Gov. Paul LePage of Maine happened to be waiting for his flight at Augusta State Airport on a recent Saturday when the weekend crush began.

A turboprop Pilatus PC-12 carrying Melissa Thomas, her daughter, her daughter’s friend and a pile of lacrosse equipment took off for their home in Connecticut, following the girls’ three-week stay at Camp All-Star in nearby Kents Hill, Me. Shortly after, a Cessna Citation Excel arrived, and a mother, a father and their 13-year-old daughter emerged carrying a pink sleeping bag and two large duffel bags, all headed to Camp Vega in Fayette.

“Love it, love it, love it,” Mr. LePage said of the private-plane traffic generated by summer camps. “I wish they’d stay a week while they’re here. This is a big business.”

For decades, parents in the Northeast who sent their children to summer camp faced the same arduous logistics of traveling long distances to remote towns in Maine, New Hampshire and upstate New York to pick up their children or to attend parents’ visiting day.

Awww, but fear not. Now those same parents can send little Janie and Johnny off to camp on a private plane, while nattering with each other about how bourgeois those who drive are.

But some parents have already tired of this private-plane status infiltrating the simpler world of summer camp. Nancy Chemtob, a divorce lawyer, made several summer trips to Maine in the past decade, where her children attended camp. She once managed to get on a charter plane from the airport in East Hampton, N.Y., for $750 (her husband had hung a sign in the airport seeking a ride). After listening to enough banter among parents about “who is flying, who is flying private, who they can get a lift home with,” she decided she “was done with Maine and the planes and all of the people.”

“It’s a crazy world out there,” she added. She now sends her children to camp in Europe.

Welcome to the lives of the anonymous, nouveau riche living in banal-land. God forbid they'd have to fork over any more taxes. What would happen to little Janie and Johnny?

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Judd Gregg just had a meltdown on MSNBC that came out of nowhere. He's been attacking everything Obama, almost from the minute he turned down a Cabinet post offer from the White House, but his performance today was really weird. The conversation was about spending and, as usual, Gregg was acting like the incredible deficit freak that he is.

Melissa Francis is a CNBC talker who believes just like he does, and for some reason he mistook her for a dirty f*&king hippy and claimed she was setting him up as a man who wants to cut all spending on education. In fact, the only thing people like him and Ron Paul believe will work for America is to cut all government spending and federal programs and then just give tax cuts to the rich.

Then, Contessa Brewer brought up the fact that many economists think that when FDR became a deficit hawk so soon after expanding spending that he helped stop the country's economic growth. She asked him if he thought money from education should be cut, he went off and called them liars.

Gregg: First off, nobody is saying no money for schools, what an absurd statement to make. And what a dishonest statement to make. On its face you're being fundamentally dishonest when you make that type of statement.

Brewer: Senator, you're going to be asked to cut certain programs from government if you're on the Senate banking committee. Which programs -- just tell us -- would you cut?

--

Gregg: And then it gets misrepresented by people like yourself who say they are going to, if you do any of this stuff you're going to end up not funding education. I mean that statement alone is the most irresponsible statement I've heard from a reporter probably in a month.

Brewer: It wasn't a statement, it was a question.

Gregg deliberately misconstrued what they said, and the conversation went downhill from there. Gregg acted like a typical conservative bully around women, and if they were both men he would not have tried to call them liars. Meanwhile, Contessa ended the interview very professionally. He owes Brewer and Francis an apology for his behavior.

And Digby explains why the question about cutting education is based in reality.

I'll let Gregg's tantrum stand on it's own. But I would just point out that it's not absurd in the least to ask if Republicans would cut education. Indeed, it's absurd to suggest otherwise:

President Ronald Reagan promised during the 1980 presidential election to eliminate the Department of Education as a cabinet post,[1] but he was not able to do so with a Democratic House of Representatives. In the 1982 State of the Union Address, he pledged:

“

The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling the Department of Education.[2]

”

Throughout the 1980s, the abolition of the Department of Education was a part of the Republican Party platform, but the administration of President George H. W. Bush declined to implement this idea.

So, not only was Brewer right to ask whether Gregg planned to cut education as part of a deficit reduction plan, there has been a very longstanding belief among conservatives that they should not be funding education at all.

If there was anyone at fault for spreading misinformation and lies on television it's Gregg with his irresponsible deficit fearmongering and Hooverite prescriptions for the economy. God help us if he and his ilk actually get their way.

And you can't help but scratch your head when you think that a year ago, when everyone knew that the economy was in deep trouble and would need a lot of stimulus, the administration actually named this guy to be Commerce Secretary, a department which Gregg had voted to eliminate as well. That tells you a lot about their judgment at the time.

Digby wrote up the full transcript:

Continue reading »

Let me give Joe Klein an example of why we are appalled by the insulated Beltway Villagers. Here's some typical Cokie Roberts trivial conventional wisdom that so infuriates the liberal blogosphere on NPR (h/t C&Ler Melissa):

INSKEEP: And you mentioned Yemen because this Nigerian suspect had a trip to Yemen in his past. There were other seeming warning signs before he boarded a plane and was stopped really just by incompetence and by the passengers. Is this mainly a political problem for the president or could this lead to changes in policy?

ROBERTS: Well, it's always politically difficult for Democrats when they are dealing with an issue like terrorism. It remained the Republican's only winning issue through most of President Bush's second term, and it's a particular problem for a Democrat who hasn't served in the military. But the policy problem is that it takes up a great deal of the administration's time, and will from here on out - particularly when the Senate Intelligence Committee starts hearings in a couple of weeks.

Here you have it. So sayeth Cokie, queen of the gasbags. All Democrats are weak, weak, weak on national security. It's fine with Cokie and the Villagers that most of the Bush and Cheney team refused to serve in the military when they had the chance, but during the Bush years the Villagers never questioned Republicans over their military experience or commitment to national security. Yet, it's just Jim Dandy to question a Dem's military creds.

When we were hit with 9/11, did the media or Democrats in Congress ever go on the air and, as a party, attack Bush and Cheney? They did not. Now of course, Republicans are fighting with each other to be first in line with as many insults as they can muster up to attack a Democratic president for his supposed national-security weakness. And Cokie Roberts gets to help push this old false narrative to the American people. Does Cokie remember how John Kerry was savagely attacked for actually serving in the military -- and receiving a Purple Heart -- by Fox News and the Swift Boaters?

If Cokie ventured off the set of This Week for a little bit, she would see Jim DeMint and his cronies behaving almost like traitors to America.

Howie Klein writes:

That hasn't stopped DeMint from actively doing everything he could to facilitate a national security catastrophe on Obama's watch, a catastrophe Republicans could use against Democrats in elections. He has put a hold on the confirmation of Erroll Southers, a widely admired anti-terrorism expert, until he comes out against unionizing TSA employees.

Bob Somerby has more background on Cokie in his archives too.

Happy Saturday, rascals and rogues. Melissa McEwan of Shakesville, coming to you one last time with bits and baubles from around the blogosphere. Thanks so much to Mike for giving me the opportunity to spend some time with you, and thanks to Nicole for her help and patience. I had an absolute blast, and I hope to see some of you at Shakesville in the future! Off we go…
David Kurtz, on the subject of McCain's "How do we beat the bitch?" incident, wonders How do Republicans get away with it?

Cara, meanwhile, notes that McCain is using The Bitch to make The Man some money. Watch for McCain on the next episode of Pimp My Ride, when he has the Straight Talk Express tricked out into the Straight Talk Pimpmobile.

Digby discusses what was the most embarrassing moment of the latest Dem debate, only to update with an even more embarrassing moment. Ezra notes the galling hypocrisy of a network having spent a week lambasting Hillary for planting a question about global warming themselves planting a question about jewelry.

Fixer has a great story about an animal rescue and the organization that made it possible. Mannion offers up a great puppy dog tale, too.

Madison Guy makes my blood run cold with a chilling hypothesis about Cheney's future. Robot overlords, indeed!

Portly Dyke writes a splendid post explaining how to f--k up.

And Kevin Hayden says Gag me with a Constitutional Protector!

That's all for me, folks! Your next cruise director will be Manila Ryce from The Largest Minority. You can send tips to him at john[dot]william[dot]harrison [at] gmail [dot] com. Toodles!

Greetings and salutations, minxes and mondains. Melissa McEwan, aka The Pink Petulance, coming to you from Superblogger Headquarters, where SuperKos is delegating responsibilities before taking off for Planet Newsweekia. It's busy busy busy at Superblogger HQ, and I've just been told that Captain Atrios needs to discuss staff rotation at Battlestation Alpha with me, so I haven't much time. Down to business:
Scout Prime takes stock of NOLA, two years after Katrina: On America, progress, empty lots and empty promises.

Coturnix has everything you ever wanted to know about Nigersaurus, the Mesozoic Cow, a fossil soon to be unveiled at the National Geographic in Washington, D.C.—and an "open access" dinosaur!

John Rogers contemplates life under robot overlords. Steven Perez, for one, welcomes them.

PSoTD has some advice for Comcast email users, which got me thinking: What's more annoying—spam, or the "arrogant and invasive" deterrence of it?

In the War on Christmas: Adorable Girlfriend reports that Lowe's has apologized for referring to Christmas trees in its holiday catalog as "family trees." Oh, the horror! Meanwhile, there's not going to be anything left for secular heathens to do if Christian hawkers of tacky shit continue to cheapen Christmas with garbage like Treetop Jesus.

Glenn Greenwald has the goods on what was an important day for FISA and telecom amnesty. Also, Jane. Libby would like to be encouraged, but is still searching for style over substance.

And some Quick Hits: 9/11 Tourette's: A Case Study … You're Not Terminated, F---ker … To Hell With Tiny Pants … and Nice Guys Redux.

Seeya tomorrow! If you've got any hot tips, email me at shakespeares_sister at Comcast dot net.

I'm sure in his little, shriveled, hate-filled mind, this is just persecution by the Hollywood liberal cabal, but this is no red or blue issue. Hollywood is all about the green. And Michael Weiner Savage isn't going to bring in the greenbacks with his own special brand of crazy. And people like Oscar-winning Melissa Etheridge WILL, so it's really no mystery how this all played out.

Contactmusic:

The giant Creative Artists Agency apparently got more than it bargained for after it announced that it had signed conservative talk-show host Michael Savage as a client this week. No sooner had his name been added to its roster than Savage ranted on the air against another CAA client, singer Melissa Etheridge, who thanked her wife, Tammy Lyn Michaels, when she accepted an Oscar during Sunday's televised Academy Awards presentations.

"I don't like a woman married to a woman," Savage railed. "It makes me want to puke." As for children raised by two women, Savage stormed, "I think it's child abuse."

CAA quickly found itself in the center of the conflict. Late on Thursday, E! Entertainment's website said that it had received a terse email from a CAA representative that read only: "No longer rep him."

Media Matters has the whole story.

Empire Burlesque: Ulster on the Euphrates: The Anglo-American Dirty War in Iraq...

William K. Wolfrum: The Swiftboating of Jesus H. Christ

Majikthise: Edwards' netroots coordinator Melissa McEwan resigns

Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: Condi celebrates African-American History Month with--who else?--G-Dub!

Roger Ailes: Lying wingnut "quotes" Lincoln, but Lincoln didn't speak or write like a third-rate blogger with his pants around his ankles after watching 24.

Design Observer: In 1953, Bertrand Russell wrote an alphabet book for children called the Good Citizen's Alphabet. It's quirky, philosophical,and surprisingly relevant today. In these political times, so polarized with heated rhetoric, certain words require proper definition to be used correctly in political and social discourse; words such as, "asinine," "erroneous," even "nincompoop." Of course, there are also words that inspire: "liberty," "sacrifice," even "zeal." It is in this spirit that Russell's alphabet is offered here as a slide show, accompanied by his original introduction.

Keith had on Andrea Mitchell and Ex-CIA officer Melissa Boyle Mahle, to dig a little deeper on the Mary McCarthy story.
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Andrea says that Mary did meet reporters, but says she didn't leak classified information. The story unfolds.

Ex-CIA officer Melissa Boyle Mahle who maintains close contacts with CIA insiders reports that the leak investigation is considered to be a "witch hunt" by many inside the agency.

The reaction from some right wing bloggers over this story really goes beyond the pale. They think that-I kid you not-the secret prisons were all a cover to draw out leakers from the agency. Mark Kleiman digs up the facts. You have to read the post. It's some of the biggest conservative sites promoting this crazy idea.

( h/t David Edwards for the vid)

Alan Shore (James Spader) from Boston Legal gives one of those great monologues that we all wished would be said by somebody other than a great actor. In the episode "Stick it," Alan Shore's secretary, Melissa (Marisa Coughlan), is arrested for tax evasion, he takes on the case of this outspoken girl who says her late, patriotic grandfather would be proud of her for challenging the government.
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Shore: At a presidential rally, parade or appearance. If you have on a supportive t-shirt you can be there. If you're wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed, This in the United States of America.- This in the United States of America! Is Melissa Hughes the only one embarrassed?

emailer CS: "James Spader's character gives such a fiery and passionate speech about the lies, mistruths and unethical behavior of this Administration that it made me jump from the couch and yell triumphantly at my TV. Covered everything from lies on WMD, to torture, Abu Ghirab, Guantanamo, and, most importantly, illegal wiretapping"

One of the biggest efforts is by AOL Music, which will host live feeds of the concerts in six cities: London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Toronto and Philadelphia. Anyone can log on and watch the shows for free, not just AOL members.

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Live 8 is an effort to raise awareness about poverty and to encourage leaders of the G8 nations to forgive the debts of poorer nations, increase aid to Africa and embrace fair trade. The event is timed to coincide with the G8 summit in Scotland on July 6.

Many bloggers are flying there right now; our own John from AmericaBlog: About to board the plane to Scotland. Met and had a great talk with Melissa Fitzgerald, the woman who play's CJ Craig's secretary on West Wing (dark hair, very pretty)...read on

I wish I could go but I can't travel or play right now. My good friend is playing with Crosby, Stills and Nash and he told me they tried to play in Germany, but their own show started too early for them to make it. What a gift music is to the living condition and hopefully this event will do some good in Africa while laying the ground work for future world events such as these.