Congress Shoots Big Bird

We are ON it, Casey.

Moms of the USA--listen up! The values that Sesame Street and other PBS shows teach are GOOD AMERICAN VALUES.

They also prepare kids for READING and MATH and other subjects that kids need to pass the standardized tests the Bush Adminstration REQUIRES.

What is next? Shutting down early childhood education programs?

Or, we can just INCREASE our OWN contributions to PBS which would lessen the right-wing influence of the government into the last vestige of goodness on TV today.

This has been coming for years, the republicans tried it a few years ago, the feeling being that PBS makes money marketing Big Bird and the other Seasame Street characters, so they are not truly non-profit. Now we all know it takes a bit of money to run a television station and the federal funds dont cover it all, try explaining that to these guys. Also Google PBS funding and you open up links to people complaining that PBS supports homosexuality and does not support the presidents agenda. Bush and this Administration have been pushing to stop funding for the past 4 + years and it looks as if they have succeeded. The theory being that PBS funds are provided through the Welfare act, and this is unconstitutional. I should say its the theory they have put out there when trying to pass the bill cutting funding.

A blogswarm is a good Idea considering what has stopped the cutting of funds the for the last 10+ years is public outcry when its brought up, which is why I am sure they flew it in under the radar this time. The best thing we can all do is make sure everyone hears about this, Alot of regular republicans (American Citizens not representives) want to keep PBS, this is a bi-partisan issue one Democrats can gain a large amount of support for. No one wants to see Big Bird, THe Count, Ernie and Bert, Oscar and most importantly the snufalubogous (sp) taken away from our children. PBS has tried to placate the government in a host of ways the last couple of years, evidently they did not do a good enough job. But we can try and help.

I can remember the first time each of and everyone of my children saw Seasame Street the wonder in their faces the willingness to sit and watch and learn. Big Bird was Leah's favorite, Oscar and Snuffy Angie's and Charley loves the Count. I'd hate to see a generation come up who does not have the oppertunity to experinace all that, in a society that is increasingly to busy for its Children Seasame Street often offers something Children are not recieving from their parents early education made fun!

Or we could do both, Smallz.

The public has a compelling interest in early childhood education programs on television.

There are many homes which do not have access to early childhood education, for which shos such as Sesmae Street provide an invaluable service.

And to think that the public contrubutions to CPB and PBS could rise to replace the $400 million they plan to cut in two years, is nonsense.

But most important, this is YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE of Congress acting in complete opposition to the wishes of the people they supposedly represent.

Enough.

Here's my letter

Congressman Lewis:

Seriously RETHINK the cutting of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget. It is CPB's television and radio stations that have helped to educate me AND my family with thoughtful and enlightening programming.

Because of CPB and its funding of PBS, our children have had a welcome "sitter", an educated and compassionate teacher, and an able and creative mentor on their TV sets. Given the mindless violence of most of what is on television, losing ANY aspect of PBS's broadcasting would not only be a shame, it would be a crime.

Restore the budget loss. Give families a fighting chance to have conscientious media in their homes. SUPPORT CPB!!

Sweet Jeebus, the ironies and contradictions here are so thick you could cut em with a machete. Jerry Lewis, who has raised millions for people with MD (many of whom are kids), now is acting to deny those same kids the opportunity to watch Arthur, Sesame Street, and Buster? Has he turned into a real-life "Absent Minded Professor"? And when the hell did he become a Congresman? Damn this pisses me off!

Grandma Millie, you crack me up!

Posted by: Smallz at June 10, 2005 11:15 AM

That is exactly what the corporate dominionists want. If they see large contributions to PBS then their position is bolstered. Next, they will argue that PBS should be on cable television, and that if you really think PBS and its children's shows are important-buy cable. That way you will be supporting corporate television-something they would love.

With such a huge deficiet, it's no surprise that cut-backs are going to be made. But there are some programs that are off limits -- education, health care and elder care are 3 of them.

I've contacted the rep in my state, Tom Latham, and told his staff to relay this message to the congressman. Mr Hooper is rolling in his grave.

I gotta tell you, that the death of NPR/CPG, might be the best thing that could ever happen to liberal America's media interest.

Finally we might get a serious (and less testosterone filled) version of Air America.

Okay...

Did my duty, wrote to committee members on the CPB issue, as well as writing to my Senators (again) on that freak Bolton's nomination.

I could do more if these people at my office would quit bothering me with work.

[insert swear-word here].

Interesting Pelosi interview at Rawstory:

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Full_transcript_House_Minority_Leader_Nancy_Pelosi_takes_on_blogs_Iraq_D_0609.html

- SNIP -

"You know, I said this to my caucus this morning, I said if you ever need any inspiration or need to know how urgent our work is, just remember that the CEO of Wal-Mart makes as much in two weeks as its entry-level employees make in a lifetime. A lifetime; not a year, not four years: a lifetime."
==================================
That quote blows my mind, and reminds me why I'm tired, and why I'll keep going no matter how long it takes to win.

NJ Voter,

The values being taught by characters such as Big Bird and Mr. Rogers -- a Presbyterian minister when he was living -- are great values that should be reinforced to our children. Values such as treating others how you'd like to be treated, sharing, conflict resolution, responsibility for your actions, etc.

Given these values, the ones reinforced by non-partisan public tv in the past, you'd think that programming like Sesame Street and Mr Rogers' Neighborhood are helping to reinforce values we want to see in our children.

You are being played.

The Bushies have taken the CPB over.

This is an attempt to show that the CPB is still "Fair and Balanced", by getting liberals to protest.

Call their bluff.

Fe: Before you go ballistic towards THAT Jerry Lewis, THIS Jerry Lewis is a congressman from California. Don't worry, the MD Telethon man is still sane (as far as I know)

oncall they want pbs on cable so they can then start getting ad revenue.Bush also loves to privatize everything and make pbs 100% dependent on our contributions b/c they hate govt, unless it involves Terri Schiavo. So increased contributions to pbs would only help them make their case that Newt began, to phase out everything but right wing media.

Matthew, thanks for the note. Most of us are aware who controls CPB at the current moment and realize that the pendulum will swing as it may from time to time. The point is that public media has served us very well for a very long time. To give up on public media now makes absolutely no sense.

anyone with any comments or insights about the Virginia Governor's race is welcome to join me at The Raising Kaine blog site. Let's see what we can do to help keep Va in the Dem column in their governor's race.

I agree that taxpayers money shouldn't go to support projects that they don't believe in.

So, get us out of Iraq. Stop spending my money in Iraq. I was against this war in the summer of 2002, I was against this war in March 2003, and I'm against this war right now. And so were at least 30% of the American people. And now a whole bunch of Americans have joined our side. And we want our $300 billion back, and we want it now.

Make love, not war. Support PBS, and send those neoconservative cowards to fight in Iraq. That's the best possible way I know of to end this war, and save the taxpayer the greatest amount of money.

Posted by: Ira at June 10, 2005 01:41 PM

Ira, you and I agree.

Reading upthread, Matthew's comments about "calling their bluff" makes me think that Bushco believes that we are a neutered force. Why would that be? Maybe we haven't been making enough noise-as much as the right wingers do when they feel their "rights" (i.e Schiavo) are being abused.

The internet is a wonderful means for communication, but it is a closed enviroment. Beyond the internet, there are few who are aware of our concerns. We have to move beyond electronics and get people motivated to "take it to the streets". It is true that there are countless issues. We have to remain focused in our efforts, and realize that every issue does not require large public protests.

LIKE A BODY IN A GIANT WATERSLIDE, SHRUB AND CONGRESS APPROVAL POLLS ARE GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN...

Poll: Bush Job Approval Dips to New Low
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

Friday, June 10, 2005

When it comes to public approval, President Bush and Congress are playing "how low can you go." Bush's approval mark is 43 percent, while Congress checks in at 31 percent, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found. Both are the lowest levels yet for the survey, started in December 2003.

"There's a bad mood in the country, people are out of sorts," said Charles Jones, a presidential scholar and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "Iraq news is daily bad news."

The public also is showing concerns about the direction of the country as the war in Iraq drags on. Only about one-third of adults, 35 percent, said they thought the country was headed in the right direction. Forty-one percent said they supported Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, also a low-water mark.

Gail Thomas, an independent who leans Democratic from Prattville, Ala., said the war in Iraq was a distraction after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack ordered by Osama bin Laden.

"They're not going after the one who did it," said Thomas. "They were too anxious to go after Saddam Hussein. All they're doing is getting our guys killed."

Car bombings and attacks by insurgents killed 80 U.S. troops and more than 700 Iraqis last month. Pentagon officials acknowledge the level of violence is about the same as a year ago, when they were forced to scrap a plan to substantially reduce the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.

While Bush has gotten generally low scores for his handling of domestic issues for many months, Americans have been more supportive of his foreign policy. Not any more.

The poll conducted for AP by Ipsos found 45 percent support Bush's foreign policy, down from 52 percent in March.

David Fultz, a Republican from Venice, Fla., is among those who are sticking with the president.

"In terms of where we're going in the future, President Bush is laying out a plan," said Fultz, an assistant principal at a middle school. "When it's all said and done, we'll be where we want to be. We need to help establish democracy in the Middle East."

Bush's popularity reached its zenith shortly after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when various polls found nearly 90 percent approved of the job he was doing. It was close to 80 percent when Ipsos started tracking attitudes about Bush at the start of 2002, and was just over 50 percent when the AP-Ipsos poll was started in December 2003.

Approval for Congress has dipped from the 40s early this year into the low 30s now. A majority of Republicans and Democrats said they don't approve of Congress.

Those figures, combined with Bush's low numbers, could make some lawmakers a little nervous.

"Presidents who are low in the polls have a hard time getting Congress to go along with them," said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "He has to persuade the people in Congress to follow his legislative agenda and they're all worried about 2006."

Support for Bush's handling of domestic issues remained in the high 30s and low 40s in the latest AP-Ipsos poll.

Thirty-seven percent support Bush's handling of Social Security, while 59 percent disapprove. Those numbers haven't budged after more than four months of the president traveling the country to sell his plan to create private accounts in Social Security. Support for his handling of the economy was at 43 percent.

The low numbers for Congress as an institution don't necessarily spell trouble for all incumbents.

"It's easier to despise an institution than to work up animosity toward an individual lawmaker," said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political scientist who studies Congress. "The institution is held in low regard, but many of the individual representatives and senators are held in high regard."

The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,001 adults was taken June 6-8 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

cyrano I agree that the Iraq war is a mistake and that Congress should not keep sending that vital money down the Iraq rathole when we have so many ecomomic problems and healthcare needs here at home. Lives and money being spent are a tremendous loss to this country. But as taxpayers, we don't get to pick and choose what taxes we want to pay. We get to pick and choose our Congress people who spend that money but not the taxes if that is in fact what you were aluding to. The radical right believe that if they don't agree with abortion policies they can just stop paying taxes. I don't buy into that philopsohy as we are all beneficiaries of govt programs, good and bad.

oncall street visibility we called honk and wave was an impt tool in the campaign. Signs images on our busiest street corners and in front of Republican fundraisers like the porn star this weekend at a Bush fundraiser are impt examples. I recall a character dressed up as butt man following around Bob Dole in 1992 and that imagery on tv news helped Clinton. Unfortunately protestors are now caged miles away from campaign sites and protestors with antiBush bumpers sticker and t-shirts are carted off to jail now. Somehow 1960s protestors didn't tolerate even Agnew's first amendment violations, but that was a different culture then, where we didn't rely on cnn and the blog.

Ira,

I am, of course, making a rhetorical point.

The radical right whines endlessly about how their tax revenues are spent.

Well, we liberals are plenty ticked off about how our taxes are being spent. And it's about time that we matched their volume.

It's an argument that we know they will understand.

Bob Dole in 199'6' not 1992; hope you got my point here.

Honestly, as soon as we learned that the new chairman of the CPB was a Bush operative, I wanted PBS to just refuse to take any gov't funding. There is lots of money out there. So, as totally shortsighted as it is, getting their hands off of PBS could be a good thing.

But - shortsighted is an understatement. Less educational tv means less readers, less thinkers, more lower educated low income kids which leads to more crime, more tean pregnancy, more poverty, more abortion. Look at the tv options they have. Nothing I'd want my little ones exposed to. They say they're all about values. Here's one more example of THAT lie.

'The radical right whines endlessly about how their tax revenues are spent."

You are asbolutely right cyrano if we want to immitate the radical right. Somehow I don't want to be seen as just the polar opposite of the irrational tactics of the right just b/c they got in the gutter first. As you recall John Kerry questioned not that $87 billion was spent on Iraq, but where the $87 billion came from. And look what that got him. I just believe that there are other strategies we could use to voice our objections to the war so that we won't be branded as anti troops, which we know is the right's irrational knee jerk reaction to your suggestion.

[Best commentary I've read today]

We Love Howard Dean
By John Cory
t r u t h o u t | Friday 10 June 2005

The Bush GOP is a Wal-Mart of five-and-dime ethics, self-enriching corporate sponsored war, imitation morality made in China, and a fresh baker's dozen of half-truths for every occasion. America on sale: to the right folks in the right place at the right time for the right price. Going once, going twice ...

Bible-thumping-bunko artists shove the hand of God into your pants pocket for thirty pieces of silver to buy membership lists from the likes of David Dukes and the KKK, because we all know, Heaven is white with just a touch of beige. And if you question that, James Dobson will take his Bible belt and show you the lashing love of Jesus.

We've long since passed murder at 1600 and now head to 1700 dead soldiers in Bush's war on Iraq. And while Condi visits the troops, with a smile that could slit your throat from ear to ear, nobody asks what the plan is for this sandbox game of death.
snip~
So what is the topic that grabs the news and the Democratic leadership's attention?

Howard Dean said something mean. Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Bush lied and people died. Nope - not news. Ohio Republicans involved in financial and voting scandal. Nope - not news. Republicans jam Democratic phone lines during 2004 election to stop the vote. Republicans hack into Democratic computers. No news there. Tom Delay has repeated ethical lapses and takes money from lobbyists like Jack Abramoff. Nope - not news. The White House edits critical environmental reports to refute scientific fact. Nope - no news there. Wait a minute - this just in:

Howard Dean said something mean.

Oh my God! Stop the presses! Did you hear? Dean has gone mean, pass it on. Get Candy Crowley at CNN and Chris Matthews at MSNBC. Don't forget Scarborough. This is a week's worth of programming! Get Holy Joe Lieberman to speak for the good Democrats. Get Jive-Joe Biden, he'll be good for a sensible quote to contrast with the madness of Howard "Beal" Dean.
snip~
If you Democratic leaders want to get upset about something, here's part of my list:

Lack of health care in this country.
Trampling of civil rights and privacy in the name of phony patriotism.
Religious hate discrimination against gays sanctioned as legislation.
Corporations ruining the environment and defiling worker's rights.
In a culture of life - why does more money go to improving bombs than improving schools?
How can a president lie to Congress about war and get away with it?
Church and State do not belong together. Ever.
Why do I need to remind you of any of this?
snip~
You want to hold Howard Dean accountable for what he says, fine. How about holding Bush accountable for what he does?

Sending our troops into harm's way without sufficient and proper armor.
Cutting veterans' services and budgets when it is needed most.
Not allowing our returning dead to be photographed and honored openly.
Failing the sick and afflicted while enriching the drug industry.
Selling the sweat of America to the highest corporate bidder.
The list is long and ignored. I understand you are much too busy trying to teach Howard Dean how polite society functions.

Like I said in the beginning, this administration has stocked its shelves with half-truths. The price of one half-truth is a whole life. And a whole lot of life is dying for the dollar lies of Bush Inc.

continue~
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/061005Y.shtml

Ira, if we weren't spending the money in Iraq, we'd be naturally bringing the troops home. No money, no troops. That is hardly an anti-troop position.

If just one Democrat in one interview, on one talk show, in one quote would answer the question about how the 'feel' about what Dr. Dean said with the following statment, I think I'd have a nosebleed.

Senator_______, are you in agreement with the meany meany statements made by howard Dean?

Well, Tim, Chris, Sean, Bill, Wolf, Candy, etc. etc. I'm not in agreement with you asking me that stupid question. Why don't you ask me about something that means something to the people of this country? Try me, I can talk about a whole lots of subjects. You people have done the overdone thing for too long now, and I'm here to talk about real issues, not ones that give you your little whiz bang pop thrill of the day.

cyrano that was not my comment about being anti troops that is what the right would surely respond to your suggestion. The same conservatives that have sent our troops into battle w/o reinforced humvies and vests and expect our troop's families to live on welfare and vote against Patty Murray's increased funding for the VA system. But as progressives I agree with Kerry's position that progressives need to be viewed as pro troops and antiwar. As we have seen that is a hard line to balance.

Tutter,

I wouldn't just have a nosebleed, I would have to call an ambulance for my heart attack. What irritates me is that we can all see this. Yet the talking heads who go on these shows, don't seem to have a clue, and fall into the trap.

Tutter,

I forgot to mention that as soon as I hear something like that from a DNC rep, they might just get a contribution from me.

Ira,

I am sure that's what they would say. And the Dems need to call them on it. They needs to say, "That's total crap. Nobody is against the troops, and you sound like a complete idiot everytime you repeat that line of garbage. The time has come to stop talking this against the troop nonsense and start talking about what the best choice we can make on behalf of the people who sent us to Congress. Period"

That's what they need to start saying.

IMHO

Did you know you can get those little butter drool bibs that restauants give custoners to wear when they eat lobster? You can even have your own little blurb printed on them. Maybe I'll write to Dr. Dean and suggest that he carry a supply with him and when he goes on the talk shows he can offer to tie one around the neck of the shills who spend all their time drooling of the Bush regime.

I can see it now. Some putz asks one of their stupid leading, no way to answer without sounding like you just 'hate the troops/president/America questions, and Howard says, 'would you hold on a moment while I tie this bib on you before I answer your question? I wouldn't want you to get drool all over that nice suit.'

tutterfly the problem is that none of the folks but perhaps Tim are serious newsmen. Most of these guys are more interested in hearing themselves then getting to the bottom of a real news story. There is no reason to believe that Nixon would ever have left office with our cast of today's phony newsmen/talking heads. They would have either been incarcerated or just whimped out and cowared under Nixon just as they do under Bush.

Congressman Ford and hopefully the next Ky Senator to be on Ed Schultz in the next few minutes. Ford is an up and comer of the Dem Party.

Casey, I agree.

And a majority of the American people now agree that the best way to support the troops would have been to not have sent them in the first place.

The Administration responsible for that colossal misjudgment must be held accountable. Their consistent pattern of deception and disinformation must be brought to light.

By the way, anybody else discover that Congressman Lewis' email system only accepts CA addresses?

I tried sending a message to Nita Lowrey, the NY Congresswoman, but she's only accepting messages from people with zipcodes in her district.

Let me tell you what MHO is... If Bill Frist goes on TV and says democrats are for the most part tree hugging, gay atheists, Russert, et al are going to talk about how Dr. Frist was only expressing a WIDELY held opinion. Dr. Frist was only saying what MOST of America thinks. And then Tim will turn to his Republican guest and ask, 'Dr. Frist seems to be able to clearly express the make-up of the democratic party, don't you think senator?'

From the end of the previous thread:

We've been talking about coming up with a message. A word that many of us have used here this week is "enough". We've (informed americans) all had enough of BushCo and their brand of government.

Maybe a part of our message could be "enough is enough!".

There are a million things we've had enough of. Easy soundbites.

There IS a national non-profit focused on fighting sexual predators that has the same title, but that might not matter.

The media stopped being cowed by the bush regime long ago. Now, they get the same money, keep their spot on the social roster and get to hang out with really rich people and hey don't have to do any real work. How much better could life be? Now, it's pure laziness and how little can I do to be a celebrity? There are plenty more who would have taken money like Armstrong williams. Heck, I'll bet there are a whole bunch of them not happy that their shill services weren't paid in such a grand way. They probably work harder at being 'in' than they will ever work at journalism.

[Stoopidest yahoo headline I've read today..
"journalists" in the headline, "members of the media" in the article...let's just call them what they are....use your own imagination... HUH ]

2,200 Journalists Await Jackson Verdict

AP - 50 minutes ago
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - About 2,200 members of the media have received credentials to cover Michael Jackson's trial — more than the O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson murder trials combined
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/entertainment/michael_jackson

If we only had 2,200 journalists investigating the Downing Street Memo...

Cy, across the miles, you read my mind!

Well, poor big bird being attacked by the neocons. Who does Tyson lobby most? Could it be that Big Bird doesn't approve of Tyson's donations and is that why the neocons are out to get him?

Why do Tyson Executives and Neocons Hate American Chickens?

Because they're chicken-hawks!

There you go, Sparrow. Ask and ye shall be informed.

Mark Udall is on Air America talking about the 3 folks that impersonated a secret service agent at a Bush SS function and claims that Bush is covering up and perhaps misuing the Secret Service.He demanded months ago that that story be investigated, but Bush refuses.

He just announced, contrary to what political insiders I have spoken with in Denver, that in fact that he does intend to run for Allard's Senate seat in '08. That is great news for me and my friends in Colorado.

Oncall,

would you stop in the irc for a moment if you have the time?

dw

Don't let this bill slip by. Among other things, it would hand over rural broadband control to corporations, who would in turn forget about most rural markets. Rural folks need information, too.

http://www.freepress.net/action/sessionsbill

[when GOP can't take the heat, they leave the room.....]

GOP Chairman Walks Out of Meeting
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050610/ap_on_go_co/uncivil_hearing

Republicans using Dean's Statement as a Diversion says Dean:

"We're going to talk about our agenda. We're not going to let the Republicans set the agenda. And to be quite honest, we're not going to let you set the agenda," said Dean, addressing reporters in the Capitol office of Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "I think a lot of this is exactly what the Republicans want, and that's a diversion."

Telling the news media we are not going to let You the Media set our agenda was exactly the right message and the way to get in the face of the apologists media sucking up to Bush and Mehlman.

This story sounds very much like Nixon's misuse of the CIA to spy on the FBI, that eventually did Nixon in. And there is obviously a cover up by Bush and the secret service here. The Denver Post is far from a left wing paper.
Where are Woodward and Bernstein, cowering?

jim spencer
Lawmakers want in on the Secret
By Jim Spencer
Denver Post Columnist

"Finally, people with clout have used the right description for the Bush administration's reaction to the so-called Denver Three.

Coverup.

In a letter sent Thursday to the head of the U.S. Secret Service, Colorado Reps. Mark Udall and Diana DeGette and Sen. Ken Salazar asked to meet with agency officials "in the next week" to find the name of the man who forced Karen Bauer, Leslie Weise and Alex Young from President Bush's March 21 Social Security forum in Denver before the president arrived at the taxpayer-financed event.

"It has been nearly three months since three individuals were removed from President Bush's Social Security town hall in Denver," Udall, DeGette and Salazar wrote to Secret Service Director M. Ralph Basham. "Each of us has called on the Secret Service to conduct an investigation to determine if the individual who removed these three persons unlawfully posed as an agent or a law enforcement official. Even though the Secret Service has conducted an investigation, the American people still do not have answers.

"It has been reported in the Denver media that the Secret Service knows the identity of the person responsible for removing these three people from the event. The lack of information from the Secret Service and the White House and their unresponsiveness toward this matter gives the appearance of either disinterest or a coverup."

On Thursday, in what has become a typical runaround, an assistant White House press secretary said the Secret Service would be the "point of contact" to talk about the letter. The Secret Service then refused to comment on the letter in any way. A spokesman would not even say whether the agency would meet with Udall, DeGette and Salazar.

The Bush administration's unwillingness to address this issue with the media has become standard operating procedure. Dissing three members of Congress is something else.

The Secret Service's job is to protect the president from harm, not embarrassment. Determining that the person who ran off Bauer, Weise and Young was not an agent - as the Secret Service says it has - is not enough.

The guy who did this wore an earpiece and lapel pin like an agent. Bauer, Weise and Young say the man refused to identify himself but acted like an agent.

He told them to leave before Bush arrived,"

I love this... CoinGate is quickly becoming the Republican version of "the Blob." It gets bigger every day.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050610/ap_on_re_us/coin_politics

At the end of the article, it points out that Republicans are giving back the Ohio contributions from Tom Noe.

Except for Schwarzenegger, who's keeping his $10,000 contribution.

I'm very fortunate to have been able to learn to observe the media and the words out of the Presidency, congress, and even our state congress. It's becoming clearer for me to see between the lines. I would not have been able to do that without the DCP.

The reason this comes to mind is because I heard on the NPR that the white house has declared us "safer" since 9-11--once again--alluding to the pre-9-11 failed intellegence. But my next question, "Why and where are the facts?" Was not ever answered. So that's spin as far as I'm concerned.

Then, in my state, the Republican (majority) has voted to cut benefits to the poor while Governor Granholm says that these cuts are unreasonable. Well, I wanted to see the numbers, see the pork for myself, and I wanted to determine WHERE is the money going and why must the poor suffer more?

Outsourcing and huge unemployment has cost Michigan alot of money in tax revenue--schools are cutting back-and now this!

Repubicans and Democrats--enough is enough--GET BUSINESS BACK and provide health care for all and start taking care of the average American.

Posted by: on.to.victory4Dems at June 10, 2005 04:21 PM

Couldn't possibly agree with you more!

What just blows my mind is that there are 2200 "journalists" to get the scoop on the Jackson trial for infotainment news, and zero journalists concentrating on anything vitally important... add to your own list, but put the killing of Big Bird at the top.... for the purposes of this thread....

Then add: "News on PBS increasingly NEOCON" - disgusts me beyond my patience level, so have now begun to quit watching PBS news except for the BBC feed. The local market also took To The Contrary (women's news show) off of the noon lineup Sunday and put it on at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning (Why? I dunno.) The addition of half a dozen NEOCON shows on Friday night, repeated on Sun. afternoons in the local market, on PBS has made that a useless way to get any "news."

And, there have been many, many retrospective shows about past wars on PBS recently. I think it's a ploy to appear to be on the patriotic bandwagon for Bu$hCo's current war.... (I respect the past vets, no question. My relatives were some of them. But PBS has gone way overboard in broadcasting LOTS of war stories from the past and it's getting mighty sickening.)

BTW, even though I may be entering my second childhood in my old age, I adore kids' shows like Reading Rainbow, Kratt's Kreatures, Between the Lions.... Or maybe that only reflects my love of reading and my love for animals... I'm not sure. But it would be a dire mistake to cut funding for PBS, even if some of them are now spouting the logo that it's supported by Bu$h's leaning program....(I forget what he calls it, but I've seen it on kids' shows just before they air when they list the sponsors - tune in and see it for yourself). It would also be a dire mistake to put PBS on cable only. Poor people don't get cable, and their kids are just as much entitled to educational TV as rich kids, so IMHO, it needs to stay a free TV station for all people.

Oh, yeah.... I love Howard Dean, too! We desperately need Dems and Progressives to speak out and speak up!!! That is the ONE thing the Dems have sorely lacked since the Selection of 2000.....

Victoria,

Think they washed their hands like they washed the money?

Slushee, anyone?

I thought reading rainbow ended it's run a couple of years ago? Damn was that ever a good show.

Posted by: MNPundit at June 10, 2005 07:11 PM

They may have stopped taping the show, but it's still on in the local market. So is Mr. Rogers... Even on re-runs he's still good...

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day.

VE,

Ahnuld caved. Is giving the money back. What a dumbass.