Did anybody else get one of these?

Subject: FW: IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED: HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
URGENT ASSISTANCE - FROM USA
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED : HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: GEORGE WALKER BUSH
202.456.1414 / 202.456.1111
FAX: 202.456.2461

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am GEORGE WALKER BUSH, son of the former president of the United States of America George Herbert Walker Bush, and currently serving as President of the United States of America. This letter might surprise you because we have not met neither in person nor by correspondence. I came to know of you in my search for a reliable and reputable person to handle a very confidential business transaction, which involves the transfer of a huge sum of money to an account requiring maximum confidence.

I am writing you in absolute confidence primarily to seek your assistance in acquiring oil funds that are presently trapped in the republic of Iraq. My partners and I solicit your assistance in completing a transaction begun by my father, who has long been actively engaged in the extraction of petroleum in the United States of America, and bravely served his country as director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

In the decade of the nineteen-eighties, my father, then vice-president of the United States of America, sought to work with the good offices of the President of the Republic of Iraq to regain lost oil revenue sources in the neighboring Islamic republic of Iran. This unsuccessful venture was soon followed by a falling-out with his Iraqi partner, who sought to acquire additional oil revenue sources in the neighboring emirate of Kuwait, a wholly-owned U.S.-British subsidiary.

My father re-secured the petroleum assets of Kuwait in 1991 at a cost of sixty-one billion U.S. dollars ($61,000,000,000). Out of that cost, thirty-six billion dollars ($36,000,000,000) were supplied by his partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Persian gulf monarchies, and sixteen billion dollars ($16,000,000,000) by German and Japanese partners. But my father’s former Iraqi business partner remained in control of the republic of Iraq and its petroleum reserves.

My family is calling for your urgent assistance in funding the removal of the President of the Republic of Iraq and acquiring the petroleum assets of his country, as compensation for the costs of removing him from power. unfortunately, our partners from 1991 are not willing to shoulder the burden of this new venture, which in its upcoming phase may cost the sum of 100 billion to 200 billion dollars ($100,000,000,000 - $200,000,000,000), both in the initial acquisition and in long-term management.

Without the funds from our 1991 partners, we would not be able to acquire the oil revenue trapped within Iraq. That is why my family and our colleagues are urgently seeking your gracious assistance. Our distinguished colleagues in this business transaction include the sitting vice-president of the United States of America, Richard Cheney, who is an original partner in the Iraq venture and former head of the Halliburton oil company, and Condoleeza Rice, whose professional dedication to the venture was demonstrated in the naming of a Chevron oil tanker after her.

I would beseech you to transfer a sum equaling ten to twenty-five percent (10-25 %) of your yearly income to our account to aid in this important venture. The internal revenue service of the United States of America will function as our trusted intermediary. I propose that you make this transfer before the fifteenth (15th) of the month of April.

I know that a transaction of this magnitude would make anyone apprehensive and worried. But I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day. A bold step taken shall not be regretted, I assure you. Please do be informed that this business transaction is 100% legal. If you do not wish to co-operate in this transaction, please contact our intermediary representatives to further discuss the matter.

I pray that you understand our plight. My family and our colleagues will be forever grateful. Please reply in strict confidence to the contact numbers below.

Sincerely with warm regards,

George Walker Bush

Switchboard: 202.456.1414
Comments: 202.456.1111
Fax: 202.456.2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov

Lost Dr.Seuss

John Dean endorses censure of Bush

Nixon White House counselor John Dean asserted Friday that President Bush's domestic spying exceeds the wrongdoing that toppled his former boss from power, and a veteran Republican snapped that Democrats were trying to "score political points" with a motion to censure Mr. Bush.

"Had the Senate or House, or both, censured or somehow warned Richard Nixon, the tragedy of Watergate might have been prevented," Dean told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Hopefully the Senate will not sit by while even more serious abuses unfold before it."

Testifying to a Senate committee on Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold's resolution to censure Mr. Bush, Dean said the president "needs to be told he cannot simply ignore a law with no consequences."

The title of Dean's 2004 book, "Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush," made his view of the administration clear even before the wiretapping program became public.

After The New York Times revealed the program in December, Dean wrote that "Bush may have outdone Nixon" and might be worthy not just of censure but impeachment.

Dean served four months in prison for his role in Watergate, a political scandal that involved illegal wiretapping, burglary and abuse of power aimed at Nixon enemies. Administration officials were implicated in the ensuing cover-up.

After 2 years, Air America grows progressively upbeat

Randi Rhodes
(As reported in The NY Daily News)

It was two years ago tomorrow that the progressive network Air America took to the radio, like a band of pioneers seeking a foothold in territory long dominated by hostile conservatives.

The ride has been as rocky as any 19th-century wagon train, and it's still not clear where the network is ultimately headed.

But count Randi Rhodes, the 3-7 p.m. host, among those who think a lot of turf has been claimed, with more to come.

"For a long time, there was a big hole," said Rhodes, "and it's not there anymore. Now there's another side on the radio. People who think our government has been going in the wrong direction don't feel like they're alone anymore.

"I'm much more optimistic today than I was two years ago. Much more hopeful."

Air America launched amid considerable optimism of its own - heady talk of buying its own network of stations while derailing the re-election of President Bush.

Bush survived. Air America almost fell.

It lost its airtime in Chicago and Los Angeles for not paying its rent. Some of its founding executives turned out to have seriously overstated the network's financial position, and sharp cutbacks were ordered as those executives left.

But new money arrived to keep it afloat as hosts like Al Franken and Rhodes started to build followings. Today, most of its marquee shows are heard in most major cities, albeit sometimes on lower-powered stations, and while its ratings have yet to match those of established conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, Air America CEO Danny Goldberg recently said he's optimistic.

Affiliates, ratings and revenue are rising, he said, challenging critics, like Bill O'Reilly, who have regularly declared the network close to dead.

One of the major arguments by O'Reilly and other critics is that Air America will never succeed as long as it sounds like a Democratic Party mouthpiece.

Network hosts maintain they often chastize Democrats - over not opposing the war more strongly, for instance - and Rhodes says Air America's critics wouldn't be so persistent if the network wasn't making a difference.

"It's a sign of fear and loathing," she said. "They see where we've gotten with zero promotion, and they're terrified."

It's generally agreed that Air America, heard here on WLIB (1190 AM), sounds more professional today. It has adjusted its programming to highlight hosts like Rachel Maddow, while others who didn't come from radio backgrounds, like Franken and Janeane Garafalo, have grown more comfortable on the air.

Rhodes herself, a former deejay, admits that suddenly doing four hours of talk "was a hard left turn."

But the secret, she says, is just basic radio: prepare, prepare, prepare.

"My whole day is show prep," she said. "You go on the air with a plan, and suddenly the show takes on a life of its own. You have to be ready for anything."

Rhodes often mentions that she uprooted herself from a comfortable life in Florida to join the Air America adventure. She says she has no regrets.

"Would I do it again? Oh God, yes," she said. "What we're doing here is very exciting. We're letting people know they are not insane."

Southwest infrastructure plans

Mayor Richard announced yesterday that the city will invest $58 million in transportation, water, sewer, and stormwater projects this year. "A committment to infrastructure assists us in efforts to create jobs and lure new business to our area," stated Mr.Richard. "Economic growth and an improved quality of life will make Fort Wayne competitive in attracting private investments".

Southwest improvements slated for 2006:

• Ardmore Road extension: Ardmore will be extended to three lanes fromIndianapolis Road to Lower Huntington Road.
• Time Corners reconfiguration: The intersections will be reconfigured to improve traffic flow and safety.
• General Aboite Area: $500,000 will be invested in stormwater drainage improvements.
• Hugenard and Lessburg Roads: Sanitary sewers will be extended in these areas.

Road Paving list for 2006:

• Catalpa Street from Taylor to West Jefferson.
• South Bend from Getz to West Jefferson.
• Liberty Mills from Homestead to Amber.
• Covington Road from Homestead Road west to city limits.
• Baer Road from Lower Huntington to Airport Expressway.

Further disclosure

Karl Rove cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews.
Hadley was particularly concerned that the public might learn of a classified one-page summary of a National Intelligence Estimate, specifically written for Bush in October 2002. The summary said that although "most agencies judge" that the aluminum tubes were "related to a uranium enrichment effort," the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Energy Department's intelligence branch "believe that the tubes more likely are intended for conventional weapons."
Three months after receiving that assessment, the president stated without qualification in his January 28, 2003, State of the Union address: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
The previously undisclosed review by Hadley was part of a damage-control effort launched after former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV alleged that Bush's claims regarding the uranium were not true. The CIA had sent Wilson to the African nation of Niger in 2002 to investigate the purported procurement efforts by Iraq; he reported that they were most likely a hoax.
The White House was largely successful in defusing the Niger controversy because there was no evidence that Bush was aware that his claims about the uranium were based on faulty intelligence. Then-CIA Director George Tenet swiftly and publicly took the blame for the entire episode, saying that he and the CIA were at fault for not warning Bush and his aides that the information might be untrue.
But Hadley and other administration officials realized that it would be much more difficult to shield Bush from criticism for his statements regarding the aluminum tubes, for several reasons.
For one, Hadley's review concluded that Bush had been directly and repeatedly apprised of the deep rift within the intelligence community over whether Iraq wanted the high-strength aluminum tubes for a nuclear weapons program or for conventional weapons.
For another, the president and others in the administration had cited the aluminum tubes as the most compelling evidence that Saddam was determined to build a nuclear weapon -- even more than the allegations that he was attempting to purchase uranium.
And finally, full disclosure of the internal dissent over the importance of the tubes would have almost certainly raised broader questions about the administration's conduct in the months leading up to war.
"Presidential knowledge was the ball game," says a former senior government official outside the White House who was personally familiar with the damage-control effort. "The mission was to insulate the president. It was about making it appear that he wasn't in the know. You could do that on Niger. You couldn't do that with the tubes." A Republican political appointee involved in the process, who thought the Bush administration had a constitutional obligation to be more open with Congress, said: "This was about getting past the election."

Read the FULL story here.

Jill Carroll

I cannot beleive there are people like this in our country that are even allowed to be on the radio. This is beyond desription AND belief. You'll just have to click the link and read it for yourself.

Read the story here.

Record Stats

I am TRULY humbled by the following numbers. Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting my little share of the blogosphere. I truly appreciate your patronage and comraderie. Today's hits (69 and still counting) is a record. Thanks to each and every one of you for visiting my little rant; it means alot to me that you not only stop by, but help out in our common cause: restoring integrity and respect for for our great land.


VISITS

Total
1,716

Average Per Day
44

Average Visit Length
4:31

Last Hour
4

Today
69

This Week
305

Quiet mode

Hey all. . it's been a long day today, and the muse is in half-sleep mode. But I did catch an interesting little tidbit on Randi Rhodes yesterday. Does anyone know how it came to be that hemp was made to be illegal in this country? Despite all of the "reefer madness" mania from the 1950's, turns out it was just yet another case of corporatism.

Smoking hemp was merely a side venue. It's widely used purpose was for rope-making. Hemp makes an extremely strong natural rope, and was widely used by the United States Navy, as well as many other outfits. A corporation that you may have heard of, DuPont, through it's New York/London division, or NYLon, invented a synthetic substitute for hemp. Problem was, the "NYLon" wasn't nearly as strong as the natural hemp rope, so something had to be done.

Deals were made, palms were greased, and in 1938 hemp was outlawed, and the new Navy contracts specifically required nylon rope to be used. Of course, local farmers in many areas such as ours had planted hemp along the borders of their cropfields as a side business. Therefore, to this day, you will still find "ditchweed" growing rampant in Kosciusko County and other area locales.

Frankly, I have no real opinion on marijuana. I grew up in the 70's, so I obviously tried it. It made me nauseous when I did. If you enjoy it, I have no problem with that. It's probably no worse than, and maybe even less overall harmful than alcohol. I think we've probably wasted alot of money and lives trying to keep people from smoking the stuff.

That's my report for today, March 29, 2006. May you have a pleasant tomorrow. And don't forget to lose an hour's worth of sleep and change every god-damned clock in your house and car Saturday night. Thanks, Midget Daniels. We look forward to making your ass unemployed in the near future.

Trapped!

Okay, maybe "trapped" is a bit dramatic. But when your day starts like mine did on this Tuesday, being a little dramatic must be forgiven.

So. There I was. Showered, dressed, e-mail checked, coffee ingested. On my way out the door. Hit the garage door opener button. The door didn't move a centimeter, just groaned and tried to reverse. I've had trouble with the sensors before and, not having time for this and already being about ten minutes behind schedule, I pulled the release cord to open the door manually. I grabbed the bottom of the door and. . . . . after sucking my spleen back into my body, realized that my five-hundred pound solid-wood four-panel door was no longer attached to it's springs! In fact the cables were hanging off of either side, still intact.

Six A.M. is not my best thinking part of the day, particular when thrown a curveball like this when I'm already late. Somehow I had to free both of our vehicles from their new prison, before my wife was late to work and before I, although having a more flexible schedule, wound up working til 7 or 8 P.M. Being able to nudge this monstrosity off the ground an inch or two for a second or two was all that could manage. So I went to work with what materials I had at hand. Fortunately, I always have three or four projects going all at once around here, and raw materials were fairly easy to find.

I wedged a two-by-four under the middle of the door, then pried the door upwards with another, giving me room to add another board on top of the first one. I continued this slow process until I had enough room to get my floor-jack under the door. Now it will get easier, I thought. The jack only has about a 6" lift, so I soon had to go search for something low enough and strong enough to support it and increase my range of lift. I pulled a couple of old wooden ammo crates from the basement (Not what you may think, I got 'em cheap at Big Lots years ago. They're GREAT for storage) and slowly began my dangerous tower of lumber.

It's now getting close to 7 A.M. and i am freaking bad. Understand that I live and die by my watch. Time is everything in my line of work. I had to saw up several two-by-fours from my basement finishing project to keep bracing the door as I slowly raised it from it's berth. About three-quarters of the way into this, my neighbor walked over and offered his assistance. Together we pushed the door the rest of the way up into the track, and locked it in place with large screwdrivers in each rail. By now, I was ready for a large screwdriver myself!

Okay. 7:15- Got both vehicles out. I'm now an hour behind, but Jody and the kids will be on time. Wait. I don't really want to leave my garage open all day. (Okay, so I probably could out here, but I'm a very security-minded sorta guy, and it would have gnawed at me all day long!) So began the process in reverse, a little faster, a little sloppier, but still wary and respectful of the massive weight that I was messing with. At one foot off the floor, I kicked the jack out, and called it done.

7:40- Now enroute to work. Called to explain my situation and request help with my workload. No help available. Busiest day we've seen in over two months, and totally out of nowhere. Great. And then everything else came in late this morning as well. I actually made it home before 6 P.M., so I busted my ass (not to mention breaking it messing with that door for an hour) and "got 'er done". (whew)

8:05 P.M.- Done venting about this. Overhead Door replaced the springs that apparently broke last night during their last usage around 6 P.M. and I'm $200 poorer. From now on, I think I'll check the damned door every night so I dont have to ever go through this in the A.M. again. Hope you enjoyed my misery; we all know how it loves company and all. And hopefully your day was more enjoyable.

Bush believes he is "above the law"

When President Bush signed the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act this month, he included an addendum saying that he did not feel obliged to obey requirements that he inform Congress about how the FBI was using the act's expanded police powers.

The bill contained several oversight provisions intended to make sure the FBI did not abuse the special terrorism-related powers to search homes and secretly seize papers.
The provisions require Justice Department officials to keep closer track of how often the FBI uses the new powers and in what type of situations. Under the law, the
administration would have to provide the information to Congress by certain dates.

Bush signed the bill with fanfare at a White House ceremony March 9, calling it "a piece of legislation that's vital to win the war on terror and to protect the American people." But after the reporters and guests had left, the White House quietly issued a "signing statement," an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law.

In the statement, Bush said that he did not consider himself bound to tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that, despite the law's requirements, he could withhold the information if he decided that disclosure would "impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the executive, or the performance of the executive's constitutional duties."

Bush wrote: "The executive branch shall construe the provisions... that call for furnishing information to entities outside the executive branch... in a manner consistent with the president's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to withhold information..."

The statement represented the latest in a string of high-profile instances in which Bush has cited his constitutional authority to bypass a law. After The New York Times disclosed in December that Bush had authorized the military to conduct electronic
surveillance of Americans' international phone calls and e-mails without obtaining warrants, as required by law, Bush said his wartime powers gave him the right to ignore the warrant law.

And when Congress passed a law forbidding the torture of any detainee in US custody, Bush signed the bill but issued a signing statement declaring that he could bypass the law if he believed using harsh interrogation techniques was necessary to protect national security.

Past presidents occasionally used such signing statements to describe their interpretations of laws, but Bush has expanded the practice. He has also been more assertive in claiming the authority to override provisions he thinks intrude on his power, legal scholars said.

Bush's expansive claims of the power to bypass laws have provoked increased grumbling in Congress. Members of both parties have pointed out that the Constitution gives the
legislative branch the power to write the laws and the executive branch the duty to "faithfully execute" them.

Several senators have proposed bills to bring the warrant-less surveillance program under the law. One Democrat,Senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, has gone so far as
to propose censuring Bush, saying he has broken the wire-tapping law.

Bush's signing statement on the USA Patriot Act nearly went unnoticed.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, inserted a statement into the record of the Senate Judiciary Committee objecting to Bush's interpretation of the Patriot Act, but neither the signing statement nor Leahy's objection received coverage from in the mainstream news media, Leahy's office said. Yesterday, Leahy said Bush's assertion that he could ignore the new provisions of the Patriot Act - provisions that were the subject of intense negotiations in Congress - represented "nothing short of a radical effort to manipulate the constitutional separation of powers and evade accountability and responsibility for following the law."

"The president's signing statements are not the law, and Congress should not allow them to be the last word," Leahy said in a prepared statement. "The president's
constitutional duty is to faithfully execute the laws as written by the Congress, not cherry-pick the laws he decides he wants to follow. It is our duty to ensure, by means of congressional oversight, that he does so."

David Golove, a New York University law professor who specializes in executive power issues, said the statement may simply be "bluster" and does not necessarily mean that
the administration will conceal information about its use of the Patriot Act.

But, he said, the statement illustrates the administration's "mind-bogglingly expansive conception" of executive power,and its low regard for legislative power.
"On the one hand, they deny that Congress even has the authority to pass laws on these subjects like torture and eavesdropping, and in addition to that, they say that
Congress is not even entitled to get information about anything to do with the war on terrorism," Golove said.

Almost Love poems

These are entries to a competition asking for a rhyme with the most romantic first line but least romantic second line:

Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss
but I only slept with you because I was pissed

I thought that I could love no other
Until, that is, I met your brother

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are
you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar
bowl's empty and so is your head.

Of loving beauty you float with grace
If only you could hide your face

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot
This describes everything you are not

I want to feel your sweet embrace
But don't take that paper bag off of your face

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes-
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you screwed up my life

I see your face when I am dreaming
That's why I always wake up screaming

My love you take my breath away
What have you stepped in to smell this way

My feelings for you no words can tell
Except for maybe "go to hell"

What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime

Golden Oldie: 250-Year-Old Tortoise Dies

One of the world's oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.

Addwaita, which means "the one and only" in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century.

Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767.

Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive's garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.

"According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be 250 years approximately," said zoo director Subir Chowdhury.

That would have made him much older than the world's oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo's Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.

Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds.

Addwaita, the zoo's biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman,

"We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead," Burman said.

Knuth's claim validated

The Allen County Election Board on Thursday ruled that Fort Wayne company Hanning and Bean violated campaign-finance law, but chose not to issue a fine.Allen County Democratic Party Chairman Kevin Knuth asked the Election Board in January to look into a number of contributions to the Allen County Republican Party, as well as some contributions to individuals appearing to exceed legal limits. Two of Knuth’s requests were resolved at a board meeting in February.

On Thursday, it was determined that in 2004, Hanning and Bean had loaned $5,000 to the Allen County Republican Party, which eventually repaid $6,489.75.The Republicans, however, repaid part of the loan by giving Hanning and Bean golf sponsorships worth $3,000. “I think that’s a bad practice,” said Andy Downs, the Democratic member of the Election Board, adding he thinks most people expect a loan to be repaid in cash.

In addition, in 2004 Hanning and Bean contributed $4,000 among several local candidates, $2,000 above the legal limit. Republicans Marla Irving and Mike Cunegin each refunded $1,000. The board determined this to be a violation, but because the money was returned, it did not issue a fine. According to law, the board could have fined Hanning and Bean three times the amount of the contribution in excess of the limit.Downs noted that Bean had exceeded campaign contribution limits in 1999 through another of his businesses, CARE Inc. of Fort Wayne, and also had exceeded contribution limits to state candidates in 2003 and 2005. “It seems to me that there is sort of a pattern here of disregard for the law,” Downs said.

“Well, as you might expect I’m not in your camp on this, Andrew,” said David Wright, the Republican member of the Election Board.Wright said Hanning and Bean had done everything the Election Board had asked them to do, and said they didn’t realize they were violating the law in the first place.Downs conceded campaign finance laws were difficult to understand.Knuth said after the meeting, “I would’ve thought a small fine would have sent a message.” But he was glad the process brought his concerns to light.

(Excerpted from The News Sentinel.)

Brooklyn Surprise

The discovery of a cache of cold war supplies inside the foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge has prompted an outpouring of interest from some historians and curators, but city officials are still at loss to explain how the supplies got there and for whom they were intended.

Workers found the stockpile of water drums, medical supplies, gauze bandages and bitter-tasting ration crackers in a cavernous masonry room under the bridge's main entrance ramp in Lower Manhattan, while performing a regular structural inspection on March 15.

More on this NY Times story HERE.

Had enough?

The midterm contests in a President's second term are almost always treacherous, but this time around, Republicans thought it would be different. The 2006 elections, coming on top of their gains in 2002 and 2004, would make history and perhaps even cement a g.o.p. majority in Congress for a generation. George W. Bush's credibility on national security and the states' aggressive gerrymandering, they believed, had turned the vast majority of districts into fortresses for incumbents. But that's not turning out to be the case. In recent weeks, a startling realization has begun to take hold: if the elections were held today, top strategists of both parties say privately, the Republicans would probably lose the 15 seats they need to keep control of the House of Representatives and could come within a seat or two of losing the Senate as well. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who masterminded the 1994 elections that brought Republicans to power on promises of revolutionizing the way Washington is run, told Time that his party has so bungled the job of governing that the best campaign slogan for Democrats today could be boiled down to just two words: "Had enough?"

Read the entire Time story HERE.

You might be a conservative if. . .

...You think NPR should be shut down.

...You actually believe the election results in 2000 and 2004 were correct.

...You believe free-speech is a felony.

...You think the USA is the only 'free' country in the world.

...You think the USA is the ONLY Super Power (because you've never heard of the EU).

...You think national health care should be run by the insurance companies.

...you take dinner conversation cues from Bill O'Reilly: Normal person: "Pass the salt." Right-wing Republican: "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!".

...any time you're cornered into defending lawbreaking Republicans, you bring up Ted Kennedy and that's supposed to be the end of the argument.

....you WANT Jean Schmidt.

....you look like a moron on any talk show that isn't hosted by one of your buddies. (See O'Reilly on Letterman)

..."n*****" is a staple of your vocabulary.

....you are angry for reasons you can't explain, talking it out only makes you angrier, and the only way to make you feel better is to quash someone socially below you.

....you can hear, but are physically incapable of listening.

....you spout talking points that have been proven false, hoping that it'll stick anyway.

....you believe our president and government "just wouldn't do things to hurt its citizens."

...the phrase "eminent domain" is like a symphony to your ears.

...you value democracy, yet you hate democrats.

...you firmly believe that the poor folks that got stuck in New Orleans are to blame for their own plight for not having the good sense to have high paying jobs that would have allowed them to purchase cars/SUVs to get out of town and afford hotels in safe areas. (Or having the good sense to be born into money.)

...your head is up Uranus.

...you fail to see Ann Coulter as nothing more than every blonde joke made flesh.

...you're a "good Christian" but you hate more people than you love.

...if you think Bush, not Cheney, is in charge.

...if you think Jesus would support the death penalty, war, environmental destruction, the reduction of rights to women and minorities, and the cruel treatment of some prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

...the idea that Bush II might be lying about his faith in Christ causes a pain behind your eyes.

...if you think fighting in Iraq (or anywhere else) is like a computer game, and you think that troops should have to complete level one to get their body armor.

...if you think Vietnam vets who supported Kerry should be booed on 4th of July.

...if you think corporate interests are national interests.

...you think Tom Delay has class.

...you think Universal Health Care is bad but Corporate Welfare is good.

...you finally have a news channel you can trust in Fox.

...You believe that bombing Iraq has anything to do with September 11.

...you believe Barbara Bush is a sweet old lady, who wouldn't hurt a fly.

...you have bumper stickers that read "nuke his ass" next to "I support life."

...you believe less ozone is better for a quicker tan.

...you support the AK-47's becoming legal. "It'll keep them doughnut eating cops on their toes."

...You think Jesus is the same blond haired, blue eyed, white, Aryan featured dude as in the picture on your fridge.

...you think Jesus Christ was a great conservative political philosopher

...you think acid rain helps cleans your driveway.

...you believe "smok 'em out" is written in foreign policy.

...your rifle gets more fondling than your wife.

...you think no child left behind is a new bus service to the KKK rally.

...you use "uh" as the seventh vowel.

...you think Bush is the closest thing to God because of his ability to cause an apocalypse.

...you think David Duke is from Hazzard County.

...you are encouraged by Bush's C+ average scholastic history. "Gee, even you could rule the free world."

...you think 'Hail to the Chief' would sound better being played on a steel guitar.

...you believe Jesse Jackson is the anti-Christ and Jerry Falwell should be referred to "his popeness."...you are certain Bush has created jobs because you have three to pay for your heat bill.

...you think "Dueling Banjos" should be the prelude for every press conference.

...you thought "need some wood" in the debates promoted Viagra.

...you believe the Iraqi elections will be fair just like ours.

...you are against gay marriage but have no problem marrying your cousin.

...you believe it was Clinton's fault for leaving to much money to play with.

...you think Colin Powell should be replaced by Cooter.

...you think Martin Luther King is the guy who built your street.

...you blame Clinton for having jobs to lose.

...you hate Michael Moore so much your thermostats read in Celsius.

...you think mercury in your fish adds flavor.

...you think the Republican Party likes you for more than your money.

Spells that Work!

Spell to Get Measles: 1. Find someone who has measles. 2. Lick them.

Spell to Turn Day Into Night: 1) Stand facing a large tree or wall. 2) Close eyes tightly. 3) Keeping eyes closed, run straight ahead as fast as you can.

Spell to Breathe Under-Water: 1) Attach concrete block to your feet. 2) Jump into water. 3) Breathe normally and sing the tune to "Flipper". 4) Takes about 5 minutes for lungs to adjust.

Spell to Commune With Pink Elephants: 1) Pour glass of vodka or alcoholic drink of choice. 2) Drink. 3) Repeat steps 1-3.

Spell to Attract Lightning: 1) Cover yourself in metal: jewellery, chains, golf clubs,nails, nuts & bolts, hub-caps, etc. 2) Go out into a thunderstorm and hold a long TV antenna high in the air. 3) Wait.

Spell to Stop a Runny Nose: 1. Get two cotton balls. 2. Shove one up each nostril. 3. Tape them there.

Spell to Make a Person fall in Love with You: 1. Call person at least thirty times a day. 2. Park outside their house and shut your headlights off. 3. Leave sweet tokens on doorstep (i.e.-roses without petals, a nice headless Barbie doll...) 4. Follow them everywhere they go--careful, they'll try to lose you! 5. Don't worry if they get that silly restraining order, that means the spell is working!

Spell to Make Your Computer Fast: 1. Open Window. 2. Throw Computer out window. (If the computer hit ground really fast, the spell worked.)

Spell to Save on Gas: 1. Cut holes in floorboards of car. 2. Remove shoes. 3. While still seated, pedal feet really fast. 4. Scream "Yabba Dabba Do!" Optional: Invite passengers to join in the fun!

A Spell to Go to the Bathroom: 1) Drink so much water that you think you will burst. 2) Drink another glass anyway. 3) Wait ten minutes, then guzzle a can of Pepsi. 4) Repeat step 3 as often as desired to increase the spell's effect. Alternate Spell to Go to the Bathroom 1. Eat a bushel of prunes. 2. Take a dose of Exlax. 3. Wait. Stay close to the bathroom!

WARNING: Spells are not guaranteed. Use at your own risk.

Bush Caught in another LIE

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North VS South

Sent to me today by an old friend:

The North has coffee houses,The South has Waffle Houses.

The North has dating services,The South has family reunions.

The North has switchblade knives,The South has Lee Press-on Nails.

The North has double last names,The South has double first names.

The North has Indy car races,The South has stock car races.

The North has Cream of Wheat,The South has grits.

The North has green salads,The South has collard greens.

The North has lobsters,The South has crawfish.

The North has the rust belt,The South has the Bible Belt.

FOR NORTHERNERS MOVING SOUTH . . .In the South: If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store....do not buy food at this store.

Remember, "y'all" is singular, "all y'all" is plural, and "all y'all's" is plural possessive.! Get used to hearing "You ain't from round here, are ya?

"Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed later on how to use it.

Don't be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can't understand you either.The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.Be advised that "He needed killin" is a valid defense here.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this," you should stay out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

Do not be surprised to find that 10-year olds own their own shotguns, they are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.

AND REMEMBER: If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.

Texas cracks down on drinking in bars

Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being drunk, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said on Wednesday.The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission’s Carolyn Beck.Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkenness, Beck said.

The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car.“We feel that the only way we’re going to get at the drunk driving problem and the problem of people hurting each other while drunk is by crackdowns like this,” she said.“There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they’re intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car,” Beck said. “People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss.”She said the sting operations would continue throughout the state.

So, in summary, if you're going to be going down to the local tavern to throw back a few, DON'T! They'll be expecting that! Just grab a fifth of your favorite, hop in your Buick and play a live session of Carmageddon. Or maybe drag a cooler and a boombox out to your backyard and annoy the neighbors with drunken karaoke. Better yet, stop drinking and snorting coke, and run for public office. Nobody will ever notice the effects of your "good times" on your judgement and decision-making skills.

Indians revolt in South Dakota

Take THIS , South Dakota!

Delusions about predators

There have been several articles in the local media and the local blogs regarding the recent predator that attempted to make contact with local children with his "slumber party" scam. Kudos to local school officials and police personnel for the fast apprehension of this scumbag. The following article by Thomas Sowell of Stanford University is an excellent read and sums up my personal thoughts on this matter quite well.

We're delusional to think we can control predators

Horrifying stories about the rapes and murders of children, and about judges who go easy on sex offenders who prey on the young, have prompted some state legislatures to tighten up the laws and restrict the sentencing discretion of judges.

Few in the media or among the intelligentsia have been as outraged about these sadistic crimes against children as they have been about whether terrorists' phone calls have been intercepted.

Part of this is current politics but part of it is the continuation of a tradition that goes back more than two centuries, de-emphasizing the punishment of criminals.


People who today point to the flaws of "society" as the "root causes" of crime are echoing what was said in the 18th century by Condorcet in France and William Godwin in England, among others.

So are those who speak loftily of "alternatives to incarceration" or who continue to rely on hopes of "rehabilitation" or "prevention."

People with this mindset engage in much hand-wringing about what to do with sexual predators. While many ordinary people would say that they should be locked up -- and, if they are too dangerous to be at large, we should lock them up and throw away the key.

But those whose whole sense of themselves is based on their presumed superiority to ordinary people can never go along with such ideas. They balk even at notifying the public when some convicted sexual predator is released into their neighborhood.

Their thinking -- if it can be called that -- is that sexual predators who have been released from prison have "paid their debt to society" and so the slate should be wiped clean and these sadists allowed to hide their past.

It is amazing how many innocent young lives have been sacrificed for a half-baked phrase.

Going to jail doesn't repay anything. People are put behind bars as punishment and to keep them out of circulation. Child victims of rape and murder cannot be made whole. The debt can never be repaid.

The most we can hope for is to spare other children and their parents from the anguish inflicted by evil people -- not "sick" people, but evil people. Sexual predators know exactly what they are doing, know that it is wrong, and either don't care or enjoy it all the more for that reason.

Saying that they are "sick" implies that there is some treatment or cure that other people can apply to them. How many more lives are we prepared to sacrifice on the altar to that notion?

The illusion of being able to control sexual predators who are set loose in secrecy among families with children has taken many forms and has been couched in much soothing rhetoric.

"Supervised" parole is one of those soothing phrases. The reality is an occasional reporting to a parole officer who has huge numbers of parolees -- who cannot be controlled the other 99 percent of the time when they are not reporting.

The latest pretense of control is the global positioning satellite which can be attached to sexual predators.

Think about it. What would a global positioning satellite have told us when a sexual predator had two girls imprisoned in his basement? That he was home. What reassurance!

While rising public pressures to get serious about protecting children have forced some state legislatures to make some efforts in that direction, resistance and evasion are still the order of the day in many places.

In California, the state legislature is considering bills to use global positioning satellites to track released sex offenders -- but only those deemed "dangerous."

The sponsor of one of these bills describes GPS as "incredibly valuable technology." Not doubt it is -- if you are lost and want to find your way. On the other hand, if you don't want to be found, you can always take it off.

The bills in the California state legislature are presented as alternatives to a ballot initiative by which the voters could impose "Jessica's Law" with some real teeth in it as far as sentencing is concerned, instead of these political alternatives to reality.

Sexual predators should NEVER get another chance. You destroy one young life, you forfeit your right to ever having freedom again. Period. You had it, you used it in the worst possible way to satisfy your sick personal needs, game over. buh-bye. Be grateful that we allow you to continue to draw breath. In many of these cases, even that should be taken away.

I TAWT I TAW. . . . A LIBERTARIAN!

I DID! I DID SEE ONE! Hey. . if you live Northwest, this guy deserves your support! Just my humble opinion, for what that's worth. Read more HERE.

A Bright Idea

Not too long ago, Oprah did a show about global warming and held up a lightbulb. Not just any lightbulb, but a compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb that uses 66% less energy than a standard bulb. If every household in America changed just five of their bulbs to a CFL, it would be equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road for a year.

Even if you don't give a rat's ass about conservation, you should be paying attention here: 66% savings on YOUR electric bill! Our home has been 100% CFL lit since 1994, and we have saved ALOT of money because of it.These bulbs WILL cost you more to purchase initially, but their low energy consumption and long life(often 5-10 years) make them a smart investment. They are now available as floodlights, spotlights, bug lights, blacklights, and even orange, yellow,red and green for holiday lighting.

Ken Luna, an eighth grade science teacher in Babylon, New York saw Oprah and, along with his students, has come up with a very bright idea: give one CFL bulb to every K-12 student in America -- all 50 million of them -- and fight global warming one bulb at a time (not to mention saving the American people over $2.3 billion in electricity costs).
Home Depot has agreed to supply Mr. Luna's class with enough CFL bulbs for every student in their district (that's 5,500 free CFL bulbs). So on March 30th, in the west gym at North Babylon High School, they are having a party -- clowns, music, food... and free lightbulbs.
If you are a teacher, start a similar project in your class. If you are a supplier or a retail store, donate bulbs. If you are part of the media, cover this worthwhile campaign. And if you are Oprah, know that your suggestion has sparked the ultimate in grassroots action -- so please continue to follow this great story and spread the word.

How to spot a baby conservative

Whiny children, claims a new study, tend to grow up rigid and traditional. Future liberals, on the other hand ...


Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.

The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.

But the new results are worth a look. In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids' personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There's no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it's unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.

A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.

Block admits in his paper that liberal Berkeley is not representative of the whole country. But within his sample, he says, the results hold. He reasons that insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority, and find it in conservative politics. The more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives to the way things are, and find liberal politics more congenial.

In a society that values self-confidence and out-goingness, it's a mostly flattering picture for liberals. It also runs contrary to the American stereotype of wimpy liberals and strong conservatives.

For conservatives whose feelings are still hurt, there is a more flattering way for them to look at the results. Even if they really did tend to be insecure complainers as kids, they might simply have recognized that the world is a scary, unfair place.

Their grown-up conclusion that the safest thing is to stick to tradition could well be the right one. As for their "rigidity," maybe that's just moral certainty.

The grown-up liberal men, on the other hand, with their introspection and recognition of complexity in the world, could be seen as self-indulgent and ineffectual.

Whether anyone's feelings are hurt or not, the work suggests that personality and emotions play a bigger role in our political leanings than we think. All of us, liberal or conservative, feel as though we've reached our political opinions by carefully weighing the evidence and exercising our best judgment. But it could be that all of that careful reasoning is just after-the-fact self-justification. What if personality forms our political outlook, with reason coming along behind, rationalizing after the fact?

It could be that whom we vote for has less to do with our judgments about tax policy or free trade or health care, and more with the personalities we've been stuck with since we were kids.

Read the full story here.

Change of heartland

On the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, many Hoosiers are no longer strongly behind the war
(By Charlie Savage, Boston Globe Staff March 19, 2006)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion unleashed a surge of pessimism at a local farmers' market here, where stalwart Republicans, standing amid aisles of produce and miracle cures, said President Bush has messed up a war that looks more like Vietnam every day.

"It's chaos," said Roger Madaras, who voted twice for Bush. ''How many more people are going to be killed? We were going in to free the people of Iraq, but as far as I'm concerned, a lot of them are worse off today than they were under the dictatorship."

Madaras, the owner of a plumbing company, said he believed Bush when the president declared major combat to be over in May 2003, and is ''disgusted" that Bush's rhetoric was hollow. And he is far from alone.

Support for Bush and his handling of Iraq is sharply eroding across the American heartland, where the overcast skies and the muddy fields of late winter matched a sense of gloom about Bush and the war.

This month, the Indianapolis Star released poll findings that Bush's approval rating among Indiana voters stood at 37 percent -- a drop of 18 points over the past year. The numbers echoed national polls, but were particularly shocking in a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, and where Democratic presidential contenders often do not bother to campaign.

''A 37 percent approval rating in Indiana for a Republican president is unheard of," said Brian Howey, who runs a newsletter for Indiana state political insiders. ''Those are Bill Clinton or John Kerry numbers in Indiana. So there is something seriously awry going on right now."

In scattered rural diners and small-town restaurants adorned with 9/11-vintage American flag posters, support for the troops remains high. But many in Indiana also say the war has not turned out the way they thought it would three years ago, and they question whether Bush has what it takes to lead the troops into a happy ending.

Read the full Globe story here.

Flip that town

The first town ever auctioned on eBay soon will be back up for sale on the online auction site.
Nearly two years after he bought the tiny town of Bridgeville, Orange County financial adviser Bruce Krall said Friday he plans to re-auction the Humboldt County hamlet on eBay next month."Due to family reasons, I'm pretty much tied to Southern California for the foreseeable future," Krall said. "We can't move up there. It only makes sense to pass it on to somebody else."
(My translation as a former Southern Californian "My wife refuses to move, I have "needs", so I gotta sell" Oh wait, I guess that's the same EVERYWHERE).

Krall said the auction will open April 4 with a minimum bid of $1.75 million - more than twice what he paid for the 83-acre property about 40 miles southwest of Eureka.
Bridgeville, a picturesque village with about 25 people on the Van Duzen River, sparked a bidding war in 2002 when it became the first town ever put up for sale on eBay.
The buyer, who won the auction with a $1.78 million bid, never came to see the property and the deal fell through. The property was eventually posted on traditional real estate listings, and Krall bought it for about $700,000 in May 2004.

(For those of you lacking in knowledge of "left coast" real-estate prices, this guy "cleaned up"! 700k will buy you a modest middle class home in much of California. This guy bought the whole town for that!)

Since then, Krall said he's invested "multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars" to restore old buildings, remove dilapidated structures and clean up mounds of garbage. He also found new tenants for the houses and received a conditional use permit for a riverfront resort.
"It's come full circle," Krall said. "Now it's been fixed up, and I think it's actually ready to be sold on eBay."

(I'm looking forward to seeing this on a future edition of "Flip that House")!

Robert Blake plans return

A year after Robert Blake was acquitted in criminal court of killing his wife, the former tough guy actor spends his days exercising horses at a friend's ranch and planning a comeback. He acknowledges the past year has often been a time of despair, particularly the civil trial last fall in which a jury ordered him to pay his wife's family $30 million. But the 72-year-old Blake, who was a child actor in the "Our Gang" movie series and a hard-boiled cop in the 1970s TV show "Baretta," says he's finally begun to emerge from that dark period. "I want to live," he says.

I never could completely sort out my feelings on this case. Did he do it or not? Anybody who followed things at all knows that his wife had a shady history and a background in con games involving older men. Does that justify her death? Was Blake in on it? I'd love to hear your perspective on this.

Personally,I guess I'm glad he was acquitted, but I'll always ponder the true events of that night.


Read the full AP story here.

Consensus

"If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."

---

Ayad Allawi Former Iraqi Prime Minister

Hagel: I think the former Prime Minister is correct. I think we've had a low grade civil war going on in Iraq for the last six months maybe the last year-our own generals have told me that privately George, so that's a fact.




Murtha: Now, is it going to be a civil war? It’s already a civil war. Twenty-five thousand Iraqis are fighting with each other inside the country, the best estimates I see, less than 1,000 al-Qaida. The minute it’s over, they’ll, they’ll fight with each other, somebody will win, just like we did in our civil war, and they’ll lose a lot less people than we did in our civil war, and they’ll settle it themselves. I, I would like to be optimistic about it, but the figures don’t show it that way.

Immigration

Where have all the RED states gone?

A word from Garrison Keillor

Mr.Keillor wrote this regarding the 2004 election, but it is even more pertinent in today's political climate, with the 2006 vote looming large:

This year, as in the past, Republicans will portray us Democrats as embittered academics, desiccated Unitarians, whacked-out hippies and communards, people who talk to telephone poles, the party of the Deadheads. They will wave enormous flags and wow over and over the footage of firemen in the wreckage of the World Trade Center and bodies being carried out and they will lie about their economic policies with astonishing enthusiasm.
The Union is what needs defending this year. Government of Enron and by Halliburton and for the Southern Baptists is not the same as what Lincoln spoke of. This gang of Pithecanthropus Republicanii has humbugged us to death on terrorism and tax cuts for the comfy and school prayer and flag burning and claimed the right to know what books we read and to dump their sewage upstream from the town and clear-cut the forests and gut the IRS and mark up the constitution on behalf of intolerance and promote the corporate takeover of the public airwaves and to hell with anybody who opposes them.
This is a great country, and it wasn’t made so by angry people. We have a sacred duty to bequeath it to our grandchildren in better shape than however we found it. We have a long way to go and we’re not getting any younger.

You can find the entire story HERE.

Nods from the ACDP Webmaster

(As posted on AllenCountyDemocrats.org)

Have you checked out the ever-growing blog roll on the Links page?

(Your webmaster's latest BLOG O' THE WEEK is

Left in Aboite - Great job, John. And don't miss the new and improved Left of Centrist. Hats off to Robert, broadcasting from the beautiful Northside Neighborhood!)

Robert has the NE side covered; I have the SW; Craig sorta has the NW. Anyone wanna step up and claim my old SE turf? We MUST complete the square! =)

Go away, freak!

Hollywood bully Tom Cruise got Comedy Central to cancel Wednesday night's cablecast of a controversial "South Park" episode about Scientology by warning that he'd refuse to promote "Mission Impossible 3," insiders say.
Since Paramount is banking on "MI3" to rake in blockbuster profits this summer, and Paramount is owned by Viacom, which also owns Comedy Central, the tactic worked.
Read entire story here.


Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion. Apparently he was okay with bashing Christianity but not Scientology. .hypocrite. Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

Definitions

"But, If by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal,' then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'"
— President John F. Kennedy

Limbaugh thrown to the wolves

Here's the NUMBER ONE reason that Limbaugh now screens his audiences. Seems to be a trend with these people. . .hmmm. . Quick! Somebody call FOX Security! Turn on the spotbeam and display the "fat" signal over Metropolis! lol

Q & A

The Bush Administration's answer to...
Our dependency on foreign oil and the risk of ecological disaster from spills: Drill more.
The risk of Nuclear Winter: Build Nuclear "Bunker Buster" bombs, then tell Iran and Korea they can't have any.
The need for increased revenue for "war" corporations such as Haliburton: Start a war.
Too much resistance from the left: Tell NASA to go back to the Moon, then remove funding for it.
Congress doesn't like me: Make a new Congress.
The Supreme Court doesn't like me: Make a new Supreme Court.
An unknown whistle-blower is spreading the truth about me: Kill the messenger.
The high price of medicine: Eliminate medicine.
The need for better education: Eliminate funding for education.
The need for improvement of ANYTHING: Remove funding for it.
We're fighting a war and need better armor for the troops: Make them pay for their own armor.
Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina: Eat cake and play the guitar.
The dwindling economy, rising inflation, and increased unemployment: Steal from the poor and give to the rich.
Increased risk of terrorism at home: Tap citizens' phones and email.
Anyone argues: Lie about it, or say something like, "It's ok, I'm the President."
Losing an election: Cheat.

Here we go again

I am SO tired of secretive, slip shit in at the last minute, behind the scenes BULLSHIT from this administration and it's cronies. We JUST went through this. And, yet, once again, thay attempt to sneak it into yet another piece of legislation.
Last time the Republicans tried to attach drilling provisions to the defense spending bill. This time they are trying to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling by using the budget process. They want this so badly that they will do anything it takes to win. So they use loopholes and backroom tactics to try and force their drilling plan through.
If the budget passes tonight, it will also allow for drilling in the Arctic Refuge. A vote for the budget is a vote for drilling, and destruction of one of our country's finest natural resources. These areas can only be destroyed once, there is no "do-over". FAR too much of our great land has already been laid waste to. There is no excuse, in our day and age, to repeat the sins of our fathers.
Be sure to take lots of pictures NOW, and do alot of writing so that our descendants will be able to at least visualize the wildlife and undeveloped areas that made our nation so enjoyable.

Smith sentenced to die

Joseph Smith , who raped and murdered 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, was sentenced to death Wednesday for her murder.

The jury that convicted Joseph Smith in November had recommended by a vote of 10-2 that he be executed.

Smith, 39, showed no emotion ( Big surprise there) Wednesday as state Circuit Judge Andrew Owens read the official sentences — death for the murder count and life in prison for kidnapping and sexual battery.

Last month, Smith had tearfully apologized during a hearing, saying: "I take responsibility of my crimes. I don't understand how this could have happened. ... Every day I think about what I did and beg God for forgiveness." ("Somebody get me out of this, so I can go do it all again")

He said he had taken heroin and cocaine in an attempt to kill himself before he abducted Carlie on Feb. 1, 2004. Smith said he didn't remember much about that day and asked Owens to spare him for the sake of his family. (Ayup, that's what depressed druggies do, decide to kill themselves, and then look to rape and murder innocent young girls just for kicks. If you are that bent on fucking up your own life, I don't think you'd be trolling car washes for deviant sexual behaviour and murder. Nah. . they either OD or blow their brains out.)


Owens discounted those arguments Wednesday. He said Carlie suffered "unspeakable terror and physical suffering" at Smith's hands. (Now Florida can return the favor, unfortunately in a more merciful manner.)

Many of you know that I am an avid fan of Randi Rhoades of Air America, but I disagree with her on this one. She states that Smith should be kept alive, to examine what makes him tick. I say, it matters not, as long as the ticking ceases to be. There are ALOT of problems with our criminal justice system, especially with death penalty cases. But, in clear-cut cases like this, I say erase them. If I was Carlie's dad, I would hunt this SOB down until I killed him or was killed trying to. I think any father would agree.

Welcome to Indiana! The state where we sell short our children's futures for the greed of the moment! Prime real estate is still available at this time! For details contact:

Mitch Daniels at 1-800-WING-NUT.

(Please do not inquire about the Toll Road. It has already been leased away. This money should last our great state several months!)

Nosedive

Feingold calls for censure of Bush

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate today to censure the President of the United States. Feingold’s resolution condemns the President’s actions in authorizing the illegal wiretapping program and then misleading the country about the existence and legality of the program. Feingold calls the resolution an appropriate and responsible step for Congress to take in response to the President’s undermining of the separation of powers and ignoring the rule of law.

“The President must be held accountable for authorizing a program that clearly violates the law and then misleading the country about its existence and its legality,” Feingold said. “The President’s actions, as well as his misleading statements to both Congress and the public about the program, demand a serious response. If Congress does not censure the President, we will be tacitly condoning his actions, and undermining both the separation of powers and the rule of law.”

The President’s illegal wiretapping program is in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The FISA law makes it a crime to wiretap Americans in the United States without a warrant or a court order. The Bush Administration has obtained thousands of FISA warrants since September 11th and has almost never been rejected by the FISA court. FISA even allows wiretaps to be executed immediately in an emergency as long as the government obtains a warrant within 72 hours. The FISA law has been updated FIVE times since 9/11, contrary to Bush's statement that it is a 1978 law and not applicable in 2006.

“This issue is not about whether the government should be wiretapping terrorists – of course it should, and it can under current law” Feingold said. “But this President and this Administration decided to break the law and they have yet to give a convincing explanation of why their actions were necessary, appropriate, or legal. Passing more laws will not change the fact that the President broke the ones already in place and for that, Congress must hold him accountable.”

View the Censure Resolution (pdf)

The complete story HERE.

Woman alleges dismissal due to Air America bumper sticker

A Vista, California woman is suing her former employer for allegedly firing her for having an Air America bumper sticker on her car. Linda Laroca made the progressive talk radio rounds Friday on national and local radio shows. During interviews Friday, Linda Laroca said her former employer later told her the comment about the firing was a joke, and asked her back to work.Laroca alleges in her suit that her former manager spotted the bumper sticker advertising Air America, told Laroca she could be a member of al-Qaida, and fired her on the spot. The manager, Beverly Fath, called Laroca the Monday after the weekend incident to askher why she was not at work. When she replied that she had thought Fath had fired her two days prior, she was advised that the comments about the firing had been in jest.

Asked if she had mistaken her former manager's alleged comments, Laroca told the North County Times she didn't believe the woman had been joking. "If she was, I didn't take it that way," Laroca said. "She wasn't smiling."
Read the complete story here.

Order YOUR Air America bumper sticker HERE.

The conservative's "black sheep"

Okay, say you're an evangelical neo-con right-wing theologian. Gay rights? NO WAY! "Deviant" sex between consenting adults? UHH NO! Abortion for anyone other'n a virgin Christian girl who was saving herself for marriage but was brutally raped and can't take the mental stress (as opposed to any other woman who might be "stressed" by a raping). HELL NO!
What? You there! You want to have 15 wives?? HELL. . .uhh oh, you are an evangelical person and are following your personal religious beliefs? You, sir, may have 35 wives if you wish. God bless all 3 dozen of your asses! We aint got NO problem with polygamy as long as you're all fine God-fearin' Christian deviants. . .You all just congregate out there in Utah, help "spread the gospel door to door", and vote for our guys. We'll leave ya alone. Well, not "alone", but, heh. . who's counting? Not US! We love ya all the same. And at the same time.

Click here for the full article from MSNBC on this one. . .

BioWillie

On the Road Again” means something new for Willie Nelson these days — a chance for truckers to fill their tanks with clean-burning biodiesel fuel.Nelson and three business partners recently formed a company called Willie Nelson’s Biodiesel that is marketing the fuel to truck stops. The fuel, called BioWillie, is made from vegetable oils, mainly soybeans, and can be burned without modification to diesel engines.It may be difficult to picture the 71-year-old hair-braided Texas rebel as an energy company executive, but the singer’s new gig is in many ways about social responsibility — and that is classic Nelson.“There is really no need going around starting wars over oil. We have it here at home. We have the necessary product, the farmers can grow it,” said Nelson, who organized Farm Aid two decades ago to draw attention to the plight of American agriculture. Nelson has a long history with the combustion of naturally grown organic products, so this should be a natural.
Most people don't realize it, but the diesel engine was originally designed to run on some form of natural vegetable oil -- not petroleum-based diesel. Unlike a gas engine -- which uses a spark to ignite a highly volatile mixture of fuel and oil -- diesels rely on extreme compression and heat to ignite the fuel. This is why vegetable oil -- everything from soybeans to strained grease from a fast-food fry pit -- can be used to power a diesel engine, often with very few (or even no) modification to the engine itself. Willie uses the fuel himself -- for both his personal vehicles as well as his diesel-powered tour bus. Soon, you might be using it, too -- especially at $1.79 per gallon! It's cheaper than regular diesel because homegrown soybeans are less expensive than Saudi Arabian crude.
Click HERE for more info on Willie's company.
If you don't mind getting your hands a little greasy, you can do Willie one better -- and fill your tank for free. All you've got to do is scrounge up enough waste vegetable oil,strain it of loose fries and bits of General Tso's -- and motor on. Many restaurants already have contracts with companies to pick up this used oil already. So you might have trouble finding a large enough supply. Not to mention digging up your back yard to install the storage tank and other needed equipment.Most any diesel engine can be run on waste vegetable oil with a few modifications to the fuel lines/storage tank to prevent congealing in low temperatures. The only downside is the down and dirty nature of the fuel -- and the fast food fry pit smell that will blossom out of your vehicle's tailpipe.This may also lead to you being pulled over by a hungry traffic cop.
Read more about this process HERE

New Links (and a rallying cry)

I've added a new area for local Democratic candidate's links in the sidebar on the left side of this page. If you are aware of a candidate who has a site that you would like to see added here, please contact me via either a comment to this post or by e-mail. We all need to come together in this crucial and hopeful year for our party and support our standard-bearers, regardless of primary race outcomes. Let NO harsh words be spoken against any local Democrats by their peers at this junction. It is time for us to unite, fight, and take back our city, our county, state and nation. Our cause is just, our people are true, and opinion is swiftly swinging our way once more. We are, after all, the party that cares about our people. Where the value of the individual outweighs the value of the dollar to be made. Where we can offer up more precinct committee people than Steve Shine in a red county in a red state in a red region. Can I get a "HELL yeah"!?
Sorry, I was starting to feel a bit like an evangelist there for a moment. It's just that I feel very passionately about our message and our chances right now. I hope you all feel the same optimism and deep concern about the state of our state and country at this point in time. Thanks for listening to my rant.

Platform of the Allen County Democratic Party

Platform of the Allen County Democratic Party

September 20, 2005

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Allen County Democratic Party is to serve the local community and the public by promoting equal social and economic opportunities for all people through the election of candidates committed to Democratic ideals, by advocating for those ideals throughout society, by building local organizational capacity and partnerships with the state and national Democratic Parties to advance our mutual work, and by strengthening the unique, American democratic tradition of grassroots participation and activism.

Read the full party platform here.

AWB bids us adieu

AWB is pulling the plug on Fort Wayne Etc. Read his final comments here while available. Hope we'll still see you lurking in the shadows, man.

Major MESS

A former Daniels supporter dissects the "Major MESS" that Major Moves REALLY is.

Going after Leiberman

Ned Lamont for Congress. Ned takes on our number one DINO and Bush lapdog.

Country Stars Lash Out in Anger Over Conditions in Storm-Ravaged States

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw -- two stars who usually stay out of politics -- blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
The country music artists -- who are natives of the storm ravaged states -- were at times close to tears, and clearly angry when the subject of Katrina came up during a news conference today. They had met with reporters in Nashville to promote their upcoming Soul2Soul II Tour, but when asked about the hurricane cleanup, the stars pulled no punches.
"To me, there's a lot of politics being played and a lot of people trying to put people in bad positions in order to further their agendas," McGraw, a 38-year-old native of Delhi, La., told ABC News Radio.
"When you have people dying because they're poor and black or poor and white, or because of whatever they are -- if that's a number on a political scale -- then that is the most wrong thing. That erases everything that's great about our country."
McGraw specifically criticized President Bush. "There's no reason why someone can't go down there who's supposed to be the leader of the free world … and say, 'I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done. And you're held accountable, and you're held accountable, and you're held accountable.
"'This is what I've given you to do, and if it's not done by the time I get back on my plane, then you're fired and someone else will be in your place. '"
Hill: 'I Fear for Our Country'
The president had actually spent the day in New Orleans, getting a close-up look at boarded-up buildings and mountains of debris, noting that the city still suffers "pain and agony."
Along the president's route, some frustrated residents held up signs in protest, one asking "Where's my government?" and another telling the president to "cut the red tape and help us."
Hill, who grew up in Jackson, Miss., echoed those sentiments. So overwhelmed, she uncharacteristically unleashed an epithet, calling the situation, "Bull- - - -"
"It is a huge, huge problem and it's embarrassing," she said.
"I fear for our country if we can't handle our people [during] a natural disaster. And I can't stand to see it. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out point A to point B. . . . And they can't even skip from point A to point B.
"It's just screwed up."
Earlier in the day, McGraw and Hill had reason to celebrate. Their duet, "Like We Never Loved At All," was nominated by the Country Music Association as the Vocal Event of the Year.
The couple rarely voice political opinions, though they've been active in raising money for Katrina victims.
McGraw is a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, and in the days after the hurricane, he and Hill joined a mission to take supplies to Gulfport, Miss. At the Sept. 2 "Concert for Hurricane Relief," he appealed to fans to reach out with donations.
But under most circumstance, McGraw relies on easy charm when dealing with the media. In 2004, he actually told Time magazine, however lightheartedly, that he was thinking of going into politics. "I want to run for the Senate from Tennessee … Not now, but when I'm 50, when the music dies down."
"Wouldn't Faith make a great senator's wife?" he joked.
Then again, maybe he wasn't joking.

Somebody call the dixie chicks. The times they is a changin' and maybe you can now get some respect for your views. You already have mine.

How to take over South Dakota (et al)

GREAT article by Jon Carroll!

Nods out to Nancy Nall for the link.

Republicans Hold Firm on Ports Deal

UPDATE: It's DEEEAAAD! o3/09-06 8:40pm

House Agrees to Vote on Ports:
Showdown With President Likely
By Jonathan Weisman
The Washington Post



Efforts by the White House to hold off legislation
challenging a Dubai-owned company's acquisition of
operations at six major U.S. ports collapsed yesterday
when House Republican leaders agreed to allow a vote
next week that could kill the deal.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.)
will attach legislation to block the deal today to a
must-pass emergency spending bill funding the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. A House vote on the measure next
week will set up a direct confrontation with President
Bush, who sternly vowed to veto any bill delaying or
stopping Dubai Ports World's purchase of London-based
Peninsular & Oriental Steamship Co.

"Listen, this is a very big political problem," said House
Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), explaining that
he had to give his rank-and-file members a chance to vote.
"There are two things that go on in this town. We do public
policy, and we do politics. And you know, most bills at the
end of the day, the politics and the policy kind of come
together, but not always. And we are into one of these
situations where this has become a very hot political
potato."

Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.), said GOP leadership is "endorsing the viewpoint
of our members and Chairman Lewis that we do not believe
the U.S. should allow a government-owned company to operate
American ports."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said last night that
the administration is "committed to keeping open and
sincere lines of communication with Congress." She added,
though, that "the president's position is unchanged."



Since the Dubai port issue exploded last month, the Bush
administration, GOP leaders and DP World officials have
tried to defuse the situation and to buy time to let the
issue fade.

In a deal brokered by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
(R-Tenn.), DP World resubmitted its acquisition this week
to the administration for a 45-day national security
investigation. Frist has said he will hold off any
legislation in the Senate until that inquiry is completed,
a vow meant to give the administration and the company a
chance to present their case.

That agreement appears to have quieted calls in the Senate
for immediate action against the deal. Sen. Mel Martinez
(R-Fla.), an early critic of the deal, said briefings by
port security experts and company officials have eased his
concerns. But House Republican aides and Senate Democrats
said the Senate will almost certainly have to follow once
the House acts.

"This issue is going to go away like the sun's not going
to come up in the morning," said Senate Minority Leader
Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

"There's a lot of politics going on around here," Martinez
said.

The House is still boiling. Armed Services Committee
Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), with bipartisan support,
introduced legislation yesterday that would scuttle the
deal; mandate that the owners of "critical infrastructure"
in the United States, including ports, highways and power
plants, be American; and demand that cargo entering U.S.
ports be screened within six months of passage.

"This is a question at the heart of the security challenges
we will be facing in this next century," Hunter said.



House Homeland Security Chairman Peter T. King (R-N.Y.)
has been shopping around a compromise requiring DP World
to team with a U.S. partner, which would have complete
control of operations at the company's holdings at the
ports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia,
Miami and New Orleans.

But lawmakers from both parties suggested they could not
accept that. Hunter said employees and management would
remain obedient to the company's owners, no matter how
walled off from operations those owners are. "It's difficult
to come to the conclusion that security can be absolute and
ownership can be irrelevant," he said.

Even King questioned whether it would be workable. If DP
World were guaranteed a percentage of the profits from its
U.S. holdings, it would have to have access to financial
records that King wants to deny the company. Instead, King
said, DP World would have to receive a flat annual sum from
those operations, a contract that may be impossible to
write.

DP World officials were similarly noncommittal.

"We appreciate the comments and suggestion of the congress-
man, among many other congressmen and people from the White
House also, as well as the senators," Sultan Bin Sulayem,
Dubai Ports World's chairman, told CNN. "This 45 days that
we have volunteered for review is a good chance for all of
us, I think. And I think by the end of this, they will
realize that there is no fear, no worry about security."

DP World officials suggested yesterday that within days,
Peninsular & Oriental's operations will belong to them,
no matter what Congress does.

Liberals seek $60B in cuts to defense

-As reported by The Hill (Read the text of this bill HERE)

In its latest move to draw attention to liberal ideas, the Congressional Progressive Caucus will introduce a plan today to divert $60 billion in defense spending to humanitarian assistance, social programs, energy conservation, homeland security and deficit reduction.
Leaders of the caucus argue that the military funding goes to unnecessary Cold War-era programs and could be spent better elsewhere.
“I think it’s time for Congress and the House to talk about the huge amount of tax dollars going for weapons systems designed to fight a Cold War that doesn’t exist,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the 62-member Democratic group. “I don’t think people realize the billions of dollars that are being wasted.”
The plan, dubbed the Common Sense Budget Act, would direct savings in military spending toward humanitarian assistance and food aid ($13 billion), modernizing public schools ($10 billion), providing health insurance to uninsured children ($10 billion), energy conservation ($10 billion), training unemployed workers ($5 billion), homeland security ($5 billion), deficit reduction ($5 billion) and medical research ($2 billion).
Although it is highly unlikely that the Republican-controlled House will take up the plan, Progressive Caucus leaders said they hope it will be included in some form in the Democratic budget alternative to be introduced by House Budget Committee ranking Democrat John Spratt (S.C.). To that end, they are meeting this afternoon with Spratt and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.).
Some political observers fear that publicizing a Democratic proposal to cut military spending could open Democrats up to criticism that they are weak on security issues. But Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), the other co-chairwoman of the caucus, argued that the defense spending is not crucial to national defense, noting that a panel of military experts had vetted the Democrats’ plan.
“We’re talking about taking 60 billion away from defense programs we don’t even use. To me, that looks like Democrats are making sense,” she said. “If all you do around here is fear that it’s going to look like something you shouldn’t look like rather than something you should look like, then you’re wasting your time.”
“We can invest in our children and invest in the security of our country,” she added.
The large amount allocated for humanitarian assistance could be used in such places as the Darfur region of Sudan, Woolsey said. Pelosi and other House Democrats recently met with the Save Darfur Coalition, a group of religious and humanitarian groups.
The savings in defense spending in the progressives’ plan would come from cutting programs dealing with the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, the Virginia Class attack submarine, the DD(X) destroyer, the V-22 Osprey aircraft, the C-130 J transport aircraft and all offensive space-based weapon systems. It would trim programs such as the tri-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Army’s Future Combat System.
The proposals closely parallel a plan put together by Larry Korb, an expert at the liberal Center for American Progress who served as assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan.
Korb has been influential in driving Democratic policies. A report he wrote about how to draw down the American military presence in Iraq has generated significant interest in Democratic circles.
Korb will join Lee and Woolsey at an event this morning to unveil the budget bill. Also in attendance will be Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, founder of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.
The reinvigorated Progressive Caucus has been seeking to forge better ties with outside groups such as Cohen’s, following a model developed by Republicans to draw on the support of outside groups in pressing an agenda.

Stone Offers Kisses for Mideast Peace

Sharon Stone arrived in Israel on Tuesday for a five-day trip sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace, founded by Nobel Peace laureate Shimon Peres in 1996 to improve relations with Arabs. It's her first visit to the Holy Land.
Stone, joined by Peres at a news conference, said she couldn't solve the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but could use her fame to help encourage peace efforts."I would kiss just about anybody for peace in the Middle East," she said, drawing laughter from a throng of Israeli reporters. Stone playfully turned down calls to give Peres a peck on the cheek.
Noting it was International Women's Day, Stone suggested that more women become involved in the male-dominated world of Mideast peace talks. Women consider thoughts and feelings more than men, she said."I think (men and women) need to be a team. We were meant to be a team," she said. During her visit, Stone planned to play soccer with a mixed group of Israeli and Palestinian children, visit Israeli hospitals that care for Palestinian children and celebrate her 48th birthday Friday with a gala to raise funds for children's educational and health projects.
On a side note, "Basic Instinct 2," is due for release March 31.

Today's Snapshot

The latest numbers from pollingreport.com.
Wow. . .posting Craig-style is very time efficient! lol

Illinois Revenue Generator

I've always noted that the cars with the Illinois plates seemed to be driving the fastest (closely followed by Michigan), but this may be pushing it. Watch out if you need to pass through there. . .

Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones in July. Second offense tickets are $1,000 with license suspension. Beginning in July the State of Illinois will use speed cameras in areas designated as "Work Zones" on major freeways. Anyone caught by these devices will be mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense, but the SECOND offense will cost $1000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension. Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which allows insurance companies to raise their rates. This represents the harshest penalty structure yet for a city or state using PHOTO enforcements. The State will begin with TWO camera vans issuing tickets in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH. Photographs of both the Driver's face and License plate are taken.
Pass this on to everyone you know !!!!
for more info: http://www.dot.state.il.us/press/r033005.html

Rios charged in Alejandra's slaying

Delaware County authorities announced Monday they have filed charges of murder, rape and child molesting against a Fort Wayne man in connection with the death of 10-year-old Alejandra Guitierrez.

Simon Rios, 33, is already facing Allen County murder charges in connection with the death of his wife and three daughters, and now will face additional charges in Delaware County.

The announcement about the latest charges against Rios was made late this afternoon during a news conference by Delaware County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mark McKinney and Sheriff George Sheridan.

Alejandra disappeared the morning of Dec. 8, on her way to a school bus stop at South Calhoun Street and Branning Avenue. Her body was found near a gravel pit in Delaware County near Muncie on Dec. 19.

Her death was ruled a homicide. The bus stop was near Rios’ home.

Five days after Alejandra’s disappearance, Rios’ wife and three daughters were found dead inside the family’s home on South Calhoun Street. Their deaths were ruled homicides and Rios is facing four counts of murder and two counts of moving a body in Allen County.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has promised more on this developing story after 7 a.m. Fort Wayne time Tuesday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, as they have been over the last three months. As a father of two little girls, Alejandra's demise hit home with me especially. There's a special place in hell for freaks who would extinguish a young light like Alejandra for a brief moment of personal gratification. I, for one, would be happy to send these people there. But that, of course, must be left to our justice system. And we haven't even touched on the rest of this story: What about the other victims, the Rios family? There are alot of unanswered questions that we all have asked about both of these murders. Will we get the answers eventually? Will we find any closure from them if we do? I wish I had THAT answer. . .

Click here for more information on Alejandra's disappearance.

INTELLIVISION: A Tale of History, Survival, and Blue Sky Rangers

Intellivision beat Atari hands-down as far as graphics and playing options. However, many people found the control discs, rather than joysticks, difficult to use. For those of us who were able to master the controls, Intellivision was the clear choice. A company called PointMaster even made "snap-on" joysticks that you could attach to the Intellivision controller discs to help the player with joystick seperation issues. ;) The picture to the right shows my hardware collection.


The Intellivision video game system was introduced by Mattel Toys in 1980 to compete with the Atari 2600. Before the world's largest toy company entered the market, video games were dismissed by many as a passing fad. But as the Intellivision vs. Atari battle heated up with an aggressive ad campaign starring author/actor George Plimpton, the world took notice. The question was no longer "Should I get my family a video game system?" but rather "WHICH video game system should I get?"

The video game industry quickly hit $1.5 billion in sales, with the success or failure of dozens of companies basically in the hands of the inexperienced fresh-from-college kids hired to design and program the games. In a three-year roller-coaster ride, Intellivision soared into three million homes and made tens of millions of dollars - then crashed and almost bankrupted Mattel.

In 1984, most companies got out of the video game business. Mattel sold the Intellivision rights to a new company, INTV Corp., founded by a former Mattel employee. Thanks to the support of millions of Intellivision fans, INTV was able to continue publishing new games, using many of the original Mattel programmers. By 1985, Intellivision was the only video game console still being sold in the United States. New consoles and games continued to be made until 1990, well into the Nintendo era.

The Intellivision programmers, dubbed "The Blue Sky Rangers" by TV Guide in 1982, have remained a close-knit group. They meet annually for an Intellivision reunion, and over the years many have worked together at a number of companies on scores of projects.

In 1997, Intellivision Productions, Inc. was founded by two of these programmers, Keith Robinson and Stephen Roney. The company acquired the rights to the Intellivision system and its games. Thanks to the continued loyalty of the Intellivision fans, Intellivision Productions has released four CD-ROMs of the games for play on PC and Mac: Intellivision Lives!, Intellivision Rocks, and two Intellivision Greatest Hits .Also for PlayStation and for wireless phones. And Intellivision will be on more platforms soon!

Intellivision Productions is dedicated not only to keeping the classic games alive, but to telling the often-funny, often-bizarre story of Intellivision and the birth of the video game industry.

Check out the Intellivision Home Page for more information on the games,
as well as how to order the classic games for your PC.

I'm an avid collector who has amassed over 120 game cartridges, 6 different consoles, the computer, voice, and music synth modules.

Senator Bayh Secures Funds For Fort Wayne Clinton Street Bridge

-As reported by Marie @ Hoosier Democrats

The Clinton Street bridge that spans the St. Marys River just north of Headwaters Park has been slated for total replacement for several years. Clinton Street, also U.S. 27, is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation, or INDOT, which wants to replace the bridge in 2010.

In November 2004, the city announced its intention to chip in $1 million to make the bridge an “architecturally significant gateway” into downtown.

Circumstances changed, and that $1 million eventually went for another project. However, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., secured $4 million in federal funds “earmarked for us to be allocated toward that bridge and to make it a real signature piece,” said Sharon Feasel, a redevelopment specialist for the city. Added to the $2 million INDOT will spend on the project, the budget to replace the bridge is about $6 million.

Thank you Senator Bayh!!!!

The end of Crossfire

This is an old clip, but one of my personal favorites. John Stewart takes on Tucker Carlson and pretty much singlehandedly leads to the demise of CNN's "Crossfire". Enjoy!

This Year's Bushisms

"I believe that a prosperous, democratic Pakistan will be a steadfast
partner for America, a peaceful neighbor for India, and a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world." —George W. Bush, mistakenly identifying Pakistan as an Arab country, Islamabad, Pakistan, March 3, 2006


"People don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." —George W. Bush, on the deal to hand over U.S. port security to a company operated by the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 2006


"And I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company." —George W. Bush, defending a plan to allow a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates to manage ports in the United States, aboard Air Force One, Feb. 21, 2006


"I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball." —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

"I like my buddies from west Texas. I liked them when I was young, I liked them then I was middle-age, I liked them before I was president, and I like them during president, and I like them after president." —George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2006

"He was a state sponsor of terror. In other words, the government had declared, you are a state sponsor of terror." —George W. Bush, on Saddam Hussein, Manhattan, Kan., Jan. 23, 2006

"I'll be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven't seen the movie. I've heard about it. I hope you go — you know — I hope you go back to the ranch and the farm is what I'm about to say." —George W. Bush, after being asked whether he's seen Brokeback Mountain, Manhattan, Kan., Jan. 23, 2006


"It's a heck of a place to bring your family." —George W. Bush, on New Orleans, New Orleans, La., Jan. 12, 2006

"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas and under fire." —George W. Bush, addressing war veterans, Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2006

"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself — not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel." —George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006

Bush Sudoko

Lazy Muncie

Okay, this has already made "the rounds", but I wanted to have a link here on LIA. Click on the "Lazy Muncie" link at the end of this post to experience the video once more. I actually lived in Muncie for a short while way back in 1984; it's TRUE, everything really IS on McGalliard Avenue! I was homesick for Fort Wayne the entire time I was there, and used to try to lock in a signal from WMEE to cure my blues.
Last time I checked, downtown Muncie still had it's McDonald's with the original neon sign froom the 50's. Anybody know if that's still the case? In addition, they used to have a 50'? giant man holding an RV out on McGalliard. Last that I knew, they had moved him out to the exit on I-69. I have a photo of my friend sitting in the RV held by this behemeth, way up in the sky.

Lazy Muncie

Who's watching ME??

Not just a song by '80's artist Rockwell (with backups by the gloved one), but also your right to know who has been inquiring about you. In times like these, with widespread corruption in our government, and loss of our individual rights, what sane person wouldn't be concerned? Fortunately for us, there is a law in place that allows us to see who has been looking over our shoulder.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), anyone has the right to request information from the government. Last strengthened by Congress in response to the Watergate scandal, FOIA gives citizens a way to demand transparency from the Administration -- and take the government to court if necessary.

Many Americans -- especially those with family and friends abroad -- are wondering whether government agents have been listening to their phone conversations or reading their email. If you're worried this has happened to you, you can use this site to help you find out.

We can't guarantee that the Bush administration will disclose all this information in compliance with the law, but we can help you through the process. By filing a FOIA request, you will send a strong signal that American citizens believe in the rule of law and aren't afraid to stand up to the President when he violates the Constitution!


Click here to check on YOUR status.

State bill proposes Christianity be Missouri’s official religion

Somehow I think the following statement ought to preface this report:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" Anybody know that one? Know the source? Sounds reasonable enough.

Missouri legislators in Jefferson City considered a bill that would name Christianity the state's official "majority" religion. House Concurrent Resolution 13 has is pending in the state legislature. Many Missouri residents had not heard about the bill until Thursday.
Karen Aroesty of the Anti-defamation league, along with other watch-groups, began a letter writing and email campaign to stop the resolution. The resolution would recognize "a Christian god," and it would not protect minority religions, but "protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs. The resolution also recognizes that, "a greater power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls, "justified recognition."
State representative David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution, but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone. Governor Matt Blunt's office has yet to respond regarding where he stands on the resolution.

Is this why conservatives are in favor of "state's rights"? Do the same laws and principles that aplly to the US congress not apply to the state congresses as well? Is the "state's rights" platform merely another tool to chip away at the bedrock principles that our union was founded upon. Me thinks so.

Another quiz thing

As Robert recently said, I blame IT Chick for this one!



Thanks for taking the Weird Quotient test

Your score is:

89

Of all the weird test takers:




76% are more weird,
9% are just as weird, and
14% are more normal than you!

Now you know

GWB made an unannounced stop in Afghanistan today. Now you know the story behind the story. . .


Nods out to BuckFush.com

The story that refuses to die. . .

Secret Service agents guarding Vice President Dick Cheney when he shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington on a hunting outing two weeks ago say Cheney was "clearly inebriated" at the time of the shooting. Agents observed several members of the hunting party, including the Vice President, consuming alcohol before and during the hunting expedition, the report notes, and Cheney exhibited "visible signs" of impairment, including slurred speech and erratic actions.According to those who have talked with the agents and others present at the outing, Cheney was drunk when he gunned down his friend and the day-and-a-half delay in allowing Texas law enforcement officials on the ranch where the shooting occurred gave all members of the hunting party time to sober up.

We talked with a number of administration officials who are privy to inside information on the Vice President's shooting "accident" and all admit Secret Service agents and others say they saw Cheney consume far more than the "one beer' he claimed he drank at lunch earlier that day.

"This was a South Texas hunt," says one White House aide. "Of course there was drinking. There's always drinking. Lots of it."

Dobbs Strikes Back

Lou Dobbs takes on Dubai Ports International

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