and pragmatists. They put their efforts, and their money, behind people and efforts that will change things (they think).

3. A simple poll.

4. Manipulated (like THAT doesn't happen?)

Read a tad more, and discuss on the flipside . . .

According to http://d-day.blogspot.com/... , the conservative RedState.com blog has been purchased by Eagle Publishing, the good folks behind Regnery Publishing. You can find the details from the horse's mouth at RedState itself.

Questions below the fold.

A number of Kossacks (like me) regularly descend into the fecal stained bowels of wingnut sites, like Free Republic, then return to the rarefied air of intelligent Kossack discourse herein (ignoring the "what the fuck is YOUR problem?" diaries) in order to share the treasures from our spelunking as a public service.

In the post 11/7 universe, and for the first time ever for me, I returned from Freeperville not feeling like I needed a shower or had to pour drano in my brain to flush out the rot. The Freepers are in disarray. Encountering the Freepers today, I felt like I just encountered the Abominable Snowman after Herbie the Elf removed his teeth.

A selection of quotes from the thread Liberated' Limbaugh flays GOP for lame campaign below . . .

Waiting for the parade on TV celebrating the Cardinals' World Series Win . . . Watching channel 9, the local SL PBS station . . . "It's Representative Thomas Delay, he's very powerful . . ."

Nobody's watching.

'cept me.

". . . Abramoff asked for more." - Reed

Normally when I slum it over in freeperville I come out feeling befouled and besmirched and usually need to wash my eyes out with visine, and go outside for some fresh air. But a funny thing happened over at the ironically named "Free Republic" (which is neither) when I started reading the "Hastert Must Go" thread here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/...

I couldn't stop laughing. This one thread's total lack of coherence, barely literate vitriol, and the usual approach to never let the facts get in the way of a 2 line rant just cheers me up, dangit. Excerpts of Freeper heads asploding below the fold!

Whoa.

Ms. Couric BLEW me away. Where's DOOD ABIDES when you need him? Anyway, Ms. Couric finished her initial foray into MSM propaganda (who knows, maybe she's on our side?) with (GULP) a CONTEST!!!! Reality TV has invaded network news. About time. We've got a chance to give Katie Couric her signature sign off phrase (e.g., "Chet?")

Put your suggestion for Ms. Couric here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/...

More below the fold.

What exactly is a stinking pile of crap? WIth corn in it?

The "Bill of Rights" consists of the first Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution. It contains a lot of stupid drivel like "no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause" and "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . ." It also allows us to all carry bazookas and .50 caliber machine guns when it says "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."

A piece of toilet paper, no doubt.

Amendment the First.

You have the right to free
Speech as long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.

-The Clash "Know your rights"

The rest of my complete rant below the fold.

First. Mexico is cool. Ever heard "musica Norteña?" Every time my family goes on vacation, the closer we get to the Mexican border, I start to tune the radio to the hyper powered Mexican stations.

Malagueña salerosa!!!

Drives my wife and kids nuts (it's their personal tastes, not a political statement).

Screw that Taco Bell chimichanga shit.

More below the fold.

If you've got Google Earth installed, I recommend you look at this (it's a downloadable .kmz file):

http://bbs.keyhole.com/...

If you don't have Google Earth installed, you can go here to get it (it's free):

http://earth.google.com/...

If you do this, you'll hopefully understand why I'm recommending this Google Earth project (.kmz file). If you otherwise want to know why I recommend you do this, feel free to read below . . .

<snark>Being assailed by the constant bleating of many Americans having no problems giving up their civil rights for more security, the reaction by German director Werner Herzog to being shot on Friday (if even by an air rifle) stood out. Can you imagine what any of the cadre of chickenhawks in charge would do if they were shot during an interview, if even by an air rifle?

http://www.hollywood.com/...

. . .

"Herzog, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, said, 'Oh, someone is shooting at us. We must go.'

"He had a bruise the size of a snooker ball, with a hole in. He just carried on with the interview while bleeding quietly in his boxer shorts."

An unrepentant Herzog insisted, "It was not a significant bullet. I am not afraid."

</snark>