Sunday, November 30, 2008

Monday Music Blogging

The great tragedy of Tom Waits songs is that Tom himself sings them. They are quite good when covered by people who can sing, like this from Brazilian singer Cibelle.



GREEN GRASS - CIBELLE

Last chance to take a shot at Saxby Shameless

The notorious Republican smear merchant and draft dodger is doing it again, spreading lies about Jim Martin because he has no issues to run on, just subpoenas to run away from.



I watched the game between UGA and Georgia Tech yesterday, helluva game. And I wondered how a state with two excellent universities like these could elect a punch bowl turd like Saxby. Georgia, here is you chance to show some pride in your state.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Going off to visit family and enjoy some time off the old blog, see you next week. Until then, enjoy this duet.



Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash - Blue Yodel No. 9

And here is the original that Johnny refered to in the beginning.


Sick, Sick, Sick

From CNN:
A British man was jailed Tuesday for raping two of his daughters and fathering nine children over 27 years, a case with echoes of Austria's Josef Fritzl.

The two daughters were made pregnant 19 times; there were nine births, five miscarriages and five terminations. Seven of the children are alive but suffer genetic deformities.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons banning the identification of his victims and the surviving children, pleaded guilty Tuesday at Sheffield Crown Court, northern England, and was sentenced to serve 25 life sentences to run concurrently.

The judge said the minimum term the 56-year-old rapist should serve in jail should be 19½ years.

John Boehner, on the right, but never right

From the WSJ Online
House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. He said lawmakers "should start listening to the American people, who do not believe increasing government spending is the best way to put our economy back on track." He proposed eliminating the capital gains tax, which is currently 15%, as well as other tax cuts.
The Boehnerman has moved from being unable to hit a bull in the butt with a banjo to being unable to grab his ass with either hand.

From the pen of Tony Auth


Quote of the Day

Given the Inspector General's findings of violations of Department policy and Federal law in connection with the politicization of Department hiring, on what basis did the Department determine that the conduct at issue in this lawsuit was within the scope of Mr. Gonzales's employment and that his representation is in the interest of the United States?
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), wondering why the taxpayers are footing the bill for Little Gonzo's legal defense.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Army going green, Air Force & Navy, too.

For all the usual reasons the military is planning on buying a heap of electric vehicles for on base use.
Aiming to save fuel and advance alternative-energy plans, the Army, Navy and Air Force intend to buy thousands of battery-powered, 35-mile-an-hour electric cars and light trucks to provide on-base transport, senior Army officials said.

“The Neighborhood Electric Vehicle [NEV] will be at Fort Belvoir, [Va.,] before Dec. 15.

The Army’s plan has persuaded its sister services to jump on board.

“The good news is that the Air Force and Navy have come to us and said that they want to piggyback on the order. Previously, the Air Force was looking at low-speed vehicles, which are actually still gasoline vehicles. We’ve skipped that and we are going straight to electric. We are eliminating the fuel issue, period,” Bollinger said...

Bollinger said each electric car would use an average of about $400 in electricity per year, compared to the roughly $2,400 in fuel needed to run a gas-powered car, citing General Services Administration figures. Moreover, the 4,000 electric cars will save 11.5 million gallons of fuel per year, he said.
If geezers can use them inside their gated communities, it makes perfect sense for the military to use them inside their gated communities. And the Marines get to walk.

The Fed seems to have gotten a few conditions

In return for the massive guarantee of their part of the shitpile, the Fed did get a few concessions from Citi.
As part of a rescue agreement with federal regulators, Citigroup will effectively halt dividend payments for the next three years and will agree to restrictions on and review of certain executive compensation, it was announced on Monday. The bank will also put in place the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s loan modification plan, which is similar to one it recently announced.
As the little old lady who pissed in the ocean said, "Every little bit counts".

Our Dear Embattled Leader practices his pardons

Not on anybody serious yet, just a bunch of goniffs, yeggs and shtarkers.

If your piano ran away

The police of Harwich, MA may have found it.
Discovered by a woman who was walking a trail, the Baldwin Acrosonic piano, model number 987, is intact -- and, apparently, in tune.

Sgt. Adam Hutton of the Harwich Police Department said information has been broadcast to all the other police departments in the Cape Cod area in hopes of drumming up a clue, however minor it may be.

But so far, the investigation is flat.

Also of note: Near the mystery piano -- serial number 733746 -- was a bench, positioned as though someone was about to play.

The piano was at the end of a dirt road, near a walking path to a footbridge in the middle of conservation land near the Cape.
Inquiries may be made to the police department of Harwich who will hold the piano for the rightful owner.

Tom Toles today



Click pic to big

Healthcare welfare

A new study has been released that shows private Medicare plans add no value to Medicare coverage but they do cost more.
In one study, Marsha Gold, a senior fellow at Mathematica Policy Research, says that private Medicare Advantage plans “are now widely available nationwide,” even in rural areas, as Congress intended when it revamped the program in 2003.

But the study, to be published in the journal Health Affairs, says that 48 percent of the additional enrollment comes from a type of plan that mimics traditional Medicare and generally does little to coordinate care. Enrollment in these “private fee-for-service plans” has shot up to 2.3 million, from 26,000 in December 2003.

In a separate article, two analysts from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Carlos Zarabozo and Scott Harrison, said that growth in private plans had driven up costs because the government pays them 13 percent more on average than what it would spend for the same beneficiaries in traditional Medicare.

The commission, an independent federal panel that advises Congress, has expressed concern about the disparity for years.

“The higher payment rates have financed what is essentially a Medicare benefit expansion for Medicare Advantage enrollees, without producing any overall savings for the Medicare program, and with increased costs borne by all beneficiaries and taxpayers,” Mr. Zarabozo and Mr. Harrison write.
13% above the normal Medicare rates pays for a lot of executive salaries and bonuses.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Monday Music Blogging

Kris never could sing, but he wrote songs that were too full of pain to be sung and too true to be forgotten.



Kris Kristofferson - Loving Her Was Easier

Holy Crap!

According to the most recent sales figures, a Chinese beer that tastes the same going in as it does going out has taken the world wide sales lead from the American beer that tastes the same going in as it does going out.
Last year, Bud Light sold 5.18bn litres - about 9bn pints - while Snow sold 5.12bn, according to the industry statistics provider Plato Logic. In the first nine months of this year, Snow has sold 5.1bn litres, according to the third-quarter results of the company that makes it, China Resources Snow Breweries (CR Snow). And while sales of Snow are growing at about 20%, those of Bud Light, according to industry estimates, are down in its biggest market, the US, for the same period.

As a result, Snow is believed to now be bigger than Bud Light and its position at the top of the global booze league is likely to be confirmed at the end of the year.
And what is the selling point of Snow?
Reviewers at the monthly beer magazine BeerAdvocate rated it "D", describing it as "unimpressive" and "extremely drinkable, like water".
No thanks, I get up too often at night already.

Music to my ears



I would seriously support change like this.

h/t to Attaturk

Lower than a snake's asshole

Noted draft dodger and Republican slime peddler Saxby Chambliss has accused Jim Martin of being soft on crime against children. Jim Martin's daughter was abducted when she was 8 and was lucky enough to be returned safely to her family.Jim has prepared this ad to answer that lie.



Help Jim put this ad on the air. Fight the slime!

OMG! UBS is dirtier than Phil Gramm's Depends

And the Miami Herald has some more of the real dirt on how UBS wealth management was just a cover for tax evasion.
UBS itself hasn't been charged with any crime. Bank officials say UBS continues to cooperate with investigators. Miami U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta, however, made it clear that investigators will follow leads wherever they take them -- ``to individuals or institutions.''

Much of the sordid tale has been unfolding before a grand jury at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, where one former UBS banker, Bradley Birkenfeld, already has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and is spilling his secrets big-time.

A much bigger fish -- Raoul Weil, who was chairman and chief executive of UBS global wealth management and business banking -- was indicted this month on a charge of conspiring to help about 17,000 U.S. clients potentially evade taxes by hiding $20 billion in secret offshore accounts.

Prosecutors allege that UBS bankers aided U.S. clients in hiding assets through sham entities, such as charitable trusts and shell corporations, set up around the globe -- in such places as Panama, Hong Kong and Lichtenstein, as well as Switzerland. The bankers allegedly advised customers with secret offshore accounts to misrepresent bank withdrawals as ''loans'' and to use foreign-issued credit cards to avoid detection.
It should be fun in the months ahead, to see who thought they were too smart to pay taxes.

Rats prove their worth

Despite a very bad reputation, rats are showing their value in the areas of mine detection and TB testing. And it all comes from their sense of smell.
In Mozambique, special squads of raccoon-size rats are sniffing out lethal explosive devices buried across the countryside, remnants of the country's anticolonial and civil wars of the last century.

In neighboring Tanzania, teams of rats use their twitchy noses to detect TB bacteria in saliva samples from four clinics serving slum neighborhoods. So far this year, the 25 rats trained for the pilot medical project have identified 300 cases of early-stage TB - infections missed by lab technicians with their microscopes. If not for the rodents, many of these victims would have died and others would have spread the disease.
With so many now or soon to be looking for work, perhaps we could send all those Bush sized rats from DC to Mozambique to eliminate the mines once they are found. Kill two birds with one stone, as it were. But according to their trainers there might be a problem with that.
For both TB and land mines, the rats are trained to respond to the sound of a clicker; when the rat makes the scratching motion that means it has detected an explosive or the odor of disease, the handler or trainer responds by snapping the clicker, which means a nut or fruit is on the way.

So why don't the animals just scratch every few minutes to win a treat?

"That would be human behavior," said Weetjens. "Rats are more honest."

Like an umpire asking the catcher if it was a strike

That would be a good description of the way the Office of Thrift, formerly the Office of Thrift Supervision, felt it should conduct its "oversight". The end result was a classic case of doing everything possible to bring on another S & L disaster, including the presence of a key player in the first disaster under the first Bush president.

Read the WaPo report here and ask yourself, shouldn't these people be required to repay their salaries since they didn't do their jobs?

Judas Joe lies like a rug, again

This morning it was on Meet The Press. Even when pressed by Bozo the Brokaw he would not apologize for his remarks, he only expressed some regret. I guess he didn't want to be caught in too big a lie this soon in the game.

You can watch his performance here, but I would much rather see him stuffed down one of those Wasilla turkey funnels.

House Resolution 1531

In which Rep. Jerry Nadler calls for the following:
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the granting of preemptive pardons by the President to senior officials of his administration for acts they may have taken in the course of their official duties is a dangerous abuse of the pardon power;

(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should not grant preemptive pardons to senior officials in his administration for acts they may have taken in the course of their official duties;

(3) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that James Madison was correct in his observation that "[i]f the President be connected, in any suspicious manner, with any person, and there be grounds [to] believe he will shelter him, the House of Representatives can impeach him; they can remove him if found guilty";

(4) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that a special investigative commission, or a Select Committee be tasked with investigating possible illegal activities by senior officials of the administration of President George W. Bush, including, if necessary, any abuse of the President's pardon power; and

(5) the next Attorney General of the United States appoint an independent counsel to investigate, and, where appropriate, prosecute illegal acts by senior officials of the administration of President George W. Bush.
Looks like a real good idea to me and if you agree, you can sign a petition to your congressmoop right here.

h/t to Outta the Cornfield

Saturday, November 22, 2008

How do you bring down a Trillion Dollar Bank?

The New York Times has a look at Citibank and where that once great institution went wrong. It can be summed up in one passage.
Normally, a big bank would never allow the word of just one executive to carry so much weight. Instead, it would have its risk managers aggressively look over any shoulder and guard against trading or lending excesses.

But many Citigroup insiders say the bank’s risk managers never investigated deeply enough. Because of longstanding ties that clouded their judgment, the very people charged with overseeing deal makers eager to increase short-term earnings — and executives’ multimillion-dollar bonuses — failed to rein them in, these insiders say.
There is a lot more to the report, including the role of Robert Rubin, the former Treasury Secretary who is an economic adviser on the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama. What is worrisome is the thought that Mr Rubin is Obama's Phil Gramm.

Now that Hillary is going to Foggy Bottom

The question of who will replace her is being kicked around in the press. The choice is made more difficult because the real liberal Democrats, all of whom are little known outside the City and Westchester, come from downstate, which already has a lock on all the other statewide offices. For that reason alone, the Governor would like to be able to pick someone from upstate. The upstate choices are good people but include Blue Dog Kirsten Gillibrand and notorious cement head Brian Higgins. Neither would be of much use in the Senate at a time when fiscal conservatism is a very bad idea. Everybodys favorite Andrew Cuomo is reported to enjoy his job as NY Attorney General too much to go to DC. Another possible is Byron Brown, former state senator and currently mayor of Buffalo. We suspect he would prefer an easier job if he could get it, but wonder if he has the network to support two statewide election runs in two years, the replacement election in 2010 and the term election in 2012. All in all, it might be better for all if Hillary just said No.

A sad day for racing fans

But time can not be stopped and ultimately it touches us all.
Hendrick Motorsports confirmed what many NASCAR fans had suspected all season, announcing Wednesday that Jimmie Johnson's number 48 Chevrolet Impala would be put out to stud, ending its career in stock-car racing and living out the rest of its service life siring the cars of tomorrow.

"I'll be sad to see the old warhorse go," Jimmie Johnson said at the car's retirement ceremony, held in the maintenance and breeding garage on Hendrick's 60-acre racing complex. "We've been through a lot together, but I guess it was just time. I have to say, I'm a little envious."

The number 48 car, which traces its own championship lineage back to Cale Yarborough's 1983 number 28 Hardee's Monte Carlo and Dale Earnhardt's 1981 number 3 Wrangler Pontiac, recorded 7 wins, 6 poles, and 15 top-five finishes in 2008 and is expected to command a stud fee approaching a quarter of a million dollars.
A fitting end for such a magnificent beast. Who wouldn't want to be in that place.


Jon Stewart at the top of his game


The Bush legacy grows as the holidays approach

From the LA Times:
In a sign of how strained families are just to put food on the table, more than 1,000 people are lined up today for bags of groceries at Montebello Park. The single-file line is about a quarter-mile long, and some families have been waiting since 7 a.m.

At the end of the line, families are given a shopping cart and can select groceries for their Thanksgiving dinner.

As the holiday approaches, numerous food giveaways and food collections are taking place throughout the Los Angeles area today. The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank reports a 41% increase in food demand. The problem is, the organization has been able to boost food distribution by only 33%.

And after the dust settles

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

What does it all mean?


Friday, November 21, 2008

Damn that was a long time

For the first time in 400 years, the beaver has returned to Great Britain.
Does this mean the end of the English Merkin industry?

Minutes of the Republican Governors conference

As discovered by Carl Hiassen. They are very informative as these excerpts point out.
Brief remarks by Gov. Rick Perry of Texas:

Gov. Perry expressed concern that Republicans might lose their longtime grip on Texas once President Bush leaves the White House and returns to Crawford.

The governor inquired whether any other states would be willing to offer Mr. Bush a ranch, or even a ranchette. When questioned, Gov. Perry emphasized that he preferred the term "sanctuary" and not "asylum."

He said the Texas Republican Party would be glad to pay for the future former president's relocation and would arrange for all his mail and magazines to be forwarded promptly.

Gov. Perry asked for any interested governors to raise their hands, but there was no response. He said what the heck, he knew it was a long shot, and left the meeting shortly thereafter....

....In closing, Gov. Palin said she was greatly enjoying her visit to Miami. She said that she and her husband planned to take the elevator all the way up to the roof of the hotel, in hopes of seeing the Bahamas and possibly Cuba.
No wonder they don't disclose the minutes.

Is Sarah giving fair warning ?

To her opponents next time she runs? You know, pardoning Old John while Mike can view his fate in the background?


The Attorney General collapses

In front of the Federalist Society, no less, probably explaining why they could kiss their promised judicial appointments goodbye.
Mukasey was delivering a speech to the Federalist Society at a Washington hotel when "he just started shaking and he collapsed," said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. "They're very concerned."

Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words. He collapsed and lost consciousness, said O'Conner, the department's No. 3 official.

Mukasey's was noticeably shaking during his speech before he collapsed shortly before 10:20 p.m. EST.
The medicos probably have a perfectly good reason for this, but, dreamer that I am, I prefer to think the judge had an attack of conscience.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Republicans worst nightmare

From McClatchy:
President-elect Barack Obama's 3 million campaign volunteers got re-enlistment notices this week.

Campaign manager David Plouffe, in a mass e-mail sent Wednesday to former workers, asked how much time they can spare for four missions integral to Obama's effort to transform his victory into a broader political movement.

The volunteers' options are, Plouffe wrote:

* Campaign for progressive state and local candidates

* Undertake grassroots local efforts to advance Obama's agenda

* Train others in Obama's organizing techniques

* Focus on local political issues.

"Obama's building a political machine,"




Anne Kerry Ford Sings "Pirate Jenny" by Kurt Weill

Can the Bushoviks be anymore wrong than this

A federal judge with a finely developed sense of justice to go with his knowledge of the law has released 5 detainees from The George W Bush Memorial Torture Shack and Detention Pens at Guantanomo Bay. He reinforced his ruling by urging the government not to appeal his ruling saying,"seven years of waiting for our legal system to give them an answer" was time enough. He was appointed by Bush.

Quackitude 11/18


Iraqis don't believe US will leave

Despite the lofty pronouncements of important people, the average Ali on the street doesn't really believe it.
Iraqi and American leaders say that a new security pact will have all U.S. forces and military contractors out of Iraq by 2012, but 14th Ramadan Street is skeptical.

"Americans won't leave," said Mazin Ali, 30, a coach driver. "They are the decision makers in all Iraq. The decision is theirs."

He and others on 14th Ramadan Street, a commercial strip in Baghdad's Mansour district, see too many signs of a long-term American commitment to believe that the U.S. will withdraw on the timetable in the so-called status of forces agreement.

"It is not reasonable, because even if it was true and they would commit to the dates, there are great big loopholes," said Khalid Muhsin Abid, 57, pointing to the sprawling new, nearly $600 million U.S. Embassy compound on the Tigris River as evidence that the U.S. will stay.
Gee, we have only been there since 2003, why could they imagine we don't want to leave?

City cops tangling with Feds over spying on you

For the record, you will be classified as a terrist suspect. As such the cops want to be able to surveil you as easily as the FBI can and the FBI is saying of that privilege, no, mine!
An effort by the New York Police Department to get broader latitude to eavesdrop on terrorism suspects has run into sharp resistance from the Justice Department in a bitter struggle that has left the police commissioner and the attorney general accusing each other of putting the public at risk.

The Police Department, with the largest municipal counterterrorism operation in the country, wants the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to loosen their approach to the federal law that governs electronic surveillance. But federal officials have refused to relax the standards, and have said requests submitted by the department could actually jeopardize surveillance efforts by casting doubt on their legality.
So, who knew the Feds had standards?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Hang a few coyotes on some fences

Joe Galloway thinks that the Obama team has made it's first major mistake when they announced "that they have no intention of investigating anyone in the Bush administration for possible war crimes." He puts forth his reasons and I am in total agreement with them.
This nation was founded on the principle of equal justice under the law. No one — no one — ought to be able to skate or hold a get-out-of-jail-free card by virtue of having been the most powerful felon in the land, or of working for him...

...Unless the newly empowered Democrats in the White House and on Capitol Hill hang a few coyotes on some fences in Washington, D.C., they're making a huge mistake that will come back to haunt them, and all the rest of us, too.

Unless the truth, the whole truth, is unearthed, justice is done and the Republican closet is emptied of festering transgressions, the next pack will do it again, secure in the knowledge that their positions will protect them from the penalties that more ordinary citizens must pay for the same crimes.

The people of this nation have spoken loudly. They voted to throw the rascals out. They voted for a different way of governing, a different way of law making. They voted for equal rights under the law.

If their desires aren't satisfied — if the new broom sweeps no cleaner than the old one — the next time around they may move things up a notch and throw all the bastards out — and they'd be fully justified in doing so.
Like Lyndon Baines Johnson said, “I never trust a man unless I've got his pecker in my pocket.” I would feel comforted if I knew Obama had that many peckers in his pocket.

Boehner gets two more years to weep for the cameras

Aren't you supposed to seek immediate medical help if a boehner lasts more than 4 years?

It's over in Alaska

Mark Begich has won the Senate seat for Alaska by a large enough margin that Ted would have to pay for the recount if he asked for one.

Minnesota next.

Iraq shifting to Republican form of government

As we prepare for our own change of government, the Iraqis under famed Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq are making their own preparations for their upcoming transitions. In imitation of their erstwhile Republican overlords, one of their steps is the elimination of officials who are tasked with eliminating corruption.
The government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is systematically dismissing Iraqi oversight officials, who were installed to fight corruption in Iraqi ministries by order of the American occupation administration, which had hoped to bring Western standards of accountability to the notoriously opaque and graft-ridden bureaucracy here.

The dismissals, which were confirmed by senior Iraqi and American government officials on Sunday and Monday, have come as estimates of official Iraqi corruption have soared. One Iraqi former chief investigator recently testified before Congress that $13 billion in reconstruction funds from the United States had been lost to fraud, embezzlement, theft and waste by Iraqi government officials.

The moves have not been publicly announced by Mr. Maliki’s government, but word of them has begun to circulate through the layers of Iraqi bureaucracy as Parliament prepares to vote on a long-awaited security agreement.
So Baghdad is returning to business as usual, it is definitely time to go.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

They breed them special in Wasilla

From today's Anchorage Daily News:
Two Wasilla men are recovering from an accidental shooting that occurred while a gun was being cleaned.

Alaska State Troopers say 23-year-old Joshua Jones was cleaning his semiautomatic pistol Thursday evening when the weapon accidentally discharged.

Troopers say the bullet went through Jones' left hand and then struck 26-year-old Clayton Naczi in the thigh.
Not bad shooting for someone who probably averages 5 ft groups at 25 ft.

Saxby sucks

And now he is trying to hide from a court subpoena because he is too important or has too much to hide or something like that.


Droopy Dawg stares down notorious Nevada whore rustler

And having made an abjectly insincere apology and perhaps a promise or two which he will not keep, Judas Joe Lieberschmuck gets to keep his Homeland Insecurity gavel and will begin hearings on President Elect Obama's suspicious associates. at the earliest moment.

Another birthday in DC

This one belongs to that very special Republican, Sen Ted "Does this orange jumpsuit and bracelet set make me look fat" Stevens. The stodgy old GOP decided not to kick his saggy old ass out of the Senate today, but the people of Alaska have given him a special gift.
He trailed Begich by 2,374 votes as of Tuesday afternoon.
Kudos to the people of Alaska for their thoughtful gift, now he can spend his time in his miraculously remodeled home, at least until his appeals run out.

If at first you don't succeed

Just get another contract from your buddy Bushie and show the world that it was no accident.
A year after problems emerged in the construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, another State Department post being built largely by the same Kuwaiti-based company is engulfed by delays, recriminations, and an Inspector General's probe, according to U.S. officials.

The embassy building, in the central African nation of Gabon, was supposed to be finished by April 2009.

Instead, according to U.S. officials and to documents obtained by McClatchy, the $55 million complex is only 7 percent complete. Workers are still excavating the construction site in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, and early 2010 is the new target date for completion. State Department officials confirmed that the department's inspector general is actively examining the project, but declined to provide details.
State Dept. officials have asked for patience as this will probably be First Kuwaiti's last chance for some time to loot the Treasury along with Georgie's other buddies. Give them time to maximize their profits.

Some people just don't get the god thing.

A pastor in Wichita, KS declares that Obama is a muslim and his logic is as follows.
The main point of the marquee is to cause the Christians to understand he is not a Christian, Again, they will call me and they will tell me that he's not a Muslim because he is a Christian. That's not the point. The point is he's not a Christian.
And beside the fact that this is wrong, he also fails to explain why this would be of any import.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Now that we have seen the reality

Let's take a look back at one brilliant man's idea of the first black president at his first news conference.



Sadly there are a lot of dumb peckerwoods out there who still believe it will be like this.

Happy Birthday Howard Dean

He turns 60 today, which is 10 more than the number of states he tried to win for the Democratic Party. And our sincere good wishes to him are joined by our great thanks for all his efforts and the wonderful results that followed from them.



It's Monday for Martin

Time to show the latest ads for Jim Martin and throw a little love his way.




Tom Toles today



Click pic to big

Nigeria seizes 30,000kg of cannabis

Flood of e-mails requesting help getting the stash out of the country to begin arriving any day now.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Monday Music Blogging

Ease into Monday with two of the great gentlemen of jazz piano



Oscar Peterson & Count Basie - Slow Blues

Clinton as Sec of State must be a bad idea

Because even Arizona's Other Douchbag, Jon Kyl thinks it's a good idea.
The Senate's second-ranking Republican says it wouldn't be a bad idea if President-elect Barack Obama named Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.

"It seems to me she's got the experience. She's got the temperament for it. I think she would be well received around the world," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. "So my own initial reaction is it would be a very good selection."
When a top leader of a party dedicated to preventing anything good succeeding thinks it's a good idea, it is time for a return to the drawing board.

A potential tax windfall?

The notorious Swiss banking giant UBS is closing the Swiss based accounts of US citizens and telling them to go elsewhere.
Arena said UBS is closing all Swiss-based accounts owned by private clients domiciled in the United States. A Senate report earlier this year estimated there were about 20,000 of those with about $18 billion on deposit.
The accounts being closed are those used to hide tax liabilities from the IRS. This action is a response to the recent plea bargain of one of its bankers.
UBS has been under pressure from the U.S. government since June, when a former UBS banker named Bradley Birkenfeld pleaded guilty to helping an American real estate developer hide $200 million of assets and evade $7.2 million of taxes. Birkenfeld has been cooperating with U.S authorities in a widening investigation that led to the federal indictment of one of UBS's top executives.

The indictment by a grand jury in Florida, which was unsealed this week, accused executive Raoul Weil of conspiring with a host of others at the bank to market Swiss bank secrecy to American clients and help them dodge taxes. A lawyer for Weil denied the charges and said he would seek vindication. Meanwhile, UBS has given U.S. authorities the names of about 70 clients who wired money from UBS accounts in the United States to UBS accounts in Switzerland.
And all of a sudden, UBS doesn't want to have anything to do with these dodgy accounts, after profiting nicely from them until now. So after all the money has returned to the light of day and all the amended tax returns filed, the US should get their pound of flesh from UBS for their part in the conspiracy to commit tax fraud. It won't fund a day of AIG, but it will be nice to think that everybody is pulling their own weight.

Spiralling down the drain.

The Las Vegas Sun reports on the consequences of the latest Medicaid cuts in Nevada and it isn't pretty.
Cancer patients who had received outpatient treatment at University Medical Center, for instance, will have to seek treatment at other hospitals and clinics because UMC, citing reductions in Medicaid payments, says it can no longer afford to offer cancer treatment.

Low-income children with bone and spine problems may need to leave Las Vegas altogether for treatment, because pediatric orthopedists are no longer accepting payment from Medicaid because of cutbacks to their reimbursements.
So these good doctors will no longer treat patients when their problems are more amenable to treatment and it is wishful thinking that they can go somewhere else. And this so clearly illustrates the penny wise and pound foolish approach to health care in this country.
Health care experts — including the Medicaid administrator — say the cutbacks are a shortsighted way to save money at the expense of patients who have dire medical needs. Such reductions will lead to increased costs down the road when those patients — having gone without intermediate care — end up receiving costly emergency room care.

Bottom line: Nevada is in the throes of a growing crisis in providing health care for those who can’t afford it, and faces dire consequences in years to come. It’s an ongoing cycle of inefficiency.

The cutbacks illustrate a chronic problem with health care. Health care financing is driven by annual budget cycles that discourage paying now for services such as prevention and disease maintenance, even if the short-term cost will save money in a future budget cycle. Thus, reimbursements are slashed by Medicaid and services are cut by providers to meet immediate shortfalls, even though it will likely increase costs in the future.

“The state doesn’t get off cheap,” said Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, which represents doctors, and a former administrator of the Nevada State Health Division. “It just fails to meet its obligations in a timely way and then has bigger costs. And in the meantime a lot of people have been hurt.”
And in the meantime a lot of people have been hurt. And it is true that people and communities and states don't have the money now, but will they really have it later when the bills are higher? We need universal single payer health insurance , now.

Another Senator for accountability

And that makes three who have gone public so far.
Sen. Joe Lieberman is unfit to hold the chairmanship on the important Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)said Sunday.

Dorgan told Fox's Chris Wallace that Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaigning for the Republican president candidate and some Republican Senators was not acceptable behavior for someone with a Democratic Chairmanship.

"The question is, is that acceptable? The answer is no," Dorgan said.
No. Simple, direct and as obvious as the noon day sun. And before anyone thinks it will harm the Democrats, consider this admission from John Kyl, the other douchbag from Arizona.
"If he came over to the Republican side and organized with us, I don't think it would change the way he votes," Kyle said.
They could put up with his few remaining liberal positions because they know he will vote with them when its time to make trouble.

Send an e-mail to your favorite Dem senator, Judas Joe has to go. Please be polite, it won't cost you a penny.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Frank Rich is doing entertainment reviews again

This time the entertainment is the Republicans and their circular firing squads of post election "analysis".
ELECTION junkies in acute withdrawal need suffer no longer. Though the exciting Obama-McCain race is over, the cockfight among the losers has only just begun. The conservative crackup may be ugly, but as entertainment, it’s two thumbs up!

Over at Fox News, Greta Van Susteren has been trashing the credibility of her own network’s chief political correspondent, Carl Cameron, for his report on Sarah Palin’s inability to identify Africa as a continent, while Bill O’Reilly valiantly defends Cameron’s honor. At Slate, a post-mortem of conservative intellectuals descended into name-calling, with the writer Ross Douthat of The Atlantic labeling the legal scholar Douglas Kmiec a “useful idiot.”
Lest you think that is all, read on and try to keep your drink from coming out your nose as he examines the Republicans plans for retreading their too flat tire to win future elections. And shed a small tear to see how far the once Grand Old Party has descended into madness with the lunatics running their asylum. Just don't let it fall into your popcorn.

What are you waiting for?

On Tuesday the Senate Democratic caucus will have a secret ballot on the fate of Judas Joe Lieberschmuck. Two senators have come out strongly against retention of his committee chair (Yay, Leahy & Sanders!) and those who have been favorable for the lying weasel have been fairly lukewarm. If you haven't called or faxed or sent an e-mail to your favorite Dem Senator, what are you waiting for? Politics is a numbers game and the more numbers calling for the head of Judas Joe the better chance we have of seeing accountability in DC start now.

You can find them here to send an e-mail

New Rule - Go Away!

New Rules last time this year. And it's a good one.


Quote of the Day

Americans do prefer a traditional conservative government. They just did not believe Republicans were going to give it to them.
Jim DeMint, R-SC, trying to make the case that conservatism is not a losing ideology but the losers were not conservative enough so people voted for the liberal, got that?

Congratulations General Dunwoody

The first woman in the military to wear four stars.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Another shepherd beats his flock

And the RCC wonders why they have trouble filling the pews.
A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."
I can guarantee you that Father Jay ain't gonna get his 97 virgin boys when he dies and meets his maker.

Throw a Hush Puppy at Caribou Barbie

You can sign the petition here, laughing out loud is optional.

DAMN RIGHT!

Bernie Sanders has joined Pat Leahy in publicly calling for the removal of Judas Joe Lieberschmuck from the chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee. And Bernie speaks the truth about this whole charade.
"To reward Senator Lieberman with a major committee chairmanship would be a slap in the face of millions of Americans who worked tirelessly for Barack Obama and who want to see real change in our country," Sanders in the statement sent our way by his office.

"Appointing someone to a major post who led the opposition to everything we are fighting for is not 'change we can believe in,'"
As I said at the top, DAMN RIGHT!

Jon Stewart speaks out on The Word


There is an old saying

"A day late and a dollar short", which should be pretty much self explanatory. Dr. Krugman once again warns against this possibility in the federal response to the Bush Depression, which he thinks will not be as bad as the Great Depression.
in normal times modesty and prudence in policy goals are good things. Under current conditions, however, it’s much better to err on the side of doing too much than on the side of doing too little. The risk, if the stimulus plan turns out to be more than needed, is that the economy might overheat, leading to inflation — but the Federal Reserve can always head off that threat by raising interest rates. On the other hand, if the stimulus plan is too small there’s nothing the Fed can do to make up for the shortfall. So when depression economics prevails, prudence is folly.
Will Obama get this kind of advice?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

John McCain campaigns for Saxby?

Maybe yes, maybe no. You be the judge



Help Georgia get a decent man in the Senate, Jim Martin.

Last night it was 3

And today the count in favor of Mark Begich for the Alaska Senate seat is 814 and Ted "Do I look good in orange" Steven's own pollster has said that the remaining ballots come from areas that favor Begich and should break his way.
Begich, who was losing after election night, now leads Stevens by 814 votes -- 132,196 to 131,382 -- with the state still to count roughly 40,000 more ballots over the next week.

The state Division of Elections tallied about 60,000 absentee, early and questioned ballots from around the state on Wednesday. The ballots broke heavily in the Democrat's favor, erasing the 3,000-vote lead the Republican Stevens held after election night Nov. 4.

The state still needs to count at least 15,000 questioned ballots and an estimated 25,000 absentees. With all the absentee votes coming in, this will be one of the biggest turnouts, if not the biggest in terms of ballots cast, the state has ever seen. That's despite questions in the media and on blogs about why turnout appeared low on Election Day.

Most regional elections headquarters will count their remaining ballots on Friday. But the most populous region, based in Anchorage, won't count its ballots until either Monday or Wednesday, state elections chief Gail Fenumiai said.

Thursday toon

From the pen of Tony Auth


Money with oversight

When Congress passed the Last Looting of the Treasury bill, it included a provision for oversight of where the money was going and how it was being used. And today we learn the following from the WaPo
In the six weeks since lawmakers approved the Treasury's massive bailout of financial firms, the government has poured money into the country's largest banks, recruited smaller banks into the program and repeatedly widened its scope to cover yet other types of businesses, from insurers to consumer lenders.

Along the way, the Bush administration has committed $290 billion of the $700 billion rescue package.

Yet for all this activity, no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.
How very Republican, take the money and run.

Another New York Times?

Seems that a bunch of good people put a lot of time and effort into a parody of the NYT with the news stories we would like to see. Good stuff like the end of the war in Iraq and the indictment of Bush and a Maximum Wage law. You can see the online front page here, but at this time the links go nowhere. If you live in the City, you might be lucky enough to snag a full size print copy.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

A ray of sunshine in Alaska

After a hard day of counting and with roughly half of the remaining votes done, Mark Begich has come from more than 3200 votes back to a 3 vote lead.
The tally was 125,019 to 125,016.

Neither side expected to be able to claim victory Wednesday. By late afternoon, officials had counted more than 44,000 of the roughly 90,000 outstanding ballots.

"Right now we're cautiously optimistic," said Bethany Lesser, spokeswoman for the state Democratic Party. "There's obviously more votes to come in, but it goes to show how hard we worked to get the vote out early and how important that was."
Let's hope that Mark can save Stevens the embarassment of having his saggy, felonious old ass thrown out of the Senate.

Thank you, Pat Oliphant



Click pic to big

What a surprise!

When the government said it would spend $700 billion to rescue the nation’s financial industry, it seemed to be an ocean of money. But after one of the biggest lobbying free-for-alls in memory, it suddenly looks like a dwindling pool.

Many new supplicants are lining up for an infusion of capital as billions of dollars are channeled to other beneficiaries like the American International Group, and possibly soon American Express.

Of the initial $350 billion that Congress freed up, out of the $700 billion in bailout money contained in the law that passed last month, the Treasury Department has committed all but $60 billion. The shrinking pie — and the growing uncertainty over who qualifies — has thrown Washington’s legal and lobbying establishment into a mad scramble.
Golly gee, didn't see that coming.

MoDo paints a point

Or something like that. Her columns tend to confuse me these days. She does begin by illuminating a strange political fact.
When Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton ran, their fates were inextricably linked with their gender. If they failed, many women felt, there was an X through the whole X chromosome. A blot on the female copybook.

If not this woman now, Hillary’s supporters would ardently ask me, what woman ever?

But Sarah Palin can come across as utterly unready to lead the world — or even find the world on a map — and that doesn’t reflect poorly on the rest of us.
Heh!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Joe Galloway asks too many questions

All are questions that need to be asked and answered, not just today but every day that we live among those we sent off to war, needful or otherwise. He asks his questions at the Viet Nam Memorial with the ones he knew so long ago.
Did they die so that a brother veteran can die waiting in line for a little help from the nation that sent them all off to war in the prime of their youth?

Did they die so that four decades later, an American president and his cronies could start another needless war in a far-off land, a war that to date has dragged on almost as long as the one they fought in Southeast Asia?

Did they die so that wounded veterans of that war could come home to a lot of "Welcome Home" greetings and a lot of "Support Our Troops" bumper stickers, but facing the same fight that America's veterans have always faced when they try to get treatment and benefits from our Army and our Veterans Administration?

Did they die so that an administration full of draft dodgers and draft avoiders and almost bereft of anyone who ever wore a uniform or heard a shot fired in anger could prance around presenting themselves as wartime leaders?

Did they die so that 10,000 craven politicians could stand on bandstands and make speeches full of empty praise for those who protect and defend this country and make empty promises of how they guarantee that our wounded, our new veterans, will be treated better than their fathers and grandfathers were when they came home from their wars?

The economic meltdown in America, the growing ranks of the unemployed, the complete lack of work or prospect of a decent future in the rural and urban backwaters of a great nation make for a boom in enlistments in our voluntary military.

If you sign on the bottom line because you have no other alternative, no other way out of nowhereville, are you really a volunteer?

Across town, an old and ailing veteran of one of those wars will line up tonight for a cot in a mission and wonder whether he can live long enough to collect from the bureaucrats what we owe him.
Too many question, not enough answers.

Why does this matter to you?

KO has a Special Comment on Prop 8


Quote of the Day

I never trust a man unless I've got his pecker in my pocket.
Lyndon B. Johnson, providing good advice to Barack Obama if he wants to make nice with Judas Joe Lieberschmuck.

Obama sending the cavalry to Georgia

To help Jim Martin in his anticipated runoff against noted Republican scumbag and draft dodger Saxby Chambliss. Three weeks to work for another Democrat in the Senate. It is good that Obama is helping, don't let him be the only one. Send Jim a little love this Veterans Day.


Bob Herbert identifies an obvious point

That no recovery is possible by directing all our funds to the great financial houses. Without a resuscitation of the working part of the economy, the big boys will just be passing "funny money" back and forth to each other with any trickle down a result of their incontinence.
When the Champagne and caviar crowd is in trouble, there is no conceivable limit to the amount of taxpayer money that can be found, and found quickly.

But when it comes to ordinary citizens in dire situations — those being thrown out of work or forced from their homes by foreclosure or driven into bankruptcy because of illness and a lack of adequate health insurance — well, then we have to start pinching pennies. That’s when it’s time to become fiscally conservative. President Bush even vetoed a bill that would have expanded health insurance coverage for children.

We can find trillions for a foolish war and for pompous, self-righteous high-rollers who wrecked their companies and the economy. But what about the working poor and the young people who are being clobbered in this downturn, battered so badly that they’re all but destitute? Can we find any way to help them?
There are ways to help the people damaged by the Bush Depression, but President Elect Obama needs to remember that the Republicans have no stake whatsoever in the success of his efforts. Perhaps as Obama presses his efforts, he should remember this quote from Lyndon Johnson,
It is important that the United States remain a two-party system. I'm a fellow who likes small parties and the Republican Party can't be too small to suit me.

Veterans Day Music Blogging

Todays tune is accompanied by a photo montage put together as a memorial to the service of the father of the poster. It serves as well for all those who have served.



GI Jive

Monday, November 10, 2008

Judas Joe has to GO!

Call Your Senators NOW

EXTRA:Robert Greenwald has some helpful information to contact your Senators, also.

One is out and one is in

According to reports, Howard Dean is stepping down from his position as head of the DNC to allow Barack Obama to put his own choice in place. While it saddens us to see this good man leave a post where he did so much good with his 50 state strategy, we respect P/E Obama's desire to have someone he is fully comfortable with place. Dr Dean has been rumored for other positions, but whatever happens we wish him well for the days ahead and thank him for all the successes that followed from his hard work.

Keith Olbermann has just had his contract renegotiated by NBC Universal. According to reports, he will now take home $7.5 MM per annum. Congratulations KO!

UPDATE: According to the WaPo, one of the names in play for the DNC chair is Donna Brazile. This would be a serious mistake as Ms Brazile has always been more talk than walk. And whatever you may think of Dr Dean, he never agreed with a Republican who was trash talking a Democrat, something Ms Brazile has done far too often. Let's hope a more qualified candidate prevails.

The last great giveaway

And most people don't even know it happened. And all it took for the Bushies was a small change to the tax code and they were able to give the banking friends a gift worth at least $140 Billion.
The sweeping change to two decades of tax policy escaped the notice of lawmakers for several days, as they remained consumed with the controversial bailout bill. When they found out, some legislators were furious. Some congressional staff members have privately concluded that the notice was illegal. But they have worried that saying so publicly could unravel several recent bank mergers made possible by the change and send the economy into an even deeper tailspin.

"Did the Treasury Department have the authority to do this? I think almost every tax expert would agree that the answer is no," said George K. Yin, the former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan congressional authority on taxes. "They basically repealed a 22-year-old law that Congress passed as a backdoor way of providing aid to banks."
Repeal a law without the benefit of Congress, how Republican!

Krugman warns about the dangers of caution

In times like this the timorous easily fail to reach their goals. Dr Paul points out that even FDR stumbled when he let caution get the better of him, and that is why he urges the next administration to go all the way with fiscal stimulus, and then a little bit farther.
The political lesson is that economic missteps can quickly undermine an electoral mandate. Democrats won big last week — but they won even bigger in 1936, only to see their gains evaporate after the recession of 1937-38. Americans don’t expect instant economic results from the incoming administration, but they do expect results, and Democrats’ euphoria will be short-lived if they don’t deliver an economic recovery.

The economic lesson is the importance of doing enough. F.D.R. thought he was being prudent by reining in his spending plans; in reality, he was taking big risks with the economy and with his legacy. My advice to the Obama people is to figure out how much help they think the economy needs, then add 50 percent. It’s much better, in a depressed economy, to err on the side of too much stimulus than on the side of too little.

In short, Mr. Obama’s chances of leading a new New Deal depend largely on whether his short-run economic plans are sufficiently bold. Progressives can only hope that he has the necessary audacity.
Or as George C Scott so famously said, "L'audace, toujour l'audace!"

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Monday Music Blogging



Jenny Lewis - You are what you love

Would he have run if he had read this?

From the Onion:
African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America. In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation's broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis. As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind. The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it. Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, "It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can't catch a break."

From Sarah's mouth to some asshole's trigger finger

It appears that Ms. Palin's inflammatory rhetoric did start a few fires in the minds of some of her white supremacist followers.
The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks...

...Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist ideologues."
That McCain guy sure can pick 'em! And that expectation of "many more plots" makes it clear that Obama's first priority should be to target domestic terrorists. And thank you NOT, Caribou Barbie, for shouting Fire! in a crowded theater.

Obama plans to hit the ground running.

And what better way than to start reversing, throwing out and otherwise overturning the many examples of Bushovik idiocy susceptible to executive order.
A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify regulatory and policy changes Obama could implement soon after his inauguration. The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they regard as the most onerous or ideologically offensive, said a top transition official who was not permitted to speak on the record about the inner workings of the transition.

In some instances, Obama would be quickly delivering on promises he made during his two-year campaign, while in others he would be embracing Clinton-era policies upended by President Bush during his eight years in office.
ad_icon

"The kind of regulations they are looking at" are those imposed by Bush for "overtly political" reasons, in pursuit of what Democrats say was a partisan Republican agenda, said Dan Mendelson, a former associate administrator for health in the Clinton administration's Office of Management and Budget. The list of executive orders targeted by Obama's team could well get longer in the coming days, as Bush's appointees rush to enact a number of last-minute policies in an effort to extend his legacy.
Got to start with the low hanging fruit and keep the country on your side.

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey Goodbye

Tom Toles



And to think, he did it without rose colored glasses.

Defense auditors fail to do their jobs

There really is no other way to describe the inability of the agency to oversee the billions in contracts the Defense Dept lets out every year.
In 2007 alone, DCAA performed nearly 34,000 audits covering $391 billion in contractor costs. Of that total, auditors challenged $4.6 billion, or 1.2 percent, as lacking necessary documentation. The question is, how much more could they have caught?

Compared with other federal oversight organizations, such as the Government Accountability Office, DCAA's return on investment is weak. For every dollar GAO spends, it saves taxpayers $94. At DCAA, the ratio is $5 saved for every one spent.
That is a very poor return in an area rife with fraud and waste. The DCAA should be beating the defense contractors with subpoenas and withheld payments until they scream or do the job right. The savings would more than justify whatever effort is put into it.

The GOP - The "do as we say, not as we do" Party

Mike Pence, noted Republican fabulist, has suggested that the Republican Party rebuild on the basis of "sanctity of marriage". This is how to rebuild a party that has a base demographic with both the highest rate of pregnancy out of wedlock and divorce rate in this country. He is not suggesting that the base examine their own lives. No, he is calling for the party to redouble its smoke'n mirrors appeals to the rest of the country that truly values their family. It has a certain deja-vu feel about and will appeal to the burn me once, might as well get burned again crowd. The rest of the country has seen that it is all talk and no walk and gave it the bum's rush last Tuesday.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

True Confessions

The Rude Pundit has the straight skinny on why Barney the Bush Terrier snapped and bit the reporter the other day. And Barney is unrepentant so you may want to put the kids to bed before you read it.

Try looking into a mirror

New rules from Bill Maher


Priceless!

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Norm Coleman, scumbag

And a Republican to the core. First we find out that he was, allegedly, using his wife as his bag man, and now he is attempting to run the standard Republican voter fraud we have seen before, stop the count before it is done.
Republican Sen. Norm Coleman sought an injunction to stop the opening and counting of 32 absentee ballots in Minneapolis, according to a copy of the court documents filed today provided to the Pioneer Press by Democrat Al Franken's campaign.

The race between Coleman and Franken, fierce rivals for months for the right to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate, is headed for an automatic recount because Coleman's lead is less than one half of one percent over Franken. Currently, Coleman has just a 221-vote advantage.

That slim advantage, which has been slipping as counties have verified the vote totals, has put increased scrutiny on every ballot.

According to the injunction filed by the Coleman campaign, 32 of those ballots cast by absentee voters shouldn't be tallied because they were not opened on Election Day.
This was duly rejected by a judge with respect for the law. Still their efforts continue. Andy Barr, Franken's communications director puts it best.
"Ever since the routine process of canvassing to ensure that every vote is counted began, the Coleman campaign has been attempting to obstruct it. And, in typical fashion, they have now gone to court to shut down the count. This stealth attack on an early Saturday morning is a disgusting attempt to disenfranchise voters who did nothing wrong, and we will fight hard on behalf of Minnesotans who deserve to have their voices heard."
Let us hope this is just a futile rear guard action in the Republicans failed war on democracy.

George W Bush, still dangerous

Until the sun goes down on his reign of evil, he is still capable of screwing lots of people in all kinds of places. Medicare is the latest to feel the evil of his ideology which demands human suffering.
In a notice published Friday in the Federal Register, the Bush administration said it had to clarify the definition of outpatient hospital services because the current ambiguity had allowed states to claim excessive payments.

“This rule represents a new initiative to preserve the fiscal integrity of the Medicaid program,” the notice said.

But John W. Bluford III, the president of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., said: “This is a disaster for safety-net institutions like ours. The change in the outpatient rule will mean a $5 million hit to us. Medicaid accounts for about 55 percent of our business.”

Alan D. Aviles, the president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the largest municipal health care system in the country, said: “The new rule forces us to consider reducing some outpatient services like dental and vision care. State and local government cannot pick up these costs. If anything, we expect to see additional cuts at the state level.”
So having screwed the economy, he now limits the services available to those who will be thrown upon Medicare for necessary health services.

New suit, same old schmuck inside

Sen. Kyl has begun the Republican obstruction season by declaring he will filibuster qualified judges for appointment to the Supreme Court if they don't meet his ideological standards.
“He believes in justices that have empathy,” said Kyl, speaking at a Federalist Society meeting in Phoenix. The attorneys group promotes conservative legal principles.

Kyl said if Obama goes with empathetic judges who do not base their decisions on the rule of law and legal precedents but instead the factors in each case, he would try to block those picks via filibuster.
Were Kyl and honest man in his pronouncements, he would have opposed the scurvy crew of the Dread Chief Justice Roberts and Alito, Scalia and the Cabin Boy Thomas. But Kyl is not an honest man, he is a Republican.

Is Alaska the new Ohio?

The current vote counts do seem to bear that out as the numbers disclosed so far don't match either pre-election polls or expectations.
Even though the polls this year have generally been pretty accurate, they were way off in Alaska. Stevens was running between 7% and 22% behind his Democratic challenger in the polls, but now he is narrowly ahead in the vote count.

The polls also consistently showed Rep. Young as losing by at least 6%, but he is currently ahead in the vote count by 8%. Even in the presidential race, where polls showed McCain leading by 14% or less, the vote count has him winning by 61% to 35% -- precisely the same margin as George Bush in 2004. That represents a polling error of at least 11% to 14% in all three races.

At the same time, total voter turnout appears to be about 11% lower in Alaska this year than in 2004 -- despite over 20,000 new registrations, heavy turnout in the primaries, record early voting, long lines at the polls on Election Day, and the state's own governor being on the ballot, all of which had led to an expectation of record participation.
A polling error of 11% and 11% lower turnout than expected. A facile comparison were it not for the unease of the professional pollsters themselves at the way the numbers have played out so far.
The Washington Post reports that pollsters themselves are "not happy" about the results. "Anchorage pollster and Republican political consultant David Dittman, a Stevens supporter, predicted a 'solid Begich win' The national polling firm, Rasmussen Reports, accurately predicted every Senate race in the country within the margin of error in their most recent polls -- except Alaska. Alaska pollsters Ivan Moore, Craciun Research Group and Hays Research Group all also had Stevens and Young trailing in the lead-up to the election."
There are still many ballots to be counted but that can not coverup the smell of salmon in the hot sun up in Alaska. The only thing we can count on is that the governor will probably shiv old Stevens in the back if he wins. Then she can run in the special election to replace him.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Do not ask for whom the bell tolls

In the Senate Democratic caucus it is tolling of Judas Joe Lieberschmuck.
It may be too late for Lieberman (I-Conn.), a former Democrat, whose non-stop campaigning for McCain angered President-elect Barack Obama, insiders confirmed to the Daily News.

"You don't run around the country campaigning for McCain and saying you're afraid the Democrats will get a 60-seat [filibuster-proof] majority, and then beg to keep your chairmanship," said a senior Democratic source.
Joe is toast and not even his autographed set of pictures of him giving Dick "dick" Cheney a blow job will keep his seat.

Quote of the Day

The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand. At this point, honestly, we're going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state.
John Aravosis, describing the aim of the Utah boycott.

There is bad advice and good advice

And there is Dr. Krugman laying down the righteous word. With the economy being the 800 pound gorilla in the room, everybody is putting forth advice to the President-Elect. On the basis of how many times he was right while others were blowing bubbles out their assholes, I would listen to the good Dr.
Right now, many commentators are urging Mr. Obama to think small. Some make the case on political grounds: America, they say, is still a conservative country, and voters will punish Democrats if they move to the left. Others say that the financial and economic crisis leaves no room for action on, say, health care reform.

Let’s hope that Mr. Obama has the good sense to ignore this advice.

...a serious progressive agenda — call it a new New Deal — isn’t just economically possible, it’s exactly what the economy needs.

The bottom line, then, is that Barack Obama shouldn’t listen to the people trying to scare him into being a do-nothing president. He has the political mandate; he has good economics on his side. You might say that the only thing he has to fear is fear itself.
I would hope that P/E Obama will find a way to get Dr Paul's wise counsel without having to wait for delivery of the NY Times.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

One more race to win

After all the speeches and mailers and robocalls and TV ads there is one more Senate seat we can help win for Barack Obama. The one currently held by notorious draft dodger and Bushovik slime dog Saxby Chambliss is headed to a runoff as no one reached the 50% plateau, put in place by the Republican legislature in Georgia. Jim Martin needs your help to bring one more seat to the Blue side. Watch his ad.



And send him a little help here.

Lieberschmuck prepares for meeting with Reid



h/t to Raw Story

Quote of the Day

"Yes We Can -- beat the hell out of Republicans."
Joe Scarborough, admitting he is on the wrong side of history.

The rats and roachs just won't stay out of sight

The second day after a most successful election and the mouth breathers have already begun calling for the impeachment of Barack Obama. These poor sick bastards seem to feed on hate, they certainly don't want to build anything.

And their wet dream.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Congratulations to all the states of "Blue" England

Up there where the Revolution began, they finally rid themselves of the last Bush sucking Republican House member when Chris Shays went down to defeat at the hands of Jim Himes. Blue is such a lovely color.

Barack Obama's Victory speech

Before a crowd of 125,000. WOW!


A good way to look at it



Leonard Pitts puts his feelings into words

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

If you are still looking for an interactive election map

The NY Times has a nice one here.

For those who wait to the last minute.

Don't do it, go now!


If it were up to me

I would have said yes to George Bush's question, unfortunately Broder screwed things up again, as usual.
In a press conference held this morning on the White House lawn, President Bush formally asked the assembled press corps and members of his own administration if, in light of today's election, he could stop being the president now. "So it's over, right? Can I stop being president now?" Bush said after striding to the podium in a Texas Rangers cap and flannel shirt, carrying a fully packed suitcase. "Let's just say I'm done as of now. Presidency over." When informed by Washington Post reporter David Broder that his presidency would continue through early January, Bush stared at him quizzically, sighed, and shuffled silently back into the White House.
The Onion is a cruel news source.

Today Is Election Day

If you have not already done so, get up, get out and

VOTE!



Like the little guy sez.

Click pic to big.

A good sign

Sure, there have been millions of early votes across the country already, but the very first official results are in.
People in the isolated New Hampshire village of Dixville Notch cast their ballots just after midnight. The village, home to around 75 residents, has opened its polls shortly after midnight each election day since 1960, drawing national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known.

Democrat Barack Obama won 15 of 21 votes cast, and Republican John McCain won six votes. It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election.

Since 1996, another small New Hampshire town — Hart's Location — reinstated its practice from the 1940s and also began opening its polls at midnight. The tally was Obama 17, McCain 10 with two votes written-in for Ron Paul.
Obama 32, McCain 16. Way to go, Dixville Notch & Hart's Location!

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