Kicking Ass: The Democratic Party's Blog

Open Thread

Posted by on November 29, 2006 at 09:42 AM

Chat away...

Comments (220) «

First?

1
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:56 AM

Howard is keynoting the Canadian Liberal Party convention tonight. Any coverage here? Like a copy of his remarks or a video stream?

2
Corinne on November 29, 2006 at 10:18 AM

Good morning everyone!

3
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:19 AM

A little humor this morning from Garrison Keillor.

The fewer the states, the better the union

I'm sitting under a banyan tree in Honolulu with a big glass of pomegranate juice, and the sea is glittering and surfers are skimming in on low waves, and the election is over, so let's all relax and quit irritating one another. OK? Nancy Pelosi, the she-wolf from Sodom, is the madam of the House, so you Republicans just get over it. Cash in your blue chips and invest in gold ingots and maybe real estate in Costa Rica. The black helicopters have landed. Live with it.

Democrats intend to bring reform to Washington, and why not begin with the Senate? It has been sorely in need of reform for a century or so. Two senators per state is a good idea in theory, assuming they are half smart, but then you look at George Allen, a lumbering frat boy from the state of Madison and Jefferson, and you think, whoa, something is wrong with this picture. We need some horizontal control.

Let's start at the beginning and redraw the map. First of all, is there a reason for Wyoming to exist as a state? I have often wondered about this. Why give two Senate seats to a half-million dime-store cowboys while California gets two seats for 34 million people? (Wyoming has roughly the population of Sacramento.) It's OK if Wyoming sends somebody with brains and an independent streak, but when they send a couple of Republican hacks, it makes no sense.

4
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:26 AM

Hi Kristen,

Well, I am off to fight a battle in the "War on Christmas", today we plan on taking Nativity Hill in an all out assault. We will march into battle wearing out traditional "Santa's Helper" uniforms (we don't use the term "elf" it is derogatory), while our white bearded, jolly general barks orders from his slay.

5
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 10:28 AM

Hi Ranger, happy sleighing ;)

6
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:29 AM

Oops that was supposed to be sleigh!

Man am I stupid sometimes....

7
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 10:30 AM

good morning friends.

8
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 10:31 AM

Congress should revamp our broken voting system

We have less than two years to get it right — and I don't mean Iraq, which will only continue to go further wrong.

I mean voting.

Our national voting system (or non-system) is badly broken, and people simply do not have confidence their vote will be properly counted. And with good reason.

Nothing is more vital to a democratic system, yet we have conducted our last two presidential elections under a dark cloud that lingers in 2006 in some of the same problem areas, Florida and Ohio in particular. Voting problems have become a big item in the blogosphere, and errors will be called to public attention.

9
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:34 AM

Good morning Greg! Still basking in the sun out there?

10
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:38 AM

It seems a little harder this year to put on my green tights.

I remember last year, at the battle of Bethlehem, where we advanced the gay agenda nearly to the star, but were beaten back by a counter attack from the Christian Soldiers, resulting in a long harsh winter stale mate.

ok, now where is my pointy green hat?

Got it!, Now I am ready to rumble....

11
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 10:43 AM

ABC had to pay Murdock $1m because Barbara Walters pulled out of an interview with OJ prior to Murdock killing the book. (yes, I tried to think of something other than killing but sorry...it seems fitting)

12
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:44 AM

Ranger, I'm sure you look quite dashing in your too tight tights and green hat. I'm guessing your opponents will not know what hit them when you come flying into action.

13
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 10:47 AM

MSNBC Breaking News is that Frist is not going to run for President in '08. :)

14
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 11:02 AM

kristen...That's really good news that Frist is not going to run....one less of these crimials to deal with.

15
goodfoe on November 29, 2006 at 11:13 AM

Good Morning, ALL!!

Mid 60's right now, and a big ol' thunderstorm ushering in the expected high tomorrow of the mid 20's!!!

That so called "controversy" over that Nativity movie is bogus, to say the least. There alredy IS a Nativity scene in Daley Plaza, right next to the Menorrah, and the permanent "Eternal Flame". It is in the busiest part of the Plaza, near the Picasso sculpture.

What this movie studio wanted to do is erect giant Diamond Vision scoreboard like TV screens all over the place which would blast non stop commercials 16 hours a day to the unsuspecting rubes who come into the "Big City" to see the tree. I think the City was right to nix pix for sticks hicks.

16
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:14 AM

Where is H. Clinton?

I often hear the words “a job half done." Does that mean 300,000 dead? The Bush administration destroyed the cog that kept Iraq stable -- the Sunnis. And thereby causing the killing of 150,000 people. Now it is Iraq's job to fix it!!! Of course states around Iraq will help out their "kin." Get real, the Iraq's see a death toll of 150,000 to 3,000 as a joke. Yet the candidates like H. Clinton are afraid to discuss the 150,000 dead. Morals, morals, moral... !?

17
johncook on November 29, 2006 at 11:20 AM

Can we do something about these fuel prices? It's painfully obvious that their fluxuations are purposefully manipulated, especially this last time. Everyone saw that right? Prices came done until the November elections and then immediately thereafter started to climb.

18
Marine on November 29, 2006 at 11:44 AM

Marine, I think everyone was very aware that the prices conveniently fell before the election, just as they did in 2004. Bush was doing all he could to distract people from the pain in the wallets.

As we saw from the election results it wasn't enough to keep them voting Pug.

19
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 11:46 AM

Hey DPD

The storm's pretty violent up here on the north side, and the cold is a comin'! Good thing we are getting in a load of wood for our fireplaces soon.

Marine,

Dream on, they only agreed to cut their profiteering for a very short period before the election, now back to laughing all the way to the bank.

bbl

20
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 11:47 AM

Wow! The blog is back up...I guess I'm the last one to know. Hello all~!

Ranger, Fire up the Happy Holidays stun gun!

21
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 11:48 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Reverend elected to take over as president of the Christian Coalition of America said he will not assume the role because of differences in philosophy.

The Rev. Joel Hunter, of Longwood's Northland, A Church Distributed, said Wednesday that the national group would not let him expand the organization's agenda beyond opposing abortion and gay marriage.

This is the latest setback for the group founded in 1989 by religious broadcaster the Rev. Pat Robertson. Four states - Georgia, Alabama, Iowa and Ohio - have decided to split from the group over concerns its changing direction on issues like the minimum wage, the environment and Internet law instead of core issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.

Hunter, who was scheduled to take over the socially conservative political group Jan. 1, said he had hoped to focus on issues such as poverty and the environment.

"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," Hunter said

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061123/APN/611231655

22
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 11:52 AM

Good morning Blue!

23
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 11:53 AM

So, how much do you think it would have cost the United States to keep working with Saddam Hussein in Iraq? It's clear now that Saddam didn't have the gumption to fight us the way these Iraqis do and I'd like to know just how much money we'd have saved.

24
Marine on November 29, 2006 at 11:53 AM

Not to mention all the doggone lives we and the Iraqis have lost.

25
Marine on November 29, 2006 at 11:55 AM

DPD,

Did you go to see John Edwards? My wife and I had just gotten back from New Jersey, where we visited relatives, and we were too tired from the drive to go.

How was it?

26
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 11:55 AM

Top o the mornin to you Kristen!

It's a frigid 17 degrees here this morning, but the snow on the mountains is breathtaking.

27
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 11:57 AM

No, ranger, I didn't make it to either appearance. I was waylaid by out of towners who wanted to be "amused", not "educamated". Typical Texans.

28
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:59 AM

Posted by BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 11:48 AM

Hey Blue,

We called off the assault today on account of this heavy duty thunderstorm, so the stun gun goes back in the charger.

hope all is well out in your neck of the woods.

29
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 11:59 AM

Blue, it was a mere 18 degrees here this morning climbing up to the balmy temperature of 22 degrees, it's just too freakin' cold right now to look up at the mountains. (not to mention that we are expecting another round of snow this afternoon so the clouds are low this morning)

I'm really ready for your weather to find it's way back to the eastside of the Cascades and leave us web footed Seattlites alone. :)

30
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 12:01 PM

Posted by DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:59 AM

Amused eh? You could have shown him how your property tax bill has doubled because of Bush and his GWOT/Tax cuts--that's pretty amusing.

31
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 12:03 PM

Posted by Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 12:01 PM

Perhaps I should move to Seattle...I actually have webbed toes. Go figure. I'll be ready when Waterworld comes to pass.

32
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 12:08 PM

Posted by BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 12:08 PM

It's definitely bluer over here my dear. :)

33
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 12:09 PM

Good day, folks.

Posted by DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:14 AM

DPD,

That Picasso sculpture has to go. It's the worst representation of the Nativity I've ever seen.

Now if they had cast DeCaprio as Joseph, I wouldn't have minded looking at him on several large screens while I downed an eggnog or two...in the spirit of the season, of course.

34
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 12:54 PM

Hey, did you hear that Stalone is doing a new Rocky movie? I thought he was dead. Yikes. He's coming back from the dead to fight George Foreman in a cooking contest?

Dinner bell ringing. later.

35
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 12:59 PM

So Bill O'Lielly thinks the solution to the Iraq problem is to install a military dictatorship led by a Strongman. Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but isn't that how it was in Iraq about 3-1/2 years ago?

36
Christopher_blunt on November 29, 2006 at 01:26 PM

interesting that bush has put off his meeting with maliki until tomorrow.could bush bring down the government of iraq that his folks basically put in place? could be after all he is doing a good job of bringing down his own government here in the usa.

37
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 01:39 PM

Canadian troops to get more NATO help in Afghanistan. Canadian troops fighting the Taliban in volatile southern Afghanistan will be getting extra help from NATO countries, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday from an alliance summit in Latvia. Full story:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/11/29/nato-afghanistan.html

38
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 01:42 PM

US forces kill two women in Iraq
US forces in Iraq have killed two women in an air attack on a house in Baquba, a day after five girls were killed by US tank fire in Ramadi.
Full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6194484.stm

39
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 01:44 PM

American military concedes daily toll of civilians likely to rise far above 100.
by: Jonathan Steele in Kirkuk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1959496,00.html

40
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 01:49 PM

Report: US Still Manipulating Iraq Intelligence
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112906J.shtml

41
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 01:52 PM

German Sues CIA Claiming Torture
Man Names CIA's Tenet; German Chancellor Says U.S. Admits Mistake

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/06/terror/main1099246.shtml

42
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 01:58 PM

FYI, I just created a "peace wreath" design with the words "Happy Birthday, Prince of Peace". Would have had it in a more timely fashion if Demetrius had time to work on it. Me, I'm a Photoshop novice so these things are more labor intensive when I try to do them. Anyway, I've posted that and other news of the day here.

43
Renee_in_Ohio on November 29, 2006 at 03:42 PM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that Iraq's violence meets the standard of civil war and that if he were heading the State Department now, he might recommend that the administration use that term.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/29/powell.iraq/index.html

Im sorry Colin, IMO, your new found honesty is too little, too late...

44
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 03:59 PM

L.A. officers cleared in child's killing

The LAPD officers who stormed a South L.A. auto shop last year, killing 19-month-old hostage Suzie Peña during a gun battle with her father, followed department rules and should not be punished, the Police Commission ruled Tuesday.

LA Times

45
WD on November 29, 2006 at 03:59 PM

PORTLAND, Oregon (CNN) -- An Oregon lawyer wrongly arrested and accused of involvement in the 2004 Madrid train bombings has settled a lawsuit against the U.S. government for $2 million, attorneys told CNN on Wednesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/29/mayfield.suit/index.html

46
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 04:00 PM

Gore: 'I would have heeded 9/11 warnings' and 'Bush is Inept'

How about all the warnings? (on terror attacks

That’s a separate question. And it’s almost too easy to say, "I would have heeded the warnings." In fact, I think I would have, I know I would have. We had several instances when the CIA’s alarm bells went off, and what we did when that happened was, we had emergency meetings and called everybody together and made sure that all systems were go and every agency was hitting on all cylinders, and we made them bring more information, and go into the second and third and fourth level of detail. And made suggestions on how we could respond in a more coordinated, more effective way. It is inconceivable to me that Bush would read a warning as stark and as clear [voice angry now] as the one he received on August 6th of 2001, and, according to some of the new histories, he turned to the briefer and said, "Well, you’ve covered your ass." And never called a follow up meeting. Never made an inquiry. Never asked a single question. To this day, I don’t understand it. And, I think it’s fair to say that he personally does in fact bear a measure of blame for not doing his job at a time when we really needed him to do his job. And now the Woodward book has this episode that has been confirmed by the record that George Tenet, who was much abused by this administration, went over to the White House for the purpose of calling an emergency meeting and warning as clearly as possible about the extremely dangerous situation with Osama bin Laden, and was brushed off! And I don’t know why—honestly—I mean, I understand how horrible this Congressman Foley situation with the instant messaging is, okay? I understand that. But, why didn’t these kinds of things produce a similar outrage? And you know, I’m even reluctant to talk about it in these terms because it’s so easy for people to hear this or read this as sort of cheap political game-playing. I understand how it could sound that way. [Practically screaming now] But dammit, whatever happened to the concept of accountability for catastrophic failure? This administration has been by far the most incompetent, inept, and with more moral cowardice, and obsequiousness to their wealthy contributors, and obliviousness to the public interest of any administration in modern history, and probably in the entire history of the country!

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5179&pageNum=1

47
WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:08 PM

I'd like to see Maliki tell Bush, "Dude, you want to see me? Come to Baghdad then. You know where to find me." That will show the world how much of a coward the chickenhawk is.

48
WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:14 PM

Bush Nuts

Are George W. Bush lovers certifiable?

Lohse, a social work master’s student at Southern Connecticut State University, says he has proven what many progressives have probably suspected for years: a direct link between mental illness and support for President Bush.

Lohse says his study is no joke. The thesis draws on a survey of 69 psychiatric outpatients in three Connecticut locations during the 2004 presidential election. Lohse’s study, backed by SCSU Psychology professor Jaak Rakfeldt and statistician Misty Ginacola, found a correlation between the severity of a person’s psychosis and their preferences for president: The more psychotic the voter, the more likely they were to vote for Bush. [...]

“Our study shows that psychotic patients prefer an authoritative leader,” Lohse says. “If your world is very mixed up, there’s something very comforting about someone telling you, ‘This is how it’s going to be.’”

The study was an advocacy project of sorts, designed to register mentally ill voters and encourage them to go to the polls, Lohse explains. The Bush trend was revealed later on. [...]

“Bush supporters had significantly less knowledge about current issues, government and politics than those who supported Kerry,” the study says.

New Haven Advocate

49
WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:19 PM

Torture, the Geneva Conventions and the School of the Americas
By Ann Wright, US Army Reserve Colonel
t r u t h o u t | Columnist

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112906D.shtml

50
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 04:23 PM

While Iraq Burns
Americans are shopping while Iraq burns
By Bob Herbert
The New York Times

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112906G.shtml

51
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 04:28 PM

Iraq is in the middle of a bloody civil war and neither President Bush or Dick Cheney have a plan to win the peace while billions and billions of dollars continue to be spent and more of our troops are getting killed so it's up to congress to bring our troops home. Contact your Senators and Representatives now and tell them enough is enough, bring our troops home now! Take action by clicking on the link below:

http://thomas.loc.gov

52
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 04:32 PM

Bush and Cheney were "summoned" to the Middle East by their real masters, the Saudi Royal family. Both of these crooks know where their best business contracts money comes from.

53
WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:43 PM

If you caught last nights hardball you were treated to a preview of what the republicans have in store for Sen. Obama if he runs for president. During a discussion of 08 presidential contenders, Sen. Obama's name was first up and without missing a beat Ed Rogers rather than spewing the usual "he's a weak liberal" talking points, he just said his name. Rogers said nothing about his views on abortion, or "character", or his foreign policy experience, he just his name; Barack Hussein Obama. Accept Ed, being the red neck piece of shit that he is virtually spat out every letter taking special care to place emphasis on the "Hussein" part. It was an obvious appeal to the racists and xenophobes among us, but I wonder if American's will fall for it?

It brings it all home when ever I see Ed Rogers. Sure he's not as polished a southerner as James Baker or as fake as Ralph Reed, but what you see is what you get, and I actually appreciate it. After getting his start in Alabama politics like Karl Rove, he moved on to be another Lee Atwater disciple. So based on his pedigree in addition to being a racist I would say he is probably just a real nasty mo-fo who has found a home in the Republican Party for a very specific reason. That is what makes me cringe when I see southern blacks like Condileeza Rice walking around with a shit eating grin acting as if they don't see the same thing. She knows that conservative politics are inherently damaging to her race but yet she still carries water. Remember this classic Condi Quote:

From the AP-Most people who were alive at the time would tell you they had a lot of feelings during the civil rights era. But not Condeleeza Rice. The secretary of state said she was too young and too busy to feel much of an effect from the massive social changes during the 1960s. Rice said she was only 12 or 13 and that all she did "was play the piano and ice skate." Rice said because of that, she didn’t focus much on what she now calls "the counterculture."

If she is to be believed then while schools were blowing up and kids her age were getting attacked by police dogs and fire hosed, this fool was Ice Skating around Birmingham Alabama. I would love to know what counterculture she is referring too? The one that got her black ass the right to vote, or the one that needed the national guard just to go to school? This is why black conservatives who whine about their treatment by other blacks are not taken seriously within the black community.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/29/144811/93

54
WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:55 PM

Well, that was interesting, and expensive. The repair guy just left. My 3 and a half year old refrigerator broke. Of course the part wasn't under warranty, and Sears said they couldn't come out until December 7th at the earliest. Sheesh! First my 1 year old printer, and now this. Nobody's gettin' nuthin' this year. ;)

55
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 05:04 PM

6 Iraqis die in Anbar clash
Infant, girl among victims of U.S. fire
A teenage girl and an infant were among six people killed yesterday during a gunbattle and U.S. tank barrage against suspected insurgents in western Iraq, U.S. military officials said.
Full story:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.iraq29nov29001520,0,276022.story?coll=bal-iraq-headlines

56
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 05:07 PM

Prisoner abuse scandal
Full coverage of the investigation into alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-prisonerabuse,0,382271.storygallery?coll=bal-iraq-storyutil

57
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 05:08 PM

Al-Sadr bloc boycotts government over summit
Bush, PM meeting postponed; sectarian violence leaves 28 Iraqis dead.
Full Story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15941394

58
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 05:09 PM

many things get clearer and clearer to the american people as time goes on. on that we need to highlight is that the supreme court now has 4 members ( the scalia's for economy ) who have no interest in the interest of the american people. their interest is in their own limited, 18th century vision of america and the perpetuation of the same. if we can block all future nominations to the court by bush ( which we have the votes to do but do we have the courage ) and if we can take back the white house and pick up some more senate seats....then we can guarentee that these four nasty bastards sit impotently on the court for the next two or three decades, and grow old watching a progressive, pro human country grow in spite of their efforts to turn back the clock.

59
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 05:58 PM

second sentence above should read ..."one that we need to highlight..."

60
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 05:59 PM

The Five Fatal Mistakes of Bush's Mideast Policy
By SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1563750,00.html?cnn=yes

61
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 06:00 PM
62
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 06:05 PM

I was just reading a local Coeur d'Alene Idaho blog and it looks like the city isn't going to ask the Republican party to repay the security costs to taxpayers for VP "I shot the judge" Cheney campaign stop in Idaho, even though it was a private event and not open to the public.

63
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 06:24 PM

well time to head home hopefully to beat the next round of snow.

Have a great night!

64
Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 06:25 PM

Posted by Kristen on November 29, 2006 at 06:24 PM

It would probably cost too much to clean the blood off the money anyway...

65
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 06:28 PM

Goodnight Kristen!

66
BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 06:32 PM

so this trip to the middle east is doing little other than demonstrating how much bush and his team have fucked up our relations with the entire planet.

bush is like a high school senior who has gotten zero's on all the mid term exams. even with scores of 100% from here on out he will still fail. if he really was a high school student we could suggest he just leave school and get a job at his dad's grocery store or something. in the case of bush could he and his team just leave washington to take up rodeo riding or trap shooting or something and let the congress appoint some administrators to run the country for the next two years?

67
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 07:17 PM

frist is gone. he is gonna sit back and live off the billion or so his family stole from the rest of us. seems like the schiavo pilgrims aren't doing so well....bush, santorum, frist, delay....we need to make sure all the rest of the cretins who played politics with that poor woman's suffering go down hard as well...

68
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 07:19 PM

Posted by BlueinIdaho on November 29, 2006 at 06:28 PM

The Dark Knight pulled one of those stunts around here in 2004, (ya know, Wilmette, Winnetka, the whole Chicago North Shore "I pay YOU.. YOU do as I say" kinda glad handing), with a "Meet & Greet" and "Cocktail Weenies for access" suck-up fest. The GOP refused to pay for HIS security, saying that it's just the cost of "Being allowed to GLORY IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS DARKNESS".

SO...The Village went after the rich pricks who hosted the shindig in their Mansion. PRESTO! The RNC had to cough up the money. (The Millionaires have better Lawyers than Ken Muleman could ever "entice"). The LAST thing these sphincters wanted to do is PO a bunch of Futures Traders from the Merc, and once the neighbors (i.e., a few News Anchors) got wind of the crapola that Cheney was pulling by not paying for his own freight, and THEIR taxes might go up in order to cover the QUARTER MILLION BUCKS that were wasted on Cheney's gladhanding, the game was ON!!!

Any Citizen who pays taxes in that area should file a suit against Ken Muleman and the Pubes. The Pubic Party is weak and weakened. They don't need any more bad P.R.

The check will be in the mail within the week.

69
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 07:23 PM

here is another interesting interface between science and religion that is beginning to bloom. what does one do? get the child vaccinated and insure that she will never have to deal with cervical cancer or not get the child vaccinated and leave open that possibility?from salon:


N.H. to Offer Cancer Vaccine to Girls
By NORMA LOVE Associated Press Writer

November 29,2006 | CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire announced plans Wednesday to become the first state to offer the new cervical-cancer vaccine free to all girls.


Beginning in January, the vaccine against the human papilloma virus, or HPV, will be provided to girls ages 11 through 18 as part of a state program that offers various immunizations to children at no cost. The program is paid for by the federal government and insurance companies.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine in June for girls as young as 9. It prevents infection from some strains of HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Cervical cancer is the No. 2 cancer killer in women.

"We cannot overstate the huge breakthrough in this vaccine," New Hampshire Public Health Director Mary Ann Cooney said.

State officials hope about 17,000 girls -- a quarter of those eligible -- will come forward for the vaccinations next year.

Officials want to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active, because the vaccine does not protect those who have already been exposed to HPV.

"Some say giving the vaccination to 11-year-old girls is a license to promiscuity. I disagree," New Hampshire Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen said. He urged abstinence, noting that the vaccine will not protect girls from other sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, or from getting pregnant.


A total of $4.8 million has been budgeted for the vaccine next year.

70
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 07:24 PM

Good evening, everyone.

Posted by Renee_in_Ohio on November 29, 2006 at 03:42 PM

Renee,

I love your graphics. Everyone needs to see this peace wreath. The Prince of Peace would love your offering.

71
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 07:27 PM

From the AP-Most people who were alive at the time would tell you they had a lot of feelings during the civil rights era. But not Condeleeza Rice. The secretary of state said she was too young and too busy to feel much of an effect from the massive social changes during the 1960s. Rice said she was only 12 or 13 and that all she did "was play the piano and ice skate." Rice said because of that, she didn’t focus much on what she now calls "the counterculture."

If she is to be believed then while schools were blowing up and kids her age were getting attacked by police dogs and fire hosed, this fool was Ice Skating around Birmingham Alabama. I would love to know what counterculture she is referring too? The one that got her black ass the right to vote, or the one that needed the national guard just to go to school? This is why black conservatives who whine about their treatment by other blacks are not taken seriously within the black community.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/29/144811/93

Posted by WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:55 PM

Good evening

Well WD you opened up my favorite subject: conservative blacks and Condi Rice.

So Miss Thing didn't really have time to focus on the fact that probably right down the street, around the corner and probably just outside her window that black folk were losing their livlihoods, homes and very lives so as to have the chance to vote, have barriers of segregation removed, opportunity for their children to attend properly funded schools, chances at career promoting employment and basically the chance to live as civilized human beings????

Oh I am so sorry that she focused on iceskating and whatever other nonblack activity that her parents could devise for her until they could ship her out of Alabama to Colorado to attend college at the age of 15.

Condi is full of sh*t trying to be all that, while portraying no knowledge or experiences of the Civil Rights era because she was TOO busy when in reality she is nobody with respect and dignity. But then again this also explains why she was shopping for shoe while black folk were dying in New Orleans after Katrina because she has absolutely no connection to her ethnic breathren.

And as for those other conservative blacks that walk around wondering what is MY problem as an African-American? Well my problem are YOU folk that seem to think that there is no problem that can't be solved by the conservative agenda of the REPs and Christian Right of which both groups have no liking or respect for you. Why? Because they sold you a pile of trash and you folk bought it hook line and sinker. You agreed and said, "Yes, yes, you're right. Self help is the answer and if one black individual can do it, why can't an entire race to it? Why there are blacks that have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and "made something of themselves". Why can't all black folk do this??? Why? Why? Why?" Well that's another answer for another time, but bottom line - you fell into their trap of listening to their soapbox brainwash on personal issues such as abortion and same sex marriage while they were stroking you with that faith based crap.

Instead of using the familiar term of "liberal" let's just say that I'm progressive with the times, realistic enough to know not many more new doors will open, but astute enough to take advantage of the ones that are, continuously striving for social justice so as to make need/want extinct conditions, awe and respect for the Founding Fathers and the democracy they designed and the conscience to uphold it, belief in the capitalistic nature of economics, but not in the accumulation of wealth in a small niche and lastly the desire uphold and carry forth with my beliefs.

I guess to Condi this is the counterculture.

72
J on November 29, 2006 at 07:29 PM

Posted by WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:19 PM

WD,

There are a few trolls on this board who might make good study subjects.

73
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 07:35 PM

evening dems- has anyone been following the release of elizabeth de la vega's mock indictment of bush and co.? this started running yesterday- they released the indictment today and tomorrow begins the grand jury testimony- interesting stuff- she is a former federal prosecutor

http://www.tomdispatch.com/

74
queencityjefro on November 29, 2006 at 07:49 PM

Clinton lived in public housing his whole life

75
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 07:57 PM

Very interesting piece of info: Daddy Bush hired Condi to TUTOR Jr. Bush in foreign policy during the 2000 campaign.

He wasn't a very good student because he refused to read the books that were part of the lesson plan and insisted that she just summarize and explain.

Instructor and student, hmm....... would explain a few things.

76
J on November 29, 2006 at 07:57 PM

Does Clinton know who his daddy is? I heard they narrowed it down to 5 possibilities

77
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 07:59 PM

Posted by WD on November 29, 2006 at 04:55 PM

Condi skated and Bush mountain bikes. I see a definite adversion to work here and no commitment to helping others. These people live in an ivy tower and could care less about the problems that confront those outside the walls of their castle.

Condi truly doesn't think of herself as black; and from what I've seen, she isn't. She has no pride in her heritage or cultural roots. She can't identify with the contemporary.

How sad. We are a nation of immigrants. Each part of our multi-cultural backgrounds makes us unique and enables us to face the future and master it.

And then there is Obama. He knows who he is and is proud of it. By making the point of going back to meet with his relatives in Africa, he acknowleded his race and in turn learned from where he gets his strength and embraced it. Even the racists have to grudgingly respect him for it.

78
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 08:00 PM

3 are related

79
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:01 PM

Like mother like son

80
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:01 PM

Jesse and Al the Dem Black leaders

81
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:02 PM

DNA off of an Arkansas bar floor has narrowed the possibilities

82
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:03 PM

i suggest ignoring the troll.

83
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:03 PM

Greggy:

Why not curse like normal?

84
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:05 PM

I forgot, it's ok to name call Republicans but hands off dem's sorry I forgot the rules, the DNC will censor soon, no 1st amend. here

85
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:06 PM

excerpt from a really good story over at salon:

Dazed and confused
With his "three-way" with King Abdullah and Nouri al-Maliki canceled, thanks to the timely leak of a nasty memo about the Iraqi prime minister, Bush looks like the blunderer in chief.

By Joan Walsh

Nov. 29, 2006 | The three-way is off! The trilateral is now a bilateral! And the vain hope that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could solve the Iraq crisis is spinning away just as fast as the slimmer hope that a summit in Jordan could make President Bush look like a leader.

In a week of surreal attempts at what administration officials apparently think is "diplomacy," Wednesday's press briefing with deputy press secretary Dan Bartlett is still a standout. The facts are clear: On the heels of an all but official leak of a memo by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, criticizing al-Maliki as either ignorant, dishonest or incompetent, suddenly plans for a Wednesday night meeting between President Bush, Jordan's King Abdullah and the Iraqi prime minister are off.

But pay no attention to the memo, Bartlett says; the need for a "three-way" was obviated by a "two-way" between Abdullah and al-Maliki earlier today...

--for more go to salon and get a day pass--

86
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:07 PM

Greegy:

I would suggest you do so, hate to make you look foolish....again

87
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:07 PM

I thought the senior Bushes call Clinton "their" son.

88
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:07 PM

Greggy:

Are you old enough to work or are you paid to be on the blog?

89
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:08 PM

Time for ice cream LOL

90
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:09 PM

Domingo:

Bush Sr. was on the list of possibilities but he was ruled out by Bar room DNA

91
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:10 PM

from time magazine via crooks and liars:

...the Bush Administration made five fatal mistakes that contributed to the crisis in which it now finds itself.

1. Bush ignored the Palestinians.

2. Bush invaded Iraq.

3. Bush misjudged Iran.

4. Bush hurt Israel.

5. Bush alienated Muslims.

92
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:10 PM

I hope you all support censorship. Free speech is dead under Dem. rule

93
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:11 PM

I will leave you all to your fantasies, Greggy make sure mommy washes your mouth out with soap. be a good boy.

94
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:12 PM

<>sorry I forgot the rules, the DNC will censor soon, no 1st amend. here

Try using the 1st amendment at a Bush rally and see how fast you get arrested.

95
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:13 PM

One more:

The Middle East was calm and peaceful before Bush got in office.......not

96
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:13 PM

Domingo:

The DNC censors, do you agree with that?

97
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:14 PM

Simple yes or no

98
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:15 PM

I guess that must be who Clinton's mommy and daddy is. I wonder what George Jr thinks about his parents having a son they like better than him? It must really hurt, wouldn't you say?

Barbara Bush Calls Bill Clinton 'Son'

Drudge Report | June 17, 2005

Former President Bill Clinton discussed his relationship with President Bush's father last night on CBS LATE SHOW.

Clinton: "I think we're good friends. I like him very much. I've always liked him. When he was vice president, I was still a governor. We worked together on a number of things. He hosted the governors, in 1983...at Kennebunkport."

When they made an announcement about raising funds for Tsunami relief in Houston former First Lady Barbara Bush "announced us. And she said she has started to call me son. I told the Republicans there, I said don't worry, every family has one, you know, the black sheep. I told them, this just shows you the lengths the Bushes would go to get another president in the family. I wish I could get them to adopt Hillary."

infowars

99
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:18 PM

too bad colin powell had to sell his soul to the bushies. he may never get it back. but he could try:

Speaking with CNN reporter Hala Gorani in Dubai today, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Iraq's violence meets the standard of a civil war and thinks President Bush needs to acknowledge that. According to Gorani's report, Powell said if he were heading the State Department right now, he would recommend that the Bush administration adopt that language "in order to come to terms with the reality on the ground."

100
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:18 PM

i hope bush thought to bring his bike and helmet to jordan. looks like he will have alot of time to get a good ride in.

101
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:20 PM

Domingo:

yes or no?

102
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:21 PM

Greggythechild. The RNC censors, do you agree with that?

103
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:22 PM

i guess bush could try thinking tonite, ya know practice how to do it just in case the skill seems useful in some situation or other:

if i only had a brain

104
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:22 PM

NO, ASSWIPE. The definition of "censorship" is GOVERNMENT suppression of "free speech", NOT cleaning up "baiting" from a "Master Baiter" such as assholes like YOU, on a privately owned entity.

Pamurtha. What was your other name...Charmin? I KNOW you were here back when the DOW TIED Clinton's high.

As for the Clinton DNA, they ALSO did swab tests on your mothers AND your fathers tonsils. Funny thing, though, they found YOUR DNA on both samples.

105
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 08:25 PM

gregg- i'm sure that he will speak to his "father" tonight to deliver him from the mess that he created- sadly, he still won't realize that this "father" he has been praying to is not listening because it would appear he has been praying wrong all this time based on the fact that his delusions only continue to grow as the mess gets deeper and deeper-

dan froomkin has an interesting collection of commentary on the spiraling mess that is this administration's foreign policy apparatus (if one can dignify it by calling it that)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

106
queencityjefro on November 29, 2006 at 08:30 PM

Domingo:

I don't agree, now can you answer

107
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:31 PM

DPD:

Wow, you really showed me.

Blog on the DNC web site censors, don't be upset accept reality.

108
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:33 PM

Clinton high? What did Clinton do?

109
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:34 PM

This blog is for use by permission of the owners. They can refuse sevice to anyone. If you're snotty, yes, they can kick you out. Are you gonna let somebody get smart-mouth with you in your own house and not toss them out? Try pulling this crap in some place of public business (like a store) and see how fast you get arrested for it.

110
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:34 PM

DPD: Parmurta correct....censored

111
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:35 PM

Charmin is a no go.

112
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:35 PM

Domingo:

Do you agree with censorship, yes or no. Why is that question so hard for you?

113
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 08:36 PM

time for justa justa walking the dog... followed by some tube. see you all later. dpd--you ever get into the tv series "homicide, life on the street"?

114
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:38 PM

The Smell of Sulphur: Chavez to Northern Minnesota's Rescue

One of the issues dearest to Paul Wellstone was the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. LIHEAP provides relief to low-income families facing heating bills they can't afford. Studies show that roughly 20-25% of folks facing unaffordable heating bills will go without medicine to pay for them, while another 10-15% will go without food.

Of course, it costs a lot more to heat one's home under the best of circumstance on the frozen tundra of Northern Minnesota than most anywhere else in the contiguous United States, and it's not getting cheaper. Of course, this is lost on our "leaders" in Washington DC. But fortunately, not on Hugo Chavez.

Chippewa Tribe accepts free heating oil from Citgo

The tribe said it would be foolish to refuse the offer from the Venezuelan-owned firm despite political controversy.

Wayne Bohn, an attorney for the Leech Lake Band, said the politics of the deal were "hotly debated," but the tribe didn't see the point in rejecting the offer.

"To us, it would be a foolish move. We're not a wealthy tribe," Bohn said. "We could make a political statement, but making a political statement while your people freeze is not very wise."

Citgo will donate a lump sum to each of the six bands based on how many members are eligible for state heating assistance. Those band members will receive direct credits on their heating bills through Citgo's program, said Gary Frazer, the tribe's executive director.

Citgo has allotted 250 gallons of heating oil or the equivalent for each household. With Citgo figuring that each gallon is worth $2.25, the donation is $562.50 per household, about a 40 percent discount on most winter heating bills for homes on Chippewa reservations. The program runs from Nov. 15 until March 15.

Based on last year's state heating-assistance rolls, the tribe estimates that more than 2,700 households will be eligible for aid. Tribal day-care facilities for children and the elderly will also get a discount on heating fuel.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe -- an umbrella group that includes Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs and White Earth bands -- plans to distribute money to the bands in the coming weeks.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/833632.html

115
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:41 PM

Greggythechild. Do you agree with harrasing people and acting out, yes or no. Why is that question so hard for you?

116
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 08:44 PM

dpd--you ever get into the tv series "homicide, life on the street"?

Posted by gregg on November 29, 2006 at 08:38 PM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I always felt I had a talent for playing a corpse on any of those shows. Oh, well...practice, practice, practice.

If I played a dead guy on Homicide, I'd jump up from the slab and ask "Munch" HEY, WHAT HAPPENED?? YOU USED TO BE FUNNY!!!, and scare the be-jeebus out of him.

117
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 08:45 PM

Funny how all these kooks keep howling about Clinton, while the Bushies love Clinton's ass. Didn't they get the memo?

118
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:01 PM

Domingo:

You keep answering questions with questions, I told you my view of censorship. And I believe challenging people for misguided statements and lies is not harrassment. Now one more time, do you agree with censorship?

119
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 09:05 PM

By the way, Clinton was an average president with no morals

120
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 09:05 PM

Domingo:

Try putting down the Kool-aide

121
Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 09:06 PM

And Bush is an Amoral Resident with no average. (He's sub-par, for the tragically dense).

122
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:09 PM

Greggythechild, I believe people like you are a danger to themselves and others, and need to be locked in a mental health care facility.

123
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:12 PM

What's that number on Senate Repugs vs Senate Dems up for reelection in 2008 again?

124
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:22 PM

O.K., I've been wondering about this for a while. On Sundays, I do my "Day of Atonement" by reading that right wing claptrap from Mark Steyn, and I can't help but notice that he looks like our (latest) NUMBER ONE ENEMY, al Sadr!!!

Strange but true, are they one and the same? I link, You decide.

125
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:25 PM

Hey dems,

Is Frosty here fronting as "greggy"?

Here is a man who claims to not like liberals because they want to control our behavior, yet he supports the religious right who make no qualms about wanting to control your behavior, thinking, what you read, what you see, etc.....

126
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:25 PM

gregg,

You should be honored that Frosty has chosen your name to emulate.

127
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:29 PM

Posted by DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:25 PM

I suppose they look similar, who is Mark Steyn?

128
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:31 PM

Posted by Greggythechild on November 29, 2006 at 09:05 PM

Here ya go, asswipe. It was pointed out to you several times. THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT OWNED ENTITY!! Therefore, "censorship" isn't applicable.

It would be the same as if you walked into a bar, and started acting like the jerk that you always are, and you got tossed out on your ass/face (same thing). It isn't 'censorship", it's maintaining civility.

Just TRY to post on the Pubie site (GOP.COM), and get a post shown within a half hour, and ONLY if it is "approved" by the Kremlin of K Street.

129
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:33 PM

Levitation


Check this weird science experiment out. It seems that scientist can make insects float with sound.

130
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:38 PM

Alright, found it.

Of the 33 Senate seats up for reelection in 2008, just 12 are held by Democrats. We'll finally be able to tell Lieberman to get lost.

131
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:39 PM

so dpd that means you have watched the shows or what? just cause chicago has a good football team doesn't give any reason to become obscure.

132
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 09:42 PM

Posted by Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:39 PM

I hope so, 'cause he is a slime ball.

I hope we also can get rid of any DLC members out there.

133
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:43 PM

ranger, as long as i win one of the "best...." something or others in the class yearbook i'm cool.

134
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 09:43 PM

***tiptoeing in and sitting and down***

Majority of Americans Believe
Iraq Is in 'Civil War', Poll Finds

Is that a mandate?

135
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 09:44 PM

domingo, the list of republicans up for re-election in 08 has some folks who seem real vulnerable to me. i think sununu for one up in new hampshire is way to right wing nutty for those pilgrims. and there are three or four others who seem quite weak...course that is down the road a bit. me, i am STILL BASKING IN THE GLOW OF OUR FANTASTIC WINS ON 11/7!

136
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 09:47 PM

who is Mark Steyn?

Posted by ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:31 PM

~~~~~~~

YIKES~!!!!!!!!~You have NEVER read Mark Steyn?? He dropped out of his Toronto High School at 16 years old, and is now the darling of the rightest of the right (and they really think that ) Right Wingers!!

I read his half page treatise on how Rummy really made sense with that "Known Knowns..." wander through the initial phases of old Timers' Disease and thought "This guy is Nutcase GOLD, BAY-BEE!!" He has NOTHING but a Thesaurus and a contract, and perhaps a nice basement in which to toil that is hooked up to KKKarl's fax machine.

Read his crapfest every Sunday in the Sun-Times' "Controversy" section. It is also useful as a diet tool.

137
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:47 PM

DNC BLOG YEARBOOK AWARD:

Presented to gregg on this 29th of November 2006

Let it be known that gregg is hereby awarded the title of

BEST ICE CREAM DECIDER

For diligently handling duties which include restricting ice cream to those bloggers who choose not to engage the trolls.

Thanks gregg (how's that)

138
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:49 PM

Posted by DPD on November 29, 2006 at 09:47 PM

I boycott the Sun Times and Tribune, because they endorsed Bush in 2004.

Also, why would I waste my time reading that guy? I have much better things to do with my time.

I can't understand why Democrats watch Fox news and read right wing papers. I wish all liberals would boycott Fox, if Democrats refused to go on that station, they might change their tune. Oh well, I guess it is for the same reason that people engage the trolls here.

I am going to make a new years resolution to not engage the trolls at all.

139
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:54 PM

I know gregg. There's five or six Republican Senators with an under 50% approval rating in their states right now.

140
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:55 PM

Posted by LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 09:44 PM

Are you the blogger formerly known as PeppermintLizzy?

If so, it is great to have you back!

141
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 09:55 PM

I should have added, "Who are up for reelection in 2008".

142
Domingo on November 29, 2006 at 09:57 PM

I read everything I can, including the Wingnut blogs. (Know thy enemy, and all that crap).

I STILL don't know what number Fox "News" is on my cable system. I think it's somewhere in the 20's or 30's. CNN is mid 30's, and Keith is high 50's, but I ain't a gonna do no O'Lielley, no way, no how.

Gregg, We don't have any better football team than 12 other cities. (I'll let the other ones figure out just where they stand on that assessment).

143
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 10:02 PM

One of my local PBS stations is having a "Beg-a-thon" starring the Dixie Chicks and James Taylor. GREAT PERFORMANCES

I'll say.

...The all-star line-up of performers participating in the gala concert included Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, Dr. John, Carole King, Alison Krauss, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Keith Urban and more.

HIYA {{LIZZY}}!!

144
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 10:09 PM

"We don't have any better football team than 12 other cities"

Being a transplant Chicagoan, I am not that optimistic about the Bears this year--I know blasphomy! I think that Rex's weaknesses have been exposed and it is going to be open season on him from now on.

Keith Olberman has made my list of TV that I can watch. The list is:

College Football (and sometimes the Bears)
Daily Show
Colbert Report
Keith Olberman

The rest is just ccccccrrrrrraaaaappppp!!!!

145
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 10:09 PM

Are you the blogger formerly known as PeppermintLizzy?

Yes, I had to lose the peppermint - a long story from way back on the blog. Besides I true blue!

Thanks ranger!

Here is an article in Wapo about my new Congressman Elect.

You can see the album cover he had back in the 70's.

146
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 10:35 PM

Posted by LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 10:35 PM

Congratulations!

I wish I could get my wife to run for office instead of yelling at the TV all the time! We don't watch that much, but when a republican is on, she vociferously debates them--drives me nuts.

I thought she was going to beat Roskam up at a parade we walked in for Tammy Duckworth.

147
ranger995 on November 29, 2006 at 10:41 PM

Once again, the LIES go unchallenged, unless it's a sweeps month, and the target is a hometown gal.

Right-Wing Attack On Pelosi Over ‘Union Hypocrisy’ Systematically Debunked

I especially like the Pubie default excuse that it's not HIS job to debunk HIS claims, it's Pelosi's job to make sure that he isn't a LIAR.

So, has ANYONE EVER heard that right winger DENY, and I mean catagorically DENY being a child molester?

Just the FACT that he hasn't addressed the question means that he must be avoiding it, right? I mean, HAS HE EVER STATED "YES" or "NO"????

Sorta makes "Some People" want to say "Hmmmmmmmm...."

148
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 10:41 PM

Hey DPD,

I hope all is well with you. I am trying to clean out my email - it seems to have been taken over by some campaign.

149
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 11:00 PM

your very kind ranger. have a double scoop on the house.

dpd, last weeks giant game was a classic. up 21-0 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. i walk away and they lose 21-24.

150
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 11:03 PM

Bush, Maliki to hold crunch talks on Iraq 10:45pm ET
President Bush holds crunch talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Jordan on Thursday on ways to try to stem sectarian carnage threatening to tear Iraq apart.

--"crunch talks"??---

so bush figures if they lay on the floor with their knees pulled up and do half sit ups he can get the iraqi government in shape to carry out his vision for middle earth?

151
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 11:07 PM

HAHAHA, Lizzy. Thanks for that 70's Hall pic (not).

It reminds me of the 70's when I decided to give up the long hair (O.K., GOD had a hand in that ), and I started shaving my coconut, but still kept my beard.

Everybody kept leaning their heads to one side whenever they talked to me, and I thought it was a mass stroke, until I realized that they were telling me to shave my beard, because it looked like I had my head on up-side-down.

I'll look for my pics of me and JB, if I can find them I'll ask someone to send them to you.

152
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:08 PM

"If you want to take the temperature of the president and the prime minister you'll have an opportunity to see them tomorrow," Snow told reporters late on Wednesday.

--ok i have this real big elephant thermometer and we could use that to see if these lads are at 98.6 or what....oh and its a rectal elephant thermometer--

153
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 11:09 PM

Is anyone else having a problem with yahoo?

154
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 11:14 PM

gregg, the truth is coming out from (of course) the FOREIGN PRESS!

Maliki postpones Bush summit after memo leak

So, lessee....FIRST the Chimp is CALLED INTO HIS BATTLE GROUND, by HIS "Puppet", (but is too CHICKEN to actually go there),

Then, CHENEY is CALLED HOME TO THE SAUDI PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, and in a New York Minute he shows up...

Now, Maliki is telling the Chinp "You deal with me on MY schedule, CHUMP"

Oh, yes. It's going swimmingly in the chocolate and flower strewn Paradise of Freedom.

Both Chimpy and Dr. Evil should hold their photo ops in Anbar Province, wearing the standard issue tissue paper they gave to the REAL "War Heroes".

Pricks.

155
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:22 PM

Is anyone else having a problem with yahoo?

Posted by LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 11:14 PM


Yes, I keep yodelling, but there aren't any mountains around here, so I don't get the echo. Sorry, Iowa. I'll try to keep it down. (J/K)

156
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:26 PM

Hello all you good dems.
Just passing by to see what's going on in the world.

157
Chicago on November 29, 2006 at 11:30 PM

Just passing by to see what's going on in the world.

There is a civil war in Iraq, but our president doesn't know it yet.

158
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 11:31 PM

What's going on? Well, we're still breathing, no thanks to the Chimp and his Court of Imbeciles.

159
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:32 PM

hi chicago.

160
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 11:34 PM

i'm done kids. see you in the morning.

161
gregg on November 29, 2006 at 11:38 PM

LizzyBeth,
Thanks for the update. A civil war... really? I thought war was anything but civil.

Chimpy knows what's going on over there. He gets the PDB's. I think they read them to him. Like the one that said OBL determined to strike in the US. He just don't listen or is too stupid to understand. But in this case, it is like "the clear skies initiative". He and Rove believe that if you call the civil war something else, it won't be a civil war. Reality is foreign soil to these fools.

162
Chicago on November 29, 2006 at 11:38 PM

Later, gregg.

163
DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:38 PM

G'nite Gregg.

164
Chicago on November 29, 2006 at 11:40 PM

Bye Greg!

No stars, just fog.

165
LizzyBeth on November 29, 2006 at 11:41 PM

Well I gotta go too.
Sorry for the hit and run but gotta put the youngest to bed.
Tomorrow is another day closer to Democrats in charge.

166
Chicago on November 29, 2006 at 11:43 PM

Controversy Over Pentagon's War-Spending Plan
By Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel
The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warcosts29nov29,0,2663211.story

167
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 11:46 PM

Hi, everyone.

My husband and I have been spending the whole evening trying to figure out our new medical insurance now that it's open season. We have two choices, and I think both insurance companies are working together to make sure we end up paying the highest amount possible....while still calling it insurance.

One of our local TV stations was running a feature tonight about surgical hospitals in India and Costa Rica. If you don't have insurance, I'd say that's the way to go.

You could fly to Costa Rica or India, have your surgery and recover, and then take a cruise ship home for a fraction (and I mean a fraction of the cost) of doing it in the US. The medical school doctor that they were interviewing said the quality was just as high. The woman who had gone to India to have a knees replaced said she can't wait to go back to the other.

Heck, maybe we should all move to Costa Rica or India. Our jobs are going there. Medical care is cheaper and safe. You could experience a new culture and see exotic new places. And best of all you could live on what's left of our Social Security like a king.

No wonder the Bushes are buying up so much land in South America....they know there's a real estate development boom on the way.

168
SandyH on November 29, 2006 at 11:48 PM

Fierce Fighting Shuts Down Iraqi City
By THOMAS WAGNER and SAMEER N. YACOUB

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-me/2006/nov/29/112908615.html

169
DemocratKickingAss on November 29, 2006 at 11:57 PM

I accidentally clicked on Larry King (ugh), and John Kerry IS KICKING ASS!! Oh, GOD I wish he was President. This guy is smart to the nth power, and EVERY FRIGGIN THING he said way back when (only 2 years ago) has come true. If he runs again, he has my vote. PERIOD!! If he doesn't run, he should be Secretary of State.

170
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 12:10 AM

Posted by DPD on November 29, 2006 at 11:22 PM

DPD,

So the Rodney Dangerfield of world politics isn't getting any respect from the democratic Iraqi government either? He flew all the way around the world and was stood up. Since he's already there, maybe he'll put on a uniform and finish his National Guard duty?

First the Saudis spanked Cheney and now this. The Congressional Republicans should demand that they both resign for humiliating the country this way. But who do they have to replace them with?

Allen and Frist? McCain thinks he's still fighting the Viet Cong. And Gulliani has the same gangland ethics of Bernard Kerik.

How can we live with this disgrace for another two years? How can the military survive? Why should our militias risk their lives protecting the Iraqi militias as they kill each other?

This fiasco has to end. Soon.

171
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 12:11 AM

DPD,

Kerry is an idea man. But I don't want him leading a campagin again where he can't communicate them properly. Yes, he'd be a great secretary of state.

172
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 12:16 AM

Since when is being an "idea man" a bad thing? OH, that's right. When people like Chris Matthews were al a-twitter with an orgasmic "man crush" because Chimpy was "virile", and "non-French", and someone you'd "like to have a beer with".

AHEMMMMMMMMM, the LAST friggin' person I'd "want to have a beer with" is an alcoholic cocaine addicted failure who steals everything that isn't nailed down, and has a powerful Daddy! I went through THAT crapola with the Hinsdale and Oak Brook crowd, TYVM.

173
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 12:27 AM

I worked harder for Kerry than I did for McCarthy and I think I believed in him more, too. I still believe he could do the job, but I don't think he can close the deal with the voters. We need a closer this next time. We can't let another incompetent imposter like Bush sneak in. Thankfully Allen was exposed.

174
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 12:34 AM

I haven't seen a better, more suited for the job person than Kerry since Bobby Kennedy. Gore is a details wonk, and very smart, but in an "electronics engineer has a casual conversation with a philosopher" kinda thing, or more to the point, a stand up comic has a late night wedding reception conversation with a Nun. (If you catch my drift.)

He doesn't have to be the Sheckey Greene of the 21st Century, he just has to be the Eisenhower of our time.

FIX THE MESS, RETIRE, and Then say "STOOPIDS..I TOLD YOU SO 10 FRIGGEN YEARS AGO!"

(Then ALL the Pugs should be rounded up in boxcars and sent to forced labor camps, where they must make embroidered smiley face "W" crying towels which THEY themselves can use. It will be a self perpetuating industry).

175
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 12:52 AM

Good evening all,

Real quick point about the Election of 2008 and then I'm going to check MyDD and HuffPo,

We are poised to win. The Republicans have nothing and noone to compete against out side.The biggest challenge for us is , like last time, VOTER TURNOUT!

At this point, all our candidates can easily kick the Republicans butt. So when we finally decide on Edwards/Obama (ahem) let's boost voter entusiasm so we can have a higher voter turnout.

Also, we neeed to stampede the Senate Race so we don't have to rely on Judas Lieberman and his threats to turncoat. We need about 15 more house seats and we can tell the Republicans and Closet Dixies " Thanks, but No Thanks"

We got this.

:)

bbl

176
FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 30, 2006 at 12:54 AM

FOS,

I'm with you. We need to get the vote out. Even the Republicans say that's all we've been missing in the last few elections. We need some excitement on the ticket.

bbl

177
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 01:20 AM

Yes, SandyH.

I don't put anything past the Republicans.If they know in advance that they have no chance against us, rather than make it interesting with Giuliani,they might put up a candidate that we know we can beat like Mc Cain or Romney just to supress our voter turnout.They might be banking on us to become overconfident to where we don't show up at the polls.

They tried that Nov. 7th and it did'nt work so whatever we did then, we need to do it again.No matter how easy or hard this election,GOTV!

Period!

178
FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 30, 2006 at 01:27 AM

We NEED to SWAMP the polls by more than a "close" easily manipulated number. It will take a resounding spread of over 10% to counteract the fixed machines.

ANYBODY screwing with the vote should get life in prison, without possibility of parole OR PARDON.

That includes KKKarl and his minions. Make it that even the Chimp can't pardon him. Vote stealing is TREASON, and ANYONE who does it should be either imprisoned for life, or shot in a Public display at the Washington Monument at 12 Noon on the 4th of July, and ALL broadcast TV stations MUST show it. (P.S., the rah-rah network exec's aren't immune from this either. Tell the truth, how hard can that be?)

179
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 01:38 AM

Dean in Canada (w/Video)- how to do foreign relations

Howard Dean just finished a generous, respectful, powerful and entertaining speech at the Liberal Party leadership convention in Montreal. When I was watching it, it made me proud to be an American again, even though I transplanted myself to Canada years ago.

This speech could be the first plank in an attempt to rebuild relations with our most important cultural and economic neighbor on this Earth, and possibly a reminder to the world of what sane discourse among nations looks like.

Dr. Dean gave a rousing and moving speech about the importance of never giving up on any region or any voter - any time. Perhaps a primer for a 10 province, 3 territory strategy for the Liberal leadership, who are this week deciding who will lead their party into the next election, which is likely coming soon. He praised cooperation between Canadians and Americans, from Vermont's electrical power assistance to Quebec during the 1998 ice storm (which left 3 million people without power in Canada alone), to Canadian teams being among the first on the scene to assist the victims of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

He also listed three progressive goals which Democrats in the U.S. and Liberals in Canada have in common - universal health care, respect for human rights and social justice.

The best part of the whole speech was when, as most politicians in Canada do when speaking to an audience, he spoke a portion of his speech in French. The first time he broke into French, he paused, then said in English, "Won't Fox News hate this!"

Howard Dean speaks in Canada Part 1

Howard Dean speaks in Canada Part 2

180
WD on November 30, 2006 at 02:18 AM

I don't know what's going on right now, but the Chimp is doing a LIVE Speech from Jordan, and he's all by himself and talking about al Maliki.

CNN LIVE NOW! I know that there is a time thing going on, but for CNN to break in to a taped thing, and the Chimp going it alone on LIVE TV when NOBODY in the Bible Belt is watching must mean something.

tell ya later whazz up.

181
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 02:46 AM

Maliki is speaking from a podium about a million miles away from the Chimp, and NOBODY looks happy. It seems that Hormone boy was read the Facts of Death, and this is his Alamo stand. Oh, No. This is it. The Crackhead has painted himself into a round corner, even his so called "ally" thinks he's a chump. Baker's "Iraq Study Group" is calling for the US to "pull back troops".....It's over. The Chimp has screwed the pooch.

182
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 02:52 AM

Soldiers of Fortune

An elite Army Ranger, back from Iraq, led his cohorts in a precision hold-up, cops say.

To customers and employees in the Bank of America branch that Monday, the invaders rushing through the door had the appearance of commandos on a raid. Ski-masked men in heavy clothing, armed with automatic rifles and sporting soft body armor under their jackets, stormed the one-story South Tacoma BOA branch near closing time, shouting orders and forcing everyone to the floor.

The four-man robbery team brandished handguns, pointed AK-47s, and seemed ready for a firefight, bringing along extra banana-style ammunition clips. "That's a tremendous amount of weaponry and ammunition for a bank robbery," says assistant U.S. attorney Michael Dion in Tacoma.

Though apparently young and of average builds, the four seemed imposing and confident. At 5:15 p.m. Aug. 7, Purple Heart Day in America, they entered through the swinging glass doors on two sides of the neighborhood bank that is sandwiched among the storefronts and car lots of busy South Tacoma Way and almost immediately began counting off the seconds, one robber shouting out the time every half-minute.

According to Monte Shaide, an FBI agent who investigated the case and reviewed the bank's video surveillance tapes, two bandits with automatic weapons watched customers while another, with a handgun, vaulted the counter and ordered a clerk to put only $50 and $100 bills into his bags.

The fourth man, also carrying a handgun, scooped money from other teller stations and $20,000 from a rolling money cart. The robbers steered clear of any dye packs and passed over bait bills with prerecorded serial numbers.

At the two-minute point, the robber counting off time shouted, "Let's go!" The four rushed out the door, ran to a waiting vehicle, and raced off with $54,011.

The elapsed time on the video indicates the robbers were in and out in two minutes, 21 seconds. Shaide marveled at what he called "military-style precision and planning."

And for all their apparent preparation, the robbers made a sure-to-be-legendary error: they came in their own car. A witness saw masked men jump out of a vehicle carrying AK-47s, then two minutes later run back, jump in, and speed away. The witness figured this just might be a heist. He jotted down the license number of a rather eye-catching silver 2001 four-door Audi with Colorado plates.

Tracked first to its registered owner in the Denver area, the Audi was traced overnight to Fort Lewis. By the second day after the robbery, the first of five suspects would be arrested, and authorities would eventually recover at least $21,000 of the loot. Of the four alleged gunmen and a driver, three turned out to be elite Fort Lewis Army Rangers.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0648/rangers.php

183
WD on November 30, 2006 at 02:55 AM

It looks like Maliki is trying to take charge. GOOD LUCK, Dude. On the wide camera shots, Chimpy is looking down like a 9 year old who was caught breaking his pappy's favorite fishing pole.

This ain't a "aw shucks" moment. Chimpy is chanting 'al Qaeda" over and over again. I have counted more than 6 "al Qaeda"'s within a span of 20 seconds. Now Chimpy is overdoing "embolden...embolden...turriss, turrriss..."

This clown is PATHETIC! He was asked a Q, and (OOOH AL KIDA AGIN') forgot the beginning of it, and the reporter had to ask it again, whilst Chimpy got his earpiece answer.

WATCH CNN!!

MORE "El Kinda", this guy is just phoning it in at this point.

184
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 03:03 AM

DPD, I think Maliki needs to tell Bush to kiss his G-damn ass and get his crusader butt the f*ck out of his country. If I was Maliki, I wouldn't go near the guy. The Bush crime family likes to put all their ex-flunkies in jail. Look what they did to Noriega from Panama. Look at what they did to Saddam. And the boy loves to torture his prisoners.

185
WD on November 30, 2006 at 03:03 AM

WD (heh heh), Pleased ta meecha!!

Maliki is about a million miles from the chimp. Gore was closer in the 2000 debates, Kerry was closer in '04, and Maliki has to pay cell phone roaming charges for the distance that separates them. The mercy killing of the "Press Conferrence" has just occurred, after the Chimp started counting questions, and said "wait a minute, can I have one of his"" Maliki said on the 8th question (because the first 7 weren't answered), "We only agreed to answer 6 questions apiece, this is number 8"

Bush has LOST IT. He isn't respected anywhere and WE THE PEOPLE have to suffer because of HIM.

Whoever that CNN reporter (on loan from BBC) is just said that EVERYBODY in the room laughed their asses off when asked "Is he the right man for the job?"

They didn't even know to whom the referrence was, (YIKES!!! HIDE ALL NUNS UNTIL I ESCAPE!!), but clearly, BOTH of these assclowns have got to go. Maliki looked like he just got back from a 3 day bender, and didn't shave, and Bushie had his usual glazed eye look.

PAH THET ICK!!!

I'm sure someone will count the "al Qaeda" tally for this latest fiasco.

186
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 03:32 AM

Well, back to bed, unless the GWB BS meter goes off again. Oh, and before I forget... al Qaeda!! (Can't forget the "al Qaeda", they're everywhere Georgie wants 'em to be. He don't leave home without 'em. Priceless. It's like money in the bank. al Qaeda, What's in YOUR wallet?)

187
DPD on November 30, 2006 at 03:54 AM

Bush displayed even more petulance, arrogance, and inappropriate laughter than usual. He was very rude to Maliki. After an answer in which Bush ended nearly shouting, he passed off to Maliki, then interrupted the questioner to answer another reporter's follow-up on timetables. His answer included this gem: "All a timetable is, is, uh [hand motions to head as if he's trying to extract some coherent thought] is a timetable for withdrawal." Then he let Maliki's questioner continuer, only to get confused and try to answer the question himself. Moments later, a defiant, fidgety Bush says "We mights as well keep going...next question." And Bush's answer included another beauty: "The Iranians want to destabilize Iraq because they fear Democracy." God, where to start? What a fucking maroon.

Then Bush asks Maliki "Want to keep going? Want another question?" Reporters start shouting questions at Maliki, who responds "We agreed to six questions. This is number eight." Reporters keep shouting. Bush chuckles "We're getting attacked from all sides here, so to speak." Reporters continue shouting. Bush says tersely to Maliki "Could you please call on one of your press corp, Prime Minister." Maliki points at someone and Bush says "You want him? Yes." Bush points at the reporter and says go ahead.

The whole things was surreal. I forgot to mention at least three times where Bush told a reporter to wait and then gave one of his inappropriately long, hateful stares at said reporter.

Bush ended the whole fiasco with smiles and laughter shaking hands with Maliki, with the same level of seriousness appropriate for a Turkey pardon ceremony.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2006/11/30/25918/788/36#c36

188
WD on November 30, 2006 at 03:58 AM

Good morning

So Reid is telling the do nothing Senate that they will be on the 24/7 grind when they come back in January. Works for me. All the REPs did was drag around personal issues and rubberstamp judicial picks for Bush & Co.

Yep, time for what is called work.

189
J on November 30, 2006 at 05:54 AM

Hi J,

I only have a minuet. I'm doing all my Month-End stuff. Whew!

It's going to be so funny watching the Republicans who are not used to actually working throw a fit about how tierd they are.(pouts).I hope they try to rebel and stay home so we can pass all kinds of stuff behind their backs and remove their ammendments.He He.

;p

190
FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 30, 2006 at 06:06 AM

Hey FOS

Figured you were pretty busy. Save up some goodies for tomorrow.

Oh yeah hike back up the trail when you get a chance and see my response to WD's comment last evening on Condi Rice and that conservative black pack.

191
J on November 30, 2006 at 06:11 AM

Well the nightmare came true and of course it would be in FL that electronic voting which went horribly wrong would lead the parade for a paper trail that is desperately needed.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112706O.shtml

192
J on November 30, 2006 at 06:19 AM

FOS

Read your post on the FL Serious page.

I agree someone should go to jail.

That Supervisor of Elections WAS criminally negligent as many are saying in this state. She sat back and let unsuspecting voters use machines that she KNEW had been malfunctioning.

193
J on November 30, 2006 at 06:31 AM

Gotta run

Good morning gregg. O yeah, saw your post that included something about "old black women from the South" :)

Nope, not me. Oh I'm black, just not OLD, a little wiser and more experienced, BUT standing proud and tall and ready to set things in the right place. :) (seem to always be wearing those ass kickin' boots)

194
J on November 30, 2006 at 06:39 AM

Good morning, Dems! A balmy 56 degrees in the Mohawk Valley this morning.

195
Cyn_NY on November 30, 2006 at 06:56 AM

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan commission next week will unveil long-awaited recommendations for a new U.S. policy in Iraq that a published report said would call for a gradual pullback of U.S. troops there — without a timetable — and direct diplomacy with Iran and Syria.

ADVERTISEMENT

Such recommendations would require a shift in policy for the Bush administration that President Bush has shown no hint of implementing.

"This business about a graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all," he said Thursday at a news conference in Jordan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061130/ap_on_go_ot/us_iraq

By the way, just listened to Lee Hamilton on cspan. He's amazing!

196
Cyn_NY on November 30, 2006 at 06:59 AM

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial-opinion
I hope this link works...it is to the editorial/opinion page of the Boston Globe...very good cartoon by Dan Wasserman....the look on Bush's face says it all!

197
goodfoe on November 30, 2006 at 07:03 AM

morning folks!

198
gregg on November 30, 2006 at 07:06 AM

fun stuff from tompaine:

The Incredible Shrinking GOP
Paul Waldman
November 29, 2006

There were many things Democrats did right in the months leading to the 2006 election. But one outcome of the voting—whether it occurred by accident or design—will yield dividends for years and even decades to come. On November 7, the GOP’s moderate wing, already in decline, was eviscerated.

For all the attention given to those few conservative Democrats who got elected, in fact the new Democratic caucus will look pretty much exactly like the old one—albeit a bit larger: mostly strong progressives, with a substantial group of moderates and even a few outright conservatives who represent Republican-leaning districts. The party that really changed was the GOP.

One way to look at the 2006 election is as a continuation of the evolution of the Republican Party that began in the 1960s and accelerated in the 1990s. After Lyndon Johnson made Democrats the party of civil rights, a grand exodus occurred among conservative Southerners from their traditional home in the Democratic Party to their ideological home in the GOP. As a consequence, the power center among Republicans migrated southward. It was in the 1990s that Southerners finally took over the GOP leadership, as Robert Michel of Illinois and Bob Dole of Kansas were replaced by Newt Gingrich of Georgia and Trent Lott of Mississippi. (It should surprise no one that Republican senators put aside their squeamishness about those who pine for the days of Jim Crow to bring Lott back into the leadership.)

And today, the Republican Party is firmly dominated by its Southern, socially conservative wing. Try to find a representative of the once-powerful “Rockefeller Republicans”—they’re an endangered species. Indeed, there is only one Republican Congressman left in all of New England. It was the Republican moderates who lost, not just in the Northeast, but across the country. Defeated figures like Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island and Jim Leach of Iowa will soon be fading memories of a time gone by.

One of the key benefits of this turn of events is that Democrats should have a relatively easy time defending the majority they just seized...

old times there are not forgotten

199
gregg on November 30, 2006 at 07:12 AM

george will that pompous, sniveling ass is upset because jim webb told bush to back to off. aw poor george he wants his buddy the udda george treated with respect and civility....like udda george did with st mccain and kerry and so many others...the republicans and their msm apologists are a riot in defeat...all hissy and fussy and self righteous....get used to the taste assholes, it's gonna last awhile:

Already Too Busy for Civility

By George F. Will
Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page A23

That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator.

Wednesday's Post reported that at a White House reception for newly elected members of Congress, Webb "tried to avoid President Bush," refusing to pass through the reception line or have his picture taken with the president. When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "I'd like to get them [sic] out of Iraq." When the president again asked "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "That's between me and my boy."


--now of course auntie will rewrote what the dummie said---here is the exchange as reported by the seattle post intelligencer:

"How's your boy?" Webb, in an interview Wednesday, recalled Bush asking during the reception two weeks ago.

"I told him I'd like to get them out of Iraq," Webb said.

"That's not what I asked. How's your boy?" the president replied, according to Webb.

At that point, Webb said, Bush got a response similar to what reporters and others who had asked Webb about Lance Cpl. Jimmy Webb, 24, have received since the young man left for Iraq around Labor Day: "I told him that was between my boy and me."


but this war hero whose kid is in iraq and who just beat the next stupid bush like president and took him off the 08 count was sooooo unfair to the man whose hands are dripping blood and who was insubordinant during his "tour" in alabama.....

200
gregg on November 30, 2006 at 07:28 AM

Like I said yesterday - law enforcement is big business.

A record 7 million people - or one in every 32 American adults - were behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year, according to the Justice Department. Of those, 2.2 million were in prison or jail, an increase of 2.7 percent over the previous year, according to a report released Wednesday.

More than 4.1 million people were on probation and 784,208 were on parole at the end of 2005. Prison releases are increasing, but admissions are increasing more.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRISON_POPULATION?SITE=CAVEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

201
Cyn_NY on November 30, 2006 at 07:29 AM

Posted by J on November 29, 2006 at 07:29 PM

Ha! I read it and I loved it. Well worth the hike.
That counterculture she's talking about, no no no, there's no counterculture. She is suffereing from a mental disorder know as;

"UncleTomolitis" not to be confused with "Ihatemyblackskinitous" which is an even worse disorder.

ROFLMBAO!


Oh, and there's one more that's even worse that she shows symptoms of. The mental disorder known as "Denymyblacknessitis"

202
FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 30, 2006 at 07:33 AM

Okay,

I'm gone for today.I still haven't finished my Month End Reports and I have 20 minuets left.

YIKES!

Bye everyone


:)

203
FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 30, 2006 at 07:38 AM

good morning,

Disembowelled, then torn apart: The price of daring to teach girls


wow, what's a feminazi to do?

204
fade2bluz on November 30, 2006 at 07:53 AM

Cyn,

the impact on people of color is striking! that was one of those "discoveries" made while teaching...how many kids had family members "out of town"

it's a downright, dirty shame that Milton Friedman's libertarian theories were not taken seriously in regard to legalization of drugs. after all, that portion made more sense to me than his whacked out economics...

as i type this, Nova M radio is having a conversation about making smoking in a car with children illegal. great idea, except...what do you do with the folks that can't pay the fine? lock them up?

that's the blowback that we don't consider when implementing welfare "reform" (which results in much more foster care, btw) and child support laws (which results in men that are incarcerated on a revolving door basis when they can't pay)

don't know what the answers are, except that we should have turned left when we went right...

205
fade2bluz on November 30, 2006 at 07:59 AM

hey fade how about these excerpts from a piece in salon:

Generation Dem
Beyond the failure of Karl Rove, the momentous 2006 elections signaled the emergence of a younger, bluer America that could reshape politics for years to come.

By Sidney Blumenthal

Nov. 30, 2006 | The midterm elections of 2006 may be among the most momentous in two generations -- if their trends carry through the 2008 presidential election and beyond. These changes include a Democratic Congress that reflects a more politically cohesive national majority than any previous one; shifts of crucial constituencies that may represent a decisive repudiation of the Republican Party in its current incarnation; and the emergence of a younger generation that is overwhelmingly Democratic. In retrospect, it is conceivable that the 2006 results will be revealed to be just one movement of a rapidly swinging pendulum whose internal mechanism is a fickle electorate of no discernible loyalties or commitments but propelled by constant and uncontrollable moods of discontent. Or it may be that the long conservative ascendancy has merely encountered a slight stumbling block that will soon be overcome once the difficulties associated with Iraq are neatly squared away. Or it may be that the Democrats are as incorrigibly self-destructive as they were when the Republican era began. Or it may that the newly elected Democrats are really conservative Republicans operating under another party label. But these possibilities are not foretold by the 2006 results...

...The numbers are both conclusive and suggestive. Exit polls showed that the Democrats won the popular vote by 52 to 46 percent. Given that Bush won the popular vote by 3 points in 2004, this was a reversal of not 6 but 9 points. An analysis of the actual popular vote for the Senate, however, reveals an even greater Democratic margin of 55 to 42.4 percent. That number also coincidentally corresponds to the margin by which Democrats won women, the greatest margin since 1988. Yet Democrats won independents by an even bigger margin, 18 points, the greatest spread in House races in 25 years. The profile of independents on issue after issue now mostly resembles the profile of Democrats.

One of the largest shifts appeared among Hispanics, the group that Rove targeted most intensively for six years. In 2006, Hispanics went for the Democrats 69 to 30 percent, a 10-point increase in the spread from two years ago. Unpopular as Bush may be today, he has been the most accessible Republican to Hispanics ever, a Spanish speaker from a state with a large Hispanic population. Next time, in 2008, the Republicans do not have a potential candidate who can remotely approach Bush's appeal.

Democrats' gains among Hispanics paralleled and overlapped their gains among Roman Catholics, whom they carried by 55 percent, a 10-point increase over 2004,...

...While voters under 30 were the most favorable age group in 2004 for Kerry, casting 54 percent of their votes for him, Democratic House candidates in 2006 received 60 percent of their votes, compared with 38 percent for Republicans. Nationally, partisan identification breaks 38 percent Democratic to 35 percent Republican, but among those under age 30 the percentages are 43 to 31 in favor of Democrats. This pattern runs as strongly in the West as in the East, the Midwest and the Pacific states, a clear indication that the Western states are heading out of the Republican camp...

206
gregg on November 30, 2006 at 08:06 AM

gregg,

thanks, that made my day

cya later...have a wonderful day, y'all

207
fade2bluz on November 30, 2006 at 08:14 AM

some good news. if you go to the article you will see that the greatest percentage of land preservation ( protected land in relationship to total land of an area ) is in the northeast!! come on you folks in ohio get on board!

Report: Conservation efforts offset land lost to sprawl
By Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY
DENVER — Growing efforts to save privately owned farms, ranches and forests from industrial and residential development now preserve about as much open space each year as is lost to sprawl, according to a report out Thursday.
The National Land Trust Census, conducted every five years by an umbrella organization for land conservation groups, says private land under protective trusts and easements now total 37 million acres, a 54% increase from the last count in 2000.

Conservation of private land from 2000 to 2005 averaged 2.6 million acres a year — about half the size of New Jersey, according to the Land Trust Alliance, which represents 1,200 of the USA's 1,667 local, state and national land trusts.

This means additional land protected each year exceeds the 2.2 million acres that the Agriculture Department has estimated is converted annually to "developed land."

saved for the present and the future

208
gregg on November 30, 2006 at 08:16 AM

Good morning, everyone.

US setbacks see dollar plunge to near 15-year low


The dollar tumbled to a near 15-year low against sterling yesterday on fresh signs of economic trouble in the United States.

209
Esmeralda on November 30, 2006 at 08:40 AM

Fade, it's nuts, isn't it?

Esme, to go right along with your post on the sinking dollar...

Pound hits 14-year high
The pound continued its advance towards the $2 level this morning, hitting fresh 14-year peaks on the back of a Nationwide housing survey which showed house prices are continuing to rise strongly.

Sterling hit a new peak of $1.958 in early morning trading, but later eased to around $1.967, still up a third of a cent.

This is the 10th consecutive day of gains for the pound, which have taken it to its highest level since Britain was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in September 1992.

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1960479,00.html

210
Cyn_NY on November 30, 2006 at 08:50 AM

Good morning, all.

There's a lot of those rich folk trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle...

Gifts from rich highlight plight of world's poor

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa
Wed Nov 29

LONDON (Reuters) - Huge gifts to charity from U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett and others have won widespread praise, but some say the same economic process that helped earn those fortunes is leaving billions more in dire poverty.

Buffett pledged to give away a mammoth $37 billion of his fortune -- more than most African countries' GDP estimates for this year -- the bulk of which will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

But the size of the gift also highlights growing inequality in the distribution of wealth, even as world economic output doubled in the last 10 years....

While China's economy expanded nearly 10 percent a year from 2001 to 2003, the average income for the poorest 10 percent of the country's households fell 2.5 percent, according to an analysis by the
World Bank....

Behind this trend, a push toward smaller government has left officials without the means to care for society's most vulnerable, according to some critics....

Advanced economies too are plagued by inequalities which make parts of their population vulnerable to external shocks and natural disasters, as shown by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the United States....

But the gaps are especially wide in the world's largest economy and biggest champion of the free market.

The average U.S. chief executive earned 821 times as much as a minimum wage worker, the highest gap ever, according to a study published by the Economic Policy Institute think tank in June.

"Our political system and the very conservative ideology that says somehow the way to boost the economy is by reducing the taxes for the very wealthy, that system has increased enormously the inequalities in our society," said Pablo Eisenberg, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.

"the very conservative ideology that says somehow the way to boost the economy is by reducing the taxes for the very wealthy..." is just another example of people who do not live in a reality-based world wreaking the balance of power.

And another example of elitists who think there will never be any adverse consequences for their actions. No wonder Newt Gingrich expects WW III. He's began setting up the conditions for it 12 years ago. Let him run for President in 2008...please.

211
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 09:06 AM

Greggy:

Do you work?

212
Greggythechild on November 30, 2006 at 09:15 AM

I have ice cream for you

213
Greggythechild on November 30, 2006 at 09:15 AM

Posted by gregg on November 30, 2006 at 08:06 AM

All the pundits seem to think this election was mainly about Iraq. I think it was about outsourcing/illegal workers and the middle class squeeze. The academics still don't get it. There really isn't much hope among the young in this country whether they are poor or middle class.

The Republicans went way too far with this globalization push. You can see the resulting social upheaval most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, and South America, but the populist movement has hit this country and parts of Asia as well.

The most recent Indian election was a lot like ours. Those that felt they were being left behind economically flexed their voting muscles.

If we continue to push our 50 state strategy, there is a huge potential pool of new party members ready to embrace our agenda. The emphasis was on organization last election. This needs to be strenghened with a concerted new effort on recruiting people as volunteers, too.

There's going to be some exciting times ahead for the Democratic Party.

214
SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 09:24 AM

Good morning again

Oh I see this fool troll is on again being his usual ignorant self and no one will post for awhile.

Sure not going done idiocy lane with he/she.

bbl

215
J on November 30, 2006 at 09:24 AM

Posted by gregg on November 30, 2006 at 08:16 AM

Once upon a time, my grandfathers were the largest land owners in this township, with 80 & 100 acres of farm land. Back in the early 40's, the one farm was purchased for $5,000. Gas wells were drilled on each...still producing. The one farm was sold off back in '70 when my maternal granddad passed, but the majority of the land stayed in tact. It was recently sold to a developer who will put up housing on those 60+ acres. I heard he paid almost half a million.

The other grandfather's farm was sold back in the late '80's, which has been developed into 5-10-15 acres lots. My sister happens to have one of the homes on a 10 plot. I laugh when I drive to her house and see the houses built over what was once the pig barn (there was a 2 seat outhouse built inside) and the corn bin.

216
Esmeralda on November 30, 2006 at 10:31 AM

Democrats plan to revive embryonic stem cell bill that Bush vetoed

The same embryonic stem cell bill that prompted President Bush's only veto is headed to his desk again, this time from Democrats who have it atop their agenda when they take control of Congress in January.

217
Esmeralda on November 30, 2006 at 10:36 AM

If we continue to push our 50 state strategy, there is a huge potential pool of new party members ready to embrace our agenda. The emphasis was on organization last election. This needs to be strenghened with a concerted new effort on recruiting people as volunteers, too.

There's going to be some exciting times ahead for the Democratic Party.

Posted by SandyH on November 30, 2006 at 09:24 AM

There needs to be a plan to have each state recruit democrats to run for off year election offices...village council, township trustee, school board, ect...They are up in 2007. Petition deadlines are in Feb. & August here in OH.

218
Esmeralda on November 30, 2006 at 10:43 AM

Gaia scientist Lovelock predicts planetary wipeout


The earth has a fever that could boost temperatures by 8 degrees Celsius making large parts of the surface uninhabitable and threatening billions of peoples' lives, a controversial climate scientist said on Tuesday.

219
Esmeralda on November 30, 2006 at 10:55 AM

As a Democrat I do hope the Democratic Party fixes illegal immigration and does not offer an amnesty program. If it does the Party is back to its old inconsistent policies that are often against working Americans, and that will sink it in 2008.

If the Party supports illegal immigration, then it will not be able to stand tall and say it fully supports working America and the middle class.

Supporting illegal immigration only squeezes Americans' standard of living to be more in line with Mexicos and is exactly what big business wants. Tell big business that our government will take punitive action against employers that hire illegal immigrants.

If employers were could hire only qualified Americans, there would be no need for a minimum wage, as wages would be pushed up for all at construction and places such as Wal-Mart.

220
Robson on December 5, 2006 at 02:19 PM


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