Monday Summary and ROLL TIDE 8-0

Mr. Darby:

Letter to the Editor - Southern Style

Letter to the Editor - Southern Style II

Stephen King - Drive-by Truckers

White House Ethics, Honesty Questioned

Libbygate, Traitorgate, Treasongate.....

Samuel Alito’s America

6 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq

Sound Familiar?

Sound Familiar?

Don't think it could happen again?

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

WASHINGTON - The National Security Agency has been blocking the release of an article by one of its historians that says intelligence officers falsified documents about a disputed attack that was used to escalate the Vietnam War, according to a researcher who has requested the article.

6 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq

CNN.com - 6 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq - Oct 31, 2005

Reconstruction Woes Continue In Iraq

Colonel is top-ranking officer killed in Iraq - Oct 31, 2005

But, really, it's going SUPER over in Iraq.

Samuel Alito’s America

Samuel Alito’s America

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE:
ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION:
ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION:
ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT:
ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES:
ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS:

The showdown finally arrives:

"Rove knew that the myth of conservative ascendancy was just that -- a myth. An America that voted for Republicans out of fear of terrorists has little appetite for domestic conservative dogma. Bush's numbers didn't start coming down because of Iraq or Miers or Katrina. They came down during Bush's 'Let's Destroy Social Security' road show. Fact is, conservatives are most effective when they mask their true intentions ('healthy forrest initiative', not the 'let's cut down trees initiative').

Bush's sagging numbers no excuse to reopen 'wounds in America'

Reid hits Bush pick: Not a woman, Not a Hispanic, appellate judge

Libbygate, Traitorgate, Treasongate.....

Frank Rich: One Step Closer to the Big Enchilada

In our current imperial presidency, as in its antecedent, what may look like a narrow case involving a second banana with a child's name contains the DNA of the White House, and that DNA offers a road map to the duplicitous culture of the whole. The coming prosecution of Lewis (Scooter) Libby in the Wilson affair is hardly the end of the story. That "Cheney's Cheney," as Mr. Libby is known, would allegedly go to such lengths to obscure his role in punishing a man who challenged the administration's W.M.D. propaganda is just one very big window into the genesis of the smoke screen (or, more accurately, mushroom cloud) that the White House used to sell the war in Iraq.

TheStar.com - A case of the mean reds.

The indictment of one of George W. Bush's advisers last week is part of the pervasive rot in the modern Republican party.

CNN.com - Reid: White House owes an explanation - Oct 30, 2005

"Everyone knows Karl Rove is involved," Reid said. "If the president is a man of his word, Rove should be history."
...
"There was not a word of apology, not a word of explanation to the American people," Reid said. "The president's going to have to get a touch of reality."

Flying Blind - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com

"This is a White House in turmoil right now," said a senior aide, one of many who declined to speak on the record at a time of peril and paranoia. As for Rove, the aide said, some insiders believed that he had "behaved, if not criminally, then certainly unethically."

White House Ethics, Honesty Questioned

White House Ethics, Honesty Questioned

The poll, conducted Friday night and yesterday, found that 55 percent of the public believes the Libby case indicates wider problems "with ethical wrongdoing" in the White House, while 41 percent believes it was an "isolated incident." And by a 3 to 1 ratio, 46 percent to 15 percent, Americans say the level of honesty and ethics in the government has declined rather than risen under Bush.

Stephen King - Drive-by Truckers

Update: 3/1/06 - SK makes another DBT mention

Stephen King has made mention of Slobberbone in the past so I wasn't that surprised when I came across an Entertainment Weekly article written by Mr. King regarding Halloween. Mr. King mentions the Drive-by Truckers and a song from Southern Rock Opera that doesn't get mentioned that often and also throws a shout-out to B-ham, AL. I've transcribed the beggining of the article through the mention of DBT:

Gosh. Zowie. It's almost Halloween again. Somebody peel me off the ceiling.

If you sense a certain lack of enthusiasm, you get an A for perceptiveness and win this week's first prize, a free ticket to see Venom, (second prize: two ticket to see Venom). Halloween has been my least favorite holiday ever since the mid-80's, when trick-or-treaters started showing up at my house in battalions, many dressed as Pennywise the Clown. That was when I realized I'd been elected America's Guru of Grue without even running for the position. Ever since, my family and I have taken to spending the last day of October elsewhere. Far, far elsewhere. Birmingham, Ala., is good; Birmingham, England-where Halloween is little more that the name of a John Carpenter movie--is even better. Still, I have no objection to you having the scariest Halloween possible. To that end, I offer the following suggestions to put you in a morbid mood and a frightened frame of mind:

Putrid Pop: There's no shortage of grim pop music, but let us push aside such chestnuts as "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" and "Thriller" in favor of the real sicko stuff. There's "Hey, Man, Nice Shot" by Filter (inspired by a politician's tasteful decision to commit suicide on live television), "Days of Graduation" by Driby-by Truckers (a car-wreck tune that makes "Last Kiss" seem like Mother Goose), the Pine Valley Cosmonauts' version of "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" (a transplant operation goes horribly wrong), and my favorite (and a brief top 20 hit in the '70s), "Timothy," the Buoy's rock ode to cannibalism......

While I was working on this post I received an email from a friend with the following article on Southern Rock in Slate. Of couse they mention DBT.

Southern Rock - Even with an electric guitar, the past is never past. By Ethan Hauser

No band in this genre was so nakedly foisted upon us as throwback Southerners than Nashville's Kings of Leon, who have a marketer's dream of a bio (rural roots, sibling band members, an evangelist father). Too bad they're a very generic rock band, a Southern version of the Strokes: all hair, image, and carefully chosen vintage T-shirts. Their success has overshadowed a more talented old-fashioned Southern-rock band: the Drive-By Truckers. Hailing from Muscle Shoals, Ala., the Drive-By Truckers sing about officially sanctioned Southern themes like Wal-Mart and bar fights, complemented by accessible and unaffected guitar leads and basic rhythms. "We can't afford no insurance," frontman Patterson Hood complains in the song "Puttin People on the Moon," adding, "I been 10 years unemployed." Just in case you missed it from the album title (The Dirty South) or the "I been" locution, the way Hood drawls "insurance" ("inshur-nce") reveals his Southern pride. If this all sounds a little self-regarding, it is. But the band redeems their kitsch with solid musicianship. Hood has a muddy, emotive growl, an instrument so distinctive that it can overwhelm the guitar play underneath.

Letter to the Editor - Southern Style II

WOW. My home town folks are making me proud today. Another LTE in the TimesDaily. This one tackles UNintelligent design:

Stake of ignorance

To the editor:

In reference to the Oct. 28 TimesDaily, page 2B, article titled "Panel rejects textbook on evolution," referring to a meeting of the state textbook committee.

Many people still support the proposition that the Earth is flat because of a quote in a certain book. " … go to the four corners of the Earth …" Copernicus, (and Galileo) a long time ago, proposed that the Earth was round because all rational evidence supported this truth. He was severely persecuted for this and some of his converts were tied to a stake -- because they refused to stand still while burning!

A pope forgave him in 1993, when it finally dawned on the religious leaders that Copernicus was not guilty of heresy -- the Earth really is spherical. But we still have many Flat Earth Societies exerting influence in the modern world.

Many agree that the theory of evolution is the most important and influential finding of mankind. It opens new fields of knowledge for the benefit of all life on this small planet floating in the vastness of space. We Homo sapiens are finally developing an identity.

Darwin's theory of evolution is accepted by all scientific disciplines, and new evidence has not contradicted this basic theory. Biology, geology, astronomy, paleontology, psychiatry, archeology and all the other scientific disciplines agree. The recent discovery -- and beginning of understanding -- of DNA bears overwhelming evidence favoring evolution.

The how and why, as in all scientific theories, remain open to any and all new discoveries/research.

To give teachers leeway to teach creationism, a disclaimer has been inserted in the fore part of biology texts, denigrating Darwin's theory, labeling it "controversial." This begs the question: Who has a vested interest in today's status quo? Our students deserve a higher level of education and knowledge. We are in competition worldwide, and with often better educational systems.

Yet we, again, in Alabama deny our students an understanding (evolution/change) of the processes that have made us what we are and, more importantly, our possibility of becoming.

Mankind is often destroyed by ignorance. We need not remain tied to this stake.

Jimmy *****

Cherokee

Letter to the Editor - Southern Style

Once again from the TimesDaily in Alabama and once again a smack down of Roy "Ten Commandments but only a couple are relevant to me" Moore:

An embarrassment

I'm sure most people remember George Bush's aircraft landing on the U.S.S. Lincoln and his embarking from the plane wearing his leather flight jacket, proclaiming, "Mission accomplished!"

I think Roy Moore must be sitting back and saying the same thing. He has worked tirelessly from being an inconsequential political figure in Etowah County to become infamous for something, and he used religion and the Ten Commandments as his bait.

Electing someone like Roy Moore to be our governor won't make him a worthy governor, any more than locking him in a hen house will turn him into a rooster.

He has absolutely nothing to offer our citizens. If it is a replica of the Ten Commandments that people want, they can turn to their Bibles, in Exodus, Chapter 20, and have it available up close and personal.

Alabama needs leadership with a vision for leading us into the paths of prosperity and higher achievements. Hopefully, the candidates seeking this role will be people who have incorporated spirituality into their lives, people who have not used religion for their own personal gain and prosperity.

Roy Moore has earned millions of dollars as a result of his antics, and he will be an embarrassment to all Alabamians.

Larry * *****

Central Heights

Past Post on Roy Moore

Fitzgerald expands probe, believes he can get Rove on more serious charges, lawyers say

Fitzgerald expands probe, believes he can get Rove on more serious charges, lawyers say
...

Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff Libby indicted

Indictment

Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff Libby indicted

"Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby has been indicted for five counts by the federal grand jury investigating the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame for perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the grand jury, RAW STORY can confirm."

....

Sources close to the investigation say the probe will continue, and could expand to include other elements, including forged documents that purported to show Iraq had sought uranium from Niger.

Scooter has been indicted

Beginning in late May 2003, two months before actual column by Novak in July 2003, Libby began acquiring info about trip to Niger by Wilson. The CIA decided on its own initiative to send Wilson to Niger after an inquiry by the VP. Libby lied about conversations he had with Tim Russert, Matt Cooper and Judith Miller. Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson's employment status was classified, her affiliatilon with CIA was not common knowledge. Revealing the agent's status has the potential to damage the national security, risk lives of that agent and other agents, damage national security.

Scooter Libby endangered national security.

"Without the truth our criminal justice system cannot serve the nation or our citizens." - Patrick Fitzgerald, today.

Scooter today but no Rove

Probe may be extended.... Rove: No indictment today but still under heavy scrutiny... Scooter going down.... My feeling is there's a lot more Fitz is investigating other than just the outing of Plame...

The Raw Story | Journal: Rove told he won't be indicted today

Cheney Aide Appears Likely to Be Indicted; Rove Under Scrutiny - New York Times

Rove, Libby Prepare for Possible Indictments - Washington Post
***

Republicans are killing science in the U.S.

Science leads to inovation. Inovation leads to invention. Invention leads to products. Products lead to jobs.

But the Radical christian Republican Party doesn't want you to worry your pretty little head about science. Science will lead to hating baby jesus and they just can't have that. They did it to Galileo and they are doing it again today. Shut up and pray to their god and quit thinkin'.

Is US becoming hostile to science? - Yahoo! News

A Weakened President Faces New Risks

Weeeaak, Dude, weak

President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers on Oct. 3 was made from a position of weakness by a White House beset by political problems and eager to avoid a fight over the Supreme Court. Twenty-four excruciating days later, the supposed safe choice crashed, exposing the president as even weaker than before.

Carl Bernstein Finds Plame Parallels To Watergate

Carl Bernstein Finds Plame Parallels To Watergate:

"'But what the Plame leak investigation has unveiled is what the press should have been focusing on long before and without let up--how we went to war, the dishonesty involved in that process in terms of what the president and vice-president told the American people and the Congress, and the routine smearing by members of the Bush administration of people who questioned their actions and motives.' "

Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers To Senate Intelligence Panel

Don't ya wish we could have a California style recall?

Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources

Vote Lucy Baxley for AL-Gov

Corruption probe indicts Siegelman and Scrushy
...

A.R.I.

Another Republican Indicted.

Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case
>>

Prosecutor secures indictment in CIA outing case, lawyers say

They are Flipping their asses off....BIG TIME:

However, intelligence officials and those familiar with the case have indicated that Fitzgerald could convene a new grand jury to investigate forged documents used by the Bush Administration that purported to show Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Niger

....

But his office was contacted late Tuesday by attorneys representing figures outside the White House, lawyers said, who expressed interest in entering into plea talks with the prosecutor. Several have agreed to enter into last-minute plea negotiations with Fitzgerald in exchange for providing testimony that could result in criminal charges being brought against additional officials inside the White House, they added

.....

An eleventh-hour deal could help Fitzgerald "build a strong case against some very senior officials in the office of the vice president," one attorney said.

Daily Kos: FRAMESHOP: 'Surprise' (MEDIA ALERT)

Be mindful when listening to today's news, and consider the following suggestions:

1. The White House will be running a communications strategy, so beware of anything they say. In the past 24-hours, the President has given a series of speeches discussing every aspect of his presidency (e.g., business as usual). But they will go on the attack very soon.

2. Listen for magic words. Expect the White House to try to control debate by repeating keywords over and over again. So far, they have been quiet. But the specter of 9/11 is never far off. Beware of White House spokesmen who try to discuss 9/11.

3. Stay focused. The real issue tomorow is crimes committed by the White House to trick the American people into supporting a war. There is no other issue that comes close to this, tomorrow.

4. Do not talk about whether we should stay or pull out of Iraq. That is an important topic, but it will be a distraction tomorrow. The issue is crimes committed against the American people by top officials at the White House.

5. Read the White House website. This will help to understand what strategy they are launching.

6. Use only the President's name. This crisis is about the President of the United States, the people he hired, the decisions he made and the methods he used. Do not get distracted by too much talk about the names of aides.

7. Read a variety of news sources. Follow the story in a variety of media (e.g., print, TV, blogs) to get a full picture of what is going on. Don't become a CNN zombie.

8. Talk to co-workers and friends about what's happening. It is important that all Americans follow what is happening. Spread the news. Be the media.

9. Keep following the story. It is likely that the story will change several times before it is over.

Grand Jury Hears Summary of Case On CIA Leak Probe

Grand Jury Hears Summary of Case On CIA Leak Probe

"A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll reminded the White House of the damage the CIA leak case has already inflicted: Eight in ten people surveyed said that aides had either broken the law or acted unethically."

Former Republichan Senator Danforth Criticizes Christian Sway in GOP

The influence of evangelical Christians in the Republican Party hurts the organization and divides the country, former U.S. Sen. John Danforth said during a visit to the Bill Clinton School of Public Service on Wednesday.

Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an Episcopal priest, met with students during a seminar and held a luncheon talk at the graduate school.

"I think that the Republican Party fairly recently has been taken over by the Christian conservatives, by the Christian right," he said in an interview after his talks. "I don't think that this is a permanent condition but I think this has happened, and that it's divisive for the country."

He also said the evangelical Christian influence would be bad for the party in the long run.

BREITBART.COM - Just The News

Bowing to the American Taliban....

Caving to the Radical Religious Right.

Filibuster ANYONE he puts up next, Dems.

CNN.com - Miers withdraws Supreme Court nomination - Oct 27, 2005

The Drive-by Truckers Patterson Hood

This song is about doing what you do because you gotta do it. And it don't matter if yer makin' money at it even though it helps. It don't matter. You just do it because you gotta do it and if you do it for any other reason then FUCK YOU. If you do it for the money... Fuck You. I could of gone to school. I could have learn how to make money... But Fuck You. You do it because it keeps you alive. That's what this song is about. Its called the Living Bubba. - Patterson Hood - The Fillmore - April 9 ,2005 - San Francisco, CA
>>>

If Fox News Had Been Around Throughout History

You've gotta check out this site. It's funny because it's true.

Dipshit Sessions on Rove

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL): “Karl Rove Is A Friend Who, By All Accounts, Is Fully Cooperating With The Investigation. He Has Been A Most Valuable Member Of President Bush’s Team And Has Always Conducted Himself According To High Standards. It’s Disappointing That Some Democrats Are Using An Ongoing Investigation To Try And Score Political Points. Instead Of Focusing On The People’s Business, Democrats Are Prejudging An Incomplete Investigation And Doing Nothing More Than Mounting Partisan Political Attacks.” (Sen. Jeff Sessions, “Statement Of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions On Karl Rove,” 7/13/05)

So, Dipshit, if Karl, your buddy, is indicted for perjury and obstruction will he still be fully cooperating with the investigation? Is lying a "High Standard"? It wasn't a high standard when you and your cabal were going after Clinton for lying. Are they "Partisan Political Attacks" if he's indicted? Perjury, Obstruction of Justice, Treason, putting his politics above the safety of the country... You talk the talk but you don't walk the walk and that makes you full of Dipshit.

Pull 20,000 US troops from Iraq in Dec: Kerry

He actually served in the Military... and he has a plan.... now..... goddammit.

"We do not need to send young Americans on search-and-destroy missions that invite alienation and deepen the risks they face ... Iraqis should stand up for Iraq."

"We must move aggressively to reduce popular support for the insurgency fed by the perception of American occupation"

Wal-Mart Memo Suggests Ways to Cut Employee Benefit Costs

Everyday 3rd World Employee Conditions
<<<

Prosecutor in leak case seeks indictments against Rove, Libby, lawyers close to case say

Prosecutor in leak case seeks indictments against Rove, Libby, lawyers close to case say
<<<

More Fitzmas Info

In a possible sign that Fitzgerald: may seek to charge one or more officials with illegally disclosing Valerie Plame's CIA affiliation, FBI agents as recently as Monday night interviewed at least two people in her D.C. neighborhood. The agents were attempting to determine whether the neighbors knew that Plame worked for the CIA before she was unmasked with the help of senior Bush administration officials. Two neighbors said they told the FBI they had been surprised to learn she was a CIA operative."
>>>

Poll: Bush would lose an election if held this year

Um, can I just say D'UH. He lost in 2000 and 2004. Why wouldn't he lose in 2005?

CNN.com - Poll: Bush would lose an election if held this year
>>>>

Better than the deed, better than the memory....

...The anticipation...

The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity met on Wednesday with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald amid signs the prosecutor was preparing to seek criminal charges."

Fitzgerald Focuses Again on Rove

As his investigation nears a conclusion,special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has returned his attention to White House adviser Karl Rove, interviewing a Rove colleague with detailed questions about contacts that President Bush's close aide had with reporters in the days leading up to the outing of a covert CIA office

BREAKING: CBS To Report Fitzgerald Will Make His Decision Known Tomorrow

BREAKING: CBS To Report Fitzgerald Will Make His Decision Known Tomorrow
...

South hit hardest by military deaths

More than half of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq either came from the South or were assigned to military bases in the region, according to an analysis of Pentagon records.
<<

Majority of Americans now feel Iraq war was wrong

Good Morning, America! Have a nice nap?
>>>

Pre-empting the Trashing of Fitzgerald

Patrick J. Fitzgerald
>>>

CIA Leak Linked to Dispute Over Iraq Policy

"Scowcrof, a close friend of former president George H.W. Bush, revealed in interviews with the New Yorker a deep disdain for the administration's foreign policy, according to an article published this week. He said he had once considered Vice President Cheney 'a good friend,' but 'Dick Cheney I don't know anymore.' When Scowcroft was asked whether he could name the issues on which he agreed with President Bush, he replied 'Afghanistan.' He then paused for 12 seconds before adding only, 'I think we're doing well on Europe.'"

RIP Rosa

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks dies
>>>

US death toll in Iraq hits 2,000 - Yahoo! News

US death toll in Iraq hits 2,000
>>>

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report

Bingo! Right to the top we go
>>>

Setting the Bar Higher

Can I get an amen.

If you think this is a cheap shot at religion, you’re wrong. This is actually a cheap shot at people who think that faith alone will get us to the finish line. Faith never invented life-saving drugs, electrical appliances, automobiles, computers, the Internet, or even the telephone that you call your mother with on Mother’s Day. Those were all invented, developed, and improved upon by people who took an interest in science and who didn’t let the unknown scare them from peering into it. Perhaps faith helped them along their illustrious roads, and perhaps God was the most important part of their lives. However, they never traded their faith for hard work, creativity, and hitting the books. There may be no substitute for God, but there’s no substitute for studying and getting good grades either. If you don’t trust me, just ask a teacher.

Abramoff Sought Help From Reed

More GOP Slime

Hutchison Flip-Flops on Importance of Perjury

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison this weekend:

Ms. Hutchison said she hoped “that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn’t indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 1999 regarding Clinton:

[S]omething needs to be said that is a clear message that our rule of law is intact and the standards for perjury and obstruction of justice are not gray. And I think it is most important that we make that statement and that it be on the record for history.

I very much worry that with the evidence that we have seen that grand juries across America are going to start asking questions about what is obstruction of justice, what is perjury. And I don’t want there to be any lessening of the standard. Because our system of criminal justice depends on people telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is the lynch pin of our criminal justice system and I don’t want it to be faded in any way.

Goddamn opportunistic LYING fuckers

Tennessee is....

having a bad week.

No presidential run for you! NEXT!!

Oh yeah, and this needs to be said again...
>>>

Ohio War Veteran Running for Senate

I'm thinking about moving to Ohio just so I can vote for this guy.

Paul Hackett
<<<

Cheney aide passed Plame's name to Libby, Hadley, those close to leak investigation say

Dean Wurmser
...

Breaking Ranks: What Turned Brent Scowcroft Against the Bush Administration

One of daddy's boys is puttin the hurtin' on Shrub
>>>

Here's your Patriot Act at work....

FBI Papers Indicate Intelligence Violations:

"The FBI has conducted clandestine surveillance on some U.S. residents for as long as 18 months at a time without proper paperwork or oversight, according to previously classified documents to be released today."

Letters to the Editor - Southern Style

Both LORs are from the Timesdaily in Florence, AL. The first promotes the election to governor of Roy "Ten Commandments" Moore. Idiot.

The second LOR is a response I was hoping for after I read the first LOR and the "Good People" of Alabama didn't let me down. Enjoy the smackdown:

Elect Roy Moore

To the editor:

"It is time that the American people awake to the true meaning of separation of church and state and our unique relationship to God as a nation," explains Roy Moore. "No longer can we afford to sit quietly by while the ACLU and others take away our right to publicly acknowledge God secured by the First Amendment to the United States-Constitution."

Those are the words of Judge Roy Moore, our infamous judge that stood up to the ACLU. It took courage to stand up to the ACLU the way he did, and it was more than honorable; it was heroic. He spoke for the majority in Alabama over the Ten Commandments in the courtroom. And now, this voice for the people is running for a higher office: governor.

We need to elect him and send a clear message to the ACLU: Stop trampling on our rights to freedom of religion.

Oscar **** *

Muscle Shoals

And here is the smack down:

Just plain silly

To the editor:

Is the American Civil Liberties Union running for governor? That was the impression I got from reading Oscar ***** letter here Oct. 19.

I agree with Mr. **** about one thing: Roy Moore is certainly "infamous." After that, I would disagree with every word. The key phrase Mr. Broome wrote was: "We need to elect Moore and send a clear message to the ACLU: Stop trampling on our rights to freedom of-religion."

This seems like an odd fixation to me. The ACLU is not responsible for ending the chronic shortfalls in Alabama's education budgets, does not exercise leadership in the state Legislature and does not manage a single head of a single state agency.

Candidates for governor must demonstrate an ability to do these things. I have yet to see Moore demonstrate any abilities beyond self-promotion through religious rhetoric.

This is in keeping with the strange history of the would-be governor.

Even now, long after Moore was elected chief justice, I am still waiting for someone to tell me what his qualifications were. What great decisions had he rendered? What extraordinary cases had he judged? Except for his campaign pledge to build an idol, what was he going to do for our state?

I've waited in vain -- so, I won't hold my breath waiting for Moore's campaign platform to emerge. Indeed, I suspect it will go like this: "Ten Commandments … ACLU bad … Ten Commandments … ACLU bad …" It will only require repetition, not "courage." Nor will it be "heroic;" more likely, it'll just be plain silly.

Matt *****

Florence

HEY VOLS.......

WE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUT OF YOU!
RAMMER JAMMER YELLOW HAMMER
GAVE 'EM HELL, ALABAMA!

ROLL TIDE - 6-3 - 7-0!

The Hit

The Kick

The Hug!

Patrick J. Fitzgerald New Website

Just launched. Looks like Fitzmas will have its own presence on the web. Wonder why that is. Is he expecting a lot of press soon? Hmmmmmmm???

Happy Fitzmas!

US Department of Justice, Office of Special Counsel

Nonpartisan GAO Confirms Security Flaws in Voting Machines

Nonpartisan GAO Confirms Security Flaws in Voting Machines

1. Some electronic voting systems did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, thus making it possible to alter them without detection.

2. It is easy to alter a file defining how a ballot appears, making it possible for someone to vote for one candidate and actually be recorded as voting for an entirely different candidate.

3. Falsifying election results without leaving any evidence of such an action by using altered memory cards.

4. Access to the voting network was easily compromised because not all digital recording electronic voting systems (DREs) had supervisory functions password-protected, so access to one machine provided access to the whole network.

5. Supervisory across to the voting network was also compromised by repeated use of the same user IDs combined with easily guessed passwords.

6. The locks protecting access to the system were easily picked and keys were simple to copy.

7. One DRE model was shown to have been networked in such a rudimentary fashion that a power failure on one machine would cause the entire network to fail.

8. GAO identified further problems with the security protocols and background screening practices for vendor personnel.

Why music makes you exercise 20% harder

Very Interesting

A Palpable Silence at the White House

You can almost hear an indictment drop

...the White House now confronts the looming prospect that no one in the building is eager to address: a Bush presidency without Karl Rove. In a capital consumed by scandal speculation, most White House senior officials are no more privy than outsiders to the prosecutor's intentions. But the surreal silence in the Roosevelt Room each morning belies the nervous discussions racing elsewhere around the West Wing.

Facing South: ESP wonder; newspapers channel Bush

Republican Propagand Alert
>>>

Bush Critic Became Target of Libby, Former Aides Say

Bush Critic Became Target of Libby, Former Aides Say - Los Angeles Times

Conservative Group Denounces Ann Coulter

Okay, I promised myself when I started this blog that I wouldn't waste any post that concerned Fox News, Hannity, O'Reily, Coulter or any of the other Fake-Republican bloviators. I've broken that promise today and the reason being is that it seems that the true Republicans, those who share the common goals of the liberal but have a different idea of how to achieve those goals, are finally standing up to those who have infested their party.

Check out the article regarding MAnn Coulter and check out the video at the end of the article.

Conservative Group Denounces Ann Coulter

While the recent nomination of Hariet Miers for the Supreme Court by George W. Bush may have revealed more than a few cracks in the usually lockstepped Conservative Movement in America, Daniel Borchers has been calling out "fake Conservativism" -- as we refer here at The BRAD BLOG to those who use the tenets of the true Conservative Movement merely for cynical, opportunistic political gain -- for years.

Borchers' organization, Citizens for Principled Conservatism (CPC) is currently in-production of a documentary named The Truth About Ann which aims squarely at political and religious hypocrisy of Rightwing commentator and author, Ann Coulter.

Fox News Smackdown

Fox News is the WWE of TV News

There are innumerable anecdotes that could be presented here to make this case, but "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," a brilliant documentary by director Robert Greenwald, does a wonderful job at chronicling how the network misrepresents facts, manufactures terror and slanders liberals and adulates the President, all with the sole purpose of advancing its right-wing agenda. The film uncovers daily internal memos that outline conservative talking points, nonconformists that are threatened with their jobs and correspondents that often do not even pretend to be impartial.

Bernie Sanders (I-VT) correctly accused Fox News of being "an adjunct of the Republican Party." As far as journalism is concerned, it is difficult to avoid remarking the obvious: that it is fake.

Drive-By Truckers Eyeing New Album In Spring

Drive-By Truckers Eyeing New Album In Spring

Patterson Hood:

"We're at that point where we've cut enough songs, but I'm not quite sure where the final edit's gonna go," he says. "It could go three pretty radically different directions -- to me there's one that's probably a little more obvious, so most likely that's what'll happen. But things can always change when you have this many crazy, temperamental people in a room," he adds with a chuckle.

Bush Calls Recent Woes 'Background Noise'

Treason, Imcompetence and Croynism are merely 'Background Noise'

The Most Important Criminal Case in American History

James Moore: The Most Important Criminal Case in American History

Patrick Fitzgerald has before him the most important criminal case in American history. Watergate, by comparison, was a random burglary in an age of innocence.

....

We may stand witness to a definitive American moment of democracy. The son of a New York doorman probably has in his hands, in many ways, the fate of the republic.

...

I have seen the spawn of Rove’s tortured mind and watched a hundred of his political scams unfold and I am confident I know how this one played out.

26 Iraqis and 5 G.I.'s Killed; Reporter Missing

And the progress continues.

26 Iraqis and 5 G.I.'s Killed; Reporter Missing - New York Times

‘Cheney cabal hijacked US foreign policy’

They're coming out of the wood work, now...

In a scathing attack on the record of President George W. Bush, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Mr Powell until last January, said: “What I saw was a cabal between the vice-president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made.

“Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences.”
>>>

Rove Told Jury Libby May Have Been His Source In Leak Case

Rove the Stooly

From A Southern Voter

Daily Kos: From A Southern Voter

If we had a higher collective self-worth, you wouldnt see us try and legislate our own morality on everybody else. I don't blame Southerners for wanting to keep their guns and for wanting to incorporate their religion into their daily lives, state facilities, and public schools. Religion is the way the truth and the life down here. Its all we know because RELIGION SPEAKS THE LOUDEST. That's why the "persecuted Christian" mentality is so widespread. We as a people don't know who we are, and we as a collective are extremely stubborn (OR you could say insecure ) and hence slow to want change. We are not policy wonks. We are not big business conservatives well versed in judicial history and economic theory. We are just good people who can be scared!

....

Southerners are inherently stubborn, honest, and GOOD. I believe that these traits can all be aligned with progressive policies, but New Englanders and left-wingers have to realize that it is going to be next to impossible for Barack Obama or Barbara Boxer to win the South. You need Barry Swietzer. You need Paul Hackett. You need Bill Clinton. You need the Vernacular. John Kerry was not. The next Democratic candidates need to be able to convince voters that they could rebuild an engine or fork some hay.

It's getting ugly

Prez Iraq team fought to squelch war critics

Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) Letter to President Bush, October 19th, 2005

The Handmaid's Tale...

...is happening right before our very eyes

>>>

Oh Man, This is going to be a fun week, me thinks!

Book 'em, Dano

A Texas court issued a warrant Wednesday for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to appear for booking, where he is likely to face the fingerprinting and photo mug shot he had hoped to avoid.
<<

Second Cheney aide cooperating in leak probe, those close to case say

Flipper Number 2

Scoop of the Day - Bush Knew

Must Read:

First this....

Then this commentary on the first link....

Then this commentary on the commentary....

It's called Obstruction of Justice. Impeach!

From the Premiere of the Colbert Report

Comedy Central WILL save America

Anybody who knows me knows that I am no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist for constantly telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen...

I don't trust books. They're all fact and no heart. And that's exactly what's pulling our country apart today. Because face it, folks, we are a divided nation... We are divided by those who think with their head, and those who know with their heart.

Here's the video

Confusion of the Day

Good Jew

A Year Later, Goss's CIA Is Still in Turmoil

How many incompatants can Bush appoint?

"A year later, Goss is at loggerheads with the clandestine service he sought to embrace. At least a dozen senior officials -- several of whom were promoted under Goss -- have resigned, retired early or requested reassignment. The directorate's second-in-command walked out of Langley last month and then told senators in a closed-door hearing that he had lost confidence in Goss's leadership."

Right-Wing Myths About The Leak Investigation

Debunked

Winning their hearts and minds

Film rolls as troops burn dead

No Final Report Seen in Inquiry on C.I.A. Leak - New York Times

Indictoroma:

"WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 - The special counsel in the C.I.A. leak case has told associates he has no plans to issue a final report about the results of the investigation, heightening the expectation that he intends to bring indictments, lawyers in the case and law enforcement officials said yesterday."

Confessions of a Wal-Mart Hit Man

Confessions of a Wal-Mart Hit Man

David Copperfield to 'magic' girl pregnant

This could explain the immaculate conception but not the Immaculate Reception

Spitball Fight

Spitball Fight - How conservatives can join in the fun�of the Republican crackup. By Bruce Reed

Candor has never exactly been the coin of the realm in Washington, where people who tell the truth are quarantined as "mavericks." The tightly scripted Bush administration has made matters worse, by putting the screws to any Republican who dared depart the party line – and by inspiring some Democrats to adopt the same logic. In such an atmosphere, talking points carry more weight than facts, and message discipline is prized over actual thought.

The coming weeks should bring more candor, not less. Truman used to say that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. Today, he might say: If you want an honest answer in Washington, get a subpoena.

Let's face it – the President is a lame duck. "Lamer" isn't quite fair; let's just say "less able than we're used to."

Cheney aide cooperating with CIA outing probe, sources say

Heerrre's Johnny... Hannah!

The Liberal Moderates

Don't be deceived by the polls: The "median voter" is more of a liberal than you may realize.

Teee-heee-heeeee

Oh Joy!

As the investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name hurtles to an apparent conclusion, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has zeroed in on the role of Vice President Cheney's office, according to lawyers familiar with the case and government officials. The prosecutor has assembled evidence that suggests Cheney's long-standing tensions with the CIA contributed to the unmasking of operative Valerie Plame.

But wait, there's more

The Flip with a BIG Flop

Cheney's name has come up amid indications Fitzgerald may be edging closer to a blockbuster conspiracy charge - with help from a secret snitch.

"They have got a senior cooperating witness - someone who is giving them all of that,"a source who has been questioned in the leak probe told the Daily News yesterday.
...

Patterson Hood - DBT Interview

Damn, I can't wait for this album:

For the new record, which Hood said is tentatively named "A Blessing and a Curse," the Truckers used famed R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium studio near Winston-Salem, N.C. They've also been working with longtime Truckers producer David Barbe in his Athens studio

Macon Telegraph | 10/14/2005 | Panic, Truckers join forces for Coliseum show
>>>

Bush's job rating continues to drop

58 percent disapprove
39 percent approve

Hey, 39! Get your head out of your ass!!

How low can he go?

>>>

Senior Democrats call for explanation of reporter's 'WMD clearance'

Judy Judy Judy

A New York Times editor confirmed "Miller had helped negotiate her own embedding agreement with the Pentagon—an agreement so sensitive that, according to one Times editor, Rumsfeld himself signed off on it
>>>

Barber Cancels Ed Schultz’s Debut on Armed Forces Radio

Think Progress � BREAKING: Barber Cancels Ed Schultz’s Debut on Armed Forces Radio

No Crony Left Behind

Until they get caught:

"The Education Department has acknowledged that it is working with the U.S. attorney's office in Washington to investigate the Bush administration's contract with commentator Armstrong Williams. That suggests civil or criminal charges could be filed, according to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (news, bio, voting record), D-N.J."
>>>

'NY Times' Publishes Devastating Article on Judith Miller Case, While Revealing Newsroom Controversy

If you didn't know before, now you know. You cannot trust ANY of the traditional mainstream media, New York Times included.

Miller should still be in jail. Miller should still be in jail. Miller should still be in jail. Liar

>>>

23 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak

Great info from Think Progress.

Think Progress � 23 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak

The Normalization of Treason, the Republicans' gift to America

The GOP has become the party of treason

If a senior White House staffer had intentionally outed an American spy during World War II, he'd have been shot.
>>>

How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck

How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck

It's Bush-Cheney, Not Rove-Libby

Frank Rich: It's Bush-Cheney, Not Rove-Libby:

"That stonewall may start to crumble in a Washington courtroom this week or next. In a sense it already has. Now, as always, what matters most in this case is not whether Mr. Rove and Lewis Libby engaged in a petty conspiracy to seek revenge on a whistle-blower, Joseph Wilson, by unmasking his wife, Valerie, a covert C.I.A. officer. What makes Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation compelling, whatever its outcome, is its illumination of a conspiracy that was not at all petty: the one that took us on false premises into a reckless and wasteful war in Iraq. That conspiracy was instigated by Mr. Rove's boss, George W. Bush, and Mr. Libby's boss, Dick Cheney."

Miers WILL overturn Roe v. Wade

So scary:

"Based on your personal knowledge of her, if she had the opportunity, do you believe she would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?"

"Absolutely," said Judge Kinkeade.

"I agree with that," said Justice Hecht. "I concur."

Filibuster her ass

'Hidden Scandal' in Miller Story, Charges Former CBS Newsman

She should still be in jail along with the rest of the Repugnantcan party.

'Hidden Scandal' in Miller Story, Charges Former CBS Newsman

6-0 No. 5 in the Nation

Whew! The kick is up and GOOD!


Bring on the Vols!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rove Pressed On Conflicts, Source Says

Rove Pressed On Conflicts, Source Says

Find-A-Human

This is great. Here are phone codes to find human help on automated corporate phone systems:

Find-A-Human

Thatcher reveals her doubts over basis for Iraq war

Maggie Thatcher:

"Washington Post reported that when asked whether she would have invaded Iraq given the intelligence at the time, Lady Thatcher replied: 'I was a scientist before I was a politician. And as a scientist I know you need facts, evidence and proof - and then you check, recheck and check again.'

She added: 'The fact was that there were no facts, there was no evidence, and there was no proof. As a politician the most serious decision you can take is to commit your armed services to war from which they may not return.'"

But the article contains this line....:

Although Lady Thatcher remains a strong supporter of the decision to topple Saddam by invading Iraq

... which makes not a wit of sense. She still supports removing Saddam by invasion but not on the reasons that were used. Then what reasons would have justified this invasion, Maggie?

American's Lack Manners

I think this is one of the top 3 problems in the states.
Modern Americans: a Rude, Boorish Lot?

Words from Teddy

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else." - Theodore Roosevelt

Reversing the Intellectual Decline

Shall we call it the "Unlightening":

"Historians will write of this time that the U.S. was in a period of intellectual decline, a kind of anti-renaissance of thought. Simplicity, and brevity displaced thoughtful dialogue. Repetition passed as true conviction, cult-like adherence to shallow philosophies unseated consideration of creative alternatives and honesty gave way to spin.

This is not an era when thinking about anything for long is valued."

Clear Skies My Ass

New Laws May Let Power Plants Pollute More

Heeerrrre's Carly!... Again

Rove testifies fourth time on CIA leak

Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

Well, D'UH! When has he done anything that wasn't staged. Oh yeah, the debates when Kerry crushed him.

But Scotty McCellan had this to say today when asked if the event was staged:

"This is a back-and-forth"

Erosion of the U.S. Competitive Edge in Science

Gee, I wonder why that is? Let me ask my intelligent designer

Two Percent

Not the kind of milk either.

Apparently Black people don't like George Bush

Vice President's role in outing of CIA agent under examination, sources close to prosecutor say

Vice President Monty Burns may be in some do do

Fitzgerald’s examination centers on a group of players charged with not only selling the war, but according to sources familiar with the case, to discredit anyone who openly “disagreed with the official Iraq war” story.

The group’s members included Deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove, Bush advisor Karen Hughes, Senior Advisor to the Vice President Mary Matalin, Deputy Director of Communications James Wilkinson, Assistant to the President and Legislative Liaison Nicholas Calio, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby - Chief of Staff to the Vice President and co-author of the Administration's pre-emptive strike policy

Las Vegas SUN: Reid will reveal gas plan

And this ain't about cutting out the 3 bean salad at the Rio Casino's buffet

GOP = Crooks R' Us

No Presidency for you, Frist!

"'It seems that for years, Frist may have misled his constituents and the American people about his health care industry stock holdings and the conflict of interest they created as he drafted our nation's health care policy,' said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. 'This deal raises even more questions about the Republican culture of corruption in Washington, D.C.'"

See how it's coming together....

Policymakers worried more about making the case for the war, particularly the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, than planning for the aftermath, the report says. The report was written by a team of four former CIA analysts led by former deputy CIA director Richard Kerr.
USATODAY.com - CIA review faults prewar plans

This is the same vetting process....

the Taliban uses.

Bush: Miers' Religion Cited in Court Nod - Yahoo! News

New Rule: George Bush must meet some new people.

Great stuff:

You know - you know, Mr. President, when you got elected, we all figured you were no genius, but smart enough to hire qualified people. But it turns out you're just a dimwit who enjoys feeling superior. And the only way to accomplish that is to surround yourself with the likes of Mike Brown and Harriet Miers: Goober and Aunt Bea. Unspectacular souls who make you feel comfortable and unthreatened. Kind of like when Madonna used to hang out with Rosie O'Donnell.

For President Under Duress, Body Language Speaks Volumes

Classic signs of a habitual liar

Focus of CIA Leak Probe Appears to Widen

This really could be an early Christmas

"Mr. Fitzgerald's pursuit now suggests he might be investigating not a narrow case on the leaking of the agent's name, but perhaps a broader conspiracy".

Learn these words now because you'll be hearing and seeing them A LOT from now on:

WHITE HOUSE IRAQ GROUP - WHIG

What God Really Told Bush

I like Mark Morford

"Psst! George! God here, taking a break from supervising the well-being of eight billion troubled souls along with infinite galaxies of unimaginable vastness to speak with you directly one more time because, well, you're special, aren't you, George? Yes you are! Yes you are! OK, stop giggling. I have more commands. Get off the damn hobbyhorse, George, and get a pen and a notepad. No, not a crayon. I don't care if blue is your favori-- George! Get a pen! OK? Good. Here we go:"

Letter to the Editor - Southern Style

Times Daily - Florence, AL

Related Post:
Jeff Sessions Looking for a Corpse

Getting richer

Alabama's "grave robbing" Republican senator, Jeff Sessions, has disgraced the dignified office of United States senator. He hoped to raid a proverbial morgue for his own self-seeking and special interests' motives.

Time magazine reported he recently sought to use deceased wealthy business owner victims of Hurricane Katrina as pawns in his attempt to permanently eliminate tax responsibility for those who get money they do not earn. He's lost touch with Alabama's values and constituents.

According to the Internal Revenue Service's Web site, estate taxes are only applicable to people who have died after 2002, with estates valued in excess of $1 million and $1.5 million in 2004 or 2005. Gift taxes are only applicable to those who have received gifts valued in excess of $10,000, and accounts for only about 2 percent of all estates. In 2004, less than 1 percent of those who died that year paid an estate tax, and half the money it brought in was from estates worth $10 million-plus.

Seventy percent of America's 105 million households earn less than $50,000 per year and only 4 million have a net worth of $1 million or more. While 30 percent of all Americans earn $50,000 or more per year, they still do not manage to attain the elite status of "millionaire."

Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne Jr. accurately named the Republican-led effort the "Paris Hilton Tax Cut" after the sex-flaunting young hotel heiress who neither earned the money that supports her excesses, nor has worked a day in her life.

Is it just to allow certain people to not pay taxes on money they did not work to earn? If they don't have to pay taxes on their windfall, why should lottery winners be required to pay for their winnings? Neither one worked to earn the money.

To hear Sessions or other congressional Republicans say otherwise is as if they are telling us to "get back to work, you poor working class slobs, and stop whining about your $3 per gallon gasoline, and go make some more money for your masters!"

Kevin * *****

Elgin

Poll: Americans Favor Bush's Impeachment If He Lied about Iraq

Sweet baby jeebus!

"If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him."

By a margin of 50% to 44%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he lied about the war in Iraq, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, the highly-regarded non-partisan polling company. The poll interviewed 1,001 U.S. adults on October 6-9.

Te-Te-Tennessee

They... are... all... freakin... crooks...

Stop voting for these lying crooks, Dixie.

AP: Frist Accumulated Stock Outside Trusts - Yahoo! News

Cheney's Halliburton stock options rose 3,281% last year, senator finds

jesus Fucking christ. Yeah, he's looking out for your values, your morality. You just keep worrying about the gays getting married and what other women CHOOSE to do with their bodies. Cheneyburton/Bushco will keep lining their pockets.

GEORGE BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE! Whew. Just had to get that out.

Oh yeah, and....

"Cheney told "Meet the Press" in 2003 that he didn't have any financial ties to the firm.

“Since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest," the Vice President said. "I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years.”

The Raw Story | Cheney's Halliburton stock options rose 3,281% last year, senator finds

Interesting Speculation:

Complete speculation but..... Cheney doesn't heart Georgie any more?

"Cheney has been getting tired of being called upon to fix Bush's mistakes. Cheney said Bush is almost incapable of making any decision. He waffles and waffles. Then, once he makes a decision, he refuses to change it. Because of his born-again faith, he says "It's in the hands of G-d now" and washes his hands of it. Then Cheney is called in to repair the damage.

If this story is even remotely true, this may have been the final straw for Cheney, and he decided to let Bush try to wiggle his way out of his Katrina inaction on his own."

Once again, I state that this is speculation with no hard evidence but....

The biggest story of 2005 is hiding in plain sight

How Bush Stole the 04 Election

Ohio - Noe transferred coin cash before giving to politicians

Romney warns of theocracy danger

Finally a Republican speaks out about the dangers of the wacko christian movement in America and the impending theocracy they wish to unleash on all of us..... What?... He's not talking christians? Islamic terrorists? Oh the freakin irony.

Romney warns of theocracy danger

Intelligent Design brought to you by....

Aragorn aka Strider, heir to the throne of Gondor.

Jawbone of Hobbit-like species uncovered

Helen Keller and Irony

To quote Atrios: "Heh-indeedy"

AL-Gov: Riley announces bid for re-election

Riley or Moore... Riley or Moore... Dumb or Dumber... Dumb or Dumber... Hmmmm, better go with Dumb, Alabama. It's what you're good at electing. Don't want to get all advanced by voting for Dumber.

Should be a lovely pissing contest as to who loves baby jesus more. "I love baby jesus more... No I love baby jesus more. Here's a novel idea; Why don't you let the churches worry about baby jesus and why don't you freakin GOVERN for once. If you want a Theocracy, move to Iran.

"According to a Mobile Register-University of South Alabama poll of 400 registered voters around the state, Riley holds a 19-point lead over Moore. Of 400 polled, Riley has 44 percent of the vote to Moore's 25 percent."

The Crimson White Online - Riley announces bid for re-election:

Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold

I'm starting to dig this guy.
He's definitely running for Prez in '08.

Rumor has it Gore might be running again too. I've been very impressed with his speeches of late.

CIA Leak: Karl Rove and the Case of the Missing E-mail

Gosh, what smells like BULLSHIT around here?

CIA Leak: Karl Rove and the Case of the Missing E-mail

Let the smearing begin

The Bush/Rove/Repbulican mud machine is back on the clock.

"'Fitzgerald's office, although very professional, has been very aggressive in pursuing people,' the adviser said. 'These guys are bullies, and they threaten you .'"

You reap what you sow...

"Republican politicians in multiple states have recently decided not to run for Senate next year, stirring anxiety among Washington operatives about the effectiveness of the party's recruiting efforts and whether this signals a broader decline in GOP congressional prospects."

For GOP, Election Anxiety Mounts

Blue Angels

Another reason why it's cool living in SF.

Blue Angels performing for Fleet Week.
Bring the troops home!

Biggest Balls in the Democratic Party

Nancy Pelosi - 10/7/05
RE: Oil Give away bill

"What you saw on the House floor this afternoon was a shameless display of the Republican culture of corruption, as it exists in the House of Representatives. It demonstrated once again that the Republican majority will go to any length to satisfy the greed of the energy companies over meeting the needs of the American people.

"A vote that was supposed to take five minutes took more than nine times that long because the indicted Republican leader of the House of Representatives needed extra time to twist the arms necessary to pass a bill that is against the interests of the American people, against consumers, against taxpayers, and against the environment.

"The fact that the Republicans are handmaidens of the special interests is nothing new. The fact that they would shamelessly display their servitude should come as no surprise. But today's extortion is an especially shameful display - a sad day for democracy. The people spoke and the vote was clearly against this bill.

"How long will the Republican caucus condone this behavior? Until the rank-and-file Members break with the culture of corruption, they are all complicit and they all enable. The American people must object.

"Our country's democracy is based upon every American having his or her voice heard on the floor of Congress. Republicans have shut down debate here. Now they are shutting down the reasonable outcome of a vote.

"Democrats have proposed guidelines for how we think the House of Representatives should operate, a Minority Bill of Rights. Included in this document is the declaration that 'No vote shall be held open in order to manipulate the outcome.' When we take back the People's House, we will heed that declaration.

The Nobel Committee had a joke for Bush

The N.C. called Georgie over at a recent gathering. Georgie ambles over and the N.C. ask him, "Hey Georgie. What did the five fingers say to the face"?

Georgie says, "Don't know. What"?

N.C., SLAP!

Right-Wing House Twists Arms, Thwarts Democracy To Pass Oil Industy Windfall

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!!

How low with these Republican SOBs go to subvert democracy.

Right-Wing House Twists Arms, Thwarts Democracy To Pass Oil Industy Windfall

Bomb Blasts Kill Six Marines in Iraq

Support the troops. Bring them home.

Bomb Blasts Kill Six Marines in Iraq - Yahoo! News

Ala. Church Youth Swallow Live Goldfish

Sigh..... I'll leave it at that.

Ala. Church Youth Swallow Live Goldfish - Yahoo! News

Bush Lied us into a War 3 years ago today

The lies that got us there

Senators point to New Orleans health risks

These fuckers are going to kill us all

"The Bush administration was accused Thursday by senators in both parties of minimizing health hazards from the toxic soup left by Hurricane Katrina, just as they said it did with air pollution in New York from the Sept. 11 attacks."

Poll: Bush Ratings Hit New Low

I don't know how to write the sound you'd make as a kid if you where pretending to crash a toy airplane. Starts with a high pitched whistle moving to a low pitch whistle then the inevitable crashing sound.

You know the one. Try it.

There is No God (And You Know It)

Read this entire article. If there was a way for me to agree more I would. I agree, squared, cubed and infinity!

There is No God (And You Know It)

"Only the atheist recognizes the boundless narcissism and self-deceit of the saved. Only the atheist realizes how morally objectionable it is for survivors of a catastrophe to believe themselves spared by a loving God, while this same God drowned infants in their cribs. Because he refuses to cloak the reality of the world’s suffering in a cloying fantasy of eternal life, the atheist feels in his bones just how precious life is -- and, indeed, how unfortunate it is that millions of human beings suffer the most harrowing abridgements of their happiness for no good reason at all.

Of course, people of faith regularly assure one another that God is not responsible for human suffering. But how else can we understand the claim that God is both omniscient and omnipotent? There is no other way, and it is time for sane human beings to own up to this. This is the age-old problem of theodicy, of course, and we should consider it solved. If God exists, either He can do nothing to stop the most egregious calamities, or He does not care to. God, therefore, is either impotent or evil. Pious readers will now execute the following pirouette: God cannot be judged by merely human standards of morality. But, of course, human standards of morality are precisely what the faithful use to establish God’s goodness in the first place. And any God who could concern himself with something as trivial as gay marriage, or the name by which he is addressed in prayer, is not as inscrutable as all that. If He exists, the God of Abraham is not merely unworthy of the immensity of creation; he is unworthy even of man."

Hopped up on Goofballs...

If you ask me.

Bush Jaw-boning

Rove Said to Testify in CIA Leak Case (Again)

Wonder if he's going to lie some more or roll over on somebody else to save his ass. I'm betting roll over on a sacrificial lamb.

Rove Said to Testify in CIA Leak Case - Yahoo! News

Fact Check: Bush Claims 10 Al Qaida Plots Disrupted

Think Progress � Fact Check: Bush Claims 10 Al Qaida Plots Disrupted

Feingold says Democrats will announce plan for Iraq

Finally.

...the Bush State Department that issued a report in 2001stating al Qaeda was not operating in Iraq...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, asked whether Iraq was a hotbed for insurgents by Newsweek last month, said, “The argument that I find rather bizarre is that somehow we created more of them by going after it, when, in fact, I think what had happened was that they had not been challenged… And now they’re being challenged.”

Feingold said her statement “makes absolutely no sense.”

“She is just literally making things up, saying that Iraq was a hotbed of terrorism before we went there,” he averred. “The recruiting is done because we are there.”

“The idea that you stay in a situation that isn’t going the right way just for the sake of saying that you’re staying the course is a potentially disastrous approach,” the senator said. “The idea that things would be much worse if we let Iraqis take over I think is questionable. A lot of the recruiting is based on the idea that it is a permanent American occupation.”

Feingold says Democrats will announce plan for Iraq

Halloween II

Boogady Boogady Boogady!

When All Else Fails, Start Fear Mongering

Halloween Comes Early

The Blog | Cenk Uygur: The Christian Republic of America | The Huffington Post

This is so scary...

Divine King George

Update:
Bush God comments 'not literal'

Nuci's Space

"'It is such a great idea and like so many ideas that work, it's a simple idea.'" - Patterson Hood

Athens center turns one musician's suicide into hope for others:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

The Raw Story | Rove missing from White House events; Word on Hill is that he has been told he's target of probe

Democrats demand accountability for setbacks in Iraq

Meanwhile, the leader of Senate Democrats, Harry Reid, on Wednesday angrily accused Republicans of forcing the cancellation of a closed door Senate briefing on Iraq from US Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte.

Reid complained that Republicans scuttled the meeting -- which had been organized by Democrats -- as a way of "keeping the Congress and the American people in the dark."

"America deserves better than this pattern of avoiding the tough questions," Reid said, adding that there were at least 20 Democratic senators who had planned to attend the briefing with Negroponte.

"Blocking Senators from receiving vital national security information is wrong, unprecedented and irresponsible," he said.

Democrats demand accountability for setbacks in Iraq

This is serious, Folks!

Python Explodes After Eating Alligator

Update: Pic

With Sincere Regrets: An Open Letter to Our Conservative Leadership, by Jim Chandler

We're sorry, but you cannot have God....

We're sorry, but you can't have the American Flag....

We're sorry, but you can't have the Constitution....

We're sorry, but you can't own Family Values....

We're sorry, but you can't have September 11, 2001....

We're sorry, but you don't own Fiscal Responsibility....

We're sorry, but you can't own the concept of Limited Government....

We're sorry, but you can't have the media....

We're sorry, but you can't have our Troops....

We're sorry, but you don't own our National Security....

Finally, we're sorry, but you can't have the national profile....

With Sincere Regrets: An Open Letter to Our Conservative Leadership

Military families increasingly raising voices against war

“This time around, we know much more about why the current administration involved the U.S. in war,” he observed. “Their justification has proven false--no WMDs. No imminent danger of nuclear attack. No link between the destruction of the World Trade Center and Iraq. Bush was clearly just out to get Saddam. Will Rumsfeld someday in the future be heard to say `I think we were wrong?’”

Scott now believes that far from making America safer, the Iraq war is generating hatred of America around the globe."

The Raw Story | Anatomy of a peace movement: Military families increasingly
raising voices against war

Wal-Mart developers turn in student photo of Bush to police

Move along. No freedom here.

The Raw Story | Wal-Mart developers turn in student photo of Bush to police

Supreme Court to Revisit Assisted Suicide

Isn't this about freedom of choice. Free to choose. Free to decide what I want to do with my mortal coil. It's moronic to say the military is fighting for my freedom then constantly drum that I'm not free to die or I'm not free to choose an abortion or I'm not free to smoke marijuana. I guess I'm free to have these christian wackos tell me what to do.

Supreme Court to Revisit Assisted Suicide

Bushism

"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you."—Gulfport, Miss., Sept. 20, 2005.


....So we can more better do our jobs.... The man is a moron.

President Carter's Son Exploring Senate Run

"Carter described himself as 'a pragmatist.'

'I think the federal government does some things better than the private sector,' Carter said.

He said he is a social liberal with conservative Southern roots and a business background that taught him 'you pay for what you spend.'

Carter was born in 1947 in Portsmouth, Va., the eldest child of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Raised in Georgia, he maintains a soft drawl and a close bond with his father, the 39th president, who served from 1977 to 1981.

'Yes, I talked to him about it,' Carter said of the Senate bid. 'He thinks I'd be good at it.'

Elizabeth Carter chimed in: 'So do I.'"

Son of former president to challenge Ensign in 2006:

Hope this doesn't jinx us but....

....ROLL TIDE!!!!

Current edition of SI