Will President Tommy Thompson Get Chipped?

Now that Tommy Thompson is running for President, will he finally get that microchip implanted like he promised?

From World Net Daily
July 22, 2005

"WASHINGTON – When former Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson joined the board of directors of a company promoting the broad implantation of microchips into Americans for identification purposes, he pledged to get chipped himself as an example.

But Thompson doesn't appear to be in any hurry to get the implant.

Last July, Thompson, who now sits on the board of VeriChip Corp., the leading manufacturer and promoter of the technology, encouraged Americans to get chipped so their electronic medical records would be available in emergencies.

"It's very beneficial and it's going to be extremely helpful and it's a giant step forward to getting what we call an electronic medical record for all Americans," he told CBS MarketWatch.

When asked later by a CNBC reporter if he would take the chip himself as an example for Americans, he replied: "Absolutely, without a doubt."

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Twenty Thousand Men

"The Bush administration is leaning toward temporarily sending as many as 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq"

– The Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2006


Witness this army of such mass and charge
Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd
Makes mouths at the invisible event,
Exposing what is mortal and unsure
To all that fortune, death and danger dare,
Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honour's at the stake. How stand I then,
That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd,
Excitements of my reason and my blood,
And let all sleep? while, to my shame, I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent
To hide the slain? O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
******************************************************************************

Jeff Greenfield: Terrorist ?

"The senator was in New Hampshire over the weekend, sporting what's getting to be the classic Obama look. Call it business casual, a jacket, a collared shirt, but no tie.

It is a look the senator seems to favor. And why not? It is dressy enough to suggest seriousness of purpose, but without the stuffiness of a tie, much less a suit. There is a comfort level here that reflects one of Obama's strongest political assets, a sense that he is comfortable in his own skin, that he knows who he is.

But, in the case of Obama, he may be walking around with a sartorial time bomb. Ask yourself, is there any other major public figure who dresses the way he does? Why, yes. It is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, unlike most of his predecessors, seems to have skipped through enough copies of "GQ" to find the jacket-and-no-tie look agreeable.

Now, it is one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread. Or is that threads?"

- Jeff Greenfield

The Damning Evidence
********************************************************************

SIR, WE’VE LOST SENATOR SMITH

“I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that any more. I believe we need to figure out not just how to leave Iraq but how to fight the War on Terror and to do it right.”

- Senator Gordon Smith, Republican, Oregon

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The Worst Thing Ever

“Political correctness is the worst thing that’s ever happened to this country."

- Senator Conrad Burns, Republican, Montana.

Why does Conrad hate September 11?

******************************************************************************

Cat Still in The Bag

***********************************************************************

John Bolton Resigns

International horror show John Bolton has resigned.


Bye, bye, John!

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Cat Blogging

Tiger posing with a photo of himself as a kitten.

**********************************************************************************

Sonic Rivals vs. The Iraq Study Group

Iraq Study Group Recommendations:

"Go Big," "Go Long" and "Go Home"

-------------------------------------------------------


Sonic Rivals PlayStation Game Slogan:


"Go Fast, Go Hard, or Go Home!"


***********************************************************************

More Than 3,700 Iraqis Killed in October

BBC:

"The Iraqi death toll hit a record high in October, with more than 3,700 people losing their lives in the ongoing violence, according to a UN report.

The majority of the 3,709 people who died were killed in sectarian attacks - nearly 200 more than in the previous record month of July.

The brunt of the violence was borne in Baghdad, while the report also noted that women were increasingly victims.

The UN bases its figures on data collected by the Iraqi Health Ministry."

*************************************************************************************

Subway Blogging

****************************************************************************

Tucker Carlson Wasting MSNBC's Money?

Noted stupid person Tucker Carlson is deeply worried, about the question, as his headline puts it, "Hillary Wasting Donor's Money?"

This is because Hillary spent a lot in a very expensive state and won by a whopping margin.

What's more wasteful? Spending millions on a winnning campaign or millions on a losing one?

I eagerly await his report on how much George Allen and Rick Santorum "wasted."

******************************************************************************

McCain on "This Week"

Shorter John McCain:

"If I believed what I believed then I would call for troops to withdraw, but I haven't yet determined if I believe what I believe."

*********************************************************************************

Vilsack Benefits Hillary?

Not really.

If Vilsack wins Iowa and Hillary Clinton comes in second, it will help her, but only be what people expect.

If Clark, or Edwards, or whoever, comes in a strong third, they benefit most of all.

If anyone beats Clinton for second place in Iowa, and it could certainly happen, then that person is in position of strength, and she darn well better come in first in New Hampshire.

Gore is an exception to this. He would have beat or tie Hillary in at least one of those first two states or he would also not have met expectations.

Iowa also remains important because the last place finisher, depending on the results, will get pressure to drop out.

Today's Quiz: Rudy For Prez?

Which of the following will NOT hurt Rudy Giuliani in the primaries:

(A) He married his cousin

(B) He’s in favor of gay rights

(C) His best friend and Homeland Security choice is a crook

(D) He dumped his second wife on television

(E) He’s pro-gun control

(F) He moved his girlfriend into the mayor’s mansion, while still married

(G) He’s not anti-choice

(H) He lived with two gay men

(I) He favors amnesty for illegal aliens

(J) He’s unpopular with minorities

(K) He likes to dress in women’s clothing



Answer: (J)

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Stuff on My Cat

**************************************************************************

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Can we expect a different military strategy from Al Qaeda based on what's happened here in the U.S.?"

- Rita Cosby, MSNBC, November 10, 2006

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Studio 60 on the Via Dolorosa

Odd morning tv note -- both Good Morning America and The Today Show are from Jerusalem. Specifically, Diane Sawyer and Matt Lauer nearly tripped over each other reporting live from the Via Dolorosa.*

*CBS has Donny Osmond.


What gives?

If then End Times are here, someone shoot me an e-mail.

*******************************************************************

Bush Administration Turns to Figure Skater to Revive America's Image

"Hoping to boost America's image abroad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed U.S. figure skating star Michelle Kwan on Thursday as a public diplomacy envoy for the Bush administration.

Once an aspiring skater herself, Rice said Kwan showed humility and grace under pressure during her athletic career and was the perfect choice as a goodwill ambassador.

"It is a time of great consequence in the world and I know you are going to play an important and valuable role for our nation," said Rice, with Kwan, 26, at her side."


Next Week:

Tonya Harding to lead American Forces in Iraq.

************************************************************************

Ed Bradley of "60 Minutes" Dies

Like many people I grew up watching 60 Minutes and Ed Bradely on the show. No need to go in depth on his years of experience and great reporting. Recently we saw him do good work on the Duke case and had a fun interview with Tiger Woods.

Too bad.

**********************************************************************************

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Donald Rumsfeld was:

(A) The Youngest Secretary of Defense Ever

(B) The Oldest Secretary of Defense Ever

(C) The Weirdest Secretary of Defense Ever

(D) The Worst Secretary of Defense Ever

(E) All of the Above


***********************************************************************

Bush Will Raise the Minimum Wage

In his press conference Bush signaled he is ready to make a deal to raise the minimum wage.

Also, will get some reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

***************************************************************************

Stay the What?

Bush on the American People:

"Somehow it steeped in their consciousness, that my strategy was 'Stay the Course.'"

Robert Gates to be the new Secretary of Defense

Bush is dipping into Poppy's well.

Gates was head of the CIA under Bush 41.

********************************************************************

Rumsfeld To Resign

_____________________________________________________________________

Secretary of Defense Will Resign


The fallout from The Blue Wave continues.

*******************************************************************

Tester Wins

______________________________________________________



Tester Wins By 3,000 votes

Current Senate Count:

Democrats 50

Republicans 49


Webb in Virginia leads by 8,000 votes.

***********************************************************************

Norquist Vows to Fight On

"Nancy Pelosi will do for the Republicans what [Bill] Clinton did for the Republicans — become the lightning rod to explain that their congressman who they thought was a reasonable guy was really a left-wing wacko."

– Grover Norquist


Bill Clinton was reallly a left-wing wacko?

That's his reality and he's sticking with it.

******************************************************************************

Bush Insults the Troops! Will He Apologize?

"This bill meets our commitment to America's Armed Forces by preparing them to meet the threats of tomorrow. Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

– George W. Bush, August 5, 2004

Source: Office of the Press Secretary, The White House

Bush Apology Watch:

Day 817

***********************************************************************************

Scary Cat!

Well, not that scary, but kinda scary.
***********************************************************************

Building a Bridge to Nowhereville

Wall Street Journal -- Forget the polls, prognosticators and angsty anonymous quotes from Republican Party insiders, Alaska’s only congressman, Republican Don Young, has a prediction of his own: House Republicans won’t lose any seats next week.

Arguing that the solidifying convention wisdom that Republicans will lose control of the House next week is a creation of the media, Young told an Associated Press reporter: “I’m predicting we’re not going to lose any seats.” Young added: “My prediction is as good as anybody else’s. The day after the election, we’ll see who was right.”
*******************************************************************************

Cat Blogging Returns

After a long hiatus, cat blogging returns...



******************************************************************************

Iraq Update

5 U.S. Soldiers Killed on Wednesday.

96 U.S. Soldiers Killed in October.

**************************************************************************

Elmo Caught Smuggling Meth?

"(AP) Drug agents broke up an aggressive northern Colorado ring that shipped methamphetamine hidden in Elmo dolls and other toys, authorities said Wednesday.

The alleged ringleader was among 19 people in custody, authorities said. Agents said they seized more than 45 pounds of what they described as high-quality methamphetamine worth $864,000 and capable of supplying 4 million doses."

By Colleen Slevin -- Associated Press Writer




*******************************************************************************

105 Year Old Woman Sworn in as Citizen

.

She's originally from Iran, so maybe she just figured would avoid the Christmas rush.

*************************************************************************

Odd Headline of the Day

.

GUITARIST SPLITS
FROM DURAN DURAN


This is shocking...if it's 1983

*********************************************************************************

Paging Steven Spielberg

"Bee Fossil, DNA Generate A Buzz"

Scientists have identified the oldest known bee, a 100 million-year-old specimen preserved in amber.

The discovery coincides with the publication of the genetic blueprint of the honeybee, which reveals surprising links with mammals and humans.

The ancient insect, trapped in tree sap, is at least 35-45 million years older than any other known bee fossil.

It appears to share features with both bees and wasps, and supports theories of bee evolution.

Keep that can of Raid handy, just in case.

***************************************************************************

Los Alamos Secrets Found in Drug Bust

Los Alamos Secrets Found in Drug Bust -
Authorities Investigating How to Blame Bill Clinton

*************************************************************************

German Soldiers Pose With Human Skull

From the BBC:

"Photos apparently showing German troops posing with a skull in Afghanistan have caused outrage in Germany.

The tabloid newspaper Bild, which carried the photos, says they show German troops in Afghanistan in 2003.

On one of the pictures, a soldier is seen holding the skull next to his exposed penis, on another - soldiers pose with the skull on their jeep.

German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung expressed disgust at the photos and ordered an immediate investigation."

The Germans, it seems to me, given their history, have to meet the highest standard of behavior for their soldiers in combat. This is not a good sign.

Iraqis Silent on Iraqi Goals

The Army held a major Press Conference to announce that the Iraqis have agreed to try to meet some targets in a year and a half.

News reports:

"Missing from the press conference:

Any Iraqis."

***********************************************************************

Bush the Decider

"I said to the Generals, 'You Choose'"

*********************************************************************************

Great Moments In Free Speech

MOSCOW, Oct. 21 — A group of men burst into a contemporary art gallery here Saturday, destroying work by an ethnic Georgian artist and beating up the owner, Marat Guelman. Mr. Guelman is well known both for his display of politically inspired and irreverent art and, most recently, his public attacks on neofascists for their dislike of non-Russians and of Western influence on Russian society.

Mr. Guelman said the attack was carried out by 10 men who looked like skinheads. The attack was the latest incident to raise troubling questions about xenophobia and freedom of expression in Russia.

What We Don't Know

An Excerpt from an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times:


A few weeks ago, I took the F.B.I.’s temperature again. At the end of a long interview, I asked Willie Hulon, chief of the bureau’s new national security branch, whether he thought that it was important for a man in his position to know the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. “Yes, sure, it’s right to know the difference,” he said. “It’s important to know who your targets are.”

That was a big advance over 2005. So next I asked him if he could tell me the difference. He was flummoxed. “The basics goes back to their beliefs and who they were following,” he said. “And the conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shia and the difference between who they were following.”

O.K., I asked, trying to help, what about today? Which one is Iran — Sunni or Shiite? He thought for a second. “Iran and Hezbollah,” I prompted. “Which are they?”

He took a stab: “Sunni.”

Wrong.

Al Qaeda? “Sunni.”

Right.

– By Jeff Stein, National Security Editor at Congressional Quarterly.

Galaxy 2006

An image of the Antennae galaxies merging taken by the Hubble telescope.

(NASA, ESA/Hubble, and B. Whitmore - Space Telescope Science Institute/Handout/Reuters)
*********************************************************************************

Stem Cell Research is Shrill and Extreme

"Talent's move to the center is countered by his opponent, Claire McCaskill, who has highlighted Talent's opposition to stem cell research in poignant ads featuring Missourians with medical problems who might be helped by such research."

- David Ignatius, Washington Post.

**********************************************************************************

Doctrine of Wingnut Infallability

Think Progress:

Last night, the CBS Evening News turned their broadcast over to a man named Brian Rohrbough, who lost his son during the Columbine massacre. Mr. Rohrbough proceeded to blame recent school shootings on: 1) the teaching of evolution, and 2) abortion.

"Hello, You've Reached The White House"

"Hello, you've reached the White House."

If you're outraged about Iraq, Press 1."

If you're outraged about Afghanistan, Press 2."

If you're outraged about Repubilcan Corruption, Press 3."

If you're outraged about Republican Congressional harrassment cover-ups, Press 4."

If you're outraged about torture, Press 5."

If you're outraged about suspension of Constitutional Rights, Press 6."

If you're outraged about another issue, please remain on the line, and an operator will be with you shortly. Remember, you're call is important to us."

**********************************************************************************

Summer Page Lecture Series

Summer 2006

Official Congressional Page Summer Lecture Series

June 10:
"Congress - Its Powers and Functions in the Federal System"

June 25:
"From Proposal to Markup: The Legislative Process"

July 15:
"Capitol Hill v. Pennsylvania Avenue - Congress and The President"

August 21:
"The Third Branch: Judicial Review and The Role of the Supreme Court"

September 7:
"Snails and Oysters: Gladiators Movies from Heston to Crowe"

***************************************************************

Dark Side of Globalization

From The New York Times:

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast
September 28, 2006

"It was his infant son’s cries, gasping and insistent, that first woke Salif Oudrawogol one night last month. The smell hit him moments later, wafting into the family’s hut, a noxious mélange reminiscent of rotten eggs, garlic and petroleum.

Six-month-old Salam Oudrawogol of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has been covered with sores since he was exposed to toxic waste in August. More Photos »

Mr. Oudrawogol went outside to investigate. Beside the family’s compound, near his manioc and corn fields, he saw a stinking slick of black sludge.

“The smell was so bad we were afraid,” Mr. Oudrawogol said. “It burned our noses and eyes.”

Over the next few days, the skin of his 6-month-old son, Salam, bloomed with blisters, which burst into weeping sores all over his body. The whole family suffered headaches, nosebleeds and stomach aches.

How that slick, a highly toxic cocktail of petrochemical waste and caustic soda, ended up in Mr. Oudrawogol’s backyard in a suburb north of Abidjan is a dark tale of globalization. It came from a Greek-owned tanker flying a Panamanian flag and leased by the London branch of a Swiss trading corporation whose fiscal headquarters are in the Netherlands. Safe disposal in Europe would have cost about $300,000, or perhaps twice that, counting the cost of delays. But because of decisions and actions made not only here but also in Europe, it was dumped on the doorstep of some of the world’s poorest people.

So far eight people have died, dozens have been hospitalized and 85,000 have sought medical attention, paralyzing the fragile health care system in a country divided and impoverished by civil war, and the crisis has forced a government shakeup."

The School Buses!

Congressman Foley said he was e-mailing to find out if the teenager was OK after Hurricane Katrina and "wanted a photo to see that the former page was all right," Shimkus said.


Give a whole new meaning to "the school buses!"

Iraqis Want Americans to Leave

*************************************************************************

Hundreds of Contacts Between White House

From The New York Times

Report Links White House and Lobbyist
By Philip Shenon

Washington, September 28

"A bipartisan Congressional report documents hundreds of contacts between White House officials and the corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partners, including at least 10 direct contacts between Mr. Abramoff and Karl Rove, the president’s chief political strategist.

The House Government Reform Committee report, based on e-mail messages and other records subpoenaed from Mr. Abramoff’s lobbying firm, found 485 contacts between Mr. Abramoff’s lobbying team and White House officials from 2001 to 2004, including 82 with Mr. Rove’s office.

The lobbyists spent almost $25,000 in meals and drinks for the White House officials and provided them with tickets to numerous sporting events and concerts, according to the report, scheduled for release Friday.

The authors of the report said it was generally unclear from available records whether the aides reimbursed Mr. Abramoff for the meals or tickets. Ethics rules bar White House officials from accepting lobbyists’ gifts worth more than $20.

A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said Thursday that while White House officials had not seen the report, earlier evidence showed that Mr. Abramoff had exaggerated his ties to the administration and was “ineffective in terms of getting government officials to take actions.”

Yet Another Jeanine Pirro Scandal

Jeanine Pirro and Bernie Kerik were in on a plot to wiretap her husband so she could spy on him.

There's a brain trust at work.

No word yet if the pot-bellied pigs were in on the plot or even had their feeding trough tapped.

I can't wait to hear George Allen's thoughts on "Diff'rent Strokes"

James Wolcott:

"According to an exclusive report on Salon, Allen, his tongue loosened after too many hits of snuff, snidely disparaged the sitcom dry-cleaning magnate George Jefferson, performed with such panache by Sherman Hensley, "as a cocky little squirt who needed to be taught a lesson" and Tom Willis as "a traitor to his race--the human race." Allen's running critique of the show also betrayed uneasy hints of homophobia, evidenced by his jibes that Mr. Bentley was a bit "minty" for his tastes."

You won't believe what he said during "All in the Family."

************************************************************************

Chafee an "Upstart"?

CNN:

"Moderate Republican upstart Sen. Lincoln Chafee
declared victory in a tough Rhode Island primary that
bolstered GOP prospects for keeping control of the Senate."


"Upstart"?

Son of Senator, rich white man, incumbent member of the majority party of the Senate, is an "upstart"?


I do not think that words means what they think it means.

Friday Cat Blog

One solitary spot of sun......
*****************************************************************

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!

****************************************************************************

YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

CNN Headline:

"Senator Burns: Terrorists drive
taxis by day, kill at night"

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THIS MAY BE THE STRANGEST JUSTIFICATION FOR FUCKING UP I'VE EVER HEARD

"War, as French politician Georges Clemenceau said, is a series of catastrophes that result in victory,"

- Donald Rumsfeld, Tuesday, August 29, at the American Legion convention.

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Black & White Cat

********************************************************************************

ANOTHER BLOW TO THE CULTURE OF TRUTH

The New York Times

"Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List"
By CORNELIA DEAN

"Evolutionary biology has vanished from the list of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant for low-income college students."

DISPATCHES FROM ANOTHER PLANET

"NEW YORK (Billboard) -- Heavy metal maven Dave Mustaine is so angry with the United Nations that he is naming his group Megadeth's next album "United Abominations."

"I was watching TV and saw the trucks that said 'UN' on them and said, 'Man, you are so uncool, ineffective, anything," the singer/guitarist said in a recent Billboard interview.

"I thought, 'Wow, I've got to run with this. I got it -- United Abominations, 'cause it's an abomination what they're doing!' "

The longtime bane of American conservatives, the United Nations has been criticized for its slow responses to humanitarian crises in hot spots such as Darfur and Rwanda. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan recently expressed frustration that the group took so long to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon."


That's right. They hate the UN because it didn't solve Rwanda and Darfur. Sure.

2nd Circuit Upholds Subway Bag Searches

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has upheld the Constitutionality of random bag searches conducted in New York City subways.

They were begun in July of 2005 after bombings in London.

The Court found the searches were justified given the overall circumstances in which they took place.

Need For National ID?

Title of an Editorial in the Palm Beach Post:

"Border lapses show need for a National ID card"

The editorial is about border security. An excerpt:

Congress passed a "Real ID" bill last year that attempts to standardize driver licenses by requiring states to include more information. It is the first step toward a national ID card that would use identifying biometrics such as fingerprints. Opposition to the national ID is based on privacy concerns, but the country may be at a point where border security trumps worries about potential problems with ID security.

Isn't this called a "passport"?

BE THE FIRST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO TELL JOE IT'S TIME TO GO

"New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson became the first prominent national Democrat to call on Sen. Joe Lieberman to drop his independent bid for re-election in Connecticut.

Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and a possible 2008 White House contender, called Lieberman "a good friend of mine" and a "true public servant."

But he said in a statement Thursday that he was backing Ned Lamont, the man who defeated Lieberman in this week's Democratic primary.

"I look forward to supporting Ned as he fights to help Democrats take back the Senate, and I call on Joe Lieberman to respect the will of the voters and step aside," Richardson said."
********************************************************************

LET THE WHINING BEGIN!

"This type of dirty politics has been a staple of the Lamont campaign from the beginning, from the nonstop personal attacks to the intimidation tactics and offensive displays to these coordinated efforts to disable our Web site," said Smith in a statement e-mailed to reporters Monday evening.

"There is no place for these Rovian tactics in Democratic politics, and we demand that our opponent calls off his supporters and their online attack dogs."

*****************************************************************************

QUESTION OF THE DAY

How did today's New York Times describe Ned Lamont?

(A) "Patriot"

(B) "Businessman"

(C) "Teacher"

(D) "Politician"

(E) "Insurgent"



Answer: E

LIEBERMAN'S GETTING UPSET!

Re: the Lieberman web site.

Lieberman campaign spokesman Dan Gerstein says that the campaign has filed a complaint with Connecticut's Attorney General and Chief State's Attorney, and the United States Attorney's Office.

They've called the U.S. Attorney, the State AG, the FBI, the Secret Service, the State Police, the county Sherriff, New Haven PD, the CIA, the NSA, the DIA, the Coast Guard, Homeland Security, Bo Dietl, Office Krupke, and McGruff.

***********************************************************************

Lieberman's Selling Point: Republicans Like Me

"More than in recent days, the senator came across as both contrite and self-satisfied Monday. He lamented that he had not “clarified” his criticism of the war and the White House earlier, but he also argued that Republicans were “salivating” over the possibility that Democrats would pick an antiwar liberal instead of Mr. Lieberman."

– The New York Times

Do you think anyone really believes that?
***************************************************************

THERE'S A CONFIDENCE BUILDER

"Mr. Lieberman’s advisers said that he was seeking victory but that if he lost, he wanted the smallest possible margin, on the theory that a narrow loss would help him rebuff any Democratic demands that he drop out."

- The New York Times

****************************************************

Israel Promises to Attack All Vehicles South of Litani

According to CNN, The Israeli military dropped leaflets today over the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, warning of stepped-up operations and urging people not to drive. One leaflet said, "All cars and of any type will be shelled if seen moving south of the Litani River."

BRAZILIAN MILITARY FIGHTS FOR PENGUINS!

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP)
"Brazil is staging a military operation involving a Hercules transport plane and Navy ships - all to return four dozen wayward penguins to the icy waters of Antarctica, authorities said Wednesday."

The 50 birds are the survivors among 135 that started appearing in Rio de Janeiro in early June, dragged to warm Brazilian waters by ocean currents, said Giselda Candiotto, president of Rio's Niteroi Zoo Foundation, which is caring for the penguins.

A Hercules C-130 transport airplane will take the flightless birds to Pelotas in southern Brazil on Sept. 23 for the first leg of their journey home, the Air Force's press office said. There, they will be examined by veterinarians at the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center of the Eliezer de Carvalho Rios Oceanographic Museum.

From Pelotas, the penguins will be driven to the coast and placed on Navy ships. They will be taken 40 miles offshore before being released into the southern Atlantic.

"Ocean currents will hopefully carry them back to their natural habitat," Candiotto said. "If everything goes smoothly, the penguins should be back in Antarctica within 10 days after leaving Rio."

"They are young, inexperienced animals that, in their search for food, get caught in the ocean currents," she said. The birds arrive near Rio extremely debilitated and having lost about two-thirds of their normal body weight. About half die of hyperthermia, hyperglycemia and exhaustion, she added."

George W. Bush: Weird Elitist?

"There's this kind of almost -- kind of a weird kind of elitism that says well maybe -- maybe certain people in certain parts of the world shouldn't be free; maybe it's best just to let them sit in these tyrannical societies."

– George W. Bush, July 28, 2006.

You were saying?
*************************************************************************

Glenn Beck Attacks Glen Beck

"Well, guess what? I`m an observer, too."


"But to act merely as an observer is not only pointless, it's totally delusional."

– Glenn Beck, July 27, 2006.
********************************************************************************

CHINESE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS ACTIVIST BEAT HIMSELF UP

Chinese anti-government activist Fu Xiancai, was severely beaten and paralysed after and now the government says he did it to himself.

Must be more of that diabolical asymetrical warfare.

Fu is an activist fighting for for people displaced by the Three Gorges Dam.

According to BBC News, after Chinese police athorities siezed him, and let him leave, he was viciously attacked on his was home.

He was hit so hard on the back of his neck that three of his vertebrae were broken.

From the BBC: "Officials told Mr Fu's son, Fu Bing, that investigators had failed to find anyone else's footprints at the scene of the attack, and had concluded that he must have hit himself."

Human Rights in China (HRIC) is on the case, poiting out that the "investigation" is being carried out by the same public security bureau that had a record of harassing Mr. Fu.

LIEBERMAN CAMPAIGN DOING JUST FINE

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You Had a Bad Day

Where is the moment when we need it the most?
You kick up the leaves, and the magic is lost...
They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away

Cause you had a bad day,
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around,
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride

You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and
you really don't mind
You had a bad day

You had a bad day
You see what you like
And how does it feel,
one more time!

You had a bad day
You had a bad day

There's That Word Again

Time is describing Bush's plan for peace in the Middle East as:

(A) "Dubious"

(B) "Failed"

(C) "Bold"

(D) "Non-existent"



Answer: C
*************************************************************

Francis Crick, Seeker of Truth

What a blogger Francis Crick would have made!

Crick helped discover DNA and the genetic code.

From a review in the New York Times by Nicholas Wade of new biography by Matt Ridley called “Francis Crick, Discoverer of the Genetic Code."

************************************************************

"Crick forged his own path through life. Mr. Ridley dwells only briefly on Crick’s heterodox views and experimental way of life. He seldom read newspapers, because working in intelligence had convinced him that most stories never reached the press. He experimented with marijuana and LSD, Mr. Ridley reports.

Crick and his wife Odile held lively parties and enjoyed the company of their many bohemian friends, like John Gayer-Anderson, who made pornographic pottery.

“Though they did not have an explicitly ‘open marriage,’ Francis was an incorrigible flirt,” Mr. Ridley writes, “and Odile at least affected not to mind.”

Crick refused to meet the queen when she visited Cambridge’s new Laboratory of Molecular Biology because he disapproved of royalty, and he declined a knighthood. He deeply disliked religion, saying once that Christianity was all right between consenting adults but should not be taught to children.

He refused to attend weddings or funerals, though he was always up for the party afterward. He resigned from Churchill College when it decided to build a chapel like any other Cambridge college.

Desire to undercut religious obscurantism was a cogent motive in Crick’s scientific career, shaping his choice first of the gene and later of consciousness as problems that, if cracked, would destroy the last refuges of vitalism.

“Throughout, he stayed true to himself: ebullient, loquacious, charming, skeptical, tenacious,” Mr. Ridley writes in an eloquent coda. “He would have liked to find the seat of consciousness and to see the retreat of religion. He had to settle for explaining life.”

###

Crick “saw himself as a dedicated seeker of great truths who had worked very hard, with long hours of reading, calculation, and intuition, to get to the point where he could make a great discovery."

************************************************************************************

At Least We Keep Our Committments

"Do you see it as contradictory? On one hand, you allow Israel to kill people, and civilian, in particular, and on the other hand, you're trying to aid the very people that have been suffering and killed as a result?"

PRESIDENT BUSH: "No, I don't see a contradiction in us honoring commitments we made prior to Hezbollah attacks into Israeli territory."

*******************************************************

MAX CHERRY: "You want your money? Your bond refund?"

(He tosses stack of bills to Ordell.)

ORDELL: "That's all?"

MAX CHERRY: "I have a bond receipt for you to sign."

ORDELL: "You know what the fuck I'm talkin' about."

Begone!

"Joe Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn’t be forced to do so. "In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said." [New Haven Register]

Barbara Boxer:

"What he has said is, he believes the hospital has an obligation to take care of the patient, and let's say there was a hospital next door, walk, get the patient help, that's what he meant."


Begone, before someone drops a primary on you.

*******************************************************************************

Wrap Yourself the Flag Act of 2006

"The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005"

A condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real estate management association may not adopt or enforce any policy, or enter into any agreement, that would restrict or prevent a member of the association from displaying the flag of the United States on residential property within the association with respect to which such member has a separate ownership interest or a right to exclusive possession or use.


Why can't the free market take care of this problem?

You know, like for Americans trapped in a war zone?

Baghdad's Morgues Full

Every one of 20 people who spoke to Reuters around their workplace in central Baghdad, from a variety of sects and ethnic groups, had a horror story of conflict touching their lives.


Oh, wow...now is definitely the time to buy, before demand for summer homes there sends real estate prices out of control.

*************************************************************

All-Out Assault on Baghdad?

"Bombings and shootings soared by 40 percent in the Baghdad area in the past week, the U.S. military said Thursday. An American general said extremists were preparing "an all-out assault" on the capital in a decisive battle for the future of Iraq"

"There is an opening in the city's main shaft that leads to the core," he said. "If a small rebel vehicle were to somehow break through the defenses shield and enter the shaft, it's possible it could hit the core with a single, well-placed shot and destroy the entire city."

Cat Blogging

Prime Time Stupidity

Last night ABC aired a bizarre documentary recounting the adventures of a 19-year old college student getting rich convincing people he can heal them of serious diseases by waving his hands around and fiddling with their "aura."

Naturally it never works and they turn to crazy ideas like "surgery" and "chemotherapy."

Anyway, one storyline was this kid's attempt to heal a girl of multiple sclerosis. Or so they said. But their visuals, including their flashy pictures of the Internet and web sites, all said "muscular dystrophy."

Multiple sclerosis. Muscular dystrophy.

Two different diseases. Get it right, ABC.
**************************************************************************

Talkin' Tough

"Ahmadini....Ahmedinia...Ahmeadiajia...Ahmadeniajiahh.... c'mon Dubya, yew ken do this...."

Friday Feline Blogging

Master of All He Surveys

Outrage Of The Week

Regardless of whether you love or hate Noam Chomsky, this is unacceptable:

New York Times
By Lawrence Van Gelder
Published: July 5, 2006

"Fatih Tas, the Turkish publisher of a book by the American intellectual Noam Chomsky, said yesterday that he and two of his colleagues were facing prison sentences as long as six years on charges of "denigrating national identity" and "inciting hatred," Agence France-Presse reported. Mr. Tas, owner of the Aram Publishing House, said that he and his colleagues Omer Faruk Kurhan and Taylan Tosun had been charged over the book "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media," written by Mr. Chomsky and Edward S. Herman, which argues that corporate and government pressures distort news coverage.

Mr. Tas said that Ender Abadoglu, the translator of the book, published in Turkey in March, was also likely to be indicted. Mr. Tas was tried and acquitted in 2002 for publishing "American Interventionism," a collection of essays by Mr. Chomsky that included criticism of the Turkish government's treatment of its Kurdish minority and of American arms sales to Turkey. The European Union has warned Turkey that prosecution of intellectuals and writers is harmful to its bid for membership."

Missed Alaska by THAT much

They call it "Rocket Science" for a reason.
*************************************************************

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, JAPANESE LEADER, TOUR “JUNGLE ROOM”

There’s a headline I’ll bet you thought you’d never
see.

Highlights of the famous Graceland Tour from news
accounts:

###

"It turns out he's an Elvis fan, so he and I are then
going to go to Graceland," Bush said, to laughter,
according to the transcript. "Think about the American
president traveling to Graceland with the prime
minister of Japan. Let me ask you something -- 60
years ago, would you have thought that would be
possible?"

Elvis didn't buy the house until 1957, so probably
not.”

###

“It turns out this will be the first time Bush has
visited the shrine. The only other American president
to have visited is Jimmy Carter, according to
Graceland publicist Kevin Kern, although a reader
helpfully pointed out that another president, Oscar
Arias of Costa Rica, toured the Jungle Room in 2001.”

###

“The Japanese leader, who humorously serenaded a 2005
birthday party for President Bush with Presley’s song,
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, shares the King’s
January 8 birthday and personally selected 25 Elvis
songs for a 2002 limited-edition charity CD that was
released in Japan, and quickly sold out.”

###

“In the green-carpeted "Jungle Room" where Elvis
recorded some of his songs, Koizumi put his arm around
Lisa Marie Presley and said, "Hold me close, hold me
tight". He also put on sunglasses and struck a classic
Elvis pose.

###

“Bush gave an old-fashioned jukebox replete with Elvis
tunes as a parting gift to Koizumi who is stepping
down in September. Koizumi has been one of Bush's most
loyal supporters in the war on terrorism.”

“Bush and Koizumi, who both love baseball, became
friends five years ago after playing catch at Camp
David.”

“A few months later, Koizumi pledged strong support
for the United States after the September 11 attacks.
He also took a political risk in sending troops to
Iraq, though they are now being drawn down.”

###

“Attracting more media attention were four Elvis
look-a-likes who donned white jumpsuits to protest the
hunting of whales by the Japanese for scientific
research.”


*************************************************************

DEPARTMENT OF IRREFUTABLE ARGUMENTS

CHRIS WALLACE:

“Brit, what do you think of the program
and what do you think of the Times' decision to reveal
it?”

BRIT HUME:

“I would say about the program that it's
probably less important in some ways than the
wiretapping or the phone intercept program. But I have
to say that the case for revealing it seems even
worse, even weaker.”

“The editor of The New York Times said something to
the effect, it's a matter of "public interest."

Well, that can apply to almost anything! Juan
and I were talking about this earlier.

“That applies to ball scores.”

“And you know, I mean, women with their breasts
exposed are a matter of public interest to some
people.”


###

That’s true, I’ll give him that.

*************************************************************

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

***********************************************************

“The President has staked out powers that are a
universe beyond any other Administration. This
President has made claims that are really quite
alarming. He's said that there are no restraints on
his ability, as he sees it, to collect intelligence,
to open mail, to commit torture, and to use electronic
surveillance. If you used the President's reasoning,
you could shut down Congress for leaking too much.
His war powers allow him to declare anyone an illegal
combatant. All the world's a battlefield -- according
to this view, he could kill someone in Lafayette Park
if he wants! It's got the sense of Louis XIV: 'I am
the State.' "

– Bruce Fein, a Republican
legal activist, and associate Deputy Attorney
General in the Reagan Justice Department.

***********************************************************

Cat Blogging

DODO SKELETON, U.S. CONSTITUTION FOUND

***************************************************************
Scientists say they have discovered part of the skeleton of a dodo, the large, flightless bird which became extinct more than 300 years ago.

Alongside the skeleton was a copy of the Constitution of the United States of America, abandoned in 2006.

A scientist said it was the first discovery of fully preserved bones which could give clues as to how the Dodo bird lived its life. Scholars are hopeful to learn more about what sort of rights the Constitution once granted its citizens.

The bird is thought to have been hunted to extinction by European settlers. It is believed that the American people, in the full thrall of nationalism, and in fear for their lives, gave up the Constitution in favor of an elected dictatorship.

"The chances of a single bone being preserved a remarkable event; and here we have a whole collection of them," he said.

"We're very lucky to have found a copy of the Constitution," said one researcher. "The last known copy was destroyed in case it gave anyone any funny ideas."

Little is known about the dodo, a famous flightless bird thought to have become extinct in the 17th Century. The Constitution was in place for more than 200 years before an undeclared war on terror required its limits on government power be jettisoned.

The dodo was mocked by Portuguese and Dutch colonialists for its size and apparent lack of fear of armed, hungry hunters.

The Constitution's rights were mocked by political conservatives and nationalists.

The Dodo, an exinct flightless bird


The Constitution, formerly set limits on U.S. government actions

**********************************************************************

MIAMI HEAT

So the media has gone crazy with this Miami terror story.

From "The New York Times:

“The seven men, who lived in a windowless, one-story
warehouse that was raided by F.B.I. agents on
Thursday, included five American citizens, one
permanent legal resident and one illegal immigrant
from Haiti, according to prosecutors.”

“John S. Pistole, the F.B.I.'s deputy director said it
was "more aspirational than operational," but
illustrated the threat posed by small groups without
connections to international terror networks.”

“They asked him [an FBI informant] for money, weapons,
binoculars and boots and in return pledged loyalty to
Al Qaeda and offered to assist in a supposed plot to
blow up federal buildings in five cities.”

“Mr. Pistole said the group had no actual connection
to Al Qaeda.”

###

Ok, so, just so I'm clear: Seven homeless guys living
in a windowless garage in Miami asked an FBI informant
if he could please get them some shoes and in return
the agreed to tell he what he wanted hear about some
crazy massive terror plot.

That sound about right?

******************************************************************

SENATE REPORT: NORQUIST LAUNDERED MONEY FOR ABRAMOFF, RALPH REED

From the AP:

"Report: Abramoff used Norquist to distribute funds"

Anti-tax advocate acted as a buffer
for lobbyist's activities

WASHINGTON (AP) -- "In Jack Abramoff's world, prominent Washington tax-cut advocate Grover Norquist was a godsend.

Moving money from a casino-operating Indian tribe to Ralph Reed, the Christian Coalition founder and professed gambling opponent, was a problem. Lobbyist Abramoff turned to his longtime friend Norquist, apparently to provide a buffer for Reed.

The result, according to evidence gathered by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, was that Norquist's Americans for Tax Relief became a conduit for more than a million dollars from the Mississippi Choctaw to Reed's operation, while Norquist, a close White House ally, took a cut.

Without citing any specific group, the Senate panel found numerous instances of nonprofit organizations that appeared to be involved in activities unrelated to their mission as described to the Internal Revenue Service.

Thursday's 373-page Senate report on Abramoff's influence-peddling said some nonprofits channeled money from one entity to another in an effort to obscure the source of funds, the eventual use of funds and to evade tax liability.

The report said some tax-exempt organizations apparently were used as extensions of for-profit lobbying operations. The committee forwarded 108 documents to the Senate Finance Committee in February about nonprofits, 28 of them dealing with Norquist's group.

Norquist's office says its tax-cut mission is the same as that of the Choctaws, who were bankrolling a grass-roots campaign by Reed's organization to block potential competitors."
****************************************************************

Michelangelo's Florentine Pieta

****************************************************************************
Michelangelo created this Pieta for his own funerary chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, between 1548-55, but left it unfinished. (The Magdalen is by one of his pupils, Tiberio Calcagni).

He gave it to his friend, Francesco Bandini, and the statue was sold to the Medici Grand Dukes in the mid 17th century. It was at first placed in the crypt in San Lorenzo then, after 1721, behind the high altar in the Cathedral. It was moved to the in the left transept, in 1933, where it remained until 1980.

English As the Official Language

Thoughts on English as the Official Language:

Uber-American John Wayne often described the epitaph wanted carved on his headstone:

It was in Spanish.

Feo, Fuerte y Formal**




**"He was Ugly, Strong, and had Dignity".

State Dept. Memo Details Deterioration of Life in Iraq

From the memo from the U.S. Embassy:

* Woman report men harassing them and telling them to cover up and stop using cell phones.

* Taxi driver who brings employee to the green zone checkpoint has told her he cannot let her ride unless she wears a headcover.

* A woman must now wear a full "abaya" after receiving direct threats in May. She says her neighborhood, Mhamiya, is no longer permissive if she is not clad so modestly.

* Staff members have reported that it is now dangerous for men to wear shorts in public; they no longer allow their children to play outside in shorts.

* People who wear jeans in public have come under attack from what staff members describe as Wahabis and Sadrists.

ASTRONAUT BLOGGING

Actual Spacesuit Used in the Mercury Space Program, as seen in the film, The Right Stuff.

Arctic Dips in Height, Sea Levels Rise

By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News

"Arctic sea level has been falling by a little
over 2mm a year - a movement that sets the region
against the global trend of rising waters.

A Dutch-UK team made the discovery after
analysing radar altimetry data gathered by
Europe's ERS-2 satellite.

It is well known that the world's oceans
do not share a uniform height; but even so,
the scientists are somewhat puzzled by their results.

Global sea level is expected to keep on
climbing as the Earth's climate warms.

To find the Arctic out of step, even temporarily,
emphasises the great need for more
research in the region, the team says."

Bring Me the Head of Abu al-Zarqawi

In ancient times in many cultures, it was common practice to display an enemies head on a pike and parade through town after a victory.

When Oliver Cromwell was overthrown, his head was left out in the open for decades. Eventullay it was put in a box and displayed for local schoolchildren. This week’s “New Yorker” describes how in 1671, the Indian leader Metacom, known to the English as King Philip, he was forced to sign a treaty with the Plymouth Colony. Four years after signing the treaty, he led an uprising against the English. The colonists won, and Metacom’s head was cut off, mounted, and rotted on a pole in Plymouth for 25 years.

While it may not be easy to imagine what it was like to live in those times, recent events may help. For the past two days every newspaper and media web site and have triumphantly displayed the head of Abu al-Zarqawi, the just-killed leader of “al qaeda” in Iraq. No doubt a bad guy, though of course the U.S. has a habit of taking guys who are evil enough and turning them into a cross between the bogeyman and that shark from “Jaws.”

The rather repulsive display passed “unseemly” around yesterday afternoon and has progressed into full-blown “horrifying.” This guy was real scum – a psycho, not even Iraqi, will be missed by no one -– but for god’s sake, we killed a man. We didn’t free Iraq, or liberate anyone, or achieve anything. We didn’t even arrest him. We dropped 2 500 pound bombs on his house and he was killed. Or survived and then died. Or something. The truth is a little hard to come by with these guys.

But not only is all this celebrating offensive and ridiculous, building him up to be more important than he was, but we’ve done this end-zone dancing before, only to be shocked when the mission wasn’t accomplished.

I actually heard a journalist ask if the troops could come home now.

But then Blair said violence would increase in the short term. And in the long term someone will take Zarqawi’s place.

So what does that mean? It’s means we’re still screwed.

********************************************************

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

.

"ZARQAWI’S FAMILY CELEBRATES,
ASKS FOR HIS BODY BACK”

- The New York Times, June 9, 2006

******************************************

HECK OF A GRUDGE, BROWNIE

Mike Brown,formerly of FEMA and the Arabian horse thing has released what he says is an e-mail sent by a top Bush administration official that described a Sept. 7, 2005 Cabinet meeting in which President Bush urged everyone to continue to place most of the blame for the Katrina response on Brown.

I'm not going ignored, George....

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

Apparently Armed Forces Radio hired Lund Media Research to conduct of U.S. soldiers to make recommendations for future programming.

The fighting men and women want less of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and NPR. Also they don’t like country music and prefer hip-hop, and rap.

This makes sense. These guys were born when – 1986? So they turned 15 in 2001.

So yeah, maybe scale back the obese Oxycontin addicts and throw on some Eminem.

ANN, SHARK, JUMP

“These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband’s death so much.”

"By the way, how do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies? Now that their shelf life is dwindling, they'd better hurry up and appear in Playboy."


– Ann Coulter, on the 9/11 Widows she calls “the Witches of East Brunswick"

*****************************************************************

Cybertunnels!

Front Page, New York Times:

* “Mideast Truce Threatened After Shelling”

* “Zarqawi Said to Briefly Survive Airstrike”

* “Liberal Bloggers Gather in Las Vegas”


“Hundreds of liberal (they'd say progressive) Internet bloggers crawled out of their cybertunnels for face-time and political networking here at the first-ever YearlyKos convention.”

– New York Times, June 9, 2006.
**********************************************************

Sorrow or Sadness Over the Present or Future Evils of the World

Well, I hope you watched last night because it was damm exciting. We were jumping up and down as it came down to one word for the championship title of the 79th Annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. The girl from New Jersey scored a victory for all America – well, she beat a Canadian, but still – to become the first girl since 1999 to win. Eighth grader Katharine Close spelled “ursprache'' correctly to win, while the other one missed on “weltschmerz,” if anything, an easier word.

Easy, right? Sure. You knew them all. Of course.

Actually, Close said she was relieved when she heard the final word and realized she knew how to spell “ursprache,” guaranteeing her about $45,000 in cash and scholarships.

She is the first champion ever from New Jersey. (They’ve been doing this since 1925.)

Most finalists -- 196 -- attend public schools, 26 attend private schools, 13 attend parochial schools and three attend charter schools. Thirty-seven were home schooled.

BTW, “ursprache'' means a “reconstructed, hypothetical parent language."

“Weltschmerz,” another noun of German origin, is defined as “sorrow or sadness over the present or future evils of the world, a sentimental sadness.”

But you already knew that.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 1 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki lashed out at the American military on Thursday, denouncing what he characterized as habitual attacks by troops against Iraqi civilians.

In his comments, Mr. Maliki said violence against civilians had become a "daily phenomenon" by many troops in the American-led coalition who "do not respect the Iraqi people."

"They crush them with their vehicles and kill them just on suspicion," he said. "This is completely unacceptable." Attacks on civilians will play a role in future decisions on how long to ask American forces to remain in Iraq, the prime minister added.”

– The New York Times, June 2, 2006


This is the man WE put in power.
*************************************************

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Bush chose a new Secretary of the Treasury this week. (Henry Paulson). On what basis did Bush say he made his decision?

(A) Paulson’s vast experience in economics

(B) Paulson’s reputation for integrity

(C) Paulson’s vision for boosting the U.S. economy

(D) Paulson’s popularity among Republicans, Democrats,
and leaders in the financial community

(E) Paulson’s "ability to explain economic issues in clear terms."


Answer: E


Of course.

**********************************************************

PHONE NUMBER OF THE BEAST?

"A newly discovered fragment of the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament indicates that, as far as the Antichrist goes, theologians, scholars, heavy metal groups, and television evangelists have got the wrong number. Instead of 666, it's actually the far less ominous 616."

- National Geographic

Uh-oh.
*********************************************************

Bloggers Protected by Shield Law

From the AP:

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- "A state appeals court on Friday rejected Apple Computer
Inc.'s bid to identify the sources of leaked product information that
appeared on Web sites, ruling that online reporters and bloggers are
entitled to the same protections as traditional journalists."

"In no relevant respect do they appear to differ from a reporter or editor
for a traditional business-oriented periodical who solicits or otherwise
comes into possession of confidential internal information about a company,"
Justice Conrad Rushing of the 6th District Court of Appeal wrote in a
unanimous 69-page ruling.

"We decline the implicit invitation to embroil ourselves in questions of
what constitutes 'legitimate journalism," he wrote. "The shield law is
intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is
what petitioners did here."

Cat in Pot

Remember to re-plant your cats when they get too big...

Bush's Numbers Take a Dive

********************************************

Diving Penguins!



********************************************

Kappes, Outsed By Goss, Is Back

"Steve Kappes, a recently retired CIA insider, has been offered the No. 2 slot at the spy agency, sources told CNN, to reassure the CIA operations community about Gen. Michael Hayden's appointment as director as well as ease concerns about that nominee's military ties.

The decision to tap Kappes is also seen as a move aimed at members of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee who have raised doubts about Hayden.

Kappes was a civilian operations officer who reportedly was forced out of the CIA by Porter Goss' associates after Goss became director in 2004.

Intelligence analysts and former intelligence officials said that Kappes' selection is a repudiation of Goss, who abruptly announced his resignation Friday after reported disagreements with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte."

PENGUINS!

BUSH DIPS BELOW FREEZING

EVERYONE GETS A PENGUIN



WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has slumped to 31% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the lowest of his presidency and a warning sign for Republicans in the November elections.

The survey of 1,013 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, shows Bush's standing down by 3 percentage points in a single week. His disapproval rating also reached a record: 65%. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
**********************************************************************

BUSH BAGS IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER

.

BAYOU SPRINGS, ARKANSAS (AP)- President Geroge W. Bush has told a Polish paper that his greatest moment in more than five years as President is capturing and managing to kill an elusive ivory-billed woodpecker.

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly "Poland Spring" when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001. "I would say the best moment of all was when I nailed an ivory-bill out on the swamps," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

"You know, those dang things are pretty much extinct, so finding one is not easy. And this sucker put of a hell of a fight before I finally managed to bag it," the President said.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, a magnificent bird, was until recently thought to be extinct, but the U.S. Department of Interior has a said a few may still exist in the wild.

"At first, I though it was a pilated pecker, but then I saw the flashing white wings and whispered, 'Dick, it's an ivory-bill!' I unloaded my rifle and emptied Saddam's pistol at it, but the critter hid in a tree. Finally, I grabbed an Uzi from one of my Secret Service guys and took it down," said the President.

Experts have determined that Bush got a true ivory-billed woodpecker, although "Dick hit the guy from Cornell [the Cornell Ornithology Lab] when his shotgun went off," the President said, referring the Vice President.

"As Paul Wolfowitz would say, 'ladies and gentlemen, I got him,'" the President added, grinning.


An ivory-billed woodpecker
************************************************

Friday Cat Blogging

There's a Fire in the Barn?

It's a good place to shop, by the way. I just spent some of my hard-earned money on Barney. I bought him a couple of toys to chew on -- but don't let him know until I get over there, because it's a surprise.
- George W. Bush


"BARK! BARK!""

"What's that, boy? Timmy fell down a well?

"Rrrrruff! Ruff! Ruff!"

"No? There's a fire in the barn?

"Grrrr! Grrrrr!"

"No? What is it boy?"

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

"What, American invaded a Middle Eastern country based on lies, thus trapping our soldiers in a quagmire and exacerbating problems of international terrorism?"

"ARF! ARF!"

"That's it! Good boy!"
******************************************

English Only?

Some people have said that we should only teach and speak English in the USA, saying "We are Americans and our language is English." But this kind of nativist, ignorant thinking is wrong.

Englishmen speak English.

Americans speak many languages.

If the nativists want to speak English, let them move to England, where they can hear it all they want.

Friday Cat Blogging

Bush Buddy Ken Lay Gets Angry

*******************************
From the NYT:

"After waiting 13 weeks to respond to his accusers, Kenneth L. Lay lost his legendary cool on the witness stand Wednesday.

Just minutes into his cross-examination by a prosecutor, John Hueston, Mr. Lay, Enron's founder and former chief executive, testily accused Mr. Hueston of personally preventing him from repaying a company credit line Mr. Lay had used to shore up his personal finances.

"Mr. Hueston, you know you blocked it," Mr. Lay said, his voice booming. "It's a simple answer."

Mr. Lay also struggled Wednesday to restrain his agitation when Mr. Hueston suggested that Mr. Lay had tried to tamper with potential government witnesses.

Before he took the stand, a number of legal experts had predicted that Mr. Lay would use the same folksy charm he employed during his heyday as the public face of Enron to seek to win over the 12 jurors deciding his fate in the criminal fraud trial here. But during his three days so far as a witness, Mr. Lay has found it harder and harder to maintain a kindly grandfatherly image.

Instead, Mr. Lay, 64, has become increasingly agitated, at times reacting impatiently even to his own lawyer, George McCall Secrest Jr., and lashing out at what Mr. Lay portrayed as a cabal of former Enron executives, investors and journalists whom he repeatedly blamed for the company's downfall in late 2001."

*************************************************

A BLACK HOLE IN EVERY GARAGE

*****************************

A new study finds that supermassive black holes, located at the heart of some galaxies, are the most fuel efficient engines in the universe.

"If you could make a car engine that was as efficient as one of these black holes, you could get about a billion miles out of a gallon of gas," said study team leader Steve Allen of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University.


******************************

Quote of the Day

"I base a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there's an Almighty. And, secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free."

- George W. Bush, April 24, 2006

Pat Robertson, Terrorism, Hurricane Katrina, and Abortion

*************************************************

Here,we are interested in the truth.


So what exactly did Pat Robertson say about abortion, Hurricane Katrina, and terrorism?

From this weekend on CBS:

CBS News Sunday Morning

Broadcast April 9, 2006:

Rita Braver:

“But-- there was one-- at one point where you seemed to suggest that-- Hurricane Katrina and September 11th, the terrorist attacks, were divine retribution for abortion—“

Pat Robertson:

“Oh, I'll stop you on that one. There was Comedy Central that came out with a-- a-- a-- a-- a spoof saying Pat Robertson said Katrina was-- was-- divine retribution. And then the press picked it up. And Comedy Central said, ‘Hey fellas, we were just joking.’ I never said that.”

Rita Braver:

“So you never said that—“

(OVERTALK)

Pat Robertson:
“--I did—“

Rita Braver:

“--so this idea that you said-- that this-- that this was retribution for abortion—that–”

Pat Robertson:

“I never said it. “

RB:

“--never said it? “

Pat Robertson:

“Never said it.”


– CBS, April 9, 2006


******************************************************************

What did Pat Robertson say?


“You know, it's just amazing, though, that people say
the litmus test for is whether or not he supports the
wholesale slaughter of unborn children. We have killed
over 40 million unborn babies in America. I was reading,
yesterday, a book that was very interesting about what
God has to say in the Old Testament about those who shed
innocent blood. And he used the term that those who do this,
"the land will vomit you out." That -- you look at your --
you look at the book of Leviticus and see what it says there.
And this author of this said, "well 'vomit out' means
you are not able to defend yourself." But have we found
we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some
of the attacks that are coming against us, either by
terrorists or now by natural disaster? Could they be
connected in some way? And he goes down the list of
the things that God says will cause a nation to lose
its possession, and to be vomited out. And the amazing
thing is, a judge has now got to say,
"I will support the wholesale slaughter of
innocent children" in order to get confirmed to the bench.
And I am sure Judge Roberts is not going to say any such thing.
But nevertheless, that's the litmus test that's being
put on, the very thing that could endanger our nation.
And it's very interesting. Read the bible, read
Leviticus, see what it says there.”


– Pat Robertson, Christian Broadcasting
Network's The 700 Club,
September 12, 2006


******************************************************************

On the terror attacks of September 11, 2001:

Jerry Falwell:

"The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this."

Pat Robertson:

"Well, yes."

Jerry Falwell:

"And I know I'll hear from them for this, but throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools, the abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, – all of them who try to secularize America – I point the thing in their face and say 'you helped this happen'."

Pat Robertson:

"I totally concur, and the problem is we've adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government, and so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do, and the top people, of course, is the court system."

-- The 700 Club,
September 13, 2001


**************************************************************

FANTASYLAND, BITCHES!

"Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday he would not engage in "fantasyland" speculation about a possible U.S. attack on Iran, though he said the Bush administration is concerned about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Rumsfeld declined to comment on Iran's claim that it has has successfully enriched uranium for the first time.

"I'd rather wait and see what our experts say about it," the defense secretary told reporters shortly after the announcement from Tehran."


**********************************************

Have They No Sense of Decency Left?

So yesterday we found out who the person was who released Valerie Plame’s name, as well as other vital national secrets, to a reporter as part of a disgusting slime and defend attack on Joe Wilson, which was itself part of a larger plan to cover-up the Administration lies promoting the invasion of Iraq.

It wasn’t Scooter Libby. It wasn’t Dick Cheney. It was George W. Bush himself. Of course, Scooter held the meeting with Judith Miller, where he disclosed the classified NIE, on the orders of Dick Cheney, on the direct orders of George Bush.

So said Scooter Libby under oath. The story has been out for almost two full days and has not been denied by the White House. Rather, the spin seems to be that Bush has the authority to do this as President.

Will this fly? Or will this finally be the sordid incident in a wasted career of a pathetic life that brings George Bush down?

He deliberately exposed the identity of an undercover CIA agent (who was working to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons) and revealed other national secrets to just threaten her husband, a hero who had stood up to Saddam Hussein in 1991, and who was asking questions about Bush’s reasons for going to war.

Will be people be outraged by this? Or will they buy Bush’s and the media’s argument that it’s okay, because when the President decides to leak a secret, it’s not a secret anymore because he decided to leak it?

Is that what this country has been reduced to? Bland acceptance of treason based on bullying and fear? Is this the newest twist on Nationalism? A hyper-aggressive embracement of mean-spirited cruelty, even at the expense of the safety of the country?

Where the decent part of nationalism is replaced the crude tactics that often accompany it -- intimidation, threats, violence, until, in the end, that is all it celebrates?

Should we have seen this coming with the treatment of John McCain in the primaries in 2000? With the mob that stormed the election office in Florida to rob Al Gore of the election? With the Swift Boating of John Kerry?

Have they shame? No sense of decency left, at long last?

Will this be George Bush’s legacy? To have debased and corrupted American politics, to have taken government to a new low, lacking all humanity, and any sense of restraint that are the hallmarks of civilization?

Bush Revealed National Secrets

**********************************************

"Telling an aide to leak classified information to the New York Times is not a normal channel."

- Representative Jane Harman


Yes. He should have gone through Corpus Christi Caller-Times instead.



**********************************************

How George Bush and Dick Cheney Betrayed America

According to the AP, citing court documents, Lewis Libby, Dick Cheney's top aide, has testified under oath that Cheney that said President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq.

The court filings allegedly say that Libby testified to the grand jury that Cheney told him to pass on information and that Bush himself who authorized the disclosure.

This led directly to July 8, 2003, conversation between Libby and Judith Miller, where Valerie Plame's status was discussed, according to Miller's grand jury testimony.

But the court documents state that Libby revealed vital American national secrets "only after the vice president advised defendant that the president specifically had authorized defendant to disclose certain information in the National Intelligence Estimate."

"Defendant testified that the circumstances of his conversation with reporter Miller -- getting approval from the president through the vice president to discuss material that would be classified but for that approval -- were unique in his recollection."

Senator Cat Killer

"This is how I used to strangle kittens."

Friday Cat Blogging

Tiger was rescued from the streets, weighing 1 lb., back in September. Now he's six months old read to take on the world!

W For Who, Me?

Re: the uproar over "V for Vendetta," "Good Night and Good Luck," "Crash," "Syriana" and "Brokeback Mountain."

Every movie that attacks fascism, depotism, repression, big government, bad government, stupid leaders, liars, bigotry, cruelty and ignorance is seen as an attack on George W. Bush.


Funny how that works.

Specter: President is Our King

Arlen Specter began his career with the Single Bullet Theory, and he's going to end it with the Single Branch Theory.

Goodbye Abu Ghraib

The U.S. military is closing Abu Ghraib prison.

And with it, a sad chapter in American history, when, despite the best of intentions, the U.S. became for a time the thing it stood against, even using Saddam Hussein's old prison to commit brutal acts against Iraqis - many of whom were innnocent.

Yes, sometimes symbolic actions are important.

This should have been done long ago.

Two Decades later, Still No Ideas

Republicans On Abortion:

"I haven't sorted out the penalties"


– George H.W. Bush, 1988



"I‘m not sure what the penalty would be"

– Congressman Pat Toomey, 2004

Harry Whittington (and the Barenaked Ladies)

ONE WEEK

By Harry Whittington and the Barenaked Ladies

It’s been one week since you shot at me
Cocked your gun to your shoulder and nearly killed me.
Five days since you blasted me
Saying Harry, geez, you didn't see me.
Three days since we were drinking
I realized it’s all my fault, I wasn’t thinking
Yesterday you’d have unplugged me
But now I’m alive and said I’m sorry

How can you help it if you’re not sorry that I’m sad
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
You’re the kind of guy who can start a war
Arrange a federal contract
It sucks to be poor
You have a tendency of getting your own way
You have a history of coming out on top

It’s been one week since you shot at me
Waved your gun around and really hurt me
Five days since you injured me
I’ve still got the birdshot lodged in my cheeks
It’s been three days since the afternoon
You realized it’s my fault not a moment too soon
Yesterday you’d have pinned the blame on me
But now you don’t have to I said I'm sorry

How can you help it if you’re not sorry that I’m sad
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
You’re the kind of guy who can start a war
Remember Katrina
It sucks to be poor
You have a tendency of getting your own way
You have a history of coming out on top

It’s been one week since you shot at me
Had one beer and didn't see me
Five days since I almost died
And all your friends went on tv and lied
Three days since we hunted quail
Now thanks to me you won’t need bail
Yesterday you Swift Boated me
But now you won’t I said I'm sorry
You let me live I said I said I'm sorry

Can I meet you later in the lobby…

WATCH OUT, HARRY'S GOT A BROOM!

CBS re-enacted the crime on their morning show.

Aside from the comic value of Harry Smith stalking his co-hosts while wearing an orange vest and carrying a broom, it was pretty much settled that while Dick probably shouldn't be shooting in random directions, Whittington shouldn't not have been hiding in long grass like that, but needed to announced himself, in a oud voice.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Except Harry Smith on Columbus Circle holding a broom to his shoulder accompanied by a fake dog.

THE SNARK OF THE HUNTING

Cheney's (otherwise known as "The Shooter") Police Blotter

Observitory Circle?

QUOTE OF THE WEK

“Our enemy is listening, and I cannot help but wonder
if they aren't shaking their heads in amazement, and
smiling at the prospect that we might now disclose
even more,"

– Alberto Gonzales, in his testimony before the
Senate.



They get C-SPAN in Afghan caves?

Then let cable company go after him!
***********************************************

CREEPING FASCISM, PART XXVII

Gonzalez was finally forced to testify before the
Senate this week to defend the President’s
indefensible wiretapping program.

I was surprised they’re sticking with the idea that
the authorization to use force immediately after 9/11
gave them the authority to avoid the law.

No one believes that.

So you can see how that might provoke a Constitutional
crisis – not to mention that they’re an entire branch
of government to go screw themselves.

Republican reactions:

"The president does not have a blank check.”

– Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee,


"Presidents are always stronger in the conduct of
foreign affairs when Congress is on board.”

– Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. He said the administration
should seek explicit congressional authorization for
the surveillance.


"I never envisioned that I was giving to this
president or any other president the ability to go
around FISA carte blanche.”

“The argument that the president has such broad
inherent authorities in wartime could, if taken to its
logical conclusion, basically neuter the Congress and
weaken the courts."

– Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina:

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