Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 959

'Impeach Obama' Bumper Stickers Sell in Town Hall Season

World Net Daily, the preeminent news source for birtherism and articles like "Watch Evolutionists Stumble Over Theory's 'Proof,'" has found a way to capitalize on the talk of town hall meetings this month: impeachment. WND founder Joseph Farah set up an "impeachment store" on WND's website, where like-minded individuals can purchase a new book out today, Impeachable Offenses: The Case for Removing Barack Obama from Office, as well as various "impeach Obama" bumper stickers.

[image error]There seems to be a demand for these kinds of items. Earlier this month, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), told town hall attendees that the House favors impeaching Obama: "If we were to impeach the president tomorrow, you could probably get the votes in the House of Representatives to do it. But it would go to the Senate, and he wouldn’t get convicted.” Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI) echoed Farenthold's statements at a Birmingham Bloomfield Republican Club meeting this month. He said it would be a "dream come true" to write the bill that impeached the president. And Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) told constituents last week that the U.S. is "perilously close" to impeaching the president. 

Farah told Talking Points Memo WND's "impeachment store" is just good business.

Frankly, we’ve noticed a real increase in interest in the whole topic. Everybody is talking about impeachment. … We’ve got a very hot book on the subject. And I noticed that people who were buying the book were also buying bumper stickers, and so we decided we would make it easy for them.

[image error]The bumper stickers read "Honk for Impeachment," "Lights On for Impeachment," and the original, "Impeach Obama!" Curiously, Farah won't put one on his car. He told TPM, “I don’t have any bumper stickers on my car. But if I did, I think I’d have an impeachment bumper sticker.”

Sadly, WND is a little late to the impeachment merch game. A quick eBay search reveals these bumper sticker options: 

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Which admittedly don't look quite as well done as WND's offerings. But delve deeper into the extreme conservative pit of eBay and you'll find more creative options, like this perhaps ill-advised Arabic stylization of Obama:

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Or this one, which you have to think about for a minute:

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Over at CafePress, someone's figured out what rhymes with "impeach":

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And if you're not content to show your impeachment support on your car, there are also many wearable options. Via eBay, here's a cute women's tank top (displayed on a less-cute couch):

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And an artful Ed Hardy-ish tee for the more stylish impeachment advocate:

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There's even something for your baby:

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So basically, you don't just have to rely on WND to fulfill your impeachment merch needs. And as long as Congress keeps talking about the impossible task of impeaching the president, you can bet sites will continue to stock the goods. 

       

Chelsea Manning Would Pay for her Own Hormone Therapy in Prison

Chelsea Manning's
    

White House Preparing to Release Justification for Syria Strike

In the next day or so, the Obama administration will release a declassified report justifying military action in Syria, according to CBS News's Major Garrett. That report is meant as a precursor to any military options the president may decide to take against the country in retaliation for a devastating chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week. The report will concentrate on what the U.S. believes are Syrian violations of the Geneva Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

Officially, American military intervention in Syria is still an "if," as evidenced by Press Secretary Jay Carney's repeated refusal at today's press briefing to "speculate" on what the president is considering at this time. But John Kerry's forceful speech on Syria today brought many to the conclusion that the "if" was now a "when." During that speech, Kerry promised the release of additional information pertaining to the U.S.'s stance that the existence of a chemical attack in Syria last week was "undeniable," and that the bulk of evidence suggested the Assad regime was behind it. Plus, the U.S. already has cruise missiles in range of the country, according to multiple reports. CBS's report, based on accounts of a Saturday meeting between Obama's top national security advisers, bolsters the case that the U.S. is preparing to choose a military course of action against Syria. And while that's not a certainty at this time, there is little out there to suggest otherwise. An anonymous official told CNN, for instance, that military action against Syria could happen as soon as mid-week, should the president go ahead an authorize it. 

The international community, led by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, have pressured the Obama administration to take decisive action against Syria in retaliation for the chemical attacks. But Assad isn't the only one who would like to see the U.S. stay away from intervention. Russia, for one, s
    

New Mexico's Largest County Will Begin Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

On Monday, a New Mexico district judge ordered the clerks in two of New Mexico's largest counties to issue same-sex marriage licences to any otherwise qualified couple that requests them. The decision, which seemed to pleasantly surprise the same-sex marriage activists awaiting Judge Alan Malot's decision, is just the latest heartening news for gay marriage supporters in the state. Bernalillo County, the state's most populous, will begin issuing the licences on Tuesday. The other, Santa Fe County, was already issuing them based on a separate court order on Thursday. That brings the number of counties in the state granting same sex marriage licences up to three: Doña Ana County's clerk began giving out marriage licenses to gay couples last week on his own. 

Same sex couples celebrating the news in courtroom. #samesexmarriage pic.twitter.com/BmrlUyS65D

— Melissa Colorado (@melissacolorado) August 26, 2013

Echoing the legal argument from Doña Ana County clerk Lynn Ellins, judge Molot found nothing in current state law that bans same-sex marriages in the state. Instead, Malot cited the state's equal protection and anti-discrimination laws as an indication to the contrary, that New Mexico law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. New Mexico law, he ruled,

"Does not preclude nor prohibit issuance of a marriage license to otherwise qualified couples on the basis of sexual orientation or the gender of its members."

Judge Molot is now the second New Mexico judge in just a few days to find that state law doesn't prohibit same-sex marriage. Late last Thursday, District Judge Sarah Singleton ordered Santa Fe's clerk to begin issuing the licenses. The clerk there, Geraldine Salazar, supports gay marriage and has shown no indication of contesting the order, according to the AP.

Molot's ruling surprised activists in part because the original intent of the Monday hearing was much narrower. The judge was set to rule on whether Santa Fe County had to issue a marriage license to a lesbian couple with one terminally ill partner. The couple's request for an emergency ruling was rendered moot by Judge Singleton's Friday order to Santa Fe County, pertaining to a separate case.

Bernalillo county already has 1,000 same-sex marriage licence papers on hand, in anticipation of today's ruling. All they have to do before Tuesday, according to ABC affiliate KOAT, is reconfigure their computers to handle the change. But some gay couples in the county are already filling out the paperwork ahead of time: 

Another couple is filling out an application at the clerk's office. They say they'll be back tomorrow. #NMSameSexMarriage

— Mike Springer (@MSpringerKOAT) August 26, 2013

While incremental, the ruling is just the latest of many favorable developments for same-sex marriage supporters in the state. And here's a sign that opponents are taking the momentum seriously: last week, a group of GOP lawmakers in the state indicated their intent to sue in order to block county clerks from issuing same-sex licenses. 

       

VMAs Twerk All the Way to Ratings Success

Today in show business news: MTV had a big night last night, we finally sort of know what Tomorrowland is about, and get ready for a Horrible Bosses TV show.

The ratings for MTV's Video Music Awards are in and they are a big improvement over last year's. Around 10.1 million people tuned in for the big show last night, up a whopping 66 percent from last year. (Though, Deadline is quick to point out that these numbers are still lower than those posted in previous years, spoilsports.) So what brought people back to the show after ignoring it last year? Was it all the big performances, by people like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, who both have new albums out this fall? Perhaps. But it seems much more likely that it was Miley Cyrus and her twerk heard round the world. I think people tuned in to watch Miley Cyrus twerk. The people wanted twerking. So get ready to see twerking in a lot of programs looking for a ratings bump in the future. Big Bang Theory dips a little as it ages? Sheldon starts twerking. Mark Harmon and Pauly Perrette furiously twerking while DiNozzo looks on. Ed O'Neill twerking sadly by the swimming pool with Manny. Anderson Cooper on his talk show set, twerking like a fool. An entire Survivor made up of twerking challenges, with a twerking Jeff Probst. It's what the people want right now so everyone's going to get on board. Buckle up. We're in for a rumpy ride. [Deadline]

We finally have a synopsis for Tomorrowland, the shadowy Disney movie directed by Brad Bird and starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson. (Yes.) Shooting has begun, and to commemorate the occasion Disney released a sketchy plot description. Are you ready for it? Here it is:

Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."

So... Huh. The script was co-written by Damon Lindelof, that guy who sets up a great mystery only to not really end it (Lost, Prometheus). So this could be cool in the beginning and then bad by the end, or it could be good throughout (Brad Bird is co-writing after all) or, y'know, it could be bad from start to finish. Who knows! The one certain thing at the moment is that it is not a movie version of the section of DisneyWorld. I mean, right? I see nothing here about the two riding through some kind of "space mountain." I suppose that could be in there, but for the time being I think we're safe. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Syfy has ordered a series pilot based on Terry Gilliam's mind-bending 1995 sci-fi mystery 12 Monkeys. That's the one with crazy Brad Pitt and time travel and Madeleine Stowe and all that. Which, sure, that could make a could series, what with the two time periods and everything. I'm already shuddering thinking about what goofy method-y actor will be chosen to play the loony-tunes Pitt character, but other than that, sure, fine. Why not. [Entertainment Weekly]

Universal has changed the title of its Seth Rogen/Zac Efron comedy, about a guy with a wife and kid who moves next door to a frat house, from Townies, a kind of fun, mean title, to Neighbors. Huh? Neighbors? That's it? Who made this decision, George Bush? Look, unless it stars Kylie Minogue or Natalie Imbruglia, it's not Neighbors. Change it back, Universal. [The Hollywood Reporter]

There will be a series based on Horrible Bosses, or at least CBS is interested in developing one. The network just bought a pitch from that hit film's writers, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (all grown up!), called Punching Out. Different title, same-ish premise: Guys who hate their jerky bosses. (Why wasn't the movie called Jerky Bosses? Much better title.) But the show doesn't seem to have a murder element, like the movie did. Which is probably for the best. Didn't you find that part, meaning the whole premise of the movie, to be a little jarring? "Oh so now they're going to... murder Jennifer Aniston. Great." So, yeah, best to avoid that for the show probably. [Deadline]

       

The Long Political Tradition of Chilling with People You Later Want to Attack

John Kerry's stern denunciation of Syria's use of chemical weapons on Monday put the Secretary of State in an exclusive club: members of the United States government who met with world leaders they later wanted to attack.

Kerry and Syria's Bashar al-Assad have met on multiple occasions, when Kerry was a senator from Massachussets. In January 2005, the two met in Syria, as pictured in the image at the top of this article. As BuzzFeed noted last September, the two also had dinner in 2009 at a restaurant in Damascus.

When Kerry had dinner with Assad a few years ago. http://t.co/TfCBFW5wNw pic.twitter.com/LMAeFPrbDE

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) August 26, 2013

Other examples:

Donald Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein, December 1983

Perhaps the most famous example of the genre was the meeting between Rumsfeld, then a special envoy for President Reagan, meeting with Saddam Hussein at the height of the Iran-Iraq War. The conditions of that meeting were distinctly different than Kerry's with Assad. For example, Rumsfeld and the Reagan administration knew that Hussein had and was using chemical weapons in that conflict.

George H. W. Bush and Manuel Noriega, December 1983

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Image via the Associated Press.

At the same time that Rumsfeld was traveling to Iraq, the then-vice president met with Panama's Manuel Noriega at the airport in Panama City. Noriega was then the new leader of the traditional ally of the United States.

Six years later, Bush was president and ordered an invasion of Panama to seize Noriega, ostensibly for his involvement in drug crimes. Noriega was captured and served a term in prison in the United States.

John McCain and Muammar Gaddafi, 2009

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While the senator from Arizona was never in a position to actually order an attack on Hussein, he was a staunch advocate for the use of force against the Libyan leader during that country's civil war in 2011. At Salon, Justin Elliott pointed out the hypocrisy:

He’s been calling for the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi not only on humanitarian grounds, but also because Gadhafi has “American blood on his hands” from the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. However, just 18 months ago, McCain himself traveled to Tripoli to talk to Gadhafi about a transfer of American military equipment.

McCain enjoyed that trip, praising Gaddafi's ranch.

Richard Nixon and Fidel Castro, April 1959

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Image via the Associated Press.

In 1959, Nixon, vice president to Dwight Eisenhower, met with Castro in Washington. (Eisenhower preferred golf over welcoming the newly-minted Cuban leader.) According to author Lamar Waldron, only months later, Nixon played an instrumental role in the government's turn against Castro. "In 1960, V-P Nixon helped to forge perhaps the darkest connection in American politics," Waldron writes, "bringing together the CIA and the Mafia in plots to assassinate Fidel Castro." This has been reported elsewhere, for what it's worth.

       

Catfight: Internet Salivates Over Siri & Google Glass Showdown

[image error]Everyone loves a good catfight, even when it involves two robot-assistants who exhibit female characteristics but are not actually human. Earlier today, over a dozen tech blogs delighted in the war of words that broke out between Apple's personal assistant software, Siri, and Google Glass's technology Google Voice Search.

The sparring began when Siri got sassy about Google Glass, as noticed by Twitter user Sean M. Brage. "I think that Glass is half empty," the bot responded when asked about the wearable computing technology. (It turns out that the vindictive dorks at Apple programmed Siri with a bunch of slams against Siri, a few of which can be seen over at The Verge.)

In response, Google responded with the following quip, attributable to its headset: "Siri, it's not you, it's me. You see, I just met Google Voice Search and fell hard for her. She doesn't just listen; she understands me." (It's unclear if Google's Voice Assistant actually says those words when prompted by a user; a Google spokesperson relayed them to us on behalf of Glass, which is still in beta and not yet available to consumers.)

Surely, some of the fascination with this verbal sparring between two non-sentient beings has to do with the fact that it's the last Monday before the end of summer. Or maybe some tech geeks just like watching female proxies fight. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

       

Rookie Pitcher Matt Harvey Tears UCL; Mets Fans Weep

The New York Mets cannot have nice things. An unprovable statement, yes, but an easy one to believe after hearing the news that the perpetually-struggling team just lost the most promising man in its pitching rotation.

According to Newsday's Marc Carig, the Daily News' Andy Martino and WFAN's Mike Francesa, the Mets' rookie starting pitcher Matt Harvey, 24, underwent an MRI Monday morning and was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear. Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed the news in a short press conference this afternoon, but wouldn't confirm whether or not Harvey will undergo surgery. He's shut down for the rest of the season, though, that much is for sure.

This is fairly tragic news for the Mets organization: Harvey was the shining star at the center of an otherwise forgettable season: He pitched well, made the All-Star team, and endeared himself to New Yorkers, as seen in this Jimmy Fallon sketch: 

If Harvey does go under the knife, he'll likely have Tommy John surgery, keeping him off a pitching mound for a full twelve months and dealing a huge blow to his development as a starting pitcher and the Mets' plans for next year. (Harvey was to anchor the team's pitching rotation, which is hard to do from a rehab clinic.)  So far, Mets fans' reactions are a mix of panic, self-reflection, and utter resignation:

Don't ask me about Matt Harvey.

— Sean Fennessey (@sean_fennessey) August 26, 2013

Hoping my sons aren't alone when they hear this @AdamRubinESPN: Got confirmation: Parial UCL tear in elbow for Matt Harvey.

— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) August 26, 2013

This sucks. Matt Harvey pitching is good for baseball. RT @MarcCarig: Alderson confirms ligament tear, likely DL, can't rule out surgery.

— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) August 26, 2013

Given the Matt Harvey news, R.A. Dickey's most amazing accomplishment might have been not getting hit by lightning as a Met.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) August 26, 2013

FFFFFFFFF MT @Ken_Rosenthal Source: #Mets’ Harvey has partially torn UCL. Will be shut down. Determination on TJ surgery will be made later.

— Jonah Keri (@jonahkeri) August 26, 2013

The Mets are a 190-character Fiona Apple album title in professional sports franchise form.

— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) August 26, 2013

lol @ being a mets fan

— maura johnston (@maura) August 26, 2013

If you know a Mets fan, hold them close tonight. Maybe things will turn around soon. 

To be fair, the Mets have had such an incredible run of good luck over the past few years, they were due for a setback.

— Jonah Keri (@jonahkeri) August 26, 2013

(Ha ha ha, don't count on it.) 

       

Ironic Excitement Builds for Timothy Geithner's Book

Despite saving the American economy while maintaining his boyish good looks, Timothy Geithner can't catch a break. Ever since it was announced that he is writing a book about his term as President Obama's Treasury Secretary during the Great Recession, Geithner has been mocked for the forthcoming tome. The hashtag #GeithnerBookTitles has become a sensation all of its own, with faux-titles like Tale of Two Citis practically writing themselves.

Today, the book's publisher, Crown, inadvertently released the actual name of the book, Stress Test, in a catalog listing for the title. The name of the book was first noticed by journalist Lizzie O'Leary:

Please oh pretty please let this be the real title: http://t.co/NUXZeJQ8Ag

— Lizzie O'Leary (@lizzieohreally) August 26, 2013

David Drake, a senior vice president at Crown, quickly assured The Atlantic Wire that that had merely been "a working title," one that should have never found its way into the catalog. He also says that the current release date — listed as May 6, 2014 — is merely "a placeholder."

This didn't prevent Twitter from having fun at Geithner's expense:

UPDATE: Geithner's memoir still untitled. It's still being, uh, stress tested... http://t.co/fg4MKlIsQl

— Steve Goldstein (@MKTWgoldstein) August 26, 2013

Geithner's forthcoming memoir appears to be called "Stress Test." (Or "On Timothy Geithner.") http://t.co/9oY8wCzyPW via @lizzieohreally

— Annie Lowrey (@AnnieLowrey) August 26, 2013

In case you're interested in actually reading about the policy decisions that Geithner made, his book is described as follows in the catalog copy:

[image error]Secretary Geithner will chronicle how decisions were made during the most harrowing moments of the crisis, when policy makers faced a fog of uncertainty, risked catastrophic outcomes, and had no institutional memory or recent precedent to guide them. He will aim to answer the most important--and to many the most troubling--questions about the choices he and his colleagues made, the strategies they adopted, and the economic aftermath. By describing what went right, what went wrong and the lessons learned along the way, Secretary Geithner intends to provide a "play book" that future policy makers can draw on and that the public can use to understand how and why governments act in crisis.

As for the cover? We doubt it's the finished product. Still, New York magazine's Kevin Roose offered his thoughts on the design:

Stress Test will also, hopefully, have a different cover from the one currently pictured. Because this one is boring. And has the wrong title on it.

That it does, Kevin. That it does.

       

The Onion Predicts the Collapse of Miley Cyrus

We realize there's only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cellphone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why, every day, The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:

Sometimes The Onion is way off. Other times, like in the case of Miley Cyrus, it's so on it's not even funny:

Keeping with the theme of way off and on, Russia is way off when it comes to certain things (see: gay rights). But sometimes, you have to admire the Russian spirit and its very distinct way of dealing with things like terrible, cell phone-using drivers: 

This pageant contestant was asked what sense she would like to have if she could only have one. Her cringe-worthy answer made me realize that a sense of hearing is not all that it's cracked up to be:

And finally, on this lovely summer Monday, let us enjoy the fond feelings of a rabbit and a squirrel: