Open Thread
For the evening...
Comments (713) «
Timing? my ass
No. 2 Justice Candidate Withdraws Name
- Timothy E. Flanigan on Friday withdrew his nomination to be deputy attorney general amid a delay in his confirmation because of his dealings with indicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Flanigan, a senior lawyer for Tyco International Ltd., wrote to
President Bush that he was withdrawing because of "uncertainty concerning the timing of my confirmation."
Sorry Gatto! I'm getting back in the swing of things after being largely absent. (And I do mean largely.) Did someone say ham sammiches?
I know the Shrub has denied this, but it makes me happy to post it yet again, because I believe he really said it!
God made him do it: Bush's divine intervention
“We’re on a mission from gaad.” - Elwood Blues, 1980
“God would tell me, ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq.” - George W. Bush, 2003
According to a new BBC, 3-part, documentary called: Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace President Bush claimed to have been anointed by God to go into Afghanistan, Iraq and get the Palestinian's their own state.
The White House, so far, has categorically denied this story but nonetheless, the three-part documentary will air on BBC and later in the US via PBS.
According to the documentary, Bush, during a Israeli-Palestinian summit, mentioned, among other things, that God spoke to him personally and told him to invade Iraq, Afghanistan and give the Palestinians their own state.
Sorry if repost, but you have to see this:
http://streaming.americanprogress.org/ThinkProgress/2005/energy_vote.320.240.mov.html
Jen @ 5:55
let us pray that our party leaders do not attempt to attract all these disaffected Republican evangelicals, small government fanatics, etc by attempting to be more Republican than Bush.
Damn it: let's sell Traditional Denocratic Values!!! just like Pam says
*waving at Cyn and Kristen*
"I feel that if our constitutional system ever fails, it will be because people got scared and turned hysterical and someone in power will demagogue them right into a police state of some kind. That's what I've always worried about. And still do."
Sound familiar? It should...
Good Evening, Jen, Cyn_NY, Lizzy, A G Gatto!
Hope everyone is well . . .
:)
http://http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/07/house-block-vote/
Right-Wing House Twists Arms, Thwarts Democracy To Pass Oil Industy Windfall
Emotions erupted on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon as the right-wing-led Congress held open yet another vote to twist arms and pass a bill that would line the pockets of energy company executives. The House leadership held the five-minute vote open for almost 50 minutes until they could convince three lawmakers — Reps. Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) — to change their minds. The bill passed 212-210. As the vote concluded, opponents of the bill chanted in unity: “Shame, Shame, Shame!”
Hey Paul,
Cyn, I just posted the vid.
Shameful.... I am hoping to see this video over and over in the 2006 midterms. .
A big shoutout hello to LIZZY and wanted to let you know I now regularly read your blog. How do you find the time?
guess not! lol
Hi {{{Paul}}}!
Amen {{{bb}}}! October 7, 2005 at 06:06 PM
11 Hurt in Texas Plastics Plant Explosion; "An Unreasonable Woman' Not Surprised
Hello, Paul!
Gatto, sorry for the duplication. My mind sometimes travels faster that my reading... But, you are right - it deserves a repost!
From Despair to Hope
by Cindy Sheehan
Published on Friday, October 7, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
LOL Cyn, I get lots of help. Don't forget to send a warm welcome to...
And Gatta, I am just reading now.
Posted by Jen on October 7, 2005 at 05:44 PM
Jen, it may not seem like it, but I really do understand how you feel. But sometimes, we have to realize that our emotions, such as love for our homes (for God, for another person, etc) can keep us from seeing things that we don't want to see but that are nonetheless true. Maybe it isn't people who think like me trying to get all of us to turn our backs on your state, but most of your state having turned its back on you.
All I'm saying is maybe.
Yes, I think it can happen. I have actually blue-printed it before, with maps (I'm not obsessed with this, but I did have to make sure that this could actually work before I started flappin' my lips. I wouldn't want to be....a Republican). The only negative is that without the left here to keep the right in check, they'd likely destroy the world within 3 years. But if they don't then several good things stand to come out of it:
We get to have our own country our way and the red staters (not you, but the idealogically red) get to have their country their way, and no more mudslinging. No more hate. No more animosity. Look, Jen, yesterday and today, someone who worked for Bill Clinton has come out with a tell-all book bashing him and talking Clinton-era Republican talking points. It's all to divert attention away from Republican failings and criminality by pushing the Clinton button that works on their entire base as well as to make the author rich and famous. Aren't you sick of it? Doesn't the fact that we're still combating the Clinton bashing show you how hard people cling to their hate and their biases and that in lots and lots of cases you're NOT going to get them to change?
Let me ask you something. Is there a point, if the Republicans continue to win despite all our best efforts, where you would ever think, "Maybe NOW it's time," or are you going to continue to love your state and want to live there no matter how many decades people like DeLay and Bush are in power? If there is a point like that in the future, maybe you and I should revisit this issue then (a time which hopefully will never come because the mass insanity of the right will wear off).
Posted by A_G_GATTO on October 7, 2005 at 06:06 PM
Let me know if you find a non-Quick Time dependent version of this.
Hey Jen. Give it up. Some people will bang their heads against a brick wall no matter what logic is presented to them.
From another blue dem in a red state. And, if anyone thinks I'm leaving my adopted home, you're nuts.
Oh no, not this "man on dog" stuff again. What's with these Right Wing sex perverts?
yep, Firefly, you're definitely Nikki!
I believe that a) the Repubs will NEVER let any states leave without a bloody fight. It seems you are assuming as fact that the majority of people in the red states are Repubs of the ideologically radical kind. I am not convinced that that is true.
But, no, I don't really care to hypothesize further on this subject at this time.
Jeez, Blue, I thought you'd at least let me get good and bloody before you stepped in! ;) lol I have said the last I plan to on that one.
I went over to the GOP site....
Usually, Mehlman has a big picture of the House Floor with a headline like:
Congress Passes Energy Bill
I don't think we'll be seeing that any time soon!
Oh yea,
37%
Spin that, Mehlman
Just so people know:
parliamentary inquiry - A question from the floor to the Presiding Officer by a Senator requesting a clarification of the procedural situation on the floor. Responses to parliamentary inquiries are not rulings of the Presiding Officer, but may lead the Senator posing the inquiry or another to raise a point of order.
Lastly, I think that the House should park a Senator outside 24/7 from now on.
They can work in shifts.
Gatto:
They could promote jobs and have folks bring them coffee and sammiches too.
ICH quotes:
"Any time we deny any citizen the full exercise of his constitutional rights, we are weakening our own claim to them." : Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th US President, WWII General - Source: Reader’s Digest, December 1963
=
"The rights of all persons are wrapped in the same constitutional bundle as those of the most hated member of the community.": A. L. Wirin - ACLU Attorney: Source: Time Magazine, 10 February 1978
=
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." Bishop Desmond Tutu - (1931- ) Nobel Prize for Peace 1984
===
Today, the press was asking about the appointment of a successor for Alan Greenspan. Does anyone know of a list of George's caterers, florists, handymen, dog-walkers, corporate oil executives etc., so we can get a jump on the nominee?
Hi Fellow Democrats,
I keep wondering what the penalty would be if Delay continues to act in the position of Majority leader without the formal title? The problem here is that enough Republicans just go along with all of the nonesense and thus ensure the system can not work. I guess we have to depend on criminal convictions of those indicted, or soon to be indicted, with those convictions carrying prison sentences and thus physically preventing them from continuing in their assumed roles?
All,
There was several on Thursdays open thread who wanted to copy the list of Democratic President legislation. Go ahead as that belongs to all of us, post it where you like. If you can remember anything I've left out on it, please let me know and I'll add it. Best to all.
U.S. Continues Forced Feeding Of Hunger Strikers
The prisoners are shackled to their beds 24-hours a day to stop them removing the tubes
By Reuters
Amnesty International and human-rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, representing 40 detainees, said on Thursday that US authorities were keeping 21 alive by forcing food into their stomachs through tubes pushed up their noses.
Hi Will, did you have that list sourced? It was a really impressive job you did!
US forces bomb Iraq's Euphrates bridges
Btw, Nikki/Firefly, I do hope things are going well for you and your family.
LOL Lizzy
We need to create a Sammich Brigade!
It's ok, though. My witness of this latest trouncing of the Democratic process shows me that the holes are being dug deeper and deeper.
I believe that these folks are very woried about a possible indictment and later an impeachment coming down the road and are scrambling to pass every possible agenda before it all comes 'a tumblin' down.
A G,
What is your point to parking a Senator outside the House?
"Man on dog"-Santorum, "Man on donky"-Dobson, "Man on duck"-O'Rielly. These people are SICK! At least they all got the same Rove "talking points". See how they all work together? While half of our side works for the Republicans and tries to covince us we should be just like Republicans.
Dobson's comments regarding marriage with donkeys echoed Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's obsession with barnyard animal marriages.
Jen,
The info for the list came off online encyclopedias and the Carter library website. The encyclopedias were Wikipedia and a few others. The Carter library was where his legislation was from. The rest from the encyclopedias. On Wikipedia to find the most info you have to look up the names of the programs like "New Deal" to get the most info. Those are referenced under each presidents name. The few dates with legislation under republicans came from the Democrat website here.
have a great weekend dems! Hopefully, by Monday, we will have several new indictments to celebrate.
SUPPORT THE TROOPS, IMPEACH BUSH!
The senate has some governing power over the House Rules. Further, many house objections and points of order must be signed by at lease one Senator before it is accepted.
Do Right Wingers use "fear" to get people to vote how they want? Is predicting sex with dogs, donkeys, and ducks fear mongering? How about "terrist" under the bed for the rest of your life? How in the hell can our Dems in the Senate and the House let this guy get away with telling us he's "saving us from terriss" by attacking the WRONG COUNTRY!? All he's doing is killing the wrong people and claiming to be "saving us" while doing so. He's not saving me, the @$$hole, he's just saving his corporate crook cronie's oil profits.
Poll: Groups unhappy with Bush performance
Uh oh...whole groups are jumping off the Bush bandwagon. (with such sad news for the President, why oh why can I not stop smiling)
No. 2 Justice candidate withdraws name
WASHINGTON -- Timothy E. Flanigan on Friday withdrew his nomination to be deputy attorney general amid a delay in his confirmation because of his dealings with indicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.Flanigan, a senior lawyer for Tyco International Ltd., wrote to President Bush that he was withdrawing because of "uncertainty concerning the timing of my confirmation."
Another sicko. He's sick I tell ya.
In response to assisted suicide law, Limbaugh offered alternatives, including a Lake George cruise.
During a discussion of Oregon's assisted suicide law on the October 5 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh suggested alternative ways individuals could choose to end their lives, including "[a] six pack, and hose, and go sit in your car, and wave sayonara. You can take a cruise ship on Lake George in New York." The Oregon law is currently under review by the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on the morning of October 5.
Limbaugh's comment about Lake George is an apparent reference to an incident in which a tour boat on the upstate New York lake capsized, killing 20 passengers.
Limbaugh also referenced the suicide of writer Hunter S. Thompson in February: "I love the Hunter Thompson method. You go into your kitchen. You grab a shotgun. You aim -- and the shotgun -- and you can't miss. You blow yourself up in the kitchen sink so you don't create a mess, then Johnny Depp comes out to your house and blows your ashes into outer space via a cannon."
~But I may be off a bit on that.
I have taken the task of reading the Senate and House rules, which is a pretty big motza ball!
For the list of legislation I posted yesterday, please add this under Harry S Truman.
1946
Established the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was started eventually from this.
Little Green Footballs folks just hate it when they have their torture rights taken away. More Right Wing sickos
McCain on Greta talking Abu Graib ugh, and his bullshit amendment. he will not be our next President or Republican nominee, you read it here
Little greenies
Domingo, here are some interesting news for you regarding sex and drugs.
Between Rush Limbaugh and Mayor West of Spokane Washington, they don't give a squat about human rights, both are supreme hippocras.
Rush and his legal team is using the law case Roe vs. Wade as a method to block any medical record from being released or used in the drug abuse case against him.
Mayor West is facing recall election ballot counts today, because he used city computers to solicit sex at gay websites.
“Mayoral recall heads to the ballot, enough signatures validated” KHQ-TV http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9613828/
Mayor West was caught attempting to give a police agent, posing as a young gay man, a job at the city in exchange for sex. Two boy scouts have come forward to provide evidence they had sex with Mayor West when he was their scout and church leader. Here is a man who spoke out against granting gay rights, against granting insurance coverage to same sex partners, and preached damnation about gays and lesbians; now he is trying to tell the voters of Spokane he was having sex with young men but claim he did nothing wrong. Sex slaves ok, granting human right to gays not ok!
Two boy scouts have come forward to provide evidence they had sex with Mayor West when he was their scout and church leader. Here is a man who spoke out against granting gay rights, against granting insurance coverage to same sex partners, and preached damnation about gays and lesbians
That's what the Republican party is full of, self-hating gays, self-hating Blacks, and just plain old hating Christians. They're one messed up group of people, I'll tell ya. They got a whole lot of hate in them, and that's what their trouble is, they hate the world.
Domingo,
They don't hate using Roe vs. Wade when it suits them. They don't hate gays or lesbians when it suits their lust.
They just do not want to grant rights to human dignity.
Like Jay Leno stated last night.
George Bush is not a racist, he just hate blue people and blue people are many races.
The republicans own president said this;
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid".
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower in a letter to his brother Edgar, November 8, 1954
After 06 housecleaning sweeping out Santorum, DeWine, Kyl, Talent, Burns and picking up open seat in Tennessee. Democratics will control the senate.
If you didn't see this article on CNN, you might find it interesting. It adds some information about what Judy Miller may have told the Grand Jury.
I can't wait until Rick Santorum is no longer a Senator!
I write him at least once a week about the USA PATRIOT Act and get the same form letter the next week.
Pardon my French, but he is truly a douche!
Their number is negligible and they are stupid...
Wow, Will!
PeppermintLizzy,
The problem is that after Regan, that negligible number has grown to where the whole GOP is that way. Ford even tried to get several republican senators to not back impeaching Clinton. At least he and Nixon were more moderate but still crooked. Regan done all he could do to rip apart the social welfare programs that was made by LBJ. He did a good job of it too. The thing is, this dirtiness increased since November 1980.
Hey, Firefly,
This is the closest one I could find:
http://www.ameratsu.com/media/vid/cnn/cnn_house_divided_energy_bill_051007a.wmv
Hey nightbirds!
A rare Friday nite visit from me!
Waving to everyone and to let you know the BAR IS OPEN!
If you know a Democrat who is on the fence on Ferrer over Bloomberg please send them the linked cartoon
http://villagevoice.com/news/0539,sutton,68196,9.html
Please send Ferrer a donation by going to www.ferrer2005.com so we can send the Republican Bush supporting billionaire Mayor back to Bloomberg Inc.
Poetry corner:
This is a poem made up entirely of actual quotations from George W. Bush, arranged for aesthetic purposes, by Washington Post writer Richard Thompson.
Make the Pie Higher!
I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen and uncertainty
And potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet
Become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pit bull on the pant leg of opportunity.
I know that the human being
And the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope,
Where our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher!
I wonder if there's a correlation between illiteracy and obstinate, often-wrong-but-never-in-doubt management.
hi all popping in again to say hi and wish i could stay but i can't sit up in this office. i need my laptop back! love the poem frances! hi tonito! wish i could stay for a drink! maybe see you all later.
Good evening, Democrats! TONITO!! May I please have a Merlot?
Good Night Everyone!
Keep your spirits up. It looks like George W.'s numbers are the lowest in living memory.
:)
Shoot, I can never say no to a merlot, especially if Tonito is serving and Karen is drinking it too.
blah...coulter is on Bill Maher.
Why do I get the feeling I'm walking into an empty room? And Lizzy- did you leave the lights on?
save me! i just tried to watch bill maher with my shouting husband. oy.
{Jen}! I haven't talked to you live for a long time.
Restless night tonight.
Oh, I have to get a neurotomy done on my back in the morning in Lancaster. Karen & I have to get up at 6AM. I haven't had one since February & I'm not looking forward to it. It's a painful experience.
Oh no, Chuck, I'm sorry to hear that. I'd be feeling restless too honey. You can't sleep, huh? I wish it wasn't painful. I guess it will help you pain-wise long term though?
Yeah. Thanks. It's a series of two procedures. Each side. The next one is on the 29th. The previous ones only lasted for three months, but I've gotta get some other stuff done now cos 3 of my discs have ruptured and just my luck, each one of them pinched a nerve as they herniated. You can imagine my attitude lately. ;)
I wouldn't have been too good in DC with you guys after all.
Well, {{Chuck}}, I'm being called away by hubby and friend, so I will just say bye for now and wish you luck tomorrow and hope you are getting some rest. Please email me and let me know how you are when you are able. You'll be in my thoughts.
Where are the pumpkin patterns that were on the site last year? Will those be added again?
Much like John Roberts, I think Harriet Miers is a fine choice for the Supreme Court. If Senator Reid believes in her then I'm inclined to trust his judgment -- and he is the Senate Minority Leader. If Mr. Bush intends to liberalize the admission standards to the federal bench and make the range of possible candidates open in the future then it is a wise choice. There may be viable candidates in the future which may well fill certain voids that may present themselves. In such as case it is not so wise to satiate conservatives' "dream" (as has been titled in this morning's Washington Post) of "shifting" or rather, "tyranizing" the court -- and the country, in its selection.
Regardless of whether Ms. Miers considers herself 'liberal' or 'conservative' we are talking about primarily the standards for admission to the "court of last resort." I believe her personal loyalty to this president will transcend the requirements of the Court, which the president surely realizes, much to the chagrin of hard-line conservatives; this is not Iran. True conservatives wish to preserve balance on the court as part of a general philosophy which seeks to maintain that the American Governmental process is, in its broadest sense, designed to disallow radical and fast change; it is "conservative" by nature, and supposed to allow only gradual change as a way of making sure it not only stays consistent to its purest roots, but also so that ideologues from either the Right or the Left (misspelled in the newspaper headlines with small "r" and "l") cannot effect too much change too quickly.
As Lincoln would have argued, the primary goal of the court is to hold the unity of the country intact, rather than strictly defining who is the "winner" and who is therefore (by default) the "loser;" American political culture does not allow for "losers" -- Americans win; that is the basis of being American.
It is a brilliant strategy by Democrats and more importantly Senator Harry Reid as the Senate Minority Leader for being the first to endorse this nominee. This is wise.
Hey {{Chuck}}, just stopped by before shutting down for the night.. good luck and be well tomorrow, I'll be thinking about you..
Goodnight and sweet dreams {{everybody}} still lurking around..
Though we must remember that since Republicans hold a majority of the Senate, if she is going to be the consensus choice of the Senate, it will be due solely to Republican support since they not only control the majority of the Senate, they also control the House and the White House (despite the unified Democratic cries of "shame, shame" led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi amidst strong-armed tactics by the now charged and dishonored former pest exterminator Tom DeLay)
Let us not stand idly by while the Republicans attempt to distract the nation. The noise machine is all over with Freeh's book and his anti Clinton allegations.
Freeh will be on 60 Minutes this Sunday and word has it CBS has refused to accept a Clinton surrogate to refute the allegations.
Let CBS know you are not happy with this nonsense.
Email: 60m@cbsnews.com
Good morning to all who follow! Still raining in SE Ohio.
Thanks {GiG}! I'll be fine. :) TL
good morning chuck. pouring like crazy here in the hudson valley. we were pretty much in a drought so this will help but the puppy/mud/shoe chewing situation may call for the old tranquilizer gun approach...just hope my wife is kind enough to shoot me in the ass instead of the head.
good luck with your back.
looks like the bush team is pretty much asleep at the switch on any type of disaster that might strike be it man made or a product of the gods. and bush is trying to talk the profit based pharmacutical companies into developing vaccines but they are crying that they need liability coverage and that they don't make their usual 500% profit on investment on vaccines so screw the people they will just have to twitch in the streets....nice. hey here is a new idea...have the government develop the vaccines using tax money taken from the pharma companies as a sort of tithe for operating in the old usa and benefiting from all its protections.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A draft of the Bush administration's final plan for dealing with a likely Pandemic flu outbreak shows the United States is woefully unprepared for the potential disaster, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The document says a large outbreak that began in Asia would be likely to reach the United States within "a few months or even weeks," and that more than 1.9 million people could die in the worst case scenario, the Times said.
If that occurred, according to the draft, hospitals would be overwhelmed, riots would engulf vaccination clinics and power and food would be in short supply, it said.
Rain without guilt! It's nice to get rain that is not a consequence of a hurricane.
Too bad global warming is cheating us out of ice sickle trees.
hey, hey it looks like those damn commies in washington are taking this competence problem too far...i mean if we really start judging on competence we will have to tell bush to stay on the ranch and find ourselves someone of presidential qualities...i think kerry might be available.
Bush's Nominee for No. 2 Justice Post Withdraws
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: October 8, 2005
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 - President Bush's pick for the second-ranking position at the Justice Department abruptly withdrew his nomination Friday after facing weeks of questions over his ties to the lobbyist Jack Abramoff as well as his role in formulating policies for the treatment of suspected terrorists.
The nominee, Timothy Flanigan, a former deputy White House counsel who is now a senior lawyer at Tyco International, had been scheduled to face yet another round of questioning next week from senators who had grown skeptical about his nomination as deputy attorney general.
With the stalled nomination likely to drag on for weeks or longer, Mr. Flanigan told President Bush in his withdrawal letter on Friday that the president and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales "deserve to have a full leadership team in place at the Department of Justice."
Of chief concern to Democrats and some Republicans was Mr. Flanigan's role at Tyco, where as its general counsel he oversaw Mr. Abramoff's work lobbying for the company, which is based in Bermuda, to retain its tax-exempt status. Critics of the nomination said they were also troubled by the fact that Mr. Flanigan had no experience as a criminal prosecutor and that he helped shape administration policy on the treatment of suspected terrorists in American custody, as deputy White House counsel under Mr. Gonzales.
i wrote post on hubris yesterday and today the washington post has a nice piece on this greek tragedy curse and its manifestation in the persons delay and frist (only for those taking the english advanced placement exam):
When rain freezes as it falls during cold weather the trees are sometimes coated with ice. It could happen this early if the seasons were as they were 50 years ago. This doesn't happen in upstate New York? Are you new to the area Gregg?
no dana i have been here since 1969. i guess the phrasing threw me or i haven't had coffee or something. i can't say i remember ice this early in october...of course the big ice storm in these parts in 1987 was just a bit later---toward the end of the month. i am a big enviornmentalist and so on and am also worried about looking out in the yard and seeing iguanas one day.
I doubt ice cycle trees exist. If there were an ice cycle, meaning ice ages and ages wihout ice were somehow connected and followed each other cyclicly, this would not be enough selective pressure to cause a change of flora. Other than trees don't grow well under glaciers.
It only takes a 4 degree drop in global temperature to cause an ice age. The trees in areas not covered with ice would be the same.
Help Wanted: Supreme Court Justice. No judicial experience required. On the job training provided.
Job requirements:
You must be from Texas.
YOu must be white.
You must be a woman.
You must be a virgin.
Morning, Gregg and Dana. Raining here, too. And, icicle trees do exist. Don't they, Greg?
The wonderful Maureen Dowd, courtesy of our Jen. click my name.
No rain at the moment Cyn. In fact, opened up the local news and our Governor has declared a drought diaster for 17 of the 39 counties in Washington. It is suppose to start raining today, which would be good as my hubby fertilized the lawn yesterday.
Crud! I was going to repair the cracks and seal my driveway after class today, but can't do that job in the rain.
I finished my test early, so thought I would catch up on the news here before the next lesson.
Please forgive. I still haven't figured out this new linky icon thingamajig.
http://www.uspoliticstoday.com/picture.php?img=uspol_20051007_1.gif
Enjoy the morning!
Good morning, all. No time to stick around this morning as the son has a busy day -- Religious Ed., followed by Cub Scouts, then we have to buy him a Cub Scout uniform and get his hair cut (he got teased by another student and wound up cutting his own hair, so we have to take him to get it blended in so it doesn't look quite so bad). But I wanted to share this in case you haven't seen it.
DeLie asks judge to toss Indictment.
Let's hope the judge isn't bought and paid for.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401150.html
House Of Cards
What do Cher, a Hollywood con man, a political rising star and an audacious felon have in common? Together they gave Bill and Hillary Clinton a night they'll never forget -- no matter how hard they may try
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1194345
A California physician launched an effort to gather a million signatures to force a recall vote on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who came to office two years ago following an unprecedented recall.
Kenneth Matsumura announced the campaign prior to submitting a petition to California's Secretary of State, who oversees elections.
"People are desperate, they're suffering, and I think the governor's going to have to listen," he told reporters, saying Schwarzenegger has hurt the poor and students.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9626146/
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building, killing hundreds of people in both nations. Pakistan’s army called the devastation “a national tragedy.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9626146/
I'll figure it out when I have time.
Gotta do lab now.
Posted by Firefly on October 7, 2005 at 06:14 PM
I'm all for it and I'd gladly move out of this damn red state to some nicer color of blue! Anyday!!! I've always considered the RED/BLUE divide as have others here (we are a minority) but thought I'd let you know there are those of us who agree with you.
I ran a poll a while back and there were only a handful that chose the divide. And like you said that would be fine if we thought we could keep them from destroying the rest of the planet in the mean time. If we cut their numbers maybe they'd get the hint. I don't know.
Just saying.
also current votes are below:
Which BUSH screw up tops them ALL (so far)
Answers Votes Percent
1.
The Treason of the VP's aide, Karl Rove, etc. 2 9%
2.
Appointing Harriet as a Supreme Judge 1 5%
3.
Katrina/FEMA delays 5 23%
4.
Plummeting dollar and sky rocketing debt 3 14%
5.
The indictments and pending trouble for fellow Demons Delay, Frist, etc. 0 0%
6.
Not planning properly for the Iraq invasion. 11 50%
7.
Ignoring his base. 0 0%
Like ships in the night!
{{hugs to you Marsh}} :-)
Adios!
Since we were on the subject of how to win new voters, one over at a Yahoo News board inadvertently gave me just that opportunity.
http://post.news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37138445&tid=krwashbureautalkshows&sid=37138445&mid=801&n=1
I think that the posts in response that he's getting, not just mine, are a real opportunity to try to figure out amongst ourselves what the Democratic message is.
Hahaha! Speaking of POLLS!
Bush... His Troubles Get Worse...
CBS POLL:
Country On Wrong Track: 69%...
Bush Job Approval: 37%...
Approve Of Iraq Handling: 32%...
AP Poll: “Politically, This Is Very Serious For The President”...
Posted by BlueinIdaho on October 7, 2005 at 06:18 PM
Posted by Jen on October 7, 2005 at 06:19 PM
Blue:
I don't recall ever saying you wouldn't have the freedom to stay.
Incidentally, in my map, northern Idaho, the part that starts where the state narrows (I think you know what I mean) IS a blue state. I'm not sure what part of it you live in or if moving from one part of Idaho to another is just as objectionable to you as moving from, say, Idaho to California.
BOTH:
To let you know, I experienced and was a part of conflict in the past on this board, and I saw no reason to make any kind of issue of being "back" or to create a melodrama out of it. I saw no reason to even inadvertently create an invitation to anyone here to pick it up right where it left off, because I know how people get on blogs and boards. I have no shame in being myself, no shame in my ideas, and I am perfectly fine with you knowing it's me. Hi, guys, nice to formally be able to say hey.
Having said that, I will say that Blue's post to Jen about me is more of the same disrespect for the ideas of other posters just because you don't like them (the poster or the post, take your pick) that I have seen here in the past. Come on, Democrats are better than that, aren't we?
Jen you don't have to want to discuss this with me, but you can't AND SHOULDN'T WANT to stop me from discussing it with others. That is nobody's place here.
Thank you Jen, my family is still struggling, but doing a little better. At least we're no longer living in a hotel. If we could get the hell of Texas, we'd be substantially more comfortable. We're working on it, but just like before, it's hard to get a job back home without actually being there, and with kids, hard to go back there without having a job.
Posted by Dawnelle on October 8, 2005 at 10:51 AM
Dawnelle, what concerns me is that we might place too much stock in taking down this president (which we must, but...) and not enough in forming our message clearly and getting people to back our ideas instead of those of the Republicans. It would be very easy for the right to say, "Okay, we had the wrong man, but the right ideas. We still believe in X,Y and Z and the Democrats still have the wrong vision for America," and still get people to vote for them.
Posted by Dawnelle on October 8, 2005 at 10:07 AM
Thanks for letting me know that everyone doesn't think I'm insane.
Actually, I first put this idea forward on the John Kerry boards right after the election, and I got very strong responses one way or the other. Yes, I a few people felt like Jen and Blue do, and quite a few were ready to pack up and move. At least I think people should calm the heck down and discuss the entire idea before sticking their fingers in their ears and saying "la-la-la-la-I-can't-hear-yooooo." But that's okay, I am by no means a single-issue...candidate. Damn, I wish I could be a candidate. Unfortunately, decisions I made in my younger days have made that completely impossible.
Which blue state are you living in?
Which blue state are you living in?
Posted by Firefly on October 8, 2005 at 11:12 AM
D-OH, I meant, which RED state are you living in? Wishful thinking on my part.
>>>"According to a new BBC, 3-part, documentary called: Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace President Bush claimed to have been anointed by God to go into Afghanistan, Iraq and get the Palestinian's their own state."
No, it wasn't "according to a BBC documentary". Some palestinian terrorist by the name of Naabil Shaath made the claim while being interviewed by the BBC. Liberals quoting terrorists. Too funny. More proof that believing a Liberal will just make you stupider.
But if we have to quote terrorists, then allow me to quote Abu Mazen who was at the same meeting and claims Bush said: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state." That's not quite the Blues Brothers style "I'm on a mission from gaad" quote you Libs are passing off as news.
Good Afternoon All!
If you haven't seen this article on the AP/IPSOS poll, you may find it interesting . . .
. .
The lesson from the last election was that the 'I hate Bush' vote is not big enough to win anything even coupled with traditional Democrat voters et al. To keep on and on and on trying to appeal to that minority will get the party nowhere slowly. Forget Bush and start telling people why they should vote Democrat not why the shouldn't vote GOP.
>>>"the 'I hate Bush' vote is not big enough to win anything even coupled with traditional Democrat voters et al."
Not only is that vote not big enough, the "hate Bush" phenomena actually turns moderate people off to your party. You actually LOSE votes hating Bush (you lost mine).
Hi Firefly, I'm glad to hear things are improving for you and your family. I hope that you are able to find a job in New York where you long to be. I tried the first time you were on the blog as Nikki to be friendly to you and offer help to you from a friend of mine who lives in your area. I still wish you the best.
Just to set the record straight, I didn't try to stop you from discussing anything with others. I expressed my opinions. I am entitled to say what I think and you are entitled to agree, disagree or ignore. That's the way it works. You are of course entitled to say whatever you like as long as the moderators don't object, but I am also entitled to protest if I think you're wrong, especially when you are commenting on my opinions. We are all entitled to that.
That said, I didn't indicate last night that I recognized you for any reason other than I was trying to find out if my hunch was right. Welcome back and I hope that you enjoy yourself.
Posted by Ex-Lib on October 8, 2005 at 11:55 AM
That's his story and he's sticking to it.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2051722005
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1586923,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4322228.stm
>>>"That's his story and he's sticking to it."
It's an old story too. I think it goes back about 2 years. It's being recycled by the MSM for some reason or other, probably because of the Meiers nomination.
Speaking about the pandemic of avian flu, what I recall is a lot of the flu outbreaks is over the import of geese and ducks. Years ago, there was some studies done and for some reason folks on the west coast were who bought the majority of these. The flu started from handling or under cooked fowl and then spread. Nowhere in Bushs' report did they mention this. Maybe Dr. Dean or another doctor can chime in here and let us all know if that is still considered. It looks to me that banning the import of these fowl would be one of the first things to do.
Posted by Jen on October 8, 2005 at 12:14 PM
Jen, in the past, you did assume a position of trying to stop me from speaking on that topic. You did it publicly, you did it privately, you did it and felt free to do it. Last night, your initial reaction was hostile enough, that I feared we might be headed back to that. Today you are not doing that, which I appreciate very much.
You have every right to disagree, and I have always told you that. But there is a difference between open-mindedly listening to the topic like you listen to many other topics here and then saying, "I don't agree with that because..." and allowing your point to be proven or at least argued to be wrong, and things like:
"Speaking as a blue girl in a red state, I'm sick and tired of this talk about splitting the states up. For one thing, it's completely ridiculous and will NEVER happen. Plus, all states are a shade of purple and if Democrats worked harder, maybe they'd be a bluer shade of purple."
And this:
"Hey Jen. Give it up. Some people will bang their heads against a brick wall no matter what logic is presented to them."
Frankly, you're so hateful of the topic that I think you've considered the arguments for all of about five seconds, which is your right. I see lots of ideas here I just dislike so much, I choose to bypass even dealing with them. It doesn't much qualify you to show me the incredible disrespect of saying that I'm given to adopting completely ridiculous ideas and then, as Blue would say, clinging to them no matter what logic is presented to me.
I give respect. I ask for respect.
Now, if you don't mind, it seems that every time I bring this topic up, your reaction is so intense that I'm compelled to defend my right to speak, and in so doing, I seem like zealot on the topic. I really am not, I'm being backed into that corner. I would appreciate if you'd not do that.
If you don't like the topic, ignore it and let me discuss it with people who agree, or people who don't, but aren't so threatened by hearing it discussed in detail, in the middle of discussing everything else I discuss, which includes many things.
I'm kind of wondering. If we don't drill or mine (oil shale) for oil where is it going to come from in the quantities it is needed today?
If the oil and refinery companies do not do the job who will?
Does any one here know what a disproportionate effect the rise in oil prices has on the poor?
More supply coupled with many suppliers = lower prices. No one has yet repealed that law. The illegal drug market is more than proof enough.
If helping the poor means also helping oil companies increase supples I'm all for it.
In any case I think the Republicans are very vulnerable on the drug war. It is looking more and more like the drug users are self medicators. They have problems like PTSD, ADD/ADHD, bipolar etc. This is a national scandal that the drug, alcohol, and tobacco companies are covering up. Did you know cigarettes are an anti-depressant?
Here is what a doctor said on the subject:
And by the way, in response to what CYN_NY said:
Don't speak for all of us, we do not all feel that we need Republicans AT ALL. I think we'd have a much more progressive, positive, creative, intelligent, happy nation without them.
I am however willing to work with the REASONABLE ones.
NYS has a Republican governor and he's horrible, he needs to go. I am aghast that the Republicans had their convention in our city, which will always be my home, and given everything they've done, there is no more important time for the Democratic city to send the message that a Republican is not going to lead our city or state if we can help it.
NYC has a Republican mayor who is Democratic in many things he does and who used to be a Democrat. If you saw yesterday, I sent him an e-mail telling him we'd be happy to have him back.
as long as we are discussing dumb shit the dumb shit said how about him telling falwell ( according to falwell, a well known god-guy) that there would be no casualties in the iraq adventure prior to the beginning of the mess we now seem a bit.....lost in?
oops, i forgot i am going to alienate voters by bashing bush...lets see....he has a really nice bike?
Posted by MSimon on October 8, 2005 at 01:38 PM
Because of those rising oil prices that happened during the Carter administration, Carter got up a lot of money for coal gassification and liquification. The pilot project plant was built about 15 miles from here at Ashland Oil. As soon as Regan got in office, he cut off the funding for the project. This gave rise again to oil which is what the republicans want. People hollered about the rising gas costs under Carter, but they continued right on under Regan plus some.
Firefly,
You must love your enemies if you are ever going to have a chance to teach them the error of their ways.
I'm one of the Republican leaners who is not at all happy about a lot of the Republican Party - did I mention the drug war? When you say you hate even some Republicans it makes you look small. The Democrats used to be bigger hearted than that. Speaking of bigger hearted - the Dems used to be for liberation from tyrants by any means necessary. Wha hoppened. OK Bush strated this lousy war. Don't we owe it to the people whose back yard we messed up to fix it?
Once upon a time the Democrats stood for responsibility. Once upon a time I used to be a solid Democrat. Well in this last election Obama got my vote. Kerry did not.
hey this is news to me and i love it. seems libby of cheney's office shot his mouth off that he had given miller the ok to disregard his confidentiality agreement with her so old fitzgerald (could he be an elliot richardson of our time?) "suggested"...ha,ha,ha...that he put that in writing to her and voila! the party really got started didn't it?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney got a push from a prosecutor before telling New York Times reporter Judith Miller that he wanted her to testify in a probe into the outing of a CIA operative whose diplomat husband was an Iraq-war critic.
The prosecutor's encouragement, in a letter obtained by Reuters, has prompted some lawyers in the case to question whether Cheney's aide was acting completely voluntarily when he gave Miller the confidentiality waiver she had insisted on.
The investigation has spotlighted free-press issues and the Bush administration's aggressive efforts to defend its Iraq policy against critics.
Miller maintains she only agreed to testify -- after spending 85 days in jail -- because she received what she describes as a personal and voluntary waiver of confidentiality from her source. She dismissed an earlier waiver by Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, as coerced.
But Libby offered a new waiver that Miller accepted after he received a September 12 letter in which the prosecutor, investigating a possible White House role in the leak, repeatedly encouraged him to do just that.
"I would welcome such a communication reaffirming Mr. Libby's waiver," prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told Libby's lawyer, Joseph Tate.
"It would be viewed as cooperation with the investigation," Fitzgerald said.
excuse me would you mind putting that in writing? uhhhhh...no ( gulp ) sir, no problemo
i am gonna start loving the bejesus out of the republicans just as soon as they are in jail. might even volunteer to go teach a macrame course or something....rove is gonna want to decorate his cell with some nice plant hangings don't you think?
Gregg,
I hope they put Rove, Libby, and Delay in one of the rough federal pens where a guy named Hellraiser will make them his bitches. I persoanlly would like to send them some Preperation H.
Will,
I'm an engineer in the energy field. Aircraft electrical systems. Nuclear Reactor Operator in the Navy. Currently a very big fan (har) of wind power. Solar - not so much.
I keep up with the energy field. What happened in the Carter era does have some simularity to what you say. What happened was that it became OPEC policy to price oil low to keep competition off the market. Higher oil prices would have got us hybrids 10 years sooner. The Saudis admitted as much. The Rocky Mountain Institute has a quote by Shiek Yammani - a former Saudi Oil Minister.
Not to fear, production costs that ran in the $20 - $40 a bbl range, through the advances of technology have been brought down to the 10 to $15 a bbl range.
It is not just a matter of what we can do. It is also a matter of is it worth it?
None the less it takes time to start a new production process and learn how to operate it. The oil is there. The question is how soon can we get the equipment installed. Once we get all the environmental objects answered, say 5 to 7 years, we can get started. Then you get operational experience. Then you start plant #2. Is this any way to cover our current needs?
True we could live without oil. However, that would cause the deaths of 5 billion people.
there may be a middle ground between total dependence on oil and the extermination of the human species.
and if our leaders weren't such assholes we could be in much better shape thirty years or so after the early seventies oil crunch than we are now. but they were and continue to be assholes so we are in deep doo,doo.
msimon you seem to overlook the fact that even the most timid attempts to reinforce conservation and the development of alternative energy sources were completely debased and destroyed by reagan and those who came after with the very weak exception of some stuff gore pushed clinton to sign off on toward the end of their reign.
will, i don't wish jail rape on anyone, even these clowns. just sitting in the cell thinking about how they got there for a few decades will do it for me.
>>>"oops, i forgot i am going to alienate voters by bashing bush...lets see....he has a really nice bike?
You must have that confused with John Kerry's bicycle, the one that cost him $8,000, and which he fell off in front of the news media. Luckily, his hair broke the fall so thankfully he wasn't seriously injured. In fact, when the police arrived, Kerry was well enough to give conflicting reports to the officers about what happened."
gregg,
How kind of you.
Have you noticed the folks in the middle quietly edging away?
The Rove obsession is silly. It is reactive. It keeps you from thinking about how to capture issues.
Think about this one> In Montanna, a very Republican State, med pot got more votes than Bush. This is a clue.
Stop fighting people and start fighting issues.
Now abot med pot.
MSimon,
The plan at the time was to run a pipeline down to the gulf and from it supply power plants and refineries with the liquified coal. The gassification portion was to help with the natural gas costs. Years ago, they did make what was known as coal oil. However after finding the natural crude oil fields, they quit doing it. Right now, they could use coal or shale, then extract oil from it.
Right now Argentina is running a huge number of cars on ethanol with a high amount of alchohol in it, or pure alchohol. They make this from large sugar cane crops. This could be done here using that or corn if they would do it. Once you make the switch, the costs eventually come down to manufacture it. That was the idea of the coal gassification and liquification process too.
MSimon,
Those alternative energy sources, you speak of...what is happening with the wind turbine towers that skirt the horizon on Route 5 in Stanislaus County, CA.
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects_encyclopedia/upload/thumb/f/fe/389px-Windaltamont-cr.jpg
hey kids cut our oil consumption by like 5% ( maybe by eliminating a trip to the pedicurist and one to mcdonalds per week) and the price per barrel drops like a stone...just saying...
the silly, miniscule, tenny, wenny rove problem demonstrates that these crowd is capable of turning against their own intelligence agents to protect bush after he has lied to the country to get us into a meaningless and costly war. if this stuff is not important in the "big picture" or doesn't in itself lead to the identification of some "issues" worth exploring for the next round of elections i am not sure what does.
now come on for every cup of herbal tea kerry has consumed bush has crashed one kind of vehicle of another...
PeppermintLizzy,
They were talking about putting up a bunch of those windmills in West Virginia. They were going to put them on top of a mountain there where the wind blew all the time. I know Sen. Byrd was working to get the money for it but I'm not sure he ever did.
gregg,
No one can force you to to waste resources. Generally economies do what is economical. The Saudis lowered peices so that conservation didn't pay. It was their policy. It worked. They in fact subsidized the American economy. Good for us.
Now that we have a big habit they are jacking us. Since it now pays things will change. The demand for hybrids is way up.
There was no point in taking the steps you suggested because they wouldn't pay. They would have been a tax on the economy. And when the economy hurts those at the bottom get smacked hardest.
The advantage we have now is ten or twenty years of material improvements and upgraded production processes so that it will actually take less investment for the advances you want than it would have taken 20 years ago. This is a plus for the economy. Think of the advances in computer chips and software alone.
There is no need to panic.
BTW should you care to put your money where your mouth is I have a number of designs with business plans in the energy area.