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The Department of "I'm Not Making This Up"
From Tom DeLay's softball session, oh, I mean interview, with the office of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, sorry, I mean Washington Times yesterday:
Tom DeLay on Spending:
When Bush came here, the Senate was still the lowest common denominator. And we had to deal with them. Now that sounds like an excuse, and I guess it is. But if you look at the real record, sans the effort to fight a war - and we'll spend whatever it takes to win the war on terror - but if you look at the other spending, it's actually been going down. The rate of growth has gone from - I'll get you the numbers, but as I can recall - after the first year, in the second year - that's when Bush really had control and provided discipline - the rate of growth was about 5 percent. The next year, it was 4 percent. The next year, it was 3 percent. Last year, on discretionary spending, we increased spending ever so slightly, but you can say we froze discretionary spending.
Umm, not so much, Tom. As a matter of fact and record, no, you didn't.
I can see that the facts escape your fingertips, so to help you out, here are the real numbers on discretionary spending over the last few years, numbers provided by the conservative Heritage Foundation:
But with the budget deficit exceeding $400 billion this year, tough and painful cuts are unavoidable, said Brian M. Riedl, a budget analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Federal agencies' discretionary spending has risen 39 percent in the past three years. "I think the public is ready for spending cuts," Riedl said. "Not only does the public understand there's a lot of waste in the federal budget, but the public is ready to make sacrifices during the war on terror."
Or, if you only trust numbers and charts you can analyze yourself, go look at the Congressional Budget Office report.
It's true. Tom DeLay will sit in an interview with reporters and lie about Federal Budget numbers that, not only the Heritage Foundation admits to, but anyone with fifth-grade math skills and access to the internet can look up for themselves.
Really, I'm not making this up.
Tom DeLay on the Separation of Church and State and the Right to Privacy:
Mr. Dinan: You've been talking about going after activist judges since at least 1997. The [Terri] Schiavo case gives you a chance to do that, but you've recently said you blame Congress for not being zealous in oversight.
Mr. DeLay: Not zealous. I blame Congress over the last 50 to 100 years for not standing up and taking its responsibility given to it by the Constitution. The reason the judiciary has been able to impose a separation of church and state that's nowhere in the Constitution is that Congress didn't stop them. The reason we had judicial review is because Congress didn't stop them. The reason we had a right to privacy is because Congress didn't stop them.
In other words, in Marbury v. Madison, the activist Supreme Courts sucked then, too. Dred Scott? Not so bad. Brown v. the Board of Education ? It's Tom DeLay's version of "What's the Matter with Kansas".
I swear, I'm not making this up.
Tom DeLay on the ethics charges against him:
Mr. Hurt: Have you ever crossed the line of ethical behavior in terms of dealing with lobbyists, your use of government authority or with fundraising?
Mr. DeLay: Ever is a very strong word.
And it depends on what your definition of is, is.
I swear, I'm not making this up. Go read it for yourself, for crying out loud.
Meantime, in other news in the World According to Tom DeLay, up is now down, and black is now white.
Okay, that last part about the news, I made up, but the rest of it, I swear, it's all true.
I only wish I were making it up.
OK, I really thought that we were going to have to go after Delay hard. It would appear that it's not going to be as hard as I thought The man is going to hang himself with a new rope all on his own!
I just spoke to a person who is drenched, steeped and drunk on kool aid.
For private accounts.
For judges being impeached.
For ANWR drilling.
For the bankruptcy bill.
For the war.
For amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage.
For less gun control.
For overturning Roe v. Wade.
For more religion in government.
WHY? WHY? WHY?
This is the statement as near as I remember it.
"I am for the rest of the world seeing that the United States has the power and authority to either dictate or lead on issues. No one should try to overrule us, and until we tighten up the liberal lawlessness and ungodliness here, no one will listen to us. If it takes making laws and changes to show we mean business, so be it. We ran a free for all in this country, and it's time for it to stop."
Weep, if you have any tears left.
Tutterfly,
Weeping . . . and hoping the mother ship returns for them soon . . .
Proof that the right is for a totalitarian government, "why because the US has the power and authority to either dictate or lead on issues."
Advocating a dicatorship? Where does the insanity stop? Do these folks not listen to what they are saying?
The Washington Nationals have Ws on their hats. Hmm.
Republicans vote against Patty Murray's amendment of adding 1.8 billion to the V.A. hospital system while Republicans like Rick Santorum brag how they support the troops. Take that Ed Schultz. Schultz claims we refuse to talk about the the V.A. amendment on our blog site.
Sorry all I have been sick as heck for two days,
I needed to share this piece of a story that was in washington post today and my thoughts on it, I will be back with the Pics of the quilt hopefully tonight or tomorrow please read the following:
Blankenbecler is most upset about two things.
One is the rule that widows call the SBP-DIC offset, which actually takes
away a dollar from one benefit for every dollar they get in the other.
"It's disgusting," Blankenbecler said.
The second is a provision in a bill Bush signed in December 2003 that
added an extra $250 per dependent child to the DIC payment. But widows
whose husbands died before the effective date -- Jan. 1, 2005 -- saw
little or nothing of that benefit.
Blankenbecler said that's grossly unfair.
"I told him I was very disappointed that he would sign something like
that," she said. "I know that he doesn't understand everything that he
signs, completely. So he asked one of his aides if he knew which bill I
was talking about, and he told the guy to check into that.
"And he said he was sorry that I was disappointed, and that there's so
many bills out there. I just got the impression that he didn't know which
one I was talking about, and he probably didn't realize what he had done."
My Comments on this: Since when do we the American people accept that the
President does not fully understand the things he signs? Some Americans
have truly lost their minds, The President has a staff full of people who
are supposed to explain what he is signing to him its very important that
the President not only KNOW what he is signing but actually UNDERSTAND the
content. For a host of reasons that I know I don?t have to explain to you
all. But maybe someone needs to explain this to the rest of America
because I am frankly sick of hearing how its okay that the President of
This COUNTRY does not understand or know what he is doing. Here is a woman
whose husband was sent off to war by this President being okay with him not
knowing or understanding what he is doing, I have no grasp of how someone
who loves their spouse or family member can be okay with this. My friends
hug me and kiss my forehead and touch my hand when I am grieving all the
time yet I don?t think many of them are qualified to be President. Well
judging by this standard they are prob more qualified than Bush, because
not one of them leave me after a few minutes they show true compassion by
sticking around and helping out!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/administration/whbriefing/
Link to above story read it if you can stomach the womans fawning over Bush as she explains she is mad as hell but of course its not his fault he doesnt always know what he is signing.
Hi guys. Been in Chicago on business for the past week. Just noticed this....
Investigating John Kerry Post-Haste, While Condoleezza Rice Goes to the Back Burner
by Congressman John Conyers
Wed Apr 13th, 2005 at 14:53:39 PDT
The Office of Special Counsel, which investigates campaign fundraising violations by government officials and employees under the Hatch Act, seems to be sweeping Republican violations under the rug. I have received reports from whistle-blowers that, in the lead up to the 2004 Presidential Campaign, an investigation of then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was assumed by high ranking partisans in the office and placed on the back burner, while the same high ranking partisans gave their immediate attention to an investigation of Senator John Kerry.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/13/175339/272
And did everyone see this? ....The Senate passed JK's two amendments supporting military families:
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/militaryfamilies/
The DOW has been down over 250 points the last 2 days and IBM looks like it will take the DOW down under 100 points tomorrow.
Can the neocons even imagine needing to liquidate private SS accounts in a bear stock market?
This is posted on BlogforAriz..
John Birch... er, Bolton
Wow. What a freak. Just watch video footage of him speaking, ranting really, at a preofessional conference about how the "UN doesn't exist" and you would be hard-pressed to invent a character who was more manifestly unsuited to the role of UN Ambassador than John Bolton.
This is the man who is leading us into another pre-emptive war, this time in Iran, by setting an unrealistic, and extra-legal, conditions on the Iranian nuclear power sector. As Under-Secretary of Defense for Arms Control he swore before Congress, with no factual support whatever, that Iran has a nuclear arms program.
This is the man whom Bush refered to as "the equivalent of dropping a neutron bomb" on the UN, and who ran the food for oil smear campaign. And this person is supposed to work with the Secretariat and diplomats of other nations? This is the man who continues to spin the lie that Lybian consessions had anything to do with our aggression in Iraq, and to claim that threats work better than engagement despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Bolton's only virtue is that I can't really claim that he is worse in any relevant dimension than Negroponte was. Of course, the single most notoriious lie, costing America immense amounts of goodwill and trust in the world and plunging us into a ruinous war, happened on Negroponte's watch, so that's not high praise.
Bolton has already demanded that Iran must abandon all efforts to enrich uranium fuel, contrary to their rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. And now he is being sent to the UN to ramrod through a sanctions regime against Iran for the Bush Administration and to grease the skids for making war on Iran at Bush's discretion. The Congress will be too cowed to do anything but rubber-stamp more international aggression, if they are even allowed the courtesy of voting on whether we go to war.
The Senate will almost certainly confirm Bolton along partisan lines, unless the Democrats decide to filibuster the vote. They won't so long as Bolton does't start screaming and beating the Senators with furniture while ranting about the black helicopters and the chips in his head: then again, even that might not stop his confirmation.
The Administration's purpose, marching us toward a needless war in Iran (and maybe Syria too), is practically written across Bolton's forhead. Yet Senate Democrats, and even Republicans who should know better, continue to act as if all is business as usual. The Senate is fiddling as the world order, built by our fathers with 70 years of sacrifice and toil, is torched by this ammoral Administration.
battlebob:
Your idea to filibuster is a good idea but certainly will inject the nuclear action in response by Frist.
If the nuclear option is planned by the Rs I can't think of a better person (aside from a dangerous Supreme Ct. appointment) to start that process. This may be the right time and the nutcase to test Frist and the filibuster.
My guess is that Reid is saving that option for an almost certain Supreme nomination soon.
Bush must have been trolling in a sewer to get these two...
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/exposing_incompetent_incumbents.php?dateid=20050414
[snip]
The wonder is not that INR got it right, but that there should be surprise that the larger intelligence agencies, marching in virtual lockstep to the drums of the White House, Pentagon and their own malleable leaders, got it wrong. Perhaps most depressing is the fact that not one of the analysts who knew what was going on could summon the courage to speak out to try to head off an unnecessary war. Apparently, fear runs very deep.
Although nothing is really OT when you are talking about the range of crimes of Tommyboy, this comes across my radar screen by way of Attitood:
We hear that Pa. Sen. Rick Santorum hasn't been spending much time of late in his adopted hometown of Penn Hills near Pittsburgh, the town that spent over $100,000 to educate the senator's five kids while they were living in a luxury home in Virginia.
So Santorum probably doesn't even know that his neighbors are upset that a new Wal-Mart is coming to Penn Hills, so upset they held a meeting last night to complain about everything from traffic to the mom-and-pop stores that will likely be driven out of business.
But even if the folks back in Penn Hills could get close enough to Santorum to complain, he might not hear them. Especially over the din of Wal-Mart corporate jet -- the jet that recently chauffered the Republican around the Sunshine State while Santorum alternately mugged for the cameras on Terri Schiavo's death watch and raised some $250,000 in campaign cash from deep-pocketed Florida donors.
------------
How weak is it that Santorum only had to reimburse WalMart for the cost of the economy flight, instead of the true cost of corporate jetting.
The list of things I am going to ask this scumbag the next time I am around and he is sucking on the end of the nearest microphone just keeps getting longer and longer.
Mr. Santorum, do you think it's right that you only have to reimburse complanies like WalMart the cost of the lowest priced commercial flight to florida, instead of the thousands it would actually cost any other American to travel using a corporation luxury jet?
Mr. Santorum, what is your relationship with Walmart? Have you ever done anything which could be construed as a "favor" for them?
Mr. Santorum, why should the tax payer reimburse YOU over $100,000 for the cost of your children's private school education? Why did you accept it?
Tutt,weeping isn't the word from this end! I can't stand this rep agenda;these thugs need to be hung out to dry and even that isn't good enough for them. I did catch JK on c-span yesterday with those amendments and thought about what life would be like today..a whole lot different then the messaging we receive now,not to mention the rewards. Makes one very ill to think about that!
Our gov't is as dysfunctional as the church,POWER is everything ! I'll just bet the cardinals chose another conservative pope as to keep the flock in check as those of us that left would NEVER turn back.
McCain is sure making the TV circiut..what a creeper!
The only consolation prize for me is, I know Laura knows she sleeps next to the dumbest man on the planet!
Finally ...I'm on the mend,but NOT ready to go back to work..YET!!
More abuse of Power by this administration. They WILL go down in history as the Mafia White House that they are.
White House Said to Impede Education Probe By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer
Thu Apr 14, 1:27 PM ET
The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed, a Democratic lawmaker briefed on the review said Thursday.
In addition, Rep. George Miller (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is considering invoking a privilege that he said would require information to be deleted when the final version is publicly released, which is expected within days.
http://beta.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050414/ap_on_go_pr_wh/education_investigation_1&printer=1
Bob, I don't think they are going to confirm Bolton.
I think Chaffee is going to side with the Democrats on this. I think that from the day he announced publicly that he wasn't voting for Bush for President last summer, the kiss of death from the administration was on him. He is weak and up for reelection. His best bet now, is to bolt to the democratic party, as he would not stand a primary challenge.
The only question left is, how stupid is Linc Chaffee? I am hoping that he doesn't believe anything the Reps are telling him about support come next year, becasue they are likely lying through their fangs. I am hoping that the same guy who had the guts to stand up to the residents of Wingnuttia, will show up in the Senate to vote against Bolton and not let this thing out of committee.
Posted by: Patti Ferschke at April 14, 2005 07:51 PM
Weeping? I'll get in line too. Frankly, I think the God's are weeping, the founders are weeping, and soon the people who voted for this jerk (and all of them) will be weeping.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is considering invoking a privilege that he said would require information to be deleted when the final version is publicly released..
Posted by: sparrow at April 14, 2005 08:40 PM
Somehow, THIS strikes me as a moral issue.
Weep my ass...
No offense Tut...but one can only forgive ignorance for a short period of time...for it is easy to love folly in a child...but not an adult.
When is the last time anyone "got off the hook" by saying, "No Officer...I did not know that was against the LAW!"
Never...
Ignorance is no excuse for the law, and as for a bunch of insecure AFRAID Americans who think that we have a right to dictate to mankind how the rest of the world should act well let them eat cake...and make it fruit cake...Jesus...does anyone eat that crap anyway?
Who has been scaring them one might ask?
The same damn administration that got us all into this leaky dinghy of a boat called America...let's face it...the ship sank and we are all just treading water right now...let's hope the weather holds just enough for those who are scared witless and shitless and just plain DUMB to grow some testicles (or ovaries) and get on with taking back OUR Nation from the greedy thoughtless demigogues...
What?
Me have an opinion...
Non-sense...
You must be dreaming...
Pinch yourself...
Damn...I guess you are wide awake in America...thank the gods someone is!
Anyone got a match?
Let's light this candle and be done with it...the sooner we do...the sooner America can have a re-birth...
Anyone for the first birthday of a New American Republic?
Indy,
Weeping done? Time to get angry and take it back, right?!
Yup Suz...
As the poet once said...
"We have the raised fist of EVERY fighter!"...
And Taxpayer who is above the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Blameless".
Vive le Revolution!
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/alexandrovna/carter_baker_electoral_reform_controversy_414.htm
Republicans set up a fake election reform commission.
Somehow, THIS strikes me as a moral issue.
Posted by: monkey at April 14, 2005 08:48 PM
ummm...monkey,
What's morals? Not those pesky little things that define right and wrong!
Then there is the local story - in Everett, WA - where I work, some vandals busted into the apartment of a biracial couple and did thousands of dollars worth of damage. The family, who has children, is having to stay in a motel. The police say that they can't figure out it's a hate crime because they don't have enough evidence yet. $300 worth of newly bought food is not only thrown around but smeared in with broken glass. Every piece of clothing in the house thrown on the floor, many items missing. Just nothing left.
On the wall (which is bashed in): K K K
(amont other things)
The photo is right there in the newspaper. They say that isn't evidence of a hate crime. (see the photo at http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/04/14/100loc_vandalism001.cfm
Bumper sticker watch:
"Conspicuous Consumption is Dead: Long Live Brotherly Love"
Indy,
I may be the only person on this planet that actually LIKES fruit cake...
Give 'em something else such as brussel sprouts...
Battlebob
I like fruit cake, esp w/pecans.
DiAnne,
Obviously that is a hate crime. The police can't figure it out? Hmmm, me thinks they don't believe it is hateful for a biracial couple's home to be painted with swastikas and the KKK symbols. I wonder what would convince them that this was a hate crime? Maybe a body hanging from a tree?
My Comments on this: Since when do we the American people accept that the
President does not fully understand the things he signs? Some Americans
have truly lost their minds,
Posted by: April at April 14, 2005 04:15 PM
Hey April Its been accepted by the whole of America since the stolen election in 2000, that is the way I see it. I know not all but it was still allowed to happen and the A****** is still in power, he knows what he sighed he just does not give a s***, They are not his sons and daughters husband and wives dying he has no need for them they are just collatoral damage as he calls them. He has got his power, he is the man, and he is luving it sticking to the world community
Vive le Revolution!
Posted by: Indy at April 14, 2005 09:12 PM
Only thing is, Indy luv there has been no revolution he is still the one with the power
Posted by: tutterfly at April 14, 2005 03:58 PM
So only Christians can lead? Only Christians have a monopoly on the truth and the morals?
The way I've always seen it, those who lay claim to superior morals/leadership/whatever are usually the most INFERIOR.
I'm so glad to be out of that cult once and for all.
And the fact that a total crook like Reverend Moon has been allowed into the United States AT ALL, and allowed to corrupt the country, shows how broken our immigration system is. IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW!