‘Big Shitpile’ is the name Atrios gave to the mortgage/financial/bailout crisis we’re looking at in the news right now.

And, I want to point out the one thing that really, really, really chaps my hide about this. The rest is eminently hide-chappable, but this one thing really gets my goat.

Republicans, whose party has been the party of deregulation, and who basically caused this problem, will still be too stupid to realize the irony when they say that Democrats are ‘tax-and-spend.’ Because no matter how bad things get, the stupid will always find a clever way to pretend reality fits their schedule.

Did you vote Republican in the last, oh, say, 30 years? Then you are to blame for this bullshit. And that’s all there is to it. You voted for laissez-faire economics that always relied upon the ability of the US government, which is to say taxpayers, to bail asshole capitalists out of their financial woes.

Put it in your mouth. Chew it up real good. And swallow. Learn the lesson: MARKETS NEED LIMITS.

Now go get drunk or something, while you can still afford to buy beer.

So in case any of you were worried, I went with my parents to New Braunfels before Ike hit. Apparently their house in Houston is doing OK, but we’ll know for sure tonight. My sibs and their spouses are at my sister’s up by Huntsville. They’re still without power, but they have a generator for emergency use.

If you have any doubt about the power of a hurricane, even a Category 3 one, you might consider spending a few moments contemplating this Google Earth layer, complete with points of interest. Yay NOAA! Thanks for releasing this. I’m especially impressed with the giant oil slick around High Island, TX.

Guess why I’m showing you this video:

I’m glad Amy Goodman and her crew are OK.

Despite their press credentials, they were arrested at the RNC for, you know… Covering the news.