"Dear Liberals..."

Dear Congress:

"It seems the best way to ensure prosperity in this country is to run for office, said B.L. in Michigan: "I wish like our members of Congress, I could supposedly work 80 days out of the year, vacation the rest of the year and still get a substantial raise, health benefits and a nice retirement package. If they had to eke out a living like most of us Americans, they might decide to cater to their constituents rather than the lobbyists and big corporations."

quoted from Lou Dobbs new book War on the Middle Class. This quote says it all about our arrogant Congress. Not about Iraq, but a letter that I think pretty much summarizes the public's 20% approval rating for Congress.

Social Security inflation adjustment is lower
After a 4.1% increase in 2006, increase only by 3.3% for 2007

Updated: 13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP)- Social Security checks for nearly 49 million Americans are going up by 3.3 percent next year, which will mean an extra $33 per month in the average check, the government announced Wednesday.

The cost of living adjustment means that the monthly benefit for the typical retired worker in 2007 will go from $1,011 currently to $1,044 next year.

The cost of living adjustment announced Wednesday by the Social Security Administration will go to more than 53 million people. Nearly 49 million receive Social Security benefits and the rest Supplemental Security Income payments aimed at the poor.

-snip-

The government also announced Wednesday that 11 million taxpayers will pay higher taxes next year because the maximum amount of Social Security earnings subject to the payroll tax will rise from $94,200 to $97,500. In all, an estimated 163 million workers will pay Social Security taxes in 2007.

The $33 per month average monthly increase for Social Security retirees in 2007 compares to a $39 rise for 2006.

However, much of the 2006 gain was eaten up by a $10.30 monthly increase in the payments retirees had to make for Medicare Part B insurance that pays for their doctors’ visits and outpatient hospital care. This year, that premium increase is a smaller $5, driving the total premium to $93.50.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15313393/

Couldn't agree more A. Liberal. Great thread header Rick.

Apparently my Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson must now be a liberal as she supports getting our troops redeployed. Isn't that strange?

Thom Hartman this AM has reported from KOS why Bush and Rove have that grin from ear to ear re this election. GOP ops in competitive races have now scrubbed DEM voters from lists inc old people living in apts. I haven't made a vs o KOS yet this Am, wondering but not surprised and most disturbed about this event !

Posted by: Ira at October 18, 2006 02:38 PM

Perhaps Sen. Outoftouchinson can smell the winds of change blowing up thy skirted issues...

Poll: 74 percent of Americans say Congress out of touch

October 18, 2006

(CNN) -- Just weeks before crucial midterm elections, a new poll says nearly three quarters of Americans see Congress as out of touch, much as they did in 1994, the last time the minority party took control of Capitol Hill.

Seventy-four percent of respondents to a new Opinion Research poll say Congress is generally out of touch with average Americans. That's up from 69 percent who agreed with that view in a January poll this year.

In 1994, 75 percent of respondents to a CNN poll also said Congress was out of touch. Voters then proceeded to vote out Democrats in both the House and the Senate, a sweep that hadn't been seen in the House since 1952

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/18/congress.poll/index.html

Posted by: Patti F at October 18, 2006 02:57 PM

It's the only possible way that they can win, and everyone I know knows it and HAS known it for months and months... I too remember that look on Shrubs face after the networks announced Gore winning Florida in 2000...

It Takes A Thief
(Happy Character Counts Week!)

Ah, c'mon, Suz, quit busting my cover. :0)

And by the way... if any of you might not have thought the message from R. Joe Voter (which was, by the way, an actual blog comment that was quoted verbatim in today's threader, albeit under an assumed name) could possibly have consisted of an unusally well-spelled and punctuated set of pre-canned Reposeur talking points... dig this quote published yesterday in Salon, via the link that DiAnne provided in the previous thread:

----------

Santorum said that he disagreed with the notion that the United States is "bogged down" in Iraq. As for talk of a troop withdrawal? Santorum said: "I don't think you ask that question. I know that's the question everybody wants to ask. But I don't think anyone would ask that question in 1944, 'Gee, how long are we going to be in Europe?' We're going to be in Europe until we win."

----------

Sound familiar? I rest my case.

In any event, the reason the DCPeeps That Be thought it might be nice to respond to that blog comment as a threader here is that it gives us a chance to present some of the pre-spun gobbitch flooding the blogosphere as we approach the midterm elections, and to provide a few illustrative examples of how those pesky necon talking points can be refuted online and in person.

So if you've got any more good examples of bad propagandizing and/or suggestions on how best to respond to same, please post them here in the thread and/or email them to us for use in another threader.

We have an awesome responsibility, y'all. It is our task and our privilege to speak truth to bloggers. It's a tough job, but somebody as to do it. And that somebody is us... er, we... er, ah, whatever. Just remember the assignments teacher used to give us, back in the day:

debate define debunk defend,
Otter

Re what Patti F was talking about - I'm on lunch break & earlier had an email from a woman radio listener with a heads up this would be on Kos - she now sent out an update but no link, so went to Kos & here's a start:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/18/134250/61

Have to run - this looks serious.

Here is the original one I was sent:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/18/85915/109

Mexico may be in better shape than we are, democratically speaking.

Patti F, that is exactly why I spent 3 weeks visiting every nursing home in Cleveland to make sure they filled out absentee ballots so they wouldn't have to hastle with voting in person or be discouraged by voter rolls. Blackwell is down 17-21% so its going to be really hard for him to steal 20% of the electorate. Urge the elderly to start processing their absentee ballots now. There are also 7500 new election Judges, assistants and technicians covering 1800 Cleveland precincts that will prevent most of what we saw in Ohio in '04. Don't know what protections your state has, I just feel comfortable that Ohio is being protected from what you descibe.

POP QUIZ!

What ranting blogger posted the following words this morning?

"When I got off the phone with Patrick Murphy after the chickenshit attacks on his military record, something felt awfully familiar and it got me pissed off."

For the surprise answer, go here: http://tinyurl.com/y5pv2x

but he didn't inhale,
Otter

Bubba
Thanks - we are getting more & more people to vote by mail in WA now. Last election, ballots tended to get "lost" but at least the dreaded machines aren't involved.

DiAnne: In Denver we had a team of folks in '04 tracking the absentee ballots at the County Clerk's office and we notified voters if their returned ballots weren't keyed into their system and urged them to sign affidavits and cast provisional ballots. Don't know if Seattle has such a system but if they do I would strongly urge giving that clerk's phone number out for your voters to verify their absentee ballots were processed. Its an enormous job but it saved hundreds of votes including the 1700 completed absentee ballots we found undelivered at the Denver post office the weekend before the election. What you report is not new, we need to just be vigilant on election day.There will also be teams of lawyers at polling places and Randi Rhodes is recommending people use their cell phones to photo their ballots but I question w/n that is even legal. But each voting precinct should have a camera and tape recorder available to document any election law violations.

Bubba
Thanks very much - I will honestly follow up.
We had major problems last time - 3 counts for our Governor, she then won by 126 votes & also a lawsuit against Sequoia machines in Snohomish County. The city is blue, the state is not - we are by no means free from problems.

I don't think Senator Cantwell will have a close race but understand your fear after your numerous recounts. There will probably be Congressional elections where we are fighting over hundreds of votes that is why I am advocating cameras and tape recorders be available, if allowed by your state election laws, in each of your precincts. Dianne I have suggested that to the Ohio Voter Protection team that I am working with, you might want to contact your state voter protection team and ask if people will have cameras and tape recorder. We can't be too careful or start that part of election day planning too early. Think of everything that went wrong in '04 with wrongly posted voting sites, to provisional ballot confusion and start working on correcting those problems ASAP.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6062390.stm
Blair defiant over Iraq strategy
Tony Blair says he will not change his strategy on Iraq despite increasing doubts from senior figures in both the UK and the US about how it is working.

Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said it was clear that the government's "strategy has failed... the choice is stark: change the strategy or get out".

Mr Blair told the House of Commons it was right to discuss the strategy - but added that it would not change

"To withdraw prematurely before the job is done would be disastrous," he added.

{{{Click on link for more. The Blair quotes indicate (to me) he's using the exact same words as Herr Dictator, so they're both using the same sanctimonious slop in their justifications to keep on getting people killed for the sake of control of Iraq's oil.}}}

William Rivers Pitt | Like the Mafia, Only Dumber
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806J.shtml
"The news media is all abuzz about Republican scandals, from Foley to
Abramoff, but simply hearing about it from the television does not do
the situation justice ..." writes William Rivers Pitt. "The Republican
criminal enterprise that is currently unraveling in all directions, on
the other hand, operated virtually free from restraint or scrutiny."

Robert Parry | Shame on Us All
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806K.shtml
Robert Parry writes, "From the noble American ideal of each human being
possessing 'unalienable rights' as declared by the Founders 230 years
ago amid the ringing of bells in Philadelphia, the United States
effectively rescinded that concept on a dreary fall day in Washington."

Bush's Former Elections Chair: E-Voting Ripe for Fraud
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806F.shtml
Soaries was appointed by George W. Bush as the first chair of the
commission created by the federal Help America Vote Act in the wake of the
2000 presidential election debacle. In the interview, available for the
first time, Soaries excoriates both Congress and the White House,
referring to their dedication to reforming American election issues as "a
charade" and "a travesty," and says the system now in place is "ripe for
stealing elections and for fraud."

Report Spells Out Abuses by Former Congressman
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806L.shtml
Former congressman Randy Cunningham pressured and intimidated staff
members of the House Intelligence Committee to help steer more than $70
million in classified federal business to favored military contractors.

Baker: Iraq a Helluva Mess
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806M.shtml
Former US secretary of state James Baker was visibly shocked when he
last visited Iraq, and said the country was in a "helluva mess." Mr.
Baker is leading a review of the situation in Iraq by a bipartisan US
committee of experts, and is expected to recommend a change in strategy for
rebuilding Iraq.

Troops Will Be in Afghanistan for Next 20 Years, Says Commander
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806N.shtml
The commander of the British forces said that his troops were having to
make up for the time lost by the decision of the US and UK to invade
Iraq instead of concentrating on post-Taliban Afghanistan.

The New York Times | The Odor From Capital Hill
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806O.shtml
The New York Times editors write: "Congressmen caught in wrongdoing at
this time of year like to complain that they’re the victims of
election-eve politics. If the looming elections inspire whistleblowers, we say
bravo. The prospect of voting day fills the vacuum created by the
absence of an actual set of enforceable ethics rules in Congress."

Greg Grandin | Still Dancing to Ollie's Tune
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806P.shtml
"A Republican Party on the ropes, bloodied by a mid-second-term
scandal; a resurrected Democratic opposition, sure it can capitalize on public
outrage to prove that it is still, in the American heart of hearts, the
majority party," writes Greg Grandin. "They should consider that
they've been here before, and things didn't turn out exactly the way they
hoped."

Is War With Iran Inevitable?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806Q.shtml
On Wednesday, October 11, Congressman Dennis Kucinich hosted a briefing
on the march to war with Iran. Former chief nuclear weapons inspector
David Kay testified that Iran currently does not pose an imminent threat
to the United States or the region. Retired Air Force Colonel Sam
Gardner, who was assigned to the War Planning College, presented his
analysis of current preparations for war with Iran.

Questions on Rep. Kolbe and Pages Referred to Ethics Panel
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806G.shtml
The House committee looking into allegations that former congressman
Mark Foley had improper contact with male former pages has been asked by
lawmakers overseeing the page program to look into allegations
involving a second lawmaker. Members of the Page Board sought the review after
news reports last week that the Justice Department had opened a
preliminary inquiry into a camping trip that Rep. Jim Kolbe took with male
former pages in 1996.

Bubba,
I'm hopeful Darcy Burner will overtake Sheriff Dave Reichert in the Republican moderate 8th district (for Congress), as he's a real "rubber stamper." Some in that district are fiscally conservative but not socially conservative. I don't see that they necessarily have a reason to vote for the party of Bush in all cases. I hope I'm right. It's one of those races that is getting to be within margin of error. Alot of people are crossing over the lake to help.

11 U.S. troops killed as Ramadan attacks mount
With 70 slain, October on pace to be deadliest month in two years

Updated: 11 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP)- Eleven more U.S. troops were slain in combat, the military said Wednesday, putting October on track to be the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the siege of Fallujah nearly two years ago.

The military says the sharp increase in U.S. casualties — 70 so far this month — is tied to Ramadan and a security crackdown that has left American forces more vulnerable to attack in Baghdad and its suburbs. Muslim tenets hold that fighting a foreign occupation force during Islam’s holy month puts a believer especially close to God.

As the death toll climbed for both U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians, who are being killed at a rate of 43 a day, the country’s Shiite-dominated government remained under intense U.S. pressure to shut down Shiite militias.

Some members of the armed groups have fractured into uncontrolled, roaming death squads out for revenge against Sunni Arabs, the Muslim minority in Iraq who were politically and socially dominant until the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Signs of strain
There have been growing signs in recent days of mounting strain between Washington and the wobbly government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who felt compelled during a conversation with President Bush this week to seek his assurances that the Americans were not going to dump him.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday blamed American officials who ran Iraq before its own government took nominal control for bringing the country to the present state of chaos.

“Had our friends listened to us, we would not be where we are today,” Zebari said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Asked which friends he was referring to, Zebari said:

“The Americans, the Coalition (Provision Authority), the British. OK? Because they didn’t listen to us. The did exactly what they wanted to do. ... Had they listened to us, we would have been someplace else (by now), really.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15314207/

Oh, man. Keith Olbermann is *so* going to Gitmo.

shrub hates us for our freedoms,
Otter

Olbermann smacked it out of the park! Otter are you related to my husband?

Hubby said when Bush uses this new authority Olbermann is just going to disappear. No one else in MSM is paying attention to what this law means really means. Thank Goodness Olbermann is. Everyone please email our gratitude MSNBC needs to know we appriciate their bravery.

Keith Olbermann is my hero.

By the way, video and transcript of Olbermann here:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/10/18/countdown-special-comment-death-of-habeas-corpus-your-words-are-lies-sir/

I heard David Kuo on NPR "Fresh Air" and I saw him on "60 Minutes." He is doing a good job whistleblowing re the snow job the Bush administration did with the evangelicals. This guy actually cared about the poor, wanted to reduce juvenile crime, etc. The funds were promised, never given, never intended to be given. After Fallwell made the statement following 9/11, blaming gays & lesbians & the ACLU, Kuo was shocked and word got to Fallwell, who wrote a nasty letter to Rove, who made Kuo apologize, which went against his conscience. Interesting to hear & it takes courage to come out with this as he's doing now.

My husband heard on Air America that despite all the media saying the Republicans are going to take a beating come the midterm election, RFK Jr. is skeptical, given the state of the voting systems across the country. Suppose there was an even bigger discrepancy between official "results" and reality than in the 2000 and 2004 elections, would people care? Would they act? Or are they still too comfortable? Well we have to work & we have to vote. Then we have to take it from there.

My city (Seattle) is one of the cities which the said-to-be-bogus threat was levelled at for NFL stadiums. We have a game on Sunday at Quest Center, where I saw the Rolling Stones last night. I was frisked. We were checked for cameras but there were literally thousands of cell phone cameras going off. The threat is for dirty bombs. Strangely, such threats don't scare me (credible or less so) as the ones made by our "Pastor-in-Chief" (as Kuo called him tonight on NPR), toward the "Axis of Evil" or other "haters" "evildoers." I think that every threat, instead of acting as a deterrent, stirs up more hate & desire for violence, like a bully taunt.

I read of 10 deaths of American soldiers in Iraq yesterday and 11 deaths of Americans soldiers in Iraq today. There is quite a difference and a media time lag. Are these two different groups of soldiers or differing reports? Do we even know the true figures? I listened to Anne Garrels, one of the only reporters I trust. I don't think we really have a way to know what's going on in Iraq. I doubt even those who live there or are stationed there do either. From what I gather, it does sound like much of the violence now is around Bagdad. Militias are fighting each other. Al-Maliki is not cracking down on Al-Sadr and his unofficial "Army" (to the chagrin of the US). On top of that, some disgruntled Iraqis (at being occupied) are hoping to mount a Tet-like offensive (not hoping to technically "win," since US will always be technologically & financially superior), but to inflict enough damage to morale that we finally leave. If James Baker thinks the situation is a mess there (contrary to Cheney, who still says at fundraisers that we are overall making "progress"), then I wonder if 41 is trying to enlist Baker (family friend) to try to influence 43, in a last ditch effort?

Then there's Iran and North Korea. Are everyone's hands kind of tied? Seems like the ball is being thrown to China, although Condi's tough talk re defending Japan is kind of creepy.

DiAnne,

I heard that as well. Terry Gross always does such a good job, and it was so nice to hear Kuo have time to answer fully without interruption, since he's been unable to do that on the snooze shows.

I missed the rebuttle, although I've seen that guy on the snooze as well.

First Santorum going on about Lord of the Rings - n0w the Bush Doctrine on Control of Outer Space

http://www.guardian.co.uk/space/article/0,,1925757,00.html

Kossacks going on about Kerry's salty language on Huffpo - somehow people like to think he & his wife can't be regular people, though some appreciate it. I'd rather hear from them anytime then from an actual chickenhawk chickenshit like 5 deferment Dick..

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/18/163939/66

One third of people worldwide support some torture as a tool for fighting terrorism.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6063386.stm

Americans are a bit more likely than most to support torture, and Israelis are the most pro-torture of all.

Posted by: DiAnne at October 18, 2006 10:39 PM

Kuo sounds like your average Asian-American evangelical Christian, except that he has more conscience than that other Asian-American bigwig, John Yoo.

Ally
At least Kuo is finally speaking out and letting gullible Christians know the Pastor-in-Chief is not what he seems.

I'm going to Colorado Springs - maybe I can infiltrate Focus on the Family LOL

Oh my God Falwell is born on my birthday

His Favorites Check out Pat's favorite things.
PatRobertson.com

Hobby:Starting companies/Financial transactions
Breakfast:Protein health shake
Food:Fried chicken
Dessert:Fruit
Hymn:"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
Drink:Iced tea
Color:Red
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Sports Figure:Joe Lewis
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Flower:Azalea, Geranium
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Music:Country, Oldies, Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals
Book:Biographies
Weather:Spring, Fall, 75º Sunny
Place to Visit:Scottsdale, AZ
Time of Day, Season:Early morning - Spring and Fall
Hero:Jesus Christ, George Washington
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Buy it today on line!
Pat's Weight Loss Challenge
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The Republic is Dead, Long Live the Republic.
By Juan Cole
Bush and a supine, cowardly Congress shredded the US Constitution on Tuesday, abolishing the right of a court review (habeas corpus) for some classes of suspect. Suspect, mind you, not proven criminal.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15339.htm

A Time Of Shame
National yawn as our rights evaporate’
By Keith Olbermann - Anchor, 'Countdown'
First thing this morning, the president signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which does away with habeas corpus, the right of suspected terrorists or anybody else to know why they have been imprisoned, provided the president does not think it should apply to you and declares you an enemy combatant.
Video and transcript.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15342.htm

Sowing the Seeds of Fascism in America
By Stan Goff
Author Stan Goff, a retired 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces, sounds a warning call that many of the historical precursors of fascism—white supremacy, militarization of culture, vigilantism, masculine fear of female power, xenophobia and economic destabilization—are ascendant in America today.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15340.htm

FBI director wants ISPs to track users:
FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday called on Internet service providers to record their customers' online activities.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15338.htm

Did anyone else see The Net @ Risk with Bill Moyers on PBS last night?

The local PBS station didn't show it at the time advertised, but at 3:00 a.m. this morning. I just finished watching it a little bit ago. Pretty nifty what Lafayette, LA did in putting in their own system - they're up to par with foreign countries, whereas most of the rest of the country, which is controlled by communications companies, are behind the rest of the world, and for a higher price per customer. The biggies have taken their profits and done nothing about upgrading most systems and start law suits against small companies who are trying to keep up with the rest of the world and the smaller companies that give better service to customers (at a lower cost, no less) than the communications giants.

I'll be sending emails to Dem candidates and incumbents in my state about it, and urge them to vote against any media giants trying to control the internet. I also plan on phoning my local ISP and asking them how the head honchos feel about net neutrality. I suspect since they are one of the 'little guys' that they will be against any regulation because it has the potential to put them out of business.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_re_us/nazi_guard

U.S. frees ex-Nazi camp guard in Mich.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Federal authorities freed a former Nazi concentration camp guard after failing to find a country willing to take the 81-year-old man, who had been stripped of his U.S. citizenship.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in January upheld a decision to revoke Johann Leprich's citizenship.

In September, Leprich's lawyer asked a federal judge to order his client released, citing a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring the freeing of those still held for deportation six months after a removal order.

The Justice Department said it released Leprich on Monday because Romania, Hungary and Germany refused to accept him, despite high-level meetings with officials from those countries, the Detroit Free Press reported in its Wednesday editions.

"What country is going to accept an 81-year-old man who is in declining health?" said Leprich's attorney, Joseph McGinness.

Leprich was released to his wife and son, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Greg Palmore said. He said Leprich must report weekly to ICE and the agency will continue to seek his deportation.

{{{More on link.}}}

re: this kuo dude who wrote Tempting Faith... maybe the book is a good thing, maybe it opens some eyes, but... well, read what he thinks of the folks in the WH...

NEWSWEEK: How are you dealing with the firestorm your book has sparked?

David Kuo: When this thing [excerpts from an early copy] started appearing on Keith Olbermann [on MSNBC], my jaw was just wide open. Every part of my 6 foot 5 inch body was on the floor. I’ve written a very profoundly personal, political and spiritual memoir here. This was a very, very hard book to write. It required an enormous amount of very painful soul-searching and I don’t think it has been well captured by Mr. Olbermann and all the subsequent media.

NEWSWEEK: What hasn’t been captured well?

Kuo: It’s not a scathing critique by a disgruntled former federal employee. I have no anger towards my former colleagues or towards anyone else. Part of what made this so difficult to write is the amount of respect I have for my former colleagues. I like and respect them.

AHEM... HE LIKES AND RESPECTS THEM??? NO ANGER?

Sorry, I'll let Kuo continue...

Kuo: I think one of the things that drove me was feeling the urgent need to tell people, particularly Christians, I suppose, that politicians look at any constituency with very cold eyes. They form constituencies to form a governing coalition. That isn’t a bad thing; that’s just what they do. And I think Christians have come to this notion that this White House is somehow their fellow parishioners with them, and that is simply not the case. I am shocked, frankly, by the White House response that it [the faith-based agenda] hasn’t been political. That is the other side of absurd, and fundamentally misleading.

AHEM! COLD, CALCULATING, FUNDAMENTALLY MISLEADING, BUT I STILL LIKE AND RESPECT THEM.

SORRY, I'LL LET HIM CONTINUE...

NEWSWEEK:But why did you write the book?

Kuo: I wanted to write it because I felt like there’s a seduction that goes on of Christians in politics. It’s hardly new, but it’s right now extremely troubling. Frankly, the other reason is that in my experience at the White House, the single greatest progress we ever made on the compassion front was after John DiIulio did a controversial Esquire article. After that occurred—and I go into this in great detail in the book—the White House paid more attention to the compassion agenda in the 48 or 72 hours after that than they ever paid in the 2-and-a-half years that followed. I’m an optimist and a big believer in the president’s agenda, especially on poverty.

AHEM! THE PRESIDENTS AGENDA ON POVERTY????? CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS? AND BE AN OPTIMIST ALL YOU WANT *JUST LIKE THE RPESIDENT YELLOW RUG IN THE OVAL ORIFICE* BUT THERE IS NO AGENDA ON POVERTY, OTHER THAN TO CREATE MORE!

SORRY, I INTERRUPTED AGAIN!

NEWSWEEK: When it comes to the disparaging comments made by White House officials about Christian leaders, you didn’t name names. Why not?

Kuo: I didn’t want this to be personal. There was a lot that I could have said and thought about saying. But I didn’t want this to become some personal battle because the point of this was in the context of having Christians understand that this is a political White House, interested in political things.

AHEM! SOOO, THEY ARE USING RELIGION TO DUPE THE RELIGIOUS, BUT YOU STILL LIKE AND RESPECT THEM?

NEWSWEEK: Christian leaders close to the White House say they don’t mind the politics as long as they can get things done.

Kuo: But do the tens of thousands of Moms and Dads who firmly believe they are giving their money because they are concerned about their spiritual causes—do they understand this stuff?

LEMME GUESS... YOU STILL LIKE AND RESPECT THEM. SORRY... OK, THIS ONE IS FOR MR. SANTORUM...

NEWSWEEK: Are Christian leaders being naïve in their dealings with the White House or do they understand the nature of the exchange?

Kuo: It’s a little bit of both. In some ways White House power is like [J.R.R.] Tolkien’s ring of power. When you put it on, it feels good and it’s dazzling. But after a while it begins to consume you in ways you don’t realize. That’s the nature of White House power. I have no doubt that Christian political leaders have gotten involved for all the right reasons. I just think over time it becomes harder and harder to stand up against that ring of power and the White House, to say no and walk away.

The Christian political leaders have been seduced. If you look at their comments that they know what they’re doing, I’m not quite sure how to read that—is it wonderful or a little troubling? That’s one of the reasons I call for this fast from politics.

OH, GOOD GOD!

OK, FINALLY, AFTER ALL THIS, THE CAPPER...

NEWSWEEK: You don’t question the president’s faith. So why do you think he didn’t deliver on his faith-based agenda? Was he being cynical or didn’t he know what was going on?

Kuo: I’ve struggled with this for a long time. George W. Bush is a really good, caring person—a caring, compassionate man. He’s unbelievably empathetic for the people around him who are hurting. But President Bush is the head of the GOP. He’s leader of the government. He’s either the perpetrator or the victim of the modern presidency. He’s a politician and politicians make strategic decisions. In that context, our work wasn’t a political priority.

SAY GOODBYE TO CREDIBILITY...

NEWSWEEK: That suggests it wasn’t his personal priority either.

Kuo: I think at the end of the day, the personal part is that he wanted salvation for people. The personal man wanted salvation for others and the political man didn’t make it a priority.

SO THERE YA HAVE IT, A SNAPSHOT OF WHY FUNDIES ARE SO WRAPPED UP IN BEING OPTIMISTIC EVEN WHEN FACTS AND THE ACTIONS CLEARLY SAY OTHERWISE... MAN, FORGIVENESS GOES A LONG WAY.

ME, I BELIEVE IN FORGIVENESS, BUT IT NEVER MEANS BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, THAT I CONTINUE TO LIKE AND RESPECT ANYONE WHO CRAPS ALL OVER ME, ESPECIALLY IN THE HOLY NAME OF THE LORD.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15292065/site/newsweek/page/4/

Bush Accepts Iraq-Vietnam Comparison

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2006 — President Bush said in a one-on-one interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that a newspaper column comparing the current fighting in Iraq to the 1968 Tet offensive in Vietnam, which was widely seen as the turning point in that war, might be accurate.

Stephanopoulos asked whether the president agreed with the opinion of columnist Tom Friedman, who wrote in The New York Times today that the situation in Iraq may be equivalent to the Tet offensive in Vietnam almost 40 years ago.

"He could be right," the president said, before adding, "There's certainly a stepped-up level of violence, and we're heading into an election."

"George, my gut tells me that they have all along been trying to inflict enough damage that we'd leave," Bush said. "And the leaders of al Qaeda have made that very clear. Look, here's how I view it. First of all, al Qaeda is still very active in Iraq. They are dangerous. They are lethal. They are trying to not only kill American troops, but they're trying to foment sectarian violence. They believe that if they can create enough chaos, the American people will grow sick and tired of the Iraqi effort and will cause government to withdraw."

Bush said he could not imagine any circumstances under which all U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq before the end of his presidency.

"You mean every single troop out? No," he told Stephanopoulos.

Bush also had some tough words for Democrats, saying that pulling troops from Iraq would be the equivalent of surrender.

"If we were to leave before the job is done, in my judgment, the al Qaeda would find a safe haven from which to attack. This is exactly what they said," Bush said. The president insisted he was not disparaging his opponents.

"It's not questioning their patriotism. I think it's questioning their judgment," he said.

-snip-

Stephanopoulos noted that after last week's latest nuclear missile test out of North Korea, the president referred to the country as a "grave threat," a phrase Bush has used only once during his six years in office, in reference to Iraq before the U.S. invasion of that country. He asked the president what he means by that phrase now.

"Well, time they find out, George," Bush said. "One of the things that's important for these world leaders to hear is, you know, we will use means necessary to hold them to account.

"If we get intelligence that they're about to transfer a nuclear weapon, we would stop the transfer, and we would deal with the ships that were taking the — or the airplane that was dealing with taking the material to somebody," he said.

"My point is that I want the leader to understand — the leader of North Korea to understand that he'll be held to account," Bush said. "Just like he's being held to account now for having run a test."

Bush also suggested that China may be more committed to the recent round of U.N. sanctions than it has let on in public statements.

"I'm getting a little different picture from Condi [Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice]," he said. "They don't particularly want to board ships. But, on the other hand, if there's good intelligence, they'll work with us on that intelligence. They're inspecting cargoes coming across their border."

He insisted China was not "half committed" to the sanctions.

Moving away from the controversial issues likely to play a critical role in the 2006 midterms, Stephanopoulos asked the two-term incumbent which personal quality is going to be important for the next president.

"Determination and compassion," Bush said. When asked what advice he might have for his successor, Bush told ABC News, "Stand on principle."

moron...
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2583579

Posted by: monkey at October 19, 2006 06:29 AM

The thing the religious reich doesn't understand is the First Amendment's mandate of SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. Religious houses of worship have a tax exempt status. That does NOT entitle them to obtain taxpayer dollars to proselytize, nor give the church leaders the right to tell their congregants who to vote for or what issues to vote for or against (for which they can lose their tax-exempt status because of politicizing their sermons - it crosses all kinds of boundaries!!! (So far, I've not heard of any but 'christian' churches getting money, either.)

Giving religious organizations taxpayer dollars for any reason whatsoever is quite clearly against the original intent of the First Amendment! The reason states and counties have social service agencies is to take care of the disabled and poor and those who are temporarily out of work or who can't work for medical reasons. That is NOT the function of any church unless they wish to have their congregants tithe funds for additional aid not provided by social service departments on a county or state level.

I've only seen part of one interview with Kuo, but Kuo wasn't asked about why he feels churches are deserving of taxpayer dollars when it goes against the First Amendment. Another Lamestream Media oversight when they fail to remember to ask critical questions about separation of church and state.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_re_us/nazi_guard

U.S. frees ex-Nazi camp guard in Mich.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Federal authorities freed a former Nazi concentration camp guard after failing to find a country willing to take the 81-year-old man, who had been stripped of his U.S. citizenship.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in January upheld a decision to revoke Johann Leprich's citizenship.

In September, Leprich's lawyer asked a federal judge to order his client released, citing a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring the freeing of those still held for deportation six months after a removal order.

The Justice Department said it released Leprich on Monday because Romania, Hungary and Germany refused to accept him, despite high-level meetings with officials from those countries, the Detroit Free Press reported in its Wednesday editions.

"What country is going to accept an 81-year-old man who is in declining health?" said Leprich's attorney, Joseph McGinness.

Leprich was released to his wife and son, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Greg Palmore said. He said Leprich must report weekly to ICE and the agency will continue to seek his deportation.

{{{More on link.}}}

Oops! Sorry for the double-entry!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/opinion/19thu1.html

A Dangerous New Order

Once President Bush signed the new law on military tribunals, administration officials and Republican leaders in Congress wasted no time giving Americans a taste of the new order created by this unconstitutional act.

Within hours, Justice Department lawyers notified the federal courts that they no longer had the authority to hear pending lawsuits filed by attorneys on behalf of inmates of the penal camp at Guantánamo Bay. They cited passages in the bill that suspend the fundamental principle of habeas corpus, making Mr. Bush the first president since the Civil War to take that undemocratic step.

Not satisfied with having won the vote, Dennis Hastert, the speaker of the House, quickly issued a statement accusing Democrats who opposed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 of putting “their liberal agenda ahead of the security of America.” He said the Democrats “would gingerly pamper the terrorists who plan to destroy innocent Americans’ lives” and create “new rights for terrorists.”

This nonsense is part of the Republicans’ scare-America-first strategy for the elections. No Democrat advocated pampering terrorists — gingerly or otherwise — or giving them new rights. Democratic amendments to the bill sought to protect everyone’s right to a fair trial while providing a legal way to convict terrorists.

Americans will hear more of this ahead of the election. They also will hear Mr. Bush say that he finally has the power to bring to justice a handful of men behind the 9/11 attacks. The truth is that Mr. Bush could have done that long ago, but chose to detain them illegally at hidden C.I.A. camps to extract information. He sent them to Guantánamo only to stampede Congress into passing the new law.

{{{Click on link for more.}}}

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/us/politics/19campaign.html
Tables Turned for the G.O.P. Over Iraq Issue
Excerpts:
With three weeks until Election Day, Republican candidates are barely mentioning Iraq on the campaign trail and in their television advertisements.
~~~~~
It is the Democrats who have seized on Iraq as a central issue. In debates and in speeches, candidates are pummeling Republicans with accusations of a failed war.
~~~~~
Taken together, the discussion on the campaign trail suggests just how much of a problem the Iraq war has become for Republicans. It represents a startling contrast with the two national elections beginning in 2002 with the preparation for the Iraq invasion, in which Republicans used the issue to keep Democrats on the run on foreign policy and national security.
The development also suggests that what has been a classic strategy of Mr. Bush’s senior adviser, Karl Rove — to turn a weakness into a strength — is not working as well as the White House had hoped.

“As the Iraq war gets more unpopular, the environment for Republican candidates erodes,” said Mark Campbell, a Republican strategist who represents several Congressional candidates, including Representative Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, who is fighting for re-election in one of the toughest races.

“Only in an election year this complicated can Republicans be happy that Mark Foley knocked the Iraq war off the front page,” Mr. Campbell said.

A senior strategist familiar with Republican polling who insisted on anonymity to share internal data said that as of midsummer it was clear that “stay the course” was a self-defeating argument.

At that point, the strategist said, Republicans started trying to refine their oratory or refocus the debate back to discussing terrorism, where Republicans continue to say they wield the stronger hand and where candidates are running advertisements that Democrats describe as effective.

Democrats, seeing similar data in their polls, advised candidates to confront Republicans aggressively, in the view that accusations that Democrats would “cut and run” would not blunt Democrats’ efforts to mock Republicans as wanting to “stay the course.”

“For the first time in modern memory, Democrats are actually on the offensive when it comes to national security,” said Matt Bennett, a founder of Third Way, a moderate Democratic organization that has been briefing Democrats on discussing the war and national security. “It is really stunning.”

As of this week, party officials said, Democratic candidates in at least 17 of roughly 35 closely contested Congressional seats and at least six of eight Senate races considered close are running television advertisements against the Iraq war, presenting viewpoints that extend to calling for a troop withdrawal.

{{{Click on link for more.}}}

McCain: "I'd just commit suicide" if Democrats take control of Senate

by O. Kay Henderson

Arizona Senator and probable 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain jokingly says he would "commit suicide" if Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate in this November's election.

McCain is in Iowa today (Wednesday), campaigning with GOP Congressmen Steve King and Tom Latham as well as Republican congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti. McCain spoke at a mid-day news conference in Des Moines, where McCain was asked what his reaction would be to a Democratic take-over of the Senate.

"I think I'd just commit suicide," McCain said, as the Republicans standing beside him burst into laughter. "I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen...I think it's going to be tough, but I think we'll do o.k." A few moments later McCain turned to Congressman Latham and joked that Latham would probably commit suicide first, as polls suggest control of the House is likely to swing to Democrats in this year's election.

According to McCain, the current "tenor" of campaigns is too negative and he hopes the courts can help stop new groups called "527s" which are able to skirt campaign contribution limits. "The 527s are pernicious evil that needs to be eliminated," McCain said. "We have a Federal Elections Commission that will not enforce the law and they are an absolute national disgrace." McCain said.

McCain was also asked to address foreign policy issues. McCain said Democrats, like fellow Senator John Kerry, were wrong to criticize the Bush Administration in the hours following North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon. "I think at the time of the crisis, we should probably support the president," McCain said. "I was disappointed that the Democrats almost immediately started criticizing President Bush's policies. I thought it was a time we should rally behind the president."

As for the world's other hot-spot -- Iraq, McCain backs Bush's recent promise to Iraq's prime minister that the U.S. will stay as long as it takes to win that war. McCain believes the U.S. should have more troops on the ground in Iraq -- and they should be full-time, not part-time, soldiers. "We need a much larger Army and Marine Corps. When you look at the deployment of the Iowa National Guard and the magnificent service they have rendered, it's really incredible but it's too much of a strain on the Guard," McCain said. "You just can't keep asking our Guard people to go back and back and back."

McCain, an opponent of the federal tax break for corn-based ethanol, visited an ethanol plant in Nevada early this afternoon. McCain said with "technological improvements" in the production of ethanol, combined with ever-more expensive petroleum, he supports expanded federal spending on research that will benefit the industry, but he still opposes direct subsidies for the ethanol industry.

McCain will be in Ames late this afternoon to tape the MSNBC show "Hardball with Chris Matthews."

http://tinyurl.com/y52gdr

I'll tell ya, I can't take these f***ing people anymore.

I WON'T SUPPORT HILLARY JUST BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN
By Allison Hantschel, Sirens Magazine
Looking solely at Hillary Clinton's political credentials, she's not the candidate for me. But am I a bad feminist because I don't want her to be president?
http://www.alternet.org/stories/43180/

Clinton Urges Dems to Question Criticism
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101806T.shtml
Former president Bill Clinton bemoaned ideologues who describe opponents as "running for office on his or her way to hell," and urged Democrats not to shy away from fighting back. Clinton, criticizing Republicans weeks before the midterm elections, told an audience at Georgetown University on Wednesday that intellectual debate should trump partisan rancor, and either-or choices are false.

Posted by: monkey at October 19, 2006 06:58 AM

Ditto.

I'm back to yelling at the tv during the eveing news. I guess with McCain, it's just more frat boy tasteless humor.

I would think he would've gotten the clue on how everyone is feeling about that by now.

Maybe McCain is actually feeling suicidal because he knows that it was his failure that let Bush pass the torture bill.

The guilt and shame are sending him over the edge.

No - that would mean he was human.

If anyone had any doubt that Chris Matthews loves him some republicans he killed that doubt last night in that interveiw with McCain.

There are a few republicans in past years that I loved and would have voted for. (No do not shoot) The Bush administration has managed to take away any warm and fuzzy feelings I had toward ANY republicans including but not limited to McCain and Powell.

Potheads of the World, Rejoice (that means you, Bill Maher)!

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
Pot may be boost to older brains
BY JORDAN LITE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, October 19th, 2006

Stoners who spent the 1960s and '70s in a haze could find themselves surprisingly lucid in old age: the marijuana they smoked helps protect against Alzheimer's disease, a new study found.

Anti-inflammatory compounds in pot deflect the memory loss associated with the illness and could ultimately slow its progression, said psychology Prof. Gary Wenk of Ohio State University.

Wenk gave old rats - who, like humans, tend to get lost as they age - a synthetic form of marijuana. The ones given the drug found their way through a maze more easily.

"That's not going to cure Alzheimer's disease, but it's going to help a lot because by reducing inflammation we're going to rescue some neurons - we're going to help you not decay so fast," said Wenk, who presented his findings yesterday at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Atlanta.

- more -

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/463215p-389669c.html

I'm a Joker,
I'm a Smoker,
I'm a Midnight Toker

Posted by: april at October 19, 2006 07:53 AM

I know, April, I understand. But that was back when there was a different breed of person in control of the Republican party.

Oh, what a wicked web we weave...

October 19, 2006
Tables Turned for the G.O.P. Over Iraq Issue
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 — Four months ago, the White House offered a set of clear political directions to Republicans heading into the midterm elections: embrace the war in Iraq as critical to the antiterrorism fight and belittle Democrats as advocates of a “cut and run” policy of weakness.

With three weeks until Election Day, Republican candidates are barely mentioning Iraq on the campaign trail and in their television advertisements.

Even President Bush, continuing to attack Democrats for opposing the war, has largely dropped his call of “stay the course” and replaced it with a more nuanced promise of flexibility.

It is the Democrats who have seized on Iraq as a central issue. In debates and in speeches, candidates are pummeling Republicans with accusations of a failed war.

Rather than avoiding confrontation on Iraq as they did in 2002 and 2004, they are spotlighting their opposition in new television advertisements that feature mayhem and violence in Iraq, denounce Republicans for supporting Mr. Bush and, in at least one case, demand the ouster of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/us/politics/19campaign.html

Oh, if only McCain were a man of his word.

Republican Group Chides Democrats With Abortion Ads
Aim Is To Win Minority Voters, But Democrats Cry Foul

By JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
October 17, 2006

A little-known Republican group that claims to have swayed the 2004 presidential election with provocative radio advertising aimed at black and Hispanic audiences is spending nearly $1 million this year to boost the GOP's chances of holding on to a majority in Congress.

The group, America's Pac, began running ads last month in more than two dozen congressional districts. The campaign discusses issues ranging from warrantless wiretapping to school choice, but the most inflammatory spots pertain to abortion.

"Black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies," a female announcer in one of the ads says, as rain, thunder, and a crying infant are heard in the background. "The Democratic Party supports these abortion laws that are decimating our people, but the individual's right to life is protected in the Republican platform. Democrats say they want our vote.Why don't they want our lives?"

Another ad features a dialogue between two men.

"If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,' you'll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked," one of the men says.

"That's too cold. I don't snuff my own seed," the other replies.

"Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican," the first man says.

more from these scumbags...
http://tinyurl.com/y8eb7n

As the gweat philoshopher Elmer Fudd once said, "The customer is always white"

There are several hundred comments on that Kos diary post that DiAnne mentioned above, the one about a certain senator's salty choice of adjectives and verbs in a public blog post. This one by 'gatoazul' struck me as something that may sound familiar to some of us here...

"Your story tracks with mine. I thought Kerry was a joke, another stiff like Gore (that was my impression of Gore from the 2000 election), and actually rolled my eyes when he mortgaged his house and turned down public financing. Thought he was trying to be cool like Dean. Then I liked Edwards for a while, but when I really finally looked into their records and learned everything I could about Kerry, I realized that Kerry is a trully amazing human being. He has shown incredible moral and physical courage in his life and incredible foresight on issues.

"It took me a while before I could watch Kerry events on tv because I thought he was going say or do something cringeworthy. I remember watching Leno. Leno had a this bit where he wanted to see how a politician met the kiss the baby test. So he had a woman with a baby go up to each of the democratic candidates and see how they handled it. I thought for sure Kerry was going to blow it. I thought he was going to be stiff and the baby was going to cry. What actually happened amazed me. Everyone else struck me as glib, although Clark was more like a goofy somewhat manic uncle. Kerry actually was the best and he seemed more interested in making sure the baby was comfortable and not some sort of prop. He checked to make sure that the woman was the baby's mother and this wasn't some sort of joke. After watching that, I decided to cut the guy slack and not automatically write him off (prejudge him). He was good in the primary debate that I saw. Edwards my favorite at the time was glib to me.

"I don't know what it is about Kerry that makes you want to ignore him (or worse snicker at him) initially. But when you give him a chance, he really does shine (that is something you see throughtout his life). Kerry always gets the crap jobs but he pulls through. I figured his Presidency would be the same. Initially, Kerry would have been ripped apart from the left and the right, but as always he would have work hard, make the tough decisions. The left would be calling him Nixon; the right would be crucify him for the mess in Iraq. Kerry would have done the right thing no matter the attacks. He wouldn't leave the troops twisting in wind. I also figured by the time he left the White House, the Ameican people would have come to respect him for his hard work.

"I hope that he will be president. His whole adult life has been about public service and trying to make America a better place, even if he doesn't get the credit. As the president, he would do right by America, and I think would have been a great president."

coulda shoulda woulda sigh,
Otter

Monkey
Alot of the whistleblowers are coming from inside - so their fundamental background and worldview is conservative, from Richard Clarke to O'Neill to David Brock to Kuo. That will be reflected in what they say.

What I took from hearing Kuo twice is that he's not one of us, not at all. He's a fundamentalist Christian evangelist but he did want to help the poor, to have government help with faith-based social programs. Someone like me believes that church and state should be separate, and the government should pay to run the social programs and the church should have their own and come up with their own funding.

To me, the value of Kuo is that he reported the discrepancy between what Bush promised and what he delivered, and what he calls the "seduction" of the church leaders. He didn't expect to be "used" to attract precinct captains to win elections for candidates who did not case as much about the poor as about tax cuts, etc.

I think Kuo is a part of the general exposure of one portion of the giant elephant, and I'm glad he's speaking out. I by no means agree with his politics or much of what he says, but I do applaud his attempt to whistle blow on the programs. I did hear two broadcasts and saw the money figures. Bush talked about a juvenile delinquency program during his SOTU but the funding for it was to come from a fund that was basically empty.

Say WHAT?

-----

"If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,' you'll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked," one of the men says.

"That's too cold. I don't snuff my own seed," the other replies.

"Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican," the first man says.

------

That may be among *the* most offensive neagtive stereotyping I've ever heard of in a political advertisement, or an advertisement of any kind for that matter. And I find it to be totally, completely abhorrent.

The people behind that cynical, maniuplative advert ought to be ashamed of themselves. And if there are, Goddess forbid, any people who watch it and nod their heads and say "that's right" then they ought to be driven beyond the pale before nightfall.

no wonder some call them the repellicans,
Otter

Otter
I read through those comments too, from bottom to top (speed reading) - it was quite informative!

Otter
I read through those comments too, from bottom to top (speed reading) - it was quite informative! I also want to commend DW for posting factual information about what Kerry has actually raised for specific candidates in terms of funds. People continue to erroneously suggest that he ran off with millions after 2004!
She nips this in the bud.

Otter
I would think the reference to 'hos" would lose more votes than it wins. I was outraged to read that.

On the other paw, Kuo did a really good job of comporting himself wittily and sympathetically on Colbert last night while still getting all his points made, which is an impressive thing for anyone to pull off on that show. I can see why he got to the top of the food chain in his aprticular circles. Were I a Xtian, which as some of you may have surmised by now I do not happen to be, I would be happy to play on the same team as Kuo.

dog is my co-pilate,
Otter

"Democrats say they want our vote. Why don't they want our lives?"

They do, on both counts.

Republicans steal your votes, silence your voice, lie to your face, and consider your actual functioning lives to be disposable.

HoHoHo, Merry Effen Election Season
from The Godfodder

Nine ex-Republicans run as Dems in Kansas
Political crossover striking in bedrock Bush territory

By Peter Slevin
The Washington Post
Oct 19, 2006

WICHITA - Paul Morrison, a career prosecutor who specializes in putting killers behind bars, has the bulletproof résumé and the rugged looks of a law-and-order Republican, which is what he was until last year. That was when he announced he would run for attorney general -- as a Democrat.

He is now running neck-and-neck with Republican Phill Kline, an iconic social conservative who made headlines by seeking the names of abortion-clinic patients and vowing to defend science-teaching standards that challenge Darwinian evolution. What's more, Morrison is raising money faster than Kline and pulling more cash from Republicans than Democrats.

• More politics news

Nor is Morrison alone. In a state that voted nearly 2 to 1 for President Bush in 2004, nine former Republicans will be on the November ballot as Democrats. Among them is Mark Parkinson, a former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, who changed parties to run for lieutenant governor with the popular Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius.

"I'd reached a breaking point," Parkinson said, preparing for a rally in Wichita alongside Sebelius. "I want to work on relevant issues and not on a lot of things that don't matter."

The Kansas developments coincide with efforts by Democrats across the country to capture moderate Republican and independent voters dismayed with partisan bickering from both parties, particularly from the Republican right. The spirit of the attempted Democratic comeback in Kansas, set by Sebelius, is a search for the workable political center.

Though yet untested in the election booth, the Democratic developments in Kansas reflect polls in many parts of the country. As elsewhere, Democrats and moderate Republicans say they are frustrated with policies and practices they trace to Republican leadership, including the Iraq war, ballooning government spending, ethics violations and the influence of social conservatives.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15322219/

Posted by: monkey at October 19, 2006 10:14 AM

But is that just a dog and pony show? Run as a Dem, but switch back to Repub after being elected? Two-fer. Both originally Repubs, after all, and they always stay true to their own in the end (koff, koff... McCain)....

New Laws and Machines May Spell Voting Woes
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101906Z.shtml
As dozens of states are enforcing new voter registration laws and switching to paperless electronic voting systems, officials across the country are bracing for an Election Day with long lines and heightened confusion, followed by an increase in the number of contested results.

{{{Oy. Read the list of states and some of the pre-election e-voting machine problems already. If people don't contest some of this stuff, Dems may well lose, no matter what the polls say about Dems being ahead. All of which begs the question: Wouldn't it have been MUCH easier - and ultimately cheaper and cause fewer headaches - to simply print paper ballots?!? Optical scanners are good to read the ballots, but at least there's a paper trail and votes can be counted if an election is contested. This paperless e-voting stuff is bull$h!t and causes more problems than the machines are worth, especially since it will cost huge amounts of money to do any recounts in any contested election results....}}}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6064444.stm
Court martial in Iraq rape case
Four US soldiers are to face court martial over the alleged rape of an Iraqi girl and murder of her and her family, the US military has said.
Seven other personnel are to face court martial over deaths in two separate cases, in north Iraq and in Hamdaniya.

Two of the soldiers could face the death penalty if found guilty.

{{{Click on link for more; names of people charged are mentioned. Errrr.... Has this gotten any Lamestream Media attention? I caught a teeny tiny amount of morning yak show snooze, but didn't hear anything about this.}}}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6064692.stm

US undertakers admit corpse scam

Seven undertakers in the New York area have admitted being part of a scheme to steal body parts for transplants.

The criminal operation saw body parts removed from corpses without the consent of relatives and sold to biomedical companies.

The body of veteran BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke was among those used.

Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes said that hundreds of parts were sold for millions of dollars, and that more people were likely to be charged.

He said the seven, who have not been named, agreed to co-operate in the investigation and entered their pleas in a secret hearing.

One of those who pleaded guilty was the undertaker who removed parts from the body of Alistair Cooke, who died in 2004 aged 95, Associated Press reported.

{{{OKay, I didn't hear anything about this either. And what's with more "secret" hearings? This is not only ghoulish, but horrible to read for the ethical and moral issues involved with illegally taking body parts and what was used to replace parts and how bodies were treated, some of which were diseased and should never have been used for transplants anyway. Why do I have to read about this and the above noted rape trials in a British newspaper and not hear about it in Lamestream Media here in the US?}}}

Long live the dreamer,
Whith eyes soulful and serene.
And God bless the believer.
That believes in his own dreams.

Power to the painter,
Who sees life in tint and hue.
Let the writer never waver,
And write no words untrue.

May the songstress sing forever,
And electrify mens mind.
Let the dancer be free to move,
And she can move man kind.

Let the poets speak of love.
Of the future and of war.
Let the fiddler bend his bow,
And take us further than before.

Let the carver cleave the way,
Cutting paths from glass and wood.
Let the actor take his stage,
Even when misunderstood.

Let Evolution find a way,
To make a better man.
Only then we we all be free,
With peace in every land.

"The body of veteran BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke was among those used."

I have Alistair Cooke's "America" on my video "to be watched" list. Who knew that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" would become the final chapter in his American odyssey?

From the desk of... Jack Murtha

Do you believe that a veteran who dares to speak out against the Bush administration forfeits his or her right to be honored for service to America?

Of course not. But people who do are spending millions of dollars right now spreading lies and smears against veterans.

Help The Patriot Project expose and stop anti-veteran hate groups.
http://www.patriotproject.com/

I've seen first hand the good work that The Patriot Project has done. When the so-called "Vets for the Truth" started attacking me, my record, and my right to speak the truth about the war in Iraq, The Patriot Project fought back. They exposed how "Vets for the Truth" had been set up and who was behind the funding of it. (Here's a hint: the group is really run by a man who describes himself as "good friends" with Karl Rove.)

When these scumbags organized a rally here in Pennsylvania, The Patriot Project went to work again.

They take on the people who think that, in a tough political spot, outright lying about a veteran's record is fair game.

Let's give The Patriot Project the help they need to give these characters a swift kick.
Help The Patriot Project expose and stop anti-veteran hate groups.
http://www.patriotproject.com/

The Patriot Project is a smart, determined initiative to expose and stop shadowy groups that pop up and callously disparage the records of veterans with outright lies.

They're up against people with big budgets and no principles. And their work has never been more important than it is right now. I urge you to take a stand against anti-veteran hate groups right now.

Let's go get 'em.
Jack Murtha

I can see the value of some kind of secret hearings process in a case this bizarre, Nonny, if only to help protect the feelings of the many family members sure to be affected by the release of news that you yourself call "not only ghoulish, but horrible to read for the ethical and moral issues involved."

And FYI, the investigation and trials of those seven soldiers have been covered in detail in the mainstream media here in the US as well.

No wonder you don't read and/or watch more of the MSM coverage yourself instead of using progressive blogs, newsfeeds and info clearing houses to collect & funnel it to you.

If you did, then you'd have many times more reasons to get outraged domestically as well as abroad. And that would be a Bad Thing.

Because you wouldn't be alone, not be a long shot. All of us already have way more reasons to be outraged these days than we ever should have to have. We live in egregiously outrageous times. The more we know, the more pissed off we get. And that, well, that *really* sucks.

:0/

if ignorance is bliss where do I sign up for some?,
Otter

Posted by: Otter at October 19, 2006 11:21 AM

You hit the nail on the head... just when I think I can't be more pissed off than I am, I am.

Nobody Beats the Wiz

Just dropping and running:

Here's a piece on Talking Points Memo about my friend Jason Altmire's run against Bush/Santorum crony Melissa Hart.

I guess the rethugicans are worried about this one.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/010441.php

And as always, because of the rules here, of course, we don't endorse. :0)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Half of all Americans believe most members of Congress are corrupt -- a figure that has risen 12 points since the start of the year -- and more than a third think their own representative is crooked, according to a new poll released Thursday by CNN.

According to the poll, a majority disapproves of how both parties are handling their jobs in Congress. Just 42 percent approve of how the Democrats are doing in Congress, while 54 percent disapprove. The GOP fares even worse -- only 36 percent approve of their performance in Congress, while 61 percent disapprove.

Pollsters from Opinion Research Corp. interviewed 1,012 Americans from Friday through Sunday. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

In January, 22 percent of those polled said they believed their own member of Congress was corrupt, a number that has jumped to 36 percent since then.

The dismal ratings come almost three weeks before midterm elections will give voters a chance to either change the face of the legislative body or leave it the way it is.

But Americans are squeamish about electronic voting machines as they prepare to head for the polls. Sixty-one percent say they expect inaccurate results because of technical glitches, while two-thirds say it is likely that hackers or political operatives will prevent the machines from producing an accurate count.

Asked how confident they are that their own vote will be counted accurately, 44 percent of poll respondents said they were very confident and 36 percent said they were somewhat confident.

But looking at the nation as a whole, only 31 percent of respondents said they had complete confidence in an accurate vote count, along with 47 percent who said they were somewhat confident.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/19/congress.poll/index.html

As a Christian who is an environmentalist, I find this trend interesting... particles of hope, here & there... the wall may yet crack...

Evangelicals Ally With Democrats on Environment
Religious leaders hope the global-warming campaign sends a message to the GOP.

links ot LA Times story: http://tinyurl.com/snstk

Otter, Monkey
About the Kuo book .. just reporting .. favorable response from some Quakers I know, & when I came in to work these moderate Catholics were all abuzz about it. I think what they are responding to is how the religious right was USED and didn't even know it - how they respond to the "power" of the fake conference call each week, that some feel they have been "had" & that a travesty has been made of well-intended faith-based work.

The pink elephant in the living room is now wearing a tarnished halo and has empty pockets and has run out of bullets, though still holding a gun. All groups of blind men surrounding the elephant yet unable to describe it except from their limited perspective are starting to "see" the bigger elephant.

Posted by: DiAnne at October 19, 2006 11:59 AM
"has empty pockets"

Unfortunately I wouldn't count on that part...

Posted by: DiAnne at October 19, 2006 11:59 AM

Just an aside, but I sorta do like the "pink elephant" analogy, since the elephant is the GOP mascot and anything pink offends them so much to start with.

Junk in the Trunk

"and has run out of bullets"

Unfortunately I *really* wouldn't count on that part...

Here's an informational advisement for the Left Coast challenged amongst us...

Proposition 87 is a California ballot initiative that seeks to tax oil companies to help fund research and production of alternative fuels and to reduce domestic oil consumption by 25% over the next decade.

The amount of money being spent on both sides of the Prop 87 battle is breathtaking. As of early October $105 million had been raised to campaign for and against the oil-extraction tax initiative this year, with millions more on the way.

Billionaire movie mogul Stephen Bing has promised to spend $40 million to pass Prop 87. Not surprisingly, the big-oil types are fighting against it tooth and nail. Chevron just added another three supersize to the $60 million the energy barons have already committed to defeating the alternative-energy measure in November.

Former President Clinton and former VP Al Gore have both made speeches and campaign ads supporting Prop 87 in recent weeks. As Mr. Clinton said in a high-profile speech in Los Angeles last week:

"Prop 87 will move California toward energy independence. With cleaner fuels, with wind and solar power. Think of how you can change it all. How you can make the air clean for the children, the economy secure and strong, the nation more safe from assault. America has to change, but you can lead the way. There is nothing more important. Do what you’ve always done. Claim the future."

As you can imagine, the battle over Prop 87 is a huge issue with major implications for progressives, environmentalists, and corporate greedheads everywhere, not just in California. It's getting national coverage because it deserves national notice. As Willy Loman's wife put it, "Attention must be paid."

There's more info on the Prop 87 campaign in SF Chronicle articles at http://tinyurl.com/wufjx and http://tinyurl.com/yjprow and a partisan advocacy website for it is located here: http://www.yeson87.com/

the earth is blue and green so let's help keep it that way,
Otter

Posted by: Otter at October 19, 2006 11:21 AM

Well, actually, I don't want to know the names of the dead people they took bones or othe