WTF Friday: Colorado Edition

Sometimes there's nothing better to say about a news story than "WTF?!" This is one of those times.

This past week, after Colorado racist Republican Tom Tancredo jumped into the CO governor's race (running under the American Constitution Party), Republican candidate Dan Maes reacted by unearthing - gasp - a truly WTF-inspiring smear campaign against Democratic Candidate and current Denver mayor John Hickenlooper.

Maes says that Hickenlooper's support of B-Cycle, a pilot program that provides about 400 bicycles for Denver residents to use for free to travel the city is evidence that he is "converting Denver into a United Nations community," whatever that means. He insists: "This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed...This is bigger than it looks on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms."

The Huffington Post says it best: "So, in other words, Dan Maes is deeply, unquenchably crazy."

(going on in Maes' head right now)

Sidenote: Tancredo's entry into the race (which will likely split the conservative vote) combined with Mae's emerging craziness is making things look pretty darn good for Hickenlooper.

WTF Friday: Oil Disaster Edition

WTF is with the linguistic manipulation of this petroleum-based environmental disaster? I'm refusing to use the term "spill." I also got really upset last night when a TV host called the situation a "natural disaster." There's nothing natural about millions of gallons of black, sticky fossil fuel gushing out of a human-made well. See below:

This whole situation is one big WTF, as in WTF was BP thinking with their gross (purposeful?) underestimations of the rate of oil coming out of the well, WTF is wrong with the US regulatory system, and WhyTF isn't there 100 times more public outcry for clean energy after all of this?

I nearly cried at work today looking at these nauseating photos of seabirds covered in oil, struggling to fly, and dead dolphins washed up on beaches. Imagine if we also had photos of every family who's now worried about paying their mortgage or having enough to eat this month because their income is Gulf-based.

And as always, my big question to you: what should we be doing from home, aside from boycotting BP and being legitimately angry? You can donate to the Audubon Society to help rehabilitate some of those poor birds here, and please share potential solutions for long-term Gulf economic and environmental recovery.

WTF Thursday

Since I don't anticipate being able to blog tomorrow (regularly scheduled WTF Friday), I'm officially declaring this WTF Thursday.

John McCain (you remember him, right? the let's-work-together, I-love-the-military, Mr. Bipartisanship of 2008?) is saying that he will "without a doubt" support a filibuster blocking the entire defense budget to stop the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. What is this man's problem?

He is also apparently asking the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to oppose the bill, even though Obama and the Defense Secretary support it.

This is Right-Wing Hatred and Obstructionism at its worst. Honestly, holding up the bill that funds protective gear for our men and women in combat, security at our airports, and oh yeah, those borders that the right is up in arms about, just in order to keep LGBT folks in the closet a little longer.

Gross.

Thanks to the Courage Campaign for this breaking story.

WTF Friday

Pennsylvania state Representative Babette Josephs accused her primary challenger, Gregg Kravitz of faking bisexuality to gain votes. She said “I outed him as a straight person.”

Who knew that being queer was a political plus these days?