Conservatives are always ragging on us to "Support the Troops", and now I finally understand what it means. What better way could there be to support them than to give them what the want? Bring them home, and end this illegal occupation. Even William F. Buckley agrees that we are losing the war. And, that does not make us defeatists or mean that we are cheering for the US to lose a war. It makes us realists. I applaud the troops and even Mr. Buckley for telling the truth. Is Bill Buckley an anti-American communist giving aid and comfort to the enemy? Just how will they spin this in Jesusland?
Of Mr. Bush, I say that the man behind the curtain is being revealed for what he is, a charlatan who has used false-patriotism, false religion, and false fear to further a pro-corporate agenda that hurts the average citizen in this country. His latest approval rating is at about 34%.
More violence and more death in Iraq
AP is reporting 5 explosions and 41 deaths in Baghdad. Certainly, not the most violent day we've seen. But everytime I read a headline like this, I feel like I lose a tiny bit of my humanity. Pretty soon it will all be gone and then it will become a soulless numbers game. How many died today? Oh, not as many as yesterday ... Good.
This war was supposed to be the last option. It wasn't. And the people of Iraq continue to pay a heavy price. I pray that I don't become desensitized to their suffering.
This war was supposed to be the last option. It wasn't. And the people of Iraq continue to pay a heavy price. I pray that I don't become desensitized to their suffering.
DL Exclusive! Transcripts from the Anna Nicole Smith Supreme Court Case
Marshal: Will the defendant please rise?
Judge Thomas: Rise? Did someone say rise? That's funny, cause I got a rise going on here under my robe, if you know what I mean...
Judge Ginsburg (under breath): I need a drink...
Judge Thomas: Rise? Did someone say rise? That's funny, cause I got a rise going on here under my robe, if you know what I mean...
Judge Ginsburg (under breath): I need a drink...
Sign The Petition
I know, we get a lot of emails to sign petitions, but this isn’t as much of a serious matter as most of them. This was reported in the Top Ten Conservative Idiots today (see #10). It seems that Bill O’Reilly has started a campaign to get Keith Olbermann replaced on MSNBC. I think that anyone who watches Countdown knows why too. Huffington Post is running a petition drive to have Bill O’Reilly replaced on Fox because of his mental condition.
Sign the petition here.
Thanks for being a patriotic American. The sooner we get rid of O’Reilly, the sooner we can all start eating falafel without feeling ill.
Sign the petition here.
Thanks for being a patriotic American. The sooner we get rid of O’Reilly, the sooner we can all start eating falafel without feeling ill.
Korrupt Kourt in Kentucky
Some days you just wonder whether the Republicans just try stuff like this to see if we're paying attention. When I go on trial, I want to be able to put my lifelong friends on the jury.
(Mad props to my little dirties over at MyDD for jumping on this issue)
(Mad props to my little dirties over at MyDD for jumping on this issue)
Hackett on Newsmakers
Paul Hackett appeared yesterday on Channel 12's Newsmakers, their local-interest type of show that usually airs at 3:30 on a Sunday morning. Unfortunately, since WKRC's website doesn't even acknowledge the existence of the show, there's no transcript to link to, but I'll hit the big points as best as I can remember them:
- Paul was going to take several months off of politics after the special election in August, and then consider a run at the 2nd district this coming November
- Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer called him up to D.C. to discuss running against DeWine in the Senate election in 2006
- Paul asked about other Democratic candidates that might run against him in a primary, specifically Sherrod Brown; Reid and Schumer both said that Brown told them he would not run, and suggested that he meet with Brown to understand his reasons for not running
- Paul met with Brown, who told him that he would not run; obviously, a week after Paul announced his candidacy, Brown changed his mind
- Paul referred to the rumored whisper campaign; while he did not give specifics, he intimated that the rumors concerned his service and whether he had done an honorable job in Iraq, or perhaps participated in some sort of torture
- While no names were mentioned, Paul does know who started the campaign; it was someone in Brown's camp, who he said left the campaign in the last week or so; a curious sort could probably identify the name
- Paul went to Reid and Schumer to put a stop to the campaign; both said it would be taken care of, apparently it was not
- In the end, Paul just did not feel he could raise the $2 million needed to match Brown's coffers in the six weeks before media buys needed to take place
- His suggestion for those that want to keep up the fight was to get involved in the process and support solid candidates; when asked by the host whether that meant voting for Brown, his response was that he was not a political player and had not been asked to endorse Brown; pressed further, he remarked that he would not be endorsing Brown, and he did not like Brown
Good move to piss this guy off Dems, this will win over those swing voters.
When Bush Falls in Love
By Sarah Vowell (from today's New York Times)
The charges of cronyism against the current administration have piled up higher than the rotting rubble in New Orleans: "Heck of a job, Brownie," is fast replacing "Way to go, Einstein" as the wiseacre-to-dummy put-down du jour. And what of Harriet Miers, the good friend/lame nominee for the Supreme Court the president defended as "plenty bright."
Then there's the 24-year-old political appointee who was rewarded for working on the president's re-election campaign with a job as a press aide at NASA, where he was accused of trying to silence a top climate scientist who is, go figure, concerned about global warming. That, and he demanded that the apparently too science-y NASA Web site insert the word "theory" after every use of "Big Bang."
(To be fair, he resigned after it turned out that he'd lied on his résumé about graduating from college, so he might have dropped out before his class got to the textbook chapter titled "Just Big Bang: That's What Jesus Calls It, Too.")
Plus, in a word, Abramoff.
All of which is appalling. At this point, five years after oil and gas lobbyists started scoring Interior Department appointments overseeing national parks and the Bureau of Land Management, I'm heartened that I can still scrape up a glimmer of dismay. And yet, there is a tiny, honest voice in my head that has never let me condemn the president too loudly for wanting to work only with his allies and friends. Because that's pretty much how I live my life, too.
The other day, I was on a plane where "Good Night, and Good Luck" was the in-flight movie. I'd already seen it, but watching it again afforded me the opportunity to look beyond its grand central theme and curl up with the film's lovely periphery.
Around the edges, a second, softer movie flickers, an unpretentious but sly portrait of what real camaraderie looks and feels like. By opening with a party where Edward R. Murrow and his old staff are gussied up and drinking and giggling and taking pictures with their arms around one another as a saxophone plays "When I Fall in Love," the viewer figures out right away that this is more than Murrow vs. McCarthy circa "High Noon." This guy has backup.
My favorite scene starts with George Clooney as the producer Fred Friendly and David Strathairn as Murrow a couple of minutes before Murrow goes on the air with a potentially controversial report about a Red Scare flare-up in Michigan. I don't think I've ever seen a subtler, truer image of partnership. And not just in the way the two men talk to each other, either confessing their fears or joshing around or both.
When Friendly counts down the seconds left until Murrow goes live, Friendly sits just off-camera and taps Murrow's leg with his pen when it's time. The gesture is mundane and loving all at once.
I'm lucky enough to have a Friendly of my own. Is there anything better than figuring out what you're supposed to do with your life and getting paid to do it? Yep, doing it alongside the calm and tweedy person you regard as the brother you never had.
"Good Night, and Good Luck" taps into this understandable yearning for solidarity, for affectionate toil, for a shared mission, that's also behind the allure of the founding fathers, the Boston Red Sox, the Clash. Part of me can't blame the president for his pro-crony tendencies because I also have them to an almost sickening degree.
Then I remember — wait, neither I nor any crony of mine has ever slept through the soggy downfall of an entire city, or failed to track down the genocidal maniac who still has a few American items left to check off on his mass-murder To Do list, or sent our soldiers to wage a berserk war crisscrossing the most dangerous roads in the world in flimsy vehicles with the protective capability of Vespa scooters. (But my comrades and I would like to apologize for that reading we "organized" at a noisy Chinatown restaurant in '98, when the short stories were drowned out by egg roll orders.)
Bonhomie, as our ex-cronies the French call it, should have its limits. Seems as if American voters picked the current president because they thought he'd be a fun hang at a cookout — a jokey neighbor who charred a mean burger and is good at playing Frisbee with his dog. What we should be doing is electing a president with the nitpicky paranoia you'd use to choose a cardiologist — a stunted conversationalist with dark-circled eyes and paper-cut fingertips who will stay up until 3 tearing into medical journals in five languages trying to figure out how to save your life.
Sarah Vowell, a guest columnist, is a contributor to public radio's "This American Life" and the author of "Assassination Vacation."
The charges of cronyism against the current administration have piled up higher than the rotting rubble in New Orleans: "Heck of a job, Brownie," is fast replacing "Way to go, Einstein" as the wiseacre-to-dummy put-down du jour. And what of Harriet Miers, the good friend/lame nominee for the Supreme Court the president defended as "plenty bright."
Then there's the 24-year-old political appointee who was rewarded for working on the president's re-election campaign with a job as a press aide at NASA, where he was accused of trying to silence a top climate scientist who is, go figure, concerned about global warming. That, and he demanded that the apparently too science-y NASA Web site insert the word "theory" after every use of "Big Bang."
(To be fair, he resigned after it turned out that he'd lied on his résumé about graduating from college, so he might have dropped out before his class got to the textbook chapter titled "Just Big Bang: That's What Jesus Calls It, Too.")
Plus, in a word, Abramoff.
All of which is appalling. At this point, five years after oil and gas lobbyists started scoring Interior Department appointments overseeing national parks and the Bureau of Land Management, I'm heartened that I can still scrape up a glimmer of dismay. And yet, there is a tiny, honest voice in my head that has never let me condemn the president too loudly for wanting to work only with his allies and friends. Because that's pretty much how I live my life, too.
The other day, I was on a plane where "Good Night, and Good Luck" was the in-flight movie. I'd already seen it, but watching it again afforded me the opportunity to look beyond its grand central theme and curl up with the film's lovely periphery.
Around the edges, a second, softer movie flickers, an unpretentious but sly portrait of what real camaraderie looks and feels like. By opening with a party where Edward R. Murrow and his old staff are gussied up and drinking and giggling and taking pictures with their arms around one another as a saxophone plays "When I Fall in Love," the viewer figures out right away that this is more than Murrow vs. McCarthy circa "High Noon." This guy has backup.
My favorite scene starts with George Clooney as the producer Fred Friendly and David Strathairn as Murrow a couple of minutes before Murrow goes on the air with a potentially controversial report about a Red Scare flare-up in Michigan. I don't think I've ever seen a subtler, truer image of partnership. And not just in the way the two men talk to each other, either confessing their fears or joshing around or both.
When Friendly counts down the seconds left until Murrow goes live, Friendly sits just off-camera and taps Murrow's leg with his pen when it's time. The gesture is mundane and loving all at once.
I'm lucky enough to have a Friendly of my own. Is there anything better than figuring out what you're supposed to do with your life and getting paid to do it? Yep, doing it alongside the calm and tweedy person you regard as the brother you never had.
"Good Night, and Good Luck" taps into this understandable yearning for solidarity, for affectionate toil, for a shared mission, that's also behind the allure of the founding fathers, the Boston Red Sox, the Clash. Part of me can't blame the president for his pro-crony tendencies because I also have them to an almost sickening degree.
Then I remember — wait, neither I nor any crony of mine has ever slept through the soggy downfall of an entire city, or failed to track down the genocidal maniac who still has a few American items left to check off on his mass-murder To Do list, or sent our soldiers to wage a berserk war crisscrossing the most dangerous roads in the world in flimsy vehicles with the protective capability of Vespa scooters. (But my comrades and I would like to apologize for that reading we "organized" at a noisy Chinatown restaurant in '98, when the short stories were drowned out by egg roll orders.)
Bonhomie, as our ex-cronies the French call it, should have its limits. Seems as if American voters picked the current president because they thought he'd be a fun hang at a cookout — a jokey neighbor who charred a mean burger and is good at playing Frisbee with his dog. What we should be doing is electing a president with the nitpicky paranoia you'd use to choose a cardiologist — a stunted conversationalist with dark-circled eyes and paper-cut fingertips who will stay up until 3 tearing into medical journals in five languages trying to figure out how to save your life.
Sarah Vowell, a guest columnist, is a contributor to public radio's "This American Life" and the author of "Assassination Vacation."
Recycling is good
Knight Ridder is reporting that "military interrogators posing as FBI agents at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, wrapped terrorism suspects in an Israeli flag and forced them to watch homosexual pornography" (hat tip georgia10 at DailyKos). Which got me thinking ... Finding Israeli flags is easy enough, but where would the military go to find gay porn? Would the military actually send its people to a porn store to buy said porn? Or, do they have other ways? Hmm ...
Legislation That Makes Sense
This week, State Senator Robert Hagan introduced legislation that would prohibit Republican families from adopting a child. This is in response to legislation introduced by Representative Ron Hood prohibiting gay couples from adopting.
From the Akron Beacon Journal:
Full story here.
Seems sensible enough to me. I work with dysfunctional Republicans and I think it's a great idea to keep children from being exposed to their lifestyle.
From the Akron Beacon Journal:
To further lampoon Hood's bill, Hagan wrote in his mock proposal that ``credible research'' shows that adopted children raised in Republican households are more at risk for developing ``emotional problems, social stigmas, inflated egos, and alarming lack of tolerance for others they deem different than themselves and an air of overconfidence to mask their insecurities.''
Full story here.
Seems sensible enough to me. I work with dysfunctional Republicans and I think it's a great idea to keep children from being exposed to their lifestyle.
Big Bowl Of Bad
Here's a clip from David Letterman on the attempt to distract the public from Cheney shooting a 78 year old man in the face. Oh, how true it is! Courtesy of Crooks and Liars.
Suedehead
It seems that the FBI and British Intelligence don't have enough real work to do. Both organizations questioned the singer Morrissey for calling the president a, "terrorist". See story here. Why would the FBI even waste time questioning a singer for what he said? It isn't like this is the first time anyone has called Bush a terrorist. My guess is that they are big Morrissey fans. You know, he is the last of the famous international playboys.
South Dakota's New State Mottos
South Dakota is on the move! Now that the state legislature has approved a ban on virtually all abortions,
it is simply not enough to re-write the state song to honor this event. It's time to focus our attention on creating a new state slogan! Say goodbye to "Under God People Rule" and say hello to these new mottos:
Under God the Fetus Rules
South Dakota: Disneyland for the Unborn
Incest or Rape = No Scrape
SD: Where Rapists Have More Rights Than Women
Inbreeding is a Family Value
I Performed an Abortion in SD and All I Got Was a Five Year Sentence
In Alito and Roberts We Trust
Women Want Us To Ban Abortion. Really.
it is simply not enough to re-write the state song to honor this event. It's time to focus our attention on creating a new state slogan! Say goodbye to "Under God People Rule" and say hello to these new mottos:
Under God the Fetus Rules
South Dakota: Disneyland for the Unborn
Incest or Rape = No Scrape
SD: Where Rapists Have More Rights Than Women
Inbreeding is a Family Value
I Performed an Abortion in SD and All I Got Was a Five Year Sentence
In Alito and Roberts We Trust
Women Want Us To Ban Abortion. Really.
Why ultra-religious people scare the shit out of me, part 2
(for part 1, read this post that caused a near riot and logged more comments than any post on Cincy Blog in many a moon.)
I was forwarded an e-mail last night that a friend had sent to them concerning the existence of God. Read the e-mail and we'll dissect below, if your brain doesn't asplode before then.
This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation all people will understand.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!", affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him!. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
If you think God exists, send this to other people---If you think God does not exist, delete it!
If your head hurts right now, I don't blame you, just take a second to compose yourself. By the way, nice Christ-like character there to throw in: scraggly long beard and long hair...or it could have been the lead singer of ZZ Top, I could be mistaken.
The initial reaction I have to a story like this is that it is one of the most ignorant, shallow, condescending, arrogant, and non-intellectual stories that I have ever read. So by the story's theory, if you go to God then only good things will happen to you.
I was forwarded an e-mail last night that a friend had sent to them concerning the existence of God. Read the e-mail and we'll dissect below, if your brain doesn't asplode before then.
This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation all people will understand.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!", affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him!. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
If you think God exists, send this to other people---If you think God does not exist, delete it!
If your head hurts right now, I don't blame you, just take a second to compose yourself. By the way, nice Christ-like character there to throw in: scraggly long beard and long hair...or it could have been the lead singer of ZZ Top, I could be mistaken.
The initial reaction I have to a story like this is that it is one of the most ignorant, shallow, condescending, arrogant, and non-intellectual stories that I have ever read. So by the story's theory, if you go to God then only good things will happen to you.
To examine this point, let's think about several tragedies that have occured over the past 5 years, particularly 9/11, the Indonesian/Filipino/Thai tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina. Are we saying that none of these people went to God? I'm quite sure that anyone on the four planes that went down was praying to God as they flew towards the Twin Towers. Plenty of them probably prayed on a nightly basis. You think that the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi weren't religious people? Plenty of them were devout Christians and Catholics, but God didn't exactly look out for them there.
What about the Pacific Rim, were they not Godly enough? Or were they just praying to the wrong God? Yeah, I know that sounds like a low blow, but I think a lot of the religious zealots in this country believe in the 'my God is better than your God' theory.
So apparently these people believe that bad things happen to you if you don't go to God. But if you ask them why bad things happen to people that are religious and do go to God, they respond 'well, that's just God's plan, and sometimes we can't explain that'. Excuse me? That sounds like a serious copout to me! If something good happens to you then you praise him, but if something bad happens, well then it was just God's will? And then how do you explain uber-Christian zealot Pat Robertson getting prostate cancer? He supposedly has a personal relationship with God. Oh, but I'm sure you'll say that he was just testing Pat's faith in him (though I spoke to God last week, and he told me it was a warning shot to tell Pat to shut the fuck up and get off the air). And we wonder why intelligent design can't pass scientific muster...
I have a feeling that if God wanted the word spread that going to him was the best way for good to happen in your life, I think he would have found a better mode of communication than a chain e-mail. Chains can get you a free vacation to Disneyland, a piece of Bill Gates' fortune, or laid within 36 hours (although these people would never forward that e-mail because they're too afraid of their sexuality to actually perform the act, so the stork brings all their babies), but they shouldn't be used to spread the word of God.
Moreover, I am not a scholar of the Bible, but I do believe that Jesus makes remarks in it of how you should feed the hungry, heal the sick, and clothe the poor. So maybe instead of just sending out an e-mail to people (which I'm sure the poor wouldn't get since they likely can't afford broadband), you should get off your self-righteous ass and go do something about making things better! Go work in a soup kitchen, join Habitat for Humanity, donate some time to the Free Store. Of course, then you might find out that the poor actually consist of individual and unique people that have stories and experiences that can't all be distilled down into a simple parable.
You see, the right accused Democrats of hating religion. We don't hate religion. We don't hate people, except for Tom DeLay (because he is a detestable, sleazy, lecherous liar) and Ryan Seacrest (but everybody hates him, so we're no different). We hate the way the right uses religion as a rod to beat people over the head with. It's not about spreading the word of Jesus to them, it's using Jesus as a way to declare themselves more moral than those of us that don't follow their faith. And that's what we have a problem with.
Religion, like alcohol, can be a good thing in moderation, but dangerous in large quantities (as seen above). So I encourage you, if you have ultra-religious friends that would enjoy a letter like the one above, send them the link to this post, and have them explain just exactly how we're wrong on this. Faith can be a great thing (it worked wonders for George Michael), but explaining it in a clear and concise manner is a whole 'nother issue.
How will they spin this?
Per CNN,
The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up, the Pentagon said Friday.At this rate, it's anyone's guess when the troops will be back home. One thing's for certain, none of the Sunday morning loudmouths will be talking about this. You know, talk like this "gives aid and comfort to the enemy."
From the "As if we didn't know this" file...
How hard is this for people to grasp, really?!?! Iraq did not attack us. There was no link to 9/11. How can anybody believe that invading Iraq was warranted, or legal? Now, even more evidence that the administration and the Pentagon were fixated on Iraq from the start. This is criminal, and for millions of "patriotic" Americans to follow blindly is also criminal. I am just livid!!
Sorry, but I have to rant like this. How could you possibly explain this any other way? We were going into Iraq anyway, and 9/11 gave us an excuse.
Sorry, but I have to rant like this. How could you possibly explain this any other way? We were going into Iraq anyway, and 9/11 gave us an excuse.
Corrupt Ohio Republicans? You don't say!
Two more Ohio Republicans plead no contest to violating ethics law. But what do the Republicans care about ethics? Ethics-schmethics! They have the gay agenda to fight, and protect the "sanctity of marriage." And, oh, Clinton BJ. And 9/11. And war on terror.
A Glimpse At The Front Page
One of the best ways to take a look at the front pages of the newspapers throughout the World is through Newseum.org. Take a look here.
I believe that they cover most of the major newspapers in the United States and around the globe. Requires Flash.
I believe that they cover most of the major newspapers in the United States and around the globe. Requires Flash.
Workin' For The Weekend - Trading Places
This week's topic is pretty basic. Which TV character would you want to switch places with for a day? Mine would be easy: Jack Bauer, on the day when all the crazy stuff blew up. Though Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable would be fun to switch with, if only for the sweater collection.
Portscenter
I know The Daily Show used that title last night, but there are times when you just can't improve on the original, so you just bow down to the masters.
Now that we've had a chance to digest the whole UAE/port ownership scandal-to-be, I think there are several points that we need to remember:
Now that we've had a chance to digest the whole UAE/port ownership scandal-to-be, I think there are several points that we need to remember:
- I almost believe the converging stories of 'Bush didn't know about this until after the deal was final/the administration made a secret deal with the UAE to get this done'. Really, is it that much of a stretch to think that G-Dub was left completely in the dark on this by his administration, or that he found out about this from the news (ok that part is hard to believe, I didn't think he read papers or watched the news)? This is the only administration in world history where ignorance and cluelessness are considered acceptable explanations for fiascos like this. So I would buy it, except for Bush's strong attacks on anyone opposing the deal. You don't just entrench yourself on an issue that just came to your attention a day or two beforehand. Which leads to...
- I think people need to take notice of the fact that Bush is threatening to use the first veto of his over 5-year presidency on this issue. He's willing to use this power on an issue that helps a foreign government, not one that helps his own country. Whether you believe this deal is a good or bad thing, it warrants mentioning.
- The vetting committee that oversees transactions like these could have held this deal up for an investigation of no more than 45 days if any one member believed that this could pose a risk to national security. Now maybe none of them truly believed that there was a risk (and I'm honestly not 100% sure they'd be wrong there). But wouldn't it make sense to hold the deal up for a month just out of common political sense? Unless there's something else going on, which this sure gives the impression that there is.
- Scott McClellan sure has got to be tired of being the administration's flack man, or at least better be getting some serious jack on the side. I can't even keep up with the amount of times the story he's spouted on this (plus countless other issues) has shifted. I don't know if they're just feeding him bits and pieces of the story and then changing it around when it falls apart, or he's just a soul-less bastard and willingly lies to the press (it really could go either way), but I hope it's worth it for him, because I wouldn't want that job to save my life.
- If there's one thing that can come out of this whole mess, it's that the public is now more aware that foreign governments own ports within the U.S. (and that was a serious 'holy shit' moment for me, because I was clueless on that, as I'm sure many other intelligent people were). I'm not saying this out of some sort of jingoistic American pseudo-pride, I just think we shouldn't have foreign state ownership of any of our ports. But the unfortunate reality is...
- Port security in the U.S. still sucks. I won't re-hash other blog reviews of this issue, but when only 6% of all crates that hit U.S. soil are being inspected, well Sparky's going to miss a lot that comes into this country. Of course it might not be nearly as bad if Congress took port security seriously, specifically members like Bill Frist that voted against funding on six different occasions. Speaking of Dr. Evil...
- To all of those that voted for this president and are now exhibiting this faux shock, awe, and horror over the way he treats those that hold opposing views, do me a favor and go into a closet and perform sexual favors on yourself. You all believed that a deserter who left his National Guard duty early to go get an MBA and a man that got five deferrments knew more about national security than a three-tour Vietnam vet. You made this happen, now you shut up and deal with it.
South Dakota's New State Song
Since South Dakota is on the verge of passing the most restrictive abortion legislation in the
US, I find it only fitting to commemorate this historic moment by re-writing South Dakota's state song, "Hail! South Dakota!"
Hell! South Dakota!
Hell! South Dakota! A great state of the land,
With only one abortion clinic, that's what makes her grand;
Doctors fly in to perform abortions, because in SD they are so rare,
And with its new abortion measure, no other state can compare.
Come where abortion will soon be banned, and where unborn life is worthwhile,
"Abortion doctors will be sent to prison," says Hunt with a smile;
"Except when a woman's life is in danger, abortion is allowed, that's true."
But to victims of rape and incest: well, screw you."
Hell! South Dakota! The state pro-lifers love the best,
Land with the most restrictive abortion laws in the west;
Home of powerful anti-abortionists who put the unborn on a shrine,
While the lives of women and children are put on the line.
And for pro-choice supporters across the nation, this should be a warning sign.
US, I find it only fitting to commemorate this historic moment by re-writing South Dakota's state song, "Hail! South Dakota!"
Hell! South Dakota!
Hell! South Dakota! A great state of the land,
With only one abortion clinic, that's what makes her grand;
Doctors fly in to perform abortions, because in SD they are so rare,
And with its new abortion measure, no other state can compare.
Come where abortion will soon be banned, and where unborn life is worthwhile,
"Abortion doctors will be sent to prison," says Hunt with a smile;
"Except when a woman's life is in danger, abortion is allowed, that's true."
But to victims of rape and incest: well, screw you."
Hell! South Dakota! The state pro-lifers love the best,
Land with the most restrictive abortion laws in the west;
Home of powerful anti-abortionists who put the unborn on a shrine,
While the lives of women and children are put on the line.
And for pro-choice supporters across the nation, this should be a warning sign.
Women's rights under attack
It's happening. South Dakota is not going to allow even rape victims to get safe, legal abortions. This is a step on the way to the Supreme Court.
White House issues own Katrina report
So Bush issues his own report on the Katrina fiasco. According to the AP, "The report was expected to be less scathing than a House report issued last week. " Really! You don't say! Gee, I wish I could do my own performance reviews. I am sure I would be an outstanding employee everytime.
Personal accountability, if you are poor
This is not very surprising...
Last year, the Repukes pushed legislation changing the bankruptcy laws, citing personal responsibility and accountability as reasons for this "necessary" change.
Apparently it has not turned out how they envisioned. This is what drives me crazy about these freaks. What was the rush to push this legislation? In my mind, reasons to change laws include a) an industry is in trouble, b) citizens are being hurt by the current arrangement, and c)the public good. I realize that these are interrelated but you get the point.
So, what industry is being protected? The credit card industry? The same industry that has grown at record speed at the expense of people who were lured into credit debt and now have trouble paying the ridiculous fees that are charged by these companies. Those same fees helped the financial giants explosive growth. Why are they in trouble? What is the rush to help them?
The citizens? Are they being helped? The argument is that responsible citizens are being hurt by bankruptcies. But, as we can see, most bankruptcies are not just deadbeats trying to unload debt.
So, how does this help the public good? Rates are going down because of decrease in bankruptcies? Yeah!!! If you believe that, Ted Stevens has a bridge in Alaska he wants to sell you. Profits will go up, which will line the pockets of the rich investors and, once again be borne on the backs of the poor and unfortunate.
Last year, the Repukes pushed legislation changing the bankruptcy laws, citing personal responsibility and accountability as reasons for this "necessary" change.
Apparently it has not turned out how they envisioned. This is what drives me crazy about these freaks. What was the rush to push this legislation? In my mind, reasons to change laws include a) an industry is in trouble, b) citizens are being hurt by the current arrangement, and c)the public good. I realize that these are interrelated but you get the point.
So, what industry is being protected? The credit card industry? The same industry that has grown at record speed at the expense of people who were lured into credit debt and now have trouble paying the ridiculous fees that are charged by these companies. Those same fees helped the financial giants explosive growth. Why are they in trouble? What is the rush to help them?
The citizens? Are they being helped? The argument is that responsible citizens are being hurt by bankruptcies. But, as we can see, most bankruptcies are not just deadbeats trying to unload debt.
So, how does this help the public good? Rates are going down because of decrease in bankruptcies? Yeah!!! If you believe that, Ted Stevens has a bridge in Alaska he wants to sell you. Profits will go up, which will line the pockets of the rich investors and, once again be borne on the backs of the poor and unfortunate.
Civil war in Iraq?
AP is reporting attacks on Sunnis after a revered Shiite shrine is blown up. This could be the beginning of a bitter civil war in Iraq unless something is done real fast. But then, I don't expect Bush or his administration to do anything until it's too late. Remember, Bush didn't even know the difference between Sunnis and Shias until after he'd made up his mind to attack Iraq.
So what can we expect? More death. More suffering. And more empty statements from Bush and his henchmen. Yeah, freedom's on the march.
So what can we expect? More death. More suffering. And more empty statements from Bush and his henchmen. Yeah, freedom's on the march.
Dog chasing tail chasing dog chasing tail...
At what point does local leadership just throw its hands up and admit that the Banks is a complete clusterfuck? Have we honestly moved anywhere in the past 10 years? Shouldn't someone be held responsible for this mess? Wasn't this part of the whole package they promoted to pass the sales tax increase and baseball on the riverfront?
Hackett appearance at fundraiser
Paul Hackett will be making an appearance with the Anderson Newtown Democratic Club this Thursday night at the Ivy Hill CC at 7711 IVY HILLS BLVD in Newtown off of Route 32. Admission is a $25 donation, plus cash bar. For more information Call Sandy at 231-6697 or e-mail Jen at donkeyod@gmail.com.
Roll out the RED CARPET Thursday for Bush
Large signs and banners will be placed around the city to attract attention to our displeasure with President Bush's visit. Also, you are encouraged to call into local radio morning talk shows to keep the "Buzz" going.
Join one of the two public gatherings near, but not in, Indian Hill. There will be pre-made signs or bring your own to remind the public of Bush's ineptitude with his Handling of Iraq, Response to Katrina, and his Alliance to Moneyed Special interests, etc.).
Gathering 1: The intersection of Montgomery Road and Cooper Road, in Montgomery. The easiest address to use for Mapquesting the intersection is 9440 Montgomery Road. It is the intersection just south of the Montgomery Inn. Public parking is available close-by 1 block west of Montgomery Road, off Cooper at Shelly Lane.
Gathering 2: The second location (with special thanks to the Clermont County Dems) will be outside the Madeira Public Library in Madeira. There is an area between Euclid Ave and Camargo Road that will provide great visibility. Mapquest address for this is 7200 Miami Ave.
The fund-raiser begins at 3pm, with dinner at 5pm, so we'd like to assemble around 2pm to catch many of the attendees on their way to the event. It would be great if a significant number of us could still be around during rush hour for the added exposure. So if you can't make it early, please consider coming later, after work, or whenever you can. Thank you in advance for any and all support you can give, even if it is simply thinking good thoughts for your fellow citizens gathered together in common effort on Thursday. Remember what Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "There Comes A Time When Silence Is Betrayal." And further, this quote from Abraham Lincoln, founding father of the Republican Party, who said: "To Sin By Silence When They Should Protest Makes Cowards of Men."
If you go take pics we will post them on the blog.
Constitutional Vigil: Cincinnati
MoveOn is organizing Constitutional Vigils across the nation tomorrow to protest Dubya's illegal wiretapping program. Join in the vigil tomorrow at 4:30 in front of the Federal Building on Fifth and Main and bear witness to the presi-don't's lawbreaking.
Censored information--or no information at all?
Recently, four major tech companies--Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Yahoo!--have received pummelings from politicians and human rights activists for allowing their services in China to be subverted by the Chinese government.
Google yielded to government pressure to censor politically-sensitive search results. Microsoft took down the blog of a controversial blogger who
spoke out against China's political repression. Cisco Systems sold hardware to the Chinese government that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web sites. And in the most distressing example, Yahoo! actually gave information to the government that led to the arrests of not one, but two dissidents.
Some (including John McCain and Jon Kyl) argue that these and other US companies should stand up to the Chinese government and refuse to do business there. Others argue that it is better for the Chinese population to have access to some information than no information at all.
What do you think?
Google yielded to government pressure to censor politically-sensitive search results. Microsoft took down the blog of a controversial blogger who
spoke out against China's political repression. Cisco Systems sold hardware to the Chinese government that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web sites. And in the most distressing example, Yahoo! actually gave information to the government that led to the arrests of not one, but two dissidents.
Some (including John McCain and Jon Kyl) argue that these and other US companies should stand up to the Chinese government and refuse to do business there. Others argue that it is better for the Chinese population to have access to some information than no information at all.
What do you think?
Countdown to the Apocalypse: #39
Two words: Trump University.
From the course list: ASS001: Hair Care Secrets for the Busy Megalomaniac.
From the course list: ASS001: Hair Care Secrets for the Busy Megalomaniac.
House Party W
It looks like the president will be visiting our fair city on Thursday for a fundraiser for DeWine. A couple in Indian Hill will be hosting this fundraiser for DeWine. For those of you not familiar with Cincinnati, Indian Hill is an influential suburb on the Northeast side of Cincinnati.
It looks like the biggest concern for the hosts of the event is getting the addition to their house finished in time for the visit. What a coincidence, I hear there are people in New Orleans that share the same concerns.
The story adds that, "the menu will stay a mystery". I guess it would take a congressional hearing to subpoena the records on that one. My only question is what flavor of Kool-aid will they drink?
I'm going to take a guess on how this story plays out on Faux News. Something like, the president visits a family in a modest Cincinnati suburb. The husband is an insurance salesman and his wife stays at home with the children. Their house is in need of repair (no, not a renovation) and the president wants to speak to them about a health savings plan.
But what really bothers me about the visit is that it will probably mess with my commute.
But why should I complain? It's not like I ran into someone today who I have no respect for. Oh wait, that's right. I did.
Excuse me, I feel ill.
It looks like the biggest concern for the hosts of the event is getting the addition to their house finished in time for the visit. What a coincidence, I hear there are people in New Orleans that share the same concerns.
The story adds that, "the menu will stay a mystery". I guess it would take a congressional hearing to subpoena the records on that one. My only question is what flavor of Kool-aid will they drink?
I'm going to take a guess on how this story plays out on Faux News. Something like, the president visits a family in a modest Cincinnati suburb. The husband is an insurance salesman and his wife stays at home with the children. Their house is in need of repair (no, not a renovation) and the president wants to speak to them about a health savings plan.
But what really bothers me about the visit is that it will probably mess with my commute.
But why should I complain? It's not like I ran into someone today who I have no respect for. Oh wait, that's right. I did.
Excuse me, I feel ill.
Unrestrained rant about the weatherman(woman)
Consider this a leftover thought from Saturday...
...but what the hell is our fascination with local weather on TV news? Seriously, how many of the stations called Saturday's early morning snow ahead of time? Yep, none. That was a hell of a surprise when I went out for my morning run.
What really bothers me is that we get all this weather coverage (usually at least 2-3 segments, spanning 6-7 minutes) because viewer surveys say that people want to see as much weather as possible. Even channel 5's latest evening news advertisement has Sandra Ali saying '...you told us you wanted more weather coverage, so we're giving it to you'.
This would be all fine and dandy, if it weren't for the fact that they got the forecast wrong at least 1/3 of the time. Of course, this is the same population that swallows Bush's lies on a daily basis and still votes for him, so maybe they like getting false information. Why the hell did they purchase all of these Doppler 8000000000 systems if they can't get much more accurate than a simple coin flip.
At it's expense, the rest of the newscast gets pared down to almost nothing (and we could argue about the merits of the remainder of the cast, but that's another discussion). There's no sort of reporting going on, and local interest stories get the shaft. Besides, have you seen a decent local sports report in the last 15 years? Most stations don't even bother with one anymore. Hell, I'd rather watch John Matarese or Howard Ain do one of their smug consumer alert segments.
This is going to take some more research, but I think this rant is going to spawn a weather watch project of some sort to figure out how close the stations actually get to the real weather. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go outside, but first I'm going to get the Zack Morris special forecast; I'm going to stick my head out the window and see what it feels like.
...but what the hell is our fascination with local weather on TV news? Seriously, how many of the stations called Saturday's early morning snow ahead of time? Yep, none. That was a hell of a surprise when I went out for my morning run.
What really bothers me is that we get all this weather coverage (usually at least 2-3 segments, spanning 6-7 minutes) because viewer surveys say that people want to see as much weather as possible. Even channel 5's latest evening news advertisement has Sandra Ali saying '...you told us you wanted more weather coverage, so we're giving it to you'.
This would be all fine and dandy, if it weren't for the fact that they got the forecast wrong at least 1/3 of the time. Of course, this is the same population that swallows Bush's lies on a daily basis and still votes for him, so maybe they like getting false information. Why the hell did they purchase all of these Doppler 8000000000 systems if they can't get much more accurate than a simple coin flip.
At it's expense, the rest of the newscast gets pared down to almost nothing (and we could argue about the merits of the remainder of the cast, but that's another discussion). There's no sort of reporting going on, and local interest stories get the shaft. Besides, have you seen a decent local sports report in the last 15 years? Most stations don't even bother with one anymore. Hell, I'd rather watch John Matarese or Howard Ain do one of their smug consumer alert segments.
This is going to take some more research, but I think this rant is going to spawn a weather watch project of some sort to figure out how close the stations actually get to the real weather. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go outside, but first I'm going to get the Zack Morris special forecast; I'm going to stick my head out the window and see what it feels like.
Backyard Blogging
Kos has a great post on the importance of blogging local races. He also has some sage advice for candidates:
Every congressional candidate, in their press page, should include a healthy dose of blogger articles on their races. Not only does it help us national bloggers when researching a candidate, but it also demonstrates to the local press that the candidate is generating a lot of local buzz. And while us bloggers are (relatively) poor at generating money, we are great at generating buzz.
Every congressional candidate, in their press page, should include a healthy dose of blogger articles on their races. Not only does it help us national bloggers when researching a candidate, but it also demonstrates to the local press that the candidate is generating a lot of local buzz. And while us bloggers are (relatively) poor at generating money, we are great at generating buzz.
With friends like this...
So let me see if I understand this right: Cheney shoots his lawyer buddy Harry Whittington in the face and neck, which causes him to have a heart attack and almost die...and Whittington is sorry for what the Veep had to go through? What the hell is with these Republicans?
I never truly understood what the true meaning of the word fucknut was. Mr. Whittington, you are a fucknut.
I never truly understood what the true meaning of the word fucknut was. Mr. Whittington, you are a fucknut.
Desperation, Part 1 (Of Many More To Come)
The following is an email I received this week from a friend of mine. It's about the desperate attempt by Republicans to try and link a Democrat, any Democrat to the Abramoff scandal. I have posted it, word for word. Thanks for the info Jeffro!
From the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, an article entitled "Casey's Abramoff-linked donations draw flak from GOP, Santorum".
I'm guessing this is going to be the replacement for the "Buh, buh, buh, but Clinton!" response.
From the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, an article entitled "Casey's Abramoff-linked donations draw flak from GOP, Santorum".
"That exercise this week has turned up two contributions to Mr. Casey from lobbyists who worked closely with Mr. Abramoff while he was at the firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP. Officials of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and at Mr. Santorum's campaign are making an issue of $5,500 that the Democratic challenger received last year from two former employees of that law firm: Michael Smith and Edward Ayoob. Even though the contributions by both men were made more than a year after Mr. Abramoff was pressured to resign by Greenberg Traurig and at a time when both were working for new firms, the Republican campaign committee and Mr. Santorum's campaign yesterday said Mr. Casey was applying a double standard for contributions to his campaign and those to the senator's."So let's see, both of these men had not worked with Abramoff for over a year and were employed at new firms which had no ties to Abramoff, but these were "tainted donations"? The republican desperation has worked itself into overtime here -- but I don't think it's very wise of them to start playing the seven-degrees-of-separation game with Abramoff donors, do you?
I'm guessing this is going to be the replacement for the "Buh, buh, buh, but Clinton!" response.
God Smack
We have all seen the signs in front of churches with cute messages. You can make your own church message using the Church Sign Generator.
I'm sure that we have all seen, "Touchdown Jesus" on the way to Dayton. Here are some modified photos.
I'm sure that we have all seen, "Touchdown Jesus" on the way to Dayton. Here are some modified photos.
Best. March. Ever.
Lewis Black performs at the Taft on March 16--and George Carlin performs on March 24.
Two comedy giants. Performing at the same place. Literally a week apart. Here. I could weep with joy.
Two comedy giants. Performing at the same place. Literally a week apart. Here. I could weep with joy.
Workin' For The Weekend - Dinner for Five
This week's break from reality (even though reality's pretty funny this week) takes us to the age old question; if you could invite any three people to dinner, living or dead, who would they be? But in honor of IFC's excellent show Dinner for Five, let's add another one to the mix. Here's my four:
- John Lennon
- Bill Clinton
- Muhammad Ali
- Jerry Seinfeld (for the humorous conversation)
I Would Like To Thank The Little People
It's been a long day and I'm a little slap happy. I hope that you find this as funny as I did.
Top 40 Countdown to the Apocalypse
At #40: Barry Manilow's latest album hitting #1 on the Billboard charts this week.
Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the ear plugs.
Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the ear plugs.
Quick round-up
From the department of "Heckuva-job!": Dubya says Cheney did just fine after drunkenly shooting a man. Yeah, right, like he has the balls to say anything else.
From the department of "Honey-you're-killing-me": Another reason to stay single.
From the department of "You're-dead-gorgeous!": When camera phones go wild.
From the department of "okay-this-one-doesn't-really-have-a-department": Fighting ire with fire.
From the department of "Honey-you're-killing-me": Another reason to stay single.
From the department of "You're-dead-gorgeous!": When camera phones go wild.
From the department of "okay-this-one-doesn't-really-have-a-department": Fighting ire with fire.
Well, at least someone is focused on Al-Qaeda
If you were worried that the administration was not focused on fighting Al-Qaeda, and may, just possibly, have been distracted by other priorities...
Never fear, a superhero has come to the rescue. I don't know why I find this story so irritating, but maybe it's the convergence of the mythical with the real threat.
Never fear, a superhero has come to the rescue. I don't know why I find this story so irritating, but maybe it's the convergence of the mythical with the real threat.
Music Review - Nattie Hattie's Valentine Mix
Nattie Hattie has blessed us with another one of her great holiday mixes. The mix, “DL Loves Me, DL Loves Me Not” is a follow up to the Thanksgiving, “Eating Liberally” and the, “Happy Chrismaramadakwanzakkuh” holiday mix and is perfect for Valentine’s day.
The special Valentine mix contains a collection of, “love” and, “not so in love” songs. Don’t be mistaken – the, “love” songs aren’t your typical soft rock classics and the, “not so much in love” songs are not your usual cry in your beer Country classics. Instead, it is an eclectic collection of songs that you will not hear on corporate radio.
The mix starts out with the song, “More Than This” by Roxy Music which is a perfect start to any Valentine mix. By the way, to all of the men out there – if you are planning an intimate night with a lady, pick up some candles and a copy of the CD, “Avalon” by Roxy Music. I guarantee results.
The mix moves in and out of the love/hate mood with songs such as the cover of, “Love Hurts” by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. They bring emotion to a song that was originally sung by the Everly Brothers and covered by just about everyone from Roy Orbison, Don McLean, and lastly butchered very badly by Nazareth. From there, the mix moves into The Patti Smith Group’s “Because The Night”, and on.
Other notable songs on the mix include “Fistful Of Love” by Antony and The Johnsons which has some great vocals as well as Neko Case. If you have never heard Neko Case before this, you will definitely fall in love with her voice.
A Valentine mix would not be complete without an Otis Redding song. Guys, remember what I said about Roxy Music? Same goes for Otis Redding. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of his work.
The surprise for me on the mix was a song by The Hard Lessons. For all of you hard core DL’ers, you may remember that The Hard Lessons played one night several months ago after one of our meetings. One of my favorite DL live bands.
I give the mix an A. The only reason it didn’t get an A+ was because there were more bitter love songs from women than men. Sorry Nattie, we men get bitter too!
I love it (get it? Love? Valentine? I’m too much!) and I am looking forward to the next holiday mix. Perhaps St. Patricks day Nattie? How about some Pogues, Chieftains, and U2 from my wish list?
Thanks again for being so generous and keeping us in very good music.
Here is the track listing for those who want to create an iMix:
More Than This – Roxy Music
The Fear – Pulp
I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) – Stevie Wonder
Love Hurts – Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
Because The Night – The Patti Smith Group
Fistful Of Love – Antony and The Johnsons
I Wish I Was The Moon – Neko Case
I’ll Be Your Mirror – The Velvet Underground
Somebody’s Miracle – Liz Phair
Satellite Of Love – Lou Reed
J’ai Dansé Avec L’amour – Edith Piaf
In My Life – The Beatles
Pain In My Heart (Alt. Take) – Otis Redding
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – The Mamas and The Papas
Oh My Lover – PJ Harvey
Steal Your Love – Lucinda Williams
Love Gone Cold – The Hard Lessons
Tattooed Love Boys – The Pretenders
Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Origin Of Love – Hedwig and The Angry Inch
The special Valentine mix contains a collection of, “love” and, “not so in love” songs. Don’t be mistaken – the, “love” songs aren’t your typical soft rock classics and the, “not so much in love” songs are not your usual cry in your beer Country classics. Instead, it is an eclectic collection of songs that you will not hear on corporate radio.
The mix starts out with the song, “More Than This” by Roxy Music which is a perfect start to any Valentine mix. By the way, to all of the men out there – if you are planning an intimate night with a lady, pick up some candles and a copy of the CD, “Avalon” by Roxy Music. I guarantee results.
The mix moves in and out of the love/hate mood with songs such as the cover of, “Love Hurts” by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. They bring emotion to a song that was originally sung by the Everly Brothers and covered by just about everyone from Roy Orbison, Don McLean, and lastly butchered very badly by Nazareth. From there, the mix moves into The Patti Smith Group’s “Because The Night”, and on.
Other notable songs on the mix include “Fistful Of Love” by Antony and The Johnsons which has some great vocals as well as Neko Case. If you have never heard Neko Case before this, you will definitely fall in love with her voice.
A Valentine mix would not be complete without an Otis Redding song. Guys, remember what I said about Roxy Music? Same goes for Otis Redding. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of his work.
The surprise for me on the mix was a song by The Hard Lessons. For all of you hard core DL’ers, you may remember that The Hard Lessons played one night several months ago after one of our meetings. One of my favorite DL live bands.
I give the mix an A. The only reason it didn’t get an A+ was because there were more bitter love songs from women than men. Sorry Nattie, we men get bitter too!
I love it (get it? Love? Valentine? I’m too much!) and I am looking forward to the next holiday mix. Perhaps St. Patricks day Nattie? How about some Pogues, Chieftains, and U2 from my wish list?
Thanks again for being so generous and keeping us in very good music.
Here is the track listing for those who want to create an iMix:
More Than This – Roxy Music
The Fear – Pulp
I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) – Stevie Wonder
Love Hurts – Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
Because The Night – The Patti Smith Group
Fistful Of Love – Antony and The Johnsons
I Wish I Was The Moon – Neko Case
I’ll Be Your Mirror – The Velvet Underground
Somebody’s Miracle – Liz Phair
Satellite Of Love – Lou Reed
J’ai Dansé Avec L’amour – Edith Piaf
In My Life – The Beatles
Pain In My Heart (Alt. Take) – Otis Redding
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – The Mamas and The Papas
Oh My Lover – PJ Harvey
Steal Your Love – Lucinda Williams
Love Gone Cold – The Hard Lessons
Tattooed Love Boys – The Pretenders
Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Origin Of Love – Hedwig and The Angry Inch
Legitimate worries for marathoners
Given that Dick is likely in a bunker somewhere this may be irrelevant, but if I was running in the D.C. Marathon I think I'd be asking this question.
Someone call Hell, it may have frozen over
First the Republicans shoot down the gay adoption bill, now the Ohio School Board shows good sense on ID. What's next, a governor with no rap sheet?
Looking Down The Barrel
The administration would like us to believe that Mr. Whittington is doing fine and that his wounds are not life threatening. Why, he is up and dancing around in the ICU after that heart attack caused by a buck shot lodged near his heart.
George Gongora of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times created this video which simulates the effect of being shot by a 28 gauge shotgun. The same gun used by the Vice President.
I wonder if the Veep is listening to this song on his iPod today?
George Gongora of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times created this video which simulates the effect of being shot by a 28 gauge shotgun. The same gun used by the Vice President.
I wonder if the Veep is listening to this song on his iPod today?
Some More Things to Lighten the Mood
In case you didn't see The Daily Show last night, I beg--no, I implore you--to check out the #2 With a Bullet video on the Comedy Central Website or the video on Crooks and Liars. After watching these videos, the smile on your face will be so big, it'll make the Cheshire Cat go on Zoloft.
Also, I will be bringing copies of my very special "DL Loves Me, DL Loves Me Not" mix to the Comet tonight. Your votes were counted by yours truly, and I lovingly crafted a mix of my favorite heartfelt (and heartbreaking) songs for your pleasure/pain.
Also, I will be bringing copies of my very special "DL Loves Me, DL Loves Me Not" mix to the Comet tonight. Your votes were counted by yours truly, and I lovingly crafted a mix of my favorite heartfelt (and heartbreaking) songs for your pleasure/pain.
Some Things To Lighten The Mood
It's been a rough day for all of us, but here are a couple of things that I hope we all can laugh at.
Do you have a friend who may need some help with their hunting skills? This may be the perfect gift for them.
Looking for a last minute Valentine gift? Maybe your sweetie needs some mints.
It's open season on the VP. Here are some cartoons courtesy of Cagle.
Do you have a friend who may need some help with their hunting skills? This may be the perfect gift for them.
Looking for a last minute Valentine gift? Maybe your sweetie needs some mints.
It's open season on the VP. Here are some cartoons courtesy of Cagle.
Hackett Drops Out of Senate Race
I'm posting this on behalf of Another Dem.
I respect Paul and his decision--but I have lost my respect for the Dems who urged him to drop out of the race.
I truly hope that Paul does not abandon politics altogether. We need someone like him who's willing to stand up for his principles and the principles of us Dems who are becoming increasingly disenfranchised by our own party.
Don't give up Paul: we need you.
Update: The first interview of Paul: Check out Chris Baker's interview with Paul this morning at http://blog.oh02.com/
I respect Paul and his decision--but I have lost my respect for the Dems who urged him to drop out of the race.
I truly hope that Paul does not abandon politics altogether. We need someone like him who's willing to stand up for his principles and the principles of us Dems who are becoming increasingly disenfranchised by our own party.
Don't give up Paul: we need you.
Update: The first interview of Paul: Check out Chris Baker's interview with Paul this morning at http://blog.oh02.com/
All Paul, All Week
Paul Hackett is making a weeklong appearance at TPM Cafe Table for One. It's basically an open forum for a candidate to discuss current issues for an entire week. He's only put up one post so far, but it should be quite interesting to see his commentary as the week goes on.
Personally, since he's a hunter, I'd like to hear his take on the whole Cheney hunting accident story. Paul Begala weighs in with his take on the incident, it's pretty amazing that none of the news sources ever bothered to investigate the White House story to see if it made sense.
Personally, since he's a hunter, I'd like to hear his take on the whole Cheney hunting accident story. Paul Begala weighs in with his take on the incident, it's pretty amazing that none of the news sources ever bothered to investigate the White House story to see if it made sense.
Another Day At The Office - With My Wing Nut Co-Worker
Yes, he has done it again. He wrote another letter to the editor and yes, the Cincinnati Enquirer published it on Saturday. This letter was so ignorant and so offensive that I resorted to one knee-jerk comment to him.
That comment was, "You're a fucking idiot!" Yes, I said that and I stand by it and after you read the following, you will agree.
Here is the letter, as printed in the Enquirer:
Several things that you need to know:
1. He did not even know the name of the reverend that he was referring to (it was Rev. Joseph Lowry).
2. I mentioned that these are the same tactics used after the Wellstone funeral. He could not tell me who Paul Wellstone was.
3. He did not watch any of the funeral and does not even know what was said. He gets his information from the usual suspects.
4. He doesn't find anything offensive about the second sentence in his letter. In fact, he doesn't find anything offensive in his letter.
Special note to The Cincinnati Enquirer:
I'm sure that you get a lot of letters to the editor, but you chose to print this one. Really? I mean, REALLY?
Please by all means leave your comments and sympathies for me.
That comment was, "You're a fucking idiot!" Yes, I said that and I stand by it and after you read the following, you will agree.
Here is the letter, as printed in the Enquirer:
DON'T USE FUNERAL IN SELF-SERVING WAY
It is appalling for a so-called reverend and others to use the funeral of Coretta Scott King to take some political shots. If black people are oppressed and exploited in this day and age in America, it is because the Democratic Party has kept them that way to keep their voting base in line. Most people would have more class and moral fiber than to use a funeral service in such a self-serving way. I guess the Kings didn't get their message across to some people.
Several things that you need to know:
1. He did not even know the name of the reverend that he was referring to (it was Rev. Joseph Lowry).
2. I mentioned that these are the same tactics used after the Wellstone funeral. He could not tell me who Paul Wellstone was.
3. He did not watch any of the funeral and does not even know what was said. He gets his information from the usual suspects.
4. He doesn't find anything offensive about the second sentence in his letter. In fact, he doesn't find anything offensive in his letter.
Special note to The Cincinnati Enquirer:
I'm sure that you get a lot of letters to the editor, but you chose to print this one. Really? I mean, REALLY?
Please by all means leave your comments and sympathies for me.
Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
Thomas W. Noe was indicted today on 53 (yes, fifty-three) felony counts. The Columbus Dispatch breaks it all down here.
Quote from DNC spokesman Damien LaVera:
Quote from DNC spokesman Damien LaVera:
``Tom Noe stole millions from Ohio workers and used it to help elect a governor who became the first convicted criminal to lead Ohio and a president whose administration is even more corrupt than Richard Nixon's.''
Brinkman fails on Wedgie
There is a possiblility that not all Republicans are bad.
The chief of staff for Ohio House Speaker Jon A. Husted immediately
blasted the bill, introduced on Thursday by Southwestern Ohio Representatives banning GLBT person's from adopting or fostering shildren, as discriminatory and divisive.
Representative Hood defended his bill calling it a "child-protection act."
The committee members meet tomorrow- remember they only work 3 days a week- and it will most likely die tomorrow.
The chief of staff for Ohio House Speaker Jon A. Husted immediately
blasted the bill, introduced on Thursday by Southwestern Ohio Representatives banning GLBT person's from adopting or fostering shildren, as discriminatory and divisive.
Representative Hood defended his bill calling it a "child-protection act."
The committee members meet tomorrow- remember they only work 3 days a week- and it will most likely die tomorrow.
Hackett: House or Senate?
National Dems are urging Hackett to drop out of the Senate race and focus instead on winning the House seat he lost to Jean Schmidt last year.
My question to you: do you agree or disagree with the Dems? And to all the Hackett supporters (even though I am a Kentucky resident, I support him, too), how would you respond to the Dems on this issue?
My question to you: do you agree or disagree with the Dems? And to all the Hackett supporters (even though I am a Kentucky resident, I support him, too), how would you respond to the Dems on this issue?
Do cats make republicans?
I think I found the reason why half of US voters (let's call them W. voters) vote against their
own economic self interest, and so forth.
The answer: Cats!
Half of the world's human population is infected with Toxoplasma, parasites in the body—and the brain. Remember that.
Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in the guts of cats; it sheds eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals that are eaten by cats. Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the intermediate rat hosts, including in the brain.
Since cats don't want to eat dead, decaying prey, Toxoplasma takes the evolutionarily sound course of being a "good" parasite, leaving the rats perfectly healthy. Or are they?
Oxford scientists discovered that the minds of the infected rats have been subtly altered. In a series of experiments, they demonstrated that healthy rats will prudently avoid areas that have been doused with cat urine. In fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on rats, they use a whiff of cat urine to induce neurochemical panic.
However, it turns out that Toxoplasma-ridden rats show no such reaction. In fact, some of the infected rats actually seek out the cat urine-marked areas again and again. The parasite alters the mind (and thus the behavior) of the rat for its own benefit.
If the parasite can alter rat behavior, does it have any effect on humans?
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Associate Director for Laboratory Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute) noticed links between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia in human beings, approximately three billion of whom are infected with T. gondii: Toxoplasma infection is associated with damage to astrocytes, glial cells which surround and support neurons. Schizophrenia is also associated with damage to astrocytes. Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies to Toxoplasma are more likely to give birth to children who will develop schizophrenia. Human cells raised in petri dishes, and infected with Toxoplasma, will respond to drugs like haloperidol; the growth of the parasite stops. Haloperidol is an antipsychotic, used to treat schizophrenia. Dr. Torrey got together with the Oxford scientists, to see if anything could be done about those parasite-controlled rats that were driven to hang around cat urine-soaked corners (waiting for cats). According to a recent press release, haloperidol restores the rat's healthy fear of cat urine. In fact, antipsychotic drugs were as effective as pyrimethamine, a drug that specifically eliminates Toxoplasma.
Are parasites like Toxoplasma subtly altering human behavior? As it turns out,
Practice safe pet ownership - spay and neuter your pets, or more republicans might result!
....
http://technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=547
own economic self interest, and so forth.
The answer: Cats!
Half of the world's human population is infected with Toxoplasma, parasites in the body—and the brain. Remember that.
Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in the guts of cats; it sheds eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals that are eaten by cats. Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the intermediate rat hosts, including in the brain.
Since cats don't want to eat dead, decaying prey, Toxoplasma takes the evolutionarily sound course of being a "good" parasite, leaving the rats perfectly healthy. Or are they?
Oxford scientists discovered that the minds of the infected rats have been subtly altered. In a series of experiments, they demonstrated that healthy rats will prudently avoid areas that have been doused with cat urine. In fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on rats, they use a whiff of cat urine to induce neurochemical panic.
However, it turns out that Toxoplasma-ridden rats show no such reaction. In fact, some of the infected rats actually seek out the cat urine-marked areas again and again. The parasite alters the mind (and thus the behavior) of the rat for its own benefit.
If the parasite can alter rat behavior, does it have any effect on humans?
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Associate Director for Laboratory Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute) noticed links between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia in human beings, approximately three billion of whom are infected with T. gondii: Toxoplasma infection is associated with damage to astrocytes, glial cells which surround and support neurons. Schizophrenia is also associated with damage to astrocytes. Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies to Toxoplasma are more likely to give birth to children who will develop schizophrenia. Human cells raised in petri dishes, and infected with Toxoplasma, will respond to drugs like haloperidol; the growth of the parasite stops. Haloperidol is an antipsychotic, used to treat schizophrenia. Dr. Torrey got together with the Oxford scientists, to see if anything could be done about those parasite-controlled rats that were driven to hang around cat urine-soaked corners (waiting for cats). According to a recent press release, haloperidol restores the rat's healthy fear of cat urine. In fact, antipsychotic drugs were as effective as pyrimethamine, a drug that specifically eliminates Toxoplasma.
Are parasites like Toxoplasma subtly altering human behavior? As it turns out,
Practice safe pet ownership - spay and neuter your pets, or more republicans might result!
....
http://technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=547
The Memory of Coretta Scott King and the GOP Spin
Yesterday, I was able to catch some of the eulogies from the Coretta Scott King funeral on CSPAN. There were many moving speeches from Atallah Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X), Reverend Joseph Lowry, President Jimmy Carter, and President Bill Clinton. Oh, and W was there too.
President Clinton received a standing ovation from the congregation. I’m sure that this was very hard for W to comprehend. President Clinton spoke about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He spoke about how it is everyone’s responsibility to keep their legacy alive. During the speech, W remained slouched in his chair, looking like a child that was dragged off to church. The former presidents (including father Bush) looked very presidential and their speaking skills were very presidential. W? Not so much.
Shortly after the funeral last week, the Republicans had already started their spin. The Republicans cried foul and claimed that they were playing politics at the woman’s funeral. This comes from remarks made by Reverend Joseph Lowry (“there were no weapons of mass destruction”) and President Jimmy Carter (“The King family were victims of domestic spying”). Why did the Republicans do this? Partly because it was a funeral of a well known figure in history and they knew it would be reported on and because their beloved president was there, all by himself in front of an unscreened audience listening to what real Americans think about his policies. Did the Republicans pay any respect to a civil rights leader? No, they wanted to play the victim card. This is the same tactic they used after Senator Paul Wellstone’s funeral. Never mind the fact that their lives were about politics. I’m sure if these members of the Republican party were around for Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and Bobby Kennedy’s funeral, they would have done the same.
This is a typical response from the right. Knock down your opponent, claim them as un-patriotic when they disagree, claim that they are on the side of the enemy, and make yourself out as the victim. They want to say that liberals are wimps, but who are the ones crying every time the Democrats speak out?
So who has had a long history of being victimized? Is it the Republican party? Why not ask the congregation at Coretta Scott King’s funeral.
Worth reading: “Whitewashing a Legacy” from Democratic Underground.
President Clinton received a standing ovation from the congregation. I’m sure that this was very hard for W to comprehend. President Clinton spoke about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He spoke about how it is everyone’s responsibility to keep their legacy alive. During the speech, W remained slouched in his chair, looking like a child that was dragged off to church. The former presidents (including father Bush) looked very presidential and their speaking skills were very presidential. W? Not so much.
Shortly after the funeral last week, the Republicans had already started their spin. The Republicans cried foul and claimed that they were playing politics at the woman’s funeral. This comes from remarks made by Reverend Joseph Lowry (“there were no weapons of mass destruction”) and President Jimmy Carter (“The King family were victims of domestic spying”). Why did the Republicans do this? Partly because it was a funeral of a well known figure in history and they knew it would be reported on and because their beloved president was there, all by himself in front of an unscreened audience listening to what real Americans think about his policies. Did the Republicans pay any respect to a civil rights leader? No, they wanted to play the victim card. This is the same tactic they used after Senator Paul Wellstone’s funeral. Never mind the fact that their lives were about politics. I’m sure if these members of the Republican party were around for Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and Bobby Kennedy’s funeral, they would have done the same.
This is a typical response from the right. Knock down your opponent, claim them as un-patriotic when they disagree, claim that they are on the side of the enemy, and make yourself out as the victim. They want to say that liberals are wimps, but who are the ones crying every time the Democrats speak out?
So who has had a long history of being victimized? Is it the Republican party? Why not ask the congregation at Coretta Scott King’s funeral.
Worth reading: “Whitewashing a Legacy” from Democratic Underground.
Ain't Nothing But A Party
At a recent DL meeting, we talked about several political parties in America and whether or not they were for real. Two of them that were mentioned are the Green Nazi party (tree hugging Nazi's?) and the Pansexual Peace Party whose slogan is, "Sex is good, sex is great, yea sex!"
Politics 1 has a complete list of the parties, both real and fictional, local and national. You can view them here.
I couldn't help but notice, where is the Charter party?
Politics 1 has a complete list of the parties, both real and fictional, local and national. You can view them here.
I couldn't help but notice, where is the Charter party?
Playing the race card against yourself
On ABC's Good Morning America today, Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann, who is African-American, related a conversation he had with another African-American constituent:
"...and she asked me, how can you be African-American and a Republican candidate? And I thought to myself, what a racist statement to make..."
Yes Swannie, you're so right. Never mind that only 2 out of every 100 African-Americans approve of the current president (with a margin for error of +/- 3%, so it could be as low as -1 out of every 100), and that Republican policy in general tends to do very little to benefit the African-American community. If someone can't understand why you would be Republican despite all that, just accuse them of being racist. That's a dignified debate.
And another thing; you are the most overrated player in NFL history, and that is indisputable fact.
"...and she asked me, how can you be African-American and a Republican candidate? And I thought to myself, what a racist statement to make..."
Yes Swannie, you're so right. Never mind that only 2 out of every 100 African-Americans approve of the current president (with a margin for error of +/- 3%, so it could be as low as -1 out of every 100), and that Republican policy in general tends to do very little to benefit the African-American community. If someone can't understand why you would be Republican despite all that, just accuse them of being racist. That's a dignified debate.
And another thing; you are the most overrated player in NFL history, and that is indisputable fact.
Oh Grow Up!
Again, Chabot and prune face make Cincinnatians look like petty little whiners. Yeah, the Bengals probably would have won if Palmer hadn't gotten hurt. But he didn't, so suck it up and give the world champs their due. I'm sure the Seattle congresspeople didn't vote against the measure. Don't the two of them have something better to do than take a stand on this?
Your Weekend Blast From The Past
Back before the days of the Internet, we had something called a BBS (Bulletin Board System). A BBS was a site usually run out of someone’s basement that had chat rooms, freeware, games, news, and jokes. You didn’t have web browsers and high-speed connections – just a terminal program and a modem. To access a BBS, you dialed a phone number and logged in. Bored with that BBS? Log out and disconnect and dial the phone number of another. There was no such thing as HTML or Java, a BBS had a spectrum of colors – usually a blue background with white letters. Some of the “advanced” BBS’ had maybe three or four colors. Now that’s living large!
I remember spending many a Friday night connecting to different BBS’ with my 2400 baud modem (high technology for the time) chatting and downloading games. Many of you young whipper snappers may not appreciate what you have in this here Internet. Fortunately, there is a QuickTime video available that simulates a connection to a BBS over a 300 baud modem. You can view it here.
One day I will get to tell my grandkids, “When I was your age…”
I remember spending many a Friday night connecting to different BBS’ with my 2400 baud modem (high technology for the time) chatting and downloading games. Many of you young whipper snappers may not appreciate what you have in this here Internet. Fortunately, there is a QuickTime video available that simulates a connection to a BBS over a 300 baud modem. You can view it here.
One day I will get to tell my grandkids, “When I was your age…”
Southwest Ohio Lawmakers deliver Wedgie
We now have a reason to go to the polls, the wedge issue is here. Tom Brinkman of Mt. Lookout, Ron Hood, and Jean Schmidt's friend, Danny Bubp, three small minded bigots are making it possible. These three ***-****'s wish to make it illegal for Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender people (GLBT) to adopt or foster children in the State of Ohio. The story is in the paper that must not be named if you want to read more.
I have a message for you three. GLBT people can love and care for a child just as well as a "straight" person. I would hazard a guess they can do better than small minded bigots.
Maybe someone should introduce a bill....
I have a message for you three. GLBT people can love and care for a child just as well as a "straight" person. I would hazard a guess they can do better than small minded bigots.
Maybe someone should introduce a bill....
Not A Good Day for Dub.
It seems that our beloved Commander in Chief is not having a very good day. This is the kind of news day that would make the president throw his Lego’s and pout in the corner. The following is a quick rundown of the day.
“Brownie” tells all. He told the White House that the levies had broken. Read Nattie Hattie’s post below.
“Scooter” tells a federal grand jury that he was authorized to leak the name of a CIA agent by his boss (we all know who that is).
A former CIA official tells us that the White House misused intelligence reports. The White House “cherry picked” intelligence reports for information that would back their claim of WMD’s (just entertain me and act shocked).
The mayor of Los Angeles is shocked to hear about the thwarted terrorist attack on the Library Tower. Bush says that they worked with city officials in L.A. but the mayor says that no one was contacted. Don’t worry Mister Mayor, if the department of Homeland Security was in involved, the mayor of Minneapolis was probably contacted instead. Besides, Bush thought it was the Liberty Tower. He also thinks that Laura once worked in a Liberty as a Libertarian. Freedom and Library for all!
Even though the president has denied it a countless number of times, it seems that he does know Jack!
And to end his day on a positive note, he didn’t realize that the microphones were on while speaking at a GOP retreat. How do you like domestic spying now Georgie?
Don’t worry there Mr. President, the day is almost over and it’s milk and cookie time for you!
“Brownie” tells all. He told the White House that the levies had broken. Read Nattie Hattie’s post below.
“Scooter” tells a federal grand jury that he was authorized to leak the name of a CIA agent by his boss (we all know who that is).
A former CIA official tells us that the White House misused intelligence reports. The White House “cherry picked” intelligence reports for information that would back their claim of WMD’s (just entertain me and act shocked).
The mayor of Los Angeles is shocked to hear about the thwarted terrorist attack on the Library Tower. Bush says that they worked with city officials in L.A. but the mayor says that no one was contacted. Don’t worry Mister Mayor, if the department of Homeland Security was in involved, the mayor of Minneapolis was probably contacted instead. Besides, Bush thought it was the Liberty Tower. He also thinks that Laura once worked in a Liberty as a Libertarian. Freedom and Library for all!
Even though the president has denied it a countless number of times, it seems that he does know Jack!
And to end his day on a positive note, he didn’t realize that the microphones were on while speaking at a GOP retreat. How do you like domestic spying now Georgie?
Don’t worry there Mr. President, the day is almost over and it’s milk and cookie time for you!
57 channels and nothing on...56...55...54
15 months ago would have been a good time for the Democrats to make a la carte cable their issue. Give people what they want, they pay less for it, what's more populist than that? And you get to stick it to the FCC when you prove them wrong.
Well of course they did nothing and sat on it, and now the FCC realizes they were wrong, and the Republicans have now put themselves at the forefront of the issue. So when consumers get to choose their own package and cut their cable bills, they'll thank the right, not the left.
Sometimes I think the Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Well of course they did nothing and sat on it, and now the FCC realizes they were wrong, and the Republicans have now put themselves at the forefront of the issue. So when consumers get to choose their own package and cut their cable bills, they'll thank the right, not the left.
Sometimes I think the Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Brownie Points
Although nothing (save finding the cure for cancer--and even that's pushing it) can redeem Michael Brown's utter incompetence after Hurricane Katrina, his willingness to snitch about the White House's complicity in that incompetence will most likely earn him (get ready for it)--brownie points.
Ha ha ha!!! Ha ha ha... God, I need a drink.
Ha ha ha!!! Ha ha ha... God, I need a drink.
Listener-Supported WOXY
The same week that WVXU has its donation drive, WOXY announced that it would offer a premium service for $9.95. Although listeners will still be able to access a low bandwidth stream for free, the WOXY Website indicates that it may become a subscription-only station if enough people sign up in the next 6 weeks.It's a shame that Clear Channel continues to devour our public airwaves while WOXY, one of the best stations in the country, struggles for financial support. However, I am willing to give up three White Mocha Cappucinos a month to keep WOXY alive.
Workin' For The Weekend - The List
This is a topic that’s been tangentially referred to in some DL meetings and postings, but now it’s time to come clean: who’s on your list?
For those not familiar with the concept of ‘the list’, here’s a quick refresher. The concept came from an episode of Friends. What you do is come up with a list of five members of the opposite sex that you would basically do anything to sleep with. If you’re in a relationship and happen to meet one of these people, and miraculously the opportunity arises to sleep with him/her, you get to do it and your partner can’t do or say anything to stop you, nor can they ever hold it against you. It’s like a get out of jail free card for cheating. Now obviously this is all for fun, so you have to pick celebrities or someone you’re extremely unlikely to ever meet (you can’t put your ex-girlfriend from three months ago on the list, that’s not fair).
Ok, get it going. I’ll start:
Angelina Jolie
Jennifer Aniston
Jessica Simpson
Brooke Burke
Natalie Portman (because again, you get Keira Knightley as well)
Also receiving votes: Jennifer Garner, Ashley Judd, Faith Hill, Tyra Banks, and Bea Arthur (because I just gotta know)
For those not familiar with the concept of ‘the list’, here’s a quick refresher. The concept came from an episode of Friends. What you do is come up with a list of five members of the opposite sex that you would basically do anything to sleep with. If you’re in a relationship and happen to meet one of these people, and miraculously the opportunity arises to sleep with him/her, you get to do it and your partner can’t do or say anything to stop you, nor can they ever hold it against you. It’s like a get out of jail free card for cheating. Now obviously this is all for fun, so you have to pick celebrities or someone you’re extremely unlikely to ever meet (you can’t put your ex-girlfriend from three months ago on the list, that’s not fair).
Ok, get it going. I’ll start:
Angelina Jolie
Jennifer Aniston
Jessica Simpson
Brooke Burke
Natalie Portman (because again, you get Keira Knightley as well)
Also receiving votes: Jennifer Garner, Ashley Judd, Faith Hill, Tyra Banks, and Bea Arthur (because I just gotta know)
Accounting: It's not just a job...
Saw this in the Hartford, CT airport.
Some guys will do anything to get out of an audit...even go to Iraq.
(And some professional organizations will do anything to link themselves to a patriotic imagery. Sigh.)
Irritating conservatives one step at a time
Do yourself a favor; the next time you're in a bookstore, go to the best selling non-fiction section, pick up a book written by a conservative, and move it over to the fiction section. Don't be all obvious about it, just pick it up like you're reading it, slowly walk over to the fiction section, and casually put it on the shelf like it was supposed to be there. You won't change the world, but you'll feel a little better, and you might upset a conservative in the process, and that warms your heart.
Open thread: The Muslim Rallies
I guess I'm looking to get some input on this whole situation regarding the cartoon in the Danish publication that has offended the Muslim world so much. I'll be honest, I haven't seen it so I'm working from a position of curiosity more than judgment. I can certainly appreciate that an offensive cartoon would cause a reaction in the Muslim community. But it's been a week and a half now. At some point these stop becoming demonstrations over the cartoon and turn into just plain old riots. Am I missing something here?
On the flipside, I heard a reporter make an excellent statement, that we in the Western world feel that nothing is sacred, and we forget that there are cultures where there are subjects that you don't touch. Kind of the same way that maybe democracy isn't the perfect solution for everyone?
Anyways, I'm thinking on HTML here, I'm really just looking to get opinions on this and very curious to hear what others might be thinking.
On the flipside, I heard a reporter make an excellent statement, that we in the Western world feel that nothing is sacred, and we forget that there are cultures where there are subjects that you don't touch. Kind of the same way that maybe democracy isn't the perfect solution for everyone?
Anyways, I'm thinking on HTML here, I'm really just looking to get opinions on this and very curious to hear what others might be thinking.
Excellent Quote
From a Buzzflash interview with Mark Crispin Miller on why the GOP has to lie and cheat:
"There is no other way for these Republicans to win, because they don’t appeal to anyone but billionaires and theocratic lunatics."
"There is no other way for these Republicans to win, because they don’t appeal to anyone but billionaires and theocratic lunatics."
CareerEnder.com
This is just getting comical. Is there anyone hired during Bush's reign that has a legitimate resume? And how are these people getting through the background check process? For the love of God it took a blogger one freaking phone call to bust this guy, but the government couldn't figure it out on their own? How safe are you feeling right now?
(click below for the article, it was on the NYT site which requires registration, and is a general pain in the ass to deal with)
George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.
Mr. Deutsch's resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted.
Officials at NASA headquarters declined to discuss the reason for the resignation.
"Under NASA policy, it is inappropriate to discuss personnel matters," said Dean Acosta, the deputy assistant administrator for public affairs and Mr. Deutsch's boss.
The resignation came as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was preparing to review its policies for communicating science to the public. The review was ordered Friday by Michael D. Griffin, the NASA administrator, after a week in which many agency scientists and midlevel public affairs officials described to The New York Times instances in which they said political pressure was applied to limit or flavor discussions of topics uncomfortable to the Bush administration, particularly global warming.
"As we have stated in the past, NASA is in the process of revising our public affairs policies across the agency to ensure our commitment to open and full communications," the statement from Mr. Acosta said.
The statement said the resignation of Mr. Deutsch was "a separate matter."
Mr. Deutsch, 24, was offered a job as a writer and editor in NASA's public affairs office in Washington last year after working on President Bush's re-election campaign and inaugural committee, according to his résumé. No one has disputed those parts of the document.
According to his résumé, Mr. Deutsch received a "Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Class of 2003."
Yesterday, officials at Texas A&M said that was not the case.
"George Carlton Deutsch III did attend Texas A&M University but has not completed the requirements for a degree," said an e-mail message from Rita Presley, assistant to the registrar at the university, responding to a query from The Times.
Repeated calls and e-mail messages to Mr. Deutsch on Tuesday were not answered.
Mr. Deutsch's educational record was first challenged on Monday by Nick Anthis, who graduated from Texas A&M last year with a biochemistry degree and has been writing a Web log on science policy, scientificactivist.blogspot.com.
After Mr. Anthis read about the problems at NASA, he said in an interview: "It seemed like political figures had really overstepped the line. I was just going to write some commentary on this when somebody tipped me off that George Deutsch might not have graduated."
He posted a blog entry asserting this after he checked with the university's association of former students. He reported that the association said Mr. Deutsch received no degree.
A copy of Mr. Deutsch's résumé was provided to The Times by someone working in NASA headquarters who, along with many other NASA employees, said Mr. Deutsch played a small but significant role in an intensifying effort at the agency to exert political control over the flow of information to the public.
Such complaints came to the fore starting in late January, when James E. Hansen, the climate scientist, and several midlevel public affairs officers told The Times that political appointees, including Mr. Deutsch, were pressing to limit Dr. Hansen's speaking and interviews on the threats posed by global warming.
Yesterday, Dr. Hansen said that the questions about Mr. Deutsch's credentials were important, but were a distraction from the broader issue of political control of scientific information.
"He's only a bit player," Dr. Hansen said of Mr. Deutsch. "The problem is much broader and much deeper and it goes across agencies. That's what I'm really concerned about."
"On climate, the public has been misinformed and not informed," he said. "The foundation of a democracy is an informed public, which obviously means an honestly informed public. That's the big issue here."
(click below for the article, it was on the NYT site which requires registration, and is a general pain in the ass to deal with)
George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.
Mr. Deutsch's resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted.
Officials at NASA headquarters declined to discuss the reason for the resignation.
"Under NASA policy, it is inappropriate to discuss personnel matters," said Dean Acosta, the deputy assistant administrator for public affairs and Mr. Deutsch's boss.
The resignation came as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was preparing to review its policies for communicating science to the public. The review was ordered Friday by Michael D. Griffin, the NASA administrator, after a week in which many agency scientists and midlevel public affairs officials described to The New York Times instances in which they said political pressure was applied to limit or flavor discussions of topics uncomfortable to the Bush administration, particularly global warming.
"As we have stated in the past, NASA is in the process of revising our public affairs policies across the agency to ensure our commitment to open and full communications," the statement from Mr. Acosta said.
The statement said the resignation of Mr. Deutsch was "a separate matter."
Mr. Deutsch, 24, was offered a job as a writer and editor in NASA's public affairs office in Washington last year after working on President Bush's re-election campaign and inaugural committee, according to his résumé. No one has disputed those parts of the document.
According to his résumé, Mr. Deutsch received a "Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Class of 2003."
Yesterday, officials at Texas A&M said that was not the case.
"George Carlton Deutsch III did attend Texas A&M University but has not completed the requirements for a degree," said an e-mail message from Rita Presley, assistant to the registrar at the university, responding to a query from The Times.
Repeated calls and e-mail messages to Mr. Deutsch on Tuesday were not answered.
Mr. Deutsch's educational record was first challenged on Monday by Nick Anthis, who graduated from Texas A&M last year with a biochemistry degree and has been writing a Web log on science policy, scientificactivist.blogspot.com.
After Mr. Anthis read about the problems at NASA, he said in an interview: "It seemed like political figures had really overstepped the line. I was just going to write some commentary on this when somebody tipped me off that George Deutsch might not have graduated."
He posted a blog entry asserting this after he checked with the university's association of former students. He reported that the association said Mr. Deutsch received no degree.
A copy of Mr. Deutsch's résumé was provided to The Times by someone working in NASA headquarters who, along with many other NASA employees, said Mr. Deutsch played a small but significant role in an intensifying effort at the agency to exert political control over the flow of information to the public.
Such complaints came to the fore starting in late January, when James E. Hansen, the climate scientist, and several midlevel public affairs officers told The Times that political appointees, including Mr. Deutsch, were pressing to limit Dr. Hansen's speaking and interviews on the threats posed by global warming.
Yesterday, Dr. Hansen said that the questions about Mr. Deutsch's credentials were important, but were a distraction from the broader issue of political control of scientific information.
"He's only a bit player," Dr. Hansen said of Mr. Deutsch. "The problem is much broader and much deeper and it goes across agencies. That's what I'm really concerned about."
"On climate, the public has been misinformed and not informed," he said. "The foundation of a democracy is an informed public, which obviously means an honestly informed public. That's the big issue here."
Dropping the Obama
John McCain proves yet again that, while he pretends to be a centrist, he's really just another Republican tool dying for the nomination in 2008. To summarize his thoughts: if you don't agree with me, you must be a partisan liberal!
Nattie Hattie's Musical Valentine to DL
Hello all you sexy people,
Because next week's DL falls on Valentine's Day, I want to give all members, current and new, my musical Valentine: a Drinking Liberally Valentine's Day CD mix. Keeping in mind that not everyone views this as a romantic holiday, I am giving you a choice as to what kind of a Valentine's Day mix you'd prefer:
- "DL Loves Me," the aural equivalent of an aphrodisiac feast of oysters followed by Spanish Fly and a dish of Viagra for dessert;
- "DL Loves Me--NOT!!," a corrosive mix of anti-love songs that will make Cupid drop his bow, put on Doc Martens and start breaking stuff; or
- "DL Loves Me, Loves Me Not," which combines both the bitter and the sweet.
No matter which one you choose, you'll want to spoon with me in the morning.
Because next week's DL falls on Valentine's Day, I want to give all members, current and new, my musical Valentine: a Drinking Liberally Valentine's Day CD mix. Keeping in mind that not everyone views this as a romantic holiday, I am giving you a choice as to what kind of a Valentine's Day mix you'd prefer:
- "DL Loves Me," the aural equivalent of an aphrodisiac feast of oysters followed by Spanish Fly and a dish of Viagra for dessert;
- "DL Loves Me--NOT!!," a corrosive mix of anti-love songs that will make Cupid drop his bow, put on Doc Martens and start breaking stuff; or
- "DL Loves Me, Loves Me Not," which combines both the bitter and the sweet.
No matter which one you choose, you'll want to spoon with me in the morning.
Hackett Gear is Here!
For you Hackett-teers, Hackett Swag is now available. 
If your backin' Hackett you can get a cool button like this one, bumper stickers, and t-shirts.
The t-shirts only come in large and extra-large (only a guy would order shirts so large), with a little creative reconstructing a girl should be able to make one fit.
You can get Hackett Gear here!
If your backin' Hackett you can get a cool button like this one, bumper stickers, and t-shirts.
The t-shirts only come in large and extra-large (only a guy would order shirts so large), with a little creative reconstructing a girl should be able to make one fit.
You can get Hackett Gear here!
I see a culture war coming
Hey Bubba, I've wanted to put you in your place for some time.
I think I'll let the Iraq War Vet do it. Support the Troops, my ass!
I think I'll let the Iraq War Vet do it. Support the Troops, my ass!
Deliberative Democracy
Are you wonkish? Are you interested in enhancing public discourse and policy making? UC is organizing a symposium on deliberative democracy this Thursday. Check it out!
Lou Grammy Award predictions
One man's stab at who should win Wednesday night, who will win, and just why the voting committee will feel the need to screw it all up.
| Record of the Year | “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, Green Day | “We Belong Together”, Mariah Carey | Grammy voting committee appreciates the potential comedy of a ‘Mariah goes crazy/loses her dress’ moment |
| Album of the Year | “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”, U2 | “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.”, Gwen Stefani | Awards look to claim some ‘street cred’ without becoming ‘too ghetto’ |
| Song of the Year | “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”, U2 | “Bless The Broken Road”, Rascal Flatts | Time-honored Grammy tradition of giving a major award to a group that half the viewing audience has never heard of |
| Best New Artist | Keane/Fall Out Boy/John Legend/Sugarland | Ciara | Committee hopes that she will be saddled with the ‘Best New Artist Jinx’, and we will never hear another collaboration between her and Missy Elliott again |
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | “Good Is Good”, Sheryl Crow | “Good Is Good”, Sheryl Crow | Don’t fuck with Lance’s fiancé – seriously, you don’t want none of that |
| Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”, Jack Johnson | “Lonely No More”, Rob Thomas | Thomas convinces voters that Santana played on the track, which guarantees a Grammy |
| Best Pop Performance by a Group | “My Doorbell”, The White Stripes | “This Love”, Maroon 5 | Because only the voting committee could blow a slam dunk like this, and I have complete confidence that they will |
| Pest Pop Vocal Collaboration | “Feel Good Inc.”, Gorillaz & De La Soul | “Virginia Moon”, Foo Fighters & Norah Jones | Committee feels need to justify giving 36 Grammys to Jones three years ago and then watch her do nothing since (The Tracy Chapman Corollary) |
| Best Pop Vocal Album | “Wildflower”, Sheryl Crow | “Breakaway”, Kelly Clarkson | Committee feels need to validate the existence of American Idol |
| Best Rock Performance by a Group | “All These Things That I’ve Done”, The Killers | “Speed Of Sound”, Coldplay | Chris Martin threatens to name the voters’ children after pieces of fruit |
| Best Hard Rock Performance | “The Hand That Feeds”, Nine Inch Nails | “Little Sister”, Queens of the Stone Age | Because the committee has a fever! And the only prescription is MORE COWBELL! |
| Best Rock Album | “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”, U2 | “A Bigger Bang”, Rolling Stones | Recognition of their still being alive after having done more drugs than half the American population combined |
| Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | “Numb/Encore”, Jay Z & Linkin Park | Anyone else | Because that would really piss me off, and that matters to the committee (I can’t honestly believe this is a category anyways) |
| Best Country Song | “All Jacked Up”, Gretchen Wilson or “I May Hate Myself In The Morning”, Lee Ann Womack | “Bless The Broken Road”, Rascal Flatts | Committee afraid of either giving John Rich (writer of All Jacked Up) air time, or awarding a song about booty calls after a few beverages |
| Best Country Album | “All Jacked Up”, Gretchen Wilson | “All Jacked Up”, Gretchen Wilson | Appreciation of her ability to consume large amounts of alcohol, make a fool of herself, and tell everyone about it |
Eminent Domain-Not what I learned in school
Remember Government class when you were a kid? That's the first time you heard of Eminent Domain. That's where I learned The Constitution said governments can not take private property for public use without "just compensation." Governments have traditionally used eminent domain to build public projects such as roads, reservoirs and parks. At some point developers and government officials entered into a conspiracy to take private property away to "increase the tax base."
The first instance of this I remember was Lakewood Ohio, “The City of Homes.” The neighborhood in question was Scenic park, an area with great views overlooking the Rocky River. In order to legally invoke eminent domain, the city had to certify that the Scenic Park area was, really, "blighted." Sound familiar?
I remember a 60 minutes interview with Mike Wallace. He interviewed the Mayor of Lakewood, Madeleine Cain, who attested "The term 'blighted' is a statutory word," It is, it really doesn't have a lot to do with whether or not your home is painted. ...A statutory term is used to describe an area. The question is whether or not that area can be used for a higher and better use.”
Most memorable from this interview was when Mike Wallace read the definition of blighted to Mayor Cain, if it doesn't have the following it's considered blighted; three bedrooms, two baths, an attached two-car garage and central air. He pointed out to her that by that definition then her home was blighted.
Ultimately the homes were saved not by legal means, instead by grassroots activisim. The residents were able to take it to the voters of Lakewood and in the end the voters rescinded the blight designation. The voters also expressed their dissatisfaction by voting Mayor Cain out of office.
The developer in Lakewood was none other than Jeffery Anderson. The same man who was successful in getting Norwood to declare the neighborhood across from Rookwood Commons, another Anderson development. Anderson initiated and paid for a “study” the Norwood government used to declare the well-kept neighborhood “deteriorating” so it could use eminent domain under Ohio law.
The homes in that neighborhood were sold and bulldozed, with the exception of three. The owners and renters of those three homes are fighting Anderson and the City of Norwood. On January 11, 2006, the Ohio Supreme Court heard oral arguments for this case, becoming the first state supreme court to hear an eminent domain abuse case since the U.S. Supreme Court removed federal constitutional protection from homeowners and threw the issue back to the states to decide if any state-level protection remains.
Now 40 states are re-examining their stance on eminent domain because the high court, in it's ruling, noted that states are free to ban that practice. I think the legislators should have to go back to government class and read the definition of eminent domain.
Do you think the state should be allowed to take perfectly sound homes away from owners and sell them to the highest bidder?
What do Hackett, Strickland, Yates, and Driehaus, and Wulsin Have in Common???
They are all running for office. How can you make sure your voice is heard? Volunteer this year. Work on a campaign and help a democrat get into office. Each of us can make a difference. This is an important year for democrats. We have the unique opportunity to rock the change the landscape of Ohio, and D.C. Please offer a helping hand. Make a stand.
In the meantime, screw you guys, I'm going home..."Cartmen," and your designated driver.
In the meantime, screw you guys, I'm going home..."Cartmen," and your designated driver.
Are you ready for some football!
It kills me that this is the last game we'll hear that intro, since ESPN has decided to destroy Monday Night Football and steal it away from ABC.
I was 100% on the Steelers bandwagon for tonight, until everyone and their mother started picking them as well. So I have to use gambling rule #1: when all of the popular opinion for what should be a close game sways in the same direction, go the other way.
Take the Seahawks and the 4 points, but I don't think you'll need them.
Seattle 28, Pittsburgh 23.
I was 100% on the Steelers bandwagon for tonight, until everyone and their mother started picking them as well. So I have to use gambling rule #1: when all of the popular opinion for what should be a close game sways in the same direction, go the other way.
Take the Seahawks and the 4 points, but I don't think you'll need them.
Seattle 28, Pittsburgh 23.
Super Bowl vs. Liza: Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!!!
In what will surely go down as the best example of counterprogramming in television history, the Bravo channel plans to air a very special Behind the Actor's Studio with Liza Minnelli against the Super Bowl. So in this truly monumental match between two titans, who would come out on top? Let's see how the two match up:
1. The Super Bowl features linebackers. Liza did lines with Liz Taylor in the bathroom at Studio 54.
2. The Super Bowl features men wearing tights. Liza was married to "Boy from Oz" Peter Allen, who often wore tight pants.
3. The Super Bowl features men with helmets. Liza has her own impressive hair armour.
4. The Super bowl showcases men tackling each other. Liza was in Cabaret which showcases men tackling each other.
5. The Super Bowl features men who have had extensive surgeries. Liza was married to David Gest, a man who has also had extensive surgeries.
6. The Super Bowl features the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by a tough, domineering coach. Liza was coached by an even tougher, more domineering figure.
7. The Super Bowl features men wearing face paint. Liza's wedding featured men wearing face paint, too.
So who wins in the end? Let's call it a toss up (although I must say in regards to #6, Liza has the home court advantage).
1. The Super Bowl features linebackers. Liza did lines with Liz Taylor in the bathroom at Studio 54.
2. The Super Bowl features men wearing tights. Liza was married to "Boy from Oz" Peter Allen, who often wore tight pants.
3. The Super Bowl features men with helmets. Liza has her own impressive hair armour.
4. The Super bowl showcases men tackling each other. Liza was in Cabaret which showcases men tackling each other.
5. The Super Bowl features men who have had extensive surgeries. Liza was married to David Gest, a man who has also had extensive surgeries.
6. The Super Bowl features the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by a tough, domineering coach. Liza was coached by an even tougher, more domineering figure.
7. The Super Bowl features men wearing face paint. Liza's wedding featured men wearing face paint, too.
So who wins in the end? Let's call it a toss up (although I must say in regards to #6, Liza has the home court advantage).
Presidential Candidates
Grif's last post got me thinking about viable candidates for the Dem nomination. Who should it be? I know there has been support for John Edwards and, of course, there is always the threat of another John Kerry run. I personally think that Hillary Clinton is losing support and really pissing off a large part of the left with her ambiguous positions.
I would like to talk more about my hometown senator, Russ Feingold. I think he would have more "mainstream" appeal than someone like Kucinich, and be taken more seriously, as well.
Nevertheless, he is a true progressive, with strong positions, who could not be labeled a "flip-flopper". He risked political suicide by being the only senator to vote against the original Patriot Act. That stance now is being applauded even by some conservatives. In many other ways he has shown his desire to protect Americans' civil liberities, such as his inquiries into the domestic surveillance program. He was the first senator to propose a withdrawal timeline from Iraq.
He also has shown tremendous willingness and ability to work in a bipartisan manner. He worked with John McCain on campaign finance reform. He has also worked with Chuck Hagel and Arlen Specter, among others.
Naturally, Feingold would have trouble winning anywhere in the South, but all it would take is picking up Ohio or Florida, which I think would be quite likely. He would have a stranglehold on the upper Midwest, and maintain the East and West Coast. I actually really like his chances. Plus, he is someone I can be proud of supporting.
I would like to talk more about my hometown senator, Russ Feingold. I think he would have more "mainstream" appeal than someone like Kucinich, and be taken more seriously, as well.
Nevertheless, he is a true progressive, with strong positions, who could not be labeled a "flip-flopper". He risked political suicide by being the only senator to vote against the original Patriot Act. That stance now is being applauded even by some conservatives. In many other ways he has shown his desire to protect Americans' civil liberities, such as his inquiries into the domestic surveillance program. He was the first senator to propose a withdrawal timeline from Iraq.
He also has shown tremendous willingness and ability to work in a bipartisan manner. He worked with John McCain on campaign finance reform. He has also worked with Chuck Hagel and Arlen Specter, among others.
Naturally, Feingold would have trouble winning anywhere in the South, but all it would take is picking up Ohio or Florida, which I think would be quite likely. He would have a stranglehold on the upper Midwest, and maintain the East and West Coast. I actually really like his chances. Plus, he is someone I can be proud of supporting.
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