Good to see he(Romney) is maintaining the repug line , that is to bludgeon any effort by social organizations to make the country a better place. Instead reduce us all to cowering sheeple to do the bidding for the moral elite. They know what is good for us, minding our business so we do'nt have to.

Mr Corn:

I know you are younger than me, not by much. McCain has never been anything close to progressive, as O'Reilly noted. Yes, I watch C-Span. McCain is as conservative as they come. I'd vote for John Kerry (who will be the candidate again, not Ms. Clinton, that's just a prediction) before ever considering that ass who is trying to change his colors, once again. He's a mean mother-.

Good morning, David! Romney has no chance but who knows?

Your comments on McCain are predictive and I'm inclined to agree with, for the most part. This is POLITICS, a `game' of compromises that the Extreme Left SIMPLY don't know how to play, judging by your Lefty Groupies' comments ON YOUR BLOG:

You said: "It will not be fun for us liberals in Washington who like McCain...to watch him pander to the right over the next two years, as he seeks the Republican Party's presidential nomination."

The flip side to your McCain comments can be equally applied to the favored Dem candidate, Hillary. Us GOPers will be watching for her `morphing' ever more so into a Moderate; perhaps even converging w/McCain in many respects!

Den,

I saw his speech, (Romney). Oh, it made you want to crawl up in the arm chair and ignore stuff.

JEANNE,
THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELPFUL TIP.

Mr. Corn:

You are so right. Teddy would never have stooped himself so low.

Mr. Corn:

You are so right. Teddy would never have stooped himself so low. He's a good guy.

Personally, I hope the Republicans nominate an idiot like Romney or a Dominionist like Brownback in '08. They should be easy to expose. However, as much as Mr. Corn or anyone else might admire McCain for his "maverick" positions, he's as right-wing as they come. Unfortunately, he'll be able to get many independents to vote for him exactly because of that "maverick" media label. The Russerts and Matthews of the world will be all too willing to carry McCain's jock for him. At one time, I too had a positive view of McCain, but that was when I got all my information from the MSM. I also lost a lot of respect for him when he knelt for Bush after he was humiliated by Rove in the 2000 campaign.

THE AMERICAN THINKER
Some Plame Truths
March 13th, 2006

This weekend some interesting developments appeared to rip some holes in the Wilson Gambit and further erode Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s credibility.

David Corn of The Nation magazine and VIPS (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity) have pushed nonsensical claims that Valerie Plame was a nonofficial cover agent (NOC), supplying the necessary predicate for an Agee Act (Intelligence Identity Protection Act) prosecution. While I could find scant reporting in the pre-indictment period poking holes in this ridiculous notion, Saturday’s Chicago Tribune carried five stories doing just that.

In two of the most significant articles, the paper showed how easy it was to mine data online and determine who was working for the agency, including finding people who’d worked at the reported Plame undercover front Brewster-Jennings, people who listed that outfit in their online resumes.

more at The American "THINKER"

In #3, I don't mean to imply the GOP `like Hillary'.. We DON'T! I do mean the `morphing' part which has been underway, rather staggeringly and not very succesfully, for some time.

BTW, posting here is not a `burden' as I posted the other day. Instead, all my past scattered rebuttals that used to go to different Columnists and/or Antique Media in geenral, are now focused here. It is much easier to post thoughts/rebuttals here and not take so much time to compose well, in the faint hope of my comments getting to see the light of day!

"Every child in America has a right to mother and a father." - Romney

Let's introdice legislation in the Commonwealth making it illegal to have a child and not be married. If you are a single parent, you can't get married within a year, pay a fine such as be taxed as if you were married or give your child to the state. There... that ought to take care of this traveesty of social justice.

politics! left v right! conservatives! moderates! liberals!
what did hillary have for breakfast? what color is mcCain's adopted daughter? inquiring minds want to know!

ever so much more important than anything else!

I'm just Happy is here and not on spring break.

That group at 'prom headquarters' are in it for themselves. When do we get leaders who think of the nation first?

I personally know of families with same sex couples. The kids do very well. They are loved. They are sheltered and fed. They are disciplined. Sex is basic. It is a human drive. Those kids will not be altered because they live in a same sex household. When the boy sees the girl he likes he's not going to think 'I have to be with a guy, dang it.'
Nope, that boy's heart is going to beat for the one he loves and the same sex parents are going to be thrilled that he found happiness.

BTW, posting here is not a `burden' as I posted the other day.

oh, have you posted here before? you must be loud enough.

oops - you must NOT be loud enough -

I come here to learn from those who know better than me: "This is POLITICS, a `game' of compromises that the Extreme Left SIMPLY don't know how to play, judging by your Lefty Groupies' comments ON YOUR BLOG" although I don't self-subscribe to the notion of extreme. For example, I think everyone whould pay their taxes and obey the law. I think the NSA shouldn't illegaly wiretap individuals and I think Bush really bolloxed the war and the US Treasury.

"perhaps even converging w/McCain in many respects!" So goddamn smart. I'm glad he's here.

Political gadflys of gossip and speculation are working overtime to defend the repugs insistance they are the only ones possesing the wisdom to provide a solid "God fearin" government while liberal or freethinkers are lambasted with Hillary fear and loathing. The names are different but the tactics are the same and whether the repugs like it or not, more and more folks are wise to their BS. They can fool some of the people some of the time....

"I too had a positive view of McCain, but that was when I got all my information from the MSM."
Ditto.

He is a likely guy. So convincingly sincere. I think its his to lose.

"Instead, all my past scattered rebuttals that used to go to different Columnists and/or Antique Media in geenral, are now focused here. It is much easier to post thoughts/rebuttals here and not take so much time to compose well, in the faint hope of my comments getting to see the light of day!"

How fortunate for us. We get the benefit of all your insights. I, for one, don't mind in the least that you don't take much time compose your thoughts or rebuttals. It's more interesting for me when I have to figure out what your talking about.

Happy to be behind the scenes, watching, waiting, for just the right moment to post his drivel, always one of the first few to post too. HMMMM just waiting all night for Davids post? Or copy and paste Davids post that he recieves thru e-mail, then spend the rest of the day "setting liberal posters straight"? Why David? Why?

Pornograpy and Repugs, coincidence?..... At the invitation of the Nation Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Mary Carey will meet and interact with key Congressional leaders and Administration officials to discuss advancing powerful pro-business, pro-family agendas and meeting positive legislative goals. She will join Karl Rove, senior advisor to the President, for lunch on Wednesday the 15th, and President Bush for dinner on Thursday the 16th. "I'm really excited to be going back to Washington D.C. to see the president again," said Carey. "Everyone thinks that politicians are stuffy, but we all had a great time last year, and I had fun signing a lot of autographs. Wait till they see that I have lost 20 pounds since the last time they saw me. Watch out Mr. President!".... OOOOO!!!, makes me want more, I went here for it

People look at Bush’s invasion of Iraq and see a miserable failure. But a failure to do what? Democratize Iraq? Eliminate Iraq’s WMD arsenal? Reduce global terrorism? If those were, in fact, the reasons for invading Iraq, then the invasion would have to be classified as a failure. But what if the real reason was to secure Iraq’s oil supplies, perhaps not for immediate use, and perhaps not even for use by the United States? Then the invasion of Iraq would have to be judged a success, a “mission accomplished,” so to speak.

"...most people in the porn industry think an Iraqi pullout is a form of safe sex," - Mary Carey

A furious George
hits gutless Dems

George Clooney has a message for Democratic office-holders who voted for the war in Iraq, only to claim later that they'd been misled by President Bush:
"F--you!"

The movie star's argument - directed at the likes of presidential wannabes Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Kerry and John Edwards - is actually more nuanced than that.

But not by much.

"The fear of being criticized can be paralyzing," Clooney writes today on Huffingtonpost.com - pumping up the volume after banging the drum of Hollywood liberalism in his Oscar acceptance speech.

"Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the runup to the war. In 2003, a lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and Bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? We knew it was bulls__

"Which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, 'We were misled.' It makes me want to shout, 'F-you, you weren't misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic.'"

Clooney exhorts the lily-livered Dems to stop being cowards and put some steel in their spines.

"It's not merely our right to question our government, it's our duty. Whatever the consequences," he lectures.

"We can't demand freedom of speech, then turn around and say, 'But please don't say bad things about us.' You gotta be a grownup and take your hits."

The actor vents frustration that "liberal" has become a dirty word. "Too many people run away from the label. They whisper it like you'd whisper, 'I'm a Nazi.'"

But as for Clooney, "I am a liberal. Fire away," he taunts.

We'll see how much incoming Clooney takes as a result of these fine sentiments.
---------------------
The administration and people like Frist won't fire away of course, because George Clooney will fire back.

Or take Bush’s seemingly irresponsible handling of the domestic economy. How can any sane person fail to understand that cutting revenue while increasing spending will produce deficits, and that those deficits cannot increase in perpetuity? Sooner or later that accumulated debt has got to have consequences. Bush appears to be acting as if there were no tomorrow. But what if there really were no tomorrow, financially speaking? In that case, the reckless economic policies of today would not only be irrelevant, but might actually be shrewd. I mean, if one knows that he is not going to have to pay back his debts tomorrow, then why not borrow money like crazy today? In fact, if civilization is coming to an end, then why not use all that borrowed money to stock up on guns and vital resources, such as oil?

The End Of Civilization

O, I liked that quote too.

It will be interesting to see where the new scripted storyline goes on the revamped last episodes of WestWing. They are clearly taking on the reichwing social conservatives; how far they go and how clear they make the link to the inherent and mostly abhorrent hypocrisies of those views will have to be measured. It almost feels like Sorkin is back again.

That being said, when 34% of the population feels sufficiently righteous enough to tell all the rest of us how we must live, and we let them, it is our own damn fault.

Thank god for law and order progressives. Conservatives continue to shift federal dollars away from local aid which helps pay for local police and toward crack-pot spending sprees like missile defense, iraq invasion and halliburton. read on...

Totally hapless criminals: (1) Matthew John Wyman, told to recite the alphabet at a roadside DUI stop in West Roxbury, Mass., in November, asked the officer if he could please substitute a math problem instead (Answer: No). (2) Frank Traina's attempted armed robbery of a Chinese restaurant in Levittown, N.Y., in December went awry when the owner realized that Traina's realistic-looking gun was leaking water from the barrel. (3) In December, Auckland, New Zealand, police arrested the man who had robbed a bank but then, disappointed at the size of the loot, had telephoned the bank manager and ordered him to stand out front with more money, which he would grab on a drive-by.

Happy on healthcare. What are your thoughts on this? Don't spend too much time thinking about or drafting your rebuttal. I prefer a mystery.

NEW YORK A widely promoted B-vitamin regimen for the prevention of heart attacks and strokes has shown no beneficial effects in people at high risk, researchers are reporting in two new studies.

The widely accepted hypothesis was that B vitamins - folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 - could protect against homocysteine, an amino acid that some doctors said was as important and dangerous a risk factor for heart disease as cholesterol.

Studies of populations had shown that the higher the homocysteine level in the blood, the greater the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

And studies of animals had indicated that homocysteine could actually damage the tender linings of arteries, setting the stage for atherosclerosis.

"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster."

~~James Baldwin

According to an article from Reuters, here is what Scott McClellan said today in response to Sen. Feingold's censure resolution:

"I think it does raise the question, how do you fight and win the war on terrorism?" McClellan said. "And if Democrats want to argue that we shouldn't be listening to al Qaeda communications, it's their right and we welcome the debate. We are a nation at war."

This is not advocacy. This is just lying. No Democrats are advocating that we not listen to Al Qaeda communications, and Scott McClellan knows that. And no journalist ought to pass along this falsehood without pointing out that it is factually false.

The debate is not and has never been over whether we should eavesdrop on Al Qaeda. Everyone wants eavesdropping on Al Qaeda. The issue is whether the Bush Administration should eavesdrop in accordance with the law (with judicial oversight and approval), or in violation of the law (in secret and with no oversight, something that has been a criminal offense in this country since 1978). That is NSA Scandal 101, something that has been clearly established and beyond dispute from for months.

Link (here)

Jeanne 25, several of us were saying the same thing on this blog months ago, and were getting bashed for it. I say George is right on target, the dems knew, they were just more concerned with their own hide than the fate of this country.

OReilly, sure would be hard for them to win the 06 election if they cannot spy on the opposition. I cannot believe the gullibility of the American people. If a corporation was spying on the competition they would have been indicted within weeks, but under the guise of fighting terrorism the sheeple accept the story and nothing is done. Double DUH!!

The term "reasonable" has no objective meaning, at least in the realm of politics. Whether an idea is deemed "reasonable" has little to do with the merits of the idea and everything to do with the prevailing political climate as interpreted by our national media. GOP strategists like Karl Rove long ago realized that the national media will treat any talking point that is repeated by enough people as ipso facto "reasonable," and conversely, will treat any idea that is not repeated by a sufficient number of people as "unreasonable" or "extreme," no matter what its objective merits. It's a very crude calculus and one that is easily manipulated by shrewd partisans.

This analysis struck me as dead-on, having been called extreme by those who disagree with my opinion... right here on this blog... today.

more (link)

Sen. Pat Leahy voices the concerns of many.I wonder if anyone is listening.

Ken Mehlman Killed State Department Nomination on Abramoff's Behalf

There was such a wealth of muck in David Margolick's Vanity Fair piece on Jack Abramoff last week that it was possible to let the occasional morsel slip by. The piece mentions, for instance, that Ken Mehlman (who, like many, was uncomfortably close to Abramoff) got his hands dirty:

"...according to documents obtained by Vanity Fair, Mehlman exchanged email with Abramoff, did him political favors (such as blocking Clinton-administration alumnus Allen Stayman from keeping a State Department job)..."
Now, this parenthesis is news; as far as I can tell, it hasn't been reported before. So the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman, who like everyone else says he barely knows Abramoff was actually killing nominations for him only a few short years ago.

Now, to properly appreciate its delectability, you need a little more backstory on Stayman. So let me give you some more of the background details.

Stayman had been on Abramoff's hit list for a long, long time, because, as a higher-up at the Interior Department, he had been an ardent advocate for bringing the sorts of labor and immigration reforms to the Northern Mariana Islands that Abramoff had been hired to squelch. How do I know that Abramoff wanted Stayman gone? Because Abramoff said so in one of his famous emails - this one leaked long before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee began investigating him.

....This was 1998. The attacks, as predicted, followed, resulting in an investigation before the House Resources Committee - led by none other than Rep. Don "No Professional Relationship With Jack Abramoff" Young (R-AK). The charge was that Stayman had violated the Hatch Act by issuing political memoranda from his Interior Department office. It's easy to get bogged down in the details, but suffice it to say that no charges were ultimately filed.

The fight against Stayman moved to the State Department when, much to Abramoff's chagrin, he became the Director of Compact Negotiations there - meaning that he was the U.S. representative in talks with the Marshall Islands (a former Abramoff client) and Micronesia. It's fair to assume, I think, that Abramoff didn't want Stayman anywhere near potential clients. So this is where Mehlman must have come in - to follow through where Abramoff had been unable to.

If a child is adopted by a gay couple, is there a chance that teh gay will rub off on them? Thanks to this product we can put that concern aside.
I recommend it for all prospective parents, gay or straight.

What about the fact that Romney is a Mormon? Do you really think the Social Conservatives wouldn't lay claim to the party en masse
to veto that? The problem with high lighting a "real" Conservative, especially as the fiscal gaurdian of a very blue state, you have called into question other "conservatives" and they're insipid track records.If the Conservative movement is so heroic why can't it come out to play, instead of thinking , all alone in it's upstairs vestibule, waiting like a potion to be discovered like it was the grail.Principles adjusted to fit the times.Thanks again DC for the Plame Wilson info, all premium.

John McCain is playing with himself if he thinks he has a crack at the GOP nomination. Ain't gonna happen. Mitt Romney (IMO) probably has a better chance at nailing it than McCain does. I mean, he WAS elected governor in one of the bluest of blue states. He's already pandering to the gay-basher contingent of the religious reich, John Tierney is already trotting out the "merits" of polygamy, and Romney is framing his message to attract fundamentalists, which won't be easy considering many of them think Mormonism is a cult. But, hey...re-packaging a politician is the name of the game.

Romney is considered "attractive" so the chattering class will yuk it up on how his personality and charm swayed the Massachusetts voters and he can do it again and sway the GOP primary voters and the GOP hierarchy. Of course, he's going to have to figure out how to convince "the base" that his brand of religion isn't a threat to their brand -- the theological differences may not be overcome by Romney's "charm."

However, my bet is still on cheney being the candidate, if his ticker holds out. Crazy? Yup. But, we live in a bizarro world.

Worse case scenario, condi and hillary, UGH!

Is Romney suggesting that the state should appoint a woman to replace my late mother? Don't I have a right to both a father AND a mother? Will she have to marry my father, or just provide for me in her will?

#40
"pandering to the gay-basher contingent of the religious reich"

This is what I refer to is the intentionally mean Republicans. They pander to get ahead and they single out vulnerable groups to do it. It makes me sick. They have been trying to do it in MN and I don't think it's working anymore. It is taking the focus off what is important in MN. Of course with this group, that is there intention. They don't want progress or legislation that would cause taxes to be raised. If they had their way we'd still be paying the same amount of money for education and transportation. Somebody needs to tell these people they don't live in 'Pleasantvill'.

#41
Sal,
I think my heart stopped when I read your post. I must think pleasant thoughts. I must think pleasant thoughts.

#42
Why don't you email Romney and let us know his response. I bet he hates people like you...too much common sense.

Hillary is one of the lizard people.... Another comment the psychic lady made was that in her altered state of consciousness, Hillary Clinton appeared as a reptile, while her husband, Bill Clinton the US President, was only overshadowed, and controlled by one. This is interesting because my own research, and that of others, has revealed Hillary Clinton to be much higher in, the hierarchy than Bill, who, while of a crossbreed bloodline, is a pawn in the game, to be used and discarded as necessary. It is not always that the most powerful people are placed in what appears to be the most powerful jobs. Often they are not. They are the string-pullers of those who appear to have the power. Just who is David Icke anyhow? Crackpot or scholar?

DEN, I knew there was something odd about those two!

Sal, its a sure bet poor mr. frist butters his bread on the reich side, he's loaded with cash.

Jesus, Jews, and Jerry.Who really has the ticket to God?

This may sound crazy, but in 1979, just before I moved back to NYC from Anchorage, Alaska, our Mormon neighbor told me that the Church of Latter Day Saints had finally been successful in finding partners to move U.S. politics towards a more religiously conservative model. My neighbor actually claimed that the LDS "moved" Jerry Falwell to form the Moral Majority. (I do not know if that's true, but at the time, I didn't think too much of it.) But, they sure have some similar attitudes: anti-gay, male dominated, pro-school prayer, anti-choice, etc.

My neighbor went to Salt Lake City when LDS began formulating their plan of attack on the Equal Rights Amendment. I remember that the ERA was coming close to ratification and then the Mormons got into the act and it was stifled -- not saying that they were the reason why it didn't pass, but they played a role in it, for sure. They are very effective and very organized -- which means they are not Democrats. ;-))

BTW, do y'all remember that poll last year or so that showed that the majority of those polled thought the Equal Rights Amendment HAD passed?!!!

“If a child is adopted by a gay couple, is there a chance that teh gay will rub off on them?”

The “Morals Crowd” wants to protect orphan children from believing a gay life style is moral. They are less concerned about the well being of family-less child than they are concerned about what they come to believe.

Shame on Catholic Charities. Sometimes, it’s hard to be a Catholic.

I've got one kid in Austin with my mom and sis. I have another running around behind me slam dunking a basketball. I'm taking the afternoon off to play golf with my Dad and bro.

Just wanted to share some laughs with y'all (let's see if I still remember how to link this shit):

From Froomkin's White House Briefing (I read it and ThinkProgress on a daily basis, fun stuff):

Linton Weeks writes in The Washington Post about the annual Gridiron Dinner, where journalists and politicians roast each other.

"In the spirit of the evening, Bush said he told Cheney:

"'Dick, I've got an approval rating of 38 percent and you shoot the only trial lawyer in the country who likes me.

" 'You know there are all these conspiracy theories that Dick runs the country . . . or Karl [Rove] runs the country. Why aren't there any conspiracy theories that I run the country? Really ticks me off. The truth is that I do run the country . . . but Dick runs me and Lynne runs Dick. So actually Lynne runs the country. And Lynne, I think you're doin' a heckuva job. Although I have to say you dropped the ball big time on that Dubai deal.'

"And: 'By the way, when Dick first heard my approval rating was 38 percent, he said, "What's your secret?" ' "

===+===

More funny stuff from the Gridiron dinner here.

And to read about Senator Barack's rip-roaring lashing that was centered on Chimpy, read Mark Silva's summary in the CHiTrib's blog "The Swamp."

"Truth is, this domestic spying has all kinds of useful applications for homeland security,' he (Obama) said. 'And I have a suggestion in this regard, Mr. President: you can spy on the Weather Channel, and find out when big storms are coming.' . . .

OOoof.

"'And how about that ports deal?' he added, in reference to the Dubai Ports debacle, 'I feel for you, sir. It's tough getting trapped in a storm, when no one comes to help.' "

I hear President Cheney was much amused, while Chimpy sulked. Dumbass.

Hi, Happy. See ya' soon.

I'm sorry Mr. Ha, but yes, who we vote for does count. And shit, didn't I hear somewhere that democracy is first about discussion. Not to hear empty voices in the air.

If you don't like it, good-bye.

Oh gee, weren't you the one that posted obscenties? Do not respond to this. Go and find Howard Stern.

Remember to call, e-mail your senators asking/demanding that they support Senator Feingolds censure resolution. Remind them that most of the Republicans voted to force a president to testify under oath about the lies that he told about his extra-marital affair. Many Republicans voted to impeach Clinton.

Somehow a thorough and complete inquiry into the legality of NSA wiretappings seems more important than lies about a blow job....somehow.

CALL..E-MAIL LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

More on the courts attitude toward gay child rearing: According to the 2000 Census, 34 percent of female same-sex households and 22 percent of male ones include children. The Lambda Legal Defense Fund estimates 6 million to 10 million gay parents are caring for 6 million to 14 million children.....Now you won't read that on your typical conservative sites, but you can here.

Dear Miss Jeanne:

Well, that's good news that you found a silver-lining in having a broken arm. I'm glad that your children were around to shovel the driveway.

You know, Miss Jeanne, I realize the Gridiron dinner is all about fun and roasting Washingtonians and all, but I fail to see the humor in poking fun about Mr. Cheney shooting a man. It's not as bad as Mr. Bush looking under the table and behind the drapes for WMD when thousands of people are being killed in his Iraq war, but, still, it's tasteless. I don't appreciate jokes about shootings and guns and I never will. Poking fun at lawyers is okay in my book, even though I am a lawyer, but no ma'm, I don't cotton to the "bulls-eye" and gun jokes. What are those people up north thinking of anyway?

I just wanted to pass that along to you while I was thinking of it. Take care of yourself.

Harry, I read about that so-called roast. I saw that Obama was there yucking it up with the crazies, I thought the whole thing tasteless, but I agree, the gun jokes were over the top. What WERE they thinking? I am thinking they are as cold as ice.

Holy Hot News Batman, New Zealand press on top of this one: While Congress and the media focus on the potential dangers of a UAE-owned company running American port operations, any possible threat is dwarfed by the current insecurity of the US government's computer infrastructure, which has been compromised by a company with multiple connections to terrorist financing. The company, once known as Ptech (now GoAgile), has been contracted to provide sophisticated computer software to several government agencies, including the Army, the Air Force, Naval Air Command, Congress, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, Customs, the FAA, the IRS, NATO, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the White House.......Jeez Louise, this globalazation stuff and terrorist ties to us is getting real OLD!

Always knew David was a cornhole-

Hajji and O'Reilly must be excited to get a new fishing buddy on those cold, lonely nights after a day of sheep herding.

UFO's abduct all bush supporters, news at 11.

And then there is this little tidbit of information about a Taliban leader attending Yale University, gee I wonder if he got a Scull and Bones scholarship?

Dear Harry,
The kids next door are making a snow fort. They've been playing outside all day. Snow is nice I guess.

Harry, I read the article about the Gridiron dinner that one of your fellow Texan's was so kind to link. As I read it I imagined sitting in the room. I agree with you, I can't find anything funny in that tasteless humor. The origins of that joke weren't funny. Somebody (namely you) had to get shot in the face by Vice President dick Cheney in order for the joke to exist. Roasting is all in fun, I guess, but since I'm still dealing with pain in my left arm I sympathize with your pain. I understand that you are a man of true grit and you're back to work but still it lingers.

The administration jokes while they work behind the scenes to steal more of our rights. People in the room are laughing while American lives are made less comfortable. They laugh about the ports while the people of this nation know that they are no more safe than the day before 9/11. They laugh about Cheney shooting a lawyer but they ignore the fact that Cheney tried to cover it up. And that Cheney was probably drunk. And Cheney shot a man.

I know that you are a Republican. You are the part of the party that I admire. There are some Republicans like you in my state of Minnesota. They've been overshadowed and toss aside. Still they make their presence known and they do it at the most inconvenient times, like the October before elections. Timing is everything.

Harry, I'm with you. It wasn't funny. And I know funny.

Jeanne

An SAS soldier has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces. After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces. Ben Griffin told commanders that he thought the Iraq war was illegal He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" - the Nazi term for races regarded as sub-human......... Well looks like the British Army natives are getting restless, More here.

Big Brother minding your business so you do'nt have to. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

One of the most interesting tenants of WTC7 was then-Mayor Giuliani's Office of Emergency Management, and its emergency command center on the 23rd floor. This floor received 15 million dollars worth of renovations, including independent and secure air and water supplies, and bullet and bomb resistant windows designed to withstand 200 MPH winds. 2 The 1993 bombing must have been part of the rationale for the command center, which overlooked the Twin Towers, a prime terrorist target.

How curious that on the day of the attack, Guiliani and his Entourage set up shop in a different headquarters, abandoning the special bunker designed precisely for such an event.

wtc7.net

"get a new fishing buddy on those cold, lonely nights after a day of sheep herding."

Can anyone explain what this means? I've never heard of a night-fishing shepard.

#70
O'Reilly,
We don't try to explain. The effort isn't worth it. Don't tax yourself.

O'Reilly, the trolls were abducted by UFO's. They were subjected to various body cavity experiments, that is why they post such strange and inexplicable comments!

Patriotism is a religion, the egg from which wars are hatched.": Guy de Maupassant

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"Politically speaking, tribal nationalism [patriotism] always insists that its own people are surrounded by 'a world of enemies' - 'one against all' - and that a fundamental difference exists between this people and all others. It claims its people to be unique, individual, incompatible with all others, and denies theoretically the very possibility of a common mankind long before it is used to destroy the humanity of man." -Hannah Arendt, The Origins Of Totalitarianism p.227

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"Seas of blood have been shed for the sake of patriotism. One would expect the harm and irrationality of patriotism to be self-evident to everyone. But the surprising fact is that cultured and learned [socially conditioned and indoctrinated] people not only do not notice the harm and stupidity of patriotism, they resist every unveiling of it with the greatest obstinacy and passion (with no rational grounds), and continue to praise it as beneficent and elevating." -Leo Tolstoy

=
"Blind patriotism has been kept intact by rewriting history to provide people with moral consolation and a psychological basis for denial." -William H. Boyer

===

Thanks ICH Newsletter!

From: BobGeiger.com

Monday, March 13, 2006
The Love Ends When You're Born in South Dakota

After South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed legislation last week banning nearly all abortions in his state, he made a big culture-of-life statement about how he and the rest of the Religious Right were protecting the weakest among them.

"In the history of the world, the true test of a civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society," said Rounds.

That's an amazing statement coming from the governor of the state that houses the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which has long been one of the bleakest places in North America from a socio-economic point of view.

According to U.S. Census Bureau poverty status numbers, Shannon County, which encompasses most of Pine Ridge, has a startling 60 percent of families with kids between the ages of 5 and 17 living below the federal poverty line. In households defined as female householder, no husband present, the number of children under five living in poverty is a sickening 68 percent.

This must be what the South Dakota governor was speaking of when he waxed poetic about how a civilized people treats its most vulnerable and most helpless.
Due to the lack of sufficient health care, life expectancy on the reservation is 47 for men and 56 for women, numbers that would make us shake our heads at the misfortune of some isolated, third-world nation. That area of South Dakota also has an infant mortality rate that is twice the national average, with some child-welfare sources saying it's up to five times what's seen in the rest of the country.

Unemployment is consistently over 80 percent, adolescent suicide is four times the U.S. average and many families have no electricity or telephone.

Finally, for a state whose leader implies that they are the epitome of a civilized society, you have to wonder why so many of their counties rank among the 10 poorest in the entire country.

Yes, you read that correctly: Half of the 10 poorest counties in America are in South Dakota.

And thus the people who are anti-choice, but typically do the least to support families and help young children once they’re actually born, continue to live their real creed: Love the fetus, hate the child.
------------
Double standards, ya gotta love 'em! Now with this law, they'll have LOT'S more children living below the poverty line, way to go South Dakota!

#62
Den,
I went to the Today in Iraq site and asked those guys about the article you linked. One of the guys had interesting comments.

http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

I hate those f**kin spammers!!!!!

http://www.theocracywatch.org/

#77
Capt,
I've put that site into my favorites. Thank you.

When McCain becomes President he will unite this country and you people will be eating your hats. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!

Feingold Draws Little Support for Censure

Democrats distanced themselves Monday from Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's effort to censure President Bush over domestic spying, preventing a floor vote that could alienate swing voters.

A day of tough, election-year talk between Feingold and Vice President Dick Cheney ended with Senate leaders sending the matter to the Judiciary Committee.

"I look forward to a full hearing, debate and vote in committee on this important matter," Feingold said in a statement late Monday. "If the Committee fails to consider the resolution expeditiously, I will ask that there be a vote in the full Senate."

Republicans dared Democrats to vote for the proposal.

"Some Democrats in Congress have decided the president is the enemy," Vice President Dick Cheney told a Republican audience in Feingold's home state.
-------------------------
My skin is crawling right now. Cheney is a democracy eating bug.
And the Democrats...what cowards. They give this parasite the ability to say this about Feingold in his own state because they don't have the nerve to stand up to him. What are they so afraid of? They don't deserve the seats they hold if they aren't willing to fight for the democracy that got them there.

After Catholic Charities of Boston last week said it would end its adoption program (rather than keep it open to homosexuals)

Wrong. Catholic Charities stood up to the Archbishop and ended it adoption program rather than close it to GLBT people. A number of board members resigned in protest against archdiocesan policy. Please correct this gross misperception, David. I was horrified to see a commenter declare "shame on Catholic Charities" , when Catholic Charities has nothing to be ashamed of, and much to be proud of.

RUSS FEINGOLD FOR PRESIDENT!!!

WMR

March 13, 2006 -- For a short time yesterday afternoon, there were two prominent capital cities in the world -- Baghdad and the Washington, DC area -- with either no running water or very low water pressure, resulting in a major health hazard to the a large part of the Greater Washington metropolitan area. A major water main break in a 36-inch aqueduct running across the Potomac's Chain Bridge from Washington, DC to northern Virginia resulted in a number of Arlington and some Alexandria and Washington, DC homes and businesses either being without water or experiencing very low water pressure. Arlington homes were reporting rust colored water into this morning. Some hospitals in Arlington and northwest Washington were only treating emergency cases. Arlington activated its Emergency Operations Center. Local and national TV news paid little or no attention to the story. The cause of the rupture is still undetermined.

March 12, 2006 -- Gale Norton's sudden decision to resign as Interior Secretary is a sign that the Jack Abramoff investigation is closing in on higher-ranking Bush administration officials, according to informed Washington insiders. Norton is at the center of the scandal that has embroiled convicted GOP lobbyist Abramoff, her Interior Department deputy Steven Griles (accused by Interior's chief attorney of meddling in decisions involving the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana, which was an Abramoff client) and Italia Federici, the president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, a corporate-funded front co-founded by Norton and GOP policy adviser Grover Norquist that arranged for access to Norton and top Interior officials in exchange for tribal donations to the group.

More HERE

#81 Donna, thank you setting the record straight about some of the upstanding board memebers who resigned rather than consent to the new anti-gay policy for adoption.

Did I miss something? It's 2006. Who declared war on gay people?

Those PATHETIC democrats!!! I was never so pissed. Well, ALMOST never. What the hell are we going to do if all they worry about is the next election, thinking people would get mad if THEY DID THE RIGHT THING FOR A CHANGE! Bastards! Do they really think that if they get on that evil creep's case they'll lose an election? Don't they check the polls? They'd win a few elections if they showed some chutzpa. When are they going to do the right thing already??? We are SOOOOO doomed!

#79 McCain has a chance, as good a chance as anyone.

I didnít read a single post in this thread that said "If McCain wins, I'll eat my hat." So chomp on that.

Also, I'm concerned about how the mental illness issue will play in the heartland and whether social conservatives will take umbrage to the illegitimate black daughter issue.

Winter Warmest Ever on Record in Canada

The winter of 2005-2006 has been Canada's warmest on record and the federal agency Environment Canada said Monday it was investigating whether it's a sign of global warming.

Between December and February, the country was 3.9 degrees above normal —†the warmest winter season since temperatures were first recorded in 1948. Environment Canada climatologist Bob Whitewood said it smashed the previous record set in 1987 by 0.9 degrees.

....Whitewood said the last 10 winters have been warmer than normal and along with this winter reflect a trend that could be explained as global warming. He said Environment Canada would spend the next year examining the data to see if it's an aberration or evidence of a trend.
---------------
It's been warm in MN too.

The right-left is all a show everyone, don't fall for it.
Jeanne, it's butt-freezing cold here, just like it oughta be. Don't worry about global warming, all you can do is what you can do. Worry about the right here and now threat, the NWO, led by the global rip-off guild.

U.S. quietly tightens access to classified information

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley quietly revised the guidelines for determining access to classified government information last year, increasing emphasis on allegiance to the United States and allowing the government broader latitude in rejecting candidates without a clearly articulated cause, RAW STORY has found.

In a December 2005 revision of the "Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information," Hadley made semantic but substantial changes which seem to mirror a broader shift in Bush Administration policy. The document, found online, shows numerous variations from a previous copy of the guidelines published in 1997. Both are linked at the bottom of this article.

Many of the changes were minor or involved updates to catch up with technological advances. For example, the guidelines expand on certain areas with regard to storing or transferring classified information in electronic form.

...Moreover, the new guidelines are posed as recommendations for other agencies that are not privy to high-level classified information, suggesting a blanket emphasis on secrecy across all theaters of government.

Loyalty to the United States

Security clearance guidelines have always required strict allegiance to the United States. Both the 1997 and 2005 guidelines require that individuals seeking clearances not "act in such a way as to indicate preference for a foreign country over the United States."
But Hadley's 2005 guidelines go further. In addition to requiring that individuals not engage in material breaches of U.S. allegiance –†including voting in a foreign election or expressing a desire to renounce citizenship –†the 2005 guidelines assert that simply the vocalization of allegiance to another country is grounds for denial.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying now include "any statement or action that shows allegiance to a country other than the United States."

....Sexual 'behavior'

The 2005 guidelines also allow the government greater ability to use sexual orientation against applicants.

Whereas the 1997 revision declared that sexual orientation "may not be used" as a basis for disqualifying applicants, Hadley’≥ revisions declare that clearances cannot be denied "solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual."
The 2005 guidelines also add a curious revision under the "sexual Behavior" section. While the 1995 version said adverse sexual behavior could be eliminated from consideration if it were "not recent," the 2005 version expands this, saying "The sexual behavior happened so long ago, so infrequently, and under such unusual circumstances, that it is unlikely to recur."

Criminal conduct revisions

Another striking change in Hadley's revision is the removal of the word "acquittal" from a list of mitigating factors in considering whether clearances should be granted. The 2005 document removes the word "acquittal" without explanation or replacement.

The Hadley revision also adds discharge from the military under "dishonorable conditions" to a list of conditions that could warrant denial. While the intent cannot be divined, it's worth noting that engaging in homosexual conduct is grounds for a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. military.
-------------------
Gays are being singled out. Why is that? Because people will accept the discrimination? Who's next?

Bait-and-switch

"The Dubai-owned company that promised to surrender its U.S. port operations has no immediate plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary's interests at Miami's seaport, a senior executive wrote Monday in a private e-mail to business associates," the AP reports.

New low folks.

Iraq drives Bush's rating to new low
Americans pessimistic on war as president launches new push

Growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq has driven President Bush's approval rating to a new low of 36 percent, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

Only 38 percent said they believe the nearly 3-year-old war was going well for the United States, down from 46 percent in January, while 60 percent said they believed the war was going poorly.

...Fifty-seven percent said they believe the March 2003 invasion of Iraq was a mistake, near September's record high of 59 percent. That question had a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 points.

Bush's approval rating of 36 percent is the lowest mark of his presidency in a Gallup poll, falling a percentage point below the 37 percent approval he scored in November. The previous CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted February 28-March 1, put his job approval at 38 percent.

....Democrats enjoy lead
Those figures, along with weakened support for GOP handling of the battle against terrorism, have given Democrats a 16 percentage point lead over Republicans when registered voters are asked which party they will support in November. (Watch what the poll might mean at the polls -- 1:49)

Democrats drew the support of 55 percent of the registered voters questioned, while 39 percent said they would be voting Republican in the fall. That question had a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
------------------
So why are they so afraid to support Feingold? Why do they think people are behind them?
Dumb.

Warm, too, down at the bottom of Appalachia...

Through-Hikers on the trail are getting an early start this year.

-T

Here's an interesting article from Star Tribune on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Red Lake: From condemnation to compassion during a crisis

As the first anniversary of the Red Lake school shootings nears, Indians and whites take stock of area race relations.

#81 #84 regarding Catholic Charities...

Yes, at least a clarification is in order -- it appears that the bishops are the culprits, not the "ordinary people."

Seven quit charity over policy of bishops
Deplore effort to exclude same-sex adoptions

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff | March 2, 2006

Seven members of the board of Catholic Charities of Boston, including prominent business and media leaders, announced their resignations yesterday, saying that the Massachusetts bishops' effort to prohibit gays from adopting children from Catholic social service agencies ''threatens the very essence of our Christian mission."...

We ''cannot participate in an effort to pursue legal permission to discriminate against Massachusetts citizens who want to play their part in building strong families," the seven members said in a statement.

The resignations are the latest development in a high-profile collision between leaders of the state's largest religious group and a population that increasingly embraces gay rights....

The 42-member board unanimously voted in December in favor of continuing gay adoptions at Catholic Charities....

Warm here, too, in the PNW bordering on British Columbia...crocuses (croci?) pushed thru the warm soil early; blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes budded waaaay early; folks are already mowing their lawns! Freakin' stuff. Our area grows over 65% of the nation's raspberries -- the warmer winters are not good for the berry bushes. The plants can't handle it when they bud too early, then a cold snap snuffs out the early growth.

Shit happens in farming, but concern is rising.

I sent this email earlier today to my senators -- short and easily understood, IMO. I'll probably hear back, "Thank you for contacting me...I share your concern blah blah blah." When what they would really like to say is, "neener-neener-neener, I can't hear you!"

Dear Senators Murray and Cantwell:

I urge you to support Senator Feingold's proposal to formally censure George Bush, especially on the warrantless wiretapping he has sanctioned and approved.

It is a ridiculous notion that Republicans think the way to handle this problem is to rewrite laws that have been broken in order to accommodate the president's law-breaking activities. Changing the rules after the fact does not absolve Bush from breaking the law!

Sure, the government should be able to wiretap terrorists, but it must do so legally -- which it already has the authority to do. We are supposed to be a nation of laws, not of men (kings?).

Please support Senator Feingold.

Thank you.

12
I'm just Happy is here and not on spring break.

Posted by: O'Reilly at March 13, 2006 01:00 PM
=================================================
Thanks! My sons are on SB and I sort of `tag along', partially.

14 & 15 (Corrected Combo)
BTW, posting here is not a `burden' as I posted the other day.
oh, have you posted here before? you must NOT be loud enough.

Posted by: James Ha at March 13, 2006 01:03 PM
=================================================
Being loud is Dean and Gore's way and appeal to those who don't know how "The Politics is Won!" I find the old EF Hutton approach much better and arguably more effective than being "loud enough"!

# 21
Happy to be behind the scenes, watching, waiting, for just the right moment to post his drivel, always one of the first few to post too. HMMMM just waiting all night for Davids post? Or copy and paste Davids post that he recieves thru e-mail, then spend the rest of the day "setting liberal posters straight"? Why David? Why?

Posted by: DEN at March 13, 2006 01:27 PM
=================================================
DEN, now I know what your handle stands for: "DENSE"! You may have dial-up. With broadband, it takes less than 5 seconds to check up on David to see if somehting new broke! It's also not hard to deduce his routine to non-DENSE folks.

As for your `Judgment' on multiple threads that David pays me, why don't you provide some proof? Not denying it, mind you, but the silence of your fellow Lefties seem to make this a collective `Judgment'...Unless, they are, horrors, hypocrits? If you have no proof, I think reasonable people would conclude you are treating our mutual Host with both utter DISRESPECT and assassinating his INTEGRITY. Unless you show proof, ex-communicate yourself from this blog!

Lastly, a Good Night to O'Reilly & Carey + David.

PS: Happy to see the Meanest vamping in daylight hours! You are the BLADE, Man!!

Happy is smokin' somethun and he ain't making no sense. It would be wise to ignore him.

#98
Good idea. I think I will.

More news from the Christian Zionists: U.S. Christians create umbrella organization to lobby for Israel

The pastor from my church (one of the leaders of Christians United for Israel) posted the email addresses and fax numbers of Senators Cornyn and Hutchison on the Jumbotron and asked us to fax and email them to pressure Olmert and the Knesset to move the capital of Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Yeah they're cheering for the apocalypse. Isn't that illegal for them to post email addies in church? I guess it's just as legal as the voting guide that they put out every election.

I fell down the steps leaving church with Junior in my arms this past Sunday. I managed to stumble, holding him above me, without him even crying. I think he actually enjoyed the trip. My knees are killing me though. Playing golf today was a bad idea.

Sal, I think your comadre is one of the biddies that works with me. She announced the birth of her grandchild at the same time that you did. (belated Congrats, BTW). Maybe just a coincidence.

I am Blade?

#100
Ouch. I feel for you. I can relate to falling. When you land you think about what hurts and how long it's going to hurt. I'm happy the little fella is ok though.

I can't get used to Jumbotrons and churches. Oh well, I still haven't quite gotten over the fact that mass isn't said in Latin.

Micki, good letter to your Sens. I'm envious of you guyz that have Senators worth sending to. I know mine would be a waste of time. *Texas

Pande, you olllllld man you! I'm just kidding... hope dem knees get better fast. Good job of 'taking the hit' and protecting lil' Pande. That's what a Dad does, and that's about the best complement a man can get... to be called a Dad, not just a father. *propz2ya