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2nd Ft.Wayne Mayoral Debate

My observations:

Opening Statements -

Tom Henry, although still nervous on camera, was much more focused - in his opening comments he addressed this issue, comparing his speaking style to "watching paint dry" and offering up substance rather than style.

Matt Kelty attempted to blame property tax increases on local government. He then apologized for not recognizing his wife earlier.


Job Qualifications -


Tom Henry refused to attack Kelty, and claimed that Kelty would be a good mayor. Kelty returned the favor by praising Tom. In rebuttal, Tom got laughs by professing that "Matt would be a GOOD mayor, but he would be a GREAT mayor if he made ME deputy mayor". They then shook hands on that offer.


Kelty's Indictments -

Kelty professed his innocence (SHOCKING!), and Henry stated that Kelty was innocent until PROVEN guilty.

Harrison Square -

Tom reported on entrepreneurs who are flocking to inquire about investing in the project; including coffee shops, retail, and even a pharmacy downtown.

Matt derided government role in downtown revitalization and declared HS as landlocked.

Tom rebutted with the financial investment in HS by the private sector, and described other local public/private partnerships around it.


Riverfront Development -

Kelty complained alot, but provided no details or solid plans.

Henry explained how the feds dumped the cost of cleanup on us, explained why our rivers appear the way they do, and offered up plans to tie in riverfront development with the rivergreenways.


Local Employment -

Henry talked about holding a summit between local schools and businesses.

Kelty claimed that HS would only transfer jobs for hot-dog vendors from Coliseum Blvd to downtown.


What 20th century leader would you most like to emulate? -

Kelty cited, in order, the pope, JFK, and Ronald Reagan.

Henry cited JFK & RFK, followed by his father. He then described his father's long involvement in local social and political issues.


City Services -

Henry cited the improvements made under Graham Richard's watch, and promised to continue to improve upon those efforts.

Kelty claimed that those city services should be outsourced to the private sector.


Southeast Fort Wayne -

Henry cited the improvements made under Graham Richard's watch. Southtown Centre, Safety Academy, etc.

Kelty blew off the geographics, claiming that SE residents were undeserving of local government assistance due to their poor work ethic.

Henry rebutted and defended SE residents; vowed to be their voice.

In closing -

Tom Henry compared this election to a job interview, and asked for us to employ him; citing his record of local activism.

Matt Kelty ran on and on about the private sector replacing local government.

Overall - Tom Henry was MUCH more on his game tonight. He's not the best public speaker; but tonight he started out by highlighting that fact and poking fun at it. He then continued on to do an impressive job, despite that handicap. He offered up exactly what he promised at the start of this debate: substance over style, while also getting several laughs at his own expense.

Matt Kelty rambled on, in the same manner as last week's face-off. Nothing new to offer: Government BAD, private sector GOOD. In his closing comments he laid claim to Ronnie Ray-gun's "shining city on the hill" statement, claiming that it was directed at the Summit City.

Matt, that comment MAY have been directed at our fair city; Ronnie DID visit us during one of our worst moments, and under the watch of one of our best mayors, Win Moses. YOU are no Win Moses. . .

Quote of the Day

Cenk Ugyr, of The Young Turks, on the election of Cristina Fernandez in Argentina:

"Congratulations to Cristina Fernandez on becoming the first PILF in the history of the world. That's 'President that I'd Like to. . . ' "

The State of Liberalism Today

This sounds like a great read. I will likely purchase it this week:



You can get this book, The Conscience of a Liberal here.

Is our Long Local Nightmare Almost Over?

If the mayoral election had been held two weeks ago, the answer would be a resounding yes. Tom Henry's 14% lead, while not insurmountable, is encouraging. However, that being said, DO NOT write this one off as a done deal. If you are a Tom Henry supporter, then it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that show up at the polls and cast your vote for him on November 6th!

I can think of at least four people who can tell you about the price of assumptions and overconfidence going into an election, and two of them are in the graphic to the left. Ask Nelson Peters or Win Moses about their experiences in this matter:

Kelty took 50.3% of the vote compared with 49.7% for Allen County Commissioner, F. Nelson Peters IV, in the primary, defeating Peters by 661 votes, according to unofficial results.

Moses narrowly averted defeat by Matt Kelty in the 2002 general election for state representative. Moses won the election by 63 votes, which was verified by a recount. Moses was the only Democrat to win in the 81st House District that year. His usual victory percentage in elections for State Representative is approximately 60 percent.

Tom Henry represented the Third District for five terms on the Fort Wayne City Council between 1984 and 2004. He narrowly won re-election in 1995 by only 5 votes after the outcome was determined by a recount.

Lazy and apathetic voters of Fort Wayne, now more than ever, your city needs you!!

You Tell Me

Saturday. . .Sunday. . .Mudvein. .err. .Monday! Sorry - this picture threw me off crack, err. .track, for a second there. . .I'm wondering what the charges were and who was behind this incident! But, on Mondays, YOU, faithful reader, get to play judge and juror, so. . .CAPTION THIS PHOTO:

Chicago Mobilization - October 27,2007

Robert Rouse filmed the following videos from the mobilization in Chicago yesterday.

Stewart stumps while Harper's hush hush

On October 12, I posed the question "Who's Your Man, Mitch?", in reference to Mitch Harper's exceedingly quiet position on which mayoral candidate he supports. It turns out that Chris Stewart also would like to have that question answered:

From today's Political Notebook:

Chris Stewart, the Democrat seeking the 4th District Fort Wayne City Council seat, last week sent out a statement touting the fact Democratic mayoral candidate Tom Henry and sitting Councilman Tom Hayhurst, D-4th, are endorsing his candidacy.

A Democrat getting endorsements from other Democrats in a general election is almost never a big deal, but what was more interesting was that Stewart questions where his opponent stands in the mayor’s race. While Stewart says he supports Henry – again, no surprise – he said Republican Mitch Harper has been exceedingly quiet when it comes to which mayoral candidate he supports.

“Right now it’s unclear where Mitch stands, and that calls into question his willingness to work with the next mayor,” Stewart said in a statement.

Only in this year’s election would this become an issue. With the local Republican Party split over whether to support embattled nominee Matt Kelty, it is apparently a campaign issue whether Republican council candidates support their mayoral nominee.

Harper could not be reached for comment, but when addressing the Republican Lunch Club this month, the slate of council candidates spoke about the importance to work for the party and to elect a strong council majority. What wasn’t mentioned by any candidate? The need to elect Kelty.

Chris Stewart and Karen Goldner have both run strong grass roots campaigns that have involved lots of time and shoe leather. Neither one of them needs to hope for a ride on Tom Henry's coat-tails. But, with Republican opponents who are afraid to even announce their support for Matt Kelty, they may get that added boost anyway.

Jumbo Got Jets

Rap to the tune of Sir-mix-alot's Baby Got Back, in honor of the A380's first commercial flight:

I like big jets and I can not lie
You other flyers can't deny
When a plane flys in with two itty bitty props
And sixteen seats...no more...
You get scared, don' wanna try your luck
'Cause you know that the flight will suck
Bouncing, diving, shearin'
Got me sweating, shaking, fearin'

Hey Airbus, I wanna fly yer
Brand new double-decker
Frankly I'm not buyin'
Two's enough for flyin'--water's what I'm spyin'
But your four big engines
Will have me boardin' with a grin
So tease me, tease me...
With beds, champagne, and T.V.
I've seen planes aplenty
To hell with A320's
Jumbo's a big...rig
Like the 7-4-7, I dig!

I'm tired of the FAA
Sayin' 2's enough to stay
Up in the air when there ain't no spot
to land for a-half-a-day.
So...Airbus (Yeah!) Airbus (Yeah!)
Has your jumbo got four jets? (Hell yeah!)
Then book it! (Book it!) book it! (Book it!)
Book it to Japan!

Jumbo got jets!

Any Questions?

10 Most Dangerous American Associations

Right Wing bloggers comically came up with the 10 most dangerous American organizations. Pay particular attention to who they placed in the #2 slot:

Perfected: The Ann Coulter Song

Carlin on Countdown

Spawn of AWB's Aboite Center Road Prank

This apple definitely didn't fall far from duh tree:

Friday Nite Retro

Welcome to Friday Nite Retro - LOL Edition! Ladies and gents, I present:

Classic Weird Al!

Another One Rides the Bus


I Lost on Jeopardy


I Love Rocky Road


Like a Surgeon


Fat


Living With a Hernia


Beverly Hillbillies


One More Minute


Amish Paradise


Bedrock Anthem


The Saga Begins

World's Biggest Jet Takes Flight

The world's largest jetliner made aviation history Thursday, completing its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney with 455 passengers, some of them ensconced in luxury suites and double beds.

The Airbus superjumbo lifted off from Singapore's Changi Airport and landed about seven hours later in Sydney. Also aboard Flight SQ380 was a crew of about 30, including four pilots.



Flight attendants handed out champagne and certificates to passengers, some of whom paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction for seats.


"I have never been in anything like this in the air before in my life," said Australian Tony Elwood, reclining with his wife, Julie, on the double bed in their private first-class suite.




The Boeing 747 jumbo jet generally carries about 400 passengers. The A380 — as tall as a seven-story building with each wing big enough to hold 70 cars — is capable of carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.

Chris Stewart for Fourth District City Council

As a Fourth District resident and the editor of Left in Aboite, I am heartily endorsing Chris Stewart for City Council. Most of you are already aware of my support for Chris, and I was going to present you with a long list of my reasons for that support. But, as it turns out, most of my thoughts regarding the man have already been publicly expressed by people who carry far more clout than I ever will. So I decided to share their endorsements with you:

"Chris Stewart is truly passionate about Fort Wayne and the potential it has to offer. He brings energy, trust, vision, and honesty to the political arena. Having Chris on the city council will ensure our city moving forward."

—Tom Henry, Democratic Mayoral Candidate

“Chris Stewart is a bright, energetic, and motivated young man. He is a family man and a businessman who knows Fort Wayne. Chris will do a great job representing the citizens of the fourth district.”

—Dr. Tom Hayhurst, Fort Wayne City Council

"Chris Stewart will bring energy and independent thinking to City Council. He'll demand that city services are delivered in a timely and efficient manner without raising taxes."

—State Representative Phil GiaQuinta

"Chris Stewart's energy, work ethic, knowledge of business and commitment to our community will be a great addition to City Council. He will listen to the people of the 4th District and be their advocate."

—Karen Goldner, 2nd District City Council candidate

Chris is endorsed by the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association

"Chris will represent the residents and business owners of our community exceptionally well. I have known Chris since childhood, and I can't think of anyone I would trust more to lead this community in to the future. You won't find anyone more committed to making a difference."

—Kirk Ray, CEO, St. Joseph Hospital

"Chris, a life-long resident of Fort Wayne, chose this community in which to raise his family. He has made a substantial investment in this community by owning and operating his local businesses, Frickers Restaurant and ISM. As a city councilman, Chris will use his knowledge of the community and his business experience to help Fort Wayne grow and prosper."

—Robert Eherenman, local attorney

"Chris Stewart will bring a no-nonsense attitude to City Council. He is fair, honest and hard working. His business experience and family values will guide Chris's ability to make Fort Wayne a better place to work and live...and we need it!"

—Todd Stewart, President, One Resource Group

"Chris Stewart is the complete package for the position of City Councilman... business owner, father, husband, and local volunteer. It is refreshing to see someone involved in politics so passionate about issues!"

—Andrea S. Baumer, Co-Owner, One Resource Group

"I have been a business partner with Chris's company for the past five years. During that time, Chris has impressed me with his energy, vision and ability to own and manage a business outside of his regular job. Chris has a passion to be successful and better the communities that he and his restaurants are involved with."

—Eric Morman, Senior Vice President, First Federal Bank

“We have very much respected Chris Stewart and his visionary efforts since we met him years ago. In 2002, He was instrumental of putting together a partnership between the Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club and Fricker’s Restaurants at a time when many others in the community had doubts about the future success of the new downtown ballpark. Chris’ foresight has helped as Fricker’s continues to be a proud sponsor, and the Toledo Mud Hens have re-energized downtown Toledo and have shattered our old attendance records, nearly getting 600,000 fans this past season, with the support of those like Chris and Fricker’s. Chris’ contagious enthusiastic attitude is the equivalent of shaking up a can of soda pop for a minute and then pulling open the tab!”

—Scott S. Jeffer, Asst. General Manager/Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club, Inc.

"Chris Stewart is an energetic young businessman with a mature passion for the future of Fort Wayne."

—James W. Fisher, DDS, MSD, President and Founder, Endodontic Associates, Inc.

I am a business owner with Chris Stewart, and have been a working partner with him for over 16 years. I can attest to his character, his ethics, and his loyalty. An extremely dedicated, hard working individual, Chris would be a refreshing addition to government in Fort Wayne . I know of no one with more enthusiasm and energy for whatever the task or challenge. He is a very involved and dedicated family man who manages an extremely active business, and also oversees a well established restaurant in Toledo , Ohio , and another one in Fort Wayne.I would enjoy seeing his enthusiasm and common sense approach at work within the Fort Wayne City Council."

—Mike Keller, President, International Sales and Marketing

"My husband and I have known Chris Stewart for 15 years. He has proven
himself to be an astute professional businessman. Chris has a great
respect for his family and community. A person with integrity,
determination and dedication of such magnitude deserves our support."

—Tamara Braun, Realtor/Broker, Remax Results

The preceding endorsements from leaders in our community carry far more weight to myself and most other voters than the negative muckraking employed by "right wing attack white dogs". It would be very easy to go negative against the opponent in this campaign - there's lots of material to work with. And that's all I will say on that matter.

If you reside in the fourth district, I encourage you to learn more about Chris Stewart. Visit his website, e-mail him with your questions, or ask to meet with him personally. He's open and accessible, and willing to talk about whatever is on your mind.

"What the heck is that?", I asked myself.

As I drove to the office today, I noticed a weird looking sign in a front yard. I had never seen one like it before, so I had to take a closer look. Turns out it's a 'Kelty for Mayor' sign. Huh. I guess not everyone is a Henry supporter; as I am very familiar with with his signs. I have been seeing them on vehicles and front yards for quite a while now! Well, now I know what a Kelty sign looks like. I wonder if this is his house?

Time Corners Contract Approved

Benjamin Lanka from the Journal Gazette reports:

A long-awaited project on Fort Wayne’s southwest side took another step toward reality Wednesday morning.

The Fort Wayne Board of Public Works approved a contract between the city and state regarding the road project to realign the intersections at West Jefferson Boulevard, Covington Road and Getz Road, known as Time Corners.

The contract outlines that the city will pay $567,174 of the $3.4 million project. The rest of the money will come from state and federal sources.

The project will expand the short section of Covington Road between Getz Road and Jefferson Boulevard to allow for traffic in both directions. It currently allows only for westbound traffic. It will also change Covington and Jefferson to a four-way signal. The project also removes the current signal into the Time Corners shopping center and installs a new one farther north.

For more on this story, see Thursday’s editions of The Journal Gazette or visit www.journalgazette.net after 7 a.m. Thursday

October 27th Mobilization To End The War

On Saturday, October 27th there will be 11 massive demonstrations for peace throughout the United States. In Boston, Chicago, Jonesborough, Tennessee, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle, people from all walks of life will join together to express their anti-war sentiments and to call for an immediate end to the conflict in Iraq.

With each passing day the human and financial cost of this unnecessary war grows more and more painful. It’s time for the American people to speak out; to collectively let our government know that it’s time for this war to end. October 27th provides just that opportunity and the world will be watching.

Take a look at the mobilization web site to get details on the marches October 27th and join your family, friends and neighbors in making sure that your voice is heard. It’s time.

Working together with our partners at United For Peace And Justice, Brave New Films has demonstrated again just how effective an advocacy tool video can be. As this video spreads throughout cyberspace, help it on its essential journey by spreading the word to friends and family. The power is in your hands, please use it and help the cause of peace now.

The video is presented by Robert Greenwald and the entire team at Brave New Foundation. It was produced by John Ehrenfeld and Chris Gordon, who also edited the piece.

The original song “People” was written by Alex Dickson and produced and mixed by Alex Elena. Featured musicians were Alex Elena on drums, Alex Dicksonon bass and guitar, Riley Geare on the Wurlitzer organ and Milena Mepris, Darren Geare and Alex Dickson on vocals.

Why 2008 Will be a Perfect Storm for Republicans

By Mark Green:

In hindsight, we can see why incumbent parties have been blamed and creamed in federal elections, like Republicans in 1974 after Watergate and Democrats in 1994 after the failure of health care. Looking ahead, with 13 months to go, a perfect storm is gathering force that will likely decimate Republican strength in federal and state races.

There is no one earthquake producing a political tsunami but rather four separate seismic events that together—short of another terrorist attack or a new war against Iran—will alter the electoral terrain of America.

Iraq: Consider the numbers: when asked who can best end the Iraq war, only 5 percent of Americans in a recent poll said President Bush; consistent majorities of 70 percent want the war to end soon and 60 percent believe Bush misled us into this conflict. Claims of progress may momentarily quell public anger over this monumental blunder—say, General Petraeus's putting a happy face on the war. But such optimism is now as convincing as General Westmoreland's expecting "light at the end of the tunnel" in Vietnam or Baghdad Bob's denying American troops were anywhere near the Baghdad airport while those troops were seizing it.

What exactly can GOP candidates say next fall in the face of no WMD, no link between Saddam and 9/11, no ties between Saddam and al Qaeda, no flowers for "liberators," 5 million refugees both out of and within Iraq, Administration approval of torture, over 30,000 American dead and wounded as well as over 100,000 Iraqis killed -- not to mention an increase in terrorism world-wide? "Give us more time" for a war that's lasted longer than World War II?

None of this worked in 2006 and will be even less pervasive in 2008. As Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) recently acknowledged after a Senate vote on the war, the public knows this is Bush's and the Republican's war and will reward or punish candidates accordingly.

Economy: Most economic forecasters are predicting a one in two chance of a recession due to the foreclosure crisis leading to a credit crisis. Nor can Republican candidates convincingly cite Bush's eight-year record if '08 goes flat. Average monthly job creation and economic growth under Clinton was 237,000 and 3.6 percent; under Bush, it's 53,000 and 2.6 percent. Even if there's no recession but merely a slowdown, incumbent parties historically still lose seats and the White House if economic growth falls below 3 percent in the election year, as now seems inevitable.

At the same time, this Administration's record on spending and deficits—turning a projected $5.6 trillion surplus into $3 trillion in deficits—is dividing its own business base, according to Wall Street Journal last week. Now when asked which party would better maintain prosperity, it's Democrats by 54-34 percent according to Gallup.

And for the first time in several generations, the economic debate may include not only growth but also distribution. Static median income over the Bush years combined with winner-take-all increases in wealth by the top 1 percent have not gone unnoticed. A Pew Poll in 1988 found that by 71 to 25 percent, Americans thought themselves “haves” rather than “have nots”; by 2001, it was 48 to 48 percent. Any such data or arguments provoke Republicans to shout, “class warfare.” But this is blaming the mirror for the image. Can conservatives explain how ExxonMobil's Lee Raymond earned more per hour in 2005 than his average employee earned per year?

Intolerance: The GOP claiming to the "party of Lincoln" is a pretense long beyond its expiration date. During the Cold War, Republicans could successfully run against Reds and Blacks. Yet with the decline of Communism and the Southern Strategy, GOP strategists have instead turned to targeting terrorists, immigrants and gays. Hence all those terror alerts and anti-gay referenda in 2004, and strident anti-immigrant rhetoric in 2007. But can the GOP rely simply on white men to win, blowing off racial and other minorities in a country increasingly minority? Bush's small gain in the black vote from 8% in 2000 to 11% in 2004, including a pivotal 16% in Ohio, helped cement his narrow victory.

The recent refusal of leading Republican presidential candidates to attend key black, Latino and gay debates prodded former vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp to complain, “We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us. What are we going to do—meet in a country club in the suburbs one day?” It won't suffice any longer for 2008 convention organizers to put every minority delegate on the stage, hoping pictures will substitute for policy.

Children: President Bush made good on his threat to veto the expansion of the SCHIP program to extend health insurance to another 4 million children, notwithstanding the bi-partisan support of 43 governors and an 84 percent majority in a CBS-New York Times poll. He complains that such a move would federalize, even socialize, health care. So will he now end Medicare and Medicaid?

Yes, it would cost another $35 billion annually, but that would be entirely covered by a proposed increase in the tobacco tax. It's revealing that an administration which didn't veto any spending bills for six years and didn't sweat $50 billion in oil subsidies and $10 billion a month for Iraq now draws the line against providing health care to children at no-cost to the federal budget. It approaches political suicide for the Bush Administration and four top GOP presidential candidates to elevate the rhetoric of free-market fundamentalism over the reality of millions of children lacking health insurance.

Pro-war and anti-growth, anti-minorities, anti-children. Not a good way to run for election.

Beyond these four problems, a variety of other realities combine to dig Republicans into an even deeper hole. Recent polls show Democrats are more trusted on every domestic and foreign policy issue: education, health care, environment, economic growth, fiscal discipline, even terrorism. The number of Americans who self-identify as Republican is at a seven year low. While Americans believing the country is "on the wrong tack" was 50 percent in 2002 and 2004, it's now 67 percent. National Democratic committees and presidential candidates are outraising their Republican counterparts better than 2 to 1. And then there's the fact that Republicans are defending 22 Senate seats in 2008 compared to 12 for the Democrats. Nine Republican Senate seats are now considered vulnerable (Alaska, Colorado, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon and Virginia).

Adding it all up: look for Democrats to end up with a near filibuster-proof 58 Senate seats (up from 51) and 260 House seats (up from 213 in 2005 and 233 in 2007). The 2006 and 2008 elections would then be the equivalent of a rolling realignment, comparable to the 51, 49 and 53 House seats that switched hands in 1958, 1974 and 1994 respectively. For when there's a tidal wave of sentiment, it doesn't tip some close contests but nearly all close contests. What John Kenneth Galbraith said of Black Monday 1933 is true for the GOP today: "The end had come, but it was not yet in sight."

Green, former New York City public advocate, is president of Air America Radio and author of the coming paperback "Losing Our Democracy."

Viral Links

Below is a matrix of 120 stars, I have already added a link to my blog onto one of the stars, all you need to do is copy and paste the grid into your blog and add your own link to one of the other spare stars, and tell others to do the same!

Viralink

********************
********************
********************
********************
***********

When I receive a ping back once you have added the Viralink to your site I will add your link to this grid, and each person who copies the grid from here will also link to your site!

Rules
No Porn Sites
Only 1 link per person (i.e don't hog the viralink!)
Please don't tamper with other peoples url's
Enjoy!

GOP Minority Debate Avoiders Raked in Cash From Firms Accused Of Racism

While the four top GOP presidential posers missed the Sept 27 debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore that was organized to address minority issues, that didn't preclude them from raking in the dough from dozens of business and professional elites, including a top Wall Street banking firm that was sued that same week for racial discrimination.

Overall, it was a grand and enriching week for the four white males most likely to represent the Republicans in the 2008 presidential race. Among them, they amassed over $9 million while they were too "busy" to attend the debate at Morgan State.

The most egregious case is that of Morgan Stanley, who gave money to three of the four during the week of the minority debate they chose to miss. The NCRC filed a civil rights complaint against Morgan Stanley and its mortgage lender subsidiary Saxon Capital just three days before the debate, in one of the first challenge against a Wall Street mortgage bundler to allege redlining in minority communities throughout the United States under the Federal Fair Housing Act.

But Romney, McCain, Thompson and Giuliani weren't a bit inhibited from passing the hat at a company that saddled the gullible with sure-fail housing loans while bypassing qualified minority borrowers. While they didn't feel up to engaging black and Latino questioners at the debate, all but McCain eagerly vacuumed up a total of at least $40,000 that week from Morgan Stanley employees, according to campaign finance reports filed with the FEC (Morgan Stanley executives have given to McCain on other occasions.)

Rudy on Gay Marriage: Then and Now

THEN:

From the New York Times, 8/4/01:

For the past two months Rudolph Giuliani has been coming home at night to one of the happiest marriages in New York.

That's how long the mayor, in flight from his own marital wreckage at Gracie Mansion, has been a frequent sleepover guest at the home of Howard Koeppel and his partner, Mark Hsiao. Mr. Koeppel, who is 64, is a Queens car dealer who has been both a close friend and prodigious fund-raiser of Mr. Giuliani's since 1989. The 41-year-old Mr. Hsiao is a Juilliard-trained pianist who works at the city's Department of Cultural Affairs. They've been together almost 10 years -- are registered with the city as domestic partners -- and in happier times for the Giuliani marriage, double-dated with the mayor and Donna Hanover on New Year's Eve. Now they are doting hosts to Mr. Giuliani as he juggles his raucous divorce, his recovery from prostate cancer treatments, his waning months in office, his romance with Judith Nathan, his post-public-life future and, last but hardly least, his search for an affordable Manhattan apartment rental of his own.

The mayor's progressive record on gay civil rights notwithstanding, he has not endorsed same-sex marriage. But, says Mr. Koeppel, ''He did tell us that if they ever legalized gay marriages, we would be the first one he would do.'' Mr. Koeppel and Mr. Hsiao are in favor of the right to marry -- which, among other things, would give gay couples the same protections as heterosexual couples in legal and fiscal matters ranging from immigration and adoption rights to veterans' and Social Security benefits.

NOW:

October 20, 2007

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, told The Hill Saturday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) would support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.Perkins said Giuliani told him in a private meeting that if the Defense of Marriage Act appeared to be failing or if multiple states began to legalize same-sex marriages, then he would support the constitutional amendment.

Giuliani did not mention the amendment or the issue of gay marriage during his address to the Values Voters Summit, but that position could win him favor with some social conservatives who view the former mayor warily.

You Tell Me

I hope YOU woke up in your own bed this morning! Since it IS Monday morning, and this gal's still sleeping, I need YOU to caption this photo:

The GOP is KILLING My Buzz, Man!

Hippies used to say "If you remember Woodstock, you weren't really there". Republicans say Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer can forget about getting $1 million in taxpayer funds for a Woodstock museum. The Democratic senators from New York want to earmark the federal money for a museum that would commemorate the 1969 music festival in their state.

"Woodstock Museum is a shining example of what's wrong with Washington on pork-barrel, out-of-control spending," said John McCain, adding "do NOT look at the bill for the Iraq war, which is NOT out of control or unjustified - and that's why I'M behind it 100%".

The Woodstock museum, officially called the Museum at Bethel Woods, is due to open next year. Bethel was the upstate New York village where organizers eventually put on the three-day Woodstock Music and Art Fair, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Band and others. The museum is part of a larger development that includes a 16,800-seat amphitheater and is called the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts. It was opened in 2006.

Old Enough Now to Ask How Dad Died at War

From: The New York Times

CamerynLee Orlowski was only 3 when her father, a Marine Corps reservist, was killed in Iraq.
In a grim marker of the longevity of the war, children who were infants or toddlers when they lost a parent in action are growing up. In the process, they are coming to grips with death in new, more mature and at times more painful ways — pondering a parent they barely knew, asking pointed questions about the circumstances of the death and experiencing a kind of delayed grief.

Families and bereavement counselors say that media coverage of the war, dedication ceremonies and even school events — in which most classmates have both parents in attendance — can all heighten yearning for the missing parent. For young children, the flood of prickly feelings and questions often arises just as the surviving parent is moving beyond his or her own intense grief, sometimes with a new spouse or partner in the picture.

Comic's Round Up

"President Bush met with the Dalai Lama yesterday. It was a good meeting. The Dalai Lama taught President Bush how to meditate, and President Bush taught the Dalai Lama how to just nod off at meetings." - Jay Leno

"The Dalai Lama had a private meeting with President Bush...Believe it or not, they actually have a lot in common. One of the goals of Zen Buddhism is to completely empty your mind. The president did that years ago." - Jimmy Kimmel

"Condoleezza Rice, bless her heart, is trying to work out a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis. That's about as doable as she is" - David Letterman

"Did you hear that Dick Cheney and Barack Obama are cousins? It's strange, isn't it? In a related story, 20 years ago, it turns out Rudy Giuliani was briefly married to himself." - David Letterman

"Experts were worried about China's reaction to President Bush's meeting with the Dalai Lama, but Bush says he doesn't think the meeting will damage our relationship with China. Then Bush said, 'But this might,' and took a huge bite out of a panda bear sandwich." - Conan O'Brien

"Obama and Cheney are actually cousins, but Barack did not inherit the family sneer." - David Letterman

"Isn't that amazing, Obama and Cheney related? Dick Cheney now has more blacks and gays in his own family than in the entire Republican Party." - Jay Leno

"A baker in Austria is in trouble for making his employees pay for the time they spend in the bathroom. This guy will record their bathroom breaks and then deduct the money from their pay. Can you imagine that? That's got to be Senator Craig's worst nightmare." - Jay Leno

Rudy in Disguise

Republicans For Henry

Friday Nite Retro

Good Evening and welcome once again to Friday Nite Retro! Tonight we're going to get the blues, but in a good way! Let's jump right in with Lonesome George and his Delaware Destroyers!

George Thorogood was born in Wilmington, Delaware on New Year's Eve, 1950 - No wonder the guy likes to party and rock out!

Thorogood cut his debut album, titled Better Than the Rest in 1974, and released it that same year. In 1976 he recorded his second album, the eponymous George Thorogood & The Destroyers with his band, and issued the album in 1977. Thorogood released his next album titled Move It On Over in 1978 with The Destroyers, which included the hit "Move It On Over".

Move it on Over


"Please Set A Date" and "Who Do You Love" both followed in 1979. Before devoting himself exclusively to music, Thorogood played semi-pro baseball.[1]In the late 1970s, Thorogood played on a team in Delaware in the Roberto Clemente League which was created in 1976. He was the second baseman and was chosen rookie of the year in the league. Soon after this achievement, The Destroyers forced him to quit playing the sport. In the 1970s, George and the band were based in Boston.

Who Do You Love


George and the band were friends with Jimmy Thackery and the Nighthawks. While touring in the 1970s, the Destroyers and the Nighthawks happened to be playing shows in Georgetown (DC) at venues across the street from each other. The Destroyers were engaged at The Cellar Door, the Nighthawks at Desperados. At midnight, by prior arrangement, while both bands played the same song ("Madison Blues") in the same key (E), George and Jimmy left their clubs, met in the middle of M street, exchanged guitar cables and went on to play with the opposing band.

I Drink Alone


George and the Destroyers are also notable for undertaking a rigorous touring schedule after appearing throughout the Rolling Stones tour in 1981. After two shows in Boulder, Colorado, George and his band flew to Hawaii and played for only one night. The next night they appeared in Alaska for one show. The following day the band flew to Washington State, met their roadies who had their Checker car and a truck, and continued a one show per state tour for all fifty states in exactly fifty nights. In addition, they played Washington, DC on the same day that they performed a show in Maryland.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer


Hello Little Girl


During the 1980s and 1990s, Thorogood recorded some of his most well known works. "Bad to the Bone" was used frequently in television and the big screen. Several appearances include Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the comedy Problem Child, John Carpenter's Christine, and during many episodes of the television sitcom Married with Children. This track also was used during the intro to the movie "Major Payne". The same song is also featured in the game Rock 'n Roll Racing. It is also played during football pregame festivities at Mississippi State University. Quincy Jones once said to Thorogood, "The three things important in a record is the tune, tune, and the tune".

Bad to the Bone


Get a Haircut


Check out the official George Thorogood website HERE.

That's a wrap for tonight's FNR! Rock on, dudes!

Pete Stark Tells it Like it is!

Update! Robert Rouse has chimed in on this one:

Can The Mainstream Media Survive?

This is a column by Jaffer Ali of EVTV1.com. Enjoy this great read:

"...the American press failed the Constitution. We were jingoistic. And that was a terrible failing. I'm asked the question all the time: What happened to my old paper, the New York Times? And I now say, they stink. They missed it. They missed the biggest story of the time and they're going to have to live with it."

--Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize winner on Iraq War Coverage

In 1992, James Carville ran the Clinton campaign and put up a sign in their "war room" that proclaimed; It's The Economy, Stupid. In one cryptic phrase, Carville encapsulated upon what their campaign needed to focus.

Carville knew what was important. Lack of focus is a common problem and in today's media environment, an incredible amount of information abounds. There is so much distraction that we are sorely in need of another cryptic phrase to bring clarity to the chaos. Let me propose; It's The Content, Stupid.

Information is delivered through mulitple platforms that include consuming media on your phone, iPod, computer at work and of course the old standby – television. But main- stream media companies (MSM) are confused as they lose audience share. They cannot understand what is happening to them, therefore are looking for love in all the wrong places.

They have misdiagnosed the problem. It is not the technology platform that is making audience shares shrink. It is the nature of the content and new competition from media outlets that are not part of the exclusive corporate club.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the news media. Newspapers, radio, television and cable are all losing audience. If you believe this is because of new technology platforms as many of the cognoscenti remain convinced, the sickness cannot be cured because It's The Content, Stupid.

In the opening quote by Seymour Hersh, he was not speaking about technology. He was speaking about the content that the NY Times prints. And he is right. Is it any wonder that the Times is losing readership? There are hundreds of alternative information sources that got the Iraq story right. These alternative outlets didn’t fail. And these online sites are growing, taking audience share away from the MSM.

The news media in the US serves a function that is really not discussed in polite conversation. It serves corporate interests of those who advertise with them. We easily recognize that the Iranian News Agency is serving interests other than the public good. When the Soviet Union had TASS, everybody understood that this was a news agency dedicated to serving the interests of the Soviet Union.

Having for a time personally lived under a monarchy with my aunt, who was charged with reading the daily news on radio and then television, everybody in the Kingdom understood that the news reflected the interests of the monarchy. For us in America, we can easily spot how media reflects other interests when it is someone else’s country and another country's media.

But it was more difficult to see how the media delivered news designed to go to war with Iraq…and most likely with Iran soon. The news served corporate interests and certainly not the public good. Ross Perot once said that "you have to commit the nation first before you commit the troops." The media is needed to achieve this function. It is bought and paid for to achieve this goal.

But a growing number seem to understand even if they cannot articulate it. Audiences are fleeing the MSM to seek information outside the mainstream. It is not the new technology that is captivating them. It's The Content, Stupid.

With alternative sources of information available online, the MSM has lost its collective stranglehold on information and people are seeking other sources because they sense something is not quite right.

When the MSM became drones for WMDs in Iraq as a casusbelli against Iraq, there were plenty of alternative voices suggesting that the proof did not exist. And of course these alternative news sources were proven correct. Similarly today, we have the mainstream press repeating the falsehood that the Iranian President Ahmadinejad said that "Israel must be wiped off the map" with the alternative media correcting the record.*

The mainstream news media is functioning as a quasi state-run organization reminiscent of TASS and others mentioned earlier. If alternate media sources can find the exact translation of the Ahmadinejad's phrase, or insist on
proof of the existence of WMDs before billions of dollars are spent and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, it is not the technology that is at fault for declining audience shares at ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox. It's The Content, Stupid.

When Rosie O'Donnell turned The View toward discussing issues ranging from the 9-11 Truth movement to critiquing the Iraq War, audience share increased 7%, yet she left the show under questionable circumstances.** Audience share most likely increased because of the content. But that content conflicted with the prevailing corporate interests.

If MSM wants to reverse the slide of audience share, they would be wise to reward Rosie instead of banishing her. It must also be understood that technology is not the solution for eroding audiences; It's The Content, Stupid.

- Jaffer Ali


Footnotes:

* The exact words Ahmadinejad spoke in Farsi quoted the deceased Imam Khomeini "Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad."

He was quoting the late Ayatollah Khomeini and the above translation is literally: "The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time". [emphasis added]

** According to Wikipedia, "This season the show [was] averaging 3.5 million total viewers, a 7% increase from [previous] season." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_View

Jaffer Ali is the CEO of the video portal EVTV1.COM. He
has been involved with online media since 1997 and can be
reached at j.ali (at) EVTV1.COM

There's Something Happening Here. . .

When Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and many other bands played their "No Nukes" concerts in 1979 to 100,000 people, they never dreamed they'd have to come back almost 30 years later to fight the same fight all over again.

But it's 2007, and here we go again. The nuclear industry just slipped a clause into the energy bill that will provide up to $50 billion in tax subsidies for to build new reactors—enough to launch a whole new generation of nukes! We've already got the safe, viable alternatives to replace the dirty energy we're using now. Building new atomic reactors in an age of terror threats is not only scary, but the toxic waste from nuclear power threatens our health and our planet.

The nuclear option is not the way to go.

So these old friends got together and recorded a music video to spread the word:




They've also launched a petition, and are asking you to sign it. Here's what it says:

"America's new energy policy needs to focus on safe and economic fuel sources. Congress must strip the nuclear tax subsidies from the energy bill before they pass it."

Clicking HERE will add your signature to the petition. When you're done, please take a minute to pass it along to your friends.

$50 billion in loan guarantees is a lot of money—enough to cover financial risk for the big banks who want to get involved. In other words, if something goes wrong, it will be the American taxpayers who foot the bill, not Wall Street.

It makes no sense. We know nuclear facilities are a target for terrorists. We know nuclear energy is toxic to our health and environment. And we know solar and wind power are safer, cheaper, and getting easier to use every day. This should equal a big "no" on nuclear energy, and a big "yes" to investing in clean energy. But the nuclear industry and their friends in Congress don't want to take no for an answer.

Everyone worked hard to pass this energy bill and most of it is great — we'll get more solar and wind with this bill, and even more fuel efficient cars. We just need to ask Congress to take the nuclear subsidies out.

Barry Welsh Campaign Moves Forward

CONNERSVILLE, IN – Barry Welsh, Democratic candidate for Indiana's sixth Congressional District, has stepped up his grassroots campaign. Over the past month, the Barry Welsh campaign team has moved to it's spacious new headquarters in Connersville, Indiana and has hired an Indy- based media relations firm, LevelSix Marketing & Public Relations. In addition, the position of finance director has been filled by Betsy Decillis.

LevelSix Marketing & Public Relations is a forward thinking firm. Founder and CEO, Andrea Simon, is thrilled about working on the campaign and believes that Barry Welsh is just the man to create a more powerful workforce and economy subsequently elevating the citizens of Indiana's Sixth District.

Betsy Decillis is a Columbus, Ohio native who previously worked on Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s campaign last year. She's a graduate of Ashland College where she founded and served as the president of the Young Democrats. "I'm very happy to join the great team Barry has assembled", said Decillis. " I look forward to the challenges ahead and will work hard to ensure this campaign is well financed for the 2008 General Election."

There will be an opportunity to visit the campaign's new headquarters and meet the staff at a "meet and greet" open house in the near future. A date and time will be announced soon.

The campaign is also pleased to announce that Q3 fundraising goals were not only met, but far exceeded earnings of the entire primary campaign in the previous election with over 200 individual donors. With this amount of early support, Barry Welsh will definitely give Mike Pence a run for his money and a clear choice to the people of Indiana's Sixth District.

For more information, please contact Andrea Simon at andrea@levelsixpr.com at 317-863-2291.

Or stop by our website and blog below:

http://barrywelsh.org

http://blog.barrywelsh.org

Night of the Living Republicans!

Personalized fun from the people at Jib Jab:

Church and State

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries."

- James Madison (1751-1836)

Abizaid on Iraq as a War About Oil

Gen. John Abizaid was until recently the commander of CENTCOM, the U.S. military's central command in Florida. At a roundtable this weekend, Abizaid said this about the Iraq war: "of course it's about oil, we can't really deny that." Cenk and Wes Clark Jr.explore the general's comments:

Ann Coulter has been "violated"

After typing that post title. . .I may never have sex again!! (shudder) Seriously though, the following post appeared on Man's website today:

Dear Readers,

I've been participating in a charade for nearly eleven years, now. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it. You have all been a part of a sick joke that I began considering shortly after first getting on the air. At first, it was quite interesting to see how people would react when I would use twisted logic and poorly masked bigotry.

But eleven years is a long time to be living a fake life, and I can no longer tolerate this falsity. Even someone as fake as I tires out eventually.

Here's the truth, I don't care what people believe. Jews don't need to be "made perfect" as I so arrogantly proclaimed to Editor & Publisher not a half week ago. I don't even care if people are Muslim. Granted, I don't know much about the religion or the people, but they are people. This is something that we cannot forget, they are in an abhorrent situation. These people are in need of education. Perhaps if we did not participate in causing them misery, they would not hate us so.

In fact, does it really matter whether we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, or even Pagan? We are one nation. One. We should not let petty differences separate us, we are all American, and should act in that manner.

And with that, my precious viewers, I bid you adieu. My career as a media figurehead is over.

Signed,

Ann Coulter

While these hackers were in there (AGAIN I shudder!!), they should have also admitted to Andy Coulter's sex-change operation, her Jewish heritage, and her unrequited love for Hilary Rodham Clinton. I'm just sayin'. . .

Who's the Black Sheep in the Family?

I'M guessing it's the fat, pasty, old white man with the shotgun and threatening tones:

Go back far enough, the saying goes, and everyone's related. But could it be possible that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Vice President Dick Cheney share a common ancestor? Lynne Cheney says yes.

Henry-Stewart Open House Recap

On Sunday we held an open house for Democratic mayoral candidate Tom Henry and 4th district city council candidate Chris Stewart. A nice mix of neighbors and local bloggers were in attendance for the event, which ran from 2-4:30 PM. Tom and Chris gave a very nice presentation to the group and answered questions ranging from the Harrison Square project downtown to issues with the local water utility, Aqua Indiana, here in Aboite. All questions were thoroughly answered, and participants in our "mini town hall meeting" left satisfied and more fully informed than when they arrived.

The information on TIF Districts and how they apply to Harrison Square were most enlightening to myself and several others. One often hears how the mainstream media doesn't really provide enough information to the public due to schedules and time constraints - I can now vouch for that personally! I learned more about this project in a 30 minute Q&A session with knowledgeable persons than I have from months of local media coverage.

I was so wrapped up in the discussion that I even failed to take any pictures. Fortunately enough, Stan the Man Ham had his trusty digital camera ready and waiting:

Left to Right: Chris Stewart, Stan Matuska, Tom Henry


Tom Henry fields questions from participants


I'd like to thank Tom Henry and Chris Stewart for sharing an afternoon with us during their busy campaign schedule! In addition, I must acknowledge the local bloggers who were in attendance as well, in no particular order:

Rachel, Parson, Robert, Sheri, Roger, and Stan.

The REAL Rudy: Radios

Rudy Giuliani is running for office on how he handled 9/11 and here we have proof positive that firemen were killed because his administration did not fix the long-standing (since 1993!) problems with the radios.

This Brave New Films investigative report calls attention to four key questions about Rudy's handling of the broken radios from firemen's families and experts:

• Why was nothing done to improve FDNY radio performance for seven years after a clear need was demonstrated in the 1993 World Trade Center attack?
• When new radios were finally ordered, why did the city block other companies besides Motorola from bidding on the contract?
• Once Motorola was given the contract, why did its cost jump from $1.4 million to $14 million?
• Why were these new radios never tested?

The families of the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11 deserve answers to these questions. We call on a full, public investigation to uncover the facts behind the Giuliani administration’s pre-9/11 emergency preparation. Please go HERE to sign this petition.

Bethany or One Week in Iraq

Do you suppose Michelle Malkin will go to Bethany's house, too?

You Tell Me

Monday? MONDAY?? What in the hell happened to Saturday and Sunday??? Oh well, since we're all already here anyway, let's have a few laughs as we caption this photo:

Cake-Gate - Redux

Because who doesn't have room for more cake! Here are two local media takes on the story:

WANE-TV


WPTH-TV

The Great Underground Obama Smear Campaign

Apparently the Nigerian money laundering scheme has some new competition for your attention. While that old ploy attempts to speak to your greed, these newer ones want a dialogue with your inner racism and speak directly to your inner fears about those who are "different":

“Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background,” warns an e-mail titled “Who Is Barack Obama”. “The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out; what better way to start than at the highest level?” “Please forward to everyone you know,” it ended.

Another widely forwarded e-mail is titled “Can a good Muslim become a good American” and answers that question negatively, before concluding: “And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our president!!!”

The misinformation is further expanded thanks to the likes of conservative pundits like Ed Rogers, who referred to the candidate as “Barack Hussein Obama”, radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, who regularly includes the senator's otherwise little-used middle name, and Michael Savage, who called him “Hussein Barack Obama.”

Not that it matters to any to these folks, but Obama, in fact, is not a Muslim. They dislike him not for his faith but for the pigmentation of his skin. It’s hard to measure how these chain e-mail "swift-boat attacks"can effect a campaign, but there are definite indications that they are being heard:

First, “barack obama muslim” is the third most popular Google search for the presidential candidate's name, behind “barack obama” and “barack obama biography,” according to Google Suggest, which tracks the frequency of word searches. I have included these in the tags for this post - we'll see what sort of traffic it pulls in.

Second, a CBS News poll in August found that, in response to an open-ended question about Obama’s faith, 7 percent of Americans identified him as a Muslim — more than any other response. The right answer, Protestant, was second at 6 percent. Which leaves a whopping 87% who didn't know or just didn't care about the issue.

The racists behind these annonymous e-mails are scoundrels of the worst kind with a need to feed their hatred for someone, anyone, in whatever manner they can. While it’s no longer “socially acceptable" to hate black people, it's still okay to hate Muslims. And that gives these bastards a way to attack a black man in a roundabout sorta way. But it still has the same smell. . .

Fred Thompson in summary

No wonder the hard righties like this guy - he's more of the same. . .

NSA sought warrantless wiretaps PRE-9/11

According to Qwest Communications International chief executive Joseph Nacchio, the US government withdrew a $200 million contract after his company refused to participate in an unidentified National Security Agency program that the company’s top lawyer said was illegal.

Nacchio’s account, which places the NSA proposal at a meeting on Feb. 27, 2001, suggests that the Bush administration was seeking to enlist telecommunications firms in programs without court oversight before the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. As the Sept. 11 attacks were cited by the government as the main impetus for its warrantless surveillance efforts, Nacchio's words effectively catch the Bush administration in a lie.

These allegations could affect the debate on Capitol Hill over whether Qwest and other telecoms should be given legal immunity for disclosing customers’ phone records to the government after the Sept. 11 attacks, even if they did not have court authorization for doing so.

In May 2006, USA Today reported that the NSA had been secretly collecting the phone-call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by major telecom firms. Qwest, it reported, declined to participate because of fears that the program lacked legal standing.

In a statement released after the story was published, Nacchio attorney Herbert Stern said that in fall 2001, Qwest was approached to give the government access to the private phone records of Qwest customers.

“Mr. Nacchio made inquiry as to whether a warrant or other legal process had been secured in support of that request,” Stern said. “When he learned that no such authority had been granted and that there was a disinclination on the part of the authorities to use any legal process, including the Special Court which had been established to handle such matters, Mr. Nacchio concluded that these requests violated the privacy requirements of the Telecommunications Act.”

Friday Nite Retro

Gooooood evening Aboite! It's Friday night and that can only mean one thing - well. . .your results may vary, but around here it means that it's time for Friday Nite Retro! Tonight we're featuring one of the most popular acts of the 1980's, but before we get to their successes, let's find out where they came from. . .

In 1972, a new singer/harmonica player, and new keyboardist Sean Hopper joined the Bay Area jazz-funk band Clover. Clover would record several albums in the 1970s, and in the middle of the decade transplanted themselves to England to become part of the UK pub rock scene for a time. Hopper made the journey with the rest of the band, and they eventually became the backing band for Elvis Costello's first album "My Aim Is True". The band returned to the Bay Area by the end of the 1970s, reuniting with the singer they'd left behind.

Clover's main competition in the Bay Area jazz-funk scene was a band called Soundhole, whose members included drummer Bill Gibson, saxophonist/guitarist Johnny Colla, and bassist Mario Cipollina. Like Clover, Soundhole had spent time backing a famous singer, Van Morrison.

After getting a singles contract from Phonogram Records in 1978, our soon to be famous singer united with bandmate Hopper, and three of his former rivals to form a new group, Huey Lewis & The American Express. In 1979 they recorded, and released a single "Exo-Disco" (a disco version of the theme from the film Exodus) that was largely ignored. In 1979, the band would woo guitarist Chris Hayes and move to Chrysalis Records. After the credit card organization American Express complained, in January 1980 they changed their name to Huey Lewis & the News.

Later in 1980, the band issued their first album, a self-titled LP "Huey Lewis & the News". It went largely unnoticed. However in 1982, the band released their second album, the self-produced "Picture This" which shortly thereafter turned gold, fueled by the breakout success of the hit single "Do You Believe in Love", written by former Clover producer Mutt Lange. Largely because of the single, the album remained on the Billboard charts for 35 weeks and peaked at #13. Several other singles from "Picture This" followed with only limited success, though the video "Workin' For a Livin'" received considerable airplay on MTV and HBO's Video Jukebox.

Do You Believe in Love?


Workin' for a Livin'


Due to record label delays on the release of their third album, "Sports", Huey and the boys were back to square one in late 1983, touring small clubs in a bus to promote the record. It initially hit #6 in the U.S. when first released. The album slowly became a number-one hit in 1984 and went on to multi-platinum success in 1985, thanks to the band's frequent touring and a series of clever, funny videos that received heavy MTV airplay. Four singles from the album would reach the Billboard Top Ten: "Heart and Soul", "I Want a New Drug", "The Heart of Rock & Roll", and "If This Is It"

Heart And Soul


I Want a New Drug


The song "I Want a New Drug" was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "I Want a New Duck".

I Want a New Duck


Heart of Rock and Roll


If This Is It


Walking on a Thin Line was written about the VietNam war.

Walking On A Thin Line


Their song "The Power Of Love" was a number-one U.S. hit and featured in the 1985 film Back to the Future, with which they also recorded the theme song "Back In Time". Huey Lewis has a cameo appearance in the film as a faculty member who rejects Marty McFly's band's audition for the school's "Battle of the Bands" contest — ironically, the piece the band plays is an instrumental version of "The Power of Love" (Lewis's response: "Sorry, guys... you're just too darn loud").

Power of Love


Back in Time


n 1984, Huey Lewis & the News were contacted by the producers of Ghostbusters in regards to developing the theme song for the film. The band decided not to, and Ray Parker Jr. was instead signed to develop the theme. Later that year, the band sued Parker, citing the similarities between the Ghostbusters theme song and their earlier hit "I Want a New Drug". According to Huey Lewis and the News, this was especially damaging to them since the Ghostbusters theme song was so popular, rising to #1 on the charts for three weeks. Parker and Lewis later settled out of court. Lewis has stated that his experiences with the producers of Ghostbusters may have been indirectly responsible for getting his band involved with the movie Back to the Future.

On his 2001 Behind the Music special, Lewis stated: "The offensive part was not so much that Ray Parker Jr. had ripped this song off, it was kind of symbolic of an industry that wants something — they wanted our wave, and they wanted to buy it. ... it's not for sale. ... In the end, I suppose they were right. I suppose it was for sale, because, basically, they bought it." As a result of this statement, Ray Parker Jr. has filed a suit against Huey Lewis, claiming he violated the lawsuit's confidentiality agreement and seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorney fees. The lawsuit is ongoing.

Stuck with you


The single "Hip To Be Square" was featured in a scene from the film American Psycho (2000) in which the character Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, plays the song while rambling on about the band and murders a business acquaintance at the same time, whereas in the novel, a whole chapter is devoted to Huey Lewis & The News, where Bateman gives his opinion on the band in very great detail. In the film, he mistakenly says that "Fore!" was released in 1987.

Hip to be Square


Jacob's Ladder




Doing It All For My Baby


The band continues to tour to this day, although the lineup has changed significantly since their heyday. Dave Toomey and Mario Cipollina left the band shortly after 1994's Four Chords and Several Years Ago album and tour. His replacement since that time has been bassist John Pierce. The Tower of Power, which served as the band's horn section from the early 80's, also ceased their work with the band in 1994. Marvin McFadden, Ron Stallings, and Rob Sudduth have joined the group in their place.

In early 2000, Chris Hayes decided to leave "The News" to spend more time with his growing family, though he performed on their 2001 album "Plan B," as much of it had been laid out before he left. Afterwards, Stef Burns replaced him, although guitarist Tal Morris has also filled in when Stef has had to leave due to other commitments. Chris has occasionally appeared with the band when playing in the San Francisco Bay Area and is known to play some shows with other performers and friends in the San Francisco area.

You can visit their unofficial fan site here. I'd forgotten just how much music these guys had put out! I hope you enjoyed tonight's journey "back in time" as much as I did!

Your good deed of the day.

The Fallout From Ann Coulter's CNBC Interview

Reaction continues to Ann Coulter's remarks Monday night on CNBC's The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch. Speaking today with Adweek, Deutsch says he is "offended" and "disappointed" by Coulter's statements. And the National Jewish Democratic Council has an online petition urging all "mainstream media outlets to stop inviting Ann Coulter as a guest commentator/pundit."

That's it? No GOP Senators denouncing her from the floor? Where's Lieberman??? A pox on all of them.

Once again, the link to the online petition is here.

For some background on the silence of the ADL on Fox friendly commentators using Nazi slurs, Glenn wraps it up here, and for extra fun, check out the lame op-ed by Abe Foxman, President of ADL here.

President Carter: I'd Rather Redo the 2000 Election Than the 1980 Election

I listened to this early this morning on the Young Turks - I am SO glad that Cenk wrote this summary post about it for those of you who missed it:

I interviewed President Carter on The Young Turks this morning. We talked about his new book Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope, his work at the Carter Center and the new group of legendary statesmen he is a part of called "The Elders." How cool is that name, by the way? Who doesn't want to one day be part of The Elders?

We also talked about the current Bush administration. President Carter said this administration has done things that are far more radical than anything that happened in the Ronald Reagan or George H. W. Bush administrations. He said it wasn't even comparable. You can watch the interview here.

Then I asked him if he could redo the 1980 election where he lost to Reagan or the 2000 election where Al Gore lost to George Bush. He said he would redo the 2000 election because it had such adverse consequences for the country. As always, the man is selfless and classy.

Cenk Uygur: If you had to redo the 1980 election, where Ronald Reagan won, of course up against you, or redo the 2000 election where George Bush defeated Al Gore, which one would you redo?

President Carter: Well knowing what I know now, and knowing the wonderful experiences I've had at the Carter Center in the last 25 years, I would say I would redo the 2000 election. That, you know, I think has had a profoundly adverse effect on our country, and I've had a personal gratifying experience with my wife and many other people at the Carter Center. That in time, that has healed the disappointment that we felt in not getting elected in 1980.



President Carter also understands the gravity of what this administration has done. The biggest mistake the media and the Democrats are making now is thinking that we live in normal times. Normally, you should have civility and comity and moderation and compromise. But if you are dealing with radicals, those are not positive traits. They encourage an abuse of the system. People outside of D.C. can see this, but the D.C. bubble still doesn't seem to get it. President Carter does.

Pot Pie Recall Update

You likely have heard about the cases of salmonella poisoning from Banquet brand chicken and turkey pot pies. You may NOT be aware of the following information, however:

(1) The company (ConAgra) WILL give you a refund for any pies currently in your freezer. This is contrary to reports I have heard on the local news - details are provided in the press release below.

(2) Several "generic" brands are included in this recall, including Kroger and Meijer. Look for the "P9" marking on the side of the box to determine whether or not you have these pies.

Here is the press release from ConAgra Foods:

ConAgra Foods Offers Consumer Advisory Regarding Banquet Pot Pies

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2007--ConAgra Foods today announced that it was contacted by state health officials regarding Banquet Turkey and Chicken Pot Pies. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), ConAgra Foods is advising consumers to not eat these products while the USDA and ConAgra Foods look into these concerns. This advisory pertains to Banquet brand frozen chicken or turkey pot pie products or generic store brand not-ready-to-eat pot pie products bearing the number "P-9" printed on the side of the package. The company believes the issue is likely related to consumer undercooking of the product. If they wish, consumers may return these products to ConAgra Foods for a refund by sending the side panel of the package that contains the code "P-9" to ConAgra Foods, Dept. BQPP, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103-0768. If consumers prefer, they may return the product to the store from which it was purchased for a refund; consumers should discard the product prior to returning the entire package to their retail store. The company reminds consumers that these products are not ready-to-eat, and must always be thoroughly cooked as instructed on the packages. The cooking instructions for these products are specifically designed to eliminate the presence of common pathogens found in many uncooked products. Microwave cooking times vary, depending on the wattage of the microwave, so carefully following all instructions is important. ConAgra Foods is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify any additional steps that may be appropriate, including potential changes that may further clarify cooking instructions for consumers. Already, the company is revising its packaging to more clearly illustrate different cooking times for Banquet pot pies related to varying wattages of microwaves. ConAgra Foods was advised yesterday by health officials in several states that a number of consumers had been diagnosed with salmonella that they believe is statistically associated with the consumption of Banquet chicken and turkey pot pies. Salmonella is among the common pathogens found in not-ready-to-eat poultry containing products like pot pies. Cooking instructions are designed to result in the elimination of any risk associated with salmonella. Consumers with questions regarding the cooking of Banquet pot pies may call 1-866-484-8671 or contact us online at www.conagrafoods.com/contactus. For more information on food safety, consumers may reference IFIC.org. The generic store brand not-ready-to-eat pot pie products bearing the number “P-9” printed on the side of the package are sold under the generic store brand names as shown below: Hill Country Fare (sold at HEB); Food Lion (sold at Food Lion); Great Value (sold at Wal-Mart); Kirkwood (sold at Aldi); Kroger (sold at Kroger); and, Meijer (sold at Meijer). ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's leading packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com. CONTACT: ConAgra Foods Inc. Consumer Toll-Free Line: 866-484-8671 Media: Stephanie Childs, 402-595-6258 or Analysts: Chris Klinefelter, 402-595-4154 http://www.conagrafoods.com SOURCE: ConAgra Foods Inc.

Ann Coulter double-jointed; puts both feet in mouth while bending over backwards for Conservatives

An October 2 New York Observer blog post featuring excerpts of an interview with right-wing pundit Ann Coulter quoted her as saying: "If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat [sic] president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women."

What can I say, Ann? Every good movement starts with a single action - maybe you should refuse to vote...

Coulter went on: "It also makes the point, it is kind of embarrassing, the Democratic Party ought to be hanging its head in shame, that it has so much difficulty getting men to vote for it. I mean, you do see it's the party of women and 'We'll pay for health care and tuition and day care -- and here, what else can we give you, soccer moms?' "

How about a moratorium on brain-dead pseudo-pundits?

Additionally, a separate October 2 Observer article printing excerpts of the interview quoted Coulter as saying during a discussion of terrorism: "Now this isn't the Cold War, these aren't sane but evil white men -- these are crazy Islamists. This country -- people are under the impression that it could never change, that this can be taken for granted, it can't be taken away, and this is a terrifying time. I mean, it's terrifying to think what could happen with a one-term Democrat, any of those Democrats." Coulter made her comment as part of her response to interviewer George Gurley's question, "How much blame does Bill Clinton deserve for 9/11?"

The New York Observer website states that Coulter's interview "was published in the October 8, 2007, edition of THE NEW YORK OBSERVER."

From Gurley's October 2 New York Observer article headlined "Tea With Miss Coulter":

How much blame does Bill Clinton deserve for 9/11?

"A lot. Jimmy Carter got the whole thing started, Bill Clinton let it build, build, build, build, build. He wouldn't deal with it, because he had no credibility on deploying the military. He was a pot-smoking draft dodger, and so when he was presented with credible evidence that this or that country was behind a terrorist attack, he'd just have to look the other way: 'No, don't let me hear that. Call in Monica!'"

Unlike Bush's much more sensible tactic of looking the other way and crying, "No, don't let me hear that. Blame it on Hussein!"

"... Jimmy Carter gave Islamic craziness its first real foothold. There was no state-sponsored-they were just living in the dirt hating us until they had Iran. How did that happen? Because Americans forgot what it's like to put a Democrat in charge of national security. Then we have eight years of Bill Clinton ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, ignoring-they're ginning themselves up, Osama is saying, 'You have six dead in Somalia and you pull out? We have boys lining up.' Now this isn't the Cold War, these aren't sane but evil white men-these are crazy Islamists. This country-people are under the impression that it could never change, that this can be taken for granted, it can't be taken away, and this is a terrifying time. I mean, it's terrifying to think what could happen with a one-term Democrat, any of those Democrats."

Yeah, they could like, maybe not be responsible for Armageddon.

Conservatives Attack 12-year-old over SCHIP Program

With the debate still raging in Washington over children's health insurance and an upcoming over-ride vote on the horizon, congressional Democrats found a new way to make their case for the SCHIP expansion last weekend: Rather than have a senator or a congressman respond to Bush's defiant weekly radio address, they decided to have someone who was helped by the program speak directly to the public.

But 12-year-old Graeme Frost, whom Democrats chose as their poster child is now at the center of a firestorm in Washington and beyond. Conservative bloggers who uncovered some details of the family's finances are blasting the family, calling the fact that they rely on federal insurance an example of how the State Children's Health Insurance Program has expanded beyond its original intent. As usual, these attack dogs are closing in for the kill before reviewing all of the information.

Some conservative bloggers have made repeated phone calls to the home of the boy, demanding information about his family's private life. Michelle Malkin even went so far as to camp outside of his home and then harass the boy's father at his shop.

In making the case for a proposed expansion of the S-CHIP program, Democrats found a boy who seemed like an ideal poster child in Graeme Frost, a Baltimore native whose family does not have private health insurance.

When Graeme and his sister were seriously injured in a 2004 car crash, their parents relied on S-CHIP coverage to help them recover. After Nancy Pelosi's office became aware of the Frosts through a healthcare interest group, FamiliesUSA, Dem leaders turned to Graeme to deliver the party's weekly radio address Sept. 29.

"If it weren't for CHIP, I might not be here today," Frost said in the address, which was written by Senate Democratic aides. "We got the help we needed because we had health insurance for us through the CHIP program. But there are millions of kids out there who don't have CHIP, and they wouldn't get the care that my sister and I did if they got hurt."

But after a largely positive story about Frost appeared in the Baltimore Sun, conservative-leaning bloggers began focusing on details of Frost's family situation. They suggested the family makes the conservative argument -- that the children's health insurance program has strayed from its original purpose by subsidizing healthcare for middle-class families, not just poor children.

A blogger on FreeRepublic.com discovered that Frost and his sister, Gemma, attend a private school where tuition costs $20,000 a year. Their father, Halsey, is a self-employed woodworker, meaning that if his family doesn’t have health insurance, it’s because Halsey Frost -- as his own boss -- chooses not to purchase it for himself.

"One has to wonder that if time and money can be found to remodel a home, send kids to exclusive private schools, purchase commercial property and run your own business . . . maybe money can be found for other things," a blogger with the handle "icwhatudo" wrote on FreeRepublic.

That posting was widely circulated in the blogosphere, making great fodder for conservatives who argue that President Bush was right to veto the Democrats’ bill expanding S-CHIP.

"People make choices and it's clear the Frosts have made choice to invest in property and a business, but not in private health insurance," Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner, wrote on his blog.

But here's the problem: Conservative bloggers didn't do their homework very well. Surprise! It turns out that the Frost children attend Baltimore’s Park School on near-full scholarships; they pay roughly $500 per child per year in tuition, he said.

Like many small-business owners, Halsey Frost can't even afford to provide health insurance to himself. I can vouch for that personally. If I had to pay the healthcare premiums for my family of four, it would easily run $1000 per month. I'm very fortunate (and grateful) that my spouse works full-time and covers us through her employer. Our insurance under that scenario was still very expensive until she accepted employment from our insurance provider. We make far more than the Frosts do ($45-50,000 annually combined) , and do not have the extra needs caused by their accident - I can't imagine how they'd survive without the SCHIP program.

Here are the facts that were "disregarded" by the righties:

1) Graeme has a scholarship to a private school. The school costs $15K a year, but the family only pays $500 a year.

2) His sister Gemma attends another private school to help her with the brain injuries that occurred do to her accident. The school costs $23,000 a year, but the state pays the entire cost.

3) They bought their “lavish house” sixteen years ago for $55,000 at a time when the neighborhood was less than safe.

4) Last year, the Frost’s made $45,000 combined. Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined.

5) The state of Maryland has found them eligible to participate in the CHIP program.

If the needs of the Frost family are what conservatives consider to be a "needless expansion" or "socialized healthcare", then they are greatly out of touch with mainstream America and the struggles of the working class people.

Ed Schultz ties Bill O'Reilly in Audience Size

(As reported today at RawStory.com)

And they said liberal talk radio would never survive.

According to Talker's Magazine, a trade industry publication, the nation's largest progressive talk show radio host Ed Schultz is now tied in the number of radio listeners to conservative radio personality Bill O'Reilly.

Last November, Schultz leapt from 3pm to 6pm ET to the choice noon to 3pm ET slot, the same time slot as conservative talker Rush Limbaugh and, at the time, Air America's Al Franken.

A new survey by Talkers Magazine listed Schultz's weekly audience at 3.25 million weekly listeners, the same number of listeners enjoyed by O'Reilly, host of the Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor.

Schultz and O'Reilly, along with radio hosts Jim Bohannon, Clark Howard and Doug Stephan, share the number seven slot. The same survey in 2006 pegged the Fargo talker's unique weekly listeners at 2.25 million, sharing the number 10 slot among radio hosts nationwide.

The Ed Schultz Show was the first to "out" Idaho senator Larry Craig (R-ID), ten months before he was caught in an airport bathroom soliciting an undercover cop.

Limbaugh, who had 14.5 million weekly listeners in 2005, has not recovered from his loss of audience reported in the 2006 survey. His audience has been holding steady at 13.5 million listeners since that report.

"To hear some Democrats tell it, the GOP should be afraid," Newsweek's Jonathan Darman penned in a 2005 profile on the Fargo, North Dakota-based Schultz. "Schultz is coming after them and doing it on their own turf, smack dead in the middle of Red State America."

A copy of the Talkers Magazine survey may be seen here.

Schultz's show runs on affiliates and both satellite networks nationwide. He's available online live here.

FOX Attacks: Business

ALL of the following clips were pulled from actual FOX "business" shows. Brave New Films takes no responsibility for the mindlessness of FOX programming:

Stewart Takes to the Air

Seen today on West Jefferson at Covington Road:

Kelty has his cake, and denies it, too

Shown here, at left, is pathological liar, and fringe-GOP candidate for mayor, Matt Kelty. This photo was taken just before Kelty denied all knowledge of the existence of the cake in his left hand, and just after he discussed his marriage to his lovely wife, Morgan Fairchild, with the crowd of faithful supporters.

Note the youth on Kelty's right who appears to be absolutely astounded by the bullshit streaming from this man's mouth! Ahh. . .the innocence of youth, indeed!

W stands for "Windshield Cowboy"

George Bush may like to think of himself as some sort of swaggering cowboy, but former Mexican President Vicente Fox knows that W is anything but. Last night on Larry King Live, Fox explained why he referred to Bush as a "windshield cowboy" in his new book. Said Fox: "He drives very well. But I don't think he rides horses very well."

Click the above screen capture from CNN to view the video.

I don't mean to butt in

Since this is pretty much just a pimp for my (other) blog, but ya'll have to read this.

"Friend of Falwell" minister dies during bizarre sex play

I don't even want to understand.

Romney - Another Loose GOP Canon

During tonight's Republican debate, tonight,Mitt Romney was asked, "If you were president of the United States, would you need to go to Congress to get authorization to take military action against Iran's nuclear facilities?" His answer: I'll do whatever the hell I want; let the lawyers sort it out:

Today's Chuckle

Little Billy wanted $100 badly and prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter
requesting the $100.

When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God,USA, they decided to send it to President Bush. The President was so impressed, touched, and amused that he instructed his secretary to send Billy a $5.00 bill. President Bush thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy.

Billy was delighted with the $5.00 and sat down to write a thank you note to God, which read: Dear God, Thank you very much for sending the money, however, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington D.C. and, as usual, those crooks deducted $95.00. Thanks, Billy

Jim Carey - on Burma

A side of Jim previously unseen:

Bush or Them?

Please ask YOUR congress critter who's side they are on:

You Tell Me

Apparently the Chinese toy recall has been expanded somewhat. I can't believe that QC missed THIS little gem - of course they WERE looking mainly at paint issues. Since it's Monday morning, I guess I'd better turn to YOU, faithful reader, for an apt caption for this picture:

Blink and they're GONE!

What do the people in this photo have in common? I mean, other than the fact that they will all rot in hell for selling their very souls to service serve George Bush? All but Dana Perino (Second from left) finally came to the conclusion that they hitched their wagon to the absolute "wrongest" star of them all!

As of late, there is so much turnover in this White House that on one recent Friday there were four farewell parties or last-day exits. Bush poses for so many Oval Office photos with departing aides it feels like an assembly line. The long-term ideals that many of them came to the White House to pursue appear jeopardized, even discredited to many. They tell themselves that they have acted on principle, that the decisions they helped make will be vindicated. But they cannot be sure.

One former senior official said nearly everyone who has left the administration is angry in some way or another - at the president for making bad decisions, at his staff for misguiding him, at events that have spiraled out of control. Others called that an exaggeration. Either way, interviews with a dozen top aides who left in recent months reveal a profound sense of ambivalence about the ultimate outcome of their work beyond toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

One cost has been friendship. Some people who were once close friends no longer talk to these Bush staffers.One former staffer added "The view is he was a nice guy, but he was taken over by the dark side, joined Rove world".

One who shares that view is journalist Joe Klein. "There are a number of us who were friendly with Peter H. Wehner back in the day who think he drank the Kool-Aid," Klein said. In May, Klein used his Time magazine blog to directly challenge a Wehner essay on politics and the war, chastising his onetime friend for ignoring "the lives lost and shattered" and the "vast damage" to U.S. standing done by the Iraq war. "I have two pieces of career advice," Klein wrote to Wehner. "Stop writing this swill and think about penance. Take some time to clear your head, a lot of time, and pay for your sins by emptying bedpans at Walter Reed."

Most of the above reporting came from a WaPo column by Peter Baker. It's an excellent piece on how the very individuals that sold their own souls to serve this puppet master have finally met the cost of their servitude to this sick, twisted president and his minions. I'm glad these people have finally seen the error of their ways, although I can only compare it to a blind man once more regaining his vision.

The question that *I* still have is: What about the people who are STILL blindly serving this train wreck? I think I'm with Klein on this one. . .that Kool Aid must be VERY potent indeed! I mean, Perino I can understand, as can anyone who has suffered through one of her long and torturous sessions with the press - she's an ignorant bimbo! But the rest of them? HOW FAR into the ground does this thing have to go before the rest of them see the light? Even KARL ROVE has left!! I cannot perceive any clearer message that it's time to GET OUT!

Note: Slade

Losing My Religion

After the 2004 elections, religious conservatives were riding high. Newly anointed by pundits as “values voters” — a more flattering label than “religious right” — they claimed credit for propelling George W. Bush to two terms in the White House. Even in wartime, they had managed to fixate the nation on their pet issues: opposition to abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research.

Now with the 2008 race taking shape, religious conservatives sense that they've taken a tumble. Their issues are no longer at the forefront, and their leaders have failed so far to coalesce around any single candidate, as they did around Bush or Reagan.

What does unite them right now is their dismay — even panic — at the idea of Rudy Giuliani as the Republican nominee, because of his support for abortion rights and gay rights, as well as what they regard as a troubling history of marital infidelity. But what to do about it is where they again diverge, with some religious conservatives last week threatening to bolt to a third party if Mr. Giuliani gets the nomination, and others arguing that this is the sure road to defeat.

Many religious conservatives were proud to claim the mantle that Karl Rove bestowed on them as “the base of the Republican Party.” Now they fear they may have lapsed unwittingly into the same role that African-Americans often lay claim to in the Democratic Party: a dependable minority constituency that is courted by candidates but never really gets to call the shots.

The GOP candidates are certainly sending signals to that effect. While they’re eager to get as many conservative religious votes as they can, they’re no doubt aware of a shift since 2004 — that perhaps these voters aren’t the powerful bloc that they were once taken to be, that they don’t all answer to the same leaders, and that they might even be more pragmatic than in the past, more willing to sacrifice purity for viability in a candidate.

Scholars who study the role of religion in politics now say it is possible that the Bush years were an anomaly and that evangelicals, of whom religious conservatives are only a subset, could find themselves back where they were before — divided among themselves and just one of many interest groups vying desperately for attention.

“It’s not so much that evangelicals are more divided than they were before, it’s that Bush himself was a unique candidate,” said Corwin E. Smidt, director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College, an evangelical school in Grand Rapids, Mich. “It’s partly going back to previous patterns.”

And that stings. Religious conservatives were alarmed last month when none of the Republican front-runners showed up for the Values Voter Debate Straw Poll in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. More than 40 groups, some of them major organizations known for their capacity to mobilize voters, had put together the event. Questions were directed even at the no-show candidates, and many of those questions were angry.

“Beyond their cowardice, there’s an arrogance on the part of these candidates,” said Janet L. Folger, the president of Faith2Action, who helped organize the debate. “The arrogance is this: ‘We are just taking your votes for granted. You have nowhere else to go.’ ”

Phyllis Schlafly, the founder of Eagle Forum and a leader in the social conservative movement since 1972, said: “If the Republican Party kicks away the religious conservatives, then they’re entitled to be called the stupid party. You have to keep your own friends. A sense of betrayal can become more compelling than other issues.”

The overwhelming winner of the Fort Lauderdale straw poll, as well as a poll taken by a religious conservative group in South Carolina, was Mike Huckabee, a folksy Southern Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas. But Mr. Huckabee has not yet registered in double digits in national polls and lags way behind in fund-raising.

Religious conservative leaders say they are having passionate debates in private over whether to choose a candidate based on viability or purity. Old allies find themselves fractured among the camps of Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul and Mr. Huckabee.

The spectacle has laid bare the enduring myth that evangelicals are a monolith that is “easy to command,” to use the phrase made famous by a Washington Post article in 1993.

Evangelical Protestants make up about 26 percent of the population. But according to surveys in the new book “The Faith Factor” by John C. Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, that pie can be sliced even further. Only 12 percent of the population are the evangelical Protestants Mr. Green calls “traditionalists,” the political and theological conservatives who make up the bedrock of the religious right. Almost an equal share (11% of the population) are evangelical “centrists” and about 3 percent are “modernists,” groups that are politically less predictable.

As for “easy to command,” just look at what happened late last month, when one of the oracles of the Christian right, James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, in Colorado Springs, sent an e-mail message denigrating Mr. Thompson, the “Law & Order” actor and former Tennessee senator whom some conservative Christians are latching onto as the antidote to Mr. Giuliani.

Dr. Dobson’s leaked message said that Mr. Thompson “can’t speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail.” He added: “And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!”

That prompted a flurry of negative response from loyal listeners of Dr. Dobson’s radio program. Conservative Christian leaders like Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention stepped forward to defend Mr. Thompson. In South Carolina, which has an early primary next year, Mr. Thompson was still running strong in a recent poll of Republican primary voters by The Los Angeles Times. Dr. Dobson, a psychologist, is revered by many evangelical Christians for his advice on child rearing, but this episode suggests that he does not command them on politics.

He is only one of a core of old lions on the religious right whose dominance has been challenged in recent years with the emergence of new leaders, like the Rev. Rick Warren, a megachurch pastor in California who wrote “The Purpose Driven Life,” and the Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs in the National Association of Evangelicals.

These new leaders are pushing evangelicals to expand their agenda beyond abortion and homosexuality, to include issues like poverty, AIDS and global warming. Like other Americans, evangelicals tell pollsters they care a great deal about the war in Iraq, health care, immigration and security. If evangelicals more and more vote like average Americans, it becomes increasingly complex for the candidates to calculate how to win them over.

Mr. Giuliani’s campaign is betting that he can do without the hard-core “religious right” for whom abortion and homosexuality are litmus tests. A New York Times/CBS News poll of white born-again or evangelical Republican primary voters taken last month found that 30 percent said it would be possible for them to vote for a candidate they didn’t agree with on issues like abortion or same-sex marriage. But 59 percent said they could not.

Some of the states with early primaries have high percentages of Republican primary voters who were willing to identify themselves in 2000 as “part of the conservative Christian political movement, also know as the religious right” (Iowa 37 %; Florida, 30%; and in South Carolina, where exit polls identified the white religious right, it was 33 %).

The religious right may still try to anoint a Republican candidate, get behind him and push. Some leaders said in interviews that they were waiting to see how the Republican candidates performed at a conference of the Family Research Council, a religious conservative group in Washington, later this month. All of the Republicans, except Mr. Giuliani, have agreed to make a pitch to that group.

The panic that has gripped the leadership of the religious right is over how the only candidate who doesn’t stand with them on abortion and has barely bothered to court them can prevail; Mr. Giuliani is even viewed favorably in polls among voters who identify themselves as born-again Christians.

Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, a Texas-based group that has a network of 5,000 pastors willing to mobilize their churches to vote, was at the recent meeting of those who threatened to back a third-party candidate, and he said they were not just bluffing.

“I am not going to cast a sacred vote granted to me by the blood of millions of God-fearing Americans who died on the fields of battle for freedom, for a candidate who says it’s O.K. to kill the unborn,” he said. “I just can’t.”

“It’s not about winning elections. It’s about honoring Christ.”

Note: REM

Meet the Candidates - Sunday, October 14!

We hope you will join us on Sunday, October 14th when we open our home to our friends and neighbors for a "meet and greet" with Tom Henry and Chris Stewart! Tom and Chris will be here from 2-4 pm to answer your questions and share their visions for Fort Wayne with you.



We will be serving up refreshments and light food. If you are able to share your Sunday afternoon with us, please RSVP to John Good.

Sherry Enema Leads to Man's Death

This has to be THE craziest news story that I heard all week, hands down! Or bottoms up, as it were. . .

CHARGES of negligent homicide have been dropped against a Texas woman who was accused of giving her husband a sherry enema that killed him. Tammy Jean Warner had been indicted in the May 2004 over the death of Michael Warner, 58, but the Brazoria County District Attorney's office said today the charge was dropped a month ago due to lack of evidence. At the time of Warner's indictment in 2005, police told the Chronicle the woman had given her husband two large bottles of sherry, which raised his blood alcohol level to 0.47 per cent, or nearly six times the level considered legally drunk in Texas.She told the newspaper her husband was addicted to enemas and often used alcohol in that manner.

From the additional information that I gleened from the radio today, Mr.Warner had a lifelong addiction to enemas that began in his childhood. I have lots of questions about that, especially for his parents, but I think I'm more comfortable remaining "in the dark". Yikes - this IS one of those stories that just naturally produce double entendres!

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy drinking beer and the occasional shot or two, but. . .most of the pleasure from that comes from the oral introduction of those items; it's a critical part of the process. A cold beer feels great in a hot dry throat, and the warmth from a shot of your favorite poison carries it's own sensory effect.

I'm having trouble understanding the disconnect here - at what point does one come to the conclusion of "I really need to get drunk, but man. . .all that drinking just tires me out! Maybe if I just shove a bottle of gin up my ass? YEAH, that's the ticket! But. . .I don't even wish to expend THAT much of an effort. Perhaps my wife would enjoy ramming a fifth of vodka into my rectum? Honey? I have an odd request. . .".

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of not drinking even a sip of alcohol, and yet suddenly being "drunk off of your ass". See? Can't get away from those double entendres! Embalming will not be needed, as this guy has already been pickled.

Friday Nite Retro

Good evening and welcome to Friday Nite Retro here at Left in Aboite - the weekly feature where I bio a band around videos of their top tunes. Tonight's artists were the only band from "down under" to reach the Number 1 position in album and singles charts in both the US and the UK. They are, Colin Hay, Ron Strykert, Jerry Speiser, Greg Ham, and John Rees; better known as Men at Work!

The boys formed the band in 1978, but finally got their big break when Columbia Records signed them in 1981. Their first single "Who Can It Be Now?" reached Number 1 on the Australian chart in August 1981,a subsequent single, a re-worked version of "Down Under", and their first album, Business as Usual, went to Number 1 as well. The album also debuted at Number 1 in New Zealand.

Who Can it Be Now


You might notice that Colin has a rather unusual accent for an Aussie - he's actual from Scotland. . .

The Land of Under


Despite its strong Australian showing, Business As Usual was twice rejected by Columbia's parent company in the United States. Thanks to the persistence of the band's management, the album was eventually released in the USA and the UK six months after its Australian release. Men at Work toured the USA to promote the album, with headliner Fleetwood Mac.

In October 1982 "Who Can It Be Now" hit Number 1 in the USA. Then, in November of that year, Business As Usual began a 12 week run at Number 1 on the US album chart. By January 1983 Men at Work had the top album and single in both the USA and the UK - a feat never achieved previously by an Australian act.

To culminate a meteoric rise, Men at Work won Australia's first-ever Grammy Award, winning Best New Artist for 1983 ahead of Asia, Jennifer Holliday, Human League and Stray Cats.

Be Good Johnny


The band returned to the studio and recorded their second album Cargo. The Australian market had been starved of new material for more than 12 months, and the new album went to Number 1. The international market, where Business As Usual was still riding high, kept the album at Number 3 on the Billboard chart. The album nevertheless produced four charting singles: "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive", "High Wire", "It's A Mistake" and "Overkill".

Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive


Circus anyone? Sometimes a man just has to do what a man has to do:

High Wire


It's a Mistake


This is probably my favorite Men at Work tune:

Overkill


In 1984 the band took a long break as members pursued other interests. At the end of that period, Jerry Speiser and John Rees were advised by management that they were no longer members of the band. The remaining members (Hay, Ham and Strykert) recorded a third album Two Hearts which peaked at Number 50 on the chart. One single "Everything I Need" reached the Top 30.

Everything I Need


Throughout 1985 the remaining members left one by one. By the end of that year the band was defunct.Hay maintains a successful solo career. Strykert lives in Montana, continues to play music and is bitter about Men at Work. Speiser, Ham and Rees still work in the music industry.

For updated information on the individual members of the band, see Where Are They Now - Men at Work

Men at Work official MySpace band site - three original band members help run the page

That's a wrap for tonight's FNR - I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as did!

New RNC Logo

I don't even know where to start with this. . .um. . .err. . .I'm actually not even sure what to call it! The GOP either has a totally incompetent designer on their team or they've unknowingly hired a Democrat with a wicked sense of humor. . .

Lessee. . .the elephant is a beautiful liberal shade of blue, rather than the bloodshed crimson that these cretons normally prefer. Playing against your weakest issue - typical conservative warfare!

Stars and stripes? Looks more like a dead elephant in prison garb to me! Stars in it's eyes and bars on it's back. . .wait a sec. . .stars? bars? Ahhhh. . .reaching out to the Southern vote!

In homage to Larry Craig, this convention being held in Minneapolis after all, the pachaderm is sporting a wide stance and waggling it's fingers. It's mouth is even open for "receiver mode", and it's trunk is proudly erect! Aha - attempting to reach out to the GLBT community! (And TOTALLY not getting it, I might add!)

And, finally, the blue mascot appears to be ready to "service" the red 2008. Is this some sort of code? Are the RINO's going to screw the REAL Repubs in 2008?

Who cares as long as they're busy screwing each other, right?

Iran So Far Away

Andy Samberg and company strike again! Hugs and kisses from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

Bush vs Kids

Should I be worried?

This is what I found when I ventured upstairs a short time ago:



Oh well. . .she'll be six on Saturday. That's why I like it down here in the basement. . .upstairs it's all girlie stuff! The wife, the daughters, even all but one of our cats!

(Whistling) C'mon down here Hobbes, I'll pour ya a beer in yer favorite bowl and we'll look at videos of birds and stuff. . .that's a GOOD boy!

Who Supports Our Troops?

The fat-ass druggie with the big mouth?



Or "the troops?



The choice is obvious.

Student Fights School's "PDA" Ban

13-year-old Ashley Highberger, an eighth-grader at Fossil Hill Middle School in Fort Worth is your normal average teenager. She goes to school every day, she hangs out with friends, and she's working on a petition to overturn a school policy that she has taken an aversion to. It seems that Ashley got into trouble at school for being a typical teenage girl - more specifically, she was holding hands with her friend after school.

"I got yelled at from this teacher for holding hands," Highberger said. "She was like, 'You've got to stop right now because that's PDA.' And I didn't think that was right."

The school's principal, David Hadley, said students are certainly allowed to hug if they're grieving or celebrating, but other than that, no public displays of affection are allowed. Hadley claims that it's a long-standing policy that is common in middle schools throughout Texas and the rest of the country.

"If two students are hugging or kissing, I mean obviously I don't think their parents want them -- would you want your children to be hugging and kissing at school without your knowledge?" Hadley said. "If we see a student holding hands or hugging in the hallway, typically a teacher will come up and just say 'No public displays of affection,' and the kids will understand and just stop."

Hugs Outlawed!


While I realize that it's been 30 years since I was in middle school, I just don't seem to recall any problem with hugging, kissing, or holding hands with your boyfriend or girlfriend, nor do I recall any parents freaking out over it. At least not in the public school system - parents that did tended to be the sort who sent their kids to private schools or Christian academies.

Apparently Ashley's mother feels the same way, and has encouraged her to collect signatures from her friends and fellow students on a petition to overturn the unwritten policy. Highberger said she has already collected 300 names and hopes to add signatures from every one of the 1,000 students enrolled.

"Most of them are pretty supportive and they think it's a really good idea," Highberger said. "They think it should be changed."

Hadley said only a handful of students each year are written up for violating the policy, but Highberger said she wants it to go and will take her fight clear to the Keller Independent School District Board if necessary.

Good for her! And kudos to Mom for teaching Ashley to fight back against the system when she senses unfair treatment. That's an important lesson in how things are supposed to work in America.

DMC is back!

No, I'm not talking about the rappers. The company that the late John De Lorean started in 1975, and which folded in bankruptcy in 1983, is once again producing the De Lorean DMC-12. It can be yours for a starting price of $57,500!

The De Lorean Motor Company went bankrupt in late 1982 following John De Lorean's arrest in October of that year on drug trafficking charges. He was later found not guilty, but it was too late for the DMC-12. Approximately 100 partially assembled DMC's on the production line were completed by Consolidated International aka Big Lots. The remaining parts from the factory stock, the parts from the US Warranty Parts Center, as well as parts from the original suppliers that had not yet been delivered to the factory were all shipped to Columbus, Ohio in 1983–1984 where they were sold to retail and wholesale customers via mail order. In 1997, De Lorean Motor Company of Texas acquired this inventory.

New DMC-12s had a suggested retail price of $25,000 in the 1980's($650 more when equipped with an automatic transmission); this is equivalent to approximately $62,300 in 2007 dollars. I wanted one of these really bad!! And now they're actually more affordable. Proving once more that all good things come to those who wait. Click the link in the first paragraph to customize yours though - Mine actually came out to $ 70,470 after I added all of the "goodies". . .;)

John Q. Public to Bush: NO!

Majority of Americans favor Democrats to handle Iraq and healthcare:

Shamelessy "borrowed" from The Washington Post:

Most Americans oppose fully funding President Bush's $190 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a sizable majority supports an expansion of a children's health insurance bill the president has promised to veto, putting Bush and many congressional Republicans on the wrong side of public opinion on upcoming foreign and domestic policy battles.

The new Washington Post-ABC News poll also shows deep dissatisfaction with the president and Congress. Bush's approval rating stands at 33 percent, equal to his career low in Post-ABC polls. Congressional approval is even lower: Just 29 percent approve of the job the Congress is doing. That is Congress's lowest approval rating in this poll since November 1995, when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate, and represents a 14-point drop since Democrats took control last January.

Still, the public rates congressional Republicans (29 percent approve) lower than congressional Democrats (38 percent approve). And when the two parties are pitted directly against one another, the public broadly favors Democrats to handle Iraq, health care, the federal budget and the economy. Only on the issue of terrorism are Republicans at parity with Democrats.

Part of the dissatisfaction with Congress stems from the stalemate between Democrats and the White House over Iraq policy. Most Americans do not think Congress has gone far enough in opposing the war, with liberal Democrats especially critical of their party's failure to force the president into a significant change in policy.

Overall, 55 percent of Americans want congressional Democrats to do more to challenge the president's Iraq war policies, while only a third think the Democrats have already gone too far. The level of agitation for more action in opposition to the war has not dissipated since August 2005, when Democrats were the minority party in Congress.

More than eight in 10 liberal Democrats said Congress has been too restrained, while about the same percentage of conservative Republicans said it has been too aggressive. A narrow majority of independents, 53 percent, wants more congressional action.

At the same time, there is no consensus about the pace of any U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. In July, nearly six in 10 said they wanted to decrease the number of troops there, but now a slim majority, 52 percent, thinks Bush's plan for removing some troops by next summer is either the right pace for withdrawal (38 percent) or too hasty (12 percent would like a slower reduction and 2 percent want no force reduction); fewer, 43 percent, want a quicker exit.

A central challenge for all policymakers is that those who want more congressional action are not unanimous in what they would like Congress to do. Almost all of those who would like congressional Democrats to do more to oppose the Iraq war disapprove of how the president has handled the war effort, but about a quarter want U.S. troops to remain in Iraq until civil order is restored, and more than a third see Bush's plan to withdraw the "surge" troops by next summer as about right or even too fast.

There is broader public agreement, however, on how Congress should approach the war funding issue. Only about a quarter of all adults want Congress to fully fund the administration's $190 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year, while two-thirds want the proposed allocation reduced, with 43 percent wanting it reduced sharply. (Three percent say Congress should approve no money at all.)

Two-thirds of independents want Congress to reduce the funds allocated for the war effort, as do 83 percent of Democrats; 45 percent of Republicans agree.

Bush and the Republicans may also be headed for a political setback from the fight over the State Children's Health Insurance Program, even if Congress fails to override Bush's threatened veto, with broad bipartisan support for the new legislation.

More than seven in 10 support the planned $35 billion spending increase, and only 25 percent are opposed. About half of Americans "strongly" support the increased spending; 17 percent are that firmly against the additional money. And the program expansion has majority support across party lines: Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 69 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republicans are in favor.

Democrats hold a big edge over Republicans on handling the nation's health-care issues more generally. Overall, 56 percent said they trust Democrats to handle health care, and 26 percent side with the GOP on the issue. About one in eight doesn't trust either major party. Only 30 percent give Bush positive marks on his handling of health care. Democrats also have public trust leads on other key issues, including Iraq (Democrats have a 15-point advantage), the economy (18 points) and handling the federal budget deficit (23 points). The two parties are at parity on handling the U.S. campaign against terrorism; 41 percent put more faith in the Democrats on the issue, 40 percent in the Republicans.

Translating these advantages into political momentum, however, has proved a tricky proposition. Congressional ratings are low, and falling, and despite progress toward some of the Democrats' primary stated goals, few Americans credit Congress with significant progress this year.

The drop-off in Congress's approval rating over the past six months has been precipitous among Democrats and independents. Barely a third of liberal Democrats now approve of the job Congress is doing; in April, 59 percent approved. Among independents, 24 percent approve, equaling last year's pre-election low mark for the GOP-controlled Congress.

Independents broke heavily for Democratic candidates in the 2006 midterm elections, powering their takeover.

In this poll, independents spread their discontent. About three in 10 rate Democrats in Congress positively, while just 23 percent give congressional Republicans a good review. Since April, independents' support for the Democrats in Congress is down 20 percentage points; approval of the Republicans is down 11 points.

The congressional Democrats have also lost some of their standing among self-identified Democrats and Republicans, as their overall rating has dipped from 54 percent in April to 38 percent in this poll. At 29 percent, Republicans in Congress rate only as high as the institution.

Deteriorating reviews of congressional job performance are linked to a broad-based assessment that Congress has not accomplished much this year. Overall, more than eight in 10 Americans, including large majorities across party lines, said Congress has accomplished "not too much" or "nothing at all" this year. And the percentage granting Congress more achievement is down from April, again led by declines among Democrats and independents.

Few, however, pin a "do nothing" label solely on Congress.

By a 2-1 margin, those who see little accomplishment in the Congress's first nine months place more blame for the inaction on the president and the GOP rather than on the majority Democrats. Some 51 percent place primary fault with the president and congressional Republicans, 25 percent on the Democrats; two in 10 volunteer that both parties share the blame equally. Among independents, 43 percent blame the Republicans, 23 percent the Democrats, and nearly three in 10 blame both sides equally.

The poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday among a national random sample of 1,114 adults. The results from the full poll have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

You Tell Me

WTF? Oh yeah, it IS Monday morning so, YOU tell ME: