Happy Birthday, Tracy!

Congratulations House Dems on keeping your promises.

A big Raspberry to Idaho Representative Bill Sali for opposing each and every one.

Have a great weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY. AND CHRISTY, YOU HAVE ONE TOO, DON'T YOU??? HOW MANY DID YOU TELL ME THAT WAS??? :) (I won't tell)

Looks like the honeymoon between Bush and Pelosi is over:

Pelosi, White House clash over Iraq

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) contended Friday that President Bush is rushing new troops to Iraq and betting that Congress won't cut off funds once they're in battle. The White House called her assertion "poisonous."

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In an exchange of harsh rhetoric that underscored the intensity of the political fight, Pelosi, D-Calif., said the war should not be "an obligation of the American people in perpetuity."

"The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way, that we won't cut off the resources. That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's way," Pelosi said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino retorted that lawmakers are involved in a "sound bite war" against Bush, counter to Democrats' promises of bipartisanship.

"Those particular comments were poisonous," Perino said. "I think questioning the president's motivations and suggesting that he, for some political reason, is rushing troops into harm's way, is not appropriate, it is not correct, and it is unfortunate because we do have troops in harm's way."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070119/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

Democratic 100 hour agenda complete and this is only the beginning.

Happy Birthday Tracy.

Happy Birthday, Tracy! (clink)

L@@K at this: If only we had known, we could have pitched in all together and bought this site. WHAT FUN!

"A sale on eBay of a URL that will attract the strongest detractors of President George W. Bush could fetch a savvy investor a heavy return tomorrow. As of this afternoon, the going cost in an auction of 'ImpeachBush.com' is up to more than $25,000.

The auction of the internet address 'ImpeachBush.com' will take its last bid on January 20th. With 50 bids recorded, the highest is $25,100. The seller claims that the address gets heavy hits without ever having been used as a developed website. Statistics presented on the eBay page claim close to 4 million searches via Yahoo, and more than 1.5 million on Google.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/ImpeachBush.com_to_fetch_big_bucks_in_0119.html

gregg, I know you don't want to talk about the 2008 Pres run, but the prom is going to pass you by! We have almost our entire team out there now.

"WASHINGTON Jan 19, 2007 (AP)— New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson intends to take the initial step toward the Democratic nomination, hoping his extensive resume will fuel a campaign to become the first Hispanic president.

http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FPolitics%2FwireStory%3Fid%3D2808824%26CMP%3DOTC-RSSFeeds0312

Tee Hee, (from TPM Muckraker).

...hearing on a lingering issue from Bremer's tenure: how nearly $9 billion in reconstruction funds went missing -- or in audit-speak, was "disbursed. . . without accountability."

Former Bush Iraq Chief to Face Nemesis?

Oversight. It smells like victory!

Tee Hee, (from TPM Muckraker).

...hearing on a lingering issue from Bremer's tenure: how nearly $9 billion in reconstruction funds went missing -- or in audit-speak, was "disbursed. . . without accountability."

Former Bush Iraq Chief to Face Nemesis?

Oversight. It smells like victory!

evening dems and happy happy birthday to tracy

i'm with gregg as far as all this talk of candidates for '08- if i were forced to choose a favorite this early into it, then i guess i'd have to say dennis is my man- no stranger to someone who grew up in norther ohio, and at least he's been consistent throughout this long nightmare of imperialistic showboating

test

evening jefro,

I have no deep feelings for any candidate yet, either. I was still trying to make up my mind in 2004, when all of a sudden I was told "It's Kerry".

I like Bill richardson, but he is a DLC Dem, and I can't push for anymore taking this party to a right wing of the party.

No matter who gets in , I think we all will jump on the band wagon and work our tails off.

dpd- that had something to do with the college republicans they brought over with him to run iraq, didn't it? still have yet to read that book, i'm going to forget the title- something about the green palace?-

a former speech writer for ms condi said in a recent interview that she and the rest of this administration know nothing (zero!) about the middle east- he indicated that she has been trying to address the situation in the middle east by treating it with her knowledge of the soviet union and the cold war, all of which are totally useless in addressing iraq and the middle east- of course, it does make perfect sense when one realizes that our moronic project for a new american century is just the same project from the old century with a new cast of villains to help us continue the same old imperialistic project

The boy mayor in the WH! It's gotta be better than what we have now.

Bush's low approval coming into play in strange ways! Libby trying to use to get rid of jurors who might feel he was a member of this disgusting team!

"Washington - A federal judge is putting more potential jurors on standby in the CIA leak trial because so many people have been dismissed, mostly because of strong feelings against the Bush administration and the Iraq war.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton had hoped to have a 12-person jury picked Thursday so opening statements could be held Monday. After three days of hearings, however, Walton did not even have a pool of 36 impartial people from which to choose the final jury. He pushed opening statements back to Tuesday.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011907S.shtml

pam- i suppose you are right, and while i find it hard not to like dennis kucinich, i also have a hard time "throwing my vote away" as the gate-keepers like to say i'd be doing if i voted for him- 'course were just talking primaries at this point- seems likely, to me, that we might have extra candidates on this next general election ballot in '08

Tough talk raises fears of Iran clash

Increasingly tough talk on Iran from the Bush administration – with vice-president Dick Cheney warning of the “growing threat” from the Islamic republic – has rattled politicians and diplomats in Washington worried that the war in Iraq is set to widen.

While few lay claim to understanding what George W. Bush has in mind, there is a widespread sense that the likelihood of some kind of military clash or conflict with Iran – directly or through proxies – has risen since the US president accused Tehran last week of “providing material support for attacks on American troops” in Iraq.

What do you mean extra candidates? You mean over and above the usual 8 or so different indys and green, blue, and purple people eater parties?

and let's not forget the write ins. The voters type in fun names, sometimes friends and family, rarely the actual candidate. Makes for great fun when reporting results.

Bush tailors State of the Union speech

President Bush's State of the Union speech next week will avoid the traditional laundry list of initiatives and focus on a few issues, such as energy and health care, where he might find common ground with the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Posted by queencityjefro on January 19, 2007 at 07:12 PM

jeffro, it's Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone

And speaking of "must reads", Jenna-Tonic is writing a book!!!

One more, then gotta go. The carpenter will be here any minute. Life is short...live it well. Enjoy!

Bernanke warns US about burden of ageing population

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has given America's politicians a stark warning to tackle the budgetary pressures from its ageing population or face serious consequences.
Speaking to the senate budget committee last night, Mr Bernanke stressed that the government and the American people must face "the fundamental decision" as to how much of the US economic resources should go into increasingly costly programmes like Social Security and Medicare.

yes, i stand corrected- i guess i do mean beyond the usual bunch- i'm picturing the possiblity that there might be more than one candidate from both major parties that end up on the ballot in '08- in addition to the usual cast of characters that get on the ballot in our weak electoral system

i read the other day an argument that we should get beyond the geographical distribution of elected reps and move toward "one person, one vote"- that made all the sense in the world to me- 'course, direct elections of the president and the parliamentary system would make the most sense- it is hard for me to believe that direct elections of senators only came about in 1913 (is that correct?)

jef,

Dennis is an excellent candidate, just too bad he cannot sell himself to the public.

Have you all read this bullsh*t?

Republicans think they are just too cute, killing the Ethics bill with this line item veto amendment thrown on it ! The Culture of Corruption fighting mightily to keep their corruption going!

Let's make sure we get those up for Reelection next year:

"It's as obvious as the sun coming up somewhere in this world that they tried to kill this bill," a furious Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said last night in an interview. "And all 21 Republican senators up for reelection are going to have to explain how they brought down the most significant reform ever to come before this Congress. They brought this baby down."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011702443.html

park this list somewhere! those up for reelection in 2008. Remind the American public just how dirty they all are.

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Class=2

Essi..Congressional Dem's have warned Bush that he does not have authorization to attack Iran..What he is trying to do is to provoke Iran into attacking our ships in the gulf so that he can claim justification in "counter attacking" Iran...that's what Cheney is trying to do; pave the way....and Bush still doesn't think he answers to anyone. What they are hoping is that if they start a war with Iran, the country will rally around and support Mr. Bush. That is why this charade is being played out..What these people don't understand is that if they attack Iran, impeachment will be back on the table. The American people will demand it.....

dpd- i get that book mixed up with the other one- i think nir rosen wrote it- in the belly of the green bird, or something to that effect- both, i hear, are very good

wow, so a bush twin is going to write a book- isn't that special- maybe she could write a sequel (or prequel) to "my pet goat" where she somehow inserts her daddy into the narrative

i hear ya pam- jen and i saw dennis on the tube the other night- i'm forgetting, i think he started singing a civil rights song, and i couldn't help but say that he was having a "dean scream moment"

the suggestion about how archaic and screwed up our electoral system was made in the book review/essay i posted from "the nation" the other night (this week's nation magazine)

Pam, the Pugs took that line item veto rider off the Ethics bill, and it passed last night 96 - 2. Just wait for it to be added to the minimum wage bill coming up soon.

You mean "Sixteen Tons"? He ain't no Tennessee Ernie Ford, that's for sure.

goodfoe- it seems that they just might be underestimating the grasp on our intentions that the iranians have too- that story today about how cheney and his cabal totally ignored attempts by the iranians to talk to us in '03 (this story's been playing in different forms for a while now) is utterly disgusting- read juan cole's commentary from today on this if folks have not yet done so- again, all designed to further the chaos in order to continue to ratchet up the war machine- cheney is despicable and is the one that should be put on the docket for impeachment first- his puppet can be be dealt with after him

I've just figured out why Americans have so little knowledge of the actual happens inside Iraq. It has to do with the fact that most, if not all, of their news on Iraq comes from within or nearby the Green Zone. This is Baghdad news though, not Iraq news.

In and around Baghdad Shia fight Sunni for power. If you go into the southern provinces, however, you will find that Shia fight Shia for power. Anbar is a different story. There Sunni fight Sunni, with one side accepting the assistance of Al-Qeada.

What we see in Iraq is an attempt by Iraqi society to reestablish the order that was destroyed by the Bush administration. This happened when the administration chose not to work with any of the powers that existed under Saddam Hussein. Paranoia was behind this decision, they simply didn't think that anyone could be trusted and so refused to trust anyone.

Starting with a clean slate works better on a chalk board than in does on civilizations.

i just went to redstate's archives and read their posts from 11/6,7 and 8...it was an exquisite experience!

Queencityjefro...right on...and of course the Bushs' buddies, the Saudis don't want Iran to gain more control in the Middle East, so they're having their little man George use our troops to fight for them....which all leads back to the Carlyle Group which both the Saudis and the Bushs' are invested in which leads back to the land deal in Paraguay....our kids are the ones really paying for all of it...I could go on but you already know all this mess....

marine- don't you think it was more than paranoia? it would seem that the administration had grander designs for their project in iraq and it didn't include allowing that country to reconstitute their own government or infrastructure without our having completely redesigned it so that it would be remade in our own image, no?

and by remaking it in our own image, i mean by making sure that whoever ran the country would be beholden to american multi-national interests- much of the money that was supposedly invested in their country has ended up in the hands of the military-industrial complex which includes the huge private industry that now go along with our military on every imperialistic adventure- aside from companies like halliburton/kbr, i read recently that there is something like 100,000 pseudo-mercenary employees running around iraq at this time- our government is paying these mercenary soldiers (like blackwater) three and four times what the average military person makes over there (and elsewhere)- and the beauty is that this money is practically off the table and it is much harder to hold them accountable for things such as that infamous ambush in fallujah

Marine...good to "see" you....hopr you will dive in on this Iran situation...the fleet,etc,,,Bush trying to incite an incident, etc.......

you know, thanks goodfoe- and a big howdy to marine since i just jumped in to reply to your post without saying so- just figured you'd assume i was glad to see that you have popped in

gregg,

you could at least have given a link to those exquisite posts! I can't find them!

has anyone heard of this book? i've just started reading "dark ages america: the final phase of empire" by morris berman- i don't think i share his grim assessment (at least i don't want to) of the state of things, but so far his account and analysis of the last 50 to 100 years is hard to put down

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Ages-America-Phase-Empire/dp/0393058662

Hello everyone, John Boy. I hear what you are saying Jefro. There are always "other" interests involved when we take on these nation building efforts. I'm not concerned with what else Bush was thinking though, it's enough that he be held responsible for the mess he's made.

Jefro, the dark ages is exactly where this administration has attempted to take us.

headin out a while.

marine- berman argues in his book that the american project has led this country into its own dark ages- he argues that it started long before the present administration ever took power

a friend of mine who teaches medieval history at a university here in the states has been arguing since the middle of our college years that we are headed toward corporate feudalism, and every year that goes by proves that thesis more and more- complete with the military that goes to fight for the corporate-feudal landlords- with the peasant population going on before

We must educate the American people. They have been so thoroughly misled by this administration and its tentacles bored so deeply into the media outlets that it is a wonder we came out the other side with even a slight understanding that these troubles were in fact caused by the administration itself.

The Foley scandal offers insight into the operation of this administration on a whole. Anything and everything potentially damaging, whether it required attention or not, was swept under the rug. This was done for political reasons alone, as a way for persons in power to save face, and has resulted in bigger problems every time.

Jefro, in all honesty, the military has used in this way since the beginning. The Navy was formed to protect the interests of American businessmen who had encountered complications in the Mediterranean. We became involved with China during the Boxer Rebellion because there was money to be made in supporting and supplying a Chinese government converting to newer methods of war fighting. The list is literally endless.

educating the people is proving to be very difficult when they have "news" outlets like fox broadcasting over the public airwaves nothing but propagandistic garbage, when we have media conglomerates like clear channel that deliberately run air america into the ground around the country- we "watched" it happen here in cinci with the pathetic way that both the "big" wattage station and the small one that came after were run (ed schultz went on a tirade one day about the deliberate ninkompoop that was sent to run the station here, and schlutz isn't even a part of air america radio)-

the "fairness doctrine" is one thing that must be brought back to this country if we are to salvage what is left of civic discourse- otherwise, we will make the politburo and pravda look like child's play

I saw clear channel rising in 2001. I new then that they were going to make their money selling information provided by the Bush administration and attack all who sold anything that contradicted it. They obviously have no jurnalistic integrity and obviously never cared.

Happy Birthday, Tracy. I hope it's been a great one so far with the best yet to come.

I'm going to bail for awhile...the fatique hit me pretty hard a little while ago....you guys are the best...hold up my end for me Marine....Later....maybe tomorrow....

Have a good night John Boy.

How are you tonight Dorsano?

Posted by Marine on January 19, 2007 at 08:36 PM How are you tonight

Ready for the weekend. :)
For a short week, this was a long one.

I hope all is well with you, Marine. I found some snow shoes I wanted to ask your opinion on. I'll dig up the link.

You know, Jefro, I think that the best idea is to return the power to our states and local governments. It will take a great deal of time to do but I believe we would be far better off returning to our roots. The federal government should only have so much control because it is not necessary for such an entity to oversee more than the national defense. Our nation was designed to be a nation of independent states and we are a long way from that now.

I have a for instance for you. Imagine that the national government were required to request financial assistance from the state governments rather than being able to tax citizens directly. In this instance it would be difficult to attain the support required to conduct operations such as that now under way in Iraq, while it would obviously be less difficult to conduct operations such as those in Afghanistan. One was an obvious response to terrorist attack, the other was fabricated to resemble the same and that fabrication would have been torn away by independent states investigating matters for themselves.

What do you think, Marine? They are from Ruxton's Trading Post.

I've only just started looking and am willing to spend more time at it if there are better about.

marine- preaching to the choir over here, but it must be preached because the imperial project has reached a fever pitch and the corporate globalists are now unmoored from us- we (meaning us average amuricans) are now part of the project, and their intentions don't have our own interests in mind

the problem is that it seems that both parties are complicit in this project

a bit of berman's book for our enjoyment:

"Bill Clinton's solution, of course, really didn't work either. All he could offer the American people was an expanding consumer economy. This worked for a time, but ultimately it lacked the grand mythological appeal of combating an "evil empire." When you get down to it, globalization, besides being an updated euphemism for imperialism, is not much more than the elite version of shopping. If the 1890's have been labeled "gay" by past historians (in the sense, of course, of being exuberant and upbeat), I suspect that future historians will call the 1990's "frivolous," given the sheer triviality of that decade: the overblown "information highway," yuppies on the make (followed by the bursting of the dot.com bubble), O.J. Simpson and Monica Lewinsky and impeachment. It was a lost decade, with America flailing around, trying to fill the void that shopping, or heroic tales of investment and globalization, ultimately could not fill. Meanwhile, the right-wing "junta" that was temporarily out of office bided its time, networked, and waited for the opportunity to mount a neo-Reaganite comeback. When Supreme Court partisanship and corruption put Bush Jr. in the White House, and when Dick Cheney became, as vice president, the de facto president (it being generally understood that Bush Jr. lacked the ground-level gray matter necessary for the job), the neocons saw their chance. The Big Idea they had in mind to fill the national void was world hegemony, "a level of military mastery without historical precendence": "Full Spectrum Dominance." How, exactly did this come about?"

Morris Berman- Dark Ages America- pages 147-148

Dorsano, I saw something on the news the other day about snowshoeing. It didn't look like snowshoeing to me but that's what they called it. The story was about snowshoeing as exercise and was filmed in an urban area. The snowshoes used were nothing I'd use but they did trick on the heavily travelled surfaces they were being used on.

I've only ever snowshoed in deep snow. I didn't see any use for them otherwise. That's why I use snowshoes that are about 5 feet long and at least a foot wide at their widest point. I've never found these being made by anyone who mass manufactured snowshoes. I guess that there just wasn't any money in it.

Those are snowshoes Dorsano. You'll have to replace the foothold every now and again, other than that they'll hold up longer than you do.

marine- i can't argue with returning power to the states, but what this country really needs to do is actually create a system of government that would finally allow the people to have the power of the vote- what we have now is the saddest example of government in the world- there is no way around that fact based on the idiotic system that we have adopted and rarely changed over the course of our short history- that is probably the most amazing thing is that our trajectory is on course to be very short in the history of world powers

gotta head out- may return later- its friday, and for me that is a very good thing- god bless those who don't have the luxury of a five day work week

Happy Birthday, Tracy!!!

The 100-hour agenda is complete. Now we see how many of these bills find GW's veto pen. Not to mention his notorious signing bushit. However, the ink is in his pen, so-to-speak, let him veto what he wants (he is the decider) this is his last two years of educating the Ame Rican public.

Oh, Goud Eeven-ning to all of you wonderful people. I will be bubbling in and out as usual, lurking, smurking, and maybe even posting some.

Posted by Marine on January 19, 2007 at 08:55 PM You'll have to replace the foothold every now and again, other than that they'll hold up longer than you do.

Great. Thanks. Though the fact that they'll hold up longer than I will isn't much of a recomendation but I get the point. :)

I've got to get going too. Have a good night everyone. You've got me thinking about snowshoeing now Dorsano. Now all I need is a good cover of snow.

Alaska to get British-style temperatures - study
Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:50pm ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Parts of the world could heat up by over 10 degrees Celsius (18 Fahrenheit) this century with big areas becoming uninhabitable, according to a climate prediction experiment.

"We are very rapidly heading back toward the greenhouse world of the dinosaurs," Bob Spicer, one of the scientists who mounted the joint BBC/Oxford University study, said on Friday.

"Back then northern Alaska had mean annual temperatures of about the same level as we have in London -- about 10 degrees (C)."

Most scientists agree average world temperatures will rise 2 to 6 degrees C this century, mainly because of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels for power and transport, putting millions of lives at risk from flood and famine.

A draft report by 2,500 scientists of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sees world temperatures rising 2.0-4.5 C (3.6-8.1 F) by 2100 unless greenhouse gas emissions from factories, cars and power plants are cut radically, informed sources told Reuters on Friday.

it is good to see the democrats getting the nation moving on this stuff, i am impatient but they are moving and i am thankful

this stuff brought this to mind:

It seems strange to me that and the right in general have taken the position that concerns about global warming, discharge of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the general quality of the environment that our children will live in are dismissed as junk science, hysteria and some sort of plot against happiness. Rush, Inhofe, Coulter and the rest of the theoreticians and spiritual guides of the right hammer this message day in and day out. Why do they want us to believe this so strongly? It is because if we face the obvious fact that the earth and its atmosphere increasingly are being degraded and that they are resources of finite quantity then they would have to act for the sake of their own progeny if nothing else. But to act to somehow turn the tide and slow down and eventually reverse the trend towards ecosystem destruction would require regulation, accountability beyond the bottom line, and in fact collective work among people and institutions. And therein lays the rub. Collective versus the individual. They are still fighting godless communism.

President Bush's State of the Union speech next week will avoid the traditional laundry list of initiatives and focus on a few issues, such as energy and health care, where he might find common ground with the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Posted by Esmeralda on January 19, 2007 at 07:23 PM,

Mr. Bush is only looking for the applause and bravada. This is his next to the last one. He wants cheers, not jeers.

has risen since the US president accused Tehran last week of “providing material support for attacks on American troops” in Iraq.

Posted by Esmeralda on January 19, 2007 at 07:16 PM,

This administration's desire is to leave the next administration (with all probability
democratic) in as deep a hole as possible in the Middle East. Also, when Bush's surge gets rejected look for the right to use it against the Dems in 2008 as the cause of the muddle in the Middle East.

Which was more important, the Ethics Reform Bill or a Fair Minimum wage? Looks like the good of the people is screwed again. One can only wonder if the need to accomplish the 100 Hour Plan was worth screwwing the minimum wage earners in what now looks to be a killing of the issue, brokered by democrats.

Senate Ethics bargain may jeopardize minimum wage increase

An increase in the Federal minimum wage--one of Democrats' biggest campaign platforms in the November elections--may be at risk because of a Democrat-brokered compromise that allowed the Senate Ethics Reform Bill to pass, RAW STORY has learned.

After failing to pass in a vote on Wednesday night, the Senate Ethics Bill sailed through on the floor of the Senate late last night.

The bill, similar in many ways to the House Ethics Reform package which passed earlier this month, nearly went down to defeat after Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) threatened to block an amendment introduced by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) that would have given President Bush line-item veto power.

However, in an agreement reached Thursday night, Democrats promised to vote on the line-item veto amendment as part of the debate over the minimum wage increase bill that will soon appear on the floor of the Senate.

This will kill the minimum wage, or it will give Bush the line item veto.

PamB on January 19, 2007 at 07:11 PM,

One thing that I think is attractive about a former (present) governor seeking the presidency is their experience of being at the helm of a governmental state.

Senator's and congressmen (gender neutral) are mid level, and henceforth, not privy to working with the system from the top-down. I think the Bush clan knew this as well, which is why it was important for GW, and yes Jeb, to become governors to assist the rise of the Bush Travesty (er, I mean Dynasty).

Possibly now, though, and with thanks to GW, the magic aura of a governor running for president has tarnished a bit.

Richardson? I dunno, check him out, listen to what his ideas are, it is two years from now!!

Happy birthday all.

Re: Reid's warning to bush not to invade Iran. I do not see where bush has a statutory leg do stand on. The "Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq " does not mention Iran. Nor, does it seem, that the War Powers Resolution gives him unilateral authority. I think if he moves against iran, it's impeachment time.

btw I wonder if the impeachbush website holder is a capitalist repub?

Denny Doherty, one-quarter of the 1960s folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas, known for their soaring harmony on hits like “California Dreamin”’ and “Monday, Monday,” died Friday at 66.

Robert,

All of these amendments to block what the American people wanted in November will fall on the Republicans again in 2008. Let Mr. Bush veto it, let the Republicans in the House or Senate play their games with it, they end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Do we need a minimum wage increase? Most assuredly, yes, but the more this initiative gets blocked the worse it looks for the republicans.

As for the line-item veto, that's a crock of shit that pappy Bush preached about, and now the republicans are trying to give it to poppy Bush.

For one thing no sitting president can know the effectiveness of programs that they are willing to slash with their line-item veto pen. In which case, good effective programs lose money because the politicized programs need the money to pay off political deeds. Line-item veto is stupid!

veneita- thanks for the post on doherty- some of those albums are now in our collection thanks to my parents' passing along their collection

btw I wonder if the impeachbush website holder is a capitalist repub?

Posted by Veneita on January 19, 2007 at 09:47 PM,

More than likely. It would make nise fodder to convolute Ramsey Clark's ImpeachBush.org throughout cyberspace and beyond.

nise = nice

bbl

i heard on one of the news shows that the supreme court had ruled the line item veto unconstitutional and that approach being suggested would probably get ruled out anyhow. what would make sense would be a special act of congress that forbid this president from making any decisions at all except for whether to go dirt biking or watch laurel and hardy movies.

The SCOTUS has declared the Line Item Veto "unconstitutional" several times going back to at least Reagan. Most recently in 1998.

Supreme Court Deletes Line-Item Veto
Clinton disappointed; Opponents of veto call it a victory for the Constitution

Let's see how much the Pugs insist it's needed now.

i seem to recall a few folks here posting and enjoying music, especially on friday nights (i am a relative newcomer after all)

here is an obscure band that was introduced to me by a friend down in the hills of sw virginia- maybe hillbilly will happen to catch this and i imagine gregg might be interested- the band's name is foddershock- the first link is their website- you can read their sordid history on a link there- the lyricist is a social worker in sw virginia

the second link is to a page with full-length versions of some of their music- i highly recommend "dyin to make a livin"- a song about coal miners

http://www.foddershock.com/

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=84893

time to head out as it seems everyone else has made waves elsewhere- happy friday/weekend (for those who don't have to toil over the next two days)

Posted by queencityjefro on January 19, 2007 at 10:04 PM i seem to recall a few folks here posting and enjoying music, especially on friday nights

:)

Yes, we don't do it as much now as we did once upon a time.

That's an interesting group. I haven't listened a whole lot to alternative country. Seems a sort of rebellious sub genre if this group is any indication.

Sorry, jefro. I was listening to the tunes.

Hey, DPD. You probably know already that if the Bears win on Sunday, most of the nation is going to think that they are mean spoil sports.

Oh, well. Katrina was in 2005. This is 2007. Most of the Country can think what it wants. I'm surprised they beat Seattle, to tell the truth.

Once again the "independent Democrat" from Connecticut is burnishing his Republican credentials, this time by announcing that he will join in a filibuster against the Senate resolution opposing the escalation of troops in Iraq.

Lieberman Says He Will Filibuster With Republicans

JERK

hello people! bush's approval is lower than cheneys. to me there's no distinction between them. they are both guilty of war crimes and treason. they are both liars and the scum of the earth.
HALF A MILLION PEOPLE DEAD IN IRAQ.
HAS ANYONE INFORMED BUSH OF THIS?
and Nancy pelosi is right. he is going to go ahead sending more kids to die while the debate or whether it's a good idea or not is still on the table. he is already doing it. he will do anything to advance his agenda of DEATH. we lost the war a log time ago. as far as I'm concerned they can throw up another MISSION ACCOMPLISHED sign and get our troops out of there. BUSH makes me literally ill. the bile is rising up in my stomach as we speak....I wish I could race into bush's office and vomit all over his face. I wish I could stand over him and puke and gag and wretch until nothing but the last nasty drop of yellowish green bile runs down his ugly hate filled face, off his chin and down over his suit.
maybe then he would get the fact that AMERICANS ARE LITERALLY SICK OF HIS WAR AND THE LIES THAT GOT US AND KEEP US THERE!

dors and dpd- just wandered back by and saw your comments- glad you checked out foddershock- yeah, i guess they might be considered "alternative country"- as you may have noticed, they call their brand of music appalachian dysfunctional folk rock

alternative country encompasses a wide variety of influences- the magazine "no depression" covers much of what gets thrown into this category, although i doubt they have ever discussed foddershock- my friend from sw va grew up with these guys- it's just one guy who makes all the music (in his home studio) and the other just writes the lyrics- i have yet to purchase any of their stuff, but i have been wanting to get some here of late- i think the collection "black lung and white lightnin" sounds like a good one

being that i make a living in social work, i am especially taken by the fact that the lyricist is a social worker in the hills of sw va- i'd be interested in meeting him some day- i know that wv hill (the musician/singer) has been to ralph's festival- don't know about the social worker (whose name is escaping me)

i'm sorry to see that the one link at their site does not take you to a newspaper story of the two of them at this time- at least i couldn't get the link to work- too bad for that

2008 may be a big year for Minnesota's governor

The 2008 Republican National Convention will put Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the national spotlight. Pawlenty agreed this week to co-chair Sen. John McCain's presidential exploratory committee, prompting speculation that the Arizona senator could tap Pawlenty as a running mate.

I don't think McCain has a chance in the current climate but if anyone can rehabilitate the GOP brand, Tim Pawlenty can.

Tim's the savviest politican I've ever seen.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's decision Monday to help Sen. John McCain pursue a possible run for the White House comes as the two Republicans have diverged in recent days on a key issue: sending more troops to Iraq

headin out again- an old friend from the neighborhood ('70's, queen, beatles and legos, etc. that is) sent me a copy of this guy- richard shindell- he does a nice version of pete seeger's "waist deep in the big muddy"- located the full version and with jen's help, here is the link- i never understood that this was based on actual events- this drill instructor led the soldiers right into the mississippi until the platoon drowned:

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

oh, Friday nights on this blog....yes, we had a blast.

Jeff, have you checked out Vic Chestnut ...there really has been an underground movement happening here in Georgia (more music than politics I'm afraid)....when you and Jen make it down here, we'll have to make sure we hit the Star Bar...

good night all

gig- don't know, that name sounds very familiar- i'm sure that jen would know- that sounds great- if they've got a jukebox, we're there

good night

Well, this is a letter I'm sending off to Mr. Lieberman. It probably won't do any good, bu5t I feel better.

You Sir, are an unbelievable little twit!! In order to maintain your Republican agenda of the atrocity in Iraq, which I might add had nothing, I repeat nothing, to do with the World Trade Center bombings, you are willing to side with your compadres.

Why do you ignore the facts, sir? The most starkest fact being that the longer we stay in Iraq, the stronger we make the Al Quaeda presence and the insurgency. The Iraqi's do not want us there, sir. It is complete nonsense to continue wasting our resources, both monetary and especially human, on a cause that has long been lost.

Even your most recent estimate of 35,000 additional troops would just continue the blood-letting, and the tarnishing of America's image.

Please, sir, come to your good senses. The senses that induced you to seek Democratic values at the outset of your career, and vote with Democrats on ending this debacle in Iraq and bringing our troops home alive.

oops, make that Vic Chestnutt

I saw him one night in Athens, Georgia a couple of years ago.. he was great.

Posted by queencityjefro on January 19, 2007 at 11:24 PM alternative country encompasses a wide variety of influences

In some respects, the South is the creative engine of American music partly because of the mixing of country with black musical styles - the "Blues" Yodeler Jimmy Rodgers, the Rockabilly of Elvis, western swing, jazz, bluegrass ...

dors- don't get me started- we'll be here all night- great book on bluegrass that takes in much of the other things you mention is by robert cantwell- "bluegrass breakdown: the making of the old southern sound"- he's a great writer- the book is an ode to bluegrass and its influences- africa, british isles, tin-pan alley, music of the slaves, minstrelsy, etc.

Jeff, yep, last time I was there they had a jukebox...and it's a dive.. and it feels like "home" and there are still people lighting candles for Elvis in Elvis's own little sanctuary ;)

G'nite, hugs to you and Jen.

Sweet dreams everybody!

Actually, that letter to Lieberman is not a bad beginning of an LTE. Hmmm, tweak here, there. Oohh okay, I'll dewitt!!

bbl

keep saying i'm heading out so once again am going to say so long- nite all (for now anyway)

gig- jen says "hugs back"

Posted by queencityjefro on January 20, 2007 at 12:03 AM a great book on bluegrass that takes in much of the other things you mention is by robert cantwell- "bluegrass breakdown: the making of the old southern sound"-

I just added it to my Christmas list. :)

I'm off to bed, bloggers. Take care. Pass along my regards to Jenny, Jeff. cya later, aligators.

good morning. looks like everyone was over at cheney's house last night, burning witches and practicing their face shooting.

well the miracle of the market place once again astounds me with its rational clarity:

Price of oil plunging, but cost of gas won’t
Taxes, refining costs and competition among stations will slow drop
Updated: 9:05 p.m. ET Jan 19, 2007
NEW YORK - The headlines say oil prices have fallen 15 percent this year. Gas station receipts tell a different story — the cost of filling ’er up has slipped from about $35 to $33. Big deal.

The cost will probably drop further, but drivers shouldn’t hope for a big windfall at the pump: there’s a lot more that goes into gasoline prices than the current cost of crude oil.

still paying $2.50 a gallon around here

NYTimes
New Warnings on Climate Change

By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Published: January 20, 2007
The main international scientific body assessing causes of climate change is closing in on its strongest statement yet linking emissions from burning fossil fuels to rising global temperatures, according to scientists involved in the process.

In fresh drafts of a summary of its next report, the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has said that it is more than 90 percent likely that global warming since 1950 has been driven mainly by the buildup of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and that more warming and rising sea levels are on the way.

Some scientists involved in drafting the report confirmed and clarified details but asked not to be identified because it was not finished.

In its last report, published in 2001, the panel concluded that there was a 66 to 90 percent chance that human activities were driving the most recent warming.

The shift in language in the current draft, while subtle, is substantive. If it remains in the final version, scheduled for release in Paris on Feb. 2, it will largely complete a quest that lasted decades to determine if humans are nudging the earth’s thermostat in potentially momentous ways.

NOW can we take this seriously mr. cheney???

ya know barry commoner was warning us about global warming and CO2 concentrations thirty five years ago. so little was done by so many administrations and leaders both republican and democratic and so much was done to convince us it was all a big fantasy by corporate vampires.....i would love to see these turds put on trial for crimes against the future of humanity and be jailed.

Good morning fellow Democrats.

Tough talk on Iran by this administration means that this President (and I use the term loosely) will be going into Iran (remember George W constantly stated that there were no plans to invade Iraq), so get your sons, daughters, cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles ready for another conflict, while George W's family, friends, colleagues, cronies, talk show hosts
Michael Medved, Laura Graham, etc...) who back wars but do not fight them, sit back and let others do the fighting.

yes joe, it sounds like the same old riddle only startin from the middle...

Morning, Dems! Looks like today is the day for Hillary's announcement.

gg, gas is $2.50 here, too.

Posted by gregg on January 20, 2007 at 07:29 AM

morning gregg:

I heard a discussion on TV the other day, and they were saying that the current dip in the Gasoline was due to the fact that that Energy Bill was coming up in Congress, and they did not want to incite consumers to be calling their Congressmen! That by summer, we will be right back up bordering the $3 per gallon we were.

The main international scientific body assessing causes of climate change is closing in on its strongest statement yet linking emissions from burning fossil fuels to rising global temperatures, according to scientists involved in the process.

Kind of shoots Frosty's jet stream theory all to hell, no??

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) - Intensifying a war of words over a U.S. troop buildup in Iraq, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused President George W. Bush on Friday of playing politics with soldiers' lives, a charge the White House called "poisonous." "The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way that we won't cut off the resources," Pelosi, head of the Democratic-led House, told ABC's "Good Morning America. "That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's way."

Saying Democrats were waging a "sound-bite war," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino fired back: "Questioning the president's motivations and suggesting that he for some political reason is rushing troops into harm's way is not appropriate, it is not correct and it is unfortunate."

The bitter exchange marked an escalation in the political fight over Bush's plan, unveiled last week to a skeptical public, to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq as part of a reworked war strategy.
Currently about 130,000 U.S. troops are there...
"But we will hold the president accountable," she said. "He has to answer for his war. He has dug a hole so deep he can't even see the light on this ... It's a historic blunder."

Asked whether she was accusing Bush of manipulating the timing of the new deployment to avoid congressional action, Pelosi hedged slightly on her initial charge. "I would certainly hope he didn't manipulate the timing of sending the troops in. I think he could have told us about it sooner."

The White House struck back at Pelosi for suggesting Bush had political motives for moving quickly on the troop increase. "Those particular comments were poisonous," Perino said.

"Speaker Pelosi was arguing in essence that the president is putting young men and women in harm's way for tactical political reasons," she said. Perino said Bush "is sending the troops to Iraq quickly because he wants to win."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070119/pl_nm/iraq_usa_dc_4

I would ask Spokeswoman Perino the following question, "Do we not have reason to questions the President's motivations considering the only valid reason remaining that we invaded in the first place is that Saddam Hussein was a despotic leader guilty of war crimes?" Madame Speaker, keep doing what you're doing. Unless the White House comes up with at least 100,000 additional troops, which should've been there in the first place and if they had we wouldn't be there today, and a way to sustain them in Iraq for at least two years without further breaking the Army or the Treasury, then it's time to begin phased withdrawal.

Morning all,

Gas is $1.99 a gallon here in New Mexico. One station I know of is still $2.15.

We received about a quarter inch of snow yesterday. The storm pounded and is still pounding eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma yesterday and is heading east. I hope this is our last bad storm. They are blaming it on the El Nino causing moisture to sweep from the Gulf of California towards the northeast.

DEMOCRATS had better WAKE UP. Both Clinton and Obama are longshots and are UNelectable. Too many people hate her for many reasons. Ombama is a mystery with only two years in an state legislature and 2 years as a US senator. Charisma, the abilty to give a damn fine speech, and good looks is not good enough reason or qualification to lead a country in this day and time. I will support the party, come hell or high water. There will be persons, who have not and will not rise about the race thing, not to mention making special notation of his middle name. Content of character and STANCE on the issues, the abilty to lead is paramount here. Don't kid yourself niether is electable. We aren't electing a movie/rock star here. The Republicans and the MEDIA will have a hayday. While I'm at it, history teaches that anyone from the Northeast has had and will have a helluva time.

DEMOCRATS had better WAKE UP. Both Clinton and Obama are longshots and are UNelectable. Too many people hate her for many reasons. Ombama is a mystery with only two years in an state legislature and 2 years as a US senator. Charisma, the abilty to give a damn fine speech, and good looks is not good enough reason or qualification to lead a country in this day and time. I will support the party, come hell or high water. There will be persons, who have not and will not rise about the race thing, not to mention making special notation of his middle name. Content of character and STANCE on the issues, the abilty to lead is paramount here. Don't kid yourself neither is electable. We aren't electing a movie/rock star here. The Republicans and the MEDIA will have a hayday. While I'm at it, history teaches that anyone from the Northeast has had, and will have a helluva time.

Wow, she just announced and the trolls are already spewing...

Jan. 20, 2006 (ABC News)— Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has announced that she is forming an exploratory committee for president, thereby launching a bid to become the first female chief executive of the United States.

"I'm in," she said on a Web site, hillaryclinton.com. "And I'm in to win.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2810072&page=1

Madame Senator, good luck with your presidential bid. May the best person win.

Posted by Cyn_NY on January 20, 2007 at 09:45 AM

Ain't that the truth! No rest for the wicked, I suppose.

Good morning JohnE, BobVa, Cny and Doc....It's a great day to carry the fight forward...did I misss Gregg?...Gregg, are you out there or walking the pooch?......

on my way goodfoe. mornin to ya son!

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A former militia man convicted of tax evasion prepared for a government siege Friday at his fortress-like home, but U.S. marshals gave no indication they were planning to confront him.

Ed Brown said he was ready for a swarm of federal agents to descend on his property to execute an arrest warrant issued after he failed to appear for the end of his trial. He and his wife contend that they did not have to pay income taxes, and his supporters say a conflict could be violent.

"If Mexico came up on my land and tried to take my land, would I not fight?" Brown said. "The United States is the same exact thing as Mexico in this state."

Brown, 63, and his wife, Elaine, 65, were convicted Thursday of plotting to conceal their income and avoid paying federal income tax. They argued the tax is illegitimate and they are not required to pay it.

U.S. marshals said negotiations with Brown continue and they have no plans to attack Brown's Plainfield home or act quickly on the arrest warrant. He has been holed up in his home with armed supporters for much of the trial.

"He wants attention. We're determined to keep this very low-profile," U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said.

Brown said he has a stock of food and supplies and that his home can run on wind and solar generators.

"It's all set up for me to stay here forever," Brown said by phone.

Elaine Brown, a dentist who earned most of the couple's income, was staying at her son's home in Worcester, Mass., pending the couple's sentencing in April. She said she had no plans to return to Plainfield, where she fears there will be a violent confrontation.

The Browns' case has found support on the Internet from militia members to libertarians and anti-tax groups.

Rick Stanley, a Denver-based Web radio host and a militia leader, urged listeners to join Brown at his home.

"We are continuing to ask patriots to surround Ed Brown's property and life with a ring of armed Americans with firearms and video cameras to protect a fellow American," he said. "This is the flash point. This is the time of raised pitchforks."

Uh, Mr. Brown, the last time I checked, NH was still part of the union. SO PAY YOUR FREAKIN' TAXES! I often wonder what some people think that leads them to believe they are above the law.

so hillary is running, could be a long shot or could be that she wins in a landslide. early to tell. richardson, obama, hillary....good choices all around. bbl.

Good morning Goodfoe. Hope all is well your way today.

Y'all have a nice day. See ya' late this aftern