Even Tom Arnold Can Out-Think Sean Hannity and Other Republicans | Crooks and Liars

Tom Arnold looks like a freaking genius when pitted against Hannity and the lobbyist puppets arrayed against him. Check it out.

Meanwhile, Lewis Black makes some chuckle-worthy assessments on The Daily Show.

Look, the GOP can’t even make an argument that a B-movie actor and a comedian can’t cut to shreds in quick succession. How the hell does this pass muster as a counter argument to the President’s plan?

Let me put it closer to home. How am I supposed to be that “Obamacare” or whatever they want to call it is bad for me and my family? How am I supposed to buy the “stay the course and go broke” argument? Last week I went to get Gabriel a refill on one of his meds. The pharmacy cuts the prescription 20% because the insurance company made them do it. So, I pay the same and get less for my 11 month old baby because the insurance company has the right to override the wishes of our pediatrician. And I’m supposed to like this?

Screw that. Pass the public plan. Hopefully it is worth the rhetoric and is something I can jump on board with to provide for my family.

Bob Cesca: Crazy Wingnut Healthcare Attacks Exposed

“The last time I renewed my driver’s license, it took less than five minutes. If I ever have the privilege of sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room and, subsequently, the exam room, for less than five minutes I’ll voluntarily pay triple the fee and send the doctor an enormous gift basket filled with, you know, a Lexus.”

More goodness from Bob Cesca on the bullshit GOP arguments against public health care.

How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit | Healthy and Green Living

Here are some tips on making a relatively safe cleaning kit. With Gabriel now interested in the contents of, well, ANYTHING, I figured I’d at least look into keeping the caustic chemicals away from him. This looks like a good start.

Granted, some things need the cleansing bomb sometimes, but I’m hoping to try to make the home somewhat safe for the little guy.

Rachel Maddow: July 20th, 2009

Last night’s Rachel Maddow show was pretty much all over the place as far as issues go. Granted, I often chafe at the cute factor lately and thinks she forgets that Obama is a moderate and likely will never go as left as much as she’d like – or even as much as I’d like. The difference? I realized that early and back most of his moves anyway.

That said, there was some good coverage on some pretty key issues yesterday so I figured I’d post them up for anyone interested. Here’s the transcript.

First up is our soldier captured by the Taliban that the GOP is apparently willing to write off to be killed by his captors. Real patriots, those asshats. PVT Bergdahl, get home safely.

Also, more coverage of the twits trying to screw us out of health care.

More on the House on C Street and the Talibangelical cult members who live there:

The real gem of last night’s show was the following clarification and correcting of Pat Buchanan’s racist screed from the other night. Honestly, THIS is why Maddow’s style works even though it may fall flat on the petty stuff.

Even House Twit Kent Jones had a decent segment.

I had these segments broken up well but since Flash died and MSNBC does a HORRIBLE job of archiving, I’ve had to pull what I can from archive.org and it is just damn hard to get things cut up just so.

Forty Years After Space Race, What’s Next? : NPR

NPR has been running a series tied to the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. A couple of high points have been an interview with Buzz Aldrin and a story on the hopefully accidental erasure of the original Apollo 11 tapes.

Also of interest is a backup speech that Nixon would have used if the landing had befallen some form of disaster. Pretty chilling but good that even Tricky Dick had a backup plan, something we haven’t seen in a president for the majority of this decade.

Wired had a rollup of related Apollo 11 news, some of it new to most of us.