The Hard Left

My fiance, Tom, has been a musician going way back. He had some limited success in the 80's/90's with The Magnolias. They put out several albums and even had a video on MTV's 120 Minutes.

His new band, The Hard Left, played for the first time last Friday. They rocked.

The lead is my friend, Brian. Tom is on the right.

Christmas Time For The Jews

On SNL last week, Robert Smigel aired a new Saturday TV Funhouse, and it was a classic. He usually saves his best stuff for the Christmas episode, and this year's no exception. "Christmas Time For The Jews" is a note-perfect Phil Spector tribute, featuring the legendary Darlene Love on vocals. Below are the lyrics:

On Christmas Eve, The Gentiles gather
Around the Christmas Tree
They stay at home, and party with
Their Goyishe family

They disappear one day each year
And pass the egg nog 'round
But it's all right
Because that's the night
The Jews control the town

Well, this happens every year on Christmas Eve
All the happy Christian people take their leave
Yeah, the streets are deserted and that's big news
It's Christmas Time for the Jews

The holiday party starts about 6pm
Ain't nobody recreating Bethlehem
Yeah the Three Wise Men, that's a big old snooze
It's Christmas Time for the Jews

They can finally see King Kong without waiting in line
They can eat in Chinatown and drink their sweet ass wine
They can crank Barbra Streisand on the streets they cruise
It's Christmas Time for the Jews

They can gang up on the Quakers
Play for the Lakers
They can do what they wanna
Even blow off Madonna
Get a chance to drive a tractor
Win on Fear Factor
See Fiddler On The Roof with actual Jewish actors

Now, they really get the party goin' after dark
Circumcizing grateful squirrels in the city park
Picking fights in the bar knowing they can't lose
It's Christmas Time for the Jews

Now it's nearly 10:30
Yes, it's time for bed
Daily Show reruns dancin' in their heads
Maybe next year they'll learn how to hold their booze
It's Christmas Time for the Jews

To see the clip, click here.
Click here for the mp3 file.

(Thank you bakedziti.net for lyrics & links.)


PS. Me & my nephew went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve, but we skipped the movies this year. Yep, we're Jews.

Happy Everything!

I wish everyone in bloggerland a very merry holiday.
We'll see you in a couple days.

Laugh break

Every once in a while, something really stupid comes across my desk. In these wicked times, sometimes you just need a laugh, so without further ado....




15 Facts About Chuck Norris:

1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

2. When Chuck Norris has sex with a man, it is not because he is gay, but because he has run out of women.

3. Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his footbroke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhartwhile she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

4. Macgyver can build an airplane out of gum and paper clips, but Chuck Norris can kill him and take it.

5. Rather than being birthed like a normal child, Chuck Norris instead decided to punch his way out of his mother's womb. Shortly thereafter he grew a beard.

6. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

7. Chuck Norris lost his virginity before his dad did.

8. Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

9. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

10. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

11. To prove it isn't that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked 15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and acquired 7 different kinds of cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes. Beat that, Lance Armstrong.

12. There are no disabled people. Only people who have met Chuck Norris.

13. Chuck Norris has recently changed his middle name to "Fuckin."

14. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

15. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.


If you don't like those, check this out: Angry Alien Productions (I hope you like bunnies!)

2 Days in Minnesota

Spying on Americans...like you & me

Last year I had the sense that I was being surveilled. When I told my sister & fiance that Republicans were spying on me, they laughed.

Maybe I was right....


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Without confirming a report that he OK'd eavesdropping on U.S. citizens in 2002, President Bush defended his actions since September 11, 2001, saying he has done everything "within the law" to protect the American people.

A story in The New York Times on Friday claimed that Bush secretly signed an order authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans who were communicating with individuals overseas to determine if they had terrorist ties.


Ok, so I didn't talk with anyone overseas (other than Damien,) and of course I'm not a terrorist (unless being a member of Peta counts,) but I still get the feeling lefties are being watched.

(But seriously, I hope their elections turn out better than ours. )

California will kill a man in less than an hour

I am anti-death penalty for many reasons. Here's the main one -

From Amnesty International:

As long as the death penalty is maintained, the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated.

Since 1973, 122 prisoners have been released in the USA after evidence emerged of their innocence of the crimes for which they were sentenced to death. There were six such cases in 2004 and three up to December 2005. Some prisoners had come close to execution after spending many years under sentence of death. Recurring features in their cases include prosecutorial or police misconduct; the use of unreliable witness testimony, physical evidence, or confessions; and inadequate defense representation. Other US prisoners have gone to their deaths despite serious doubts over their guilt.


Goodbye Tookie

A Great Minnesotan - RIP

Political icon inspired a generation

The Minnesota Democrat is remembered for challenging a president and a war.
Steve Berg, Star Tribune




Eugene McCarthy, the poet and politician whose resolute stand against the Vietnam War toppled a president and inspired a generation of liberal idealists, died Saturday in Washington.

The former Minnesota senator was 89.

McCarthy will be remembered along with Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale as one of Minnesota's three most prominent political figures of the last half of the 20th century.

An early architect of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, McCarthy was elected to Congress in 1948 and served 22 years in the House and Senate.

Those years were a period in which the DFL influenced the tone and direction of the national Democratic Party and American liberalism.

He'll be remembered most vividly, however, for his place in a single tumultuous year, 1968, the year of his remarkable challenge to President Lyndon Johnson's pursuit of the Vietnam War.

The war and the suffering it produced were "morally indefensible," McCarthy told his youthful audiences as he traveled the country to prepare for his run against Johnson in the presidential primaries. "Party unity is not a sufficient excuse for silence," he told them.

Inspired by McCarthy's audacity and intellect, thousands of "clean for Gene" college students descended on New Hampshire, site of the first primary. The senator's close second-place finish was widely interpreted as a stunning defeat for Johnson, who, after pondering the damage and the mounting opposition to his policies, shocked the nation by pulling out of the race.

It was the high point of McCarthy's career.

more...

I'll never forget that awful moment 25 years ago today.

We miss you, John.

At a loss

I feel bad that I haven't been blogging regularly lately, but to tell you the truth (politically) I'm at loss for words.

What more can be said about this president and what he's done to this country? Sure, the chickens are coming home to roost, but we still have 3 more years of this bastardization of an administration to contend with.

And, while I am very encouraged by the growing backbone of the Democratic Party, I don't have anything profound to say about it at this time.

Is it political burnout?

50 Years Ago Today... From Michael Moore

December 1, 2005

Friends,

I just thought we should all pause for a moment today to remember the simple act of courage, defiance and dignity committed by Rosa Parks when she refused to move to the back of the bus because the law said she had the wrong skin color. The greatest moments in history, the ones that have truly mattered and have taken us to a better place, are made up of scores of these singular acts by ordinary, everyday people who could no longer tolerate the crap and the nonsense of those in charge.

Today, whether it is a student who holds a sit-in to get the army recruiters off his campus, or the mother of a dead soldier who refuses to leave the front gate of the president's ranch, we continue to be saved by brave people who risk ridicule and rejection but end up turning huge tides of public opinion in the direction of righteousness. We owe them enormous debts of gratitude. It is not easy to stand up for what is right, especially when everyone else is afraid to leave the comfortable path of conformity.

Rosa Parks may have been alone on that bus at the moment of her arrest but she wasn't alone for long. The old order was shaken, the world was upended and, as a people, we were given a chance for a bit of redemption.

Perhaps the best way to celebrate this most important day in American history is to ask yourself what it is that you can do today to make a difference. What risk can you take to move the ball forward? What is that one thing you've been wanting to say to your co-workers or classmates that you've been afraid to say -- but in your heart of hearts you know needs to be said? Why wait another day to say it or do it?

There is probably no better way to honor Rosa Parks -- and yourself -- than for you to put a stop to an injustice you see, not allowing it to continue for one more second. Do something. Then send me an email (contributions@michaelmoore.com) and tell all of us what you did (I'll post as many as I can).

Fifty years later, the bus we're on could use a few more people simply saying, "No. I'm sorry. I've had enough. I'm not going to take it anymore."

Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com

The truth in black, red & blue

My Uncle Richard sent this to me. It's an eye-opener:

Democrats:
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,and Soldier's Medal
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311
Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and AirMedal with 18 Clusters
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.


Republicans -- and these are the guys sending people to war:
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
Dennis Hastert: did not serve
Tom Delay: did not serve
Roy Blunt: did not serve
Bill Frist: did not serve
Mitch McConnell: did not serve
Rick Santorum: did not serve
Trent Lott: did not serve
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business
Jeb Bush: did not serve
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." (The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.)
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve
Vin Weber: did not serve
Richard Perle: did not serve
Douglas Feith: did not serve
Eliot Abrams: did not serve
Richard Shelby: did not serve
Jon Kyl: did not serve
Tim Hutchison: did not serve
Christopher Cox: did not serve
Newt Gingrich: did not serve
Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor
George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non- combat role making movies
Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea
Phil Gramm: did not serve
John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross
Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve
John M. McHugh: did not serve
JC Watts: did not serve
Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem, " although continued in NFL for 8 years as quarterback
Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve
George Pataki: did not serve
Spencer Abraham: did not serve
John Engler: did not serve
Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer
Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base

Pundits & Preachers
Sean Hannity: did not serve
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve
Michael Savage: did not serve
George Will: did not serve
Chris Matthews: did not serve
Paul Gigot: did not serve
Bill Bennett: did not serve
Pat Buchanan: did not serve
John Wayne: did not serve
Bill Kristol: did not serve
Kenneth Starr: did not serve
Antonin Scalia: did not serve
Clarence Thomas: did not serve
Ralph Reed: did not serve
Michael Medved: did not serve
Charlie Daniels: did not serve
Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)


Please keep this information circulating
--Illinois State Sen. Howard W. Carroll

Go big or go home

My take on the Iraq mess? Either go big or go home. And, what I mean by "go big" can be summed up in a post I wrote back on November 04, 2004 entitled Troop Level Plan.


Anyway, from what I gather, the US has 2 choices:

Reinstate the draft (Bush voters go first) and get the job done right ...whatever the job is at this point. (um, does anyone remember?)

Or...

Get the hell out of Dodge.


I prefer the latter.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

See (blog) you all on Friday.

Sorry, George, I'm In the Majority ...from Michael Moore

Saturday, November 19th, 2005


Dear Mr. Bush:

I would like to extend my hand and invite you to join us, the mainstream American majority. We, the people -- that's the majority of the people -- share these majority opinions:

1. Going to war was a mistake -- a big mistake. (link)

2. You and your administration misled us into this war. (link)

3. We want the war ended and our troops brought home. (link)

4. We don't trust you. (link)

Now, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. Iraq was going to be your great legacy. Now, it's just your legacy. It didn't have to end up this way.

This week, when Republicans and conservative Democrats started jumping ship, you lashed out at them. You thought the most damning thing you could say to them was that they were "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party." I mean, is that the best you can do to persuade them to stick with you -- compare them to me? You gotta come up with a better villain. For heaven's sakes, you had a hundred-plus million other Americans who think the same way I do -- and you could have picked on any one of them!

But hey, why not cut out the name-calling and the smearing and just do the obvious thing: Come join the majority! Be one of us, your fellow Americans! Is it really that hard? Is there really any other choice? George, take a walk on the wild side!

Your loyal representative from the majority,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

W's big fluffy tail

"The life which is not examined is not worth living."
Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)




In drug treatment, they had a saying: If 5 people tell you that you have a tail, maybe you should turn around.

Where ever Dubya goes, massive protests break out. If only he would take a moment and ask himself why, but I know that's just wishful thinking.

Yep, you do have that going for you, Georgie.

Bill Maher, Will you marry me?

I just finished watching the season finale (until February) of Real Time with Bill Maher, and again, his New Rules ruled.

Here's his parting shot at the right-wing, anti-choice "folks":

New Rule:

President Bush's new Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito, must bomb an abortion clinic. I know it sounds crazy, but the right wing needs assurance that they've really got their holy man this time. We can't let the swing vote on the Supreme Court just wind up in the hands of some level-headed legal pussy.

Is Sam Alito a decent man with Christian values? Well, until he kills a nurse with a pipe bomb, there's no way to be sure. Because there is nothing you can say to a real conservative to convince him abortion should ever be acceptable other than, "Your daughter is pregnant and the father is black."

Now, with all the hubbub lately about qualifications and constitutional law, it's sometimes easy to forget why our founding fathers created a judicial branch in the first place: to punish hussies by saddling them with the mewling, drooling reminder of their sin.

But here's where overturning Roe v. Wade could actually turn out to be the best thing for the Democrats. Because if you want to create more liberal voters, don't scare them with the possibility of terrorism. Scare them with the possibility of parenthood. Because voters nowadays are all about the issues that affect "me." They need to see how Bush's f***-ups affect them personally.

I mean, think about it. Other than the war in Iraq, the Katrina disaster, the deficit, the CIA leak, torture, stopping stem cell research, homeland security, global warming and undercutting science, we've yet to really feel the negative effects of the Bush administration.

But you know what voting block had the lowest voter turnout in the last election? Young, unmarried women. And you know who'll be the most affected if they overturn Roe v. Wade? Kobe Bryant. But, after him, young women. Come on. You're living in South Carolina and you need an abortion. You're going to get on a bus and head to New York. Maybe next time you'll think twice about letting your older brother tuck you in.

Because, overturning Roe v. Wade won't make abortion illegal. The choice to allow it will just be returned to the states. In all likelihood, the blue states. The rest of you will have to make a weekend of it. Tourism, ka-ching!

Every state will have a new motto: Massachusetts: "Where the country was born, but your baby wasn't." "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. No, seriously!" And of course, California: "I just got an abortion and now I'm going to Disneyland!"

All right, that's our show. Thank you for a wonderful season.


From Lizzy: Hurry back, Bill. We need you more than ever!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

From StarTribune.com:



St. Paul mayoral race: Coleman defeats Kelly

St. Paul voters punished Mayor Randy Kelly on Tuesday for standing with President Bush a year ago, denying the Democrat a second term in Minnesota's capital city.

Former City Council member Chris Coleman, also a Democrat, routed Kelly by a more than 2-to-1 margin in unofficial returns with most precincts reporting. Ahead of the election, independent polls showed voters were primed to fire Kelly, and most cited his 2004 endorsement of the Republican president as the reason.

No sitting St. Paul mayor had lost a campaign since 1974. Kelly had a personal election streak that spanned just as long, covering his quarter-century in the Legislature and first term as mayor.

"It may sound silly, but Kelly was for Bush and I'm not,'' said retiree Audrey Guith after casting her vote for Coleman.

(more...)

This is what you get, this is what you get
This is what you get, when you mess with us

Karma Police
Radiohead

Check these out

DCCC video: Worse than Watergate

Trailer for Wal-Mart: The High Price of Low Cost

This reminds me of the old saying: snug as a black pug on a king size bed.

Have a great weekend everyone!

FINALLY.

And then it happened...the fog cleared and the Democratic Senators grew a spine.


From CNN:

Democrats force Senate into unusual closed session

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that led to the Iraq war and deriding a lack of congressional inquiry.

"I demand on behalf of the America people that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.

(more...)

Franken beats Limbaugh & O'Reilly in top markets

Email received from Air America Radio:



Dear Friend of Air America Radio,

It’s Halloween and the right-wing is terrified…of you.

Want to know why? Here are just a few examples:

On October 17th, Rush Limbaugh said this to Sean Hannity:
“In my mind they don’t even exist…for a moment you almost feel sorry for then. Then you realize no, they don’t exist. And they don’t pose a threat.”

But on October 28th, less than two weeks later, Al Franken, broadcasting on a network that Rush once called “Dead Air America,” beat him like a drum:

"Air America Radio announced today that 'The Al Franken Show' beat 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' for the first time in San Francisco and Portland, Ore., two of the top twenty-five markets, in the target demo of 25-54, according to Arbitron Summer 2005 Metro. The two shows air at the same time ( 9am-12pm ) in both markets.'

While poor Rush is whistling by the graveyard, his fellow ghouls are out screaming and shrieking and rattling their chains:

Bill O’Reilly recently predicted this to a group of advertisers:

'[Air America ] is about to fold ... because Americans don't want to hear that their country sucks 24 hours a day."

But somehow those pesky facts never seem to get inside the "No Spin Zone." Here are a few:

• The ratings for the Bill O’Reilly radio show in New York were worse in the demo of A25-54 than those on Air America that he described as “catastrophic.”
• In the key 25-54 demographic which talk radio offers to advertisers, the Summer 2005 Arbitron ratings showed that Monday-Friday from 2-4 PM when O’Reilly is on WOR-AM and which at Air America’s 1190 WLIB-AM contains the last hour of “The Al Franken Show” and the first hour of “The Randi Rhodes Show,” that O’Reilly had a 0.6 share and Air America a 1.8 share. O’Reilly had a cumulative audience of 45,800 and Air America had a cumulative audience of 95,700 .

Last month, we launched the Air America Associates program and the howling of the right-wing hypocrites was nothing short of hysterical:

Ann Coulter, the undisputed queen of self-promotion, was cackling with glee at the prospect of using Air America Radio as a marketing device for her latest right-wing screed:

"That money you were thinking about donating to become an 'Air America Associate' – Air America Ass' for short - why not do something useful with it? Buy my book for friends and loved ones."

Sorry, Ann. People just don’t seem to be paying attention to you the way they used to. As of this morning:

Al Franken’s “The Truth (with jokes)” was at #7 on Amazon while the paperback edition of “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is at #1,042.

But while we may enjoy the right-wing’s fear and loathing of Air America Radio’s success, we can’t afford to sit back and take it for granted. The dramatic growth of Air America Radio over the last 19 months – we’re now on in 70 markets covering more than 60% of the nation – only happened because of you.

And we need to keep growing just as quickly, because only this morning, President Bush's idea of "Trick or Treat" was to nominate Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. for Sandra Day O’Connor’s seat on the Supreme Court. Often referred to as “Scalito” because of his extreme right-wing views, if confirmed Alito could well change the balance of the high court for a generation to come.

We at Air America Radio make you this promise. We won’t let them get away with this without a fight. But we will need your help to do it.

How can you help? Three ways:

If you are currently listening to Air America Radio on your local station, call them and thank them for carrying Air America programming. A list of stations is available at http://www.airamericaradio.com/stations.

If you don’t have an Air America Radio affiliate in your area, let us know: http://www.airamericaradio.com/feedback

Join the Air America Radio community! We need you! http://www.airamericaradio.com/associates

Thank you for all you do for our country.

Danny Goldberg
Air America Radio CEO

That'll do Fitz, that'll do

Well, I didn't get to dance in the streets, but that's ok. The indictment of Scooter Libby is a start. Like many others are saying, I believe if this goes to trial, the lies of the Bush administration regarding the reason for war, will be exposed. We all know that they are a bunch of corrupt criminals, but airing their malfeasance in court is another story.

Fitzgerald had restored my faith in the justice system.


And, I must say, he's a very handsome man.

Anticipation

I'm on pins & needles waiting for the upcoming indictments. Just think, in less than 12 hours (but probably more) some of our wishes might come true.

If Karl Rove gets indicted, it will be the best day in politics since Clinton was sworn in all those years ago.

If Cheney gets indicted, I'll be dancing in the streets.

Word

Photo-art by Damien

Wellstone, my African Grey parrot, is starting to talk! He said his first word, "Hello," on Sept 30. Since then he's said it only a few times - until yesterday when he said it about 10 times in a row. Tom thinks he sounds like me, but I think he sounds like himself. I can't wait to hear what his next word will be. With all the news we've been watching lately, maybe it will be "indictments."

Spin, spin, spin

When Fahrenheit 9/11 came out, I made my sister, Laura, a deal. The deal was that if she agreed to see the film with me, I would watch a week of Bill O'Reilly. She watched the film with tear-filled eyes and came out of it slightly shocked. I know it moved her.

For my part of the deal, I tried, I really tried. After watching the first 10 minutes of O'Reilly, my fiance said that I better turn it off before I smash the TV in.

Now here we are a couple years later, and my sister is still a huge fan of his show. She keeps telling me that I have to give him another chance - that he really does give both sides.

So, after hearing that Ed Schultz was going to be on his show, (which he wasn't) I decided to give in. While I do agree with O'Reilly on border security and partially on Jessica's law, the rest of the show was maddening.

When you have a guest like Dick Morris saying things like, "I love Karl Rove, he's a great man, he got Bush elected" and then not challenging that statement, O'Reilly's fair & balanced crap goes out the window.

Or, how about the author of a book called "The War on Christmas" who argues "The ACLU keeps saying to Christians to 'shut up,' and this is another attempt to say you can't even have a secular symbol like the tree or Santa in public" (like schools, for instance) Um, yeah, duh...ever hear of the separation of Church & State?

Bill's response: "It's the far left, the loony left, the secular progressive ACLU America-haters. That's who's doing this."

No spin zone, my ass. Sorry Laura.

Cheney Directly Involved In Leak Scandal

Like I said in my last post, Fitzgerald's investigation may go to the top:



From The New York Times:

A lawyer who knows Mr. Libby’s account said the administration efforts to limit the damage from Mr. Wilson’s criticism extended as high as Mr. Cheney. This lawyer and others who spoke about the case asked that they not be identified because of grand jury secrecy rules.

On July 12, 2003, four days after his initial conversation with Ms. Miller, Mr. Libby consulted with Mr. Cheney about how to handle inquiries from journalists about the vice president’s role in sending Mr. Wilson to Africa in early 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq was trying acquire nuclear material there for its weapons program, the person said.

Dems, don't blow the moment

Hi everyone. I was feeling kind of crummy last week, but I'm feeling better now. It's good to be back.

So, where are we? Bush's poll numbers are falling fast -- 38% approval rating last I looked. Delay is going down, and Frist is in trouble. Rove is about to be indicted and Fitzgerald's investigation may go to the top.

Except for a sound bite here and there, I'm still not hearing anything substantial from the Democrats. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I fear they're blowing it.

Everyday I get solicited for donations from one campaign or another. Whether it's John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, or the DNC asking for money, I'm finding it very hard to give right now. Two things need to happen before they get another dime: quit being wimps and do something about the voting machines.

Been under the weather for a few days. Will post soon.

Uncle Richard rules.

Other than my sister, the Bill O'Reilly fan, I come from a long line of proud American liberals. This administration in particular has made us all more politically active because we hate what they have done to our country.

After reading this ridiculous column by well known rich ad executive and restauranteur, Jerry Della Femina, my Uncle Richard wrote a wonderful letter to the editor.

As much as I hate to reprint stupid articles on my blog, you have to read what this ignoramus wrote to understand my uncle's reply. Here is that column:


BASHING BUSH
By Jerry Della Femina
East Hampton Star

I was flying. I was late for a meeting with one of my clients so I was speeding on the Saw Mill River Parkway. The last time I looked at the speedometer it said 75 - then I stepped on the gas.
The first thing I noticed in my rear view mirror was the flashing red light. Then that loud piercing beeping sound that says, "I've got you, sucker." Followed by the voice of God that says ominously, Pullover: Naturally I complied and sat in my car as the police officer ambled over in his best John Wayne walk.

The officer came up and said, "License and registration."
"It's not my fault officer," I said.
"You were speeding at 83 miles per hour and it's not your fault?"
"No, sir," I said, thinking fast. "It's George W. Bush's fault.
"What did you say?" asked the officer, his eyes narrowing. I said, "It's George Bush's fault."
He thought for a second."Of course, you're right. These are federal roads - the fact that you can speed on them is because they are here thanks to the federal government. Bush is President. He's at fault. He's at fault for everything that's wrong in this country. Change that - he's at fault for anything that's wrong in this world. Why didn't we listen to Barbra Streisand and Rosie O'Donnell before the last election?"

Then he poured his heart out to me. "I had a fight with the misses this morning and we were really screaming at each other. She said she's had it with me sitting home on Sunday drinking beer, smoking cigars, and belching while I watch the Jets losing like dogs."

All of a sudden we stopped and looked at each other and said, "Why are we fighting? It's not our fault. It's Bush's fault."
"Oh," I said. "Those miserable Jets. I watched that game, too. Weren't they terrible? But you know I don't blame Herman Edwards who was a gutless coach even when he had a quarterback
with a working arm. You know who I blame?"
"I know," said the policeman. With that we both shouted out "BUSH"and highfived each other.

"Good to meet you," he said, handing me back my license. "And Jerry, you can drive as fast as you want - just tell anyone who stops you that it's Bush's fault. They'll understand."

Getting stopped by my policeman made me even later for my client. When I got to his office, he was steaming. "You have some nerve showing up here late and keeping me waiting..."
"Before you say anything," I interrupted,
"It's Bush's fault."
"Of course it's Bush's fault," he said, "I should have known that." His mood changed. He smiled warmly. "Isn't this the best stretch of fall weather you have ever seen?"
"Global warming," was my terse reply.
"Bush's fault," he said.
"We've had global warming for the last thousand years. You would think Bush would end it this week," I said, sadly shaking my head. "He just doesn't care. The least he would do would be to call a conference in a Third World country," my client said.
"Or look real sad and bite his lower lip like the last guy did," I added.
"Let's forget Bush," I said changing the subject. 'How's business?"
"Never been better. Our stock is up."
I smiled and nodded.
"We are turning our greatest profit."
I smiled and nodded.
"We're hiring another thousand employees."
I smiled and nodded
"The only problem," he added, "is we're doing so well we can't keep up with
the demand so we're out of stock and that can hurt us."
"That's Bush's fault," I said. .
"That's exactly what I told my board of directors this morning. Remember how great we had it before we re-elected Bush. Imagine if we had Kerry as President."
We both were quiet for a second.
"No Bush, no Katrina." ,
"Katrina. Bush's fault," we both said.
"No Bush, no Hurricane Rita."
"Bush's fault," we mumbled.
"Gas prices."
"Bush's fault," we both chanted.
"That bombing in Bali."
"Bush's fault."

I left my client's office and came home. My wife, the beautiful Judy Licht, was fit to be tied.
"JT (our son) got a 58 in a Geometry test," she muttered.
"Bush's fault," I said. "No child will be left behind, indeed. The government should have to pay for his tutor. Bush is responsible although 58 is 20 points higher than I ever got in geometry."
"You only got a 38 in Geometry?" Judy screamed
"It wasn't my fault," I whined. "It was Eisenhower's fault. I settled down with a drink in my
hand and smiled.
"What's so funny?" Judy asked.
I can't wait until after the next election when we can all proudly say:
"IT'S McCAIN'S FAULT"


And here is my Uncle's letter to the editor:

Once again we see the use of a newspaper column to further one man's silly and dangerous political point of view. Della Femina writes in his most recent column that "Bashing Bush" is all the rage these days and Mr. Della Femina doesn't like it one bit.

Well, let us see if there is enough Bush Bashing or not....

He gets in as President when the Supreme Court overrules (5 to 4) the Florida's Supreme Court on a strictly State issue involving a Florida election law - an unprecedented act. Then...

1. He immediately gives a tax cut, which threatens the trillion dollar surplus of the Treasury. The surplus goes west and now we have the largest deficit in our country's history. (But Don't Bash Bush!)

2. We are savagely attacked on 9/11 and the world lines up with us to fight back against international terrorism. So what does he do? He leads us into war on a phony pretext. He starts a war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. Now 2,000 young Americans are dead (and counting) and thousands are crippled & wounded. Our National Treasure is pushed further over the edge and the world wonders who is this faux cowboy in the White House? (But Don't Bash Bush!)

3. He appoints cronies and incompetents to posts of sensitivity and importance then praises them when they screw up the jobs they should have never had in the first place. Remember
"You're doing a great job Brownie? He replaces the "Color Chart Alert" Homeland Security Director with the former hatchet man for the Impeachment Committee - who knows less about security than Jerry Della Femina does about being a restaurateur. (But Don't Bash Bush!)

4. He continues on his money raising, political bull throwing around the country while one of the states of the United States of America, the country he swore to protect, goes underwater. Then makes 7 photo-op trips in shirtsleeves to show he cares. (But Don't Bash Bush!)
Only 1200 to 1500 dead...but they voted Democratic.

5. The country may be threatened by a dangerous form of Avian Flu. Bush proposes violating long standing laws against using Federal troops in domestic affairs, and transferring Congressional appropriated funds for epidemic protection to - THE PENTAGON. The jerk wants Martial Law if we get sick. Is that just an excuse like WMDs? Maybe what he really wants is Federal troops rounding up people with colds (poor people and minorities especially) and putting them in guarded quarantine? (Remind you of anything that happened in Europe from 1932-1945?) But Don't Bash Bush!

6. Gasoline prices go thru the roof. Oil Companies record the greatest excess profits in the history of corporate earnings. BUT DON'T BASH BUSH!

7. Hey, appoint your personal attorney to the Supreme Court. "I know her," he says. Maybe the people of this country should, too. Seems like a hard assed, born again, Christian Right Fanatic who thinks her boss walks on water (except in New Orleans.) But Don't Bash Bush!

You know whom to BASH? Bash JERRY DELLA FEMINA and his fellow Republican knuckleheads. They voted for this rich, spoiled, military shirker, lunatic, sub intelligent, ex-drunk. The grandson of a Hitler lover and a guarantor of the safety of the Saudi Royal family whom he allowed to fly out of here after 9/11 after 15 of their countrymen terrorized our country.

The President is absolutely scary.
Absolutely Corporate Minded.
Absolutely Crony Afflicted, unread, uninformed, unaware and a dangerous joke...unfortunately the joke is on US!

Richard Higer
East Hampton, New York

Is there such a thing as a...

militant liberal?

Blood & guts in the water, but...

There is more than blood in the water for the Republican Party, but the Dems still aren't taking this HUGE opportunity to speak out...at least from what I've seen.

The Democratic front-runners for '08 are failing to show us anything right now, but there may be someone that is going to come out of left field to lead this party. I think that person could very well be Al Gore.

From About.com by Deborah White:

There's something about Al Gore, the 45th US Vice President, that we can't seem to let go of. Maybe it's because he was right on just about everything in the 2000 Presidential campaign. Maybe it's because he was the first Democratic leader to publicly speak out against the Iraq War. Maybe it's because of his persistent wisdom on global warming and the environment. Maybe it's because we love a risk-taker and a visionary.....

Or maybe it's because we can relate to his imperfections...his sometimes-goofy, self-deprecating humor, his Saturday Night Live-spoofed staidness, his endearing affection for Tipper. We definitely admire his tenacity in taking a tough punch and yet moving on.

And maybe we're righteously angry that he got cheated in the 2000 election. And even more, that the United States got horribly cheated.


From AlGore-o8.com:

The last four years have been a test of our national leadership, and only one person has passed that test: Al Gore. While others jumped on the right wing bandwagon until Bush’s approval ratings fell under 50%, Gore spoke out fearlessly, becoming the conscience of the Democratic Party. Al Gore first voiced his opposition to the invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act before Congress voted on them. In a series of landmark speeches before Moveon.org, Gore has blasted the Bush Administration for its corporate corruption, environmental abuses, their assault on our civil rights and their numerous campaigns to mislead the American people.

In and out of office, Al Gore has proven that he is the kind of President we will need to repair the damage done by the Bush Administration.

“There has always been a debate over the destiny of this nation between those who believed they were entitled to govern because of their station in life, and those who believed that the people were sovereign. That distinction remains as strong as ever today. In every race this November, the question voters must answer is, How do we make sure that political power is used for the benefit of the many, rather than the few?...

Standing up for the people, not the powerful was the right choice in 2000. In fact, it is the ground of the Democratic party's being, our meaning and our mission.

The suggestion from some in our party that we should no longer speak that truth, especially at a time like this, strikes me as bad politics and wrong in principle.” - - From "Broken Promises and Political Deception" by Al Gore, August 3, 2002.

There is a hard truth that we Democrats must face: not all of our leaders share our values. Not all of our leaders value the grassroots as anything more than a source of campaign funding - - and votes which they cannot lose, no matter what. They condescend to talk our talk on the campaign trail, and instantly turn their backs on us once they are safely in office.

Is that the kind of Democrat you want as our 2008 nominee?

That’s the kind of Democrat you’ll get if you wait until the 2008 primaries to get involved. Because that’s the kind of Democrat that corporate special interests want to run. They’ll put their money behind a candidate who won’t rock their boat - - a candidate who will always stand up for the powerful, not the people.

The only thing that can stop them is you.

Every flood begins with a single rain drop. Every single person who stands up now, adds to the power of the whole. Together, we can ensure that our 2008 nominee is a real Democrat - - a man whose proven track record of visionary leadership on the environment, foreign policy, national security, the economy, civil rights and technology puts him head and shoulders above the rest - - a man who has never stopped fighting for us.

Take the next step - - join us in demanding that now, more than ever, America needs a real Democrat in the White House.

Now, more than ever, America needs Al Gore.

From Lizzy - What do you guys think?

Anti-Bush, Anti-War, Pro-Israel

I was unable to attend the March in Washington this weekend, so I watched a lot of it on CSPAN. I don't know if it was the poor coverage of the event, or what, but I was not happy with the speeches against Israel, and I did not appreciate the organizers letting the anti-Semites into the event.

I never thought I would include anything Dennis Miller said on my blog, but this was brilliant. He recently said the following about the Mid East situation on his show: (He is not Jewish .)

"A brief overview of the situation is always valuable, so as a service to all Americans who still don't get it, I now offer you the story of the Middle East in just a few paragraphs, which is all you really need."

Here we go:

The Palestinians want their own country. There's just one thing about that: there are no Palestinians. It's a made up word. Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years. Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian" sounds ancient but is really a modern invention. Before the Israeli's won the land in the 1967 war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, the West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no "Palestinians."

As soon as the Jews took over and started growing oranges as big as basketballs, what do you know, say hello to the "Palestinians," weeping for their deep bond with their lost "land" and "nation."

So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the word "Palestinian" any more to describe these delightful folks, who dance for joy at our deaths until someone points out they're being taped. Instead, let's call them what they are: "Other Arabs Who Can't Accomplish Anything In Life And Would Rather Wrap Themselves In The Seductive Melodrama of Eternal Struggle and Death." I know that's a bit unwieldy to expect to see on CNN.
How about this, then: "Adjacent Jew-Haters."

Okay, so the Adjacent Jew-Haters want their own country. Oops, just one more thing. No, they don't. They could've had their own country any time in the last thirty years, especially two years ago at Camp David. But if you have your own country, you have to have traffic lights and garbage trucks and Chambers of Commerce, and, worse, you actually have to figure out some way to make a living.

That's no fun. No, they want what all the other Jew-Haters in the region want: Israel. They also want a big pile of dead Jews, of course --that's where the real fun is -- but mostly they want Israel.

Why? For one thing, trying to destroy Israel - or "The Zionist Entity" as their textbooks call it - for the last fifty years has allowed the rulers of Arab countries to divert the attention of their own people away from the fact that they're the blue-ribbon most illiterate, poorest, and tribally backward on God's Earth, and if you've ever been around God's Earth, you know that's really saying something.

It makes me roll my eyes every time one of our pundits waxes poetic about the great history and culture of the Muslim Mideast. Unless I'm missing something, the Arabs haven't given anything to the world since Algebra, and, by the way, thanks a hell of a lot for that one.

Chew this around and spit it out: five hundred million Arabs; five Million Jews. Think of all the Arab countries as a football field, and Israel as a pack of matches sitting in the middle of it. And now these same folks swear that if Israel gives them half of that pack of matches, everyone will be pals.

Really? Wow, what neat news. Hey, but what about the string of wars to obliterate the tiny country and the constant din of rabid blood oaths to drive every Jew into the sea? Oh, that? We were just kidding.

My friend Kevin Rooney made a gorgeous point the other day: Just reverse the numbers. Imagine five hundred million Jews and five million Arabs. I was stunned at the simple brilliance of it. Can anyone picture the Jews strapping belts of razor blades and dynamite to themselves? Of course not.

Or marshaling every fiber and force at their disposal for generations to drive a tiny Arab State into the sea? Nonsense. Or dancing for joy at the murder of innocents? Impossible. Or spreading and believing horrible lies about the Arabs baking their bread with the blood of children?

Disgusting.

No, as you know, left to themselves in a world of peace, the worst Jews would ever do to people is debate them to death.

I understand that with vital operations in Iraq and others, it's in our interest, as Americans, to try to stabilize our Arab allies as much as possible, and, after all, that can't be much harder than stabilizing a roomful of super models who've just had their drugs taken away.

However, in any big-picture strategy, there's always a danger of losing moral weight. We've already lost some. After September 11th, our president told us and the world he was going to root out all terrorists and the countries that supported them. Beautiful. Then the Israelis, after months and months of having the equivalent of an Oklahoma City every week (and then every day) start to do the same thing we did, and we tell them to show restraint.

If America were being attacked with an Oklahoma City every day, we would all very shortly be screaming for the administration to just be done with it and kill everything south of the Mediterranean and east of the Jordan.

Please feel free to pass this along to your friends. Walk in peace! Be Happy! Have a wonderful life!

You can tell a lot about a person from the way they treat animals.

My best friend, Michelle, recently lost one of her beloved dogs. I have lost three dogs over my lifetime, so I know how it feels. It's heartbreaking.

Throughout my childhood & early teens, we had Taffy, a white toy poodle. Like all poodles, she was very smart. She did bite a few people from time to time, but in our eyes, they just added to her charm.



At 16, I got my first pug, Bentley. He was a great dog that insisted on taking long walks - even through the Minnesota snow. I still grieve for him as his life was cut far too short.



At 29, I got my second pug, Emily Beth. She truly was like a daughter, and will always hold a very special place in my heart. I cooked extra lean hamburger meat to add to her super-premium dog food everyday, because that was the way she liked it. I lost her a couple years ago, and still think about her everyday.



The reason I'm blogging about the great dogs in my life that have crossed into the Rainbow Bridge, is this piece that Michelle sent me. This one really got to me.

For Alamo:

A boy and his dog in Bushland, by M. Kane Jeeves

Last week, my wife and I lost our best friend to cancer, a fluffy Westie, “Laughing Gravy, ” named after an old Laurel and Hardy film. He’d been with us 16 of our 17 years of marriage.

My wife cooked his meals, as she does for our other two dogs, after she found out the contents of corporate dog food were notso hotso. When Gravy went off his food? I barbecued for him. We hand fed him. I’d put on Dean Martin songs and dance and sing around his bowl to give him his food and his pills.

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals. My wife cooked. I sang and danced.

In his youth, George W. Bush blew up frogs.

As an adult, to appear vaguely human, he carries around his Scottie, Barney, like a log, dropping him on his head from time to time. Is it any wonder he has no idea what he has done to the people of the Gulf Coast in terms of Katrina? Is it any wonder he had no idea what he has unleashed in terms of the catastrophe known as Iraq? 1,904 Americans dead. Countless Iraqis.

He has no depth, no feeling, no sense of self. But, he uses a dog to make him seem human. A regular guy.

It’s a family tradition.

After all, it was his mother, Babs, who used her dog Millie as a shill to sell a book. She passed herself off to the public as the ultimate “Aunt Bea.”

But, her real self bubbles up every so often. And it ain’t Aunt Bea.

It was Dubya’s mother (dubbed by Jeb as “The Enforcer”), who said, before the illegal invasion of Iraq: “Why should we hear about body bags and death and how many? It’s not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?” It was his mother who said, after the devastation brought by Katrina and after visiting the homeless barely clinging to their minds in the Houston Astrodome. “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them.”

Then she added the capper: “What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is that they all want to stay in Texas.”

Whoops!

Dubya is a bad seed, spawned by other bad seeds. His family has never been about feeling or compassion, but about making a buck…at any cost.

His mother, Barbara, didn’t attend her own mother’s funeral. After George’s younger sister died at the age of three, and he was just seven? She went golfing the next day. George never even knew his sister was terminally ill. The rest of the neighbors did, though. They wouldn’t let their children near the girl, fearing that leukemia was contagious.

George’s Dad, George I, is a former CIA guy who facilitated dictators getting U.S. guns and ammo and, then, when President, pardoned all who were accused of concocting the Reagan era’s Iran-Contra scam. George I, of course, was innocent of any wrong-doing because he was out of the loop… as the veep and a former CIA guy. Wanna buy a bridge?

Dubya’s grandfather and great-grandfather, Prescott Bush and George Herbert Walker, through the Union Banking Company and W. A. Harriman and Company, raised funds for Hitler to the tune of $50 million between 1924 and 1942. It was only in 1942, when the government seized Union Banking Company assets under the Trading With the Enemy Act, that George Walker and Prescott Bush stopped tossing money Hitler’s way.

This is a family worthy of Caligula…or Masterpiece Theater.

When the hurricane hit New Orleans, and people were drowning, George was literally eating cake at a previously set public appearance. He gasbagged about the great things going on in Iraq, comparing Iraq to W.W. II and inferring that he was today’s FDR.

The next day? When New Orleans was inundated? He stuck to his political schedule, pushing his idiotic domestic policies and, again, gasbagging about his triumphs in Iraq.

When it became clear that the FEMA and the Homeland Security laddies were running around with their pants around their ankles (For Christ’s sake, Homeland Security’s Michael Chertoff was talking about Avian Flu at a previously scheduled event while New Orleans was sinking deeper and deeper into murky water after massive levee ruptures twenty four hours after the storm made landfall. Chertoff didn’t even consider declaring Katrina a national disaster for 36 long hours.), Bush did…nothing.

Eventually, Dubya got into the “Rove” mode, realized everyone had been asleep at the wheel and went down to the South and hugged a lot of black people with his shirtsleeves rolled up. He tried to look like he cared. He joked about getting soused in New Orleans as a youth and vowed to rebuild Senator Trent Lott’s house. His polls plunged. So, he went back there, again, to hug a lot more black people. His polls plunged, again. Eventually, he gave a Disneyland speech from New Orleans from a dry area of town in Jackson Square, lit by Hollywood experts using generators flown into town for a few hours.

His poll numbers continue to sink.

So, where are we, now?

Well, the first thing Bush did, aside from awarding billions of dollars’ worth of no-bid contracts to Halliburton and its ilk to rebuild the Big Easy, was to suspend a Federal law dating back to 1931 that would guarantee American workers the average rate of pay that prevails in the reconstruction regions. It should be noted that in the Katrina-devastated section of the country, construction wages are notoriously low as is.

Someone at Halliburton is dancing a jig, right now, crooning “Money Makes the World Go Round” from the soundtrack of “Cabaret.” Essentially, Bush has just given them the right to hire workers at coolie wages.

We have a corrupt, unfeeling President, surrounded by corrupt, unfeeling sycophants, who are trying to spin death as a GOOD thing. New Orleans will be bigger and better than ever! Lots of jobs will be created! That next Mardi Gras is gonna be bitchin’!

Meanwhile, we have another hurricane, Rita, spinning towards the Gulf Coast.

We have Republicans blaming the poor for not getting out of the way of the storm in time.

We have Fox News bobble-heads blaming, of course, Clinton, for not strengthening New Orleans’s levees.

We have right-wing pundits blaming any Democrat in sight.

We have a President saying that he’ll spend all that it takes to rebuild New Orleans and ignoring the deficit while shoe-horning in every PNAC wet dream imaginable from school vouchers to the corporate take-over of public schools to free enterprise zones as part of his plan.

We have Bush’s top federal procurement official in charge of Katrina contracts, David Safavian, resigning on Friday and getting arrested on Monday for lying and obstructing an FBI criminal investigation into “Honest” Tom DeLay’s old cronie Jack Abramoff’s dealings with the federal government.

We have Bush flying back and forth from D.C. to the water-ravaged sections of the country, talking about “armies of compassion,” which is about as moronic a phrase as “A-Bomb of love.”
And, if these photo op trips don’t boost his ratings? One of these days, he’ll bring his dog.

Me?
I’m grieving, right now.
I’m grieving for my dog.
I’m grieving for my bestest, oldest friend.
And I’m grieving for my country.
A country destroyed by a man named Bush.
A man who doesn’t know how to grieve.
I danced for my dog to get him to eat when he was sick.
Bush blew up frogs for the sheer fun of it.

You can tell a lot about a person from the way they treat animals.

Silly, shmushie face dogs all over the world agree - Bush should resign.

In cyberspace, no one can hear you vote

Photo: http://homepage.mac.com/rcareaga/diebold/adworks.htm


Here's another story not being covered by the lazy, one story at a time, mainstream media. And why should they? It's only one of the biggest ongoing travesties of our time. If you don't believe him, check his sources. It's real.

From The Brad Blog:

* EXCLUSIVE! * A DIEBOLD INSIDER SPEAKS!
DIEB-THROAT : 'Diebold System One of Greatest Threats Democracy Has Ever Known' Identifies U.S. Homeland Security 'Cyber Alert' Prior to '04 Election Warning Votes Can be 'Modified Remotely' via 'Undocumented Backdoor' in Central Tabulator Software.

In exclusive stunning admissions to The Brad Blog some 11 months after the 2004 Presidential Election, a "Diebold Insider" is now finally speaking out for the first time about the alarming security flaws within Diebold, Inc's electronic voting systems, software and machinery. The source is acknowledging that the company's "upper management" -- as well as "top government officials" -- were keenly aware of the "undocumented backdoor" in Diebold's main "GEM Central Tabulator" software well prior to the 2004 election. A branch of the Federal Government even posted a security warning on the Internet.

Pointing to a little-noticed "Cyber Security Alert" issued by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the source inside Diebold -- who "for the time being" is requesting anonymity due to a continuing sensitive relationship with the company -- is charging that Diebold's technicians, including at least one of its lead programmers, knew about the security flaw and that the company instructed them to keep quiet about it."

Diebold threatened violators with immediate dismissal," the insider, who we'll call DIEB-THROAT, explained recently to The Brad Blog via email. "In 2005, after one newly hired member of Diebold's technical staff pointed out the security flaw, he was criticized and isolated."

In phone interviews, DIEB-THROAT confirmed that the matters were well known within the company, but that a "culture of fear" had been developed to assure that employees, including technicians, vendors and programmers kept those issues to themselves.

The "Cyber Security Alert" from US-CERT was issued in late August of 2004 and is still available online via the US-CERT website. The alert warns that "A vulnerability exists due to an undocumented backdoor account, which could [sic: allow] a local or remote authenticated malicious user [sic: to] modify votes.

"The alert, assessed to be of "MEDIUM" risk on the US-CERT security bulletin, goes on to add that there is "No workaround or patch available at time of publishing."

"Diebold's upper management was aware of access to the voter file defect before the 2004 election - but did nothing to correct it," the source explained.

more...

Take a hint, George

I love Bill Maher. I look forward to his HBO show every Friday. This is what he said on last week's show (thanks, Brian.)

Why Don't We All Have a Recall?

C'mon, Mr. President, it's time for you to quit while you're behind.

America must recall the president. That's what this country needs: a good old-fashioned California-style recall election, complete with petitions, finger-pointing and a ridiculous cast of replacement candidates.

Just like Gray Davis had to do here in Califorina, George W. Bush must now defend his job against... Russel Crowe! Because at this point, I want a leader who will throw a phone at somebody. Naomi Campbell can be vice president -- only phone-throwers, people!

Come on, Mr. President, this can't be fun for you anymore.

You can't spend more of our money because you used it all up. And you can't start another war, because you've used up the troops. And when it comes to reacting to hurricanes, you made your old man look like St. Francis of Assissi.

Your job has turned into the Bush family nightmare: helping poor black people.

The cupboard's bare, the credit card's maxed out and no one's speaking to you -- mission accomplished!

Now it's time to do what you do best: lose interest and walk away, like you did with your military service and the oil company and the baseball team.

Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or spaceman?

Oh, I know what you're saying: "Hey, I've got three more years, and there's so many other things I want to... touch."... Please don't.

I know, I know, there's so much left to do: war with Venezuela, eliminating the sales tax on yachts and diamonds, turning the space program over to the church, handing healthcare over to Haliburton and Social Security to Fannie Mae, giving embryos the vote.

But none of that's going to happen now. Why? Because you're the first American president to lose a whole city. Jimmy Carter never lost a city. Herbert Hoover was a lousy president, but even he didn't concede an entire metropolis to rising water and snakes.

You've performed so poorly, you should give yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. On your watch we've lost almost all of our allies, the budget surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the city of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky.

I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.

Yes. God does speak to you. And right now, he's saying: "Take a hint!"

The facts Dubya didn't mention tonight

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.