The Beginning of the End of the "Conservative Movement"

I put that in quotation marks because the "conservative movement" has been moving through the viscera of the body politic of America and is about to exit in a burning splatter into the toilet of history. As Tom "Giant Flying Cockroach" DeLay slithers down toward the sewer, he's grabbing anything and anyone he can claw toward him to slow his slide. Here's the latest, courtesy of Moonie-funded Washington Times:

Morton Blackwell, Republican National Committee member from Virginia and a member of ACU's board, said Republicans are being told support for Mr. DeLay is mandatory if they want future support from conservatives.
"Conservative leaders across the country are working now to make sure that any politician who hopes to have conservative support in the future had better be in the forefront as we attack those who attack Tom DeLay," he said.

The internal pressure inside the Republican Party must be building exponentially as members are confronted with this Faustian choice, but one hopes that either some crumb of decency, self-preservation, or recognition that DeLay is doomed will propel many members to realize that falling into line behind DeLay means slipping on his slime down the same shit-encrusted hole of infamy and possibly prison. Now that DeLay has taken to threatening federal judges, he's revealed to all but the most fanatical as batshit desperate. That makes him positively radioactive to his fellow politicians, because he has slipped into absolute survival mode. I think that his enablers are realizing how vulnerable they have become, since a guy like DeLay is going to have methodically catalogued every little thing he can use for leverage in his career, and I'll bet some of it is pretty damning for others.

The knives will come out pretty quickly, I think, as DeLay's ruthless tactics get turned back on him. Blackwell's conflation of DeLay with the party itself is a huge gamble that he will lose, because the past strongarming of members has created a lot of resentment--the "movement" is not held together by ideology, but by intimidation. When the ranks begin to break, it will be catastrophic for party unity.

At least I hope that's the case. Shall we pray?

The Giant Flying Cockroach Endears Himself to the Judiciary

From TV station KSDK, we learn the Tom "Giant Flying Cockroach" DeLay is trying to make things even better for himself when he is indicted for his crimes.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, appeared to condemn judges who at both the state and federal level declined to order that Schiavo be kept alive artificially.

"This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change," the Texas Republican said. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another."

Now say what you might about the religious fascism of DeLay, no one has ever made the error of calling him dumb. But shouldn't he be thinking of some other group of folks to badmouth now that Ms. Schiavo has gone on to her greater reward? Judges, of course, have to be fair and independent-minded, but they are human, and having a trash-talking, judiciary-hating giant flying cockroach in the courtroom might just have the slightest effect on a judge's psyche.

Just trying to help you out, Tom. Shut the fuck up.

Terri Schiavo Dies; Falwell: No Meaningful Improvement

One hopes that Ms. Schiavo can rest in peace now, and gather whatever grander reward awaits. The wingnutwads screaming and praying outside the hospice ought to be pleased that she has at last uncovered the mystery that they only guess at, but wish to wield over the rest of us as doctrine and law. That they exploited this sad episode reveals a bankruptcy of any true human decency, which at its core should accept the intimate understandings between partners who bond in love. It's nobody else's business--not the press, the Christians, the Congress, or tinhorn gutless governors and presidents.

Meanwhile, Jerry is now listed as "stable," while remaining ignorant, dishonest, greedy, and bigoted. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a curious detail:

Other calls came in from fellow evangelist Pat Robertson and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. The Rev. Billy Graham faxed a note of support. Even Larry Flynt, a publisher of adult magazines and videos and a one-time Falwell antagonist, called Falwell to wish him well.

Good for you, Larry! I'm looking forward to a cartoon in Hustler about this, of course. It's fascinating that Larry Flynt has more decorum and class than the Randall Terrys of the world, whose screeching self-righteousness commands mainstream media attention just because it's insane. That Randall Terry can get any airtime at all reveals the bankruptcy of television "journalism." During CNN and other reports on the scene, Terry could be seen frantically searching for the next camera, and inevitably he would be obliged. What a nauseating spectacle.

The Washington Post printed this interesting quote from David Randlett, senior associate pastor of Falwell's church:

But his philosophy -- to change with the culture -- has made the church successful, Randlett said.

"Most older ministers can't do that, but Jerry Falwell is unique," Randlett said. "He knows the Bible doesn't change, but the delivery has to, in order to speak the language of the public."

So while both Falwell and Flynt want to change the culture, at least Flynt has the decency not to twist his message for expediency's sake.

Reverend Jerry Improves

Big surprise. (See previous post.) Guess he wasn't willing to go all the way when it became apparent that the media circus's main ring would still have Terri Schiavo at the center. And while El Presidente Bushit is staying as far away from the busted ghoul festival of the Republican religious nuts, he did manage this:

Falwell, who was admitted late Monday, heard from President Bush, who wished him well, a spokesman for Lynchburg General Hospital said at a news briefing. Details of the phone call were not released.

Here's an imagined dialogue in the absence of the real thing.

Bush: Jerry, this is the president.
Falwell: Sir!
Bush: Are you going to be a good soldier for God?
Falwell: Sir?
Bush: We've got a little problem that I thought you were helping with.
Falwell: Sir?
Bush: Every god damn time I turn on the TV that Terri Sch...Scha...Schiv...that woman is all over the damned place, and that fucker Randall Terry is making us all look like nuts. You think that helps me?
Falwell: I don't have any control over him, Sir.
Bush: Don't give me that shit, you sumbitch. You get on the horn right now and tell him and all them other sumbitches to clam the fuck up.
Falwell: Uh...
Bush: You call those fanatics and get them with the program or I'll come down there and rip that fucking ventilator out of your throat myself. Either they stop or you go back to dying. Got it?
Falwell: I'm, uh, off the ventilator.
Bush: That's what you think, you fat dickwad. It's you or them, J-boy, you or them.

Coincidence, or Rightwing Nutwad Planning?

"Once is happenstance; twice is coincidence. The third time is enemy action."

So now Jerry Falwell's on a respirator, eh?

Terri Schiavo's sad case was a lucky moment for the right, according to Tom "Giant Flying Cockroach" DeLay. Then the Pope steps to death's door. But Dr. Jerry suddenly taking ill, going on life support...it has all the pathos and timing of a tentshow evangelist's shtick.

If Falwell manages a miraculous recovery, then to paraphrase General Buck Turgidson from Dr. Strangelove, I smell a big fat Christian rat.

Creationists Declare: Creationism is by and for Dumb and Uneducated Folks

Hey, I didn't say this; it came from "pastor and parent Ray Mummert, 54," in Dover, Pennsylvania:

"We've been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture," he said, adding that the school board's declaration is just a first step.

Now I understand how Rick Man-on-Dog Santorum got into office.

I think it was Paul Westerberg who wrote a theme song for Mr. Mummert and friends, something that contains the following:

Knowledge is power, got your books go read 'em
Wisdom is ignorance; stupidity I call freedom

Dumb is the new smart! Dropout is the new PhD! College sucks! Bring on the Christian madrassas!

As for the intelligent and educated--you'll burn in hell, you lousy unbelievers. Dare to take a bite of the apple, will you?

No Distinction Left Between Whores and Press, Apparently

That a misfortune such as the Schiavo case is what it has taken to expose the depravity, corruption, and cynical manipulation of the public by rightwing Republicans reveals a great deal about the terrible state of news reporting in this country. It is quite telling that a war predicated on completely false--provably and now admittedly false--premises could not command this depth of debate or coverage in the mainstream media. A blatant attempt to destroy the most successful social program in the history of the country, Social Security, cannot command this kind of attention. A national policy of torture and false imprisonment, knowingly fostered and supported at the highest reaches of government cannot command this much attention. But find a case in which pathos outweighs everything, and through which people feel no compunction to screech their prejudices and superstitions and can find willing media people ready to funnel the noise to the public, and by golly, the night becomes day in Pinellas Park, Florida, and the "journalists" outnumber the protestors and the coverage goes 24/7 waiting for one woman to die.

And I'm not optimistic that anything is going to change, either, even if the Repubs are splattered with gore they themselves squeezed out of this sad situation. The press doesn't forget who's in power, no matter how disgusting they are. Americablog reports that the National Press Club is holding a panel discussion on journalism and bloggers, and who is on that panel? None other than disgraced and discredited male prostitute and web porn purveyor Jeff Gannon/James Guckert. As John Aravosis points out, Gannon/Guckert was never a journalist, and is really not much of a blogger, yet he is hoisted before a national audience to speak as to the nature of the beast.

The silver lining is that this may be yet another nail in the coffin of mainstream media as they become even more delusional about the condition of news. And I have to remind myself again and again, that while the First Amendment guarantees the right to a free press, it does nothing to actually guarantee the existence of a free press.