ATLmalcontent

Yet another conservative hypocrite

Married Louisiana senator David Vitter admitted yesterday he had hired hookers supplied by the infamous "D.C. Madam."

Last year, Vitter told the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

And, when asked directly whether he meant to say that gay marriage is more important that hurricane relief, he tried to clarify.

"What I meant," Vitter said, is that "the existence or non-existence of a stable, loving, two-parent household" is the most significant predictor of success in life, although "that doesn't mean you can't rear a child well in another environment." And, displaying a firm grasp of the obvious, Vitter also conceded that infidelity, divorce, and deadbeat dads contribute to the breakdown of traditional families.

Incestuous irony

Guess who was Marc Rich's former attorney?

Hypocrisy abounds

Remember when Bill Clinton was impeached -- for (obstensibly) lying to a grand jury? The GOP mantra then: rule of law, rule of law. Repeat.

Democrats ... not so much.

Nearly nine years later, Bush commutes the prison sentence of convicted perjurer Scooter Libby and the right applauds (and, for a day at least, stops jabbing him over illegal immigration). The left, meanwhile, is shocked, shocked that there's gambling in the casino. Via Hillary: "This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."

Ahem, Marc Rich?

Bork flips, flops, and falls over tort reform

Irving Kristol once defined a neoconservative as a liberal who had been mugged by reality. By the same token, can a liberal be defined as a neoconservative who had suddenly found a need for the tort bar?

We may find that out in a Manhattan court, where Robert H. Bork — the Supreme Court nominee rejected by the U.S. Senate in 1987 — filed a $1-million lawsuit today against the Yale Club of New York City, whose negligence, he says, was to blame for injuries he suffered in a fall at the club a year ago.

Mr. Bork, who is 80, said in the lawsuit that he had suffered injuries to his left leg and his head when he tripped while stepping onto a dais at the club to address a gathering sponsored by The New Criterion, a tradition-minded monthly journal of culture. According to the Associated Press, the suit accuses the Yale Club of “wanton, willful, and reckless disregard for the safety of its guests.” The suit, which cites the “excruciating pain” he has experienced during a recovery that continues, seeks damages for pain and suffering, medical treatment, lost work time, and lost income.

What would LRH say?

Don't be fooled by Kelly "Beard" Preston. John Travolta is gay, despite Scientology's best efforts.

I don't know from personal experience, but I know. I was the original Romeo San Vicente, after all.

More "proof" from Gatecrasher:

Which jet-setting married celeb has finally been banned from that Los Angeles hotel where he is infamous for hitting on male masseurs? No one wanted to handle his flabby back and wait for the inevitable come-on.   

Travolta flies jets. He's fat. And he likes dick.

I hope no one from the Cult of Scientology is reading this.

What I meant was ...

(Via Andrew Sullivan)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is." -- George W. Bush, April 9, 1999, criticizing President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo.

"I think it's also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn." -- George W. Bush, June 5, 1999.

Going off script

Former NFL player Pat Tillman used to be a right-wing hero, and deservedly so. Now he's but a footnote to discredit because he no longer makes for good propaganda.

Hypocrites on parade

Rage Against the Machine reunited Sunday. I am not a fan. Something you probably did not know: these self-professed Communists live, or lived (with the exception of Zack de la Rocha) in Hollywood mansions. I've got nothing against people enjoying their wealth, save for those who espouse a collectivist agenda.

I definitely have a beef with artists who support authoritarian regimes (see my review of "The Lives of Others"; I guess RATM would've been rooting for the Stasi).

Anyway, during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, the band staged a protest concert outside the Staples Center, attracting a fair share of Orange County "anarchists" wearing Che T-shirts and hammer and sickle pins (remember all those free concerts in Leningrad?) They were an easy crowd to incite -- and for that I don't hold RATM accountable. The police definitely overreacted, spraying the crowd with tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. (Although I have to admit, it was fun running away from the cops amongst a crowd of sweaty pseudo-revolutionaries.)

De la Rocha said of the incident, "I don't care what fucking television station said the violence was caused by the people at the concert, those motherfuckers unloaded on this crowd. And I think it's ridiculous considering, you know, none of us had rubber bullets, none of us had M16s, none of us had billy clubs, none of us had face shields."

He failed to mention the motorcade of SUVs that transported the band away from the riot. I watched them leave after they finished their set. Perhaps De la Rocha came back to join the fun, but I doubt it. In my account of the incident (written for an MTV subsidiary), that little detail was excised, less the corporate weasels offend one of the bands that was helping them all get rich.

RATM, it should be noted, was signed to Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony Records. So really, they were just a cog in the machine they raged against.

And now they're back, no doubt ready to capitalize on our blundering Commander-in-Chief. Don't believe their hype.

Hypocrite du jour

Bush's former global AIDS czar, one of the leading proponents of abstinence-based sex education, resigned Friday fter admitting he was in a D.C. madam's little black book. Guess he'll have to turn in his blue ribbon (the symbol of the "true love waits" crowd).

Hypocrite du jour

It's Giuliani's turn:

In a startling departure from his previously stated position on civil unions, Mayor Giuliani came out to The New York Sun yesterday evening in opposition to the civil union law just passed by the New Hampshire state Senate.

"Mayor Giuliani believes marriage is between one man and one woman. Domestic partnerships are the appropriate way to ensure that people are treated fairly," the Giuliani campaign said in a written response to a question from the Sun. "In this specific case the law states same sex civil unions are the equivalent of marriage and recognizes same sex unions from outside states. This goes too far and Mayor Giuliani does not support it."

Seems like Rudy's learning -- you can't win over the base unless you bash gays.

On a February 2004 edition of Fox News's "The O'Reilly Factor," Mr. Giuliani told Bill O'Reilly, when asked if he supported gay marriage, "I'm in favor of … civil unions." ...

Asked by Mr. O'Reilly in the interview how he would respond to gay Americans who said being denied access to the institution of marriage violated their rights, Mr. Giuliani said: "That's why you have civil partnerships. So now you have a civil partnership, domestic partnership, civil union, whatever you want to call it, and that takes care of the imbalance, the discrimination, which we shouldn't have."