Bits and Pieces

From the Washington Postthis morning on the intellect of the GOP, a report that Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev) -- who wants to run for the Governorship of Nevada in '06 -- gave a Lincoln Day Dinner speech which, according to the Elko Daily Free Press, "...brought the crowd to a feverish pitch." The one of two hot, neocon buttons Rep. Gibbon's used was abortion. But, there was a problem. Jimmy stold the speech (which was copyrighted) from somebody else.

This was great fire-breathing stuff, surely one of Gibbons's greatest, most thoughtful addresses. Unfortunately, Free Press reporter Dave Woodson wrote Friday, it was lifted wholesale from a copyrighted speech by Alabama State Auditor Beth Chapman, given at a Stand Up for America rally in Alabama on Feb. 2, 2003.

In fact, 15 paragraphs of Gibbons's speech were lifted from Chapman's 21-paragraph talk. But surely not his best line -- the one where he says: "I say we tell those liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals to go make their movies and their music and whine somewhere else." Surely that's Gibbons's?

Then we've got these gems from AlterNet Peek:

It's the occupation, stupid Or wait, actually he gets it. Bush: "We want democracy in xxx to succeed. And we know it cannot succeed so long as she is occupied by a foreign power..." Unbelievably, that "xxx" up there contained "Lebanon" and not "Iraq." Allow prof. Juan Cole to give you a stroll through the history of terrorism and why Bush just got it right on... (Brad Blog & Informed Comment) Posted by Evan on March 7, 2005 @ 5:26AM.

'Thank God for 9/11'So it turns out that the crackpot Westboro Baptist Church (whose website reads "God Hates Fags") ran around with big colorful signs just after 9/11 which read: "Thank God For 9/11." Couple quick observations. After the discovery of Ward Churchill's somewhat less inflammatory words a few weeks back (watch Ward on Maher), right wingers were calling for an overhaul of academia. Will their cries to remake the church be as loud? And, where is church outrage? (Crooks and Liars) Posted by Evan on March 7, 2005 @ 5:19AM.

Finally, the New York Times, "Quote of the Day:"

QUOTATION OF THE DAY
"I don't need any money; I have plenty. This is why it is easier for me to take this money."GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, on political fund-raising.