Last Call

Just finished the midseason finale of Doctor Who.

Classic Steven Moffat.  Meaning that after my rage subsides, the work of decapitating every angel statue I can find begins.

For those of you wondering, the DVD will be out next month, and of course, there's the Christmas Special.  But yes...no more Amy and Rory.  Just...watch.

Podcast Versus The Stupid, Ep. 14

Saturday's show is up and as promised we have our first actual guest, Imani Gandy, the force behind Angry Black Lady Chronicles join Bon and myself for the hour for Episode 14, Skewed Towards Reality.

Listen to internet radio with Zandar Versus The Stupid on Blog Talk Radio

We've got Republicans unable to function when it comes to polls, Ann Romney reaching Upper Class Honey Badger status and our of craps to give anymore, Todd Akin's views on equal pay for women (hint, it's GUBMENT INTERFERENCE), the state of the Senate races, and a preview of Wednesday's first presidential debate.

As always, you can download the episode here, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and check out previous episodes here at the archive page.

Conspiracy Of Dunces

Republicans are bravely trying to manufacture a scandal in the hopes you'll forget just how awful the GOP really is.  Now it's a supposed massive coverup over the death of US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.

Earlier this week, Republican senators wrote to the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, demanding that she explain her statement, five days after the killings, that they were part of a spontaneous anti-US protest. Four senators signed the letter, including John McCain, which said Rice made “several troubling statements that are inconsistent with the facts and require explanation”.

The former New York mayor Rudolf Giuliani, who sought the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2008, went further, accusing the White House of a cover-up.

Speaking to Fox News, Giuliani said: “This is a deliberate attempt to cover up the truth, from an administration that claimed it wanted to be the most transparent in history. And it’s the worst kind of cover-up: the kind of cover-up that involves our national security. This is a cover-up that involves the slaughter of four Americans.”

Rice’s explanation of a spontaneous assault by a well-armed Libyan militia was maintained by the administration until 10 days ago when Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, called the killings a terrorist attack.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and the defence secretary, Leon Panetta, this week shifted away from the initial line. Clinton on Wednesday hinted that the al-Qaeda offshoot in North Africa may be tied up with the Benghazi assault.

The truth is we're still not sure what happened in Benghazi that night.  Police work is a little difficult to do in a foreign country, and the Libyan government isn't exactly being super helpful right now.

But if Rudy Giuliani has evidence and proof of a cover-up, let's see it.  What do you know, Rudy?  I'm betting "not much of a damn thing".  It's one thing to say the Obama administration has conflicting narratives based on lack of information.  It's entirely another thing to say it's another coverup.

Proof or shut it, Rudy.  You're irrelevant to American foreign policy anyway.  And for the guy who at one time was "America's Mayor" after 9/11, to be reduced to a tinfoil hat wearing moron?  How far you have fallen, man.

Get out of here and take your nonsense with you.

Man Shoots, Kills Armed Person Only To Learn It Was His Son

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the boy had never been in trouble with the law, and some of those who knew him described him as a good kid with an easygoing personality. Investigators and acquaintances said they were at a loss to explain what he was doing outside dressed all in black and carrying a weapon.

"Certainly, that is the major question we are trying to answer at this point," Vance said.

State police said the shooting happened after Jeffrey Giuliano got a call from his sister next door saying that someone might be trying to break into her home in their neighborhood of attractive colonial-style houses.Giuliano grabbed a handgun and went outside to investigate, troopers said.

He confronted someone in a ski mask and opened fire when the person came at him with something shiny in his hand, police said.

He shot, the person fell and died at the scene.  Several hours later, Giuliano learned he had shot and killed his own son. This good kid with an easygoing personality had apparently tried to break into his aunt's house, and was stopped by his own father.

I cannot imagine the crushing pain this man must feel.  He lost his son, his son's memory surely will come out of this tarnished if not outright destroyed, and somewhere in there he has to cope with the guilt of having pulled the trigger.  That he didn't know will be a bitter comfort at best.

What a sad story, with no good come from it.

Rapist Demands Visitation Rights For Child

A convicted rapist in Massachusetts is trying to win visitation rights to the child fathered when he raped a 14-year-old girl.

Jamie Melendez, now 24, was convicted of raping a middle school student he met when he was 17 and a foster child involved with a church youth group in Norfolk, Mass. According to the victim's attorney, Melendez went to the girl's house when he knew her mother would not be home and pressured her to have sex with him. She said she felt threatened and intimidated by Melendez.

Melendez pleaded guilty to the rape in 2011 and was sentenced to 16 years probation. Judge Thomas McGuire, who oversaw the criminal case against Melendez, remanded the case to Family Court in the Spring where Melendez was ordered to pay $110 a week in child support to the victim.

Now, Melendez has filed a petition in Family Court arguing that if he is forced to pay child support, he should have the right of visitation, a situation the victim's attorney says would be outrageously unjust.

This woman was raped, and her attacker now says if he has to pay child support then he should have visitation.  Could you imagine having to turn your beloved child over to a man who sexually attacked you?  This jackass is just running a bluff to say if he has to pay money he'll make her pay in fear, but the child is unsafe.

Every set of circumstances is unique.  Let this be a reminder to people who dismiss rape as fitting into a very narrow storyline.  This man is going to haunt this woman forever, and use her own child against her.  Depending on how smart the judges are, he might actually win because somehow paying child support has become leverage for guaranteed visitation.

Ann Romney Might Be Trying To Save Us All

...from her own husband, that is.

Ann Romney's biggest concern if her husband becomes president would be his ability to maintain his "mental well-being," she said in an interview Thursday with KTVN in Reno, Nev.

Asked what her primary worry would be should her husband succeed in defeating President Obama on Nov. 6, Mrs. Romney replied, "You know, I think my biggest concern, obviously, would just be for his mental well-being."

"I have all the confidence in the world in his ability, in his decisiveness and his leadership skills, in his understanding of the economy, in his understanding of what's missing right now in the economy - you know, pieces that are missing to get this jumpstarted," she continued. "So for me I think it would just be the emotional part of it."

If I didn't know better, I'd say Ann was lashing out at her husband for forcing her to go through with this disaster, and that she's about one more awful week away from Honey Badger territory on the "give a crap anymore" meter.  I mean, I'd like to think that she's trying to heroically save America from her husband, but I think she's finally figured out that the presidency is Mitt's new trophy wife, and well, the whole hell and the scorning thing.

Hey, I'll take "petty revenge" or "dispassionate loss of campaign mode filter out of apathy" or even "honest screw-up" here too, don't get me wrong.  She's right about the mental health part.  Mitt's in no way emotionally ready for this job, even less so than Bush was.

Either way, Ann is turning in the campaign's secret weapon.

For President Obama.

StupidiNews, Weekend Edition!

• President Obama has stopped the purchase of four wind farms in Oregon by a Chinese firm, citing national security reasons.
• GOP Rep. Kay Granger of Texas is blocking a $450 million disbursement of US foreign aid funds to Egypt, calling for a complete reassessment of the relationship between the countries.
• The upcoming fall term for the US Supreme Court could contain cases involving the federal Defense of Marriage Act, affirmative action, and drug detection dogs.
• Bank of America will pay nearly $2.5 billion to settle an investor lawsuit over the acquisition of Merrill Lynch.
• The FCC may go forward with a plan to buy out broadcasters to pick up new spectrum for mobile devices.