Time to Label a Traitor...

... exactly what he is. A TRAITOR:

Karl Rove approached Time magazine for a job. Time, however, rejected Rove as “essentially like an unindicted coconspirator in a whole host of felonies”:

Time’s editors apparently felt the cost/benefit analysis wouldn’t be in their favor if they embraced the man who has done more than anyone to keep the spirit of Joe McCarthy alive and well in American politics. … “They think Karl is essentially like an unindicted coconspirator in a whole string of felonies.”

These lying sacks of treason from the unindicted Libby files deserve no better reference than that. Here is the traitor Rove plotting and scheming with one of his other traitorous GOP buddies:


Via Steve Benen at TPM:

If you're just joining us, Novak reported yesterday that Hillary Clinton's "agents" are gossiping in Democratic circles that the Clinton campaign has "scandalous information" about Obama, which they reportedly will not share.

Of course, as a matter of journalism and professional standards, Novak's piece was a textbook case of media irresponsibility. His column shouldn't have even run -- Clinton supporters (who he will not name) are allegedly spreading rumors about rumors (which he cannot identify) addressing an Obama scandal (which may or may not exist). Joe Klein suggested that Novak may have "simply abandoned all pretense of being a journalist."

What's most striking, however, is the full-scale war between the Clinton and Obama camps in the wake of the piece. Mark Halperin has a timeline of events, which is both lengthy and painful.

A few observations. First, Novak's column smeared both Clinton and Obama, and the two campaigns proceeded to make it worse by spending the entire day bickering over what was, as a practical matter, a dumb column devoid of any substance.

Hook. Line. And. Sinker. Candidates, campaigns, Blogs, commenters, and supporters everywhere bit and swallowed the traitors' typically GOP ploy.

Never forget what you are up against.

What is wrong with this picture?

I try and stay out of the direct line of fire of diaries specifically bashing candidates on the left, except when someone asks a direct question of myself concerning it, but there is something seriously wrong with this picture, and it mirrors failures past:

At some point maybe the Democrats and the commentators will remember that the thing that matters is not whether Mrs. Clinton’s eyebrows are straight but that the Republicans she and the others are running against are carbon copies of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney. The Republicans are running on Bush’s policies only — in fact, on the need to expand them and make them worse.

So who are Democrats criticizing? They savage one another. What a dumb game, politics.

No matter what candidate you are talking about on the Democratic side, there is a serious problem with their savaging of each other instead of respectful debates on the actual issues. It is the same problem in many of the Blogging communities. These candidates and their supporters would be well advised to use their time to present their positions clearly on each of the many issues that are so important to this nation, and contrasting their positions with the failures of the Republican side.

The problem for many of them is that they do not present their positions clearly, leaving the primary voters with little to go on except for "cash cow support" and perceived oneupmanship. And, in the case of online debates at Blogging communities, the readers perceptions of the savaging of diaries and comments from various Blogging supporters of different candidates cannot be much better.

I am not pointing a finger at any candidate, Blogger or supporter specifically. It seems like it is coming from every camp. Heck, some of my comments could be perceived in the same manner.

I may not be a member of the Democratic party, but for those of you that are... You might want to reconsider your tactics so that when it comes time to "get inline" with whatever candidate your party puts forward you won't have already exposed and reinforced all of the weakest points of every single one of your own candidates for the few GOP supporters remaining in the "echo chamber" to latch onto.

Of course, efforts like this would have to be started at the top of the campaign level for it to be truly effective.

Strong, clear positions from the Democratic candidates forcefully directed at the real likelihood of the continuation or, as Denis Horgan points out, the further EXPANSION of bush failures by any of the new republican faces on a "Stay the course!" policy of failure.

Without this kind of campaign, the Democratic party only risks its chances of delivering a knock-out-punch message in the '08 elections to the Republican party to wake the fuck up from their lunatic policies if they hope to ever be considered as "serious" politicians with even a vague grasp of reality again.

This is your chance at showing the real differences between the Republican party and the Democratic party. OR, it can be your chance to mirror past failures of both parties.

As it stands, very few of the Democratic party "leaders" have given me any reason to hope for anything better. Nor have they lead their followers down a much better path.

Real News, Noam Chomsky, Iran

Eight minutes long... Get your coffee now so you can pay attention:

The Real News

Minor Update: For an eye opening comparison of bush failures to Chomsky successes follow this link...

Should I bother to finish college?

I found this little readability test over at the latest republican defector's Blog, Balloon Juice, where John Cole proudly declared they "is stoopid"...

Surprisingly, my Blog is not as dumb as I look:



Equally surprising is the number of Blogs that I regularly read which only scored at a high school level or lower. Presidential Politics and NB Politicus both rated as "Genius," but I hope they won't let that go to their heads. 1percentmoreconcious scored at the same level that my Blog did, while Think Progress and Glen Greenwald scored at the "undergrad" level, and Talking Points Memo, My Left Nutmeg and Connecticut Local Politics were among many of the Blogs I regularly read with high school level reading scores. Michelle Malkin and Red State had high school ratings, but Instapundit and Free Republic rated "Junior High"...

In a way, I think that scoring lower on this test is a good thing. If your score is lower it means that it is easier for more your readers to clearly understand exactly what you are trying to explain to them. IOW, 10 cent words only add more confusion to your position.

The two things I walk away from this post with are:

1. Now I know why most Republicans don't like my Blog. They can't understand it.
   
   
2. I definitely will finish college (eventually) because I am not wasting a freakin' penny of the Montgomery GI Bill money that the Army owes me.

A third thing might be that I don't really trust tests like this anymore than a stupid and biased IQ test that labels me a genius...

NOLA Screwed Again

Everything bush touches turns to shit...

The Army Corps of Engineers released flood risk maps on a block-by-block basis on June 20, but didn't include some technical data, preventing independent assessments of the accuracy of the maps.

The maps showed that the improvements made to the city canals' drainage systems would reduce flooding during a major storm by about 5.5 feet in Lakeview and nearby neighborhoods. The maps were based on a storm that has the likelihood of occurring at least once in 100 years.

But in a report released Nov. 7, Corps scientists estimated that the actual benefit the system would provide would be just 6 inches.

The discrepancy was tucked into the voluminous report's appendices, and neither the Corps nor the scientists hired to conduct the study brought the changes to the public's attention when the report was released. It wasn't until New Orleans television station WWL-TV asked an engineer involved in the assessment about the discrepancy that it became known.

And the White House spin on this?

Donald Powell, the head of the recovery for the White House, issued a statement late Friday expressing concerns, but still showing support for the process.

"I was informed this evening of the error in the risk maps detected through the internal IPET review process. Our team immediately contacted Dr. Link to express my strong concerns and my expectations on how the public will be better informed in the future," said the statement. "While the news is disappointing, it is an indication that the ongoing review process of the draft materials is working as intended. This event should not diminish the important work the Corps has done and will continue to do to provide the strongest hurricane protection in the history of the New Orleans area."

Yep! They get caught by the media burying an important statistic... And tell you that the "ongoing review process of the draft materials is working as intended." Where do they get these asshats? Is there even one person associated with the White House that can do anything with some semblance of competence?

New Milford Planning wants to hear from YOU

The New Milford's Planning Commission wants your input on the direction of future town planning:

New Milford's Planning Commission wants to hear from the public about where the focus of the Plan of Conservation and Development should be in the next decade.

The town's boards and commissions met Oct. 30 to tell the Planning Commission where they think the focus should go.

A session for public input is set for Saturday Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. in town hall.

Consultant Glenn Chalder from Planimetrics said the POCD is a guide for the town's growth; an advisory document "to point New Milford toward a better future."

Bring your good, bad and ugly list and vent, cheer, screech, or just twiddle your thumbs while you listen to other people heap piles of praise and punches on the Commission. You might want to bring a bag of popcorn too... :)

And as long as you are here reading:

As the holiday season approaches, New Milford Social Services would like to encourage the community to help our clients in the following ways:

If you are interested in helping children or families this holiday, please contact our head elf, Nancy Camp at 354-3286.

Through the Santa Fund, she will give you a specific child to buy a gift and clothing for.

Social Services is in need of gift cards of any kind (gas, grocery, clothing store, restaurant, etc.) until Dec. 14 to provide to families at the holidays, and teen gifts (jewelry, music, gift cards, art supplies, computer accessories, etc.) by Dec. 3 for our Sibling Shopping Spree.

Financial donations to the Good Samaritan Fund are always welcome.

Work With Gingrich on the Environment?

I know, I KNOW! You are saying that I have lost my effin' mind. But I think that Politics in the Zeros hits the nail on the head on this one:

Sure, we need to cut back on energy use as much as possible. Do an energy audit and cut your household emissions. Ditto for businesses. But that doesn’t preclude funding technological research to find better ways of creating and using energy. The fuel cell train is a perfect example of this. It can run on waste hydrogen and has no carbon emissions. Imagine the energy savings if trains were to run on fuel cells. So, technology has much to offer here too.

And so can people from all over the political spectrum. Has Gingrich done noxious things in the past? Sure. But the simple fact that he’s written a book about finding solutions for global warming indicates a sea change on the issue coming from the Right. That means they’re discussing the issue, and thus we should discuss it with them.

If we are going to deal with them on these issues then this is my starting point: "We go back to living in caves with heat from campfires as penance for our sins." That way when we meet them halfway it will accomplish something meaningful.

BUT... Can I at least make fun of Gingrich while we are talking to him? Say things like:

"Look! Gingrich is turning green!"

Call it environmental envy...

Gallante buddy Jeremy Everett sentenced to 15 months

And a fine:

Federal prosecutors say a sales manager for a trash company has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy, the latest sentencing in the investigation into former Danbury trash magnate James Galante's Allied Waste trash hauling company.

Jeremy Everett of Shelton was sentenced in federal court in New Haven and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine.

In February, the 32-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Just a reminder of the ties that bind all of these republicans from a February AP report:

Their pleas before Judge Ellen Bree Burns in U.S. District Court, bring the number of defendants who've admitted guilt to either racketeering or related charges to 13. A total of 29 people, including Danbury trash magnate James Galante, were indicted by a grand jury last June. Galante, whose Automated Waste Disposal is at the center of the investigation, faces 72 criminal counts, including tax fraud, racketeering, threatening and extortion.

In December, alleged Genovese crime family boss Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, 86, acknowledged in court that he participated in a so-called property rights scheme in which trash haulers carved out routes for each other and agreed not to poach customers.

Companies owned by James Galante of Danbury allegedly paid a quarterly "mob tax" to Ianniello, prosecutors said. In exchange, Ianniello provided mob muscle to stifle competition. Trash haulers who tried to challenge the system allegedly faced physical and economic threats, prosecutors said.

Just remember these Republican names as you see these mob stories: Louie DeLuca, David Cappiello, Mark Boughton and Joe neoCON Lieberman.

Contributions from associates and friends of now-indicted garbage executive James Galante to the 2004 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman have sparked the interest of federal investigators.

Lieberman's bid for the White House took in at least $14,000 from Galante, his associates and their relatives in the fall of 2003, according to a Courant review of campaign records.

The contributions to Lieberman, a longtime Democrat who became an independent in 2006, are similar to allegedly bundled contributions to three Republican officeholders that earlier this month led to state charges against Galante, who is also facing a 2006 federal racketeering indictment.

What's more, people familiar with the campaign matters say, the names of Lieberman, the three Republicans and about a dozen other Connecticut and New York politicians have turned up on what the FBI loosely refers to as a "ledger" that agents seized from Galante's office while investigating mob influence in the trash industry.

The so-called ledger, a subject of interest to a legislative committee investigating state Sen. Louis DeLuca, R-Woodbury, summarizes information provided to Galante by his lobbyists on fundraising goals set by a number of candidates, the people familiar with the documents said.

A little on SOME of the donors:

A small number of 2003 donations to Lieberman, who at the time was running for president in the 2004 election, follow the same pattern.

Federal records show that $10,000 in donations for Lieberman's presidential campaign came in on Nov. 25 and 26, 2003, from donors - or their associates or relatives - who made at least one of the 38 PAC contributions mentioned in the affidavit that state investigators filed to justify Galante's Oct. 13 arrest.

Those 2003 donations to Lieberman included:

$2,000 on Nov. 26 from Mary Walkovich of Danbury.

She is the sister of Galante's local lobbyist, Joseph Walkovich.

Joseph Walkovich had written one of 15 checks for $1,000 that the investigative affidavit says were received Oct. 10, 2002, by Cappiello's PAC, the 24th District Republican Committee.

Joseph Walkovich also made donations of $500 and $1,500 to Lieberman on Sept. 30 and Nov. 14, 2003, records show.

$1,000 each on Nov. 25 from Ciro and Kim Viento of Mahopac, N.Y., each of whom gave $1,000 in 2002 to DeLuca's PAC, called 32 GOP.

Ciro Viento has worked for years as the operations manager for Galante's garbage companies, and was sentenced in August to 2½ years in federal prison after a March guilty plea to a racketeering conspiracy charge.

$2,000 each on Nov. 25 from longtime Galante employee Paul DiNardo of Danbury - who gave $1,000 each in 2002 to DeLuca's and Boughton's PACs - and from Mona Russo of Danbury, one of the 15 people who donated $1,000 to Cappiello's PAC on Oct. 10, 2002.

DiNardo was sentenced Sept. 12 to 21 months in federal prison after pleading guilty last December to a racketeering conspiracy charge.

$1,000 each from Nicholas and Linda Maraglino of Danbury on Nov. 25 and 26, respectively.

Nicholas Maraglino was one of the 15 who gave a $1,000 check to Cappiello's PAC on Oct. 10, 2002, as cited in the Galante arrest affidavit. Maraglino, owner of a tire company who has done business with Galante, acknowledged the contributions in an interview with the Courant, but said he gave the money himself and was not reimbursed by Galante or anyone else.

None of the other 2003 donors to Lieberman could be reached for
comment.

Thank You Chris Dodd!

For what? For this news in my Email box:

Today is a great victory for all of us -- and another example of Chris
Dodd's leadership.

If it wasn't for our efforts, together, retroactive immunity would be well on its way to sailing through the Senate ... largely unnoticed.

The fight continues, for sure, but this was a big victory today.

Visit www.ChrisDodd.com for more updates as they happen.

We'll be in touch.

Tim Tagaris
Chris Dodd for President

More via Think Progress:

Greg Sargent reports that the “version of the FISA bill that was just reported out of the Judiciary Committee does not — repeat, does not — contain retroactive immunity for the telecom companies.” Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) had threatened to place a hold on any FISA bill that contained immunity. The Judiciary Committee’s action today renders moot the need for such a hold.

UPDATE: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) issued the following statement:

“The FISA legislation reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today is a distinct improvement over the legislation passed by the Intelligence Committee last month. Though it still falls short in many areas, the bill includes several significant provisions that will better protect the privacy of innocent Americans. I applaud Senator Leahy for the package of changes he put together, and I appreciate my colleagues’ support in passing two additional amendments that I offered to further enhance privacy protections. I hope that, when the full Senate considers this issue, the Majority Leader brings up the Senate Judiciary Committee bill instead of the badly flawed Intelligence Committee alternative.

“There is still much to be done to fix this bill. In addition, the issue of retroactive immunity for companies that allegedly participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program will be fought out on the floor. I will continue to strongly oppose retroactive immunity when the full Senate considers this legislation.

“As a member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees I have been fighting for months to pass a strong FISA bill that adequately protects the privacy of Americans who are not suspected of having done anything wrong. I will oppose and filibuster any bill on the Senate floor that fails this test or contains retroactive immunity.”

Meanwhile back on the animal crackers ranch... Who are the fucking morons that let this travesty of justice continue?

“In his second day on the job, Attorney General Michael Mukasey leaped into the political fray,” telling Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) that he opposes his electronic surveillance plan and would recommend the president veto it if it is passed.”

Heckuva job Brownie Feinstein and Brownie Schumer... Censure ain't enough for these two incompetent bush enabling Dems. No wonder so many ask about recalling them.

Too bad we don't have a mechanism to recall Joe neoCON Lieberman in Connecticut.

Again... Thanks Senator Dodd for doing something to stop the republican cycle of abuse.

It is not Jon Stewart

But that's ok, 'cause skippy says it's not the daily show:

The Future of Mobile Computing

Will be in the palm of your hands soon:



And there is that 10 million bucks for open source developers to help speed development of these products...

Today, the team is releasing an early look at the Android SDK for developers interested in building applications for Android. To get things rolling, we've also announced the Android Developer Challenge, which provides $10 million in awards for developers who build great applications for Android. Read more on the new Android Developers blog to learn about this exciting mobile platform.

With so many brilliant minds striving to design engaging, innovative applications, mobile users around the world (3 billion and counting!) can expect phones equipped with dynamic and unprecedented applications very soon.

You can find more info on "Android" here.

Wake the Fuck Up to Real Veterans Issues America!

It is long past time for you to pay attention to an issue concerning the troops you say you support:



Via VA Watchdog:

The five-month CBS News probe, based upon a detailed analysis of data obtained from death records from 2004 and 2005, found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 as non-vets.

A recent Veteran Affairs Department estimate says some 5,000 ex-servicemen and women will commit suicide this year, largely as a result of mental health issues, and Keteyian says, "Our numbers are much higher than that, overall."

He says the numbers in the CBS News study shocked everyone from Sen. Patty Murray (D, Wash.) to veterans' rights advocate Paul Sullivan.

Murray told Keteyian, "That's a lot of young men and women who've gone to fight for us, and come home and found themselves that lost."

Said Sullivan, "This is pulling the fire alarm to say our veterans need help now."

Via Veterans For Common Sense, some things you can do if you are concerned about someone, particularly veterans, mental health to the point where you think they may be suicidal:

For information about suicide prevention assistance, please see second article below. Hotline for Veterans: Veterans who need help immediate counseling should call the hotline run by Veterans Affairs professionals at 1-800-273-TALK and press 1 identifying themselves as military veterans. Staff members are specially trained to take calls from military veterans and its staffed 24 hours a day, everyday. While all operators are trained to help veterans, some are also former military. For a wallet-size card titled "What to do you if you think someone is having suicidal thoughts," please click here.(PDF)

"In 2005, for example, in just those 45 states, there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That’s 120 each and every week, in just one year."

How to Spot Warning Signs

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides the following warning signs.

* Talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself

* Trying to get pills, guns, or other ways to harm oneself

* Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide

* Hopelessness

* Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge

* Acting in a reckless or risky way

* Feeling trapped, like there's no way out

* Saying or feeling there's no reason for living

* For more on mental health services at the Dept of Veterans Affairs, click here or call the VA's suicide hotline at 800.273.TALK (8255).

Suicide Signs Unique to Veterans

Experts on suicide prevention say for veterans there are some particular signs to watch for.

* Calling old friends, particularly military friends, to say goodbye

* Cleaning a weapon that they may have as a souvenir

* Visits to graveyards

* Obsessed with news coverage of the war, the military channel

* Wearing their uniform or part of their uniform, boots, etc

* Talking about how honorable it is to be a soldier

* Sleeping more (sometimes the decision to commit suicide brings a sense of peace of mind, and they sleep more to withdraw)

* Becoming overprotective of children

* Standing guard of the house, perhaps while everyone is asleep staying up to "watch over" the house, obsessively locking doors, windows

* If they are on medication, stopping medication and/or hording medication

* Hording alcohol -- not necessarily hard alcohol, could be wine

* Spending spree, buying gifts for family members and friends "to remember by"

* Defensive speech "you wouldn't understand," etc.

* Stop making eye contact or speaking with others

Give these women a hand!

For tackling a serious issue in a good old fashioned American fun kind of way:

In the genteel world of bridge, disputes are usually handled quietly and rarely involve issues of national policy. But in a fight reminiscent of the brouhaha over an anti-Bush statement by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks in 2003, a team of women who represented the United States at the world bridge championships in Shanghai last month is facing sanctions, including a yearlong ban from competition, for a spur-of-the-moment protest.

At issue is a crudely lettered sign, scribbled on the back of a menu, that was held up at an awards dinner and read, “We did not vote for Bush.”

Give these Bill of Rights hating, Freedom of Speech dissing dirtbags a shovel to dig their hole even deeper:

By e-mail, angry bridge players have accused the women of “treason” and “sedition.”

“This isn’t a free-speech issue,” said Jan Martel, president of the United States Bridge Federation, the nonprofit group that selects teams for international tournaments. “There isn’t any question that private organizations can control the speech of people who represent them.”

Yep... Freedom of Speech, guaranteed under the 1st Amendment, is "treason and sedition" to the typical warmongering moonbat GOPooper bush supporter. Meanwhile right wing fanatics and the media that enables them by airing these remarks try to portray the left as full of vitriol and hate, try to label the left as enabling enemies of this country?

Good luck with those GOP talking points.
AND the Freedom of Speech that lets you abuse them.

Right Wingnuts Get Nuttier When They Might Lose Welfare

firedoglake has an apt description for people like this:

It turns out that Bozell and Graham have a whole new book out that documents the entire years-long pro-Hillary liberal media conspiracy in all its dastardly glory. And as ConWebBlog notes,the two are basically using this phony quote as one of the centerpieces of the book's entire promotional effort. Check this out from the book's promo page:

In Whitewash, L. Brent Bozell III and Tim Graham of the Media Research Center, America’s largest and most respected media watchdog organization, expose the unprecedented media favoritism that is the real key to Hillary’s political career. Marshalling stunning evidence compiled exclusively by the Media Research Center, the authors show how the media have relentlessly promoted Hillary from the moment in 1992 when Time magazine introduced her to the country as an “amalgam of Betty Crocker, Mother Teresa, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.”

Now Bozell is claiming that this wasn't just Carlson who said this; he says that Time magazine as an institution "introduced her to the country" this way.

Of course, this didn't happen at all. What Carlson actually wrote was this: "Friends of Hillary Clinton would have you believe she is an amalgam of Betty Crocker, Mother Teresa and Oliver Wendell Holmes..." etc, etc.

We've seen no shortage of two-bit confidence men hawking all manner of anti-Hillary paraphernalia over the years, of course, but rarely does anti-Hillary hucksterism descend to quite this level of buffoonery.

They sure follow up with some hysterical behaviour when you try to cut into their wingnut welfare... Jane Hamsher discussing one of the more recent wingnut welfare episodes:

All the mouth breathers went apeshit when I first started writing about wingnut welfare, but even though the names and faces have changed, the story is still the same:

When the wingnuts chant their talking points like a bunch of tambourine-beaters at the airport, they want to be paid for their efforts. And Pajamas Media was set up to do just that. They received by some accounts $7 million dollars to subsidize 70 right wing bloggers, and if you look at their sites there are no ads, many don’t even identify their affiliation with a logo. Look at some full-on loon like the Confederate Yankee who earns his/her 800 hits a day by having seizures over Google’s attempts to mock Christmas with Jesus butt plugs. The General will easily draw twenty times the traffic with his rapier-witted takedown, but the Confederate Yankee probably earns a lot more money than the General. These illiterate zeros are being paid out of principal, not out of any ad revenues. They are all Armstrong Williams.

The Pajamas Media folk ridicule the liberals they have bought for the purpose of rendering them neuter and biting their heads off like chickens in some geek show. Let’s just be clear, they didn’t offer this gig to James Wolcott who could tear them to shreds and blow the pig up from the inside, and they didn’t want anything to do with Crooks and Liars who draw more traffic in a day than all these fools combined simply by putting their cretinous droolings on video clip display. They are not there to make a profit. There is no “business model” involved. And every criticism they all laid at the feet of every East German factory worker after the toppling of the Berlin wall — they have no ability to work in a competitive environment, they know they will never be fired — comes into play. They’re fools, but they’re subsidized fools. They never have to worry about traffic, they never have to be even a little bit clever or creative or think or even spell right.

I mostly called them Communist welfare queens just to piss ‘em off but the irony of Miniter referring to Regnery a “Marxist cartoon” just because he can’t think of anything worse within his limited intellectual horizon is not lost.

On the other hand, Republicans are generally crooks so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Regnery is stealing something from somebody somewhere. What with the writer’s strike and all, the discovery process in this case could start filling a huge entertainment void.

It is bad enough for you to point exactly what they are, but Lord knows they will go even more ape-shit if you try and take the wingnut welfare that puts the food on their tables.