You GO Gals!

Muslim women launch international 'gender jihad'

Love it! More power like this and those women-haters from every country and every religion will break!

I wonder if any of the members of the Methodist top court were wearing mixed fabrics (polyester/cotton, etc.)...

...when they de-frocked Elizabeth Stroud today.

After all, these same fundie f*ckers used Leviticus to call this deeply religious woman, who is beloved by her congregation, and continually lauded for her good works, an abomination.

But...gee, pastor Dan, can you answer this one?

Here is my question:

Why don't fundamentalists organize protests and picket seafood restaurants, oyster bars, church barbecue suppers, all grocery stores, barber shops, tattoo parlors, and stores that sell suits and dresses made of mixed wool, cotton, polyester, and other materials?

All of these products and services are "abominations" in Leviticus. When have you heard a preacher condemn the demonic abomination of garments that are made of mixed fabrics?

You know what? Every time some righteous person gets offended that I am offended by today's religion, and is just amazed that I would be angry at facing hateful words every day by religious groups, they still NEVER seem to have an answer to my "Leviticus" question.

And I am still waiting for an answer to my "Leviticus" question.

Hello? Hello?

Maybe I should take out my own personal ad:

WPF, in committed relationship to same, desperately seeking answer to question of why religious groups continually "pick and choose" amongst the abominations in Leviticus.

If this is the "word of god" how come mere mortals get to "pick and choose" what is and is not an abomination...

Leviticus calls many things abominations...yet why do self-described 'christians' decide that in this "day and age" only ONE is?

Sounds like a bit o' "cafeteria christianity" to me!

I have been asking this on my blog and others for over a year...

NOT ONE person has an answer...

Look at the Methodists eating their own right now: Rev. Beth Stroud. A faithful, intelligent woman, who could have "hid" her lover...and the "church elders" would have just ignored it.

But she committed a CRIME - the crime of being honest in front of her God and her congregation. She was in love, and it was beautiful, and she didn't shame it by hiding.

And now? She is a lay minister desperately clinging to a religion that thinks she is an abomination.

(As I stated in the heading of this post, I wonder if any of the members of the Judicial Council were wearing mixed fabric when they gave her the boot for violating Leviticus?)

Ms. Julien

The fundie wackos are still the minority

Let's just keep telling ourselves that.

In the meantime, here is the example of those who WILL fight back when the time is right. All it takes is a few more reality-based individuals to show the idiocy and hypocrisy of the far, far religious right. You know, the ones who said that god would blow off the earth several hundred thousand people just to kill a few sinners? Of course only the fundies get to say what the definition of sin is...

Hm...still waiting for that last troll to answer my question re: Leviticus...

From today's Letters to the Miami Herald:

Shameful religious zealotry

In an Oct. 27 Readers' Forum letter, the writer said that ''God is speaking to us.'' She then insinuated that Key West and New Orleans both deserved the destructive hurricanes because they have festivals that promote ``sex, sin and gin.''

How about all the decent, hardworking people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Did they deserve what happened as well?

Such religious zealotry has fostered intolerance and hatred. As a well-educated man in my 30s, I know that other well-educated people in my generation have come to detest religion of all sorts because of this kind of narrow-minded thinking.

I now see why they think this way.

BRADLEY KLAR, Miami Beach

The Oct. 27 letter says that the hurricanes in New Orleans and Key West were God's punishment for their ``sex, sin and gin.''

But these cities also have places where people worship their God.

STEPHEN CARNER, Miami

The End of the Raven

The End of the Raven
by Edgar Allan Poe's Cat
from POETRY FOR CATS
by Henry Beard

On a night quite unenchanting, when the rain was downward slanting,
I awakened to the ranting of the man I catch mice for.
Tipsy and a bit unshaven, in a tone I found quite craven,
Poe was talking to a Raven perched above the chamber door.
"Raven's very tasty," thought I, as I tiptoed o'er the floor,
"There is nothing I like more."

CONTINUED....

Why does this not surprise me?

U.S. Ranks 44th in Worldwide Press Freedom Index

Nation's openness sinking after Sept. 11, northern Europe tops the list

The annual worldwide press freedom index from Reporters Without Borders shows the United States, which is supposedly spreading freedom and liberty throughout the world, is in a fast decline regarding the freedom of its own press. The report ranked the United States in 44th place, an atomic drop from a favorable position of 22nd held last year, and from a handsome 17th place in 2002.

Read the rest HERE.

Here is the summary

Hat tip to Shakes Sis:

Think Progress’ round-up of Scalito facts:

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980’s. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito’s view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by “immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer’s belief that it had selected the ‘best’ candidate was the result of conscious racial bias.” [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito’s dissent was so restrictive that “few if any…cases would survive summary judgment.” [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]

ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) “guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one.” The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000]

ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito agued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004]

ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito’s disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito’s dissent “guts the statutory standard” and “ignores our precedent.” In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito’s opinion contradicted “well-recognized rules of statutory construction.” [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004]

-----------------

People for the American Way’s fact sheet is here.

Most of "middle Amurka" is so worried about how to pay for enough gas to get through the week till payday that they barely know there IS a SCOTUS opening of such magnitude. If the Dems in Congress do not filibuster it, they will surely realize within time...but it will be too late.

Martin Frost: Reality Vs. Rhetoric in the Abortion Debate

FOX News:

I am normally reluctant to write about the highly charged issue of abortion, but this time is an exception.

For those of you who consider all abortion to be murder, you should stop reading now. These remarks are directed to the rest of the population that considers abortion appropriate in at least some circumstances — a clear majority of the American public.

Two noteworthy events occurred recently that are critical to further discussion of this very important public issue: publication by the think tank ThirdWay (search) of a study entitled “The Demographics of Abortion“ and the resignation of Susan Wood, the top Food and Drug Administration official in charge of women’s health issues...

Toledo Blade: Money fueled Ohio GOP but now puts future at risk

A decade before George W. Bush pinned "Pioneer" status on his top presidential fund-raisers, Ohio Republicans sent avian statues to about 10 men who raised at least $100,000 each for George Voinovich's 1990 campaign for governor.

2 decades of planning paved way for Bush win
By JIM TANKERSLEY and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

COLUMBUS - The falcons are ceramic, wings folded back, eyes gazing sternly across the room.

They sit on some of the wealthiest desks in Columbus and throughout Ohio, unnoticed to all but a few political heavyweights, to whom they are a badge of honor.

A decade before George W. Bush pinned "Pioneer" status on his top presidential fund-raisers, Ohio Republicans sent avian statues to about 10 men who raised at least $100,000 each for George Voinovich's 1990 campaign for governor.

The businessmen and lobbyists who earned the "Maltese Falcons" - a reference to Mr. Voinovich's right-hand man, Paul Mifsud, whose family was from the Mediterranean island of Malta - went on to wield enormous influence during Mr. Voinovich's two terms in office.

The success of Mr. Voinovich's $8.7 million campaign, along with Republican Bob Taft's $2.7 million bid for secretary of state, ignited a political machine that would dominate Ohio for the next 15 years - and nurture a network of donors who helped Mr. Bush win the state's wallet and votes in 2004.

"George Bush comes to Ohio and inherits that very powerful Republican infrastructure to help him, and John Kerry comes to Ohio and inherits a very weak Democrat infrastructure," said Mark Weaver, a Republican consultant who has worked on Ohio campaigns since 1990. "In a race that was otherwise pretty much even, that was a factor."

But now scandal is threatening the GOP machine - and money is at its roots....

According to CNN, MSNBC, BBC & WP it's Alito....

Someone's spoiling for a fight!

An Open Letter to Marshall Brain

Dear Marshall,

I discovered your online book Why Does God Hate Amputees? this evening through blogsnow.com, and I've read a few pages so far.

There is one thing I wish to comment on at this point. It concerns me that for one of your examples, on the very first page, you say, "Knowing whether God is real or imaginary is important. Here is an example of why: In Leviticus 20:13 the Bible says that we should kill all homosexuals. If God exists and if God wrote the Bible, then we should do that. Our creator has commanded it and we should obey. On the other hand, if God is imaginary, we should discard the Bible because a book that promotes murder has no place in our society."

I realize that you are only trying to make a point, in a very pointed way. What concerns me is the reality that there are people in this world who will look at what you wrote in that paragraph and read it as God's message to them to do violence to certain people.

I would like to request that you use an illustration that cannot be misinterpreted by those who are looking for an excuse to commit acts of violence against people they believe are different from themselves. Could you maybe use an example that has something to do with regulations about food or clothing or sex during menses? There are plenty of verses to choose from.

I realize that by using less violent imagery you might lose some readers. But maybe, just maybe, you will be able to avoid being a catalyst for violence against people who are not heterosexual (and those who are perceived as not heterosexual).

Thanks,
Deb


whydoesgodhateamputees.

JL vs CB

I've been posting so often on JL (this blog, Julien's List) that I've almost completely neglected my own 'bunny blog'. :) I've posted twice this month on my personal blog, and fourty-four times here on Julien's List. I guess I have more to say about politics than about my own life.

But, you know, if you think about it, politics affects our lives every day in many ways. Each one of us is important. Each one of us needs to be heard. Each one of us needs to live out what we believe. I'm still finding my way. How about you?

SCOTUS: Alito or Luttig?

This morning's Chicago Tribune suggests that GWB will nominate either Samuel Alito or Michael Luttig (both conservative jurists with extensive paper trails) perhaps as early as this afternoon.

North Carolina News

Military shares public's declining support for Bush, war

More than half the North Carolina military members surveyed in the latest Elon University poll don't like the way President Bush is handling his job and the war in Iraq.

The survey results were released today.

Of the 539 adults surveyed, nearly 53 percent of military members said they strongly disapproved or disapproved of Bush's handling of his job. And 56 percent of that same group said they strongly disapproved or disapproved of his handling of the Iraq war.

"When I Knew"

I heard an interview with Andrew Sullivan on NPR this morning. He was talking about a new book called When I Knew. It is a collection of stories about when people realized they were gay.

excerpts -

I wondered in my little five-year-old brain if it was wrong to want to be Christopher Plummer, a.k.a. Captain von Trapp. It was the only way, as a girl, that I could imagine being able to be with the beautful Julie Andrews... I made my mother take me back to see the movie several times that summer, which she was more than happy to do as she just assumed it was because I wanted to be a nun -- not that I wanted to be with a nun. -- Kate Nielsen

As a kid, I became obsessed with the man on the Doan's Pills box. His back was so sexy. When my mom's supply ran out and she threw the box away, I went to the drug store and stole another. I stuffed it down my pants, where it's been ever
since. -- Jon Kinnally

Karen Zipdrive Saw Something I Missed

Thanks Karen!

So Many Scandals, So Little Bandwidth

Just in case you missed this one:

Powerful Government Accounting Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings, by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman, October 26, 2005

As a legal noose appears to be tightening around the Bush/Cheney/Rove inner circle, a shocking government report shows the floor under the legitimacy of their alleged election to the White House is crumbling...

PBS Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

UPDATED AT TMV - go here!

The show I'm watching now isn't online yet, but here's some stuff from the website:

Vice President's Chief of Staff Indicted in CIA Leak Case
Vice presidential adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby resigned Friday after being indicted on five counts of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in the CIA leak case.

Transcript of Fitzgerald's Press Conference

Transcript of Special Counsel Fitzgerald's Press Conference Earlier Today

Press Release from Fitzgerald's Office (hat tip to ShakesSis)

CNN: Is U.S. becoming hostile to science?

According to the president of Cornell University, "When ideological division replaces informed exchange, dogma is the result and education suffers."

We agree!

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) -- A bitter debate about how to teach evolution in U.S. high schools is prompting a crisis of confidence among scientists, and some senior academics warn that science itself is under assault....

TNR's blog on the indictment

The New Republic:

TNR's role in the indictment; questions for Fitzgerald; and more.
by Michael Crowley, Franklin Foer, and Jason Zengerle

The DLC Weighs In

From the DLC:

BOLDING by Holly

DLC | New Dem Dispatch | October 28, 2005
Idea of the Week: Raising the Bar for Public Service

This has been a sad week for America. Today's criminal indictments of a top White House aide, coming on the heels of the dispiriting Miers nomination, may be judged by the chattering classes of Washington as a win, loss, or tie, for one party or another, or for one ideological tendency or another. But in our view, they reflect a woeful trend, not invented but certainly accelerated by this administration, toward a model of high public service based on low private motives. Whether it's a lifetime appointment to the high court, or a position of trust in the White House, the primary qualifications ought to answer a higher calling, not simply loyalty to the tribal chief, service to the partisan cause, and in general, a monopolization of public service by "our team."

America's interests must come first. In the absence of any other standards of qualification or performance, an approach based on ideological purity, partisanship, and cronyism invariably leads to the abuse of power and the persistence of mistakes and bad policies. As we've seen during this horrendous hurricane season and in the maelstrom of Iraq, failures in office affect the lives of millions of Americans and vital national interests. And as we've seen in Congress in recent years, one-party rule unmitigated by any higher fidelity to responsible behavior affects the moral character of our democracy and the country's economic and fiscal future.

Yes, the president finally did bring himself to hold a few people at FEMA responsible for the incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina, and yes, he did withdraw a Supreme Court nomination widely held to fall short of minimum standards. But it is time for the President to hold his advisers accountable for a long series of mistakes in Iraq; repudiate the growing ethical lapses at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue; and show the courage to veto runaway spending, not just shed crocodile tears.

Unfortunately there are disturbing signs the White House may be learning exactly the wrong lessons from this week's developments. Conservatives who helped force a withdrawal of Miers now confidently predict the president won't cross them twice. The only thing worse than choosing a Supreme Court Justice on the basis of personal loyalty to the president is to choose one on the basis of loyalty to partisan or ideological constituency groups. Either approach ignores the public interest in a highly qualified and impartial judiciary, especially in the Supreme Court.

As for today's news from the special prosecutor, the fact that the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff was not accompanied by the indictment of the president's de facto chief of staff is apparently being greeted in some quarters as a victory for George W. Bush. That's a perfect example of a dangerously low standard of public service.

We care too much about the office of the Presidency to wish indictments upon anyone. For the same reason, we believe that for the sake of that office, President Bush should not wait for Patrick Fitzgerald to tell Karl Rove to go. Whether or not he was criminally involved in the Valerie Plame leak case, there's no doubt Rove is openly and notoriously involved in an ongoing effort to create a politics of maximum partisan polarization, infecting every institution of our democracy.

From that perspective, it's beside the point that Rove may well escape a long vacation in one of our fine federal correctional institutions. If he truly wants to clear the air, the president should direct Rove to take a permanent vacation from the White House. Let him practice his dark arts at the Republican National Committee or some other venue far from official policymaking circles, and let him be accompanied by the other permanent-campaign warriors who have infested the people's institutions.

Public service is a public trust, and until such time as we re-establish standards for choosing and holding public servants accountable for their qualifications, integrity and performance, public trust in government will continue to decline, to the peril of our country's strength.

Well, if this comes to pass...

If Rove is seriously in danger of facing more serious indictments than Libby faced today...

Then, Lisa, I will join you for those margaritas....(and I don't even drink margaritas...)

In fact, we might just take a trip out your way to toast!

Hee hee.

It is official...

Libby is indicted. Possible continuing investigation on Rove.

It is overwhelming news. And most of the sheeple don't even know who Libby is, or what his crimes could have done to our national security.

1/2 of the sheeple only read what is allowed by their pastors...and those pastors canNOT let their blind masses believe than anything is wrong with the Bush administration.

The other 1/2 of the sheeple don't give a f*ck.

They read (in this order):

1. Sports page
2. Comics
3. Astrology predictions
4. Glance at front page, saying I don't care about politics, my vote don't count anyway...

Is it my birthday???

Ask anyone who knows me well and has had the unfortunate experience of my lunchtime "democracy is dead" speech. I don't have a very sunny disposition when it comes to our current political state. However, I find myself walking on air this morning.

With the crash and burn of the Miers nomination still playing in my head, I got the news this morning of the Libby being indicted. Now before long, we will have to think about what this all means. We may find that Rove won't go down in a ball of flames and that will be disappointing. We may learn that the next Supreme Court nominee actually has horns coming out of its head and really is direct kin to Satan. However, for today, I have to celebrate. I've called my friends and we are getting together ASAP for margaritas where I possibly plan to reprise at least part of my democracy is dead speech.

The liberals in our country have had a dreadful run with almost NO good news to find comfort in. I live in Washington State where, this time of year, the sun is at a premium. It was so bright outside this morning, I had to wear shades. Maybe, just maybe, it was an omen of good things to come. So, I challenge you to celebrate with me today. Margaritas all around!

Breaking News...

MSNBC: Rove told he won't be indicted at this time, still under investigation...

CNN: CIA leak prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to ask grand jurors to indict Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff. Fitzgerald is expected to hold a news conference at 2 p.m.

FOX News confirms Libby'll be charged today with making false statements; Rove spared for now; special prosecutor to hold press conference at 2 p.m. EDT

AMERICAblog: Christopher Wolf, counsel for Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph Wilson, will be making a statement on behalf of Ambassador Wilson at 3 PM in front of the U.S. Courthouse, 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington DC

WONKETTE: Fox is reporting that Scooter Libby has submitted his resignation.

FOX: Libby stepped down as Cheney's chief of staff just minutes after the indictment was handed down. A replacement will be named as early as Saturday. The vice president's office will release a statement and President Bush is expected to remark on the case in the afternoon.

TEXT OF INDICTMENTS - LIBBY CHARGED WITH 5 FELONIES

CNN: Cheney accepts resignation of his chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, "with deep regret"; says Libby is "presumed innocent" unless proven guilty.
CBS News: LIVE WEBCAST (All Times Eastern)
2:15 p.m.: Special Prosecutor's Press Conference On CIA Leak Probe OK, my link doesn't work. Just go turn on your TV or browse to CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml


Raw Story: Fitzgerald expands probe, believes he can get Rove on more serious charges, lawyers say

John at AMERICAblog summarizes the press conference as it continues....


C-SPAN2: President Bush will be making a statement in a few minutes and it will be broadcast live.

Fitzgerald's press conference will be rebroadcast at 8 pm on C-SPAN.

Bush just spoke on C-SPAN2, for less than one minute.

Statement of Ambassador Joseph Wilson with Respect to the Indictment

Bull Moose reacts to the indictments:

While others may spin these indictments as being about the war, the Moose views these charges about integrity and honor in government. Five years ago this President pledged to bring honor and dignity to the office. Today, we witnessed yet another example of how this President and this Administration violated that commitment. That is the message that Democrats should convey.

E. J. Dionne Jr.: A Departure's Lasting Damage

From today's Washington Post:

The damage President Bush and the conservative movement have inflicted on their drive to pack the Supreme Court with allies will not be undone by Harriet Miers's decision to withdraw her nomination.

In picking such a vulnerable nominee, Bush single-handedly undercut the conservatives' long-standing claim that the Senate and the rest of us owed great deference to a president's choice for the court. Conservatives displayed absolutely no deference to Bush when he picked someone they didn't like. The actual conservative "principle" was that the Senate should defer to the president's choice -- as long as that choice was acceptable to conservatives. Some principle.

ETC...

And this is why...

...Hillary will NOT get my vote.

From Arianna Huffington - the entire post is here - but this snippet is telling...

The Democrats Blow It On Iraq… Again!

With Plamegate dominating the day, the table is set for the Democratic Party to seize the moment. The scandal has reignited a national debate about the White House lies and deceptions that led us to war in Iraq, public support for the president’s handling of the war has hit an all-time low, and the 2,000th soldier killed in action has put the human cost of the war back on page one.

So how have the Democrats reacted?

You be the grand jury (Warning: have some Xanax or other suitable anti-depressant handy):

Exhibit A is the story NPR ran on Tuesday in which Senate Dems were asked if they regretted their votes to authorize the war in Iraq. Ben Nelson was among those who defended his vote, saying, “You just don’t look back.” Really? Why not? Afraid you might actually learn something from your mistakes, Senator?

Hillary Clinton refused to even address the question, telling reporter David Welna, “I really can’t talk about this on the fly, it’s too important”. As with everything Hillary says and does these days, you could hear her and her consultants doing the math: Expressing regret = too soft for the Oval Office. Continuing to express support of the administration’s Iraq policy = risking being overtaken by the post-Plamegate reassessment of the war. (So would offering a glowing assessment of progress in Iraq, as Clinton did during her visit there in February when she explained that suicide bombers are “an indication” of the “failure” of the insurgency, and that much of Iraq was “functioning quite well”).

Clinton and Nelson should get a copy of the NPR segment and listen to the responses of Sens. Dodd, Feinstein, Rockefeller, and Harkin who all said they would not have voted the way they did. They should also listen to the speech John Kerry gave today in which he said that “knowing what we know now” he would not have voted to give the administration the authority to go to war.

Eww. If you can stomach it, go on to read Exhibit B...

And the end is too good not to share here. Arianna nails it: Hillary and Bush feel the same way about the war. Look:

Have Democratic leaders completely forgotten that we are at war? A war that’s going very badly? A war Plamegate has brought to the forefront of national consciousness? A war the majority of Americans now feel was a mistake?

Cindy Sheehan hasn’t.

She’s making it clear that “any candidate who supports the war should not receive our support”. Including Hillary Clinton, about whom she blogged: “I would love to support Hillary for president if she would come out against the travesty in Iraq. But I don’t think she can speak out against the occupation because she supports it.”

Sheehan and Clinton met last month to discuss the war. “She said she has to make sure our sons didn’t die in vain,” Sheehan said this week. “That is a totally Republican talking point.”

Indeed it is. During his speech at Bolling Air Force Base on Tuesday, President Bush said, “The best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission.”

Cindy Sheehan, who even Democrats won't acknowledge as a presence, won't take any sugar-coated crap from a wannabe career politician (H. Clinton) who has forgotten why she got so far in the first place (on the backs of the "evil feminists" who allowed her to succeed in law school, and be treated equally...John Roberts, you recall, doesn't think women should be lawyers)...

To arms -- or at least to phones!

This has been so NOT about Miers, her positions, or her relative lack of qualifications to serve in this area of the law.

The biggest clue to that was yesterday's piece in the Washington Post by Mathew D. Staver, head of the Falwell-backed Liberty Counsel, who is one of the most dangerous radicals on the right wing legal scene and anything but a conservative -- that and earlier comments on Hardball by Pat Buchanan along with some of the comments from Robert Bork about why the AmTaliban has had their knickers in a twist about one who seemed so one of their own being nominated for the O'Connor seat.

What Staver and cronies are trying to protect -- beyond the opportunity to trash years of work of a judiciary that had finally begun to act in favor of the Constitution entire, including its penumbrum -- is their carefully nurtured plan to steal the legal system from mainstream America.

But it's not just that. Of course they're acting out of ideological concern but massive self-interest in the AmTaliban law schools and firms Staver and cronies have created to underpin the theft and which they now have an enormous stake in is an equally, if not more significant factor driving their demands on this administration.

They don't just want this seat for one of their on-the-record radicals, they need it to keep the promise of their machine alive -- that attending their schools, writing radical attack tomes, standing on the side of ignorance, hate, and radical regression as attorneys, and pushing ignorance, hate, and radical regression from the benches of the lower courts will be rewarded for those who do that the most pointedly and predictably.

In order to fuel their machine with new legal talent, they need to show that those who participate fully in the war of words against the Constitution as a living document that can fully encompass the religious pluralism of America will be protected and promoted to the highest court -- that the Dominionists will take care of their own enough that they can safely be activists at every stage of their careers instead of waiting to be so when they've ascertained that they've reached the pinnacle of their legal careers.

It's what Shrub promised them in so many words and they've been madder than an upturned mess of hornets in Indian summer that he's tried to welch on the deal.

If there's ever been a time to demand the nomination of a mainstream judicial thinker who will really protect the Constitution from the likes of Staver, Buchanan, and Bork, this is it. Call the White House, e-mail Congress and follow that up with phone calls, and put out the call in the press and on the 'net that the next nominee should not be chosen from the wish list of the Dominionists but should be someone who will apply the living Constitution and not try to bend a lifeless piece of paper around a rigid ideological agenda of a vocal minority.

NPR: Harriet Miers has Withdrawn

Listening to the radio - NPR says that Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination to SCOTUS.

Ordinary People

Suppose you were standing in line at McDonalds and some idiot with an agenda blew you up. That's what happened to these ordinary people in Hadera, Israel yesterday. Five people who only wanted lunch were blown away. Israelis, Jewish and Muslim, old men and old ladies, native-born and immigrants. No wonder the Sephardim/Mizrachim (Jews born in Arab countries or descended from those who were) hate those Arabs who cannot accommodate themselves to the existence (and success) of the State of Israel.

While you wait

Every night there's speculation that the indictments might come very soon. Then another day passes without them. As the suspense was getting to me enough that I'd started to pretend Zen-like detachment about it all by way of self-hypnotically imposed calm, I wondered what it must be like inside the White House workplace. Of course, none of the sycophants who currently populate the West Wing and EEOB are spilling those beans for fear of a sharp Shrub-switching, so the next best thing would be the perspective from someone from another administration that had been through the pending indictment waiting game. For that, you couldn't do much better than Paul Begala.

My GOD - can this family not do ANYTHING right???

Gov. Bush admits state underestimated demand for water, ice on South Florida

sun-sentinel.com staff & wires
Posted October 26 2005, 4:45 PM EDT

Gov. Jeb Bush admitted on Wednesday the state underestimated the demand for ice and water in southeast Florida and didn't funnel enough supplies to the area immediately after Hurricane Wilma roared through.

So, I guess the answer to my *rhetorical* question above would be, uh...no. Read on:

It didn't work as well as it should have yesterday," said Gov. Jeb Bush, referring to Tuesday's long lines of frustrated residents, many of whom left distribution sites empty-handed.

"My expectation was that within 24 hours we'd have our points of distribution set up."

Well - you did have almost a WEEK to prepare. It was, after all, the strongest f*cking storm in history just a few days ago...when it was moving 3-5 MPH in Mexico, don't you think you could have done a little more advance prep for the strongest storm ever recorded???

Kind of reminiscent of when the entire country (and the world, for that matter) watched Katrina hit Florida, and then work its way up as a Cat 5/Cat4 storm toward NOLA, newscasters, newspapers, blogs, etc. all covering the obvious and impending disaster... and when the levees broke, FEMA/Bush/HSA scratching their as*es and saying "Gee whiz, we had NO IDEA the storm was bad."

"We didn't meet those expectations and I accept responsibility for that," [Bush] said.

Well, that is more than your brother the chimpy pres would do, I'll give you that. Not much consolation though for the mothers with babies waiting for safe water...

Meanwhile, Michael "Heckava Job, Brownie" Brown gets his $12K/month contract extended ... again.

What's wrong with this picture??

No Pardons!

From Shakespeare's Sister. I have added my name to the list already:

No Pardons!

The Green Knight instructs us to sign John Conyers's letter, demanding no pardons for Plamegate.

Signed proudly. And as an aside, John Conyers is the best Democrat in office. Period.

Fiscally conservative...

...my ass.

This one is for Man for God and Britany D

Courtesy of Common Dreams:

Published on Tuesday, October 25, 2005 by the Baltimore Sun The Limits of Bush's Mind by Gordon Livingston President Bush persists in his defense of the policies that have resulted in the decline of his fortunes. In his recent rehearsed television conversation with 11 soldiers in Iraq, he said, "So long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down, we're never going ... to accept anything less than total victory." Twice he told them that the American people were behind them: "You've got tremendous support here at home." In an Associated Press poll taken in September, over half the public now says the Iraq war was a mistake. What's happening? Is the man so insulated from the reality of events that he has come to believe his administration's propaganda? Or is there a more ominous and pervasive problem that calls into question something other than political ideology, that is influenced by a world view marked by an inability to reason logically and learn from experience? The ability to reason accurately is not randomly distributed; some people are better at it than others. Though this is only one form of intelligence, it is an important one, and the lack of it tends to have adverse consequences on one's chances for success at tasks that require good decision-making. While reason affects our beliefs, the process of correctly perceiving how the world works requires an understanding of the scientific method, and is fundamentally different from religious or philosophical inquiries that are concerned with questions of meaning and faith. When the two ways of thinking become confused, as in the controversy over evolution and "intelligent design," we are engaging in a kind of dialogue of the deaf in which scientific theory is pitted against religious belief. A 2004 Harris poll on religion is instructive. Ninety percent of adult Americans professed a belief in God. More interesting, half believe in ghosts, nearly one-third believe in astrology and more than one-fourth believe that they were reincarnated from other people. Two-thirds believe in the devil and hell (but very few expect that they will go there themselves). A nation can afford only so much superstition. For example, 12th-graders recently performed below the international average for 21 countries in math and science. This is an ominous statistic at a time when much energy is being expended in educational circles debating whether a creationist belief ought to be taught alongside evolution in science classrooms. It has been said that the primary difference between intelligence and stupidity is that there are limits to intelligence. The human quality required for the progress of any civilization is curiosity. This desire to formulate and try to answer important questions about our world is the fundamental driving force behind all scientific inquiry. It is in the nature of religious dogmatism to close the doors to discovery. If one is required by one's faith to believe that the world is 6,000 years old and was created by God in six days, there is no evidence, geological or otherwise, that will cause such a believer to change his or her mind. This is the difference between a scientific theory, which can be disproved, and a religious belief, which cannot. The Bush administration is forever instructing us in "the lessons of 9/11." One would think that a primary moral of that event would be that we are all at risk from those who are sure that they are the chosen of God. We seem not to have learned this, however, and are still expected to listen with respect to the rantings of people with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, those who believe that the state should be in the killing business, those who would confer personhood on a microscopic collection of cells, those who would deny us all the benefits of stem cell research, those who believe that good works are insufficient credentials to enjoy life everlasting and those who would force us all to listen to their prayers and live under laws that comport with their particular interpretation of God's purposes. Which brings us back to our president: incurious, inarticulate and insulated from people and information that might contradict his "gut feelings" or religious beliefs. To fulfill the duties of our national chief executive, intelligence is not enough - Woodrow Wilson taught us that - but a conspicuous lack of it is fatal. Gordon Livingston, a psychiatrist who lives in Columbia, is the author of Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart.

Cognitive Dissonance

CORRECTION: The bombing was in Hadera, not South Tel Aviv.

While Condi Rice proclaims the need for Israel to have open borders, an Arab terrorist blows itself up in an open-air marketplace in South Tel Aviv, killing at least 4 people and wounding dozens more...

Cross-posted at "The Moderate Voice"

WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes comes out

AP article in today's Indianapolis Star:

NEW YORK -- Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a homosexual, telling a magazine that she's "tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about."

Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, told ESPN The Magazine for a story on newsstands today that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model...

Well, I thought it might be too good to be true...

...and it was. Remember Wal-Mart, and our thought yesterday that it had joined the reality-based community as far as employee rights/care?

Well, (hat tip to www.americablog.org) just a day after that stunning announcement, Walmart is most likely facing a VEEERRRRYYY pricey lawsuit from the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Given the contents of the below internal memo, I can see why.

Evil company. No wonder the granddaughter cheated on all her college coursework (and lost her diploma) - the family is made up of cheaters (and she certainly learned her lesson well) - and the victims are mostly the employees that are the backbone of the behemoth retail chain.

(*Of course, they probably don't feel bad at all about the sentiment of the memo - just that it made its way into the public eye. Kind of reminds me of the Bush Administration...)

Wal-Mart: Discriminate to Save Health Care Costs

The day after Wal-Mart's fake PR offensive to portray themselves as concerned about their employees health care and wages, Stephen Greenhouse -- who proves the NY Times still has some decent reporters -- reveals this internal memo from Wal-Mart. The memo calls for Wal-Mart saving money by forcing more employees into part-time work without benefits and discriminating against the unhealthy and disabled:

To discourage unhealthy job applicants, [the memo] suggests that Wal-Mart arrange for "all jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)."...

"It will be far easier to attract and retain a healthier work force than it will be to change behavior in an existing one," the memo said. "These moves would also dissuade unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart."

Wal-Mart has hopefully bought itself a nice Americans with Disabilities Act class action lawsuit.

Or better, the publicity will force them to avoid any of the nasty proposals outlined in the memo, since any lawyer now has documented intent to discriminate in hand if they do.

Only ONE out of TEN, folks!

That's right - 90% of the population KNOWS that BushCo is teeming with lying, treasonous, evil-doing gangsters.

Only one out of ten is still delusional. Of course, many of them are most likely suffering from pastor-think.

The rest? I have no answer. Just one of those oddities ya couldn't explain if ya tried.

PBS NEWSMAGAZINE 'NOW' EXAMINES CONTROVERSY AROUND THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN GROUPS IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S GLOBAL HIV/AIDS POLICY

PRESS RELEASE:

New York, October 25, 2005 -- In an upcoming television special, the award-winning PBS newsmagazine NOW examines the role of Christian faith-based organizations in the implementation of the Bush administration's $15 billion global AIDS initiative. “Global Health: America’s Response,” airing Friday, November 4, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), examines the controversy around groups which don’t believe condoms are effective in reducing HIV prevalence. In fact, the groups argue that condoms contribute to promiscuity. The program looks at how, buoyed by the fact that a large portion of U.S. money in President Bush’s plan is set aside for teaching abstinence, these groups promote “abstinence-only” programs, which downplay or ignore the importance of condoms in HIV prevention.

“The Bush plan is historic and an extraordinary step forward in the war on AIDS,” says NOW Executive Producer John Siceloff. “This documentary examines what some believe are strings attached at a time when the world’s most successful programs have proven that condoms must be part of the prevention initiative to stem the spread of the virus. The film asks, ‘are these programs an attempt to push the moral vision of conservative Christians, Bush's base, on the world?’”

The one-hour documentary examines the U.S.’s HIV/AIDS policy from its beginning in the early 1980s through President Bush’s historic plan, which has been hailed as a milestone in addressing the world’s AIDS crisis. The program takes viewers on the ground in Uganda—considered one of the few success stories in the developing world in slowing the spread of the virus. NOW examines Uganda’s successful three-pronged approach, which has become known as ABC: “Abstinence,” “Be faithful,” and “Condom use,” assesses its success and looks at the credibility of arguments for and against teaching “abstinence-only.”

Preview cassettes of “Global Health: America’s Response” are available by request to members of the press.

PRESS CONTACTS: Rick Byrne, NOW, Ph: 212/560-8406, Email: ByrneR@thirteen.org

Word from the Congo

This post is a little off topic for Julien's List. However, I thought it was important to share. This email was sent to me from a friend of mine who has done relief work all over the world, most recently in the Middle East. Cal Carpenter is now in the Congo. Below is the email he sent after his first week there.


We have been in the Congo a week now. Each group we meet with gives us some variation on the same message. Go home.

People have a very clear understanding here that the conflict they live under could not exist without the world created by US power and they want us to go home and tell our country our people and our churches to stop it.

The church leaders questioned the supposed Christianity of Americans. They said that the first thing our president does is put his hand on the Bible, but maybe he should read it and then the US wouldn't be spreading conflict around the world.

The election volunteer who spoke to us demanded that te US stay home during the upcoming congolese elections. They want an election that is free for the people with no influence from the outside supporting any of the parties or candidates.

The ethnic leaders talked about how in the past the organisation of the ethnic groups served to handle conflicts bot within and between the groups. Now though, they say that outside money and weapons have marred the system and made fighting between them a reality that it never was before. In particular they talk about the way that Rwanda and Uganda, both countries allies of and armed by the US, have used guns and money from outside to create and support ethnic violence as a cover for expliotation of Congo's resources.

Everyone talks about how well they know that the Congo is rich. It has unbelievable resources, but te resources have never benefited the people. From the time of the Belgian colonisers until now te west has always created systems to take the resources and the profits leaving the people with nothing. We have been given several lessons in Neo-Colonialism 101 from people explaining the difference between the direct colonisation under the Belgians and the different, but just as clear, expliotation that goes on today under the world market.

It is unclear whether there will be any good fit for the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams here on the ground, but we have been charged with plenty of work to do. We are daily called to go home and change the way the US relates to the world so that our country will get off the backs of the Congolese and they can benefit from their own wealth and solve their own problems.

blessings
cal

Indictment Update

Joe at AMERICAblog points to this from The Washington Note:

An uber-insider source has just reported the following to TWN:

1. 1-5 indictments are being issued. The source feels that it will be towards the higher end.

2. The targets of indictment have already received their letters.

3. The indictments will be sealed indictments and "filed" tomorrow.

4. A press conference is being scheduled for Thursday.

It's coming....

(Hat Tip www.rawstory.com):

SOURCES: FITZGERALD DECIDES TO SEEK

INDICTMENTS... DEVELOPING...

I'll update you as we go along...

After hearing about that sniveling, blinking, smirking, stuttering fool and his speech today, mis-pronouncing every other word, I am so ready for some justice.

I mean, seriously, aren't we over having a so-called "leader" who says things like this on national television:

This speech will one day define PREVARICATION for an entire generation - The sons and daughters of the fallen in Iraq.

PUH-LEEEZE.

UPDATE:

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided to seek indictments in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson and has submitted at least one to the grand jury, those close to the investigation tell RAW STORY.

Fitzgerald will seek at least two indictments, the sources say. They note that it remains to be seen whether the grand jury will approve the charges.

Those familiar with the case state that Fitzgerald likely will not seek indictments that assert officials leaked Plame's name illegally. Rather, they say that he will focus charges in the arena of lying to investigators.

I guess I don't understand why illegal leaking of her name is not considered worthy of indictment...I guess treason is A-OK in Bush's Amurka...but hey, we'll take anything we can get...let Fitzgerald pull a Martha on Rove and Libby then.

I am so glad to be in Baltimore...

UPDATE: Per the Miami Herald online: Still no sign of FEMA.

Although I am very lucky - we had no windows broken in our South Beach condo, and already have power I am told, I feel so badly for the rest of the area - Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties remain virtually in the dark. The boil water order is serious - the City of Miami Beach is under such an order, but we have power so this is not a problem...but what about those with electric stoves who do NOT have power?

Raw Story has a reporter based in West Broward...from her report it is NOLA all over again - without the levee break, of course...but in the response from FEMA.

Lots of talk, but no action. And a client of mine was able to drive from his home in South Dade to check on his boat on mid-Miami Beach yesterday - so how come no one has seen FEMA?

Here is her story:

Exclusive: Fort Lauderdale suburbs

still without water, aid

Raw Story's Larisa Alexandrova lives in the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has been without supplies, fresh water, power, landline and cell phone service since Wilma struck the area Sunday evening. She phoned in this report from a pay phone, after waiting in a line.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet to arrive in the hurricane-stricken suburbs of Fort Lauderdale.

"FEMA hasn't arrived yet," Raw Story's Larisa Alexandrova said in a call from the region Tuesday afternoon. "Even though they've said, 'we're ready, we're standing by,' they haven't come."

The area is under curfew, Alexandrovna noted. The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Miami-Dade police arrested five people in two separate violations-- four of them at Miami's Finest Barber Shop, NW 79th Street and NW Seventh Avenue, and the other at a bar called Johnny's LBR, at Northwest 65th Street and 27th Avenue.

Alexandrovna said residents have seen little aid from police, who have been guarding shops.

"I saw a whole slew of them guarding Wal-Mart," she said.

The situation is reported to be dire. Residents have been told to boil their water, but most are finding it difficult to do so, as millions are without electricity.

"It's horrible," Alexandrovna said. "There's no water. The water comes out of the faucet, [but] you have to boil the water, and you have no electricity to boil your water. The sewage is backed up."

"We need supplies," she added. "If FEMA isn't coming, we need people to get in and give us water."

Local merchants have been rationing supplies, Alexandrovna noted, saying that shopkeepers have been friendly and helpful. She said she has seen no looting.

Gee, Wal-Mart, that bastion of conservative values, sounds...

...almost, um....LIBERAL!!!

Bum-bum-BUM!

Wal-Mart vows changes in health

care, environment

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., under attack from critics including labor groups and environmentalists, has vowed to cut energy usage, reduce waste and offer lower-priced health care to employees.

In a speech to employees released on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott said the world's biggest retailer needed to take the lead in efforts such as switching to renewable energy sources, and even called on Congress to raise the national minimum wage from the current $5.15 an hour.

Read the rest HERE.

Silly Wal-Mart...don't you know your Republican Leaders are now not only into keeping the minimum wage right where it is (getting pretty close to being equal to a gallon of gas, if you think about it...) but also now hire illegal workers in order to fire union electricians...with the blessing of the company still paying Cheney a sizable stipend.

Gee, you'd think that treating workers with a fair wage, offering affordable health care, and other such things might actually be good for business!

(Dems - this might be your cue to take this up in your '06 campaigns instead of your constant "we are better but we don't know why" mantra...)

If a large number of Americans believe we came from God, completely discounting evolution...

...then how come these same Americans are not in an uproar that parts of "God's creation" are patented by major businesses? Hm? How come they are not freaking out that something made with "Intelligent Design" is now being patented, gene by gene??

Ready for This?

According to Cincinnati's WKRC-TV Local 12, "Citizens for Community Values" intimidates legislators!

Nightclub association files complaints against religious groups

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Nightclub executives upset with proposed restrictions on strip clubs have filed two complaints alleging a religious group has threatened state senators to get them to vote for the bill.

The executive director of Citizens for Community Values, Phillip Burress, wrote supporters in an e-mail that if he had to, he would form a political action committee to campaign against senators who vote against the proposed nightclub legislation.

The Buckeye Association of Nightclub Executives said the Cincinnati-based group has violated restrictions on political activity by nonprofit organizations.

The association also asserted in the complaints that the organization used improper lobbying tactics to bully senators into favoring the bill...

A bit of levity...

Enjoy this plethora of malapropisms...

What's a little lying between friends, hmmm?

You must hate 'murka if you hate treason now. 'Cause treason is good - who cares if we lied about them WMDs - we needed a good ole' fashioned war for 'murka, dammit! You reality-based folks, quit tryin' ta ruin our war! Wahhhhhhhh!

What's a Little Lying Between Friends?

By Howard Kurtz

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; 11:18 AM

"Some perjury technicality"?

Did Kay Bailey Hutchison really say that?

She must have. It was on "Meet the Press."

Is this the Republican strategy for dealing with any CIA leak indictments? Saying no real crimes were committed, just a teensy weensy bit of perjury? Turning Patrick Fitzgerald into Ken Starr?

This is great - read the rest HERE.

You know what? We are not in the "minority" - not at ALL!!

This is from Americablog but, look at the numbers, folks. We are not the "rogue" few. We are saying what the majority of Americans are feeling. I bet that they wish they could turn back the clock to the time when they voted against their own best interests in the name of jeeezus and terrah, terrah, terrah.

Another Bush p.r. offensive on Iraq that Americans aren't buying
by Joe in DC - 10/25/2005 02:18:00 PM

All Bush ever does is give the same speech about Iraq. Every time there's another horrible turn of events, he makes a major address. But Americans aren't buying his spin campaign according to two new polls.

Harris Interactive, via Political Wire:

shows American sentiment about the situation in Iraq remains generally gloomy, with fewer than a quarter of Americans saying they are confident U.S. policies in Iraq will be successful."

"For the first time, a majority of Americans (53%) feels that military action in Iraq was the wrong thing to do... compared with 34% who feel it was right."

Rasmussen Reports:

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans now say that getting U.S. soldiers home as soon as possible is more important than making sure "Iraq becomes a peaceful nation enjoying freedom and democracy." This is the first time that a majority of Americans have held that view.

The Rasmussen Reports survey also shows that just 38% insuring a peaceful and free Iraq is the top priority.

The more Bush speaks, the worse it gets.

Question of the day...

...If Prince William, the f*cking HEIR TO THE BRITISH THRONE, can join the Army, following his younger brother Harry - who is second in line to said throne...

Why aren't the BUSH TWINS FIGHTING THEIR FATHER'S WAR???

(addendum to this: WHY AREN'T JEBBIE'S OR NEIL'S KIDS EITHER, FOR THAT MATTER??)

Anyone got a cogent answer to these queries???

I am really interested. *



*snark intended.

The Rosa Parkses of Chhindwada

(But with much nicer police than Miz Parks had to deal with back in the day...)

From www.webindia123.com:

Lesbian couple rebel to live together in Madhya Pradesh
Chhindwada (Madhya Pradesh) | October 25, 2005 4:34:07 PM IST

Same sex relationships are still looked down upon in India, yet there are a few who have the courage to rebel against this societal prejudice even in a remote place like Chhindwada, a conservative town in Madhya Pradesh.

Two girls, Jyoti and Savita here have asserted their rights to live as a same sex couple with the police supporting them.

When Jyoti and Savita went missing 10 days back, their worried parents went to the Parasia police station to lodge a complaint. But they were surprised to find the girls in the safe custody of the police.

The girls have refused to return to their homes and have been living at the police station for the last 10 days.

The girls, neighbours in Ambada locality of Chhindwada, became friendly five years back. The relationship flourished despite their parents berating them frequently.

A fortnight back Jyoti came to know that her parents wanted her to get married to a youth from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. She protested and told her parents that she wanted to live with Savita for the rest of her life.

Jyoti was then locked in a room but 10 days back she managed to escape. She along with Savita took shelter at the police station.

"I came to know a few days back that my parents were fixing my marriage. So I left my house. I want to spend my life with Savita," said Jyoti.

"We have decided to live together. We will take the help of court in case our parents tried to separate us," said Savita.

The girls have completed their schools and intend to take up some job.

The Parasia police are puzzled, as they have never handled such a case before.

"We are getting the ages of the girls verified. If they are adults, we cannot do anything because they have not committed any crime," said Sunil Tiwari, an official of Parasia police station.

"If the girls want, they can live together. But we will see to it that they are not harmed by their family members," he added.

Okay, can ONE G.D. REPUBLICAN...

...tell me why this is okay???? (From AmericaBlog):

Halliburton Uses Illegals As Cheap Labor For New Orleans Clean-Up
by Michael in New York - 10/25/2005 03:15:00 PM

Unbelievable. First Bush decides to "help" the recovery in Louisiana by making it legal for companies to pay substandard wages, even though the massive rebuilding effort needed after Hurricane Katrina should mean builders and laborers would be in high demand. Then we find out that most of the contracts are going to out-of-state companies.

Finally, and you can't make this up, USA Today reports that Halliburton subcontracted out work to companies that fired some 75 union electricians and then hired at least 10 illegal immigrants in their place. And where were they working? A naval base near New Orleans.

Five years into their regime, and Cheney and his pals can still surprise you with their nastiness and craven greed.

The link to this post is HERE. Go there and read the comments also...apparently Halliburton hired the illegals, had the union electricians train them and then fired the union electricians.

Isn't the favorite refrain of Republicans (secure in their jobs) when speaking of the unemployed: Well, they should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and work, goddammit...

Well, what part of their "boot straps" are these unemployed, now-uninsured U.S. citizen electricians supposed to pull up now?

This sucks, big time.

Rosa Parks, 1913 - 2005

Dear, brave, true person:

Who will carry your torch now? Who will stand up for her or his individual rights the way you did when you said, "No, I will NOT sit in the back of the bus?"

I make a promise tonight, Ms. Parks - I will NOT sit in the back of the bus either!

I will be vocal, and not just accept the scraps of those who call my spouse my "friend," or my "companion"...

I will NOT accept being called an abomination, or a mistake, or unlawful.

I will be me, and proud to be so.

Ms. Julien
24 Oct, 2005

Okay - I stole this from the blogosphere - how f*cking funny (and true) IS this???

Click on the photo to enlarge and then you can zoom in from there ...

Anonymous for Prez?

I was a-wanderin' through the blogosphere this evening, randomly reading comments here and there...in keeping with our theme of WTF have the Dems done for us lately, I thought that "Anonymous" hit the nail on the head...especially the bolded parts (bolded by moi).

Once again the GOP has a plan to deal with Fitz - and for no reason I can see - the Dems do not.

[NOTE FROM MS. JULIEN: Indeed they do...it is here. WTF are the Dems?? Not a word...there has not been a word in five years...]

This week is THE MOMENT for the Democrats to be on the same page - but again our "leadership" is all over the map.

It is beyond pathetic at this point that Reid Pelosi Dean and the rest have not gotten together to formulate a clear set of talking points to deal with perjury charges that go to reasons we went to war.

What is wrong with the Democratic leadership? and why, while the GOP is trying to make perjury seem like a joke - the DEMS are once again missing?

Someone must have the chutzpah to really stand up and DO something.

OMG - A Superstorm...

A superstorm will come together off the East Coast Tuesday. The ingredients for this storm are Wilma, energy from Alpha and a rogue storm forming along the mid-Atlantic coast. These system will likely remain distinct, trackable features rather than combining into one storm. However, the combined energy from these storms will create a superstorm effect along the northeastern coast Tuesday. The rogue storm will strip moisture from Wilma and direct heavy rain toward the coast. Farther inland, the moist air will be lifted up over a cold dome of air and the first major snowstorm in the Northeast will get underway late Monday night into Tuesday night. In addition to the precipitation, gale force winds will hammer the area. Winds 60 mph to 70 mph will hit the coast of New England with gust of 40 mph to 50 mph farther inland.

Caption this photo...

President Bush declines to answer questions regarding the CIA leak investigation involving his adviser Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby during a Cabinet meeting where he was giving an update on Hurricane Wilma and the war on terror, at the White House, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 24, 2005. From left to right are Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bush, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WP Blog Addresses Hackett vs. Brown for US Senate

The Fix by Chris Cillizza

Ohio Senate: Hackett vs. Brown in Dem. Primary

Frank Rich: Karl & Scooter's Excellent Adventure

Karen Zipdrive has dug up Frank Rich's new column - Thanks Karen!

Workplace Tremors: How Chapter 11 Is Demolishing Employee Expectations

From Sunday's Washington Post:

The scene in Lower Manhattan was reminiscent of teenagers rushing to the front of a concert stage, only this time it was middle-aged lawyers and Wall Street bankers who pushed elbow to elbow into a federal courtroom no bigger than a gas station mini-mart.

The throng of pinstripe suits forced court aides to call in workers to pry open windows for ventilation, allowing U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert D. Drain to proceed with the Oct. 11 opening-day hearing regarding the "petition for relief" by Michigan auto parts maker Delphi Corp. under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws.

Once shunned by respectable companies and ignored by Wall Street, federal bankruptcy court has become the venue of choice for sophisticated financiers and corporate managers seeking to pull apart labor contracts and roll back health and welfare programs at troubled companies.

About 150 major corporations are now in some stage of bankruptcy reorganization, including four of the nation's leading airlines. As the prospect of other large enterprises taking a spin down Chapter 11 becomes more widely discussed in business circles ("maybes" on the list include such iconic names as General Motors and Ford), the tactics used in bankruptcy courts are shaking the very foundations of the American workplace...

Abramoff & Reed: An Unholy Alliance?

A TIME investigation shows the lobbyist now at the center of a federal probe had a good friend eager to open doors at the White House: former Christian Coalition chief Ralph Reed
By ADAM ZAGORIN, KAREN TUMULTY AND MASSIMO CALABRESI WASHINGTON

I say that anyone who says that the current GOP is "fiscally conservative"...

...is full of SH*T. Full of caca. Full of merde.

And can kiss my AS*...really.

Pentagon program costing taxpayers millions in inflated prices

By LAUREN MARKOE and SETH BORENSTEIN
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon paid $20 apiece for plastic ice cube trays that once cost it 85 cents. It paid a supplier more than $81 apiece for coffeemakers that it bought for years for just $29 from the manufacturer.

That's because instead of getting competitive bids or buying directly from manufacturers like it used to, the Pentagon is using middlemen who set their own prices. It's the equivalent of shopping for weekly groceries at a convenience store.

Read the rest here....it is disgusting. Our government is disgusting.

"Carnival Katrina pact draws fire from lawmaker: WSJ "

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senior House Democrat said documents from Carnival Corp. show the cruise line company is making more money leasing ships to the U.S. government for Hurricane Katrina relief than it earns from their normal use, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

... Carnival's defense of its $236 million contract to provide emergency housing for 7,100 people aboard three cruise ships...

Our country is ruled by...

...a completely uncaring sociopath who starts wars based on lies, and kills other people's kids.

And apparently he hates inner city kids, too... (Hat tip Americablog):

Bush ruins field trip for 100 kindergartners


One hundred Brentwood kindergartners, many dressed in costumes, were all set to go see "The Wizard of Oz" on Friday when their first-ever field trip was blocked by the nation's 43rd president.

They never got to see the wizard.


So not kidding.

This would be great....

...if the Democrats weren't so ineffectual, and if the silent majority of Amurkans weren't sitting so complacent, while the price of a gallon of gas and the Federal Minimum Wage get nearer to equality.

This is worth posting in its entirety - if it is too small, read it HERE.

Published on Saturday, October 22, 2005 by the Boulder Daily Camera (Colorado) What to Do Now? Here Are a Few Ideas by Molly Ivins AUSTIN, Texas — You can only sit around wringing your hands and moaning about what a mess the Bushies have made of America. Sooner or later, even the gloomiest doom-meisters are bound to get beaned by an acorn on the noggin, leading to the startling and productive thought, "So, what could we do that would make things better?" For those mired in loathing the Bush administration, the program would start with a long, long list of things that need to be undone: repeal the bankruptcy bill, repeal the tax breaks for the rich, and fix the farm bill, the transportation bill, the energy bill, etc. Or you could start with a list of gentle suggestions, such as: Making a rude jerk with a bad temper ambassador to the United Nations, probably not a good idea Putting a veterinarian in charge of women's health policy, maybe not. Making someone with a background in Arabian horses the disaster-relief czar needs reconsideration. Invading a Middle Eastern country with no provocation, a country that posed no threat and had no connection to 9-11 ... perhaps not a shrewdie. You can even do a sort of Golden Oldies list, such as: How's about we start enforcing worker safety laws again? What say we have a go at stopping big corporations from poisoning the air and water just so they can make higher profits? Say, how about helping people whose lives have been ripped to shreds by natural disaster? But that's still not stepping up to the plate to take a swing at the always-relevant question, "What the hell do we do now?" Yes, we should follow the First Rule of Holes and stop digging. True, we need to go back to doing a lot of things we used to before George W. Bush "won" that remarkable "election" in 2000. And we need to go back to NOT doing a lot of things we didn't do before the 5-4 vote. But we also need to come up with solutions to the problems this man has created. We need a plan to get out of Iraq. I think Bob Herbert had a good idea when he suggested: 1) A Serious proposal for withdrawal of American forces over a reasonable (reasonably short) period of time, and 2) couple that with a broader national security plan that focuses on Al-Qaida-type terrorism and domestic security. One of the many problems created by the invasion of Iraq is that it took our eyes off fighting terrorism and dragged us into this endless struggle between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. We're supposed to be fighting terrorism, and the single most useful tool for that purpose is international cooperation. The go-it-alone, forgeteverybody-else Bush foreign policy will require serious repair work. We need a beefed-up State Department and a new emphasis on human rights, complete with an acknowledgement of our errors in this regard. We also need beefed-up intelligence — tracking terrorists and their money, their plans and their people requires good intelligence work and good detective work. That, in turn, requires a whole lot of smart Americans who are fluent in Arabic. Isn't it lucky we have them, right here at hand? Of course, we will also need some repair work done with the Arab-American community, since it has not exactly been treated with the full rights to which every American citizen is entitled. Perhaps we need a Bureau of Damage Control. Next, the economy is in need of repair. We're obviously spending ourselves into deep doo-doo, and if ever there was a time for the classic Democratic solution, this is it: Tax the Rich! Democrats should swipe Poppy Bush's old slogan, "No New Taxes," adding, "Only old taxes back again." Since Republicans decided they needed to make Democrats look like cheapskates in the pork-barrel spending department, there's lots of thrifty, prudent stuff Democrats can do to fix that — and think how surprised everyone will be to see that. While we're at it, the last time the minimum wage was increased was 1997, and $5.15 an hour ain't what it used to be. Another big chunk of what's wrong with the economy can be solved by fixing another major problem at the same time: health care. In case you haven't noticed, major employers and high-wage industries are increasingly choosing to locate in Canada instead of the United States. And what have they got that we haven't? National health insurance. Yep, that ol' debbil "socialized medicine" against which the right wing has so long and so relentlessly inveighed is now the darling pet of huge corporations. Not only is it good for General Motors, folks, the rest of us need it desperately, too.