Krugman Endorses Edwards' Health Care Plan

One of the worst afflictions that our country faces is the abhorrent health care system that is in place. Nearly 50 million are uninsured in what is the wealthiest country on the planet and many that are insured do not get adequate coverage. Why is this you ask? This crisis has occurred because of insurance companies being allowed to favor profits over helping those in need. We need a change in the status quo and I am looking to our Presidential candidates for answers.

John Edwards recently introduced his plan which set the standard among the 2008 potentials and the American public will look closely at his ideas and those to follow. Well NYT columnist Paul Krugman analyzed the details of the Health Market system which allows people to get insurance even without their employers offering a good plan.

From the NY Times:

Why is this such a good idea? As the Edwards press release points out, marketing and underwriting the process of screening out high-risk clients are responsible for two-thirds of insurance companies overhead. With insurers selling to government-run Health Markets, not directly to individuals, most of these expenses should go away, making insurance considerably cheaper.

Better still, Health Markets, the press release says, will offer a choice between private insurers and a public insurance plan modeled after Medicare. This would offer a crucial degree of competition. The public insurance plan would almost certainly be cheaper than anything the private sector offers right now after all, Medicare has very low overhead. Private insurers would either have to match the public plan's low premiums, or lose the competition.

And Mr. Edwards is O.K. with that. Over time, the press release says, the system may evolve toward a single-payer approach if individuals and businesses prefer the public plan.

Well how about that? The government can put its hand into the market and save people money on the most important thing in their lives, their health.

O'Reilly's Next Victim of His Own Egomania

The O'Falafel Factor has made a name for itself by shamelessly attacking people and organizations that call Bill on his bullshit. For the last few months, he has mercilessly attacked NBC with complete abandon. Of course Bill doesn't attack with facts, since he lives in the No Fact Zone. O'Lielly prefers to throw insults and launch baseless accusations in order to prove the point that is somewhere inside that thick head of his. I have a feeling that NBC might get a reprieve shortly however.

Recently he went after a young boy who was abducted and raped by an older man. This drew the ire of many people in the blogosphere and even the mainstream media, in fact some of his own guests were skeptical about his own remarks. When it was found out that he was to be the keynote speaker at the National Center for Missing Kids' event down in Naples,FL this weekend, the blogosphere was not having it.

From Crooks and Liars:

I challenge the National Center for Missing Kids to make O'Reilly apologize to Shawn before he speaks at an event for them being held in Naples, Fl. I've called their branch and I'm waiting for a comment, but I doubt they even know about O'Reilly's behavior.

Olbermann also talked about this…..I was looking for an apology on O'Reilly's part, but the NCMEC took it upon themselves to cancel him from appearing:

In response to the numerous e-mails and inquiries we have received, we are providing the following update regarding the Collier County, Florida branch fundraising dinner scheduled for March 9, 2007 in Naples, Florida. Bill O’Reilly, host of The O’Reilly Factor, will not be a speaker at the dinner. The dinner will be held as scheduled. John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted, will be the keynote speaker.

We would like to thank everyone for their comments and e-mails.

Hooray for the NCMEC on their smart decision. O'Reilly is no friend of exploited children and has no place to speak at an event in their name. I hope to see O'Reilly blacklisted from similar events in the future as he continues to paint himself into the corner of deluded rightwing hacks.

However, since we are talking about Bill O, the foundation should be on the lookout for baseless attacks hurled at them from the loon on FoxNews. He will pull 'facts' about how they do a terrible job out of his ass. He will invite 'experts' on the Factor to show John Walsh is actually a rapist himself. He will do anything to lash out at people who hurt his feelings. O'Lielly is a three year old child in a 57 year old body (that looks at least ten years beyond that).

DiNapoli: Another Hevesi?

As the new controller for the state of New York, Tom DiNapoli has a lot to learn and in a short amount of time. The writing is on the wall about Tom and people have begun to take potshots.

This from the Daily News Op-Ed:

Intercepted mail: Dear Mr. Tom DiNapoli! Greeting please! As barrister to widow of late vice president of Nigeria, I have honour to seek confidential U.S. agent for take custody of $50 trillion in gold! Kindly provide bank account number so as to proceed with ...

Tom, this came to us while you were off attending the How To Be A Controller 101 class down at the Sheldon Silver Academy For Loyal Lads. We forward it with advice: This is the type of investment opportunity you should avoid as sole trustee of New York State's $145 billion pension fund.

Also, forget that gypsy lady who says she found $1,000 on the street. And please note that Beanie Babies and Pez dispensers are no longer blue-chips in the collectibles marketplace.

Damn! What will he do with the horde of Beanie Babies up in Albany? Seriously though, this guy has no experience and was picked despite that because of his buddies in the legislature. So what will he do with New York's $145 billion dollar pension plan? All I have to say is that hopefully he won't be another Hevesi, who is a convicted thief in case you didn't know.

Congressman Weiner On The Republic Party

Congressman Anthony Weiner makes me proud to be a New Yorker. This speech in front of the Congress was pure brilliance. He hammers the 'Republic' party over and over again due to the non-issue of Nancy Pelosi's security and shows that the elephants are the ones with no ideas.

His words are dead-on and the way he conducts himself by shutting down the 'Republic' Congressman put a smile on my face. Oh yes, it is good to be in the majority. Free at last, free at last, oh lordy free at last!

The Next Obama Announcement Preview

I could have sworn he had announced already, but the news today showed tomorrow is the actual formal declaration of the Obama 08' candidacy. Here is the preview, straight from Barack:

Ben 'n' Jerry's To Introduce Colbert Ice Cream

This may not be the most pressing of news, but it is a Friday night so what the hell. Apparently a Whole Foods employee leaked the news along with a photo of the new pint sized ice cream container. Ben 'n' Jerry's won't provide any hard information, but they are hinting that something is in the works.



From the HuffPost:

Suffering from sweet-toothiness? Ben and Jerry's is rumored to have a new flavour in the works: Stephen Colbert's "Americone Dream" Ice Cream. Information regarding this latest addition was first leaked to Colbert fan site NoFactZone.net by a random Whole Foods employee, who even went so far as to provide this pic.

Looks and sounds yummy. I remember when the Dave Matthews Band "One Sweet Whirled" came out and bought a few of those delicious treats. Colbert's looks even better. There really isn't much more on this topic, so I'm open to ice cream suggestions. They say after surgery you are supposed to eat a lot of ice cream and being a recent patient of a knee surgeon, I am game for some of the cold stuff.

Update:

From the No Fact Zone:

Ok, so this anonymous source that has been leaking me all kinds of good information about the Stephen Colbert ice cream leaked us ....

A PICTURE!

From the last comment we got in the original post:

To finally wrap up this ice cream scoop ... I bribed one of our graphic designers to take a photo of Americone Dream. Just sent it to you, DB. To answer the question of where you can get it: nowhere as of yet. This was a packaging sample, not a live product sample; the pint is actually empty. Though that hasn’t stopped a constant stream of coworkers from stopping by my office to touch it reverently, as though it were the Shroud of Turin. [Editor’s note: Tee hee!]

Upstate Winter Wonderland

It looks pretty but the unrelenting snow is causing problems for local residents that are dealing with eight feet of snow or more this week.

From the NY Times:

The Hoohaa Is A Vagina Yet Again

Yesterday's report on the Atlantic theatre changing the name of the Vagina Monologues will be over soon. The critically acclaimed Vagina Monologues was temporarily re-named by the theater's owner in response to a puritanical lady who was offended by a billboard that caused her little niece to ask what a vagina was. Well dear, it is a pee-pee thing that we don't talk about because that would shame us in front of god, or some bullshit like that.

Well I wrote to the theater to see what was up, and I got a response from one of the managers:

Hi, I am one of the managers here at Atlantic Theatres and I want to say "Thank You" to all of you for writing. First, I think some of you may have misunderstood our actions by thinking we were "caving." "Hoohaa" was meant to be taken tongue in cheek-- I am furious that a woman would complain that her niece who READ the sign actually asked what a vagina is?!! If the child is old enough to read it she should KNOW what it means. I have a 9 year old daughter myself who knows the correct term for her body parts.. why?.. because I taught it to her! It's her body and she should not be ashamed of the words. Of course all kids call them by different names, mine what other than "hoohaa," hence the marquee.. they should be taught the ANATOMICALLY correct terms!! Sorry if it offended anyone but I was offended by the complaint, and now since we have gotten so much support we ARE changing it back to what it should be VAGINA! If Broadway can put up Vagina then we should be able to also!!

Thank you Atlantic theater, for hitting the puritanical evangelicals with humor that most likely went over their heads (Al Pacino scares them too much) and to put the name back just as it was before.

Poll: Arabs Hate Bush More Than Sharon and Olmert Combined!

It is common knowledge that in the arab world, Israel always comes out on top as being the most scorned nation and their leaders in particular. Prime Ministers have always ranked number one on the list of most hated people outside their own countries. In recent years Bush has surged to the #2 spot, but the decider never wants to be outdone. This year he got his wish.

From Rawstory:

According to the poll's author, Shibley Telhami, past results have always placed the Prime Minister of Israel as the most disliked among Arabs. "In the past few years, the President of the United States has become number two. In the most recent survey, the striking thing is for the very first time in the Arab world the most disliked person is the President of the United States of America, and superceded the combined numbers for both the Prime Minister of Israel and his hated predecessor Ariel Sharon, who's in a coma," said Telhami.

Now that takes skill. To be hated more than Olmert and Sharon combined requires the tenacity of a strong man, a decider, a man that knows what he wants. Who cares if his goal is the destruction of the planet, he is strong and resolute. If I were behind him, I would walk besides him....until of course, he went over the cliff. At that point I would just watch the descent. Oh wait, thats what I am doing now with the rest of the country.

Where Did All That Money Go?

Jon Stewart dissects former CPA boss Paul Bremer's testimony on the hill this week.

Weapons Of Mass Distraction

As our troops are being slaughtered in Iraq, our economy is floundering for the working and middle classes and the health care crisis rages on unabated, you would think the media would have plenty of issues to talk about that mattered to Americans. Well think again, when it comes to the media at large, expect nothing but over-hyped stories that effect a minute fraction of the American people.

In case you didn't notice, Anna Nicole Smith mysteriously passed away yesterday at the age of 39. It is a sad tale where a young mother lost a child a few months back and is now leaving a newborn behind with no father to be found. Whatever the case may be, whether suicide, depression or natural causes, it has no place being repeated for hours on end in the mainstream media. Sorry to offend the Smith fanbase, but seriously, the nation has more pressing problems at hand.

It seems like there are always stories that consume hours upon hours of network news that are used to boost ratings based on sensationalism, from the still-missing Natalie Holloway to the Jon Benet Ramsey unsolved murder. The business of journalism is more focused on pleasing their advertisers than doing the business of actual journalism.

This One's For You MSM

Considering the Edwards-blogger brouhaha, I believe this TT sketch from last year covers the unfair practices that the so-called liberal media commit on a routine basis.

Condi Gets Down

Care of PoliticsTV

Vaginas Are Scary

Apparently there are a lot of people out there that can't come to terms with their own bodies. They fear themselves with such contempt so that they demand a name change to a critically acclaimed play called the "Vagina Monologues." If you haven't heard of the play then get yourself acquainted because it is an important piece of theatric art that empowers women in our patriarchal society.

From RenaF on DailyKos:

I almost couldn't believe my ears this morning as I got dressed for work. I go about my morning routine with CNN's American Morning on in the background. I don't usually focus too heavily on what they're talking about unless it's hard news, but a brief mention of a story this morning caught my attention and left me literally disgusted.

If you would be so kind as to follow me, you can bear witness to the Great Vagina Controversy of 2007.

Here's the blurb from CNN's American Morning. They were doing a teaser for the 9am show, CNN Newsroom, hosted by Heidi Collins (transcript):

S. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" just a couple of minutes away. Heidi Collins is at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead this morning.

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Soledad. And good morning to you, everybody.

That's right, we have these stories coming up in the "NEWSROOM" today. Good grief, first winter wouldn't start and now it won't stop. You've heard Chad talking about it, some spots in upstate New York buried under six feet of snow.

And the fight over Nigeria's oil riches. Our Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange face to face with masked rebels. A dangerous and amazing piece of reporting that you've got to see. We'll show you that.

And sign of the times -- a critically acclaimed play causing a little southern discomfort, so the producers have changed the name of "The Vagina Monologues."

Tony Harris is with me in the "NEWSROOM" of the hour right here on CNN.

(LAUGHTER)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh.

M. O'BRIEN: "The Hoohaa Monologues?"

COLLINS: You got it. Some people were offended, you know.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness. I can see why. That's very interesting.

M. O'BRIEN: "Hoohaa" kind of bothers me.

COLLINS: No, I mean, they were offended by the original name.

S. O'BRIEN: No, no I get you on all fronts.

M. O'BRIEN: But you know, some people might have a "Hoohaa" problem. Who knows.

COLLINS: I'm done.

S. O'BRIEN: As am I. We're done.

CNN did an awful job of telling the true story of course. What happened was that a woman was driving with her niece one day and they saw the billboard advertising the play. The curious little girl asked her aunt what a vagina was, as children are naturally curious to learn about things they see. The aunt however, was furious that she would even have to answer a question about the female anatomy. In fact, she took that fury to the playhouse and had them change the name of the play to the 'Hoohaa Monologues.' Now that is ridiculousness at it's best worst.

Colbert's Word On The Iraq Debate

Along with the text on the side, Stephen knows how to get the message across on the sneaky tactics of Republican, Joe Lieberman and the White House on the debate over Iraq:

John Edwards Gets It Done

From his blog:

The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word. We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.

Well said, the story should be over now. Never let wingers spread a deceitful message and allow them to get away with it.

A Dirty Cop That Deserves Justice In The Worst Way

Credit:Indymedia.org

The NYPD's Chief Smolka is retiring after a 32 year career, finishing as the top cop in Manhattan south of 59th St. The position was a sweet one and now he is giving it up for a nice big pension and apparently wants to work for Revlon (Now that is a story on its own merits).

Well that would sound like something from a press release. The facts of the matter are much different. Smolka's past includes supervising the now-closed Street Crimes Unit that was responsible for the death of Amadou Diallo and the piece of news below.

From I-Witness:

Does the timing of Chief Smolka's exit from NYPD have anything to do with his upcoming civil trial for using excessive force against another woman activist? A deeply disturbing video that will be introduced as evidence in the trial shows Chief Smolka kneeing Cynthia Greenberg in the head while she is engaged in passive civil disobedience.

I-Witness Video has obtained the videotape of Chief Smolka personally taking Ms. Greenberg into custody during an anti-war demonstration at the Federal Building in Manhattan on May 5, 2003. The circumstances of the civil disobedience that day were negotiated in advance with the police department, including an understanding that arrested demonstrators would receive "desk appearance tickets" (summonses) rather than being locked up overnight.

Well that doesn't jive with the new and improved NYPD. After all of the mishaps and blatant police brutality seen around the city, it turns out we have another incident on our hands. This one goes almost to the top and it was caught on video too. I don't know about you, but if I was a protester practicing civil disobedience and I was called a c-you-next-tuesday and kneed in the face, I would be pissed. I would be more than pissed, I would want him dishonorably kicked off the force and brought to trial. That is what Cynthia Greenberg is doing.

Thankfully the trial part is already under way. The National Lawyer's Guild legal observer Adrienne Wheeler is bringing an additional suit against the police chief as well. Chief Smolka should also be brought to justice for many other reasons. He was recently named one of the top 50 most loathsome New Yorkers by the New York Press. I hope to see the full letter of the law heaped on top of this criminal with a badge, though you never know in Gotham.

Libby Trial Roundup: 2/7/07

From The Huffington Post:

As well as tossing a dart into Tim Russert's credibility, Libby attorney Theodore Wells's cross-examination helped expose the all-too-chummy nature of insider Washington. He put up on the screen, Meet the Press-style, portions of the motion NBC filed in an effort to quash the May 2004 subpoena compelling Russert to testify in front of the Plamegate grand jury. It was a portrait of pomposity, and a bracing reminder of the way things work in Club Washington:

"Sources provide information to Mr. Russert based on their shared understanding that they are communicating in confidence and that he will not disclose publicly either their identities or the information provided by them. Mr. Russert has determined that absent such an understanding, public officials simply will not speak freely and candidly about the most important issues of the day."

More Ridiculous Laws In NYC

There has to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of iPods in New York City and other major metropolises in the Empire State. Now Carl Kruger wants to legislate against using them to cross the street. I am all in favor of government regulation to a degree, but State Sen. Kruger has crossed the line here.

From WCBS-TV:

We all seem to have one -- an iPod, a BlackBerry, a cell phone -- taking up more and more of our time, but can they make us too distracted to walk safely? Some people think so.

If you use them in the crosswalk, your favorite electronic devices could be in the crosshairs.

Legislation will be introduced in Albany on Wednesday to lay a $100 fine on pedestrians succumbing to what State Sen. Carl Kruger calls iPod oblivion.

What I am oblivious to does not concern Sen. Kruger. As a free citizen of New York and the United States of America, if I want to blindly step into an intersection and be run over by a bus as a result of listening to Green Day or Bob Dylan, that is my right as an idiot living in Manhattan. It would be a terrible way to go, but it would be my 'choice', so to speak.

Outlawing trans-fats, pit bulls and now operating iPods while crossing the street is too much. Stay out of my stomach and my earphones damnit! Instead of bringing bills like this up for consideration in Albany, why don't you focus on some of the real problems that plague the legislature. Perhaps you could join up with our new governor and help solve our health care and education crisis for starters. Now I'm off to blast my iPod while walking down the middle of 3rd Ave. Hope to see you all later.

Mike Jones Responds: Calls Haggard's BS

The miraculous recovery story of Ted Haggard has lived to see another day. Mike Jones, the former male prostitute that had a relationship with Ted went on MSNBC and told the cable news network that Ted is definitely a gay man. See Ted, it is okay to be who you are, stop pretending to hide in that glass closet of yours.

From Mike's interview:

Replay video | Share video | Watch more videos

First of all we know that Haggard's claim that he was convinced of his heterosexuality is absolute nonsense. The thing we can't be certain of is whether Jones was his only partner. Well Mike also noted that he heard at least two other people admit to fooling around with the ex-minister though they haven't come forward yet.

From Rawstory:

In response to one of Haggard's counselor's claims that Haggard's activities were not a "constant thing," Jones explained that he could only speak to the time he spent with Haggard and that had an ongoing sexual relationship with the minister and that their time together "indicated a gay man to me." Jones also shared that he had heard from two other individuals that claimed they had encounters with Haggard. Those accusers, Jones asserted, have chosen to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs.

I wonder if Ted had reached out to those that had encounters with him and scared them out of coming forward. Hopefully those two or more may have the courage to bring Ted to his senses and help him see that lying and promoting the absurd notion that you can be prayed into heterosexuality is wrong.

Help Keep Us Wal-Mart Free!

I saw this posted on The Daily Gotham and had to put my cent and a half in on it.

Despite widespread opposition, Wal-Mart relentlessly tries to get a foothold within the five burroughs. This time they have begun a stealthy campaign to open a store at Allbee Square in Brooklyn.

New Yorkers are not taking this sitting down. We want to keep the uncaring behemoth away from our city and stop the damaging affects of the biggest box store from replicating here. Thankfully Wake-Up Walmart has delivered and announced a protest tomorrow at Allbee Square. I would personally be there screaming and holding signs, though my recent knee surgery keeps me from doing much physical activity these days.

From Wake-Up Walmart:

As you may know, Wal-Mart has had its eye on New York City for years. Now, Wal-Mart's latest attempt to sneak into NYC is taking place in Brooklyn at Allbee Square.

Please join Brooklyn City Council members, Wal-Mart Free NYC, and local community groups at a rally this Thursday, February 8th, to send a strong message that Wal-Mart is not welcome in downtown Brooklyn (or in any borough of New York City).

We are joining together on Thursday, February 8th, at 1:00 PM at "The Gallery at Fulton Street" in Allbee Square.

RSVP to join us at the rally on Thursday to make your voice heard.

The only thing that has stopped Wal-Mart from building in New York is the growing community opposition to Wal-Mart's irresponsible business model.

Wal-Mart's values are not New York's values. We must stand together to stop Wal-Mart from shutting down the hundreds of small businesses near Allbee Square. Our community does not need poverty-level jobs without affordable health care.

Please attend the rally on Thursday. Bring your family and friends, and let Wal-Mart know where you stand.

Until Wal-Mart changes for the better and becomes a responsible, moral employer, we will continue to stand up and stop Wal-Mart from building in our city.

Please join us this Thursday.

Thanks for all that you do,

Ed Lynch
WakeUpWalMart.com, New York

P.S. For additional information contact Ed at edwinelynch_at_aol.com

I hope a lot of people can attend the event. It is imperative that we keep those bastards out of NYC!

Burton Forgets The House, Prefers The Links Instead

Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) has been around Washington a long time now and apparently it is getting to him. Being in the minority must be a drag to someone that is obsessed with power such as Dan. So instead of working for his constituents and representing them in Congress, he chose to go golfing for an entire week down in Palm Springs for the Bob Hope Pro-Am.

Rawstory picked this up via RollCall:

Ben Pershing writes in today's 'Heard on the Hill' column that Burton missed 19 House votes over four days in order to play in a 'Pro-Am' charity golf game. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Springs, CA, was played on four golf courses over four days.

Burton has played in the event on several occasions over the years. Pershing reveals that the Indiana Republican even scheduled a 'field hearing' of a House Committee in Los Angeles the same week as the Bob Hope Classic in 2000. Pointing to a report in an Indiana newspaper, the Roll Call article also suggests that Burton may have used campaign funds to pay for the $12,000 entry fee in the charity game.

When he abandoned the people's business last month, he managed to get his cards in order. Scheduling a 'field hearing'? Making sure campaign funds paid for the trip? Dan really knows how to look like a scum-sucking, corrupted Congressman. Ah, the things we learn in Washington. Oh, and by the way, does this make you wonder if you could skip work for a week and go play golf?

Ben Pershing at RollCall did (subscription only):

And really, why should they? Why should an elected official like Burton have to explain his whereabouts to anyone? So what if he just decided not to go to work for a week? Can’t you do that at your job? How important was it really to vote on stem-cell research funding, the minimum wage or energy policy when he had the chance to play golf with celebrities such as Yogi Berra, George Lopez, Michael Bolton, Huey Lewis and Maury Povich? This whole story is working HOH into a Lou Dobbs-style populist lather.

The people that need this to be explained to are his constituents back in Indiana's 5th district. The only trips Mr. Burton should be taking are to his district to hear about their concerns and matters strictly related to the business of the Congress. If you are going to play golf for a week straight and not be held accountable for it, you should do that while being unemployed. Here's to Burton' unemployment in 2008!

Victory In The Seventh!

Last night Craig Johnson took the New York State Senate seat in the seventh district for the Democrats. It was a tremendous victory for the local blogosphere, that little portion of Long Island and ultimately the whole of New York.

The supposed 'red' district ending up going for Johnson, 26,452 votes to O'Connell's 22,929. Not exactly a nail-biter if you know what I mean. This happened for a number of reasons. Residents of the seventh are sick of the politics-as-usual up in Albany. They demanded a change and got one from Craig. His positions on issues in New York spoke to the voters and they responded en masse.

Another reason is the emerging power of the blogosphere. With sites like The Albany Project leading the way, enormous amounts of money was raised and the message was spread far and wide. Even NY political all-stars like Governor Spitzer wanted to join in the action that the blogosphere had generated. But you don't have to believe me, just listen to Dave Pollak, Craig Johnson's victorious campaign manager.

Rolling Stones Got It Right Then....

Why do we still get it so wrong? We still paint so many things black, especially in Iraq.

Feingold Kicks Ass

Russ in all his glory:

Praise Jesus! Ted Haggard Has Been Saved!

It is being reported that ex-minister Ted Haggard has been miraculously cured of homosexuality. Apparently because his sexual acts were with a prostitute named Mike Jones, that means he was simply acting out and is completely heterosexual.

From the Associated Press:

Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with sexual allegations, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur told The Denver Post for a story in Tuesday's edition.

"He is completely heterosexual," Ralph said. "That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."

Ralph said the board spoke with people close to Haggard while investigating his claim that his only extramarital sexual contact happened with Mike Jones. The board found no evidence to the contrary.

"If we're going to be proved wrong, somebody else is going to come forward, and that usually happens really quickly," he said. "We're into this thing over 90 days and it hasn't happened."

I would laugh if this story wasn't so completely pathetic. The article goes on to say that Haggard and his wife are planning on pursuing master's degrees in psychology and will stick to secular work after being thrown out from the mega-church he started years ago in Colorado Springs.

So the denial goes on and Haggard believes that relocating to Missouri or Iowa will help him heal. Perhaps he will find a teacher that can convince him that it is okay to be exactly who you are, no matter what certain parts of society may think of you.

Watch Where You Vote Today

That is, if you live within State Senate District Seven which is in Long Island. Craig Johnson is looking to help change Albany as a proud member of the Democratic party. You can find out plenty concerning where Craig and his opponent Maureen O'Connell stand on the issues. There are just a few hours left, so if you live out there, get out and vote to change the way Albany does business.

Since there is a Republican in the mix here, we always must be on guard for 'fishy' practices. More on this from Nassau Voter Protection:

The campaign has received reports that some voters received calls last night directing them to the wrong poll site.

It's not clear right now if these were robo-calls or live callers, but misdirecting voters in a low-turnout election is a cause for concern.

If anyone has additional reports of calls telling people the wrong poll place, comments are open.

I have seen this done from opposition on many campaigns before. It certainly isn't the first time these games have been played and definitely not the last time either. If you hear or see of anything going on that shouldn't in the polls, call this number: 1-800-300-8707.

Now get to it, go vote!

Lieberman Proposes Terrorism Tax

Today the great *cough...cough* Senator from Connecticut (CfL) floated an idea to allow for a 'war on terrorism tax'. I'm not too sure what to make of the whole thing because Joe goes all over the place and might deny he ever suggested such a thing by tomorrow. Being led around on a leash by Bush does not allow for additional taxes, since our President feels we sacrifice too much as a nation by seeing gory images on the news every day.

From Reuters:

"I think we have to start thinking about a war on terrorism tax," the independent Connecticut lawmaker said. "I mean people keep saying we're not asking a sacrifice of anybody but our military in this war and some civilians who are working on it."

"When you put together the (Pentagon) budget and the Homeland Security budgets, we need to ask people to help us in a way that they know when they pay more it will go for their security," he said during a Senate panel hearing on the defense budget request.

Lieberman has been a full-fledged supporter of the President's war despite feigning opposition during his re-election race last year. He has demonstrated this by supporting a Republican filibuster on the non-binding resolution against the war.

This notion that we must be taxed as a nation to help fund the war is a divergence from the Bush doctrine that everything will somehow pay for itself. That of course means that our children, their children and their children's children will have to face the brunt of Bush's devastating economic actions.

Details about this tax have not come out yet. A staffer at Lieberman's office in D.C. didn't have a clue about what Sen. Joe had said in the hearing, so we will have to stay tuned as to who would have to sacrifice from their pocketbooks first.

Liz Krueger Rocks!

My hat is off to Senator Krueger after an exchange between her and Mayor Bloomberg this morning. It is great to see the mayor being chastised in front of reporters up in Albany when the Mayor ducks the issues. She asked him a simple question, if he supports Spitzer's bottle law to help boost recycling efforts.

From the Empire Zone:

“In the interests of full disclosure, Senator Krueger is my senator and has to be nice to me,” Mr. Bloomberg, who lives on the Upper East Side, said, drawing laughs.

“But in fairness, you’re in the wrong party and I didn’t endorse you,” Ms. Krueger replied with a smile, without missing a beat.

The Empire Zone caught up with Mr. Krueger later to ask if she and the mayor generally enjoyed good relations. “We do, except when we’re fighting,” she said.

I find it hard not to fight with Bloomberg myself, I'd love to get a round in with him if I had the chance, figuratively speaking of course.

John Edwards Has A Plan: Health Care Style

John Edwards got a rousing acceptance to the DNC Winter Meeting this weekend. One part of his speech included standing up for health care. Universal Health Care is one thing John wants to stand up for:



Now John is adding to his momentum and adding a national health care plan to his list of accolades. Universal health care is one attribute that is missing from this Western-style Democracy. Many countries have already accomplished this feat and it is about time that our country catch up.

Of course the media is spinning it as a tax increase and that it will cost up to $120 billion a year. Oh my f***ing god do these people need to get a grip. Bush just asked for $245 billion in wars and $120 billion gets their attention quicker than Bush's disgusting war. Maybe it is easy for some that have great health care plans to poo-poo the 47 million Americans that do not have insurance but this is important damnit.

Here's Ezra's take on it:

Where the Edwards' plan takes a big step forward is in mandating, along with the private options, that HMs offer "at least one plan [that] would be a public program based upon Medicare." And the intent is explicit: "Health Markets will offer a choice between private insurers and a public insurance plan modeled after Medicare, but separate and apart from it. Families and individuals will choose the plan that works best for them. This American solution will reward the sector that offers the best care at the best price. Over time, the system may evolve toward a single-payer approach if individuals and businesses prefer the public plan."

In other words, the public sector will finally be allowed to compete with the private sector, and consumers will be able to decide which style they prefer. For Democrats, this is a significant step forward. From there, the plan offers the usual mix of sliding subsidies to ensure affordability, individual mandate to universalize coverage, pay-for-performance promises, and public health fixes. You've heard those bits before. What's new, and what's important, are the community rated health markets that include public insurance. Indeed, the plan satisfied every plank of my progressive health reform test from last week.

It satisfies my desire for equality for Americans when it comes to health care. This is an issue that needs to be settled once and for all. The suffering that exists in our country is deplorable while there is so much wealth in the hands of so few. Any tax increases can be taken from the rich, though I doubt it is necessary when you cut out the hundreds of billions used to fund the troops caught in the chaos of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq around it.

The Daily Show's 'Competition'

No one does fake news better than Comedy Central's hit 'The Daily Show' and recent addition 'The Colbert Report.' The duo have been so successful and influential that right wingers have taken note of it and are trying to copy the wit and humor of the left for the nefarious purposes of the right.

From ThinkProgress:

Fox News is prepping a new late-night talk show called “Red Eye” hosted by Greg Gutfeld, the former editor of UK Maxim (and Huffington Post blogger) who previously led a web-based chat show for FoxNews.com.

In a clip of “Red Eye” that was leaked online, Gutfield leads a discussion about Sen. Joe Biden’s (D-DE) racially-insensitive claim that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.” In the clip, Gutfield calls Biden “my favorite person in the world,” and asks, “Isn’t [Biden] saying what every liberal is thinking,” that “Obama is acceptable because he’s…a non-threatening black man.”

Gee golly, didn't hear the racism in that one. You can see it even better in the video that you can access by clicking the Think Progress link above. What a pathetic attempt to be funny by using stereotypes and innuendo that is only humorous to those that love a good racist joke at the expense of some minority that they abhor coming into contact with. God forbid they interact with people that aren't as white as them and get a reality-check.

Your Typical Sunday Drive

If you drive a Humvee in Baghdad, this is a normal cruise around town. Just imagine being terrified of an IED attack as you knock cars around you and curse at locals that take their sweet time to get out of the way. Now imagine being one of those locals, what would you think of that Humvee and it's driver?



(h/t to C & L)

Fox News: We Admit....We Decide

It is hardly breaking news that Fox News has been and is a propraganda outlet for the right-wing faction of this country. Guests on their shows have called them on it from time to time but have been met with steadfast denials and 'shocked' looks from the anchors and hosts. They will never admit they are tools working for Roger Ailes who ultimately reports to Rupert Murdoch.

So when the ultimate evil billionaire goes to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum and tells the truth about Fox, people pay attention. The leaders of this event cut out Rupert's admission in the film, but everyone heard what he said.

From NewsCorpse:

Murdoch was asked if News Corp. had managed to shape the agenda on the war in Iraq. His answer?

“No, I don’t think so. We tried.” Asked by Rose for further comment, he said: “We basically supported the Bush policy in the Middle East…but we have been very critical of his execution.”

Let me repeat this: “We Tried!”

Ok, that last line is full of crap. Rupert and his network have rolled over and over again to make Iraq look like a place of opportunity and excitement (not coming from the constant rain of shrapnel ) for the average Iraqi. Fox can't report the truth about anything even if it continually slaps the network in the face for the last four years.

So now that Murdoch admits the motivations of his network, will anything change? Of course not, no one wants to acknowledge his admission. Crooks and Liars tried to look for the film from last week and only found nine minutes of footage that mysteriously did not include the billionaire's truthiness.

Go Hillary, Go (Away)?

This past weekend brought a slew of Presidential candidates to the DNC Winter Meeting. Obama, Hillary, Edwards and others spoke from their campaign speech notes and tried to rile up the crowd of activists and party faithful. Obama exchanged 'I Love You's' with the audience, Edwards got tons of cheers and Hillary got a mixed bag.

From HuffPo:

Clinton's welcome was not just less enthusiastic, but hostile -- and though there seemed to be almost as many Clinton placards as there were people in the room, catcalls drowned out any roars of approval from her cheering section as she began to speak. In reaction to a claim that she had been a tough critic of the war, someone in the crowd shouted, "NOT!'' Code Pink protesters repeatedly interrupted her, yelling, "Stop funding war!'' and one Army vet kept calling, "How about bringing them home, Hillary?'' Definitely, the applause at the end of her address was much louder than when she'd started - which, as her campaign sees it, is how all of America will react once they get to know her. Unless, you know, they already did that.

Hillary is known by many and that is her number one problem. The millions of dollars aren't needed for name identification but to spin that name and her positions to be palatable for Democrats voting in the primaries. The obstacle to the spin machine is that activists have long memories and are not so quick to forget Hillary's positions on the war among other issues that make them say 'hmmm' to Mrs. Clinton.