Joe Lieberman's best friend Colin McEnroe and AP Capitol Reporter, Susan Haighs, were on WTIC's Beyond the Headlines on Sunday and they explained why everyone should take Ned Lamont's campaign very seriously. They also go into why Joe's running scared and threatening to run as an independent (here's a hint: it's becasue there's a VERY good sign that Lamont will beat him in the primary).
Part of my thrill of this is being an old Fenway vet, having seen the likes of Yaz, Pudge Fisk, and El Tiante in their heyday, giving us our daily thrill. Remind me to tell you the one about Opening Day in '77!! Where me & Brotherman the Younger skipped school to sit in the bleachahs...Mark Loretta wanted to feel the whole celebration, even the fun-filled pounding that comes from teammates at the plate after a game-ending home run. Loretta hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox, saved by Kevin Youkilis' hustle, rallied past the Seattle Mariners 7-6 Monday in the annual Patriots Day game.
"I've never experienced it before at any level -- Little League, high school or college level," he said. "Just complete euphoria. You kind of have to take a step back and think `is the game really over?'"
Loretta's shot landed in the Monster Seats, where moments earlier many fans turned around to watch the women's leader of the Boston Marathon running through Kenmore Square.
Here's the deal: I start my day with the sports pages religiously, for I have reached an emotional critical mass when it comes to current world and political events, and I don't need to start my morning in an ill frame of mind. That and the mere sight & sound of anything Dubya makes me want to puke. So contrary to what you may surmise from the readings on display here, I do not consider struttin' down the avenue with the taste of bile in the back of my throat as a cool way to meet chicks. Well, not really.
Meanwhile, I've renewed excitation for the Carmine Hose of Beantown, specific to last night's performance by their young horses, Beckett & Papelbon. Picked up the rookie closer-come-lately in my Fantasy Draft, concurrently though just before the fact he was brought in to close out Texas. I was hoping he'd be in the rotation by May, particularly so as I'd picked up Keith Foulke (Oy!) a coupla rounds earlier. Much better to have a stud starter & closer than a stud closer & a broken down middle-man, but, oh well, reckon I'll have to scan the waiver wire.And a true ''Who's on first" story, as related by Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News. Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo's best friend in the organization is minor league infielder and fellow Taiwan native Chin-Lung Hu, who was walking across the clubhouse when veteran center fielder Kenny Lofton spotted him.
''Hey Kuo, who's that guy you been hanging out with?" Lofton said.
''Hu," Kuo said.
''The guy you been hanging out with," Lofton said.
''Hu," Kuo repeated.
''That guy I saw you with yesterday," Lofton said.
''Hu," Kuo said yet again.
Finally, laughing Dodgers prospect Matt Kemp explained it to Lofton.
Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveillance of US citizens, but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him.
Tell Joementum, "JoMama!!"I just wanted to drop you a quick note that Ned's race for the Senate will be the topic of a story tomorrow (March 29) on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. The piece, by David Welna, is scheduled to air at 6:20 a.m. and again at 8:20 a.m. Please note the time may change.
Aldon
Goddamn right!!On The Bible and The Constitution
On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at American University, was requested to testify.At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"
Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."
The room erupted into applause.
Dear Friend,
At a time when our nation is facing serious challenges at home and abroad, George Allen is more focused on his political career than he is on his job representing Virginia in the Senate. I don't know about you, but I cannot think of even one example of true leadership on national issues from Senator Allen in the five crisis-filled years we Americans have experienced since he took his seat.And yet, according to the New York Times he seems…bored. "It's too slow for me," he told a reporter. Maybe that's why Allen is spending so much time these days thinking about running for president. His heart is not really in the job.
If Allen wants to run for president, more power to him. But Virginia deserves a full-time senator. That's why Jim Webb is running for the Senate. He understands the serious challenges facing Virginia and the nation, and he will go to work every day focused on using his position to improve life for the people of this state.
Support Jim Webb for Senate today. Help us meet our fundraising goals by the March 31st deadline.
http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/
Iraq is on the brink of civil war, and Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The Chinese have embarked on a vast program of military expansionism. Al Qaeda is probing our defenses, looking for a way to deliver another devastating attack. With some of the nation's most sensitive military and intelligence installations located in Virginia, we are on the front lines of the war on terror.
That's exactly why we need Jim Webb in the Senate. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a much decorated Marine in Vietnam, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy, Jim is also a world-traveled journalist and author who has seen first-hand the issues our governmental leaders must deal with. Jim has spent his career focused on national security. His first book, written when he was only 28, was about national strategy. He was a journalist in Beirut when the U.S. Marines were deployed there in 1983. He covered our troops in Afghanistan for Parade Magazine in 2004. His experience and vision are exactly what we need to help protect the American people at home and our vital interests abroad.
Give Virginia the experience it needs in the Senate. We're less than 60 hours from the end of quarter fundraising deadline. Please rush a contribution to Jim today!
http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/
And most importantly, Jim Webb is a leader, from his earliest days as a Marine rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam. He has never been afraid to speak his mind, including speaking truth to power. He recognizes that leadership involves making tough decisions, and that it requires backbone, vision and courage in the face of harsh criticism.
Unfortunately, George Allen appears to be little more than a rubber stamp for the president. He supported George Bush 96% of the time in the Senate. That may make sense if you are trying to please voters in a Republican presidential primary, but not if you are trying to represent Virginia. It's time to put Virginia first again. We need a thoughtful, independent leader, not one busy thinking about his next job.
Donate to Jim's campaign before Friday's deadline.
http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/
With your support, we can give Virginia the strong leadership it deserves: a senator who will be on the job, everyday, working for the people of this state.
Sincerely,
Steve Jarding
Senior Advisor
Webb for SenateP.S. The momentum on our campaign continues to grow. Today, General Wesley Clark endorsed Jim's campaign for U.S. Senate! Join General Clark and support our campaign today!
In other words, if you are an American Christian, you are more likely to support torture than if you are an atheist or agnostic.Of course the whinies will dismiss Andrew Sullivan's conservative street creds due to his sexuality.
From: "Luke Wolter" ...@yahoo-inc.comUh huh! Was "respect" for its customers the reason Yahoo! capitulated to DOJ's demand for its search-engine records (i.e., who's looking up what) without a fight?
Subject: RE: Yahoo question
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:26:08 -0500
This is false. We have no policies in place to block any email accounts from our Groups property, especially Gmail.
Furthermore, I can't imagine a business reason why we would ever do this in the future. At Yahoo! we respect our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice. We share a personal responsibility to maintain our customers' loyalty and trust.
As Knight Ridder reported Sunday, Iraqi police say that U.S. soldiers last week executed 11 people, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old infant, after raiding a house where an al-Qaida suspect was captured. Knight Ridder says that such accusations are "commonplace" in Iraq, and that most "are judged later to be unfounded or exaggerated." This one is different, Knight Ridder says, "because it originated with Iraqi police, and because Iraqi police were willing to attach their names to it." The report, a copy of which Knight Ridder has obtained, says: "The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 persons, including five children, four women and two men. Then they bombed the house, burned three vehicles and killed their animals." The military said today that it is investigating the allegations.
Yes, Iran, of all nations, is now talking to the U.S. like an exasperated but conscientious Dutch uncle. Said one of that nation’s diplomats on Thursday, “I think Iraq is a good testing ground for America to take a harder look at the way it acts. If there’s a determination in America to take that hard look, then we’re prepared to help.”Indeed.
How embarrassing.
"I find Hillary to be a great disappointment," the lefty actress tells More magazine. "She's lost her progressive following because of her caution and centrist approach. It bothered me when she voted for the war. There were brave people who didn't. She's not worse than other politicians, but I hoped she would be better. What America is looking for is authentic people who want to go into public service because they strongly believe in something, not people who are [just] trying to get elected."
Roger Clemens was a loser in what might have been the final start of his outstanding career, and Mexico eliminated Team USA from the World Baseball Classic.What?? A Texan getting beat by the Messicans??
The character of warfare and violence is being transformed. The warfare of the future is not World War II, or even Korea or Vietnam. It is Mogadishu and Fallujah -- low-intensity conflict among tribes, clans, and gangs. We are not prepared for that kind of warfare.Imagine Dubya the Boy King exhibiting any semblance of coherence with respect to Iraq.
The United States is in danger of finding combat forces trapped in a civil war that they cannot prevent, control, or win.
America's army is in danger, and that danger is possibly just around the corner.
Lest we forget, Arlen Specter was on the Warren Commission, which, some would have you believe, white-washed the investigation of JFK's assassination. Assuming for the sake of argument that this is true, it would seem, then, Sen. Specter has come full circle.It was coming to this. Responding to Sen. Feingold, Sen. Specter is now arguing on the floor of the senate that FISA is unconstitutional. Ergo, President Bush couldn't have been violating the law becuase it's not valid law.
Quite a way for Specter to end his career.
The reduction constitutes a 10 per cent decrease in numbers and marks a reduction from the high point of 10,000 British troops in Iraq in October 2003.What the story doesn't address, if even speculatively, are the ramifications, by way of Iran's response to an attack on their nuclear facilities by the U.S. and/or Israel. The Brits, stationed primarily in the southern part of Iraq and along the Persian border, are most vulnerable in this scenario and would easily sustain the greatest number of coalition casualties, and is why the British government has been quietly, although steadfastly, resisting U.S. machinations toward expanding its hostilities in the Middle East.
New Rule: Stop saying "Brokeback Mountain" lost Best Picture because of a homosexual backlash. The only homosexual backlash in Hollywood involves an actual homosexual literally hitting you on the back with a lash. Besides, if "Brokeback Mountain" taught us anything, it's that there's nothing wrong with coming in number-two.
Oh, are we still on?
Merck's vaccine had been shown to be completely effective against most strains that cause cervical cancer, with few side effects. But the Christian right seemed to view the vaccine as a license for promiscuity.Yer Throat Culture of Life, on yer tax dollar, hard at work.
We realize that Americans are humans and, as such, are subject to the same corruptions as any other human. As long as we fail to see the "myth of redemptive violence" and the errors of American exceptionalism, we are likely doomed to repeat the errors of Iraq, though, of course, in different forms. Let us pray for a genuine repentance, and, given my own commitments, particularly for those who claim to be followers of Jesus and, yet, have been beguiled by neoconservatism.
On Bush's Presidential Library: "$300 Million - That's Almost $150 Million Per Book"...
Having to do with breathalyzers and "implied consent" laws, wherever they be. And - Oh yes! - if you've been photographed, by mounted cameras, running a red light, and the camera manufacturer doesn't present hisself in court the day you contest... ? It applies."Any piece of equipment that is used to test something in the criminal justice system, the defense attorney has the ability to know how the thing works and subject its fundamental capabilities to review," said Flem Whited III, a Daytona Beach attorney who is a nationally recognized expert on DUI defense.
Team USA is loaded in the infield -- with Derrek Lee at first base, Young at second, Derek Jeter at shortstop and Rodriguez at third -- and extremely deep in the bullpen. On any given night, Brad Lidge, Huston Street, Joe Nathan or Chad Cordero could be called on to close.Nutshell for you MORs: the Dominican team has, well, a fucking awesome line-up; and I mean one that may dwarf the 30s American League All-Star teams -- you know, Ruth? Gehrig? Jimmie Foxx? Hank Greenberg? Or maybe I'm just a heretic. Meanwhile, Venezuela has the the pitching w/superstud Johan Santana as the marquis feature.
Because of injuries and defections, Team USA doesn't have much depth in the starting rotation. Jake Peavy will start the opener against Mexico on Tuesday, and Martinez will load up on left-handers against Canada's predominantly lefty-hitting lineup in Game 2 on Wednesday. Willis will start and be followed by Al Leiter, with Colorado's Brian Fuentes also expected to pitch out of the bullpen.
Roger Clemens will work two innings in an exhibition against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in Scottsdale, then start Friday against South Africa in what looks like a world-caliber mismatch.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.Meanwhile Bush issues these presidential findings, effectively dismissing any law passed by Congress, especially the one pertaining to the goings-on at Gitmo:
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler said in a hearing yesterday that she found allegations of aggressive U.S. military tactics used to break the detainee hunger strike "extremely disturbing" and possibly against U.S. and international law. But Justice Department lawyers argued that even if the tactics were considered in violation of McCain's language, detainees at Guantanamo would have no recourse to challenge them in court.You gotta love it -- or not -- that when it'll come down to brass tacks, the Bushies at Justice will almost certainly dismiss whatever a federal judge has to say against their right to party. And were the right-wing religious thugs in robes on 1st St NE, DC, to suddenly reexamine their fetish for executive privilege and say, "Oh hey, that ain't Constitutionally kosher!" you gotta believe Dubya would thumb his nose at them too.
In an important sense, it's plausible to envision Bush as a lover of peace and even an apostle of nonviolence -- but, in context, those sterling invocations of virtues are plated with sadism in the service of empire. The president of the United States is urging "peace" as a synonym for getting his way in Iraq. From Washington, the most exalted vision of peace is a scenario where the occupied no longer resist the American occupiers or their allies.
The world has seen many such leaders, eager to unleash as much violence as necessary to get what they want, and glad to praise nonviolence whenever convenient. But no photo-op can change the current reality that the world's most powerful government is also, by far, the most violent and the most dangerous.
Do we need to impeach him to bring some focus to this man's life?Uhh, yeah... ?
Zappa: The biggest threat to America today is not communism; it's moving America towards a fascist theocracy and everything that has happened during the Reagan administration. Is steering us right down that pipe.Apparently Rickie Lee Jones, isn't a fan of Joementum neither. [Link courtesy of Firedoglake].
Zappa: When you have a government that prefers a certain moral code derived from a certain religion and that moral code turns into legislation to suit one certain religious point of view and if that code happens to be very, very right wing almost toward Attila the Hun.
Lofton: Well then you are an anarchist. Every form of civil government is based on some kind of morality, Frank.
Zappa: Morality in terms of behavior-not in terms of theology.
People often ask me what happened and what was the big deal. Lieberman knew exactly what he was doing-- far better than the batty wives' group that preceded him-- when he insisted on ratings on CDs and it had nothing to do with helping parents supervise their children. Few people understand-- the way Lieberman did -- that in the late 80s something like 70% of all recorded music was sold in stores in malls and that malls have very stringent lease arrangements about their tenants not selling "pornography." Over the course of this controversy two of the Senate's most uptight and close-minded prigs, Sam Brownback and Lieberman, pushed for the kinds of stickers that would make it impossible for the kind of music they objected to -- like anything talking about masturbation or homosexuality, for example -- to be stocked by 70% of American retailers. The effect inside the music business was chilling-- and instantaneous. Suddenly a whole new internal bureaucracy had to be created to police every record and suddenly artists were being pressured -- sometimes overtly and sometimes less overtly -- to cave in to demands by two really reactionary fundamentalists whose values are far from mainstream. In one fell swoop Lieberman destroyed an alliance between young voters and the Democratic Party that had started with John Kennedy's election as he ham-fistedly savaged their culture for his own political ambitions.Rid us of him, Connecticut! Por favor!
It can't get much worse than that, can it? Oh, it can. Perhaps Lieberman's most galling characteristic is his willingness to appear in conservative media and to publicly and unreservedly bash Democratic policies and other Democrats. As a Democrat with a bullhorn, Lieberman can and does do more harm to the Democratic message machine than any Republican. It is no surprise then that his approval rating is 15 points higher among Republicans than among Democrats or that he has fundraising parties hosted by Republican lobbyists. He carries water for the GOP and reinforces GOP frames. Consider the case of Rep. John Murtha, a retired colonel. After many talks with commanders on the ground and other Pentagon experts, Murtha -- an elder statesman of the House Democratic Caucus and a respected voice on security issues -- called for a measured withdrawal of troops from Iraq. In response, Sen. Lieberman cried, "In matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril." Murtha retorted, "What credibility?" It's bad enough for someone like Karl Rove to routinely impugn the motives of Democrats; it is quite another for our own Democratic senator to do so.Joementum = Momentum building to get rid of that twitch Lieberman. Hat tip to Kos for the link.
New Rule: If churches don't have to pay taxes, they also can't call the fire department when they catch fire. Sorry, Reverend, that's one of those services that goes along with paying in. I'll use the fire department I pay for; you can pray for rain.The beauty is, of course, nobody high up in the food-chain as Maher -- nobody (Carlin doesn't have a weekly show) -- is brave enough to take swipes at the church, or does it as well as he.
Oh, I'm going to get letters on that one.
A shot of Brooklyn I took from atop the World Trade Center, circa 1999. "Perhaps the day will come when the United States is no longer addicted to imported oil; but that day is still many years off. For now, the reason for America's rapt attention to the security of the Persian Gulf is what it has always been. It's about the oil."Would that Mr. Squirrel-Hair had pushed this notion right after Tora Bora.
State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents."Now ain't that the point!? But then again, your humble commentator's parents are both Republican: Mom a New England matriarch, Dad a good ol' boy; Mom hates George Bush, Dad loves 'im; but Dad's pro-choice (go figure!), Mom was raised traditional Catholic; Mom watches Jeopardy and Seinfeld reruns, Dad inflicts Fox News 24/7 on any innocent passer-by. I'm sooooo conflicted.
Yahoo! is banning the use of allah in email names - even if the letters are included within another name.Yahoo!, of course, is repeatedly going the cheap, cowardly corporate (alliteration purely coincidental) route in conducting its cost benefit analyses; the best most recent examples being its caving to Bush administration demands for its search-engine records, and to demands by China to censor websites deemed contrary to government sensibilities. Of course Microsoft and Google are equally complicit, save for Google's resistance, at least, to White House demands for its search engine data (if for reasons addressing its profit margin and not some heroic principle, but, hey, any ol' libertarian port in a storm), and one can only conclude that continued email usage is a sure ticket to identity theft if not government surveillance hell. But then, why not have it all??
This was uncovered by Reg reader Ed Callahan whose mother Linda Callahan was trying to sign up for a Verizon email address. She could not get it to accept her surname.
One of the uglier attacks on Joe Lieberman is that he has "divided loyalties" because he's Jewish. Apparently, that means he puts Israel's interests above America's.I am loathe to admit I too have wondered, and still do, whether Lieberman isn't really an agent for Likud. What is certain is he's no Democrat. It's one thing to consistently vote for an agenda that is defining today's Republican party as morally bankrupt and corrupt, but also proactively undermining resistance to the systematic elimination of The New Deal and the Civil Rights Act (not to mention the Great Society, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, voter rights, etc., etc.), ultimately subverting the principle of "equal justice under law."
But today we have definitive proof that Lieberman's divided loyalties aren't to Israel, but to George W. Bush.
Dear Friend,
Congratulations. Since we launched www.NedLamont.com more than 1,000 people from Connecticut have signed up to volunteer, giving us the beginnings of the ground army we need to launch our campaign. During the next few weeks a team of volunteers will be individually contacting each volunteer from Connecticut who signed up and get you involved in specific campaign activities.
Because of your enthusiasm I have established a candidate committee and am in the process putting together a great campaign team.
I will formally announce my candidacy in March -- but first we need to do some more work. Joe Lieberman has already raised over $5 million and not surprisingly Republican lobbyists in Washington DC, including George H.W. Bush's former Chief of Staff, are stepping up to raise money for the Senator that was voted the most popular Democrat amongst lobbyists and Republicans in the National Journal’s annual poll.
In addition to what I will contribute, it will cost $500,000 to launch this campaign and we need to begin right now. You can make a secure contribution directly to my campaign on my Act Blue page.
http://www.nedlamont.com/actblue.html
Republican lobbyists are falling all over themselves to support Joe Lieberman. It's not just his votes for awful legislation such as the transportation bill with over 6,000 pork ridden earmarks, his unquestioning support for the 'stay the course strategy' in Iraq, or his support of last year's sham of an energy bill with billions in tax giveways to the oil producers and few incentives for conservation. During the past six years Senator Lieberman has been more likely to support the President on the big issues and too quick to criticize the Democratic alternatives.
Joe will claim he is an independent voice for Connecticut but in reality his cozy support for the Bush polices undermines our progressive values and undermines the Democrats who are promoting these values. A blue state should have a blue Senator. Early financial support is essential if we are to build the campaign organization and show that this campaign is one to reckon with. Get our campaign started off right.
http://www.nedlamont.com/actblue.html
Winning this campaign will be a tremendous challenge. We are going to need a grassroots organization that combines the best of the old fashioned door to door politics with today's netroots.
We can only do this if we continue to grow. Please ask your friends, families, and neighbors to join us in challenging George Bush's favorite Democrat by signing up today.
http://www.NedLamont.com
Thank you,
Ned LamontPaid for by Ned Lamont for Senate,
John Hartwell, Treasurer
email: info@nedlamont.com
phone: (203) 622-7091
web: http://nedlamont.com
So what does this all mean? It suggests that California, with its treasure trove of congressional seats and 2008 electoral votes, is the next battleground. Yes, Gov. Schwarzenegger is wildly unpopular now. But, as the GOP proved in the 2004 Presidential race, unpopularity need not be a barrier to re-election - especially when Diebold machines are counting the votes.If Democrats don't make a sufficient enough stink about this, then they're in on it too.
Childhood memories you forget about until, well, somebody dies.Gowdy made his broadcasting debut in 1944 and went on to call the first Super Bowl in 1967 as well as 13 World Series and 16 All-Star games. He also called the famous “Heidi” game in 1968.
In 1951 Gowdy became the main play-by-play voice on the Red Sox broadcast team. He left the Red Sox in 1966 for a 10-year stint as “Game of the Week” announcer for NBC. He also was the longtime host of the “American Sportsman” series.
“He’s certainly the greatest play-by-play person up to this point that NBC sports has ever had,” NBC Universal Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said from the Turin Olympics. “He literally carried the sports division at NBC for so many years on his back. ... He was a remarkable talent and he was an even more remarkable human being.”
Fersherr... !!But as we go from the mastication of the shooting event itself to the meta story about Dick Cheney's dark and dangerous shadow presidency, let's not let one salient fact disappear down the memory hole.
Even if Dick Cheney is blameless in this matter in any deep moral sense, let's not forget that his immediate reaction was to send out his surrogates to publicly blame what happened on the victim.
Actually, that may afford him too much credit since it wasn't actually his 'immediate' reaction. It was his considered reaction after the 24 hour cooling off period he gave himself between the shooting and when he chose to make it public.
By my count, he continued to have his public surrogates blame Whittington for fully three days. He only relented and took responsibility himself when the public and no doubt
private political clamor became too much to sustain.
That's Dick Cheney.
Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets on Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.Whittington apparently wouldn't go fuck himself, this while the Vice President was having his flashback.
That was only the beginning of the Busheviks’ subversion of democracy. They’ve been at it whole hog ever since, from the spread of Diebold and ES&S machines throughout the nation, to the gratuitous gerrymandering of Texas, and the recall of Gray Davis (a venture masterminded by the White House). Repeatedly they’ve tried to quash democracy not just in the United States but all over the world, as in Haiti, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Iraq.It cannot be oversaid, as it has been said here before: Whenever Dubya says, "We're spreading freedom," I'm thinking he's spreading manure.
Let’s talk about a major problem that the press refuses to discuss: the privatization of the voting process. That’s really what the spread of computerized voting machines is all about. Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia—the three largest manufacturers of such machines—are private vendors. They keep their programming codes secret as “proprietary information,” and, worse, all three are extremely close to the Republican Party. There is no way to determine whether these machines are accurate. Using them is tantamount to having secret vote counts.Read the rest here.
Diebold in particular has been in the news. Some months before Election Day, 2004, Wally O’Dell, Diebold’s CEO, sent a Bush/Cheney fundraising letter out to other rich Ohio Republicans, promising to do everything he could to “deliver Ohio’s electoral vote to the President.” In December, he suddenly resigned. What’s going on?
Webb, who was secretary of the Navy under Republican President Ronald Reagan, resigned in protest of cutbacks in the Navy fleet. He has been a strong critic of the war in Iraq, saying that the Bush administration has never developed an exit strategy.Allen, as some of you might know is now the front-runner for the GOP nomination in the '08 Presidentials, i.e., if you can believe the screwballs. Just what America needs: another goddamned right-wing dope.
Webb is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Marines in the Vietnam War. He is the author of the nonfiction book "Born Fighting, How the Scots-Irish Shaped America," as well as six novels.
The Texas Rangers, Yankees and Sox all have shown interest in Clemens, but his allegiance is clearly with the Astros. Clemens has a 10-year personal-services contract with the club and owner Drayton McLane that kicks in when he officially retires, and he said that he looks forward to working with minor leaguers.But the Globe is a little more upbeat:
If they determine Boston is the best place to return, Hendricks and Clemens know it would be a great story. Boston is where Clemens amassed 192 of his 341 wins. He won three of his seven Cy Youngs here, and his only MVP. Why not end his career in Boston?Make it so, #21!
Osama bin Laden's latest message. Most observers, including the White House, seem to have missed its significance. In it, bin Laden offered us a truce (an offer we should have accepted, if only to attempt to seize the moral high ground). The Koran requires Muslims to offer such a truce before they attack. The fact that bin Laden himself made the offer, after a long silence, suggests al-Qaeda attaches high importance to it.Time to buy the gun?
Why? My guess is because they plan a major new attack in the U.S. soon. I would be surprised if the plan were for something smaller than 9/11, because that could send the message that al-Qaeda's capabilities had diminished. Could this be "the big one," the suitcase nuke that most counterterrorism experts expect somewhere, sometime? That would certainly justify, perhaps require, a truce offer from Osama himself. Of course, al-Qaeda's plan may fail, and it may be for an action less powerful than setting off a nuke on American soil. But the fact that Osama made a truce offer should have set off alarm bells in Washington. So far, from what I can see, it hasn't.
In Washington, Democrats say they will monitor Cuellar's votes before deciding how warmly to embrace a man who calls himself pro-gun, pro-free trade, anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. Several House Democrats, hearing rumors that Cuellar might switch parties, took the unusual step of asking him to confirm his party loyalty.With Democrats like these, who needs enemies? Is why I'm now joining the tidal wave of endorsements for his opponent Ciro Rodriguez.
But most of what Mr. O'Reilly was saying was his typical obtuse shorthand of bullying and another word starting with "bull." . . . The bottom line is, as the oldest cliche goes, he can dish it out but, clearly, he cannot take it.See the video, courtesy of C&L.
