MOMocrats

Dick Cheney's "Quagmire"

Please watch this video of Mr. Evil himself, Dick Cheney, in 1994.

Even Dick himself didn't think invading Iraq was a good idea: "How many dead Americans is Saddam worth?...Not very many."

Spread the word and donate to moveon.org.

Ahi-gate! McCain "family recipes" lifted from Food Network

Dear Cindy McVain,

It's not that I have a huge problem with you passing along recipes that you enjoy—people do that all the time. Otherwise how would everyone know how to make that crushed ramen noodle-cabbage salad thing?

It's not even that I have a problem with you riffing off of a recipe that you found online and adapting it to suit your tastes. Again, such is the nature of recipes. And heck, it's even okay to reprint a recipe that is adapted from somewhere else as long as it has the requisite 3 or 4 changes so it's not like the original recipe. But it is polite to let people know where you got your ideas if they aren't your own.

What I have a problem with is you lifting delicious-sounding recipes from the Food Network and then trying to pass them off as if you've been cooking them at home for the past 35 years. I do think it's a little, oh, I don't know—psycho?!?! that you did that to create the illusion that you cook these foods for your husband and children and that you enjoy them together as a family. And, Cindy, you didn't even try to change them, not even a little bit. (Okay you changed one word, "salad" to "slaw.") Hi, Cindy! Welcome to the internet! We can see you, you know.

I love that the recipes you have chosen "Ahi with Napa Cabbage Slaw," "Passion Fruit Mousse," "Farfalle with Turkey Sausage, Peas, and Mushrooms" sound just exotic enough to show how worldly-but-not-too-wordly you folks are without being totally inaccessible to the unwashed masses.  Oooh, ahi. That's Hawaiian for tuna...but they have it at Costco.

But wait, Ahi with Napa Cabbage? Sesame oil? Soy sauce? Isn't that gook food? You're telling me your husband eats that?

And Passion Fruit Mousse. Come on, Cindy. You know you aren't cooking that. With all the time it takes to whip up your airy and frothy hairstyles, when do you have time to whip up an airy and frothy dessert? But you're right, it sounds delicious. And I like how you subliminally slipped in the word "passion." As in your husband's "passion" for war-mongering?

"Cindy's Recipes." What an absolutely rich oxymoron. That's like me saying "Stefania's Beatles Album Collection." Ain't happening. Trust me.

Everything you McCains put out there for public consumption is an absolute fraud. A total sham. Right down to your pathetically plagiarized recipes.  Thanks for helping to remind us of that.

[image: the Huffington post. Clink the link above for more side-by-side comparisons.]

For the record, MOMocrats co-founder Stefania Pomponi Butler loves that ramen noodle-cabbage salad thing.

MOMocrats WTF of the Day: Barack Obama's Passport Breach

So, what I want to know is, "Who's been looking at Barack Obama's private information?" I'm looking at you, George W. Bush. And the gang of criminals that are actually running this country. Into the ground.

And then what I want to know is why anyone would want to run for president and have to endure all the bullshit that Barack Obama has had to endure? I mean, the stained blue dress incident is pretty shitty, but Hillary Clinton has not had to face the same level of hideousness (from racism to death threats) that Barack Obama has. No one has tried to tie her to terrorists because of her name or insulted her mother for her parenting choices or threatened to assassinate her if she gets elected. P.S. Thanks for feeding the Wright story to the superdelegates, Hill. Appreciate it!

This is disgusting. And I hope we get to the bottom of the story, like, yesterday.

Bush: An Iraq Anniversary Present for You

Dear President Bush,

It's been five years.  Five years, can you believe it?  It seems like yesterday that you were sending your minions out to scare the hell out of the public about "weapons of mass destruction" and Condi was warning us about a potential mushroom cloud.

Even then, when Congress (and a lot of the public) seemed to be behind you, I was frustrated.  I would rant to my husband, "If they have all this damn proof then why don't they tell us what it is?!?"  T would calmly explain to me that information like that might compromise sources, agents, etc....  But compromising our soldiers and their families?  No big deal.

Since then, all of that hullabaloo has been debunked.  It turns out that you were just finishing up some of your daddy's business.  At least that's my theory on the matter.

Today, your approval rating is around 26%.  But in your oxygen deprived bubble, that's a clear mandate on the Iraq war.  Why else would you be spouting off about how we're on the verge of victory in Iraq and have "opened the door to a major strategic victory in the war on terror."

I know you say you swore of the drink and the drugs awhile ago but, ARE YOU HIGH, MR. PRESIDENT????

Spitzer to Resign

New York Governor Eliot Ness Spitzer has decided to resign.  Is this a surprise to anyone?

In the wake of the call girl scandal, was there really any other option? I've read that Spitzer's wife was encouraging him to remain on as Governor. I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps she can take a hell of a lot more public humiliation then I can, but she also has 3 teenage girls. What kind of message is she sending them?

Of course, if Spitzer were my husband it would be a non-issue because he'd currently be at the bottom of the Hudson River. I'm not sure which allegation was worse - the prostitute or the fact that he spent more than $80,000 on them! Do you know what all of us normal people could do with $80,000????

Lieutenant Governor David Peterson will take over, becoming the first black man to be governor of New York. Perhaps we can all move on now and get back to talking about important things like, say, the downward spiral of the economy, the war, why on earth I can't find the time to watch the last episode of Project Runway, and the election.

Stephanie also writes about politics and daily life at her personal blog Lawyer Mama.

Hussein's Dice

When my parents immigrated to the US in the 1970s, they slapped white bread names on all of us: you know, of the Bob, Bill, Dick variety.  They were abiding by the conventional wisdom of the time - that by giving us easy to pronounce, American names, we would have less difficulties assimilating into the predominately white suburb where we were moving.  But even the simplest of first names could not diffuse the timebomb of mockery that was our relatively difficult to pronounce surname.

I don't believe there was a single person (except other Chinese-Americans) throughout my elementary or secondary school years who pronounced my last name correctly.  And the most common mispronunciation of my last name rhymed with "banger".  Or "bonger" (depending on who was mispronouncing it).  Which, of course, became my "official" nickname.

The name was born in mockery.  It was meant to remind me (and others) that I was not just like everyone else.  That differences made you "special", but not in a good way.  I think I must have had an extraordinarily thick skin back then (ah... but no longer!) because I so convincingly laughed it off that the name metamorphasized out of its ugliness.  It became almost a term of endearment, all the venom extracted.  It was even passed (and accepted grudgingly) to my younger sister.

Names are not just some words slapped on a paper given to us against our control.  Names have all sorts of meanings, some historical, some contextual, all personal.  My parents, in the context of their time and their situation, chose to give us names of our adopted country so that we could belong.  Barack's parents, in the context of their time and their situation, chose to give him names belonging to his father's homeland so that he could belong.  The craze in modern China is for people to choose their own English name when they are young adults and it has become such a statement of their budding personality and individuality that you see extraordinarily unique names like: Strawberry, Diptheria (met her, not kidding), Zeus, Jagery, Money, Cinderella, Coldness, Diva, Mortal, Samanfar, Smacker. They, too, are just trying to belong.

How extraordinary that we have moved into a millenium where a man running for the top office in the United States has felt no need to hide or change or Anglicize or even explain his unusual first, middle or last name.  How wonderful that his differences didn't get "bongerized".  And just when we were proving to the world - see, we were right about the great American experiment afterall - you, Bill, you had to reveal your hairy, knuckle skimming neanderthal ass.  You, Bill Cunningham, you definitely need a time out.

Kady plays fair at Loaded Dice.

"Just Call Me Hussein": The Meme

Thanks to everyone that has participated in the latest MOMocrats Smackdown: "Just Call Me Hussein" Day.

Why all the fuss? Some ig'nant fools apparently think it's helpful to their cause to liken Barack Obama to a "terrorist" because his middle name is "Hussein." And we ain't havin' none of that. Why? Because "bitch is the new black," and we? Are bitches.

We've decided to extend the reach of this important blog action by making "Just Call Me Hussein" a meme. If you are reading this and haven't posted, consider yourself tagged. All you have to do is post your "Hussein name" in the title of your blog and share a story about how someone tried to make you feel bad about your name. (See examples below.) Help put childish bullies like Bill Cunningham in his place by declaring yourself a "Hussein!"

When you post—whenever you post—be sure to link us so we can find you. Now, go! Spread that meme far and wide, sistahs (and brahs)! Bitches get shit done!

[Grab a button!]

Or some code:

button 1
<a href="http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/02/just-call-me-hu.html"><img src="http://momocrats.typepad.com/Hussein-Button-Large.gif"> </a>

button 2
<a href="http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/02/just-call-me-hu.html"><img src="http://momocrats.typepad.com/Hussein-Button-3-Large.gif"> </a>

Special thanks to everyone who kicked the meme off "correc'":

Just Call Me Mini Hussein Van Bohemian (Minivan Bohemian)
Just Call Me Erzsebet Katkics Hussein Thompson (This Full House)
Just Call me Elizabeth Anne Hussein Edwards (Table for Five)
Yeah, That's Right, I'm Girl Hussein Con Queso, (Girl Con Queso)
Relieved to Be Called Amy Hussein S. (Up With Moms)
Just Call Me Hussein (Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life)
Just Call Me Hussein-Marie (A Mama's Rant)
Self-Made Hussein Mom (Self-Made Mom)
Hussein-ematic Says: Oh...Snap! (P i l l o w b o o k)
Just Call Me The Lovely Mrs. Hussein Davis (The Lovely Mrs. Davis Tells You What to Think)
Just Call Me Mom "Hussein" 101 (Mom-101)
Barack Hussein Obama: A Name You Can Trust (Black Women for Obama)
If My Grandfather Had Been Named Hussein... (Len Edgerly)
Tulip Shennandoah Smithington McVargas Pennington O'Toole (katydidnot)
Just Call Me Kim Eilleen Hussein (Professor Kim's News Notes)
Just Call Me Hairy Fat Hussein (The Eleventh)
Just Call Me Rosenblum Hussein (Needs New Batteries)
That's Ms. Hussein, If You're Nasty (Woman on the Verge)
Call me Michele Hussein (I Got Two, Babe)
Just Call Me Ern Hussein (Sights and Ramblings)
Just Call Me Lauren Lori Laura Loreen Hussein Baytty Batty Bee-A-ty Beatty (Sweet Beans)
Hussein's Dice (Kady Liang)
Just Call Me Lady Hussein Liberal, (Life, Liberty and Vodka Tonics)
Just Call me Summer Hussein (Wired for Noise)
Just Call Me Ammie Hussein (Sleeping Mommy)
Just Call Me Husseinlien123 (The Lotus Life)
Just Call Me Ana Hussein (Bongga Mom)
Just Call Me Erin Elizabeth Hussein Kotecki Vest (Queen of Spain)
You Can Call Me Glennia Hussein Campbell (The Silent I)
Who's Sayin' Hussein? Florinda Hussein Vasquez, that's who (The 3 R's: Reading, 'riting, and Randomness)
"Just Call Me Moondance Hussein Anne" Day (Sea Change)
Just Call Me Astacia Hussein Mamikaze (Life on the Run)
Today is Just Call Me Hussein Day (Anachroclysmic)
Just Call Me Twizzle Hussein Mussolini Adolph Fidel Mao Bin Laden! (Baboon of Magnesia)
Just Call Me Karoli Hussein (Drums and Whistles)
MotherTalkers (see comments)
Just Call Me Erin Hussein (Creation Halt)
Benny, when you call me you can call me HUSSEIN (Julie Pippert)
Just Call Me Hussein Donna Hussein Schwartz Mills (So Cal Mom)
Deborah "Glo-bra" Hussein. (i-obsess)
Joanne Hussein PunditMom (PunditMom)
Just Call Me Sheila Hussein Bernus Dowd (Xiaolin Mama)
Stephanie "The Stripper" Hussein (Lawyer Mama)
jen hussein plus two (One Plus Two)
Just Call Me Stefania Hussein Butler (CityMama)

If you aren't listed here and want to be, leave a comment below and we will add you!

Just call me Stefania Hussein Pomponi Butler

We here at MOMocrats have decided to make today an impromptu "Just Call Me Hussein" Day in response to people like Bill Cunningham... who is obviously still seven-years-old.

Bill needs to learn how to use his words, so in order to remind him that making fun of people's names is not polite, we are using our powers as mothers to teach this naughty little boy a lesson. Today, for "Just Call Me Hussein" Day, we are sharing stories about how childhood bullies—because they are bullies—tried to make us feel bad about ourselves by mocking our names. Or just stories about our names in general. (To join us see the end of this post.)

Bill (we have another name for you) Cunningham (and others like you who try to imply that Barack Obama is a "terrorist" because of his very fine name): consider yourselves in a time out. No, more than that: You're Grounded! Now go to your room!

:: :: ::

My story:

It's hard to be a kindergartner in Honolulu, Hawaii named "Stefania." It was fine having a long, Italian name when I was a preschooler in Rome, but in Honolulu, I was surrounded by Michelles, Allisons, Beths, and Leslies. I hated my name.