What Becomes Us

Creativity. Imagination. Silliness. Love.
Posted by Karen at June 2, 2007 09:15 PM

Ah, whatever happened to the days when we took those things for granted...?

I remember doing an essay for a class on Shakespeare entitled "The Wit and Wisdom of Fools." (Which fool? I no longer remember...) But I remember there is a very long tradition in royal courts that the only person allowed to speak the truth while entertaining everyone and acting the 'fool' was the court jester. A messenger might be killed for delivering bad news, but the fool was never rebuked or harmed or killed for telling the truth.

It takes a remarkably talented and creative person to deliver truth with satire, humor. I think that's why we so appreciate the likes of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher and their ilk. Even Keith Olbermann and Bill Moyers do their bit with satirical jabs, but their forte is usually not humor; instead, they see things from various angles and ask the important 'why' questions - and answer them in a myriad of truthful ways.

We do not have nearly enough fools nowadays who will tell us the truth.

Aaron is a gifted writer! :-) Thanks for sharing!

I know you are creative and imaginative... May your life contain more moments of silliness, and most of all, love.... :-) We need these moments to get us through the current overwhelming tragedy of the present. What's that old adage? Tragedy plus Time equals Comedy....

When these nightmare years are over, we ought to be doubled over with hysterical laughter....

Thanks Karen. Yes, if only we could laugh more and engage others in the laughter. NonnyO, yes the court jesters of Shakespeare's tragedies were always the ones with the intelligence and wit to play the fool whilst giving out facts. And those to whom the jester's remarks were aimed were afraid that if the fool saw through him - then others may have also.

The world needs laughter. For all of the yesterdays that have passed since we got into this sorry state. Our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq need laughter. Hell, the whole middle east needs laughter. And all of Africa. Actually all of our world.

If only we could universally raise the coin and flip it to the other side. And let the side of corporate greed, murder and mayhem bury itself into the dust whilst the sign of all things good about the world is uppermost to make people smile and laugh. That's why the Jon Stewarts of our screens are so powerful. They make us remember (not good), whilst their humour bites through the crap and comes up with the truth that exposes all (brilliant).

Loved the photo Karen.

Oh man - I love clowns, circus, anything to do with it, Cirque du Soleil in particular. The show you saw is one of the only ones I haven't because I'm a groupie of theirs. Saw Beatles "Love" in Vegas twice and that's especiallly good. As always, you see the deeper meaning in all of it, but these productions are awfully smart and multi-leveled and right-brained.

Also, it was 40 years ago today, Seargent Pepper taught his band to play - they've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to last awhile

The album was released 40 years ago today.

My husband's birthday is tomorrow and our son just gave him a kilo of Tiramisu, baked by his boss, the winner of Le Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris. Lots of calories!

You must read this incredible review of Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band:

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=11614

& remember - doing cultural things that are creative and beautiful is also political. Remember the "Blue Meanies" in Yellow Submarine, who banned music - not unlike the Taleban or certain Christian fundamentalists?

So wonderful to wake up on this grey morning (in DC anyway!) to such heart-filled wisdom from all of you!

Today Larry graduates from high school and we are off to the celebration. It's a much-anticipated day and he deserves the blessings...he actually worked for them!

So to our DCP family--thanks for hanging in with us and him and the girls (Dana graduates June 13!) over the past two-three years. You have no idea how much you carry us along too.

Congratulation Larry and Dana (and mom and dad)!

Enjoy this day!!

Congratulations Larry and Dana. Your hard work has paid off. Soon you'll be at your respective colleges and embarking on a new path in life.

Even though that path may wind around many curves or contain various bumps and potholes, may you encounter many wonderful moments along the way. (And may the bumps and potholes be rare!)

Karen and Richard....Congratulations. May you enjoy all the blessings of the day as you are able to watch your kids graduate.

Mazel Tov! Cheers!

Congratulations to the Graduates!

Happy Birthday to my husband Ken!

& we have sunny weather before the 4th of July in Seattle!
(global warming?)

Happy Birthday Ken! Enjoy the wallowing in tiramisu!

nmp: it's pouring here!

Speaking of artists, Steve Gilliard died this weekend and one of the diarists at kos has started a diary in which they are posting some of his outstanding pieces of writing.

Knowing how good writing is always appreciated at the DCP, I'd encourage you to read the diary and browse through the comments for some of the selections.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/2/181429/2660

He will be missed.

How did Steve die? He was so young.

nmp,

Hope your hubby has a great birthday. Summer before July 4th? Well, for 3 days it's been over the 90's here. Global warming? Um....it's not winter so I'm happy.

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20070603/cx_db_uc/db20070603

Posted by: karen at June 3, 2007 09:02 AM

CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES to Larry today and to Dana later this month!

I know you and Dick are very proud of your kids - and from what you've told us about all of them through the years, justifiably so. Don't forget, most of the time kids can't grow up to be good human beings unless they have good parents and/or other adults in their lives to help guide their early years, so don't forget your own roles in getting them to this point in their lives! When offspring have a good grounding in reality balanced by letting them take on more and more adult responsiblity as they mature into individuals in their own right, they're then ready to take on the world and succeed at whatever they choose to do as adults.

May the tears you shed today be only tears of joy....

Larry & Dana -

Wear sunscreen. ;-)

Karen & Dick -

Drink Bollinger...

Posted by: not my president at June 3, 2007 02:06 AM

The Beatles' music is the sound track of my life. They appeared on Ed Sullivan when I was a senior in high school (and I danced to songs of theirs the fall before at Homecoming; in between those two events JFK was assassinated). I've been a fan of The Beatles since their music was comprised of silly teenage love songs through to their mature music and protest songs. I have been collecting their music since the days of 45 rpm vinyl records, and now I also have CDs, videos, and DVDs of their movies and music; and, naturally, I followed up with Wings' music (Paul, the cute one, was always my favorite!). Some of the things I have include recordings from before Ringo joined the group. I've put all of their music on my computer so I listen to them on and off, as the mood strikes. Of course, I memorized the lyrics when the music came out and I still know all the words (Ha! I can sing along with The Beatles so I haven't lost my aging memory yet! ;-) I have a wide range of music in my audio library, and very eclectic tastes in music, so it's fair to say that the list of music I do not like is much shorter than the very long list of music and music styles and artists I do like. The Beatles' music is only one section.)

Although the cover of Sgt. Pepper was artistic and creative, musically I like Rubber Soul better (my all-time favorite Beatles' song is on that album: "In My Life"). I like certain songs from each album really well, but my favorites are still on Rubber Soul, as well as a few earlier albums.

Many years ago there was a TV special called 'The Beatles Anthology' and I remember one of Paul's comments to the effect that he was proud of their music because they sang about love; they never had lyrics that talked about hate or murder or used profane language. They sang about love and peace. I suspect that's one of the reasons their music endures, aside from the fact that musically they have had various styles and they were inventive and experimented with new and non-tranditional instrumentation through the years they were together. Practically everyone who was a contemporary or came after them imitated The Beatles to one degree or another for quite a long time. (The TV show was about three hours. I later obtained the eight-video set of the unedited version of the show and songs are played in their entirety.)

I wonder what kind of musical revolution would take place if we had artists who toned down the bass, eliminated those stupid high-pitched screeching electric guitars that dang near deafen the listeners, and increased the treble so we could once again understand lyrics...? If anyone is still singing about love and worthwhile emotions, that is - I no longer know because of anything I hear on TV when I bother to tune in, the background drowns out lyrics and it seems most modern singers no longer clearly enunciate words when they sing so it sounds like they have a mouth full of marbles and I have no idea what the words are; the last CD I bought worth listening to was Neil Diamond's "12 Songs" and there's a great song repeated twice on the CD entitled "Delirious Love" - worth the money to buy the CD, the accompaniment is primarily acoustic guitar, and every word of every song is easily heard and understood....

Still, for classical Rock and Roll, it's difficult to top anything The Beatles have done.

Congrats to Larry and Dana (and Karen and Dick)!
Enjoy college - may it be a very intellectually stimulating experience.

NMP, happy birthday to Ken! And enjoy the sunny warm weather while you can. (I still remember the last 4th of July in Seattle. It was glorious, thanks to the weather - and you!)

Posted by: madame defarge at June 3, 2007 01:58 PM

Given the downpour across the country... All--bring your umbrella.

This is so heart warming. My son brought his dad the video of "An Inconvenient Truth" - the Gore documentary - and it's hot so they're downstairs where it's cool, in a dimmed room, watching it together on a laptop. We were going to go out to eat and they were hungry, but they turned this on and they are both completely riveted.

Want to see a rude t-shirt - click on my name.

Great Tshirt NMP

Posted by: Thomas1 at June 4, 2007 01:55 AM

Can someone cleanup Mr. Maturitys post please...

U.S. military: 14 U.S. soldiers killed over weekend

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Fourteen U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs and small-arms fire in Iraq over the weekend, the U.S. military said Sunday, as factional violence continued to ravage soldiers and civilians alike.

Of the 14 U.S. soldiers killed over the weekend, four died Sunday when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle northwest of Baghdad, the military said.

Another roadside bomb exploded inside the capital Sunday, killing one soldier and wounding three others and an Iraqi interpreter.

Another soldier was killed and two were wounded Sunday when a roadside bomb detonated in an eastern section of Baghdad, the military said.

On Saturday, one soldier was killed and eight others were wounded after a roadside bomb exploded as they patrolled a western section of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Also in western Baghdad, a Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldier was killed and two others were wounded in an explosion during combat operations Saturday.

Two Task Force Lightning soldiers died this weekend as a result of an explosion near their vehicle during combat operations in Diyala on Saturday, the military said.

In northern Iraq's Nineveh Province, two more Task Force Lightning Soldiers were killed Saturday when a bomb exploded during military operations.

Also on Saturday, a Task Force Marne soldier was killed while patrolling south of Baghdad, the military said.

A suicide bomber killed another Task Force Marne soldier Saturday while on patrol southwest of Baghdad.

"The patrol attempted to question two suspicious people near a mosque," the military said. "When soldiers approached the two men, one person detonated himself, killing one soldier."

With the deaths, 3,487 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war. Seven civilian contractors also have died.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/03/iraq.main/index.html

Surging Death Toll

Putin: ‘We will have to have new targets’
Russian president issues warning over U.S. missile defense ahead of G-8

Updated: 53 minutes ago

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could take “retaliatory steps” if Washington proceeds with plans to build a missile defense system for Europe, including possibly aiming nuclear weapons at targets on the continent.

Speaking to foreign reporters days before he travels to Germany for the annual summit with President Bush and the other Group of Eight leaders, Putin assailed the White House plan to place a radar system in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland. Washington says the system is needed to counter a potential threat from Iran.

In an interview released Monday, Putin suggested that Russia may respond to the threat by aiming its nuclear weapons at Europe.

“If a part of the strategic nuclear potential of the United States appears in Europe and, in the opinion of our military specialists, will threaten us, then we will have to take appropriate steps in response. What kind of steps? We will have to have new targets in Europe,” Putin said, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin. These could be targeted with “ballistic or cruise missiles or maybe a completely new system” he said.

Iran ridicules U.S. plan
On Monday, Iran’s top security official called the U.S. plans for the missile defense shield a “joke,” saying Tehran’s missiles do not have the capability to reach Europe.

“Claims by U.S. officials that installing a missile defense system in Europe is aimed at confronting Iranian missiles and protecting Europe against Iran is the joke of the year,” Ali Larijani told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Posted by: NonnyO at June 3, 2007 02:29 PM

40 years ago, Sgt. Pepper taught a band to play
After all these years the Beatles seminal album is the Babe Ruth of rock

Occasionally I’ll hear an argument that Babe Ruth was overrated. Detractors contend that, measured today, he’d be just a flabby carouser whose lust for hot dogs, whiskey, females and late hours would keep him trapped in the low minor leagues, if he got even that far.

That position is misguided, because the only realistic measure of the man is to evaluate him in the context of his times. And history is clear on that: During Ruth’s era, he dominated, he changed the game, he was larger than life.

The same approach applies to countless other topics. Sometimes I will recommend an old film to a friend, like “Double Indemnity.” He or she will watch and then proceed to dismiss the heavy-handed direction, hard-boiled dialogue or the stylized acting, which will cause me to point out that, in the context of its times, that picture was groundbreaking and audacious.

All of this comes to mind because the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” considered one of the greatest albums of all time, soon will celebrate its 40th anniversary (it was released in the UK on June 1, 1967, and a day later in the U.S.). In the context of its time, “Sgt. Pepper” was a head-turning marvel. It trod new sonic territory with its experimental use of multi-track recording, with its unconventional orchestrations, with its lyrical impact both playful and profound, with its dazzling cover art and with the very sequence of the songs.

But here’s how it differs from Ruth, “Double Indemnity” and scads of other cultural landmarks: It hasn’t lost a step, it hasn’t fallen from favor. It does not need to be viewed in the context of its times in order to be appreciated. “Sgt. Pepper” is just as artistically and technically significant today as it was upon its initial release 40 years ago.

Of course, failing to view it in the context of its times would be to miss out on a lot of fun, for aficionados of popular music in general and Beatles freaks in particular.

-snip-

Taken as a whole, “Sgt. Pepper” — a collection of 13 songs that took over 700 hours to record, a rarity for its time — is acclaimed for its overall excellence and innovation, but clearly some songs have stood out. The track most often marveled over is the climactic “A Day In The Life,” which represented the start of eight-track recordings in Britain; two four-track recorders were used together, synched up. The song is an exquisite amalgam of dreamy lyricism and musical majesty. It just sounds like an important song, even though it has a simple and ethereal feel.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18871476/

'Truth Is, I'm the Same Guy I Always Was'
'You can't replace someone like John, and I don't think he could have replaced someone like me.'

Newsweek

June 11, 2007 issue - Paul McCartney hasn't slowed down. in the midst of a messy divorce, the 40th anniversary of "Sgt. Pepper" and preparations for his 65th birthday, McCartney is releasing his 22nd post-Beatles studio disc, "Memory Almost Full," on Starbucks' Hear Music label. Nostalgic yet inventive, it's his most vibrant record in years—and the first one to come out on Apple's iTunes store. McCartney spoke to NEWSWEEK's Andrew Romano and Daniel Klaidman last week by phone while driving through the English countryside to rehearse with his band for an upcoming series of (shh!) secret, small-club shows. Excerpts:

MCCARTNEY: Good morning to the two of you. Welcome to our little soiree.

NEWSWEEK: Let's start out with the new record, "Memory Almost Full." It's absolutely fantastic—your best, I think, in some time. I hear a definite Wings influence.
People are saying Wings, but I must admit that I can't see it. Then again, I'm the worst analyzer of my music ever.

When a song evokes Wings or the Beatles, is that spontaneous or a conscious decision?
I don't think I ever say, "Let's write a Beatles song." But the truth of it is, I'm the same guy I always was. I use virtually the same bunch of tricks that I always have used—and add a few as I go along. Sometimes they resemble Wings or the Beatles just because that's who I am. No other reason.

How do you see the songs you're writing now as different from the songs you were writing when you were, say, 24?
Some aren't that different, but some have a more mature viewpoint. I'm more mature. More water has gone under the bridge. Still, I look back and say, "Man, I was writing 'Yesterday' when I was 24 or something." Talking about "I'm not half the man I used to be" as if I'm an old geezer or something. Even though I was 24 ... You find it in 24-year-old novelists. They talk like they're old people, when they're patently not. If there is a difference, I think "The End of the End" is something I wouldn't have tackled then. Because it's about ... death. Which then I might have thought was too tricky a subject, or just something to avoid.

Is mortality something you've thought about more recently?
[Laughs] I think so, yeah. I wrote this song "When I'm Sixty-Four" not expecting to be here. Of course, little did I realize that I would not only reach that mark but still be here working, and highly embarrassed at the attention that song would bring to my age. But, you know, it's actually passed off relatively peacefully. In a few weeks I move on to actual retirement age. Sixty-five! Luckily, I still have a sense of humor—and some hair.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18999828/site/newsweek/

(CNN) -- A Sunni insurgent group on Monday posted video of the military identification cards of two missing American soldiers in Iraq.

CNN cannot independently verify the video, which was intercepted by terrorism expert Laura Mansfield. There was no indication in the video whether the two soldiers are dead or alive.

The video is from the Islamic State of Iraq, an insurgent group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq.

The video included a still image of the photo identifications of Spc. Alex R. Jimenez , 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan.

Above the photos, written in Arabic, was the message, "Bush is the reason for the loss of your prisoners."

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/04/missing.soldiers/index.html

Monkey
Wow - the Viet Cong didn't have the internet when they took POWs.

I'm going to take the McCartney over to my website, where we have a little Beatles thing going on (scroll down from the Kevorkian Kid if you want to participate by clicking on my name)

I just watched this treatment of Ron Paul by FOX - there is alot more at YouTube. Looks like he and Kucinich are about the only candidates who speak truth to power (& are portrayed as ignorable laughingstocks). In this video, someone has analyzed it as to Goebbels-type propaganda.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VY-KlYg9UME

That's special. Joe Trippi is working for Edwards, and they're selling a pie recipe. I swear I am not jumping in til at least end of summer.

Michael Moore on Oprah Tuesday

Michael Moore will appear on Oprah tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5, and will present, for the first time on television, scenes from his new film, "Sicko." Oprah will interview Michael about the movie and the attention it's receiving before its release (opening day everywhere is June 29). The theme of Oprah's show is the one film you must see this summer -- "Sicko" -- and the one book you must read (Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"). Oprah loved Michael's film and wants to make health care for all one of her main missions this year.

Posted by: not my president at June 4, 2007 10:42 AM

I'm not jumpin in either, Trippi is/was part of the bullshit problem...

Same damn names poppin up over & over... and no offense, but Donna Brazile is less than useless.

Follow the leader...

FBI reports violent crime inching higher in U.S.
Increase occurs for 2nd straight year; robbery rise by 6 percent, arson up

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation’s murder rate rose slightly last year but the number of robberies skyrocketed by 6 percent, preliminary FBI data released Monday show.

The statistics were part of an overall 1.3 percent rise in violent crime across the country in 2006 — the second straight annual increase.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19028258/

Court ruling splits anti-abortion movement
Religious coalition attacks Focus on the Family's James Dobson

WASHINGTON - In a highly visible rift in the anti-abortion movement, a coalition of evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic groups is attacking a longtime ally, Focus on the Family founder James C. Dobson.

Using rhetoric that they have reserved in the past for abortion clinics, some of the coalition's leaders accuse Dobson and other national antiabortion leaders of building an "industry" around relentless fundraising and misleading information.

At the center of the dispute is the Supreme Court's April 18 decision upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a federal law against a procedure in which a doctor partially delivers a late-term fetus before crushing its skull.

Dobson and many other antiabortion leaders hailed the 5 to 4 ruling as a victory; abortion-rights organizations saw it as a defeat. But six weeks later, its consequences have been, in part, the reverse.

"The Supreme Court decision totally galvanized our supporters" by raising the prospect that the court could soon overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 opinion that established a woman's right to choose an abortion, said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Both our direct-mail and online giving got a serious bump," she said.

Among antiabortion activists, meanwhile, the decision in Gonzales v. Carhart has reopened an old split between incrementalists who support piecemeal restrictions and purists who seek a wholesale prohibition on abortions.

In an open letter to Dobson that was published as a full-page ad May 23 in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Focus on the Family's hometown newspaper, and May 30 in the Washington Times, the heads of five small but vocal groups called the Carhart decision "wicked," and accused Dobson of misleading Christians by applauding it.

Carhart is even "more wicked than Roe" because it is "not a ban, but a partial-birth abortion manual" that affirms the legality of late-term abortions "as long as you follow its guidelines," the ads said. "Yet, for many years you have misled the Body of Christ about the ban, and now about the ruling itself."

A Focus on the Family spokesman said that Dobson would not comment. But the organization's vice president, Tom Minnery, said that Dobson rejoiced over the ruling "because we, and most pro-lifers, are sophisticated enough to know we're not going to win a total victory all at once. We're going to win piece by piece."

moron...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19026383/

Congratulations to all...Dana, Larry, Karen, Richard, and Ken. Looking forward to seeing your Seattle, NMP, early August.

I am SO not ready to jump into the humorless exercise of embracing and supporting presidential candidates, in what is a pre-ordained exercise.

Also have withering interest in the voting issue that won't let go of me, when the unfunny factor of Congress not able or willing to deal with it makes that political exercise even more pre-programmed, technically speaking.

Must need time, and Alaska is just the ticket, flying there in July. We first have to survive Mexico City, the second most dangerous place after Iraq for journalists. Even poor ones, as are all but the media stars.

I loved your call to joy, Karen, and to remember we are most effective when our inner selves are integrated. Allowing the connection, listening to the music.

This decades long, truly uphill, fight for participation in Democracy through voting is draining. We have inertia, unawareness, and complicit corruption with a process that has always had fraud. We are just trying to mitigate the newer excess from electronics.

Seems I've gone through so many transitions from quaint in my day, as a photographer and printmaker, with hand processes that were quality, rich, satisfying and authentic. Now streamlined, perfect for my older age, I guess, but hand-counting paper ballots is being made illegal by our federal government and state law, just to neutralize the paper ballot/optical scan option embraced by states to satisfy the electronic counting jumped to at HAVA.

I won't rant on about how the bills in Congress are more hyped than solution.

Interesting for some to learn that we needn't have even gone there. Instead, opted out of HAVA money, kept the levers, and just bought a Vote Pad, or some other machine for the accessibility requirement pushing this issue, as the good trojan horse to a GOP win and business plan, by getting the disability groups on board with touchscreen as shills. A polarizer meant to divide among the 'give us touchscreen if you care' tactic.

State boards became flattered and duped by the vendors.

I need a twelve step to disengage, and darn it, Cirque has left Battery Park in New York.

Marjorie G
Good salmon here!

Al-Qaida group says 3 abducted GIs were slain
Earlier, militants released video of their capture west of Baghdad in May

BREAKING NEWS
NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 32 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt - An al-Qaida umbrella group claimed in a new video Monday that its militants killed three U.S. soldiers after capturing them last month.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19026272/

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 07:41 AM
Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 07:47 AM

Thank you for those links, my simian friend...! :-) Tragic though the early losses of Lennon and Harrison have been, it's nice to take trips down memory lane at my age, and know the music of The Beatles is still appreciated on multiple levels. After all these years, the music is still relevant, it still gives joy to many....

I've been playing their music (downloaded to my computer ages ago) for a couple of days now, and it still sounds good (to me).

Posted by: NonnyO at June 4, 2007 01:09 PM

Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/06/03/breathed/?source=whitelist
Salon: Opus Day! An interview with the Berkeley Breathed

Bush has given us a gift: far from not taking himself seriously, he's become the only human being on the planet that thinks he's not just uniquely competent ... but brilliant in his strategic, heavenly inspired prescience as to how the world works. This hilarious -- also arguably homicidal -- self-deception is what makes him a comical figure. Literally, it's as if -- I mean this with the utmost respect for both the office and the man -- my 5-year-old boy Milo was running the free world. Milo believes himself equally as shrewd in spotting who the bad guys are in any movie and declaring the complex strategy to deal with them: "Blast 'em all!"

But there's bad news for satirists. Bush has come full circle: His ridiculousness is approaching the sort of existential absurdity that is untouchable. Watch him try to string a sensible sentence together now. Anywhere. He's become one of those guys with the Marx Brothers in "A Night at the Opera" who tumble through the door in the stateroom scene. I can't make him funnier than when he's trying to explain himself in a town hall meeting. Any day now he will go with "I'm the decisioner" and we satirists will know that our balls have been cut off entirely by a very shrewd adversary. Reagan did this too by becoming senile.

Dick Cheney is a different matter. I'd kiss him if I could.

{{{Click link for full interview. Three short pages to the complete interview - don't know about anyone else, but this clicking on next page stuff for web page articles is becoming as annoying as reading a newspaper where one has to go to another page to finish reading the whole article. Seems to me it would be easier to just have the whole article, start to finish, on one page.... I know, I know. It's to increase the possibility that people will see ads on different pages (I ignore annoying ads). I found the link to this story on C & L and it's the only part that has any political commentary. The rest of the interview has to do with the comic strip, motherhood reflected in one of his cartoon series, etc.}}}

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 01:13 PM

With love
from me
to you....

:-)

Posted by: not my president at June 4, 2007 10:31 AM

Pssssssssst.... Don't tell the neoCon 'Publicans: Ron Paul is the ONLY Republican who could win the White House, hands down, if he were selected as the face of the Republican party for '08 (IMHO). I watched both of those YouTube videos (and I've seen other clips of those 'debates' on C&L, etc.), and of any sound bytes shown, Ron Paul is the ONLY one who is saying anything other than spin and sloganeering (lying and/or misleading) propaganda (most, except Ron Paul, seem to STILL believe there was a connection between 9/11 & the illegal war in Iraq - un-frickin'-believable!). Ron Paul is using clear, concise sentences with facts and logic in the content of his sentences. Ron Paul has obviously done his homework where the others are only running on their (questionable) "celebrity" status (particularly Ghoul-iani and McCain). When Paul was speaking, I had the impulse to scream "Wait, wait...! Let him finish what he's saying and ask him to expound further; he's uttering truthful sentences! Shut up, you stupid propaganda pundits!" (especially during the second clip where the talking heads were interrupting and talking over what Paul was saying, shouting him down and trying to shut him up and make Ron Paul look irrelevant).

The other neoCon 'Publicans were uttering the same old warmed-over Bu$hSpeak, so they aren't saying anything new at all. Worse, the majority of Democrats are uttering the same Bu$hSpeak nonsense, which annoys me beyond all frustration thresholds!

If there was a presidential contest worth watching this far out from election day, the only real contest would be if Lamestream Media bobblehead idiots focused on Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul. So far, Kucinich and Paul are the only two who are uttering any kind of sane, logical sentences in a sea of sloganeering propagandistic fear- and war-mongering rhetoric because they seem to be running scared from the criminals they insist on giving more power and credibility to by labeling them 'terrorists.'

Of course, with the Lamestream Media political bobbleheads being more impressed about who has raised the most amount of money (plus the obvious name-recognition) rather than listening to any content of (non) speeches, the big money wins (it amounts to buying the presidency), nothing of any substance gets talked about, so the idea of seeing a real contest of ideas between Kucinich and Paul remains a fantasy in my mind.

IF the current political climate remains the status quo, the anger of voters will focus in '08 on electing "anyone but another candidate who wants to continue Georgie's illegal war." The Dems could put a stuffed animal donkey up for election and still get votes because the majority of people (both Dems and 'Pubs) just won't vote for more of this illegal war (even if disappointed by last month's vote to continue funding Georgie's illegal war, just as I'm sure the next appropriations bill to continue the war will likely be passed over the objections of voters who are fed up with it all and STILL want the troops home NOW). Any candidate who pledges to end Georgie's war will get the presidency in '08. Whether that person would follow through and actually end the illegal war is another matter entirely....

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 11:53 AM

WHEN are media bobbleheads going to wake up and realize the religious reich is a minority in this country and they're not worth all the air and/or print time they get? Abortion "should" be a non-issue, but the whole "abortion issue" keeps coming up repeatedly every few weeks with monotonous regularity!

In many late-term abortion cases, it would be a medical issue - such as when my grandmother carried a dead and decomposing fetus inside of her when the fetus died in March, there was no spontaneous abortion [miscarriage], and even the doctor's hand-written note on the back of her death certificate reveals the doctor's mystified frame of mind because he doesn't seem to know why no miscarriage took place, although he clearly knew the fetus died in March [end of second trimester or beginning of third trimester], and he didn't do anything other than recommend bed rest until she went into labor at full term, then he took the fetus out, and she died the following day, May 26 [there are still family rumors that the decomposing fetus came out in pieces; if true, it was not noted on the death certificates for her or the male fetus, but it seems to me that a decomposing corpose kept at 98.6 for three months, plus episodes of fever as the mother becomes sicker from peritonitis caused by the decomposing body, would have little left other than some flesh and the skeleton, even if there was enough flesh left to identify the fetus as male - and online modern medical info indicates most of the time pre-eclampsia cases involve male fetuses].

I'm aware of other first and second trimester medical complications that require a fetus be removed, too, but my grandmother's case is the only one I can talk about with any 'authority' because it's personal, I know what happened with the five surviving offspring after her death, and how the effects of her death are still felt three generations later, and because of the genealogy research I've done on my family.

Medical issues don't have one single solitary thing to do with any so-called "moral issues" involving abortion. Even if abortion is a choice, rather than a medical issue, it still doesn't have anything to do with religious or legal or moral values "issues" those reich-wingnuttia types keep ranting and raving about. And why are the ones so concerned about abortion almost always males (usually with religious connections, which only feeds into their megalomaniacal personality disorders which thrive on having control over others)...? They can't get pregnant. It's none of their *%#*$%# business!!!

R. Paul is a true conservative, and the GOP would get all the stuff thy want, but we don't, if they'd smarten up. Select him, or at least imitate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nora-ephron/how-to-foil-a-terrorist-p_b_50474.html
How to Foil a Terrorist Plot in Seven Simple Steps

{{{"Must" Reading. Some of the comments are insightful, too.... Bloggers, it seems, are quite able to deconstruct all the 'terrorist' fearmongering rhetoric and can see through the overblown publicity the criminals get.... I wonder if/when Lamestream Media and presidential contenders will ever catch up with bloggers...? Yes, I know. That's a remarkably silly rhetorical question. Only if/when Georgie gives up his aspirations to become supreme dictator and media corporations will no longer have to air their propaganda will any progress be made in getting people to adjust their thinking processes and deconstruct the babble....}}}

BTW, this "dictator" theme has been on Georgie's mind for a while. I don't remember which web site I copied and pasted these Dumbya quotes from, but I found these yesterday.

In chronological order by date:

"You don't get everything you want. A dictatorship would be a lot easier."
- Texas Governor George W. Bush, July 1998.

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."
- President-elect George W. Bush, December 18, 2000.

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."
- President George W. Bush, July 26, 2001.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/04/time-for-congressional-oversight-on-permanent-bases-in-iraq/

Time For Congressional Oversight On Permanent Bases in Iraq

{{{Need to see the web page for embedded links. It's ILLEGAL to build permanent military bases in Iraq....}}}

Posted by: NonnyO at June 4, 2007 01:14 PM

Incomin email for The Nonnstress....

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 02:50 PM

:-) Reply to the cute simian on the way back....

This just in...

The Statue of Liberty has apparently had her wisdom teeth extracted... details are sketchy, and it is unclear at this time whether the procedure was performed right under her very nose, or worse, forced upon her against her will.

More Than A Filling

What great posts and now I feel better!

At LEAST we can laugh, and see the forest AND the trees!

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sharp differences between the United States and Russia over President Bush’s plan to build a missile defense system on Moscow’s doorstep are likely to dominate talk during Bush’s European tour.

Bush, who left Monday at the start of an eight-day trip to the G-8 summit of industrialized nations and visits to half a dozen countries, will see President Vladimir Putin at the summit in Germany later this week. It likely will be a difficult talk; relations between Washington and Moscow are strained almost to the breaking point, and Putin has been harshly critical of U.S. foreign policy.

Bush’s message in advance of the trip has been to calm down, reminding Russia that “the Cold War is over.” As if to drive home that point, Bush was bookending his summit stay with calls on the Czech Republic and Poland, former Soviet satellites where he wants to base major parts of the new defense shield.

Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One Monday en route to Prague, national security adviser Stephen Hadley acknowledged that “there has been some escalation in the rhetoric.”

“We think that that is not helpful,” he said. “We would like to have a constructive dialogue with Russia on this issue. We have had it in the past.”

‘A distinctive message’
Bush’s strategic defense plan can hardly be seen as anything less than a poke in the eye to Putin.

“This is a distinctive message that is as easily understandable in Russian as it is in English,” said Simon Serfaty, a senior adviser to the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The message is that we’re going to do what we’re going to do, and your concerns about the deployment of some marginal capabilities designed for defense purposes in Central Europe are not going to impress me.”

Putin, speaking to foreign reporters before he travels to Germany for the summit, warned that Moscow could take “retaliatory steps” if Washington goes forward with the missile plan, including possibly aiming nuclear weapons at targets in Europe.

Putin said neither Iran nor North Korea have the rockets the American system is intended to shoot down, suggesting the system would be used instead against Russia.

more disaster in the making...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19024968/

wake the f*** up, people! THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY A LOSS OF CREDIBILITY!!!!

THE WORLD THINKS WE ARE GOING TO ATTACK, THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT IS GONE, WE ARE NOW THE ONES WEARING THE BLACK HAT, THANKS TO GOOD OL' YOU KNOW WHO, AND THE DEADBEATS WHO PUT/KEEP THEM THERE....

Aw Karen, I blew the mood for ya...

Murdoch mulls concessions on Dow Jones
Report: News Corp. may agree to editorial-independence safeguards

NEW YORK - News Corp. is willing to go further than it has before in acceding to tighter safeguards of editorial independence as a condition of buying Dow Jones & Co. Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing sources close to News Corp.

Still, News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch is not willing to give the Bancroft family any editorial control over the company if the family agrees to his offer to buy Dow Jones for $5 billion, he told the Journal in an interview on Friday.

"I can't put down $5 billion of my shareholders' money and not be able to run the business," Murdoch said in the interview. He also told the Journal he has "no plans to change anything" at the editorial or news sides of the paper.

more... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19027368/

Suuuuuure, we believe ya man, no plans to change anything, gotcha... and Fuggsnooz is Fair & Balanced.

Hang on Roopy, Roopy Hang on

DC contingent?

Washington, D.C. - Senator John Kerry will hold a Newsmakers lunch at the National Press Club on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 at 1:00 pm.

Kerry will discuss the energy challenges that face America – at home and in the international community – and the bold steps Congress and the White House must take to tackle them.

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 03:58 PM

But I bet the "positive" spin Lamestream Media will put on this is that Putin is somehow a "threat" to the US, just like Saddam was a "threat" and (in Georgie's and Dickie's itty bitty bully minds) that required armed invasion. If Lamestream Media even talks about it, that is. What's with this absolute paranoia about other countries being a "threat" to the US, which somehow mysteriously mandates a response to invade another country or increase the amount of bombs and other weapons at our disposal...?

BTW, did anyone else read that Putin has been invited to the Bush family retreat in Kennibunkport, ME July 1-12? I can't find the link right now or remember where I read it, but I did read an article about it today.

But, of course, you're right, Monkey. The US (more specifically, Georgie and Dickie and Condisleazxy and the rest of that criminal cabal) has no credibility in the world now. None. Minus zero, in fact. The only people who don't acknowledge that are the Bu$hCo crime syndicate, their cohorts, or Lamestream Media....

Hmmmmm... So, just how cold do winters get in Vermont, I wonder...?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070604/ap_on_re_us/vermont_secession
Vt. secession movement gains traction
At Riverwalk Records, the all-vinyl music store just down the street from the state Capitol, the black "US Out of Vt.!" T-shirts are among the hottest sellers.

But to some people in Vermont, the idea is bigger than a $20 novelty. They want Vermont to secede from the United States — peacefully, of course.

Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics hopes to put the question before citizens in March. Eventually, they want to persuade state lawmakers to declare independence, returning Vermont to the status it held from 1777 to 1791.

{More on link.}

Brad Friedman | Conyers Requests Palast's "Vote Caging" Evidence
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060407R.shtml
Tim Griffin, formerly right-hand man to Karl Rove, resigned Thursday as US attorney for Arkansas, hours after BBC Television "Newsnight" reported that Congressman John Conyers [had] requested the network's evidence on Griffin's involvement in "caging voters." Greg Palast, reporting for both BBC "Newsnight" and "Democracy Now," obtained a series of confidential emails dating from the 2004 presidential election, in which the GOP operative transmitted so-called "caging lists" of voters to state party leaders.

Excerpt:

Palast first reported on the emails from Griffin containing vote caging lists for BBC's "Newsnight," prior to the 2004 presidential election.

{{{Six URLs at the end of this article for references. The above excerpt is the last sentence of the article. If this info had gotten into Lamestream Media before election day, I wonder if the outcome would have been the same...?}}}

BTW, did anyone else read that Putin has been invited to the Bush family retreat in Kennibunkport, ME July 1-12?
Posted by: NonnyO at June 4, 2007 04:36 PM

Veterans for Peace: Actions...

Bush & Putin Kennebunkport, Maine July 1st & 2nd!

The Kennebunkport PEACE Department has wasted no time and is getting a march permit for Sunday July 1st when President Bush comes to meet Putin in Kennebunkport.

-snip-

... calling for a mobilization of people of conscience from Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut and Massachusetts.

http://veteransforpeaceactions.blogspot.com/2007/05/bush-putin-kennebunkport-maine-july-1st_30.html

Marine: Hearing ‘disgusting waste’ of resources
Corporal who attended anti-war rally wearing uniform faces early discharge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - An Iraq war veteran accused the Marine Corps on Monday of causing a “disgusting waste of government resources” by holding a hearing about whether he should be punished for wearing his uniform during a war protest.

Marine Corps officials argue they are enforcing military codes in the case of Cpl. Adam Kokesh.

Kokesh, 25, participated in an anti-war demonstration in Washington in March. When he was identified in a photo caption in The Washington Post, a superior officer sent him an e-mail saying he might have violated a rule prohibiting troops from wearing uniforms without authorization. Kokesh responded with a letter that contained an obscenity.

Kokesh is a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, which consists mainly of those who have left active duty but still have time remaining on their eight-year military obligations. His service is due to end June 18, but the Marine Corps is seeking to let him go two weeks early with a less-than-honorable discharge.

That could cut some of his health benefits and force him to repay about $10,800 he received to obtain his undergraduate degree on the GI Bill.

Kokesh’s attorney, Lt. Jeremy Melaragno, said Monday during an administrative separation board hearing that his client’s free-speech rights are at stake.

“It has everything to do with freedom of speech,” Melaragno said. “Ask yourself, would we be here if he was advocating for the Bush administration?”

During a break in the hearing, Kokesh told reporters that the case appears to be punitive.

“More importantly, it’s a case of fraud, waste and abuse and a disgusting waste of government resources,” Kokesh said. “While Marines are dying every day in Iraq, they are spending time investigating members of the individual ready reserves for political activity.”

Kokesh was honorably discharged after a combat tour in Iraq.

Not on active duty at time of protest
His attorneys said Kokesh was not subject to military rules during the protest because he was not on active duty. They said the protest was a theatrical performance, which meant wearing a uniform was a not a violation of military rules. The military considered it a political event, at which personnel are not allowed to wear their uniforms without authorization.

The Marines’ first witness, Maj. John R. Whyte, testified Monday he was the officer who wrote Kokesh the e-mail informing him the Marines were investigating the possible uniform violation.

On cross-examination, the defense had Whyte read a memo he had written on how the Corps should respond to protests.

“There should be manpower assigned to search for and remediate misinformation by opposition groups and individuals,” he read.

Whyte recommended Kokesh’s discharge be “other than honorable.”

Several Kokesh supporters turned out Monday at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command and stood in front of a bus painted with anti-war slogans.

Kokesh was a reservist in an artillery unit when he became disillusioned with the war during his first tour. He said he believes there is no way for Iraq to achieve rule of law with a foreign military imposing martial law.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19032833/

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 08:39 PM

:-)

Posted by Karen at June 2, 2007 09:15 PM

I'll bet you did love it!!! A bit of a respite from the horrors of war. You were in your element, and I'm really glad you got to go!

An Important Lesson You, my parents, taught me that it was wrong to kill . . . except in war. You, my church, taught me that it was wrong to kill . . . except in war. You, my teachers, taught me that it was wrong to kill . . . except in war. You, my government, taught me that it was wrong to kill . . . except in war. Then you sent me to war And when I had no choice . . . except to kill, Then you told me I was wrong! And now I will tell you . . . my parents. . . . my church. . . . my teachers. . . . my government. It is not wrong to kill . . . except in war. It is wrong to kill period! And this you have to learn . . . Just as I had to!

- George Mizo, US Vietnam War Veteran (1945-2002)

Posted by: not my president at June 4, 2007 10:42 AM

Funny!!

I know how ya feel, said the same thing to myself while viewing the debate between Hillary, Obama, and Edwards. Gives me the shivers.

So far I favor Edwards I think, but I am not sure yet either.

CAN WE GET RID OF REP. RAHM EMMANUEL AS HEAD OF D.C.C.C.?

I noticed that one of the 40 or so Democrat votes in the House in favor of the Iraq escalation was that of Mr. Emmanuel, who as luck would have it, is head of the DCCC. My thought was that Emmanuel is far out of step with the public and the Dems in the House so why would he be head of the DCCC?

I am tempted to press Pelosi's office on this point...

Stunning Setback
Guantanamo judges toss out 2 detainees’ cases
Moves a setback to administration attempts to try inmates in military court

NBC News and news services
Updated: 59 minutes ago

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Military judges dismissed charges Monday against a Guantanamo detainee who chauffeured Osama bin Laden and another who allegedly killed a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, marking a stunning setback to Washington's attempts to try detainees in military court.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19028561/

King Me

,.. I'm non-Rahm as well...

The Dictatorship We Have to Confront’
China's most outspoken media voice discusses the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre and whether it could happen again.

Web Exclusive
By George Wehrfritz
Newsweek

June 4, 2007 - Hong Kong is again commemorating pro-democracy demonstrations that ended in bloodshed 18 years ago around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. An estimated 55,000 people attended the annual June 4 vigil at Victoria Park to remember the hundreds, if not thousands, of those killed in the student-led demonstrations and to call on the Chinese government to reverse its verdict that the 1989 protest was “counter-revolutionary,” so that the dead can be publicly mourned.

more,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19031613/site/newsweek/

Well, who'd a thought it? And handpicked too, these military judges.

US terror trials in disarray

A military judge's decision to dismiss terrorism-related charges against a Canadian could have implications for hundreds of other detainees who remain in Guantanamo Bay.

June 5, 2007 - 11:01AM
The legal front of the US Government's "war on terror" suffered a stunning reversal today when military judges threw out prosecution charges against a Canadian-born foot-soldier for al-Qaeda and a man accused of being Osama bin Laden's chauffeur.

The surprise rulings regarding Toronto native Omar Ahmed Khadr, 20, and Yemeni-born Salim Ahmed Hamdan, 36, threatened to torpedo the government's pursuit of Guantanamo Bay terror suspects through new-look military tribunals.

Sorry
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-terror-trials-in-disarray/2007/06/05/1180809473024.html

VIDEO!!!!! rare footage of Rumsfeld surfaces...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDSFZJohpro

the real story behind his firing....

Posted by: monkey at June 4, 2007 09:14 PM

"It is wrong to kill".

Who does that apply to - everyone but partial birth abortion babies?

If you want to see my new computer, click on my name.

If a Republican Senator died in Wyoming and the Governor is Democrat, he may appoint a Democrat. The last time that a Governor picked the opposite party was 1960 in Oregon (Dem Gov picked Hatfield, who was Repub but liberal/fiscally conservative/dove/environmentalist).

Republican Sen. Craig Thomas of Wyoming, who had been battling leukemia since November, died Monday night at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, a family spokesperson told CNN. He was 74.

Reacting to the news of Thomas' death, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his condolences, saying "the state of Wyoming and our nation are much better places because he was here."

"Wyoming had no greater advocate, taxpayers had no greater watchdog and rural America had no greater defender than Craig Thomas," McConnell said.

Thomas was elected to a third term last year. The vacancy caused by his death will be chosen by Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat. However, the seat will not switch parties because, under state law, Freudenthal is required to pick a new senator from a list of three candidates submitted by the GOP state central committee.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/04/senator.thomas/index.html

R.I.P., we have some lovely parting gifts for you...

(CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday that Russia was not his country's enemy and had nothing to fear from U.S. plans for a Europe-based missile defense program.

Ahead of a meeting with President Vladamir Putin, Bush attempted to allay Russian fears over the proposed missile shield saying it was meant to target "rogue nations" not escalate a new Cold War.

"Russia's not our enemy," Bush said, adding that the missile defense shield is "a purely defensive measure aimed not at Russia but at true threats."

Bush urged Russian cooperation with U.S. efforts to build a weapons system that would help "safeguard free nations against a missile attack launched from a rogue regime," inviting Putin to send military personnel and scientists to learn about the system.

Bush is expected to meet with Putin Wednesday at the Group of Eight economic summit in Germany. He said he would urge his Russian counterpart to embrace the missile program.

"My message will be, Vladimir -- I call him Vladimir -- that you shouldn't fear a missile defense system," Bush said. "As a matter of fact, why don't you cooperate with us ... Please send your generals over to see how such a system would work. Send your scientists, let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum."

"We'll be completely transparent," he added.

moron moron moron,
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/05/bush.europe/index.html

Desperate times call for despot measures.

p.s. My message is "Idiot" - I call him Idiot....

Ummm, HELLO???? I have an urgent message for the Speaker...

Discontent over Iraq increasing, poll finds
Americans also unhappy with Democratic-led Congress

Growing frustration with the performance of the Democratic Congress, combined with widespread public pessimism over President Bush's temporary troop buildup in Iraq, has left satisfaction with the overall direction of the country at its lowest point in more than a decade, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Almost six in 10 Americans said they do not think the additional troops sent to Iraq since the beginning of the year will help restore civil order there, and 53 percent -- a new high in Post-ABC News polls -- said they do not believe that the war has contributed to the long-term security of the United States.

Disapproval of Bush's performance in office remains high, but the poll highlighted growing disapproval of the new Democratic majority in Congress. Just 39 percent said they approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 44 percent in April, when the new Congress was about 100 days into its term. More significant, approval of congressional Democrats dropped 10 percentage points over that same period, from 54 percent to 44 percent.

Much of that drop was fueled by lower approval ratings of the Democrats in Congress among strong opponents of the war, independents and liberal Democrats. While independents were evenly split on the Democrats in Congress in April (49 percent approved, 48 percent disapproved), now 37 percent said they approved, 54 percent disapproved. And among liberal Democrats, approval of congressional Democrats dropped 18 points.

Bush's overall job-approval rating stands at 35 percent, unchanged from April.

Many Democratic activists have complained that the 2006 midterm election results represented a call for a course change in Iraq and that so far the Democratic-controlled Congress has failed to deliver.

Sour mood
Deep public skepticism about Iraq, concerns about the Democrats and Bush, and near-record-high gasoline prices appear to have combined to sour the overall mood in the country. In the new poll, 73 percent of Americans said the country is pretty seriously on the wrong track, while 25 percent said things are going in the right direction.

That gap is marginally wider than it was at the beginning of the year and represents the most gloomy expression of public sentiment since January 1996, when a face-off between then-President Bill Clinton and a Republican-controlled Congress over the budget led to an extended shutdown of the federal government.

Among the nearly three-quarters of Americans expressing a pessimistic viewpoint, about one in five blamed the war for their negative outlook, and about the same percentage mentioned the economy, gas prices, jobs or debt as the main reason for their dissatisfaction with the country's direction. Eleven percent cited "problems with Bush," and another 11 percent said "everything" led them to their negative opinion.

The new poll showed that Americans have recalibrated their view of who is taking the lead in Washington. Earlier this year, majorities of Americans said they believed that the Democrats were taking the initiative in the capital, but now there is an even split, with 43 percent saying Bush is taking the stronger leadership role and 45 percent saying the Democrats are.

That shift occurred across the political spectrum. In April, 59 percent of independents said Democrats were taking a stronger role, but that figure has dropped 15 points, to 44 percent.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19037437/

Can SOMEONE please get the message through to the boneheads in Warshington!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Bush speech may irk Moscow

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) -- U.S. President George W. Bush plans on Tuesday to hail democratic strides made by former communist nations like the Czech Republic, in a speech that may further inflame tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bush began an eight-day trip to Europe on Monday with his popularity at home at a low point over the Iraq war and tensions abroad over global warming and missile defense.

Visiting a country that broke free of communism with a Velvet Revolution, Bush will meet with Czech officials at the mediaeval Prague Castle.

Later, he will speak at a pro-democracy conference organized by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and ex-Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky.

It was unclear how far Bush will go in attacking the Kremlin over what the United States sees as moves to curb freedoms, but the White House made clear Russia would be mentioned in the speech, along with China.

"The speech tomorrow is going to be an effort by the president to take stock of where we are on the freedom agenda and the democracy agenda," said White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley.

"He'll talk a little bit about the challenge of promoting democracy in countries -- big countries, in particular, where we have a complex relationship and a number of interests -- countries like China and Russia," he said.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/05/bush.europe.reut/index.html

HOLY EFFIN SHEET!!!

THE RANCH DIVINIANS ARE WACO!!!!!!!!!

FIRE THE BRIMSTONE COWBOY ALREADY!!!!!!!

Thomas was elected to a third term last year. The vacancy caused by his death will be chosen by Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat. However, the seat will not switch parties because, under state law, Freudenthal is required to pick a new senator from a list of three candidates submitted by the GOP state central committee

Gates Says US Needs Base in Former Soviet Nation
http://voanews.com/english/2007-06-05-voa5.cfm

Bad timing.

Forget terra. Cold War is back. Duck and cover!

Here's a bit on why it's controversial:

Both China and Russia are pressing for an end to the U.S. military presence in Kyrgyzstan.

Local opposition inside the former Soviet nation is also mounting following a series of controversial incidents involving the U.S. military.

Last September, a U.S. tanker accidentally damaged the Kyrgyz president's personal jet as it was taxiing across the airport's runway.

A few months later, an American soldier shot and killed a local truck driver near the air base.

The Unites States currently pays an estimated $150 million a year to lease property, up from around $20 million in 2005.

U.S. forces lost a similar foothold in neighboring Uzbekistan in 2005 after the government there evicted the troops over U.S. criticism of the country's human rights record.

(from above link)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawyers, politicians and pundits have had their say for years. Now, as former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby faces sentencing in the CIA leak trial, the world may hear from someone new: Libby himself.

Libby has not spoken publicly about the case since his 2005 indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. Throughout his monthlong trial, and following his conviction in March, he always let his lawyers do the talking.

On Tuesday, however, before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton hands down a sentence, he will ask the former vice presidential chief of staff whether he has anything to say.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/05/cia.leak.trial.ap/index.html

Good morning early birds.

Can anyone visit in the irc this morning for a little bit?

Libby seeks leniency at his sentencing this morning. I say since it was his behavior that got us into Iraq that we should let him serve his term in Iraq with our soldiers.

http://tinyurl.com/2o57nl (AP Yahoo News)

Ok...I have a mean sense of humor. But DU is down today....just in time for the Libby sentencing. (Hopefully they'll get it up before the sentence is handed down.)

If you want to see my new computer, click on my name.

Posted by: not my president at June 5, 2007 12:29 AM

You're linked to The Stranger instead of your blog.

But congrats anyway!

Posted by: monkey at June 5, 2007 07:53 AM

Not only that, but here in California at the state level, the Dems have decided to completely shaft the small business owners, and live up to their "anti-business" reputation, by refusing to meet a small business delegation.

Granted, the Republicans are NOT pro-small business either (they are pro-BIG business only), but this doesn't help the Dems' cause.

I am well convinced that the state Dems in California *really* want to be irrelevant to the vast majority of Californians. Phil Angelides never asked for my vote while the Governator asked for it hard. The Dems have completely conceded the motorists and sportsmen votes.

I'm no longer voting Democratic at the state level.

Liveblogging from Scooter's hearing...

http://www.firedoglake.com/

Court Rebuffs F.C.C. on Fines for Indecency

WASHINGTON, June 4 — If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/business/media/05decency.html

Message to the government: go Cheney yourself.

What can we do about this creepiness? Bush has alot of gall going on about freedom and democracy ..

___________

Fox News is the poster child for the demise of American journalism. Its right-wing bias and low standards are not in dispute. And Rupert Murdoch, the man who brought us Fox News, now wants to buy Dow Jones & Co. -- which owns the Wall Street Journal and other leading business news outlets. Imagine if Fox News was in control of America's business media. Talk about surreal.

Fortunately, the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones, first rejected Murdoch’s $5 billion offer. But now they may be wavering. Just yesterday they surprised analysts by actually meeting with Murdoch to discuss, among other things, the editorial independence of the Journal.1

Tell the Bancrofts to keep the Wall Street Journal independent from Fox News.

The Wall Street Journal has the second highest circulation among U.S. newspapers, reaching 2 million people daily.2 And while we rarely agree with the Journal’s editorial opinions, its news pages are highly regarded and should stay that way. Journalism is the lifeblood of democracy. Let’s keep what’s left of it in the country alive.

http://act.truemajority.org/o/1/t/3/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=8

There's been little grassroots backlash against the proposed sale. That's why it's critical that you let the Bancrofts know the importance of an independent Wall Street Journal.

1 - “Murdoch aims to charm Dow Jones shareholders,” Reuters, June 4, 2007.

2 - “Family Business,” The New Yorker, November 3, 2003

Ally
So did you see it yet? (computer) If not, click

Posted by: not my president at June 5, 2007 11:58 AM

I saw it - the 20" iMac, right?

Can SOMEONE please get the message through to the boneheads in Warshington!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Posted by: monkey at June 5, 2007 07:53 AM

What our simian friend said....

Hello? Congress Critters? Is this phone working? Are my emails getting through or is Georgie intercepting our emails to our reps and senators? Does someone have an enhanced megaphone to shout at Congress Critters from outside their office windows? H-E-L-L-O-O-O-O???? Anyone there...? YOO HOO!

We want Georgie's illegal war ended and troops brought home NOW, and we DO want the criminal cabal impeached. If you leave them in office they're going to start another illegal war or do another invasion of any country they deem a mere, possible, maybe "threat" and that does no bode well. If you're scared spitless of Dickie, impeach him first, then Georgie. We KNOW about their war crimes (war, approving torture, Gitmo, etc.) and that's enough to get the ball rolling for the impeachment process.... The greatest enemies we have are sitting in *our* White House.

Posted by: madame defarge at June 5, 2007 11:39 AM

Personally, any vulgar sound that issues forth from the mouths of Georgie, Dickie, Condisleazy, Gonzo, and most of the rest of the administration hurts my ears and offends my delicate sensibilities.

To defend against hearing their obscene voices, I practice safe censorship and hit the mute button on my remote....

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/04/olbermann-the-nexus-of-politics-and-terror-2/
Olbermann: The Nexus Of Politics And Terror

{{{Two videos, about 17 minutes, total, between them, and Olbermann's ending comments are good, as usual. Worth the watch, even though we've commented on this blog about these very things before. Seeing the 'terror threats' condensed, and how the 'threats' are layered on top of events the administration wants ignored by sheeple, or how much the administration wants Dem candidates ignored (or, somehow magically connected to the 'terror events' on a subconscious basis, warning people away from voting for Dems?), is revealing. Y'know, it occurs to me that if we took any of these 'terror threats' seriously, none of us would ever leave our homes to do more than do grocery shopping and go to work; no tourist traveling, no travel for pleasure to visit family and friends, no trips to stores to buy much of anything. We'd all just stay at home, paranoid wrecks afraid of our own shadows, and that would mostly collapse our economy. That's what lay behind DimWit's remarks as he stood on top of the rubble of 9/11 and told people to go on with their normal lives, invited them to travel to New York to see Broadway shows, etc.... I wonder... just how much the advent of scary movies, the notion of allowing one's self to be 'scared as entertainment' has to do with ignoring the 'terrorist warnings' that seem to issue regularly from the administration...? With the advent of a 'sound byte attention span,' news just kind of goes in one ear and out the other, and adding infotainment snooze in with serious news just makes anything snooze anchors read from their teleprompters irrelevant. I wonder what Georgie and Dickie or Turd Blossom would do if our Congress Critters did the correct thing and actually started impeachment proceedings against the criminal cabal...? I don't put it past them to hire someone to accomplish another 9/11-type of incident so they can maintain their dictatorial power, just so the Lamestream Media bobbleheads would broadcast and talk about anything other than any impeachment trial(s) for their crimes....}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/05/breaking-scooter-libby-sentenced-to-30-months/

Breaking: Scooter Libby Sentenced To 30 Months

** new thread is up **