Yes, dear reader: you did read the headline correctly. The woman who was nearly vice president has quit her elected position without using the word “resigned” or even acknowledging that she is walking out on the people who elected her. In fact, the entire “letter” is couched in terms of “not seeking a second term,” which goes without saying since she couldn’t even finish the first one.

I chose to post the fulltext of the entire resignation letter because it is so rife with grammatical errors that there is virtually no way it won’t be redacted and edited. The closing line is just priceless: In the words of General MacArthur said, “We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”

During this stream-of-consciousness, Palin sways violently from characterizing the United States as the “Outside” (spelled with a capital “O”) on the one hand, to proclaiming that her unique style of politics is just what the United States needs. While this will be interpreted by some as a precursor to her “inevitable” 2012 presidential bid, there is no mistaking the subtext: Palin is an Alaskan separatist who seeks secession from the Outside.

While it is true that quitting so long before the end of her term will spare her further exposure to the media (which she absolutely cannot withstand), this has to be one of the most shameful displays of leadership that any self-respecting representative could conjure up.

We all know that the electorate (A.K.A. the “unwashed masses”) are a fickle group who will have forgotten Palin after a few weeks’ time, so the most damnable part of this spectacle is that it probably would serve to provide a favorable position for Palin, compared to her ongoing humiliation as a public servant. The inescapable paradox lying within this strategy is that it would presumably be in anticipation of further public service, which would apparently be harmed by continuing to serve as Governor of Alaska.

Got that? In order to not harm her chances as a future public servant, she must quit her current position as a public servant in order to avoid fatally damaging her hypothetical presidential aspirations. We’re not talking about quitting on the school board, and we’re not talking about waiting out a difficult term in office. We’re talking about the Governor of Alaska — essentially on a whim — up and leaving office with nothing more than a few weeks notice.

…and she is announcing this in time for July 4th! Srsly, peeps: this isn’t a presidential bid. This reads more like a 4th grader’s stuttering, guilty, and evasive partial apology for getting caught in the act of cheating, then dropping out of school instead of studying for the next test. It’s shameful, but hardly unbelievable.

RTFA: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/exec-column.php

Hi Alaska, I appreciate speaking directly to you, the people I serve, as your Governor.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.

I want Alaskans to grasp what can be in store for our state. We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln’s cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity. He boldly looked “North to the Future”. But he endured such ridicule and mocking for his vision for Alaska, remember the adversaries scoffed, calling this “Seward’s Folly”. Seward withstood such disdain as he chose the uncomfortable, unconventional, but right path to secure Alaska, so Alaska could help secure the United States.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska.

Alaska’s mission – to contribute to America. We’re strategic in the world as the air crossroads of the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. Bold visionaries knew this – Alaska would be part of America’s great destiny.

Our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. This land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, and oil and gas. It’s energy! God gave us energy.

So to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because I know in my soul that Alaska is of such import, for America’s security, in our very volatile world. And you know me by now, I promised even four years ago to show my independence… no more conventional “politics as usual”.

(more…)

Okay – this is totally hilarious: politician makes dumb remark on twitter, entire country responds (also on twitter).

My contribution: @petehoekstra I got a little sunburned today. Now I know what Chernobyl must have been like.

I think the term for this is “LMAO-schadenfreude.”

RTFA: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/twitter…

Earlier today, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) put up this astonishing post on Twitter, likening the oppression of the Iranian people to the plight of House Republicans:

Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House.

In the hours since, the Twitter community has responded — with massive heckling. Here’s just a small sample of some of the best ones:

ArjunJaikumar @petehoekstra i spilled some lukewarm coffee on myself just now, which is somewhat analogous to being boiled in oil

chrisbaskind @petehoekstra My neighbor stopped me to talk today. Now I know what it is like to be questioned by the Basij!

UPDATE: what have we here? Oh! Pete Hoekstra is now a meme.

The Quick Brown is a Fox News headline tracker that visually displays deltas (additions and edits) in a quick-to-grok manner. It’s actually possible to watch the sensationalizing in slow-motion, which is as sickening as it is fascinating.

For example, the headline “Obama: Tax cut by April 1″ becomes “Obama gearing up for fight.”

The text of the article shifts from:
“President says he’ll fight to change health care, energy and education — even if lobbyists don’t like it”
to
“President says he’ll fight to change health care, energy and education — as GOP objects to budget’s cost.”

It’s almost like the news is being corroded before our eyes, where a perfectly reasonable story about taxes is tailored into a standoffish piece about Obama targeting the party of Fox News.

RTFA: http://www.thequickbrown.com/

What?
The Quick Brown tracks changes in Fox News headlines.

Legend
Styles used to show edits:

Red with strikethrough
Text that has been removed.

Black inverted:
Text or story that has been added.

Red
The story was removed from the headlines list.

Light grey
A headline that stayed the same.

Statistics
Stories: 7231
Total amount of edits: 10193
Running for: 550 days

WOW. Now THIS is an interview. It’s almost like Wallace – what’s the word? – prepared? Yes – it’s as if he prepared for this interview, and it really doesn’t disappoint. Okay, there’s the one exchange where Wallace is begging Rand to agree with his point, but for the most part, this is INTENSE. Rand is amazingly intense, and it comes through loud and clear. This sequence is really a joy to watch.

RTFA presents, for your enjoyment, parts 1, 2, and 3.

RTFA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ukJiBZ8_4k

In this engaging 1959 interview, her first on television, Ayn Rand capsulizes her philosophy for CBS’s Mike Wallace. The discussion ranges from the nature of morality to the economic and historical distortions disseminated about the “robber barons.” She also comments on her relationship with Frank O’Connor, provides some autobiographical information and gives her perspective on the future of America.

This article about the impending collapse of the student loan bubble is a complicated read. It’s not that the subject matter is difficult; it’s that this issue strikes right to the core of my being, and fills me with such emotion that I can hardly contain it.

RTFA: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/060_2.html

The proportion of students who graduate with more than $40,000 in debt jumped sixfold during that period, to 7.7% of the 1 million grads in 2004, or 77,500 people. Most will struggle for more than a decade to work it off, assuming relatively low 6.8% interest rates, the Project on Student Debt says.

For many, the terms are far worse. A decade ago nearly all student lending was of the low-cost, federally guaranteed variety, most of it with 6% to 8% interest kicking in only after a student left school. As costs outpaced such financing over the past decade, the share of student loans from “private” lenders rose from 7% to 23% of the market, or $20 billion in the 2007–08 academic year.

The rise of private student lending closely paralleled the subprime mortgage boom, which went from 8% of home loan originations in 2003 to 20% in 2006, before the housing meltdown sent that mortgage sector over a cliff. Private student loans resemble subprime mortgages in other ways, too. As banks and brokers did with subprime home loans, colleges and the lenders in cahoots with them commonly market private student loans alongside lower-cost alternatives, blurring the differences.

Let me be specific: reading this article makes me absolutely homicidal. The dystopia of Harrison Bergeron is my life; I live with artificial weights on my brain and lead in my wallet.

Without a doubt, college debt is the single most worrisome burden in my life, and several nights a month, I am awake all night ruminating about how I will pay it back. It’s particularly frustrating to me that I am forced to choose between making capital investments (in tools and goods that will help me earn more) and debt payments, almost 50% of which is interest expense. Over the past 6 years, I have paid more than $7000 in interest alone, and I’ve barely paid down the principle by half a semester worth of tuition.

Maybe this is small potatoes when compared with the dumbass moves pulled by subprime debtors who purchased million-dollar houses, but we’re not talking about “irrational exuberance” and a pool in the backyard. We’re talking about college, and getting crippled for staying in school until you’re 21 years old… the very thing that was considered “responsible” and … even patriotic? After all, how else will the great U. S. of A. stay economically competitive, if not for the masochistic brainiacs who will grow up to work in the cubicle farms of Silicone Valley?

As a legal adult, I was debt-free for a single week of my life, during the brief period of time between my 18th birthday and the beginning of college orientation. Seven days. Seven fucking days. I had a job year-round during all four years of school, in one case working from midnight until 8am switching data backup tapes. During that timeperiod, my grades dropped significantly, which is clearly related to my twisted work patterns. I wore my clothes until they literally fell off my body, I aggressively scavenged or begged for free food at every opportunity, and I went dumpster diving for computer equipment several times a week.

To add insult to injury, my own family ridiculed me for investing in computer hardware instead of clothes and food, but the choice was not mine to make due to the nature of the degrees I was earning. They called me greedy, selfish, and entitled for wanting to talk about how we could restructure my loans based on the family’s home equity. (By the way, my home town didn’t experience a housing bubble, so the equity is intact, even today.) To anyone who wants to diminish my achievement, this pseudonymous blog isn’t the place for expressing my sentiment. The bottom line is that I worked longer and and scavenged harder than most people I know.

By the time I graduated, just over 2.8 years out of a 4-year degree had been paid for, with the remaining debt being enough to purchase a very decent luxury car, all the while accruing interest at rates as high as 8.5%. I distinctly recall the propaganda of the 1990s, which proclaimed that anyone could afford college. While I can’t vouch for the people who claim to be paying 15% and up, I can say that I’ve seen credit cards with lower interest rates, and that’s pretty twisted. If anyone thought purchasing a luxury car with a credit card was a good idea, then they would have no problem accepting the myth that college is affordable. I think that pretty well explains why this country is completely fucked, financially. …the fact that people are doing this to their own kids is downright heartless, almost like wombats eating their own newborn babies…

I can also say that as a result of this big scam, I’ve been forced to learn a lot about finances and accounting, and I’m better off for it. The experience has left me bitter and cynical, psychotically vengeful, and almost single-mindedly focused on this issue. When I stay up all night, thinking about this bullshit, I end up wandering around like a zombie for several days as I get back to a normal sleeping schedule. It’s no stretch to say that this interferes with my life, and that some of the best years of my youth have been pissed away as I frantically tried to work my way out of debt.

Please: let me hear more about bailing out these banks, and the billions-dollar bonuses being paid to Merril Lynch investors. This whole criminal enterprise makes me violently angry. I’m really fucking glad Bush was so aggressive about bankruptcy reform (in 2005), specifically preventing students from restructuring their debt during bankruptcy. Please remind me that I was born into the peasant class, and that I’m doomed to a life of long days and tiring labor. Please do.

…and raving about this problem on some blog is a huge consolation… Fuck! I need to destroy something. ROAR!