Gingrich Bites The Dust Before He Even Starts Running

The stories about Newt Gingrich's presidential aspirations are about to come to a close. After dropping hints for the last few months about a possible bid, he has officially bowed out before even announcing a campaign committee. Last week he pledged that if he could find $30 million in donations he would enter the fray that he sees as no match for the Clinton machine. Personally, it would have been great to have seen Newt run, the possibilities to attack him are endless. Instead, Newt is taking the easy way out by offering lame excuses.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not run for president in 2008 after determining he could not legally explore a bid and remain as head of his tax-exempt political organization, a spokesman said Saturday.

"Newt is not running," spokesman Rick Tyler said. "It is legally impermissible for him to continue on as chairman of American Solutions (for Winning the Future) and to explore a campaign for president."

Gingrich decided "to continue on raising the challenges America faces and finding solutions to those challenges" as the group's chairman, Tyler said, "rather than pursuing the presidency."

Too bad for him, at least we still have a bunch of miscreants to take down as the clock to election day slowly ticks down.

Bill Maher Mocks Bill O' The Bigot

The hot topic (or one of them) was Bill O'Reilly's comments about black people after eating at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem. It wasn't that he was trying to be racist, it was just that the subtle racism of his remarks speaks volumes about our society. Well Maher had a few ideas on how Bill can open his mind.

Army Blogger Annihilates Rush The Phony

There is no one better to harp on Rush Limbaugh for his outrageous comments than an actual soldier. According to Rush, Alex Frisco is a phony soldier. Well Alex decided to proclaim his phoniness in a post that uses brilliant sarcasm. He talks about his initial rejection from the Army (like Rush got) and how he got in anyways because he wanted to serve (like Rush didn't). Well Alex has learned a thing or two since he went to Iraq for a fifteen month deployment. It turns out he now sees himself as a "phony soldier."

From Army of Dude:

As a phony civilian hoping to be a phony soldier, I tried to enlist in the military after I graduated high school in 2003. In 2002 I had a Nissen fundoplication operation to repair a hiatal hernia caused by severe acid reflux, preventing esophageal cancer later in life. I was immediately flagged on my attempt to enlist because of this surgery, as there was a chance that a physically stressful job such as Army infantry would complicate it. I had to be cleared by the surgeon general before entering the service. As the war kept on, so did I. I waited for a little over a year to get my results back: I would finally be able to join despite the surgery I had two years prior. As Rush found after dropping out of his first year of college at Southeast Missouri State University in 1969-1970, he found himself on draft status. Nothing that a claim of an old football injury or a boil on the ass can take care of, though! The medical deferment he was referring to was a pilonidal cyst, which apparently is a clump of severely ingrown hairs. That barred him from enlistment, and I'm sure he was ecstatic. After all, there was a war on. Here's a first hand account of the surgery that was done to correct it. She claims that in eight weeks, it was perfectly healed. Rush is willing to sacrifice the lives of Americans in Iraq but not his own ass (literally) in a simple surgery. I waited a year to get in, and he didn't try. Boy, do I really give an effort at being a phony soldier!

There are plenty of examples of "phoniness" that Alex found in Iraq. Read his post and see for yourself. If this doesn't convince everyone of the idiocy that Rush encompasses, I don't know what is going to save you from your delusions.

Senate Dems Demand Apology From Rush

When Rush Limbaugh heard that people might be offended by his remarks calling troops against the war "phony soldiers" he must have been taken aback. Being Rush, he promptly edited the tape so that he could say he was taken out of context. And of course he never apologized to the majority of our troops that do want out of Iraq. Too bad for him, Media Matters had recorded the conversation in its entirety. Now the Senate Democrats are getting involved and are looking to pass a resolution condemning his behavior, similar to Republicans going after the "Betray Us" ad presented by MoveOn. Here's what they had to say.

From ThinkProgress:

The letter, signed by Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Patty Murray (D-WA), states that Limbaugh’s comments were “outrageous” and “unconscionable”:

Although Americans of goodwill debate the merits of this war, we can all agree that those who serve with such great courage deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. That is why Rush Limbaugh’s recent characterization of troops who oppose the war as “phony soldiers” is such an outrage.

Our troops are fighting and dying to bring to others the freedoms that many take for granted. It is unconscionable that Mr. Limbaugh would criticize them for exercising the fundamentally American right to free speech. Mr. Limbaugh has made outrageous remarks before, but this affront to our soldiers is beyond the pale.

Yesterday, ThinkProgress asked whether lawmakers who voted to attack a MoveOn newspaper ad would now condemn Limbaugh. The Senate leadership is challenging all their colleagues to demonstrate whether they can show principled condemnation by signing onto the letter. It specifically calls on Clear Channel to issue an apology and demands Limbaugh do the same:

Thousands of active troops and veterans were subjected to Mr. Limbaugh’s unpatriotic and indefensible comments on your broadcast. We trust you will agree that not a single one of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends serving overseas is a “phony soldier.” We call on you to publicly repudiate these comments that call into question their service and sacrifice and to ask Mr. Limbaugh to apologize for his comments.

Clear Channel gives Rush a free pass because he makes them oodles of cash. I personally know one of his former handlers (you can ask me who if you are curious) and he would bend over backwards for Rush. Anything from looking over carpet patterns for his wife to wiping Lord Rush's ass. It is time to hold them accountable for his actions too. If it weren't for the radio scion, we wouldn't have to listen to his garbage. Condemning Rush and Clear Channel is the right thing to do.

Texas Legislature Votes Against Fraud While Committing It Themselves

This video more than speaks for itself:

Saddam Wanted To Give Up, Bush Wanted War Anyway

The stories that detail the sickness of George Bush never cease to amaze me. Vowing to keep health care out of the hands of millions of children is disgusting. The Bushisms that come out of his mouth are jaw dropping. Now the fact that Bush knew Saddam was willing to give up and decided to send us into an occupation that has killed hundreds of thousands and cost us hundreds of billions is just downright unconscionable and a war crime to say the least.

From Crooks and Liars:

How much money does Bush think a US soldier’s life is worth? How much money does Bush think the lives of our allies’ soldiers or innocent Iraqis are worth?

As we’re finding out, not very much. On March 17, 2003 President Bush issued the warning: “Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our choosing ,” yet now thanks to a transcript leaked to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, we learn that more than three weeks prior to that Bush had told former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar that “The Egyptians are speaking to Saddam Hussein. It seems he’s indicated he would be prepared to go into exile if he’s allowed to take $1 billion …” When confronted about the leaked transcript yesterday, Whitehouse spokeswoman Dana Perino did not dispute its accuracy.

Just last week we learned from former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan that the real reason behind the war in Iraq was oil , and now we are finding out that the entire war could have been averted for letting him get away with $1 billion. That’s just than one tenth of 1% of what this insane invasion and occupation of Iraq, that continues claim the lives of our country’s bravest men and women, has now been forcast to cost. Think about that just for a second. Every single death, Iraqi and American coalition alike, could have been saved and Bush could have had Saddam’s oil, but apparently he didn’t even seriously consider it. Topping that, he then lied in public to the entire world about it just so he could have his war regardless. How’s that for compassionate conservatism?

Bush does not put a price on anyone's life but his own. He cares nothing for any individual let alone our country and the world. All he wanted was war, death, destruction and mayhem. The war in Iraq was not going to stop in March of 2003 and everyone knew that. The fact that despite knowing this information he went forward and lied the American people into this mess constitutes more than just a high crime against the country. What Bush deserves for this is far beyond what any criminal court in the world can deliver. He will pay. If not from the cowardly Democrats in Congress, then it will happen at some point. Karma is not kind to inhuman beasts such as our President.

Dana Perino tacitly admitted this when confronted by the press. How does she or any other White House tool live with themselves knowing what George Bush has led us into? How do we live with ourselves knowing that we still have this man in a position of great power. The madness needs to end. Kucinich's proposal to go ahead with impeachment (of Dick Cheney or Bush) is sounding like a fantastic idea right now.

CA Election Initiative Dies An Inglorious Death

One of the Republicans' dirty tricks has officially failed with more than a year to go before election day. The mysterious group of supporters wanted to assign California's electoral votes to be divided by Congressional district. The initiative would have enabled Republicans to win up to twenty of the Golden State's 55 electoral jewels. Unfortunately for them, infighting and a lack of funds brought the operation down. The efforts by the Courage Campaign didn't do them much good either.

From The LA Times:

Plagued by a lack of money, supporters of a statewide initiative drive to change the way California's 55 electoral votes are apportioned, first revealed here by Top of the Ticket in July, are pulling the plug on that effort.

In an exclusive report to appear on this website late tonight and in Friday's print editions, The Times' Dan Morain reports that the proposal to change the winner-take-all electoral vote allocation to one by congressional district is virtually dead with the resignation of key supporters, internal disputes and a lack of funds.

The reality is hundreds of thousands of signatures must be gathered by the end of November to get the measure on the June 2008 ballot.

Aww, the poor little Republicans didn't get their way. Maybe they can try to campaign on their (lack of) ideas and upstanding moral character to win back California next time. LMAO!

Shocking Behavior At Sylvia's Restaurant

Absolutely hilarious!

9/11 And Jesus Make Giuliani's World Go Round'

Rudy Giuliani has no problem judging people, New Yorkers have lost count how many times he opened his inappropriate mouth when he was Mayor. Now that he is in the spotlight for his adulterous sins, he proclaims the words of Jesus (even though he technically misquoted the New Testament story about the adulterous woman despite four years of theology) to defend himself.

From The Huffington Post:

"I'm guided very, very often about, `Don't judge others, lest you be judged,'" Giuliani told CBN interviewer David Brody. "I'm guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, 'He that hasn't sinned, cast the first stone,' and everybody disappeared.

"It seems like nowadays in America, we have people that think they could've passed that test," he said. "And I don't think anybody could've passed that test but Jesus."

In the New Testament story, related in the Gospel of John, Jesus does not actually hold stones. The Pharisees bring Jesus a woman charged with adultery, reminding him the punishment for adultery is stoning. They are testing Jesus in an effort to charge him with breaking the law.

Well its a good thing Rudy didn't live in the Roman Empire, he wouldn't have lasted long without the help of a certain Jew. Of course, this isn't about adultery. It is about Giuliani trying to claim moral superiority over everyone for having been Mayor of New York on September the 11th.

He excused his phone call with his third wife during the middle of a speech to the NRA because of 9/11. Are we seriously supposed to believe that? If Giuliani was a decent human being then one can be mushy from time to time but his track record shows he is a cold and callous individual.

Everything about Giuliani comes from ego and wanting to be elected. He has no clear positions other than that he wants to "kick ass." That's great if you want to join the Delta Force, but we are talking about the next leader of the free world here. Heaven knows we do not need another "shoot from the hip George W. Bush" figure.

Si Se Puede FreshDirect

First off, I have to admit I love FreshDirect. I started using them after my accident and I couldn't move from my apartment last year. The service is fantastic and my food always arrives in pristine condition. The only time I had a problem with delivery was when that massive early morning thunderstorm paralyzed the city back in July. Even then they gave me a discount for my next order. So I was sorry to see an article on them this morning about conditions in their warehouse out in Long Island City. Company efforts to stop workers from unionizing pissed me off as well.

The truck drivers have already unionized last year, becoming part of the local UFCW. As expected with a union, their working conditions have improved and receive adequate benefits. However, 900 warehouse workers are still getting shafted with low wages and bad conditions at the headquarters in Long Island City. Union proponents claim that two organizers were fired once their efforts were made public. The company disputes that but thats what companies do when presented with bad press.

These workers deserve better. Let FreshDirect know that all their employees should have access to unionize without intimidation. With the decreasing power of unions across the country, their resurgence can only come with more workers getting together to fight for fair compensation and decent working environments.

Si Se Puede FreshDirect!

How Larry Craig Found His Bathroom

Whenever I am looking for the men's room in airports, I'll be sure to avoid rooms with this sign on the front:


Image from Crooks and Liars

Chickens Can't Distinguish Phonies From Real Soldiers

Rush Limbaugh is one hell of a guy. He claims to support our troops but reality has a way of showing what he truly means by that. Rush only likes troops that supports his narrow view of the world. If our soldiers want out of that terrible mess in Iraq, he slams them for being "phony." How the hell would he know what a phony soldier was, he chickened out of going to war in the first place. All those drugs in the last few years must have also scrambled that fat little head of his as well.

From Media Matters:

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, "Mike from Chicago," who said he "used to be military," and "believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq." Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as "Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington," that "[t]here's a lot" that people who favor U.S. withdrawal "don't understand" and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, " 'Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.' ... 'Save the -- keeps the troops safe' or whatever," adding, "[I]t's not possible, intellectually, to follow these people." "Mike" from Olympia replied, "No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media." Limbaugh interjected, "The phony soldiers." The caller, who had earlier said, "I am a serving American military, in the Army," agreed, replying, "The phony soldiers."

Rush was immediately countered by such real soldiers as Jon Soltz, founder of VoteVets. Jon knows what it is like to be in combat in Iraq, since um, he was there. Rush is simply a vocal representative of a certain sect of the population that needs to puff up their chests with phony machismo to look tough, even if they are little cowards on the inside. If these chickens really want to be tough, they should pluck their feathers and start enlisting.

Of course, you know that ain't happening.