Media Bytes - Eve of Destruction edition

Song in my head. It certainly fits my week. Two people I know died in the last few days. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

So it's been a while since I've done one of these posts. I haven't been getting around Blogtopia much with the election heating up and I've been posting my fingers to the bone over at DetNews trying to sway that swing state but people have been sending me stuff that I'm remiss on posting so here's some links old and new for your amusement and edification.

For your reading pleasure Dan at Pruning Shears dissects the failure of conservatism.

Conservatism as practiced for the last quarter century has produced the mess we all must now clean up. It has also produced a horrifically costly war based on lies and fear, and crippled our bureaucracy to the point of incapacity in the face of natural disaster. We are now living with the logical result of the authoritarianism, militarism, corruption, fearmongering, callousness and greed that conservatism has meant in practice. It is understandable that its defenders want to change the subject, or feebly claim that we now need some kind of post-ideological paradigm or are reduced to farcical attempts at distancing. But that is no reason for the rest of us to accept such silliness.

On the flip side, here's an interesting article on Rachel Maddow and the rise of liberalism on the teevee.

Hart Williams gets his rant on about our idiot media and right wing utopia.

Julia at FDL reports from the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in midtown Manhattan where both Obama and McCain spoke.

Over at Making Light they have good news and bad news about the GOP's ongoing plot to steal the vote.

From Hilzoy comes the quote of the day, even though this is yesterday's post. Read this one if you read nothing else. It will especially resonate with those of you who love to travel.

What I mind about Sarah Palin is not, and has never been, her small town. It's her small and incurious mind.

Speaking of Palin, I posted about this project a few days ago and $760,000 was raised for Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name. The McCain campaign should get about 70,000 thank you cards. PP now has a open letter to Sarah saying she's not our candidate. You can sign here in a 30 seconds or less.

Which brings us to the debate and McCain. You may have noticed the old POW has a little problem with eye contact.

In the spin room afterward, Palin was noticeably missing but Joe Biden was on fire.

And anybody who played the debate drinking game according to John Cole's rules is probably dead from alcohol poisoning this morning.

Speaking of dead, this is so sad. They're tearing down Shea stadium. Regular readers know I've been a life long Mets fan and I've never had the chance to go there and see them play. Now I never will.

Moving on to lighter fare to end this edition on higher note, this is cheering. The Economist is running a global electoral vote poll. The current score is 7,999 for Obama to 12 for McCain.

The bailout bill isn't that amusing but Wanda Sykes on the bailout made me laugh.

These drunken patriots also made me laugh but more in horror than amusement. One can only hope they're too sloshed to get to the polls.

And finally for the eye candy, the thousand ruby galaxy. It makes me wish I could live long enough to be a space traveler.

[hat tips to Avedon and the Atriots in the comment section at Eschaton.]

[More posts daily at The Newshoggers and The Detroit News.]