Man By Your Stand

I hate talking about politics so much. I know so precious little about the intricacies and double-binds that obviously go into every single sentence fragment uttered by the Big Dogs that I can never hope to make a rational and calm argument about anything vaguely connected to the topic.

But that's okay because talking about politics is like that for everybody.

Imagine you and someone else are having a discussion about politics. When you're two people who disagree about the issues, you quickly fall into snarking at one another's failings in debate tactics and personal hygiene. When you're two people who agree about the issues, you fellate each other's egos until you find some tiny point you disagree on and ...GOTO Line 20. (Sorry; Q-BASIC joke)

But here's the thing I'm really sick of: calling out candidates for voting against bills about stuff they say they're for (and vice versa). Rider clauses. Fricking rider clauses will do this argument in nearly every time; you go to vote for a bill as a whole, and people will tack on completely unrelated rider clauses to force opponents of the "main" clause to be FOR the bill as a whole (and vice versa).

But nobody thinks about rider clauses because they're all so niggling and annoying that it's hard to keep track of them.\

So I propose every government official open an Excel Spreadsheet right now and start a Three-Reason List: For every bill you vote(d) on, every addendum you attack(ed), every single piece of legislature that crosses/crossed your desk, you list your top 3 reasons for that decision. Then, when someone attacks your tendency to flip-flop, break out your reasons, and you won't have to play the "Conditions had changed" Vaguery Card.

BONUS USES OF YOUR THREE-REASON LIST:
* If one of your top three reasons for voting for/against a bill is "was paid by Big Tobacco to vote that way," you still have two reasons that you can say out loud. More importantly, it's all in Excel, so you can Sort Data by "Reasons"; if you can't easily count the "was paid by __________" entries, perhaps it's time to consider some self-policing.

* Have an extra column describing what "Proposal 245a-40991z" actually was about. This will save time in the short- and long-term.

* Use the list to remind yourself of whether you were for or against the war, abortion, tax cuts and government reform. Because, let's be honest: sometimes you just forget that kind of thing and let your aide sit in and vote for you.

Instant Photographification

From Sketch Hobgood

The Rules of the Meme:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don’t fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.

The Dragon*Pros Are Far Outweighed.

This past weekend, Dragon*Con took over half of Atlanta (the Underdark half, if you were wondering), and that means thousands of my nerdly brethren descended on every hotel in a ten-block radius of wherever Nathan Fillion was standing at the time, and that 8/9 of those thousands came in costume.

Costume. The word calls to mind equal parts 'Halloween' and 'a theatrical production,' which --8/9 of the time-- translates to 'scary' and 'a flop.' I kid, I kid. There certainly are an unbelievable number of amazing outfits present every year, showcasing just how many hundreds of dollars and manhours some people are willing to spend to be confused with a Sci-Fi Channel Original character actor. But then there are those poor souls who go that extra mile to call themselves out, to draw uncomfortable attention to their potato-sack body-type or their incomprehension of the fact that there is a time to stop mashing up concepts (See: Garth Vader, Darth Parton, Bart Vader, Darth Vedder, Darth Vader Zim, Perth Vader, Ollie North Vader, Darth Vanadium, Darth Vega, Darth Avida, Dorothy Vader, and...Hello Vader).

Oh, but pictures do help, don't they? Let's see who we have out on the floor...



Let's steer around the Boba Fat jokes (Foba Bat?) and go straight to the problem of thinking that 2(Awesome) = Awesomer. Reese's are the exception, not the rule. I mean, what would happen if Samuel L Jackson dressed up as Wesley Snipes? This. What would happen if Samuel L Jackson dressed up as Professor Xavier? This. What would happen if Samuel L Jackson dressed up as Nick Fury? This.
Plus, if you only look at him from the waist down (and I'm truly sorry to force that concept on you), he looks like the Dread Pirate Robert(s) ...Bob, a Fat Pirate?... damn! So close.


Heh heh...Beavis, Beavis: ...Co-Bra Commandos. Henh, henh...

Seriously though, I think these two were created by Gargamel to seduce the other Cobras into getting sloppy. And while it's still unclear whether he wants to eat the Cobras or merely turn them into GI Gold, one think remains clear: Cobra Commander totally called dibs on a threesome.


Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am, Thunderdome Lasertag's not until next week.

Actually, take a look at her trophies: torn hair clumps at the waistband, red plastic hat at the navel... oh god... Bitch scalped Howdy Doody.


Senator John Kerry, God of Mischief.


Didn't I fuckin' just. say., "Not nobody, not nohow?"

ALTERNATE COMMENTARY: Polio took its heaviest toll, however, on the steampunk genre.


And the DownLoadable Content for Team Fortress 2 continues with the "Victorian Safari Skins Pack." Pictured here: Medic, Spy, Heavy, Scout, and Engineer. Bonus unlockables: The Blunderbuss, the Jumanji Board, and the Doctor Vatson.


Ah, cosplay: The only pastime where blackface is still okay.


Flipping your fins,
You don't get too far.
Bet a stiff breeze
Would've
Knocked you
Over.
Don't wear a costume
That hinders your
--what's the word?--
Feeeeeeet!
You think you look neat,
But really, you're dim. (Some)
guy snatches your shells,
How you gonna chase hiiiiiim?
Let me ask you
Waddle you do,
Pretty nerd...giiiiirl?


Madness? THIS! IS! POTTAHHHHH!
.

Faster Than A Locomotive, Cheaper Than A Gold Box Deal

Amazon.com has amazing sales on DVDs, but lately, they've just been outselling themselves, making their sales less meaningful.

Or maybe those DVDs are actually only 33% off under a red sun, but long ago, his parents saw that their race would be doomed to be remaindered, so they sent their only son (using Superman Saver Delivery) to Earth, where --in the heat of a yellow sun-- his movies and television shows gained phenomenal comic powers [sic] for the good of all mankind.

MR SOCKO: My heeeeeero.

I've been shopping for years, spending too much money on DVDs.
Thank you, Amazon.com, for these wonderful Superman returns
on my investment.

Warren Ellis Bingo

I read Warren Ellis' blog, and now, I'm on it:

The Sea Ring

The North Carolina Aquariums site has the following advertising the Roanoake Island branch of its operations:



My immediate thought:
THE SEA RING
Samara has returned, and now instead of seven days, she's giving you seven seas. Ever wonder where that well drained into? The North Carolina Aquariums. Don't put on your earphones; that self-guided tour can't tell you what to do now. Samara is in control, and before the night is done, the seas will run red with blood. She's showing her video on all the fish-info screens, and everyone knows... sound travels faster underwater.

Is Wayne Brucey Gonna Hafta Choke A Bitch?

From Sketch, the Batslap Meme.

Using this blank template, I have created the following: