to the victim go the spoils

stories of unhappy spouses looking for ways to unburden themselves of their no-longer-welcome partners have long been the fodder of noir fiction. but this 1952 tale from ec comics' crime suspenStories #11, in which we vicariously partake of one grimly-determined housewife's methodical, punishing and stomach-churning recipe for murder, is like watching someone crawl through broken glass (but without a drop of gore) — a true testimony of dedication to one's art.

(story by al feldstein; art by jack kamen)

no rewards for failure

the washington post:

the latest NBC/wall street journal poll suggests the country is slipping back into the pessimism it felt before last year's presidential election with just one in three american saying the country is headed in the right direction while 55 percent said it was off on the wrong track. less than three in ten (27 percent) said life would be better for their children than it is for them and six in ten agreed with the statement that the country was in a "state of decline." democratic pollster peter hart, who helps conduct the NBC/WSJ poll, called the results evidence that "optimism has crashed through the floor board." remember that much of obama's appeal is centered on the ideas of hope and change; if voters see his administration as overseeing more of the same, there could be considerable backlash from voters against democrats in the 2010 midterm elections.

this is GGRRREEEEAAAAATT NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS!!!! ain't it?

or maybe not ...

daily kos, on the same poll:

the bad news for the GOP: voters still trust president obama more than republicans, even on health care. the numbers: economy, obama +12; health care, obama +7; afghanistan, obama +12; energy, obama +10. what's the lesson? even though americans disapprove of president obama's record on many domestic policy issues, they do not see the republican party as a viable alternative. at some point, that may change, because the GOP is also the only alternative, but for now, the country is not looking for president obama to be more like republicans — they are looking for him (and the democratic congress) to deliver on the change they voted for in 2008. if the white house can deliver, the GOP will be left out in the cold, partying with the teabaggers.

the GOP won't be winning any rewards for sitting out a constructive debate on health care reform. had they developed a real plan and defended it honestly, instead of dangling promises of pretend plans while screeching "no!no!no!" to everything else and patting themselves on the back while cheerleading failure, they might now be looking like a credible alternative.

but of course, that would require the GOP being interested in reform in the first place.

from ridiculous to sublime

digby @ hullaballoo:

... saying that it "covers everyone," as if there's a big new benefit is a big stretch. nothing will have changed on that count except changing the law to force people to buy private insurance if they don't get it from their employer. ... nobody's "getting covered" here. after all, people are already "free" to buy private insurance and one must assume they have reasons for not doing it already. whether those reasons are good or bad won't make a difference when they are suddenly forced to write big checks to aetna or blue cross that they previously had decided they couldn't or didn't want to write. indeed, it actually looks like the worst caricature of liberals: taking people's money against their will, saying it's for their own good.

david waldman @ daily kos:

this is, of course, quite true. to sell a bill that imposes a federal mandate on you, individually, to buy insurance from a private provider doesn't "expand coverage," it expands tax penalties. ... what do we think people hear when they hear that this bill, would "provide 29 million americans health care"? why not a bill that would "provide 29 million american families with a home of their own" ... provided they buy themselves one? that, or course, would be ridiculous. but let's add just a little more ridiculousness. what if we "provided" millions of american families with homes of their own... provided they buy themselves one... or else face a penalty under federal law? see? from ridiculous to sublime!

a snake prepares his escape hatch

dana bash:	any chance joe lieberman would run [for reelection] as a republican [in 2012]?
joe lieberman:	i don't know what i'll run as. i like being an independent, so that's definitely a possibility, but i'd say that all options are open.
dana bash:	really?
joe lieberman:	yeah. it's unlikely that i would run as a republican, but i wouldn't foreclose any possibility ...

things you can do in dc when you're dead

earth's most powerful hero is neither dc comics star attraction superman nor his closest competitor (in terms of both abilities and promotion) captain marvel. no, that honor belongs to the less well-known figure called the spectre, who distinguishes himself from all comers by being not merely a super-man, but rather a super-ghost.

after being brutally murdered by gangsters, "hard-fisted" detective jim corrigan returned to crime-infested cliffland (cleveland?) sporting a chalky pallor, green cloak and trunks and a psychedelic array of powers — many on rapid-fire display in this single episode, "the tenement fires", from 1940's all-star comics #1.

besides the standard-issue ghostly powers of flight, invisibility and intangibility, the spectre's multipresence — the ability to be in two or more places at once — allows jim corrigan to examine clues on earth while his alter ego interviews victims just outside the pearly gates:

his clairvoyance allows him to sense "tremendous evil afoot":

no power rings or magic spells here — his sheer will alone defines omnipotence:

making levitation, of course, mother-and-child's play:

as well as transmutation — here turning fire to ice:

and size-shifting:

and illusion, now a comet:

and telepathy — reading mens' minds — literally:

coolest of all, his immortality gave his writers the unique luxury of being able to brutally murder his alter ego again and again, on a regular basis:

and what's a vengeful spirit without an evil eye — looks that can literally kill?

(art by bernard baily, story by jerry siegel)

i'm shocked

... just shocked, i tell you, that lucy yanked the football away again:

in a move that senior leadership aides say has left them stunned, sen. joe lieberman (I-CT) has told senate majority leader harry reid (D-NV) that he will filibuster a tentative public option compromise unless it's stripped of its key component: a measure that would allow people aged 55-64 to buy insurance through medicare.

90 days ago

atheist powers — activate!

from 2009's dark reign: the list - wolverine, a tongue-in-cheek novelty one-shot wherein theism can be hazardous for your health, as described by pharygula's pz myers:

the godless must have some fans in the comic book world. in an issue of the list: wolverine, the heroes fantomex (a genetically engineered supersoldier) and captain marvel are faced with an army of zombie-like creatures, people who have been infected with an evil virus that can only take over your mind if you believe in some sort of god. so they swing into action, safe from the infection, because neither one believes in gods.

the money quote: oh, snap!

(art by esad ribic, story by jason aaron)

... meanwhile, back in birfistan

where the beat goes on:

are there any billing records extant for stanley ann dunham's labor and delivery at the hospital? any billing records for pediatric care? any inoculation records for the infant and toddler bama?

thus ends another thrilling episode in "as the birthers churn". thanks for tuning in!

an educational comic

ec comics, king of crime, horror, sci-fi, satire and war comics of the '40s and '50s, was put out of business by rising anti-crime sentiment and opportunistic rivals, a purge which tossed out many babies with the bathwater, such as this expertly-developed 1953 lesson in crime and punishment — from a child's perspective.

(story by bill gaines and al feldstein; art by jack davis; cover by johnny craig, jack davis and graham ingels)

kobayashi morituri

the rest of task force 141 brought in the ACS, allen. two men took down an entire base. i ask much more from you now. yesterday you were a soldier on the front lines, but today, front lines are history. uniforms are relics. the war rages everywhere and there will be casualties. this man makarov is fighting his own war and he has no rules, no boundaries. he doesn't flinch at torture, human trafficking or genocide. he's not loyal to a flag or country or any set of ideals. he trades blood for money. he's your new best friend. you don't wanna know what it's cost already to put you next to him. it will cost you a piece of yourself. it will cost nothing compared to everything you'll save.

that was your mission commander speaking. you're a covert cia operative inserted into a freelance russian terror group.

their plan: kill everyone in a busy moscow airport during broad daylight.

your mission?

for some reason, you're never actually told.

and that's the set-up to the graphic and controversial airport massacre scene in infinity ward's latest first-person shooter call of duty: modern warfare 2.

*** warning: spoiler alert ***

the faint of heart have the option of skipping this mission. those who choose to participate have only two options: to idly watch or to shoot. you may shoot bystanders or you may shoot your teammates.

either way, the scene ends the same. you die.

star trek fans will be reminded of the kobayashi maru scenario:

the infamous starfleet academy test challenges the cadet to rescue a defenseless ship under enemy attack. however, despite the superficial similarities, the airport massacre is no kobayashi.

that's because your mission is not to save innocent lives and/or to stop the terrorists. you're not there to learn how to conquer fear in a no-win situation. you're not there to stare down death and go out a hero.

your mission is to die, so that your corpse can trigger the next world war.

according to the game's story arc, each of the characters you inhabit is only the unwitting pawn of your mission commander, who is ultimately exposed as a traitor. at the end of the airport massacre, the terrorists leave your corpse as evidence of american treachery, which provokes the new ultranationalist government to launch a massive surprise invasion of the U.S.

so the airport scene was made a no-win situation not as a character-building exercise. it's no-win because the game simply can't move forward without it, even if you are allowed to skip it. and unless you enjoy the methodical, withering, loud and joyless mowing of screaming civilians, you might want to.

the white nightmare

the world-famous comics deity known as moebius, née jean giraud, is best known for his bouillabaisse westerns and sci-fi fantasies, but this following tale from 1981 unravels in more familiar urban territory, where an engaged and socially conscious citizenry becomes the stuff of bad dreams. sadly, almost thirty years later, it might have been written yesterday.

(story and art by moebius)

southern man

with four dead cops and one dead mental patient to add to the blowback from his clemencies, mike huckabee's going to be lucky if he thinks he'll be able to hang onto his fox gig, much less his dreams of the presidency:

mike huckabee said [sunday] it's "less likely than more likely" that he'll run for president in 2012. recent polling has shown him to be the most popular candidate among iowa republicans, but huckabee told chris wallace on fox new sunday today that polling isn't the only factor. ... huckabee said he's enjoying his current gig as a fox news host, and wants to see what the political climate is like heading into 2012. "a lot of it depends on how the elections turn out next year and whether roger ailes continues to like my show on the weekends," huckabee said. "and if all those things factor in, you know, it's less likely than more likely, just because i would have to see that the republicans would be willing to unite behind me."

i imagine that law enforcement and victims' rights interest groups would dog his campaign trail the same way firefighters dogged rudy giuliani during his ill-starred run. no one will have huck's back on this.

minnesota gov. tim pawlenty became the first likely GOP presidential candidate to criticize mike huckabee's pardon of a suspected killer during his time as arkansas's governor. pawlenty said that he would not have granted clemency to maurice clemmons, who was suspected of fatally shooting four police officers in washington state on sunday before being shot and killed by police in seattle tuesday morning.

it looks like the party that's got nothing going for it but the south may be unable to field a native son for 2012. incredible as it seems, the available pool of southern white christian men for a spot on anyone's 2012 ticket is drying up like spent chaw. has that ever happened since the united states expanded into the southern territories?

southern white christian heads will explode.

deathtrap fail

while it shall be always true that no matter what nefarious plans the nazi ghoul has in store for his fair captive, he will never complete them before the good captain and faithful bucky can stop him ... nonetheless one could still make the argument that no matter how fast the villain can saw through that rope, he probably could just plunge his knife directly into her even faster.

(art by jack kirby and syd shores)

the only constant in their universe

mark levin:	there is a road to tyranny, and i believe we're headed on that road ...
glenn beck:	fascism is coming!
unidentified:	intimidation is yet another part of the slow erosion of our liberties.
mark levin:	they want the population to surrender their liberties to the government ...
yaron brook:	you're in very dangerous water to the freedoms that exist in this country.
glenn beck:	and controlling your life ... !
michelle bachman:	i believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service ... and the real concern is that there are provisions for what i would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward ...
sean hannity:	keep it up, congresswoman, you're doing a great job, and, uh, i have no doubt that they will keep attacking you 'cause you're so effective. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it.
michelle bachman:	thank you, we're gonna fight for our freedom!
sean hannity:	absolutely — against tyranny!

since the great summer of our malcontents a great many pixels have been spent on the unimpeded descent of the republican party into self-perpetuated paranoia and terror.

most of us readily recognize their screeching obstructionism as a coldly calculated form of aversion therapy designed to induce a reflexive nausea in the voting public at the very mention of each and every word and deed of their new liberal overlords. but that's just their election strategy for 2010. as i pointed out in "not just obama", republican hostility can be traced to their long-standing and wholehearted denial of legitimacy and fitness to any leaders not proudly swearing fealty to so-called "conservative principles" even patron saint ronaldus magnus could not uphold.

upon further reflection, i think the paranoia in particular erupts from a place fundamentally ingrained within the conservative psyche. an all-encompassing paranoia is the inevitable response to the acceptance of conservatism as an outlook on life or philosophy.

what is the essence of conservatism at its core, when stripped of the emperor's clothes? it is a dedication to the preservation of the status quo against the forces of change. and what is the only constant in the universe, as the saying goes? that's right, it's change, which i guess makes paranoia the only constant in the republican universe. who wouldn't be crippled by dread with the very laws of the universe arrayed against them?

thus conservatives struggle, in a futile battle they can never ever win. on their side, a homogeneous, aging, shrinking, increasingly unpleasant and disconnected and ultimately dying base that is less interested in recruiting fresh troops than in purging its few remaining heretics. across the battlefield, a younger, diverse, tolerant and growing army untainted by bitter memories of the cold war of the 50's or the culture wars of the 60's, 70's and 80's, for whom the terms liberal, far left, socialist, marxist and communist don't trigger a pavlovian release of the contents of their bladders. for conservatives, time will never be on their side.

bon appétit!

for thanksgiving, a comics blast from the past from 1983's "mutant world", by richard corben, underground master of form, shadow, light, color, direction, sheer fantasy and, especially here, existential horror:

(art by richard corben, story by jan strnad)

bigger than god

it's official: irs + secret service + homeland security > god:

wiley drake lifts call for 'imprecatory prayer' against president obama a former southern baptist convention officer who made headlines in june when he said on national radio that he was praying for barack obama to die now says he wants to see the president live long enough to stand trial for treason. ... wiley drake, pastor of first southern baptist church in buena park, calif., issued a press release nov. 19 calling for an end to "imprecatory prayer" — words of judgment from the book of psalms prayed back to god, directed toward obama. drake said he is now "calling for all of god's people and prayer warriors to cease the imprecatory prayer, and pray for mr. obama's protection until he can be properly tried for treason." drake attributed his change of heart to "spiritual counsel" of james david manning, pastor at atlah world missionary church in new york, contained in a 16 1/2-minute video recorded nov. 18. "i have asked men everywhere please do you no harm," manning said in remarks he addressed to "barack hussein the long-legged mack daddy obama." according to the merriam-webster online dictionary, "mack daddy" is slang for a slick womanizer or conspicuously successful pimp. "i do not want to see anyone attempt, dream about, think about or ever discuss assassinating you," manning continued. "it is most important to you and to my savior jesus that you live, and that you live a long life, but that you live that we might be able to bring you to trial. you see if someone does you harm, and you are not able to be brought to trial, then we lose the opportunity of proving our statements that you are not the president of the united states of america. you are not. you are an illegal alien, a usurper." manning preached a series of harsh sermons last year against then-candidate obama that prompted americans united for the separation of church and state to ask the irs to investigate him for violating rules governing tax-exempt charities against electioneering. he says he was visited by officials from the department of homeland security after a recent video message in which he advised people who strongly oppose obama to "be ready to die." drake, who was second vice president of the southern baptist convention in 2006-2007, said he was also questioned in his home by the secret service after he said in a fox news radio interview june 2 with alan colmes that he was praying for obama to die. ... drake, a third-party candidate for vice president from the american independent party on the california ballot in the 2008 presidential election, recently lost a round in an ongoing legal battle challenging the legitimacy of obama's presidency. u.s. district judge david carter dismissed a lawsuit filed by drake and other plaintiffs oct. 29, saying the constitution does not give federal courts, but only congress, the authority to remove a sitting president.

(hat tip to dr. conspiracy)