Nothing Goes According To Plan

Mr. Giuliani may have big Presidential plans, but if voters have anything to say about it, he could be stuck with us here in New York (the nation can thank us later for tolerating him). His plan all along or for at least the last couple months was to discard Iowa and New Hampshire and focus on the other early states instead. Well, that strategy may not work out as imagined, especially with a campaign that has been bludgeoned by the Sex on the City scandal.

From The Huffington Post:

On Friday, Rasmussen Reports released a poll (yes, it comes with caveats regarding methodology) showing Giuliani at 19 percent support in Florida, a state once thought of as a lock for Hizzoner. The figure represents an eight percentage point drop from November and puts the former New York City mayor well behind the GOP flavor of the month, Mike Huckabee, who registers at 27 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, splits the two at 23 percent support.

Florida's primary, it should be noted, will offer 114 delegates (half the normal size), because state officials moved the date up to January 29th and were punished by the national party for doing so.

The survey offers several suggestions as to why Giuliani's support has so rapidly and then suddenly dropped. But this might be the most telling: "Romney now earns the highest favorable ratings among Florida's Likely Primary Voters at 74%. That's up five points since November and up eleven since September.Giuliani is viewed favorably by 69%, down from 79% a month ago. Huckabee is viewed favorably by 68%, up from 56% a month ago."

Like I said, nothing goes according to plan. Of course, there are still three weeks until this whole mess starts, so anything could possibly happen. What is for sure though, is that no one's nomination is inevitable, whether you are on the left...or right side of the ballot.

O'Reilly's Falafel Balls Wax Operatic

Ah, politics and music can fuse so well together. This isn't a Green Day or Nine Inch Nails album we're talking about, this is opera. Igor Keller sings the transcript of Bill O's sexual harassment suit with a full chamber orchestra behind him.

Absolutely hilarious:

Tell GE To Make Fluorescent Bulbs In America

Why is it that every time I turn around there is a corporation trying to screw consumers or its employees or both? Take General Electric for example. They are one of many companies "going green" but at the expense of their workers. As you may know, compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL for short) cost a lot more than regular bulbs but last longer and reduce energy consumption. Well GE isn't satisfied with simply switching to CFLs, they're going to import a cheaper version from China and get this, get their employees to sign a pledge to go green, eliminating their jobs in the process.

From the CWA:

The growth of “environmentally sustainable technology” was supposed to be a breakthrough on par with the discovery of incandescent bulbs. Green manufacturing was supposed to stimulate our economy, not lead to further deindustrialization. Cutting-edge products like the CFLs should lead to more jobs and profits. GE is making the profits … but it is sending the jobs to China, a country known for exploiting workers and polluting the environment.

GE supported a European Commission ban on Chinese-made CFLs … so CFLs bought in Europe are manufactured in Europe. But GE is refusing to invest in advanced technology for its U.S. plants so workers here can have a future too.

Please join with us, the workers at GE lighting, to ask GE to manufacture green in U.S. plants, so we all can benefit. We shouldn’t have to choose between a clean environment or a pink slip for American workers. Sign our petition today.

Now that is a petition I can sign...and so should you.

The MTA Grinch

There are ten days to Christmas, but only four days left until the board members of the MTA decide on the fateful fare increase. The Governor and the Mayor have unfortunately spoken in favor of the hikes and the board members themselves aren't keen on listening to the public and many from the legislature that represent them up in Albany. In fact these board members have no clue about what it takes to live paycheck to paycheck or even ride the MTA themselves (I don't think you can count Dale Hemmerdinger's boat as part of the ferry fleet).

Now as the deadline approaches, more information continues to pour in that shows the much vaunted deficits of 2009 have been shrinking considerably. Those monstrous deficits have been the impetus for the fare hike, but now it seems that the MTA clearly does not understand its own budget.

From The Daily News:

In July, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority predicted a $1.4 billion deficit for 2009 if it failed to reduce some expenses, tap into surplus funds, raise fares and make other moves.

New budget documents now show the authority's planned deficit-closing measures will narrow the gap to $561 million - a 61% reduction.

The decrease can be achieved without charging more for buses, subways, commuter trains, as well as bridges and tunnels, the documents show.

An MTA spokesman wouldn't discuss the impact of other moves, including moving $81 million from a downsizing account into another account, set to go before MTA committees Monday and the full board Wednesday.

But Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) said, "The more data we have, the more clear it is we don't need a fare increase next year."

The collective heads at the MTA are so thick headed and stubborn, they'd probably suggest a fare increase if that $1.4 billion deficit was a surplus. Brodsky is right, there is no need for an increase in fares. It is a rare time to see our politicians on the right side of the issue at hand...if only these board members were on their game as well.

Cenk Uyugr Rants!

From Democrats to Republicans, this unorganized tirade spares no one:

Holy Money Starts Rolling To Democrats

The men and women of the cloth have political as well as religious views, particularly about the upcoming Presidential election. Conventional wisdom from Washington has long seen the clergy as giving more to Republicans. Supposedly the social conservative "values" have been drawing them to the side of the elephant. Now in the 2007-08 cycle, things are beginning to change....for the better.

From The Carpetbagger Report:

In three of the last four cycles, clergy have backed Republicans in greater numbers than Democrats. The lone exception, 2004, was practically even.

But this year, clergy contributions are going to the Dems by a wide margin — according to the data from the Center for Responsive Politics, 56% is the strongest percentage Dems have had with clergy donations in two decades.

As for the specific candidates receiving checks from the clergy, the race isn’t even close:

1. Barack Obama: $110,000

2. Mitt Romney: $39,000

3. Mike Huckabee: $23,000

Obviously, as the figures show, clergy aren’t going to compete with oil company executives any time soon when it comes to bundling and/or hosting lucrative fundraisers.

Well of course they can't compete dollar for dollar with big oil, but when people see how they give, that says a lot more to average people than an oil executive. Members of the clergy are beginning to understand that the Republican party is full of false promises, one that lies for your vote and continues to send our troops to a fruitless war in Iraq.

Shredding Soars At The White House

As we have become well aware in seven years of the Bush Administration, knowledge and information is bad, especially if it leaks to the press and it implicates the White House in something wrong, or even illegal. That's why George is giving a certain segment of the economy a boost, those hard working shredders in the D.C. area. It's a win-win situation, information gets destroyed and people in D.C. can get jobs as shredders, improving the economy....or something like that.

From Radar:

Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government's brand spanking new database of federal expenditures, shows spending on "contracts for paper shredding services" going back to 2000. Click here for the full, heartbreaking breakdown. In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the "Cheney Effect" had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all.

Yes, that does pretty much say it all.

There must be so many incriminating documents on that block of Pennsylvania Avenue that shredders from across the country flock to D.C. to get a chance to destroy all sorts of information. Now my question is, for $2.9 million dollars, what is the cost ratio for one piece of paper. That would be interesting to find out.

Mrs. Inevitable No More

Olbermann highlights why Mrs. Clinton's inevitability really isn't that inevitable:

Brooklyn's Very Own Jerry Maguire Wanna-Be

As a freshman in the New York State Senate, Eric Adams isn't known for much. To be fair, with one year how much can you really do in the seniority-based legislature that is in our state. However, Senator Adams just added a notch on his belt, one he won't be able to live down for quite a while. On the Senate floor, he showed his constituents why he is really interested in being in politics.

From The New York Times:

During a floor debate this evening on the issue of pay raises, he errupted in outrage — and with a nod to “Jerry Maguire” — at the fact that lawmakers were long overdue a raise, even though he is a first-term lawmaker.

“I deserve to get paid more, and I’m only a freshman and I’m complaining,” Mr. Adams said, and then added, in a thundering impersonation of Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Oscar-winning performace as the pro football player Rod Tidwell: “Show me the money. Show me the money. That’s what it’s all about.”

Legislators earn a base salary of $79,500, less than City Council members but enough to rank them third highest among all state lawmakers in the country. And many lawmakers make much more from stipends for a variety of leadership positions.

Poor guy, eighty grand just doesn't cut it these days to work up in Albany. You would think public service was something more illustrious than swindling money on Wall Street, but Eric lays it out flat. He wants to get paid and paid now. Brooklyn must be proud of this schmuck.

O'Reilly Declares Victory In Christmas War, Loses Sanity In The Process

It was a good day in conservative land on Wednesday. The long, hard war to keep Christmas in America is now over...and I'm glad to say it is still here. O'Reilly discovered this war a few years ago (presumably in his closeted imagination) and has been on the attack ever since. He claims to have the secular progressives in retreat and that we can all go back to happier days from now on.

From The Huffington Post:

On "The O'Reilly Factor" last night, Bill O'Reilly — who boasts that he's leading the fight against the secular progressive "War On Christmas" (and who one columnist dubbed as leading the "crusaders for creches" ) — declared victory over the "Taliban-like oppression" of Christmas.

Because Bill O'Reilly saved Christmas, "all over the country, the sights and sounds of Christmas are on display. Few department stores are telling employees not to say, 'Merry Christmas.'"

And to those of you who think religion has no place in the public square, Christmas Crusader O'Reilly has seven words for you: "Joseph Stalin, Mao, and Fidel salute you!"

Christians are now rejoicing in town squares across the country after being so dangerously threatened. It is reported that Santa will now be able to come back to America to make his rounds in just ten days.

In other news, there are no leads on which insane asylum Bill will be received at. Most are too afraid for their own safety if they take the falafel king under their care.

Republicans For Edwards?

Combining YouTube with Republican converts is a beautiful thing, for any campaign:

One More Surfaces From Giuliani's Client List

Rudy may have left office reluctantly after 9/11, but that didn't mean he wasn't ready to make some cold hard cash. Apparently because he happened to be Mayor on that fateful day, people thought he could provide security information. As a former prosecutor, I just do not see the connection.

However, Giuliani Partners became a very lucrative business, earning millions upon millions each year. Now that he is running for President the public is getting curious about just who were these clients and what did he do for them. Well Rudy has stayed rather hush-hush. Of course, that doesn't mean that some people can go looking for the companies in question. Finding governments like Qatar and a data mining firm in Florida. Qatar is now old news but whats this Florida thing?

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Rudolph W. Giuliani’s consulting firm was hired in 2002 to help a Florida company build its business under a contract that called for Mr. Giuliani’s firm to be paid in part for lining up work with the federal government and other clients, company records show.

Federal law prohibits payment of a commission in return for a federal contract, a standard that the firm, Giuliani Partners, said it did not violate.

Oh, well I guess we should just take them at their word. Rudy's a trustworthy guy, right?

Wrong:

The assertion the firm may have skirted federal contracting rules was first raised in an article on Thursday on the Time magazine Web site. The firm’s reliance on commissions as part of its compensation from Seisint seems to be bolstered by a copy of the minutes of the Seisint board meeting from December 2002, when it hired Giuliani Partners.

The minutes cite a contract based on a finder’s fee, saying the $2 million-a-year deal was premised on payments “on commissions to be earned for sales generated by Giuliani Partners.”

Six months after Seisint hired the firm, the Homeland Security Department gave an $8 million grant that a nonprofit group in Florida used to pay for a system to help identify potential terrorists or criminals. About $5 million of the work went to Seisint, which sold access to a large database of personal information, a spokesman for the group said.

Hmm, now isn't that interesting? How convenient that a brand new company that has access to tons of personal information could get set up with some of the biggest names in the Bush Administration, including the President's own brother Jeb within a few months. By the end of the deal, Giuliani collected $25 million from the data miner. In politics, there is no such thing as coincidence, only manipulation by lobbyists....lobbyists such as Rudy Giuliani.

Gore Faults His Own In Bali

Al Gore went from Oslo to Bali (talk about a change in climate) to address the U.N. climate conference where many different countries are trying to come up with a plan to tackle the problem of global warming. He knows where the big problem (one of two actually, see China) lies, in his own backyard.

Thanks to President Bush, the U.S. has fallen off the path of leadership and on to one of subservience to the energy industry. Instead of fighting the problem of CO2 emissions, Bush wants to let those that emit the greenhouse gas to do as they please, with only a feign attempt at trying to limit carbon emissions. On a brighter note, Gore is confident that the next Administration will join the world consensus on taking vital action.

From The Huffington Post:

BALI, Indonesia — Nobel laureate Al Gore accused the United States on Thursday of blocking progress at the U.N. climate conference, and European nations threatened to boycott U.S.-led climate talks next month unless Washington compromises on emissions reductions.

The former vice president urged delegates to take urgent action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, and told them that the next U.S. president will likely be more supportive of international caps on polluting gases.

"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali," said Gore, who flew to Bali from Oslo, Norway, where he received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping alert the world to the danger of climate change.

While the leaders at the conference want real numbers, Bush's representatives use vague language on what the U.S. will do. Understandably, this has angered many participating countries and is threatening to dismantle the entire gathering. Talking about the problem is not going to do anything unless we set actual goals for change. The technology is out there to meet substantial reductions, but our government refuses to budge. Instead, they want to have their own Major Economies Meeting, where the tone will be more of the same rhetoric from the large polluters like the U.S. and China.

Gore is right, the onus is on us...and we have to sit idly by until George is shown the door.

Watch....Laugh....Repeat

If you can stand the terrible singing and the outright lies in the video, you can read in between the lines and see that Republicans have no choice but stoop to pathetic little videos like this in order to raise desperately needed funds to hold their Senate seats next year. In the money race, they aren't even close to their Democratic rivals.

Why You Should NOT Vote For Ron Paul

Everyone knows about Ron Paul now. He broke the record for most amount of money raised in a single day, gets a ridiculous amount of hits for his name on the internet and is a dark horse in the Republican primary, specifically for his anti-war stance and pulling troops out of Iraq. It all sounds so good at first, but there is more to the man than meets the eye. Generally for a politician, you can see below the skin from policy positions and especially from his voting record.

From DailyKos:

Ron Paul wants the US to withdraw from the UN or at least from UNESCO.

Ron Paul has authored legislation saying that life begins at conception, to prevent federal money from being spent on family planning (that would include contraception), and has tried to amend the Constitution to "guarantee the right to life."

Ron Paul has tried to repeal the Occupational Health and Safety Act, to abolish the minimum wage, and to eviscerate Social Security.

Ron Paul wants guns in schools.

Ron Paul has tried to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act to guarantee employees of federal contractors the prevailing wage and wants to make it easier to decertify a union.

Ron Paul wants to amend the Constitution to end birthright citizenship.

Ron Paul wants to dismantle the Federal Reserve and prepare for a return to the Gold Standard, which would destroy the economy.

And those are just the beginning, there are many, many, many more where that comes from. So to those moderate-conservative Democrats and Independents out there considering their support for Ron Paul, you better think twice before going into that polling booth.

Even A Broken Clock Is Right Twice A Day

Cal Thomas would be one political character that you would classify as being on the right. This evangelical Christian is a regular on Fox News and has a column in the Washington Times. His credentials as a bonafide social conservative are well known. That is what makes his article today somewhat curious and a downright correct assessment of what it takes to be Presidential. He actually cites the Constitution, while mocking evangelical requirements to approve candidates for office.

From The Washington Times:

This election should be more about competence and less about ideology, or even faith. It shouldn't matter where — or if — a candidate goes to church, but whether he (or she) can run the country well, according to the principles in which the voter believes. And, if those principles include a person of faith, so much the better. God can be the ultimate check and balance on earthly power.

If a car hits me, I care more about whether the ambulance driver knows the way to the nearest hospital and the skills of the emergency room doctor than where they stand with God. That's the attitude we should have toward those who desire to be president of the United States in a fallen world.

Bravo Cal! Though I do not expect much more of this "American tradition" stuff from Mr. Thomas in the near future. Despite this, he isn't one to set your watch to.

Fighting Blackwater In Your Own Backyard

The stories from Iraq are disgusting, shady deals with the government, indiscriminate killings, its enough to make you sick. The mercenary company that is Blackwater has a had a financial windfall in the last few years of war and now they are looking to expand. A training base was set to open in the small border town of Potrero, CA but the citizens there think otherwise.

An Ode To Dana The Dumb

Nothing gets me going more than a song in the morning (besides coffee or ....). So when I turned to the DailyKos Cheers and Jeers page of my virtual paper this morning, I got to see a brand new tune to an old classic of mine. You should know "Wonderful World" written and performed by Sam Cooke by now, but do you know the Dana Perino version by Nonnie9999?

From Mikk2:

Don’t know much about history,
Why I’m here’s a mystery,
Never opened any science books,
I was hired strictly for my looks.

Though my answers make your hair curl,
It’s not nice to beat up on a girl,
And that’s why I’m press sec-re-tar-y.

Don’t know much about geography,
(My boss knows even less than me,)
I’m like Chimpy, ‘cept I wear a bra,
As I shit upon the rule of law.

Really don’t know very much at all,
So I stammer and dodge and stall
That’s my job as press sec-re-tar-y.

Now, you know, I work for a C student,
Dumb as he can be,
But maybe they think, if I do the talking,
He’ll look smart compared to me!

Don’t know much about ecology,
Not a clue ’bout the economy,
I know that I sound really dumb,
As I stand behind the podium,

But Karl Rove seems to see some promise,
In my answers to Helen Thomas,
He’s got to be dumber than me!

Latatatatatatahuwaah (history)
Oehwoewoe (mystery)
Latatatatatatahuwaah (science books)
Oehwoewoe (hired for my looks)

Really don’t know very much at all,
So I stammer and dodge and stall
That’s my job as press sec-re-tar-y.

You know how to at least hum the melody, so come sing along with me.

And The Lawyer Of The Year Award Goes To...

The American Bar Association just saw its credibility drop precipitously in the public eye. Of course, if their lawyer of the year award was meant for a candidate that has no regard for the law, and is most qualified by how he can avoid laws and lie to Congress and the American people, then by all means, Alberto Gonzales is the winner by a large margin. Not only did they pick Gonzo, the winner for next year was also selected, who just happens to be his successor, Michael Mukasey.

From RawStory:

Negative news coverage may have cost former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales his job, but it won him a dubious honor Wednesday from a magazine published by the American Bar Association: Lawyer of the Year.

Additionally, the ABA Journal named Gonzales' successor, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, as its top lawyer for 2008 -- mostly in anticipation of how often he'll be in the media spotlight for trying to repair the beleaguered Justice Department.

The monthly magazine gave the awards to lawyers who made the most news, said editor and publisher Edward A. Adams.

"Think about Time magazine's Person of the Year," Adams said in an interview. "In years past they've named people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin. So we're not suggesting by these awards that these are the best lawyers in any sense of the word. We are saying they are the most newsworthy -- and perhaps also the best."

It is an odd way of selecting the best lawyer for the year, but then it makes the award somewhat of a shaming event. I guess "Time Magazine" has a similar standard, as do the winners of a "floozy" award or in the movie industry, the "Razzies." Well if I ever became a lawyer, I would definitely not want to be trying to win this, or even be nominated.

Perhaps Gonzales can use this award to show the judge what an upstanding citizen he is when they try him for crimes against the Constitution.

Rudy's NYC Gov't Was As Transparent As A Brick Wall

Rudy can say whatever he wants about his record as Mayor of this town, but the truth is always far, far away from his mouth:

Will O'Reilly Fight This Christmas War?

With a chill in the air and a twinkle-lit wreath staring at me from across the street at 120 Broadway, I have a feeling that it is December, and Christmas is upon us. So it is about time for Bill O'Reilly to start his yearly "War on Christmas" extravaganza by the elusive "secular progressives" that he loves to hate so much. Of course he makes much of this shit up as he goes, but perhaps he'd like to address one particular battle over Christmas.

Bill doesn't talk about WalMart much, he probably is too much of a snob to go there anyways out there in his cozy Nassau county digs. Many people do shop there for the low, low prices but are often unaware of how those prices get so cheap. Well since it is twelve days from X-Mas eve, lets focus on...oh, ornaments for the family tree.

From The NYT Cityroom:

Wal-Mart Stores said today that it would begin an investigation into labor conditions at a Chinese factory that supplies Wal-Mart with Christmas ornaments, after the National Labor Committee released a report [pdf] asserting that Chinese teenagers at the factory worked for less than the legal minimum wage.

The ornaments in question come from the Guangzhou Huangya Gift Company, one of the largest Christmas ornament factories in China, which has 8,000 employees and is a supplier to a number of American and European companies.

The National Labor Committee — citing interviews, wage records and cellphone pictures smuggled out by teenage workers — said that the employees were being paid at less than Guangzhou’s legal minimum of 55 cents per hour and are being forced to work excessive amounts of overtime. Workers were paid by a piecemeal basis, according to the committee, with some earning as little as 26 cents per hour. The wage records, which were from a 10-day period from June 21 to 30 of this year, show a median wage of 49 cents per hour. By law, the employees should have been earning a median of 68 cents per hour because of overtime regulations.

Twenty-six cents an hour?? How hard is it to pay people a mere 55 cents, without even thinking about what an American worker would be paid to manufacture the same goods. Of course, WalMart is only looking into things (or saying that they will) because of the report done by the National Labor Committee. This is the latest piece of evidence in WalMart's horrendous track record of treating their employees like shit or condoning the practice by their suppliers. For WalMart, they will stoop to any low for a low price. So please, if you are thinking about shopping there, remember where those ornaments for your tree are coming, and ask yourself if you endorse that type of labor, whether it be in Tennessee or Guangzhou.

Please take a look at and help out if you can at WalMart Watch to combat the greed of the Walton family.

Rightwingers Come To The Aid Of Mercenary Rapists

There really is no low that the right wing can sink to in this country. They'll defend the indefensible as long as it is to the (perceived) benefit of the Republican party. Well winger extraordinaire Bob Owens steps up to meet the challenge that is Jamie Leigh Jones. She is suing KBR and Halliburton for covering up a gang rape that she endured two years ago. It seems that the Bush Administration was also helpful in keeping a lid on things. Now that the media has caught wind of it, mercenaries and the Justice Department is diving for cover. Now who will provide backup for these bastards?

Predictably, the 101st keyboardists are stepping up for duty:

Bob has a number of concerns, e.g. what actually happened to the rape kit, and wonders why an earlier sexual harassment case involving the victim isn’t getting more play. Of course that second point helps rather than hurts the argument that KBR has gender sensitivity problems, so three cheers to Bob for bringing it up.

He ends with this gem:

A third claim made in The Blotter is that in the wake of the alleged rape, Jones was, “…held in the shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water by KBR…”

Shipping containers typically found in Iraq (and elsewhere) are either 20’ or 40’ steel and aluminum boxes with little to no ventilation. On the days Jones was confined by KBR (July 29-30, 2005), the mean average temperature was 100-degrees, with air temperatures over 110 degrees for 6 hours straight both afternoons. It seems implausible that a person would survive such conditions without adequate food and water.

As much as it pains me to truth-squad a great writer like Bob Owens, repurposed shipping containers (Container Housing Units, or CHUs) are a fairly common type of housing in Iraq. Indeed, one can’t help asking whatever happened to the proud citizen journalist corps of Graeme Frost fame. Has anybody photographed her countertops yet? Harassed an ex-boyfriend? The only thing to do is keep digging.

And this is only the first couple of days...you know Bob, Michelle Malkin and the rest of that ilk will be looking for any kind of dirt to smear Jamie with. Who cares if she got raped, we have a country George Bush and friends to defend.

Approve This Message Mike

Now this is something all the Republican voters in Iowa should be watching:

Supporting The Troops? Military Disallows You From Telling Them

Ah, the holiday season, full of good cheer and...oh wait, nevermind, this is America circa 2007. People are going beserk shopping for things that they don't need and to give gifts to their loved ones that can send the message that you are valued in what you receive from the mall. Another sad reality is that we are in our fifth holiday season while our troops are away in Iraq...or in a military hospital trying to recover from their injuries.

Since the U.S. government is not adequately funding the VA, vets are not getting decent care or good benefits. Many are simply wallowing away somewhere in Walter Reed Medical Center or in a hospice in Germany, Kuwait or in Baghdad. Well, at least Americans are still sending hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail to wish the troops well, showing that the people really do care about our boys (and girls) that are far away from home serving their country George Bush.

Oh, oops, my bad, wrong again. The popular idea of sending mail to "Any Wounded Soldier" has been banned by the military and even the USO. The threat of a security breach is what they are claiming here, because there isn't enough manpower to go through all of the envelopes. Now I will accept that there are a few crazies out there who would put powder in envelope or would write things like "baby killer" in their message. However, if we would staff a department in the Pentagon to take care of the problem, or at least get many messages through, it would be a lot better than simply throwing out the mail or returning it to sender.

Our troops deserve better than that. Can't we slim Halliburton's no-bid contract just a smidge for our wounded soldiers?

More Obstruction Of Justice From The White House

As we learn that one man in the White House has given up his appeal of being found guilty of obstruction of justice, another count can be levied against the White House. The last one was for uncovering the identity of undercover agent Valerie Plame. This one is for destroying evidence of torture, despite being told by a judge not to erase the tapes.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration was under court order not to discard evidence of detainee torture and abuse months before the CIA destroyed videotapes that revealed some of its harshest interrogation tactics[...].

The CIA destroyed the tapes in November 2005. That June, U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. had ordered the Bush administration to safeguard "all evidence and information regarding the torture, mistreatment, and abuse of detainees now at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay."

U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler issued a nearly identical order that July.

At the time, that seemed to cover all detainees in U.S. custody. But Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the terrorism suspects whose interrogations were videotaped and then destroyed, weren't at Guantanamo Bay. They were prisoners that existed off the books _ and apparently beyond the scope of the court's order.

Attorneys say that might not matter. David H. Remes, a lawyer for Yemeni citizen Mahmoad Abdah and others, asked Kennedy this week to schedule a hearing on the issue.

Though Remes acknowledged the tapes might not be covered by Kennedy's order, he said, "It is still unlawful for the government to destroy evidence, and it had every reason to believe that these interrogation records would be relevant to pending litigation concerning our client."

Now President Bush is claiming that he only heard about the matter last week. This proves yet again that George is either lying or cannot control his White House. I'm gonna go with the former on this, the President had to know what was going on. His track record for telling the truth is far too f%*ked up to believe him now. I'd believe that he quit drinking cold turkey for twenty years before I'd take his word on not torturing people.

Fox News Panelist/Doctor Condones Torture

Not only does Dr. Krauthammer endorse torture, he favors the CIA covering up their tracks so that the people not see the brutality of it. I guess he doesn't remember his hippocratic oath, nor the fact that if you commit a crime, you should be held accountable for your actions.

Skip ahead to the 6:20 minute mark for his statements:

This Is What Republicans Debate About

It wasn't always as bad as it is now, we used to have reasonable debates about politics in our country. Some still try to achieve that in their political discussions. That would not include many of the Republican candidates this time around. For the most part, all we hear are empty words and even more rhetoric. They have no plan to move this country forward, since they have all been supporters of our giant leaps of regression over the past several years of Bush and even going back to Reagan. Yesterday an article leaked about Huckabee (a man of the cloth) and what he had to say to bash Mitt Romney.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks in an upcoming article, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

The article, to be published in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, says Huckabee asked the question after saying he believes Mormonism is a religion but doesn't know much about it. His rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is a member of the Mormon church, which is known officially as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[...]

Earlier this month in Iowa, Huckabee wouldn't say whether he thought Mormonism _ rival Romney's religion _ was a cult.

"I'm just not going to go off into evaluating other people's doctrines and faiths. I think that is absolutely not a role for a president," the former Arkansas governor said.

For a baptist minister, that answer was a very lawyerly response. Of course Mormonism isn't a cult, that is ridiculous. The fact that someone like Huckabee would bring up this subject is a stain on his character. Debating one's religion has nothing to do with running the country. Besides, there is plenty more to slam Romney with in terms of what he has said, policies he flip flops on and if you want to be colorful, bring up the family dog on the roof of the car incident.

But please, leave religion out of this.

Arctic Ocean Spring Break Here I Come!

So winter officially starts next week, but that doesn't mean I can't decide where to go for spring break. Cancun is over done, Hawaii...been there, Caribbean, South Padre Island and Florida just don't do it for me anymore. So maybe perhaps in a few years when the Arctic Ocean is free of all that ice, it'll be time to head up north for some fun in the sun. You may think polar bears and eskimos, but those pesky animals and people will be gone once climate change shatters their way of life for the last few thousand years.

From the BBC:

Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss.

Summer melting this year reduced the ice cover to 4.13 million sq km, the smallest ever extent in modern times.

Remarkably, this stunning low point was not even incorporated into the model runs of Professor Maslowski and his team, which used data sets from 1979 to 2004 to constrain their future projections.

"Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007," the researcher from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, explained to the BBC.

"So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative."

So you see, we might even be able to party up there sooner than everyone had thought before. Besides, 2013 isn't that far away, we'll probably see ice-free summers up there before the first section of the 2nd Avenue subway is finished. By the time that "T" line makes it down to my neighborhood, I'll have a beach home in Antarctica. Why all the way down there you ask? Well most of the tropical island people frequent now will probably be underwater.

Al Gore's Purpose

This man is on a mission like no other. He fights passionately to save the climate of our planet, while many still laugh at the reality staring them in the face. Thankfully many more of us around the world know that we need to fight global warming, as did the Nobel Peace Prize committee recognize it, and the fight that is in Al Gore.

Who Ya Callin "Fool," Fool

Chris Wallace, the ever intrepid "journalist" at Fox News loves to hear himself talk, especially when it involves bashing Democrats. His latest salvo included calling Democrats "fools" for not appearing on his beloved network. He believes that because his show is doing better in Washington (yet rated fourth nationwide), Democratic representatives should be appearing on his show and not ignore the network as a whole.

From The Politico:

On a recent Sunday morning, shortly after refereeing a debate between Karl Rove and Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Wallace talked to Politico about the Democrats’ lack of appearances on Fox News, the “liberal bias” at competing networks and how November’s television ratings prove that while his show remains in fourth place nationwide, it’s on the upswing in Washington [...]

“I think the Democrats are damn fools [for] not coming on Fox News,” Wallace said. “And my guess is that once you get a nominee, they probably will come on, because they know that we get a lot of voters they are going to need if they are going to win the election.”

Huh?

Murdoch and Ailes must force Wallace to inhale some pretty toxic vapors in order to believe that there are independent or, dare I say, Democratic voters that watch his show or the network. The numbers do not lie, Fox News is right wing propaganda outlet, while CNN and MSNBC are hardly the opposite of Fox. Those cable news networks may try to act like Fox here and there, but as for a liberal bias on either, that is quite a stretch of the imagination.

Top Ten 2007 Bushisms

There are still twenty-one days left in 2007 and technically that is three weeks and change for the President to say something (many things) stupid, whether it be in the White House or out on the road. However, Liberal Values Blog has taken the time to put together a top ten list of the dumbest things the President has said in the last 344 days.

From Liberal Values Blog:

10. “And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I’m sorry it’s the case, and I’ll work hard to try to elevate it.” –interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

9. “I fully understand those who say you can’t win this thing militarily. That’s exactly what the United States military says, that you can’t win this military.” –on the need for political progress in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Oct. 17, 2007

8. “One of my concerns is that the health care not be as good as it can possibly be.” –on military benefits, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

7. “Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit.” –addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit. Later, in the same speech: “As John Howard accurately noted when he went to thank the Austrian troops there last year…” –referring to Australian troops as “Austrian troops,” Sept. 7, 2007

6. “My relationship with this good man is where I’ve been focused, and that’s where my concentration is. And I don’t regret any other aspect of it. And so I — we filled a lot of space together.” –on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007

5. “You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 — 1976.” –to Queen Elizabeth, Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007 (Watch video clip)

4. “The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear — I’m a Commander Guy.” –deciding he is no longer just “The Decider,” Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 (Watch video clip)

3. “Information is moving — you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.” –Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

2. “There are some similarities, of course (between Iraq and Vietnam). Death is terrible.” –Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

1. “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.” –on the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2007 (Watch video clip)

There are so many good choices out there and LVB did give us a good selection here. I don't even know how to rate them myself, but if I had to pick my own number one, I'd have to go with either the "decider" comment or the remarks made with Queen Elizabeth at his side. Again, so many good options...where do you stand?

Whatever Happened To The World Wide (Open) Web?

This cartoon shows us how, its more than meets the eye:

St. Paul Will Not Be A Repeat Of NYC/Boston

Everyone remembers how the GOP convention turned out three years ago in NYC. Some even remember the free speech pens in Boston. Both were terrible displays by the local police to crush the activist spirit and their use of the First Amendment. No one knows about Denver yet, but top cop Matt Bostrom of St. Paul, MN gave encouraging signs for a respectful police presence at the next GOP convention.

From The Minn Post:

Bostrom — an assistant chief of the St. Paul police department who is charged with balancing law, order and the First Amendment during the Republican National Convention — was saying all the right things to the activists, most of whom plan to be on St. Paul streets during the convention.

There will be no police officers infiltrating protest organizations, Bostrom promised. Police will be in uniform, not war-like tactical gear, he said. There will be no contract cops, similar to the Blackwater security forces. St. Paul police, not the Secret Service, will be in charge of policing outside the convention site at Xcel Energy Center.

"The city of St. Paul is a free-speech zone," Bostrom said. "I say that proudly. I was disappointed when I saw what Boston did (in handling protesters at the 2004 Democratic Convention). I don't understand this idea of putting people in a pen someplace so they can express themselves. That's not the way we will do things."

Now why couldn't it have been that easy in 2004. Bostrom is right that St. Paul is a free speech zone, but so is every other city and rural area across the country. Boston and New York Police Departments obviously didn't get the memo on the Bill of Rights last time. Hopefully if either city gets to host another convention they'll remember it (and take Bostrom's advice) for next time.

Tuesday Trinkets

Good morning from New York! After a few nice days on the West Coast, I am back home, blogging from (as The Daily Gotham says) the center of the universe. Although the weather is undoubtedly nicer out there, this is home, where people actually walk and are able to use mass transit (despite Spitzer's, Bloomberg's and the MTA's effort to hike prices so that people cannot afford to ride it). My girlfriend (from the east coast) found it hard to believe that people do not walk as a means to get from point A to point B in Los Angeles, even if that is from one mall to the next, half a mile away.

Anyways, here are a few things going on nationally and locally:

• The campaign of hope (Obama) threw cheap shots at the populist candidate (Edwards) over lost jobs. It turns out that in one specific case, both were connected to the job-cutting Maytag family, though it seems to be a pathetic argument to see who is more closely associated with them.

• Surprise, surprise! The White House has been systematically trying to hide the effects of climate change. The detailed report comes from Congressman Waxman...though what if anything will be done about it, is anyones guess.

• Cindy Sheehan for Congress is now officially open for business...er, campaigning.

• There is a lot of talk going on about the M.T.A.'s fare increase, but it seems without Spitzer's support (or a miracle) we will be paying 6.6 percent more for a monthly pass. Shame on Eliot, Bloomberg and the board for not keeping prices down.

• And one last thing...how well do you know Rudy Giuliani? Come on down and take the quiz!

This Is How Tancredo Republicans Hope To Win The Latino Vote

Republicans shunned a debate geared towards African-American voters, most likely because they feel that battle has already been lost to Democrats. Now the minority with the fastest growing segment of the voting population are latinos. This is how some Republicans hope to entice them to stay with the GOP:



I guess being just a little PC is out of style now.

Huffington Post Whacks Huckabee Upside The Head Again

The Huffington Post ran the story last week about Huckabee helping to get serial rapist Wayne Dumond out of prison. Huckabee took a page out of Giuliani's book and attacked the messenger instead of confronting the facts. With a woman like Arianna running the site, you know H Po wasn't going to take his criticism lying down. Early this morning the blog did not disappoint, shedding light on even more documents that show all Mike cared about was letting this dangerous criminal out of jail to appease Huckabee's Clinton-hating fans.

From The Huffington Post:

Since the Huckabee campaign has questioned the validity of the original report, the Huffington Post has decided to release additional documents from Huckabee's file on Dumond.

[Read the new documents in full here.]

The file, which was provided by a staffer to then-governor Huckabee who was concerned about his handling of the case, includes 12 separate letters written by eight different women. (This includes the three documents posted for the original story). Three of the women reported being raped or sexually assaulted by Dumond. One, whose writings have not been made public up to this point, wrote about her harrowing assault at Dumond's hands[...]

The document provides a clear indication that Huckabee had evidence from state officials concerning Dumond's long history of violent behavior. While on the presidential campaign trail, Huckabee has stated that no one could have anticipated that Dumond would strike again after being set free.

I wonder what the Huckabee campaign will say to these new revelations. We should probably give him some time to respond, since he is now dealing with statements made from Ryan White's mother about his comments about AIDS patients.

Poor guy, meh.

Obey Gets The Message

In case you haven't been paying attention to the news over the budget in the last week or so, ya might not know that the Democrats in Congress caved to the President yet again over Iraq. Not only did they cave, their "compromise" for letting Bush have his way in Iraq was to have $10 billion in pork projects while Bush got $70 billion to have more soldiers die in that god forsaken country. Just the news that Americans want to hear after they elected a Democratic majority to get us out of Iraq.

Thankfully David Obey of Wisconsin realized that people were getting pissed off over the Democratic Congress' actions. Of course he decided to blame Republicans (who always deserve some credit for failing to compromise) for the budget snafu, but at least he was taking a positive step for the nation.

From RawStory:

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., said he might abandon an effort with moderate Republicans to split the differences between increases sought by Democrats and the strict budget submitted by President Bush in February.

Instead, Obey said, he would rip up the compromise bill and devise a new one using the strict spending ceiling set by Bush — but would reach it by whacking GOP priorities and stripping the measure of billions of dollars in pet projects for lawmakers in both parties.

Obey's remarks to The Associated Press came two days after White House budget director Jim Nussle promised Bush would veto Democrats' omnibus spending bill for exceeding Bush's budget by $18 billion.

Very nice David, but what about the $70 billion that Bush wants to waste in Iraq and Afghanistan? He doesn't want any part in a deal that gives that type of money to Bush's wars but unfortunately he just chairs the committee. If his omnibus bill makes it to the floor, we have to depend on Pelosi and ultimately Reid in the Senate to pass a budget that will stand up to the American people. Reid and Pelosi however, think that the most important person to impress is George Bush. They obviously do not get it.

It isn't unfair to bash our Democratic leaders, either of them have given us no reason to have faith that they will lead us out of Iraq. Until they have the guts to stand up to a failed President, I do not expect them to fulfill their promise to the people that put them in power.

This Is What Fox Calls "Business News"

Neil is a "business news" man.....yeah, right:

If Corporations Are People, KBR Should Be Jailed For Life

Per the 14th Amendment and the Supreme Court, corporations in America are deemed to people in certain situations for their benefit only. If "personhood" was applied thoroughly, KBR and Halliburton would be sentenced to many years in jail for a brutal rape of an employee in Iraq. However, we do not live in a perfect world and the story of Jamie Leigh Jones is an incredibly sad one to hear.

From ABC News:

A Houston, Texas woman says she was gang-raped by Halliburton/KBR coworkers in Baghdad, and the company and the U.S. government are covering up the incident.

Jamie Leigh Jones, now 22, says that after she was raped by multiple men at a KBR camp in the Green Zone, the company put her under guard in a shipping container with a bed and warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she'd be out of a job.

"Don't plan on working back in Iraq. There won't be a position here, and there won't be a position in Houston," Jones says she was told.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court against Halliburton and its then-subsidiary KBR, Jones says she was held in the shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water by KBR, which posted armed security guards outside her door, who would not let her leave.

Only because a sympathetic guard let her call her father did she get out of that container. Congressman Ted Poe made the necessary calls to get her out and is 100 percent behind her, yet more than two years later, there has been no justice for Jamie.

The government is helping KBR hide her rapists and the company as a whole from litigation. Convenient loopholes have let them escape prosecution. Now Jamie is trying to use the civil courts as a last hope at finding justice, but KBR is fighting her every step of the way. The Bush Administration is of no use to her. If Bush had to choose between a rape victim and a war profiteer corporation, he would always go with the latter.

Scooter Admits His Guilt

Thanks to President Bush, a guilty man walks the streets of D.C. a free man. Although Scooter Libby was declared guilty for four of five counts against him, his sentence was commuted by his friend George, but only after he started the appeals process against the verdict. If he was truly innocent, Scooter would have fought the charges regardless of the commutation, yet now he has given up the appeal and come to terms with the jury's decision. Now why would he do that you ask?

From The Huffington Post:

AP reports former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is no longer appealing his conviction in the CIA leak case, a tacit recognition that continuing his legal fight might only make things worse.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction but President Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence in July. Had Libby won a new trial, that commutation would be meaningless and Libby would again face potential prison time.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino refused to comment on the trial during today's press conference despite the fact that there is no longer a pending appeal. Talking Points Memo points out that Tony Snow wouldn't discuss the case previously because of Libby's appeal.

Scooter is well aware that if the proceedings had gone ahead, more information about the whole ordeal could have been made public. He would definitely not want the man who let him out of prison to be directly implicated in his crimes. Now that the case is officially over, the White House is supposed to come clean, since their excuse for not talking was that the case was on appeal. If you think these new developments are going to open the White House's mouth, you obviously have not been paying attention to the Bush Administration for the last several years.

Rudy Fails Miserably On Press The Meet

Tim Russert, I am glad to say was not his pathetic self yesterday while interviewing Rudy Giuliani. He wasn't perfect, but this was definitely a good episode showing the real Rudy to a national audience.

Judgment Day A Comin For Christine Whitman

As one ex-Bushie admits his guilt today, another is getting set to defend herself from prosecution over September 11th. Christine Whitmann headed the EPA when those two planes took out the World Trade Center towers. She was influential in getting people to come back to Lower Manhattan while the air was still filled with a toxic stew of chemicals that have killed or injured an unknown amount of people either working or living in the area. Obviously, some people are mad at her for her role in opening up Lower Manhattan...but only a judge can decide if she can be sued for her crimes.

From WNYC:

NEW YORK, NY December 10, 2007 —Today, a federal appeals court will hear arguments on whether the federal government and former Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman can be sued for statements about conditions after 9/11. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

A group of 8 lower Manhattan residents, office workers and students are suing Whitman and the EPA over what they allege was misleading encouragement to reoccupy the area in the weeks following 9/11. Government attorneys say Whitman cannot be held liable and filed a motion to dismiss.

A lower court judge rejected that argument last year. In saying the case should go forward, Judge Deborah Batts said Whitman’s actions had been “conscience-shocking." A different federal judge in a similar-but-unrelated lawsuit ruled otherwise and granted Whitman immunity. Those plaintiffs, mainly Ground Zero workers, are also in the process of appealing.

Conscience-shocking doesn't even begin to describe her actions. Giving the all clear when she knew the air was not safe to breathe should be considered a crime against humanity, or at least New Yorkers. It is like telling someone to walk into a gas chamber so they can smell some roses. Clearly, Whitman should be able to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law...those victims deserve justice.

The Prices Are In, But Not Set Yet

The numbers are now on the table, Spitzer has given the go-ahead to the MTA board and now the public has to make one last push to try and save New York from the fare increase. While Spitzer makes good with tourists that are the biggest users of the pay-per-ride $2 fare, the vast majority of locals use monthly passes, which are set to rise $5, or $60 a year, or $240 for a family of four. For many Manhattanites that doesn't seem like a big deal, but there are plenty of people in the five buroughs that see that as a huge increase.

From The Daily News:

Governor Spitzer's transit chiefs at the MTA want to charge $81 for a monthly MetroCard - a 6.6% increase - and reduce a popular MetroCard discount under a plan the MTA will announce Monday, the Daily News has learned.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority staffers have worked out the final details of a revised fare-and-toll-hike package on which the MTA board is expected to vote in just nine days, a transit source said.

Opposition to any hikes, meanwhile, continued to mount Sunday as City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and more than 20 members of the Council and the state Legislature again called on Spitzer and Mayor Bloomberg to halt all hikes.

"Do the right thing," Quinn (D-Manhattan) said from the steps of City Hall. "With so many other dark things on the economic horizon right now, don't make New Yorkers pay a higher fare when they just don't have to."

At least the Speaker is still standing up for the citizens of the city. Spitzer is a lost cause, Bloomberg supporting us is most likely trivial to him. It isn't like he needs to win over the voters any more. The council and the state legislature is behind New York, but the two men that count (plus the board) do not seem to care.

PBS Goes After Ron Paul

Not to attack him, just to see what the hell is going on with this Republican dark horse. Here is PBS's advance edition, airing on December 14th:

Perino Obviously Didn't Study History In School

You would think someone that could rise to the status of White House Press Secretary might be intelligent. Not only would they be smart overall, but well-versed in such things as English, History and even perhaps knowing how to tell the truth. Then again, this is the Bush Administration...and Dana Perino is emblematic of the White House as a whole. Case in point below.

From Crooks and Liars:

Download (1579) | Play (2153) (h/t Scarce)

Ahh….the benefits of being a Bushie: you never have to apologize for your lack of knowledge.

Dana Perino appeared on NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and admitted that she RECENTLY had to ask her (British) husband if the “Cuban Missile Crisis” and the “Bay of Pigs” were the same thing.

Keep that in mind the next time she says, “let’s take a historical perspective on this…”

Of course not many Americans know the difference between the two unless they lived through the early 60s and saw a failed invasion of Cuba and the possibility of WWIII coming within inches of being reality. Still, like I said up top, this is the White House Press Secretary, our standards in this department should be a little higher.

Late Night Links

Tis' my last night here in L.A. and it is only 10:30 or so. It is so funny to hear people talk about how it feels like winter out and the temperature is in the 50s. Ah, well, it is all a matter of perspective I guess. Hawaiians must freeze if it's below 70. Anyways, we're going back to the 30s and 40s tomorrow, I'll miss the warm temps but can't wait to come back to a real city (sorry L.Aers, SoCal is conglomeration of suburbs, nothing more, nothing less).

Okay, here are a few links for the late hour:

• Howie Long really should stick to football. He did alright on the Raiders, but really this jarheaded moron should stay the hell away from the issue of climate change and Al Gore.

• In President Rudy's Administration, not only would Judy Giuliani get secret service protection, his mistresses would as well.

• This time of year it is hard to walk down the streets without running into one of those Christmas tree stands. A normal bystander wouldn't think of anything of it, but there's actually an underworld of Christmas trees in NYC.

• Instead of taking one of those Conifers home, go out to Queens to see the Himalayas come to the city.

• And remember, Christmas isn't about consumerism. As John Lennon said, the holiday is about love for one another and around the world. In case you didn't take a moment on Saturday, remember him now, as he was tragically gunned down twenty-seven years ago on Central Park West.

Oprah-bama

One star comes out for the rising political star out in Iowa this weekend. With friends like these....and a crowd that numbers in the thousands if not tens of thousands, Hillary has got to be nervous.

Huckabee Sticks To "AIDS Island" Comments

The new front runner in Iowa for the GOP is now Mike Huckabee, the sensational baptist minister turned politician and weight-loss guru. Now that he is on top (at least in the Buckeye state) the spotlight is now on the man. Huffington Post slammed him last week for trying to pardon a rapist and now there is a statement from fifteen years ago where he wanted to isolate AIDS patients. Some may say people change in fifteen years, but Mike stood up for what he said just recently.

From RawStory:

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday that he stands by the statement he made 15 years ago that AIDS patients should have been isolated.

"I didn't say that we should quarantine," Huckabee said in an interview with Fox News, "I simply made the point, and I still believe this today, that in the late '80s and early '90's, when we didn't know as much as we do now about AIDS, we were acting more out of political correctness than ... normal health protocols."

When, Chris Wallace reminded Huckabee that The Centers for Disease Control announced that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact seven years before Huckabee made the statement, Huckabee referred to the case of Kimberly Bergalis, who claimed to contract AIDS from her dentist[...].

Huckabee failed to address other past issues that Wallace raised, such as the fact that he opposed increased federal funding to find a cure for AIDS, and that he called homosexuality a "sinful lifestyle that posed a dangerous health risk."

Well now that Leprosy is mostly eliminated, maybe the island of Molokai could rent out some space to AIDS victims under President Huckabee. With views like that, how does anyone see a Republican coming out on top by next November.

We All Knew This Was Going To Happen

The weekend has been a slow one for me in terms of news. Seeing old friends, driving down Candy Cane Lane, eating Latkes and enjoying the warm air of L.A. have all been priorities of mine in the last three days or so. However, I am sad to see that the Democrats cowered and caved yet again to George Bush. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are pathetic attempts of two human being to make difference in our government for the multitudes that helped give them power in the Congress last year. Completely, utterly, wholly.....pathetic.

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 — The White House budget director warned on Saturday that President Bush was prepared to veto a $500 billion spending package being assembled in Congress if Democrats pushed for too much additional money for domestic programs.

Jim Nussle, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, accused Democrats of trying to tie money for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to what the president considers excessive spending for federal agencies and home-state projects.

“Instead of trying to leverage troop-funding for more pork-barrel spending, Congress ought to pass responsible appropriations bills and the funding for the troops our commanders say they need to build on their battlefield success,” Mr. Nussle said.

This is already after the Democrats agreed to give the President all that he wants for his war in Iraq. Pelosi and Reid are cowards. Yeller belly, goddamn cowards. These two people do not deserve to be in the leadership, they do not exhibit any of the requisite qualities of such positions. We need people with real guts to deal with out maniacal President and his cohorts that still exist on Capitol Hill.

For Mitch McConnell to have any kind of authority on the budget is ridiculous. The guy is looking like he'll have trouble keeping his own Senate seat next year, yet Democrats treat him and the President like the kids that'll beat them up for lunch money. Nancy and Harry have now failed three times to try and do something about the war that the people spoke to last year in the voting booth. I personally think three times is enough. When 2009 rolls around....and we still have our majority...those two need to be demoted.