You may have heard the story of the little twin brothers, Hershel and Laybel; Harry and Larry.  Harry is a pessimist and Larry is an optimist.  The little pessimist was always complaining and very negative, while the optimist viewed everything through rose-colored glasses.  It was their birthday, and their father decided to test their attitudes.  He bought every kind of beautiful toy imaginable for the pessimist - a new bike, a basketball, a baseball, bat and glove and dozens of things that would make a little boy happy, but for the optimist, a pile of horse manure was to be his only gift.

    When Harry, the pessimist, saw all of his beautiful gifts, he immediately began to complain.  "If I ride this bike on the street, I might wreck it and hurt myself, and I know if I take this basketball outside, someone will probably steal it, and baseball is dangerous.   If I miss the ball with the glove it will hit me in the head and I'll probably end up hitting the ball too far and breaking somebody's window." Harry went on and on in deep negativism.  He had turned his birthday into doom and gloom.

    Then it was the little optimist's turn for his birthday present.  When Larry saw the pile of horse manure with his name on it, he enthusiastically began to run throughout the house looking in all of the rooms, in the garage, and in the backyard.  When his father caught him by the arm and asked, "Son, what are you looking for:" Larry replied, "Dad, with all of the horse manure you gave me, I just know there's gotta be a pony around here someplace!"

    In the New Year may we all find the pony we've been looking for!

As a basic rule, politicians will say anything they can get away with. If an effective politician thinks that he can call his opponent a drug-dealing, serial-murdering gangster, and have the charge taken seriously by the media, then he will do it, even if there is no reality whatsoever to the allegation. The reason that most politicians don't describe their opponents this way is because the media will denounce them as liars, who are unfit for responsible public office.

This basic truth must be kept in mind in understanding the health care debate. The debate has trailed off into loon tune land, and it's the media's fault.

The reason that Governor Palin thought she could make up stories about President Obama's death panels is that the media have treated all sorts of other absurd inventions about his health care plan with respect. At the most basic level, opponents have repeatedly said that President Obama's plan will lead to rationing of health care.

The media have allowed the politicians to turn life into death and night into day when it comes to the health care debate because they decided that anything said against President Obama's plan should be treated with respect, no matter how absurd it might be.

The media have the job of informing the public. They have the time and the resources to know that when opponents of President Obama's plan talk about rationing, they are not telling the truth (i.e. they are lying). If the media just pass these assertions on to the public without comment, then they are giving them credibility.

Why are the media enabling these lies and deceptions?  We know why Fox News does it, they have a very specific right wing agenda.  Let's face it they make Radio Moscow look like amateurs in the propaganda wars.  But what about the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC.  Are they patsies for the right wing?  Their big pharma advertisers?  The corporate masters?  In search of a shrinking audience?  Or, are are they just plain stupid?  I vote for all of the above.

This is partially our fault.  Instead of demanding the truth from these people we look away in disgust.  I for one stopped watching cable news months ago.

Baker sums it well:

And if the opponents of health reform think they can get away with one really big lie, then why shouldn't they start moving forward with even bigger ones. It was only a matter of time before someone came up with Governor Palin's death panel line. For this we owe our thanks to The Washington Post and the rest of the mainstream media.

 If you can control the media you can control man's mind.  May God have mercy on our collective souls...

Fox News Channel's "Fox Nation" has featured the upcoming "Tea Party Express" national tour and is polling their viewers to ask "Will You Join The Tea Party Express?"  You can read all about it - HERE.

According to Fox News, "Fox Nation will be a forum for Americans to speak out on important and controversial issues, and to act on their beliefs and values -- while always upholding the traditional American ideals of free speech, fair play, and tolerance."

The site features news articles, video clips, and links to editorial blogs by noted conservative political commentators like Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer, as well as some liberal political commentators, like Susan Estrich. In keeping with the site's purpose, viewers are invited to post comments about the various topics featured on The Fox Nation, which Fox News described as "a new community where all Americans are encouraged to share, discuss, and debate."

The Fox Nation has been criticized by liberal web sites for posting inaccurate or misleading information that promotes a conservative viewpoint. According to Mediamatters.org, "The Fox Nation has displayed an uncanny ability to mislead readers, twist the truth, spread wild conspiracy theories, and misrepresent the reporting of legitimate journalists and media outlets."[3] Likewise, Huffington Post has stated, "[O]ne of the main functions of the political content at the site appears to be crafting inflammatory and widely misleading headlines for links to articles by news organizations whose content contradicts the Fox headline."[4]The Fox Nation provides links directly to other media outlets for their viewers to read and make their own informed decision. (Wikipedia)

Alaska's now former Governor is coy about her future political plans, but radio is at least one option she's leaving on the table.  While not exactly shopping the GOP's 2008 vice presidential candidate, sources say Palin representatives have been quietly testing the waters to see how much interest radio syndicators have for her.

• She never has to leave Alaska - they can build a studio in her house
• She's a lazy one that Sarah - work no - hunt yes - all she has to do is talk for three-hours then take the rest of the day off... (very bad news for the moose population)
• She couldn't care less about being President - you mean like work
• If you want to be a power in the Republican party you need to be on radio - right Rush?
• It pays a couple hundred times more then being President - why have one pair of Manolo Blahniks when you can own the whole factory

It isn't unusual for a defeated national candidate to turn to radio.  Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's short-form commentaries air on more than 400 stations via Citadel Media.  He remains among the names circulated for a potential presidential run in 2012.

[Niles watches Martin working out a chess problem]
Niles: Uh-uh.
[Martin reaches for another piece]
Niles: Mmm-mmm.
Martin: All right, what would you do?
Niles: Well for starters, I'd take that corn-nut off the board.
Martin: That corn-nut's my bishop. Eddie ate the real one.
Niles: In that case, Corn-nut to Rook Seven. 
Frasier - TV series 1993-2004

This week in Rome, bloggers and activists wore gags to protest a proposed law that could impose heavy fines on bloggers who don't correct "offensive" comments within 48 hours.

...the law would force bloggers to edit any post denounced to the government as defamatory. If the blogger refused, the denouncing citizen could sue for as much as $18,000.

"They are trying to reduce the number of bloggers in Italy," said Scorza, a lawyer and expert in digital civil rights. He said the internet has given Italians the tools to question their elected representatives.

One such Italian, the comedian-turned-blogger Beppe Grillo, has used the web to expose the Italian Parliament's inability to act on crucial issues such as conflict of interest, corruption and the environment.

Every year, Grillo organizes a popular event called "V-Day," which promotes active citizenship, and the use of the web as a news source. Recently, Grillo's popularity won him an online election as the next secretary of the Italian Democratic Party (PD). The party, however, refused his candidacy.

Antonio Palmieri, a Parliament member from Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party (PdL), said the Alfano law aims at stopping bloggers from abusing the freedom of the internet.

"How would you feel if you were anonymously insulted on the internet every day?" he said.

In a country where the prime minister owns the three largest commercial TV channels, the biggest publishing house, a leading advertising agency, and -- as head of state -- oversees Italian public television...

Palmieri defended the "Alfano" proposal but also said it was written as an emotional reaction. He is working to improve the language of the proposal by clarifying what kinds of blogs and web sites should be liable. Palmieri thinks bigger blogs and online newspapers that affect public opinion should be regulated.

In 2007, a YouTube video of a recorded phone call between then-opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi and a former RAI director exposed Berlusconi to public scrutiny. In the call, Berlusconi asked the RAI director to hire two women as a favor for a senator of the majority. Berlusconi said explicitly that he expected the senator to return the favor by helping him regain a Parliamentary majority.

The nerve of some people.  What are you going to tell me next, Berlusconi is having an affair with an 18-year-old?

Recently, now-Prime Minister Berlusconi has been under heavy public scrutiny for an ambiguous relationship with an 18-year-old aspiring TV star. Within days, the internet was saturated with satirical renditions of the alleged relationship via print, audio photo and video.

Italian bloggers strike: Proposed law would fine web sites denounced for defamation.

The Democrats have Sonia Sotomayor. The Republicans have Sarah Palin. That's all you really need to know. Between them, these two women explain why the Republicans are doomed.

Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina who grew up in a Bronx housing project, is a shoo-in for the Supreme Court. Barack Obama knew exactly what he was doing when he picked her. She is a symbol of Hispanic aspirations in a country where Hispanics are an increasingly powerful political force. She's known for her ferocious drive and work ethic and, despite what you may hear, she appears to be a moderate. She represents the American dream in action. The Republicans hate her.

Sarah Palin was the most scarily incompetent vice-presidential nominee in the history of the United States. She graduated from the University of Idaho, where she majored in communications (still not her strong suit). She represents the Peter Principle in action. The Republicans love her.

I used to think that, after the debacle of the Bush years, the train wreck of Sarah Palin and the Obama rout, the Republican Party would recover its sanity and regroup. Clearly, I was wrong. People who argue that Sarah Palin is good for America while Sonia Sotomayor is a threat are obviously out of their minds. They are determined to drive their own party off a cliff into oblivion. And they're succeeding nicely.

In addition to immediately increasing unemployment in the energy sector, even more American jobs will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under the cap-and-tax plan. For example, the cost of farming will certainly increase, driving down farm incomes while driving up grocery prices. The costs of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also increase.

The ironic beauty in this plan? Soon, even the most ardent liberal will understand supply-side economics.

The Americans hit hardest will be those already struggling to make ends meet. As the president eloquently puts it, their electricity bills will "necessarily skyrocket." So much for not raising taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year.

Can America produce more of its own energy through strategic investments that protect the environment, revive our economy and secure our nation?

Yes, we can. Just not with Barack Obama's energy cap-and-tax plan.

Just 24 percent of those accept Palin's explanation that she resigned because it was the right thing to do for Alaska. More than twice that percentage - 52 percent - cited her political ambition as the reason for her resignation. An additional 14 percent said they don't know the reason.

Even Republicans are skeptical of the explanation, with a higher percentage saying Palin resigned for her political career (36 percent) than saying she did so for Alaska (31 percent).

Less than one in four Americans - 23 percent - hold a favorable view of Palin. Thirty-seven percent hold an unfavorable view of the former Republican vice presidential nominee. Another 39 percent are undecided.

Since announcing her resignation, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been pummeled by critics who have called her incoherent, a quitter, a joke and a "political train wreck."

"People at the grass roots see a charismatic personality who is popular with other people at the grass roots. But their horizon only goes so far as people who think like them," said Mike Murphy. The veteran GOP ad man eviscerated Palin -- a "political train wreck," "an awful choice" for vice president, her resignation an "astonishing self-immolation"

Consider a USA Today/Gallup poll released last week. About 7 in 10 Republicans said they would be likely to vote for Palin if she ran for president. Other surveys place Palin in a statistical dead heat with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee...

In response to gyrating oil and commodity prices, the CFTC announced this week it was planning to clamp down on big market players by implementing position limits on all commodity futures contracts of limited supply, focusing especially on energy.

"We're looking at a pretty fast timeline,"  "We're going to use our authority to the fullest extent possible. (Commodities trading limits fast tracked)

Who exactly are these reckless speculators that seem hell bent on taking down our, and the world's economy?  I know, Dr Evil.  No?  Then who?

While traditional speculators go in and out of the markets, big pension and endowment funds in recent years have also diversified their investments into commodities to hedge against inflation and a weaker dollar. Some positions grew so large that legislators and analysts said the trend was pushing oil prices to levels that couldn't be justified by fundamentals. (Regulator to consider limits on commodity speculators)

Dr. Evil: Gentlemen, I have a plan. It's called blackmail. The Royal Family of Britain are the wealthiest landowners in the world. Either the Royal Family pays us an exorbitant amount of money, or we make it seen that Prince Charles has had an affair outside of marriage and therefore would have to divorce!

Number Two: Prince Charles *did* have an affair. He admitted it...

Dr. Evil: Right, people you have to tell me these things, okay? I've been frozen for thirty years, okay? Throw me a frickin' bone here! I'm the boss! Need the info.

Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he (Holder) is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do.

The night before (Holder), he'd stood on the roof of the White House alongside the president of the United States, leaning over a railing to watch fireworks burst over the Mall, the monuments to Lincoln and Washington aglow at either end. "I was so struck by the fact that for the first time in history an African-American was presiding over this celebration of what our nation is all about..."

While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter. Such a decision would roil the country, would likely plunge Washington into a new round of partisan warfare, and could even imperil Obama's domestic priorities, including health care and energy reform. Holder knows all this, and he has been wrestling with the question for months. "I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president's agenda," he says. "But that can't be a part of my decision."

morning joe goes off the reservation?