She throws like a wise Latina

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to be named a Supreme Court justice, performed in a much different capacity at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Sotomayor was a smiling Yankees fan who got to toss out the first pitch before the Yankees played the Boston Red Sox.

After Jorge Posada escorted Sotomayor to a spot about 15 feet in front of the mound, Sotomayor, who was wearing a Yankees jersey, paused and took a deep breath. She then flipped the ball to catcher Jose Molina, who was crouching in front of the plate.

Swiss detain Roman Polanski, will extradite to US

A 30-plus year-old puritanical grudge is relit:

Director Roman Polanski was arrested by Swiss police as he flew in for the Zurich Film Festival and faces possible extradition to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl, authorities said Sunday.

Polanski was scheduled to receive an honorary award at the festival when he was apprehended Saturday at the airport, the Swiss Justice Ministry said in a statement. It said U.S. authorities have sought the arrest of the 76-year-old director around the world since 2005.

“There was a valid arrest request and we knew when he was coming,” ministry spokesman Guido Balmer told The Associated Press. “That’s why he was taken into custody.” Balmer said the U.S. would now have to make a formal extradition request.

If you have not seen the HBO documentary on this subject, do so. It is remarkable in what it reveals -- about the case, about the people involved, including the now fortyish woman who was at the center of the late '70's maelstrom, even about the life and cinematic career of the enigmatic director.

But most remarkable of all were the comments of the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, a devout Mormon named Roger Gunson:

"I'm not surprised (Polanski) left under those circumstances."

What were "the circumstances"?

Judge (Laurence J.) Rittenband, who'd presided over the Elvis and Priscilla divorce and a paternity suit against Cary Grant, badly wanted to try the case. He loved publicity and the media storm was already at gale force. ... Polanski pleaded guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse"; probation was the recommendation. But the judge began to maneuver behind the scenes: he wanted to look tough for the press, though not necessarily send Polanski to prison. He asked a reporter for advice on what sentence he should give; he gave regular interviews to a Hollywood gossip columnist. The day before the sentencing—despite an agreement with Dalton and Gunson—Rittenband was overheard bragging at his country club that he was going to lock up Polanski for the rest of his life.

A maniacal, ethically corrupt judge, defiantly violating a defendant's constitutional rights to a fair hearing. Yep, a Republican.

Glenn Beck would be so proud.

Satire-too-close-to-reality Friday

I threw in a little irony-you-wish-wasn't-real and a couple of non-sequiturs for good measure.

SNL's Weekend Update took on President Obama's decision to exclude Fox News from his Sunday media tour last night. Despite granting interviews to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Univision he left Fox off his roster ... (the cast) took on specific aspects of Beck's character: his propensity to misspell things, to use that muppet-like voice, and, of course, invoke Hitler.

-- BREAKING: Democrats Hoping To Take Control Of Congress From Republican Minority In 2010

-- Thank goodness that Senate Finance Committee Democrats Max Baucus and Tom Carper and Bob Menendez are looking out for the prescription drug companies and not those evil seniors trying to buy meds.

-- Finally, be aware that earlier this week Republicans at last discovered the secret that pornography makes people gay. And of course it then follows that gay marriage is socialist. Extending this out to its illogical conclusion, Larry Flynt is quite obviously a Stalinist.

"Either the scientists are wrong, or Texas is wrong."

" ...and we all know that Texans just aren’t wrong.”

No, not Rick Perry. Not John Cornyn. Not even Michelle Bachmann or Glenn Beck.

Nope. It was Todd Staples (speaking right after the governor blew his own stupid, however):

The governor’s harsh remarks opened a daylong joint meeting of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to discuss the potential impact of the climate bill. Texas, the second-most populous state, leads the nation in carbon emissions, with 676 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion in 2007. The state also leads the nation in oil and natural gas production, petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing. All are heavy emitters of carbon dioxide.

Perry’s denunciation of the Waxman-Markey bill seemed timed to coincide with a conference at the United Nations today in which President Obama and President Hu Jintao of China pledged action on reducing carbon emissions. Perry’s talk underscored the uphill battle the legislation faces in the Senate.

Under Waxman-Markey, industries will ultimately be required to pay a fee for carbon emissions, under a regime similar to that currently in place for other airborne pollutants. Opponents of the bill contend that such a policy is tantamount to a new energy tax.

“This misguided piece of legislation would essentially be the single largest tax in the history of our nation,” Perry said. “These energy taxes will cause every product that uses energy to become more expensive.”

“If the United States Senate were to take leave of its senses and pass this bill, it would precipitate an economic disaster in the state of Texas.”

But leave it to the state's commissioner to agriculture to top that.

Just when you think you've had your last breath taken away by the arrogant ignorance of a Texas Republican, another one comes along and says, in his best Darwin-Award-winning challenge, "Hey! Watch this!"

Everything is bigger here and that goes for fools too. Look for more of this nonsense as Waxman-Markey takes center stage in right-wing nuttery Fauxtrage.

Save our poor picked-on health insurance companies!

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

After all, no health insurance company should be forced to sacrifice one penny of their billions in profits just because sick Americans need health care.

Besides Ferrell, you may recognize Jon Hamm of "Mad Men," Olivia Wilde of "House," Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant of "Reno 911," Masi Oka of "Heroes," Jordana Spiro of "My Boys," Linda Cardellini of "ER," and Donald Faison of "Scrubs."

Kay Bailey sucker-punched Gov. MoFo with the video edit

I didn't think she had it in her, frankly. KHOU first ...

A spokesperson for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison confirmed that her campaign videotaped a speech by Gov. Rick Perry in Houston Thursday, and released a section of video in which the Governor questioned whether Texas is in a recession. ...

Laughter can be heard in the room, and then the tape stops.

... and then Burka:

After Perry asks, “Are we in one?” — referring to a recession — and the laughter, Perry says:

But seriously, the fact is that because we have positioned ourselves so well economically, we’re going to be the first state that starts showing that major recovery, and the rest of the states will follow [behind us? beside us?] whenever that is going to be.

The tape was unquestionably edited after “Are we in one?” to eliminate the words, “but seriously….”

Yep. That was a solid kick to the groan. And Burka is correct that we'll all remember the governor's gaffe and not the senator's trick.

Jason Embry notes that it's game on, again from the elitist perspective, in both camps:

A race between two well-funded — I mean, really well-funded — politicians for an office this big would be heated no matter the personal relationship of the candidates. And yet it can’t help matters that, if you listen closely, it’s clear that Perry and Hutchison each feel that the other has no business running. You could say that each has expressed a certain entitlement to the Republican nomination.

Expect some solid counter-punching shortly from the girly-man, especially in the wake of polling that shows Kay Bailey back in the lead.

The Weekly Wrangle

The fall is upon us, and so the Texas Progressive Alliance closes out another summer with some more hot blogging.

Halliburton was fracking for Cabot and...Oh Oops! We Spilled Some! TWICE! Deadly Hydraulic Fracture Fluid! Ironically, industry just released part of their $80 million propaganda campaign asking people to submit "Eureka" moments. From TXsharon at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Congressman "Deer in the headlights" Pete Olson (R-TX) gets called out at his town hall meeting and the police are called in! Johncoby at Bay Area Houston posts the deets.

The Texas Cloverleaf wonders when police departments will enter the 21st century. A San Antonio lesbian couple sues in federal court over blatant harassment in their own home.

This week at McBlogger, Mayor McSleaze took the time out of his life to educate you people on some things going on around the country.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes Rick Perry won't admit execution might have been a mistake. To be a Republican is never to say you're sorry.

At Texas Vox, nuclear energy and economic experts explain just how much is at stake with the South Texas Nuclear Project expansion: the entire San Antonio economy.

Off the Kuff takes note of some hot judge-on-prosecutor action going on at the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Neil at Texas Liberal ran a one-minute video this week, filmed in front of hurricane remembrances in Galveston, Texas, in which he made a plea for folks to be aware of the past.

Kay Bailey has two purse boys, and Rick Perry is unaware there is a recession. Sometimes the cluelessness and utter hypocrisy of Texas Republicans still amazes the cynical PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

WhosPlayin had video of parents handing all kinds of hell to Lewisville ISD board and administration over banning the Obama pep talk. Perhaps the bigger story though is that like many other school districts in the state, the financial situation looks bleak for the coming year.

Over at Texas Kaos, Bulldog reminds us that health care -- like national defense -- is NOT about profit, but about the security of the American people. She tells her story and does it well in Health Care Rambling.