Obama's Budget Visualized

Can you say, "Warmongering Welfare State?"

From sweet crude comes sweet flavors

Teargas used against civilians in Egypt: Made in the USA

LBJ buys pants

Put This On: LBJ Buys Pants from Put This On on Vimeo.

(via kottke)

Ian Baguskas' "Search for the American Landscape"

from urbanautica

ianbaguskas.com

China takes over Times Square

from shanghaiist

Made in the U.S.A.: ‎"Is this the next must-have vehicle for Arizona’s soccer moms?"

from warisbusiness 

Social Security Information Brochure (1961)

Battle Hymn of Sarah Palin

In-between Sarah's words about Tucson

wreckandsalvage

Palin's (much assailed and maligned) video

First Amendment, Inc.

From Life Magazine's "Inside the Westboro Baptist Church" photoessay:

US equivalents

America is graduate level citizenship

From James Fallows' "A No Regrets Response to the Tucson Shootings":

America is graduate level citizenship. It requires an advanced level of attention and maturity.  We are committed to share this country with people of opposite persuasions and to resolve our differences through political struggle and not violence, all the while accepting, respecting, and even honoring our foes as Americans.  Our foes keep us honest; our foes move us down the road toward wisdom.  America is, by definition, imperfect, because it is the never ending quest for the "more perfect union"; a union of foes. 

The Elephant in the Room

#27 comment from "Nineva" in NYC in "Federal Charges Cite Assassination Plan" (one of the best paragraphs I've read in a while):

Here's the elephant in the room: most Americans are poorly educated at this point in time, especially anyone under 30. They are most likely to embrace slogans, conspiracy theories, and to look for scapegoats because they are incapable of real participation in a democracy which involves constant pursuit of information and its analysis. Also, because of this lack of skill and preparation to be real contributors to society, they are unemployable in the new world economy and so in their chaotic lives, lack the time, and resources to be self educated even if they wished to be so. Finally, as Nature will have her say, they end up having children, and a whole new generation cannot get a leg up in our rapidly changing (not for the better) society. As we ignore this problem, of course they will be victims of an elite who will both fear them and try to use them and their precious votes to stay in or grasp power in our election cycles. That's where the dumbed down, inflammatory rhetoric comes to the fore. And if a good willed politician tries to communicate what's really good for them, their well tended anger makes them see it as condescension and elitism. A nice "win/win" don't you think? The past 35-40 years in American education is a disgrace compared to what we once had. My 84 year old parents had better educations in high school (one didn't even finish) than people I meet now with Masters' degrees - which I too, have. They had the good common sense to know when they were being HELPED in the Great Depression, rather than thinking they were being insulted; they could sort things out without always using the mirror of personal identity which is all you've got if you can't read a book.

Press Release from God

United States of Whatever

Animated Time-Lapse Map of Red-Blue America 1920-2008

Isarithmic History of the Two-Party Presidential Vote from d sparks on Vimeo.

[via ecopolitology]

American Voting Habits

Warisbusiness.com

War Is Business | who benefits? from War Is Business on Vimeo.

[Disclosure: I am on the Advisory Board of Warisbusiness.com]

Foreclosure Fraud Parody

[via fourteenthbanker]