The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.

Molly Ivins

"For those of you who have forgotten just what a stonewall paranoid Nixon was, the poor man used to stalk around the White House demanding that his political enemies be killed. Many still believe there was a certain Richard III grandeur to Nixon's collapse because he was also a man of notable talents. There is neither grandeur nor tragedy in watching this president, the Testy Kid, violate his oath to uphold the laws and Constitution of our country. "
...

"I don't like to play scary games where we all stay awake late at night, telling each other scary stories -- but there's a reason we have never given our government this kind of power. As the late Sen. Frank Church said, 'That capability could at any time be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capacity to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide.' And if a dictator took over, the NSA 'could enable it to impose total tyranny.'
...

Folks, we KNOW this program is being and will be misused. We know it from the past record and current reporting. The program has already targeted vegans and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- and, boy, if those aren't outposts of al-Qaida, what is? Could this be more pathetic?

This could scarcely be clearer. Either the president of the United States is going to have to understand and admit he has done something very wrong, or he will have to be impeached. The first time this happened, the institutional response was magnificent. The courts, the press, the Congress all functioned superbly. Anyone think we're up to that again? Then whom do we blame when we lose the republic? "

The Enron of Lobbying

The Fast Rise and Steep Fall of Jack Abramoff

Abramoff is the central figure in what could become the biggest congressional corruption scandal in generations.

He Is A Crook

Shoals to celebrate life, music of Sam Phillips

Mr. Phillips never blew enough hot air to need a little gold plated paper weight...:

"Big River Broadcasting was cautiously optimistic about the success of its marquee event for the Sam Phillips Music Celebration. - The optimism has paid off. - The Jan. 7 concert at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center, featuring headliner Jerry Lee Lewis, is sold out.

Affectionately known as 'The Killer,' Lewis is the last of a group of performers Phillips brought to prominence in the 1950s and '60s.

That group includes popular music legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich and Roy Orbison."
...

Phillips went on to form Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn., but according to his son, Jerry Phillips, the Florence native never forgot his roots.
...

Phillips is the only person in music to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Martin said.

Fear destroys what bin Laden could not

Fear destroys what bin Laden could not

"One wonders if Osama bin Laden didn't win after all. He ruined the America that existed on 9/11. But he had help.

If, back in 2001, anyone had told me that four years after bin Laden's attack our president would admit that he broke U.S. law against domestic spying and ignored the Constitution -- and then expect the American people to congratulate him for it -- I would have presumed the girders of our very Republic had crumbled.

Had anyone said our president would invade a country and kill 30,000 of its people claiming a threat that never, in fact, existed, then admit he would have invaded even if he had known there was no threat -- and expect America to be pleased by this -- I would have thought our nation's sensibilities and honor had been eviscerated.

If I had been informed that our nation's leaders would embrace torture as a legitimate tool of warfare, hold prisoners for years without charges and operate secret prisons overseas -- and call such procedures necessary for the nation's security -- I would have laughed at the folly of protecting human rights by destroying them.

If someone had predicted the president's staff would out a CIA agent as revenge against a critic, defy a law against domestic propaganda by bankrolling supposedly independent journalists and commentators, and ridicule a 37-year Marie Corps veteran for questioning U.S. military policy -- and that the populace would be more interested in whether Angelina is about to make Brad a daddy -- I would have called the prediction an absurd fantasy.

That's no America I know, I would have argued. We're too strong, and we've been through too much, to be led down such a twisted path.

What is there to say now?"

Rice authorized NSA to spy on UN Security Council in run-up to war, former officials say

Impeach them all

"President Bush and other top officials in his administration used the National Security Agency to secretly wiretap the home and office telephones and monitored private email accounts of members of the United Nations Security Council in early 2003 to determine how foreign delegates would vote on a U.N. resolution that paved the war for the U.S.-led war in Iraq, NSA documents show.

Two former NSA officials familiar with the agency's campaign to spy on U.N. members say then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice authorized the plan at the request of President Bush, who wanted to know how delegates were going to vote. Rice did not immediately return a call for comment."

DBT - Feb 14

New tune from DBT is up a day early and ready for down load. Go grab it!

Where’s the Outrage?

Where’s the Outrage?

"Bush’s defense of his phone-spying program has disturbing echoes of arguments once used by South Africa’s apartheid regime. Why Americans should examine the parallels."

Most outrageous statements of 2005

Most outrageous statements of 2005

Here are the most outrageous statements Media Matters for America has documented this year. From attacks on women, Muslims, and African-Americans to a call for the assassination of a foreign leader to an open invitation for Al Qaeda to "blow up" San Francisco to a claim that gay marriage would lead to unions between "a man and his donkey," these statements acutely represent the extreme conservative speech we found in the news media in 2005. (We tried to limit the comments to a Top 10 list, but it was simply impossible.)

Debunking Bush's Spy Lies

Read it if you want to see how they lie.

And read Dashle's response on the "Power We Didn't Grant" the president.

In the face of mounting questions about news stories saying that President Bush approved a program to wiretap American citizens without getting warrants, the White House argues that Congress granted it authority for such surveillance in the 2001 legislation authorizing the use of force against al Qaeda. On Tuesday, Vice President Cheney said the president "was granted authority by the Congress to use all means necessary to take on the terrorists, and that's what we've done."

As Senate majority leader at the time, I helped negotiate that law with the White House counsel's office over two harried days. I can state categorically that the subject of warrantless wiretaps of American citizens never came up. I did not and never would have supported giving authority to the president for such wiretaps. I am also confident that the 98 senators who voted in favor of authorization of force against al Qaeda did not believe that they were also voting for warrantless domestic surveillance.

How Intrusive has Bush's Domestic Spying Become?

More Rings Are Found Around Uranus

That's pretty damn intrusive.

DBT - Blessing and a Curse

The following is a DBT post from Jenn:

New West and the band have decided to leak a song off the new rekkid on Dec. 25.

Go to http://blessingandacurse.com/ on Dec 25 to download "Feb. 14" off A Blessing and a Curse, due out in April. No one will be chasing after ya for trading it, so share freely - Limewire, Gnutella, and MP3 blogs should feel free to pass this around.

After Dec 25, http://blessingandacurse.com will change to feature some more information about the album. It will continue to change often over the next few months. You should keep checking it out!

I'm also updating Patterson's website to have the following message from him:

PATTTERSON HOOD - TOP TEN (or so) ALBUMS plus OTHER HIGHLIGHTS from 2005

1. My Morning Jacket - Z
Great band from Louisville KY rises to the occasion (and then some) with my favorite "released" album of the year.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise
This one gets the prize for craziest idea, actually executed. Brilliant Northern Rock followup to his Michigan album, makes me look forward to the next 48.

3. The Dexateens - Red Dust Rising
My top 3 keep swapping places, but this one is easily my "most often played" album of the year. This one breaks no new ground, but the songs are incredible from the writing to the feel. "Devoted To Lonesome" is #2 in the nation if there was any justice in Rock.

4. Eddie Hinton - Beautiful Dreams (The Songwriting Sessions Volume 3)
This one is pt.3 of Zane Records incredible series of previously unreleased Hinton sides. This one took a little longer, but keeps growing daily. Hinton is THE great unknown soul singer and easily one of the finest writers and guitarists ever to make records. He's been dead over a decade but word is just now starting to spread. A buried treasure.

5. TIE: Don Chambers and GOAT - GOAT
Don is currently my favorite Athens artist and this album is non-stop fun. Another real grower.

5. TIE: Calexico and Iron and Wine - in The Reins
An addictive little tonic like a fire in a fireplace on a chilly night.

6. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Now that the backlash is setting in, they make possibly their finest album yet. Far better to me than the over-rated Elephant, they did the impossible of writing about the dark side of fame and made it all fun to listen to.

7. Common - Be
My favorite hip hop album (if it's even that) this year. Some really good songs and a far better than Kanye's over-hyped let down.

8. James McMurtry - Childish Things
Maybe the most under-rated songwriter out right now. He's finally made an album as good as the songs in it. "We Can't Make It Here" is as good as any classic Merle Haggard song and the title cut is the better than any Springsteen song of the last 17 years.

9. Bloodkin - Last Night Out
Another local act, not sure if this is even "officially" out, but deserves to be. This has some of the most disturbing songs I've ever heard, in that Big Star 3rd, Tonight's the Night kind of way, only it sounds like the Stones record they forgot how to make about 30 years ago. This one will probably move up my list as I keep listening to it.

10. John Hiatt - Master of Disaster
Have to confess here, my Dad plays bass on it, but no shit it's by far the best Hiatt album since 1988's Slow Turning.

ALSO GREAT AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Centro-Matic - Fort Recovery
This one ain't out yet, but I love it more than any album all year. My favorite band has made their best album. A masterpiece.

2. A History of Violence (movie)
Probably my favorite film so far this year.

3. Wilco Live in Spain this september
Don't remember the date, but I saw for 2 nights in a row why so many folks think they're the best band in America.

4. Neil Young live at The Ryman August 19, 2005
An amazing show in an amazing venue.

MORE RECORDS:
Robbie Fulks - Georgia Hard
Dios - Dios
South San Gabriel - The Carlton Chronicles
Wilco - Kicking Television
FAVORITE SONG: Decatur (Sufjan Stevens)
FAVORITE SONGS (Not on an Album): Fountains Of Wayne Hotline - Robbie
Fulks and Actual Quotes From An Actual Fan - Vic Chesnutt

With the birth of our daughter Ava Ruth, and all the other blessings of this past year, 2005 has been an incredible year. Not without its share of bumps and misfires, I am nonetheless convinced that I am the luckiest man alive. Rebecca and I are still moved and blown away by everyone's love and support in this important first year of figuring out how to be parents. Thanks to all the fine folks who have supported my band and my solo endeavors.

Next year DBT will be putting out our new album "A BLESSING AND A CURSE" which we just finished and of which I'm very proud. We do plan an extensive tour beginning in early 2006.

I also hope to release my solo album "MURDERING OSCAR (and other love songs)" some time in the not too distant future, although well after the release of the DBT album.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAVE AN INCREDIBLE 2006
And a special holiday prayer for our friends in the middle east, here's hoping for a safe return soon.

SEE YOU AT THE ROCK SHOW!
Sincerely,
Patterson Hood

Idiot

Bushism of the Day By Jacob Weisberg

"I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome.'—Philadelphia, Dec. 12, 2005, on the reception of American forces in Iraq"

"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
—Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 28, 2005

"We got the best workforce in America—in the world."
—Washington, D.C., Dec. 2, 2005

Feingold Rocks

I may back him in '08

“None of your civil liberties matter much after you’re dead,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a former judge and close ally of the president who sits on the Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), who has led a bipartisan filibuster against a reauthorization of the Patriot Act, quoted Patrick Henry, an icon of the American Revolution, in response: “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Bush speech, April 20, 2004:

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

Bush’s Snoopgate

The president was so desperate to kill The New York Times’ eavesdropping story, he summoned the paper’s editor and publisher to the Oval Office. But it wasn’t just out of concern about national security.
...

His comparison to the damaging pre-9/11 revelation of Osama bin Laden’s use of a satellite phone, which caused bin Laden to change tactics, is fallacious; any Americans with ties to Muslim extremists—in fact, all American Muslims, period—have long since suspected that the U.S. government might be listening in to their conversations.
...

..and rather than the leaking being a “shameful act,” it was the work of a patriot inside the government who was trying to stop a presidential power grab.

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The 2nd Amendment has been repealed

Gun lovers take note.

The Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights guaranteeing the right to bear arms has just been repealed by the Bush Administration.

You may not have seen it coming. You may not have even realized it was gone. But it is. And any right you had to own a gun is gone with it.

Impeach the Fucker

On Bush's Impeachable Offense

From the Huffington Post:

Kansas City Star: “The Struggle With Foreign Enemies Does Not Simply Give Him A Blank Check”...

Denver Post: Adm. Has Lost “Balance Between Essential Anti-Terrorism Tools And Encroachment On Liberties”…

LA Times: “Stunning,” “One Of The More Egregious Cases Of Governmental Overreach”…

Wash. Post: “The Tools Of Foreign Intelligence Are Not Consistent With A Democratic Society”…

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Unacceptable Actions Of A Police State”…

St. Petersburg Times: “So Dangerously Ill-Conceived And Contrary To This Nation's Guiding Principles”…

NY Times: Bush “Secretly And Recklessly Expanded The Govt.'s Powers In Dangerous And Unnecessary Ways”…

Oh and:

Presidential Pipeline: Bush's top fund-raisers see spoils of victory

President Bush's corporate champions see the spoils of his administration in coal. And timber. And credit-card payments, Afghan electric lines, Japanese bank transfers and fake crab.

America's business leaders supplied more than $75 million to return Mr. Bush to the White House last year -- and he has paid dividends.

Bush administration policies, grand and obscure, have financially benefited companies or lobbying clients tied to at least 200 of the president's largest campaign fund-raisers, a Toledo Blade investigation has found. Dozens more stand to gain from Bush-backed initiatives that recently passed or await congressional approval.

The investigation included targeted tax breaks, regulatory changes, pro-business legislation, high-profile salaried appointments, and federal contracts.

DBT Lyrics Tour - Ronnie and Neil

Meanwhile in North Alabama, Wilson Pickett comes to town

To record that sweet soul music, to get that Muscle Shoals sound

Meanwhile in North Alabama, Aretha Franklin comes to town
To record that sweet soul music, to get that Muscle Shoals sound

One morning before I headed out to take some pictures for this series I picked up the TimesDaily over breakfast and was greeted with the following article:

Webster Has Plans for Studio:

In 1999, Webster purchased the nondescript stone building at 3614 Jackson Highway, the original home of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.

He restored the studio, going as far as replacing the original sound and recording equipment down to the very model numbers.

The building has also been nominated for inclusion in the National Record of Historic Places.
...

'It will be themed around Muscle Shoals Sound.'

I decided to make the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studio my first stop for the day. I had planned on snapping a few quick pictures of the front of the building before moving on to some other Colbert County/DBT landmarks. When my dad and I pulled up to the Studio, Noel Webster was standing outside directing a bulldozer that was clearing a spot next to the studio that will be the outdoor theatre. I introduced myself and told him what I was doing. He invited my dad and I to come inside the studio and check things out. When we walked in the back door Noel flipped the light switch and the sound system started playing "Wild Horses" by the Stones. Noel started to show us around and, honestly, we could have spent a couple of days in the place in order to see everything. It was, to say the least, stunning the amount of history this small, ex-casket factory, contained. I would calculate that Billions of dollars worth of music was created and produced here. Noel pulled out pictures, album covers, framed pieces of the old wall that had signatures on it from artist all the while spitting historical tid-bits in his rapid-fire manner of speech. I was so enthralled that I had to force myself to take some pictures along the way. Before we left, Noel asked my dad and I if we wanted to see something that no one had seen since the '70's. We said "Of Course" and Noel went to the basement and returned with the old ledger books that contained the dates and dollar amounts charged to the artists who worked there. L.S, Aretha, Bob Seger, Wilson Pickett, Rod Stewart and a host of others were contained in these ledgers. It was amazing.

Noel told us about Dylan walking down to the river bottom and chatting with the local fishermen who had no idea who he was. Hard to imagine... He showed us a great picture of Duane Allman buck nekkid standing in the woods behind the studio. He told us so many stories that I'll probably update this post as I remember them...

I won't go into the detailed history of this place and the players. The links below supply a history more comprehensive than anything that I could state. You can check out who recorded at FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound.

I want to the Noel for being so gracious and for a tour of a lifetime.

Welcome to Muscle Shoals AL. The Hit recording Capitol of the World

Muscle Shoals Sound

Cooley's wearing this t-shirt during "Marry Me" in Live at the 40 Watt

Willie Nelson

Cher's Album Cover

Fame Recording Studios

Patterson gives a good history lesson on FAME here. Just scroll down the page and you can see the band standing in front of FAME when they recorded TDS.

Let's head on back to Muscle Shoals Sound

The First home of the Swampers aka the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Donny Short, Roger Hawkins and Barry Beckett.

Meanwhile in North Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd came to town
To record with Jimmy Johnson at Muscle Shoals Sound

Click on this pick to see what Skynyrd had written on a door.

They have an entire wall in the studio that's been covered with plexiglass. This one tile has the names Annette Snell and Jerry Powell. Noel told the story that Annette had died in a plane crash a few days after she signed the wall. Jimmy Johnson's brother was on that plane and perished too.

The other name is Jerry Powell. Noel said he was connected with Skynyrd. Notice the date, Oct. 19, 1977. This was the day before that fateful plane crash in the Louisiana swamps that killed Ronnie and the others. I haven't been able to find anything that connects Jerry with Skynyrd other than having the last name as Billy. Still... erie.

Annette Snell: ...Annette cut the brilliant "Its All Over Now"/"Promises Should Never Be Broken" at Muscle Sholas before her tragic death in an air crash on her way back to Alabama....

Blackfoot

Bob Se"a"ger. Who ever wrote it misspelled his name.

The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" was written in this bathroom.

"Another attraction was that the studio's small-town location was far away from big-city distractions and prying eyes. "The town never impinged upon anyone," says Wexler, recalling a day when the Rolling Stones ordered breakfast at the local Howard Johnson's. "One little waitress said, 'Are you a group?' One of the members said, 'Yeah, we're a group. We're Martha and the Vandellas.'"

So Fucked Up

Bush Secretly Lifted Some Limits on Spying in U.S. After 9/11, Officials Say

Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials.

Big Brother is upon us. The terrorist HAVE freakin won because Bush has created The Paranoid-Spy-on-Your-Neighbor-States-of-America. Freedom is pouring out of the PSYNSA through a sieve. In order to protect our freedom they have to take said freedom away from us? How in the hell does this make sense?! The Neo-cons have created a perpetual state of fear and war that ensures they can use fear and war to maintain their elected status and to fill the pockets of the "military-industrial complex"

What's worse is that the New York Times held the story for a year because the White House told them to.

And of course, they won't comment on any of it.

The law governing clandestine surveillance in the United States, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, prohibits conducting electronic surveillance not authorized by statute. A government agent can try to avoid prosecution if he can show he was "engaged in the course of his official duties and the electronic surveillance was authorized by and conducted pursuant to a search warrant or court order of a court of competent jurisdiction," according to the law.

"This is as shocking a revelation as we have ever seen from the Bush administration," said Martin, who has been sharply critical of the administration's surveillance and detention policies. "It is, I believe, the first time a president has authorized government agencies to violate a specific criminal prohibition and eavesdrop on Americans."

Update:

What John A. Says:

In America, when the president has a problem with the law he goes to Congress and presents his case, and asks our elected officials to weigh the merits of the case and then vote on changing the law. Only dictators say to hell with Congress, to hell with our laws, to hell with our democratic process

This isn't just wrong what Bush did, it isn't just criminal, it violates the most basic tenets of our democratic form of government. We have a man in power in the White House who thinks he is above the law....

We need an immediate independent investigation, and if this story is confirmed, Bush should resign or be removed from office.

Update2: Watch Russ Fiengold Speak on this and the Patriot Act.

Update3: Stolen Elections

5-1-06:

Experts see new Diebold flaw:

"Computer security experts say they have found the worst security flaw yet in the oft-criticized touch-screen machines that Maryland voters will use in this year's elections, leaving one computer scientist to warn that the state should have 'stacks of paper ballots' on hand in case of a complete Election Day breakdown."

"DIEBOLD KNEW IN EARLY 2004! DID NOTHING TO FIX TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING SYSTEM SECURITY CHASM!":

"The massive security flaw recently revealed in Diebold touch-screen voting machines -- which allows election software and systems to be overwritten with rogue software in minutes, without need of a password -- and which has sent Elections Officials from Pennsylvania to California to Iowa to every state in the union which uses them, sequestering the machines and scrambling for a solution to mitigate the problem, was previously revealed in a 2004 security report commissioned by the state of Maryland, The BRAD BLOG has learned."

"BREAKING: SEC INVESTIGATION OF DIEBOLD UNDER WAY!"

___________________________________________

I'm bumping this post to the top because as each day passes it is becoming clearer and clearer that the past 2 Presidential Elections were stolen. New info out of Florida:

Elections Official: Some Voting Machines Could Be Hacked

The big controversy revolves around a little black computer card that is smaller than a floppy disk and bigger than a flash drive. The card is inserted into voting machines that scan paper ballots. The card serves as the machine's electronic brain.

But when Ion Sancho, Leon County's Supervisor of Elections, tested the Diebold system and allowed experts to manipulate the card electronically, he could change the outcome of a mock election without leaving any kind of trail. In other words, someone could fix an election and no one would know.

"The expert that we used simply programmed it on his laptop in his hotel room," Sancho said.

Sancho began investigating the problem after watching the votes come in during the infamous 2000 presidential election. In Volusia County precinct 216, a memory card added more than 200 votes to George W. Bush's total and subtracted 16,000 votes from Al Gore. The mistake was later corrected during a hand count.

After watching his computer expert change vote totals this week, Sancho said that he now believes someone on the inside did the same think in Volusia County in 2000."Someone with access to the vote center in Volusia County put it on a memory card and uploaded it into the main system," Sancho said.

Die-abolique

"A law firm said it filed suit on Tuesday against Diebold Inc. (DBD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) alleging the voting-machine maker lacked sufficient internal controls, was unable to be confident in the quality of its voting machines and made misleading statements about its condition."

Diebold CEO Resigns

Devastating hack proven - Leon County dumps Diebold

Due to contractual non-performance and security design issues, Leon County (Florida) supervisor of elections Ion Sancho has announced that he will never again use Diebold in an election. He has requested funds to replace the Diebold system from the county. On Tuesday, the most serious “hack” demonstration to date took place in Leon County. The Diebold machines succumbed quickly to alteration of the votes. This comes on the heels of the resignation of Diebold CEO Wally O'Dell, and the announcement that a stockholder's class action suit has been filed against Diebold by Scott & Scott. Further “hack” testing on additional vulnerabilities is tentatively scheduled before Christmas in the state of California.

One for the Good Guys

The True Patriots Prevail

The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders.
.....

But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds -- perhaps thousands --of people inside the United States.
....

"I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.

"It is time to have some checks and balances in this country," shouted Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "We are more American for doing that."

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

Democrats Criticize Bush For Saying DeLay's Innocent

"Democratic leaders sternly criticized President Bush yesterday for saying former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) is innocent of felonious campaign finance abuses, suggesting his comments virtually amounted to jury tampering before DeLay stands trial.

'The president of the United States said a jury does not need to assemble, that Tom DeLay is innocent,' said Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). 'To have someone of his stature, the president of the United States, prejudge a case is something I've never seen before.'"

Congress report says that Bush had more pre-war intelligence

So the statement from Bush that Congress had the same intelligence on WMDs in Iraq that he did is bullshit? Shocking.

Incompetent Liars.

Your GOP Congress at Work

GOP House Top Priority? Xmas Vote!

War in Iraq, war against terrorism, war in Afghanistan, move over -- today, House GOP leaders have decided there is a more pressing war to attend to: the fictional war against Christmas, which apparently requires protection for Christmas symbols. And what happened when Democrats asked that the symbols of Chanukah be protected along with the symbols of Christmas? The House GOP simply said "no."

Congress Cuts Research, Education Spending

Rebubs, You vote for these people because...???

Congressional Republicans made progress on twin tracks Wednesday toward their end-of-year budget goals, passing a bill freezing or cutting back spending on medical research and education and nearing agreement on cuts to the Medicaid health care program for the poor."

Merry Christmas, Motherfuckers!

Return of the King

When Aragorn Talks People Should Listen

“I’m not anti-Bush; I’m anti-Bush behavior,” Mortensen told Progressive magazine. “In other words, I’m against cheating, greed, cruelty, racism, imperialism, religious fundamentalism, treason, and the seemingly limitless capacity for hypocrisy shown by Bush and his administration.”

Facing South: Dear France

A New Orleans resident and homeowner wants to renegotiate the Louisiana Purchase

Dear France,

Greetings from Louisiana! We are shopping for new owners, and we immediately thought of you! Our present rulers haven't been taking very good care of us and we are looking for a better deal. They are spending all our money in a place called Iraq (somewhere in the Middle East). We thought that perhaps you might want to revisit an old land deal you made long ago.

If you've been reading the papers lately, you may have noticed that we have had a few problems with "water". No, we're not offering you a deal on a damaged water park. (Althouugh that's what it looks like from the air) Seriously, we need help, and fast.

UPDATE: Today's 3.... 4 Reasons...

...why the Bush Administration SUCKS!

Pentagon may be spying on anti-war activists

The Pentagon has a secret database that indicates the U.S. military may be collecting information on Americans who oppose the Iraq war and may be also monitoring peace demonstrations, NBC reported on Tuesday."

EPA Would Ease Pollution Reporting Rules

If the Bush administration has its way, some factories won't have to report all the pollution spewed from their smokestacks, making it harder for government scientists to calculate the health risks of the air Americans breathe.

Pentagon rolls out stealth Propaganda

WASHINGTON — A $300 million Pentagon psychological warfare operation includes plans for placing pro-American messages in foreign media outlets without disclosing the U.S. government as the source, one of the military officials in charge of the program says.

White House still wants torture

The Army has approved a new, classified set of interrogation methods that may complicate negotiations over legislation proposed by Senator John McCain to bar cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees in American custody, military officials said Tuesday.

Byrd Takes Frist To School

Tough old Byrd... even if he is an ex-Klansman. Frist is such a putz.

BYRD: And the Constitution says that the Senate has the power of advice and consent. It doesn’t say how that consent would be measured. It doesn’t say it has to be an up or down. Nothing in the history, nothing in the Constitution says that. Yes, you can point that out in the Constitution to me, where it says a nominee shall have the right to an up or down vote. Can the Senator point that out in the Constitution to me? Can the Senator point that out in the Constitution to me?

FRIST: If the distinguished Senator from West Virginia would let me answer, I would be happy to.

BYRD: Yes.

FRIST: It’s not in the Constitution that a United States Senator specifically has the up or down – the right for an up or down vote.

Patterson's Mrs. Claus's Kimono'

Nine Bullets - Exclusive video download: 'Mrs. Claus's Kimono' from 12/19/2003

The fine folks over at Nine Bullets has put up some Holiday Cheer for all of us. Check out the video of Mrs. Claus's Kimono.

Diebold CEO resigns after reports of fraud litigation, internal woes

Election Fixer Resigns

"The chief executive officer of voting rights company Diebold who once famously declared that he would 'deliver' Ohio for President Bush has resigned effective immediately,"

Obama says Republicans practice "Social Darwinism"

Obama says Republicans practice "Social Darwinism"

"They have a philosophy they have implemented and that is doing exactly what it was designed to do. They basically don't believe in government. They have a different philosophy that says, 'We're going to dismantle government'," Obama said.

Republicans running the federal government believe, "You are on your own to buy your own health care, to buy your own retirement security ... to buy your own roads and levees," Obama said, referring to flood barriers that gave way in New Orleans during Katrina last August.

Personally I think Barack is no better than Hillary. Both are trying to appease the mythical Moderates and both fail to understand what their constituents really want. Neither has any balls and on too many occasions have been apologist for the Shrub Admin. They are politicians trying to appease rather than elected officials that takes a stand for what is truly the correct thing to do. Never-the-less, Barack does come up with some decent stuff.

Zip City - DBT Picture Tour

Here is the next installment of the DBT Lyrics Tour. I present to you, Zip City, by Mr. Mike Cooley and the Drive-by Truckers.

I remember being a kid and driving through Zip City with my dad or granddad in my granddad's old beat up truck. We were heading to Tennessee 'cause your could buy beer at the state line. Florence and Lauderdale county were dry at that time and it was illegal to bring booze into the county from Tennessee. My dad and granddad would fill up the bed of the truck and cover it with a tarp and head back to Alabama with their beer supply for the next couple of weeks.

My pops was employed by Reynold's Metal Co. and he did make good money until they sold out to Alcoa who pretty much shuttered the place. Wise is the current owner but it runs the plant at a fraction of what it use to be.

I'm from Lauderdale County and if you ever wanted an easy date you'd head on over and find you one of them fine Colbert County women to go parking with. Cooley had it all ass backwards.

Zip City to Colbert Heights

Your Daddy is a deacon down at the Salem Church of Christ...




And He makes good money as long as Reynolds Wrap keeps everything wrapped up tight...

"Alcoa and Reynolds are competing producers of a rolled aluminum sheet product known as beverage can stock ("can stock"). There are two types of beverage can stock -- body stock, which is used to make the body of a beverage can, and end/tab stock, which is used to make the lid and pull tab of a beverage can. In 1996, U.S. sales of body stock were $3.2 billion; U.S. sales of end/tab stock were $1.4 billion".

"The Reynolds facility in Muscle Shoals will be closed as a result of the transaction. Under its agreement with Alcoa, Reynolds must close down the facility (and pay the associated costs) before transferring ownership to Alcoa. Alcoa has no need for additional can stock production capacity, nor any present intention to use the facility to produce can stock. The transaction will thus result in a significant reduction in capacity to produce can stock".

Maybe it's the twenty-six mile drive from Zip City.....
(according to Mapquest it's a 22.89 mile drive, thus the "maybe")


...to Colbert Heights


View from Colbert Heights


Cause He knows that blood red carpet at the Salem Church of Christ....






Ain't gonna ever see no wedding between me and you....


Zip City it's a good thing that they built a wall around you...


Zip up to Tennessee then zip back down to Alabama....


I got 350 heads on a 305 engine....


I get ten miles to the gallon....

I ain't got no good intentions