Blame America Firsters

In which Hell freezes over.... or....

'....Lyin' sacks of shit'

Sessions: I Could Support Pro-Choice Or Gay Supreme Court Nominee (VIDEO):

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The 'Blame America First' crowd in action:

Less than two-thirds of southerners and Republicans pledge allegiance to the USA

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Northern Alabama.... blazing into the 20th century.

House supports draft beer proposal | TimesDaily.com | Florence, AL

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It is nice that there are those Democrats who are telling Reid to 'suck it'.

Update: Reporter says Specter wasn’t joking about endorsing Coleman:

"UPDATE 2: The Democratic leader in the Senate promised Sen. Arlen Specter he would retain his seniority when he jumped from the Republican to the Democratic party, Specter told CNN Wednesday, but faced “pushback” from other Democratic senators.

“Sen. (Harry) Reid said that I would maintain my committee assignments and that my seniority would be established as if I’d been elected in 1980 as a Democrat,” the long-serving Pennsylvania senator told CNN’s Dana Bash.

The full Senate voted Tuesday to strip Specter of his seniority, dropping him to the bottom of the pile on every committee he sits on."

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I guess a 'myth' wouldn't mind my foot in his ass, then, would he.

Fuck that guy.

Margaret Carlson: Rove ‘really rattled’ by Obama:

"Former White House adviser Karl Rove admitted during a debate about “the partisan divide” in Washington on Monday that the atmosphere is “poisonous,” but he refused to take any personal responsibility for the situation.

“The atmosphere in Washington D.C. is too poisonous and has been for the last 16 years,” Rove stated. However, when asked about his own role in creating this divisiveness, he responded, “I’m a myth.”"

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More shitty Democrats.

I mean, really. Your kid shouldn't be watching TV anyway.

Congressman: No Viagra before 10 p.m. � - Blogs from CNN.com:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former presidential candidate Robert Dole made headlines as a pitchman for Viagra, and now a decade later a Virginia congressman wants to limit the time when ads for this and similar products can air.

Last month, Democratic Rep. Jim Moran introduced the 'Families for ED Advertising Decency Act,' which prevents erectile dysfunction and male enhancement ads from appearing on radio and television between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

'This [the advertisements] is an intrusion into our daily lives that I believe has become inappropriate.' Moran said in an interview with CNN. 'There is a saturation of the television airwaves with these E.D. ads, and they have gotten more pervasive, more blunt, and less subtle.'"

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These kids are alright.

Young Americans Losing Their Religion - ABC News:

"New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church -- or to participate in any form of organized religion -- than their parents and grandparents."

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Vindication!

Minneapolis Life in the Cubicle Examiner: The seven habits of highly effective slackers

There is a common misperception in the workplace that effective and productive people fit into the go-getter, proactive, or highly organized mold. While it may be true that these people are often rewarded for their seemingly productive ways, their productivity levels are actually well below those of the effective slacker.

Go-getters are always busy but they only focus on tasks that get noticed by executives. These tasks are usually highly visible but rarely important to the success of the company.

Proactive types are also always busy but their proactiveness leads to an eventual interference of completing higher priority work.

Highly organized employees waste their lives away inside Microsoft Project and their FranklinCovey weekly planner.

On the other hand, the effective slacker quietly performs all the duties required of him perfectly and quickly. An effective slacker always delivers on time, usually because they had it done months ago and made sure no one else was aware. Regardless, the effective slacker is the invisible engine of Fortune 500 corporations. Without them, large organizations are just a large stack of cards waiting to crumble.

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And speaking of slacking....

Though it is a Zogby poll which mean these numbers could be totally pulled out of John Zogby's ass.

Majority Of Americans Want Pot Legalized: Zogby Poll:

"A majority of Americans, in a poll released Wednesday, say it 'makes sense to tax and regulate' marijuana. The Zogby poll, commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report, surveyed 3,937 voters and found 52 percent in favor of legalization. Only 37 percent opposed."

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Revved Til the Rods are Thrown

Mixing a little sports and Obama today to begin.

Great article by Reilly. Read it all.

Meet Rick Reilly's fantasy football partner: Barack Obama:

"I have the absolute worst fantasy league football partner. Just try to get the guy to return a call. Or a text. You need a damn court order.

He's Barack Obama. And, yeah, I guess he's busy, but why was I the one who had to fly to Dayton, get frisked and have bomb dogs drool on my bags just so I could meet him getting off his tricked-out, chartered 757? He can't meet a guy halfway?

I asked each candidate to be my running mate for one week in a fantasy league, just to see what kind of president he'd make—how he'd handle decisions under pressure and balance a budget. (On ESPN.com's Gridiron Challenge, you get a mystical $50M to spend on a team.) Only Obama bit. We settled on the Week 6 games.

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This is a big endorsement. If you don't know who Junior Johnson is....

Moonshiner and one of the originators of NASCAR.....

Wow.

NASCAR'S Junior Johnson comes out for Obama

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Damn right! Good for them.

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

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Come on over. We're glad to have you.

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Former Alabama Governor Siegelman discusses his false imprisonment.

GQ Blog on men.style.com:

"Do I believe in evil? Do I believe that Karl Rove is evil? I do. I don’t mean that he was necessarily raised to be evil. But I think that, like Caligula, he turned himself into an evil ruler. He has subverted democracy and, by the way, done a great disservice to the Republican Party. I hear that more and more—like the former head of the Alabama Republican Party, whom I ran into at the airport in Washington lately. He told me, “I told them they should have stopped at [defeating you in] the election.” Yes, I think there are evil people in the world, and I think Karl Rove is one of them."

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I was a big space nut as a kid. If only I could be of age to train for this mission when it comes about.... I'd do it in a heart beat.

Mars pioneers should stay there permanently, says Buzz Aldrin:

"The first astronauts sent to Mars should be prepared to spend the rest of their lives there, in the same way that European pioneers headed to America knowing they would not return home, says moonwalker Buzz Aldrin."

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Lies, Phony Outrage, and Swiftboat Politics

Say it loud and say it proud: LIPSTICK ON A PIG!

I hope Obama uses 'lipstick on a pig' in every speech he gives.

If the shoe fits:

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And, could it be, that folks are getting really tired of all this Rovian bullshit?

Conservative Sullivan seems to be sick of it:

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan:

"For me, this surreal moment - like the entire surrealism of the past ten days - is not really about Sarah Palin or Barack Obama or pigs or fish or lipstick. It's about John McCain. The one thing I always thought I knew about him is that he is a decent and honest person. When he knows, as every sane person must, that Obama did not in any conceivable sense mean that Sarah Palin is a pig, what did he do? Did he come out and say so and end this charade? Or did he acquiesce in and thereby enable the mindless Rovianism that is now the core feature of his campaign?

So far, he has let us all down. My guess is he will continue to do so. And that decision, for my part, ends whatever respect I once had for him. On core moral issues, where this man knew what the right thing was, and had to pick between good and evil, he chose evil. When he knew that George W. Bush's war in Iraq was a fiasco and catastrophe, and before Donald Rumsfeld quit, McCain endorsed George W. Bush against his fellow Vietnam vet, John Kerry in 2004. By that decision, McCain lost any credibility that he can ever put country first. He put party first and his own career first ahead of what he knew was best for the country."

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Say it loud and say it proud... SLEAZY GODDAMN LIES.

Talking Points Memo | Unfit for High Office:

"But, let's face it, John McCain is running a campaign almost entirely based on straight up lies. Not just exaggerations or half truths but the sort of straight up, up-is-down mind-blowers we've become so accustomed to from the current occupants of the White House. And today McCain comes out with this rancid, race-baiting ad based on another lie. Willie Horton looks mild by comparison. (And remember, President George H.W. Bush never ran the Willie Horton ad himself. It was an outside group. He wasn't willing to degrade himself that far.) As TPM Reader JM said below, at least Horton actually was released on a furlough. This is ugly stuff. And this is an ugly person. There's clearly no level of sleaze this guy won't stoop to to win this election."

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EzraKlein Archive | The American Prospect:

"In a country with a responsible news media, the presidential frontrunner beginning a speech by excoriating American journalism as an institution would prompt deep reflection on the problems in news coverage by every newspaper in the country. Every op-ed columnist and editorial page would endorse more substantive coverage, and newsrooms would switch gears and start reporting Obama and McCain's records and policy proposals on everything from nuclear terrorism to urban policy. This kind of crap would be relegated to paragraph-length articles, if retained at all. When Sarah Palin claimed she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, the AP headline would be 'Palin Repeats Lie about Infamous Bridge'.

Obviously, this isn't a country with a responsible news media, and so none of that's going to happen. The Times and the Post will repeat the McCain camp's petty lies and slams without an ounce of critical analysis, not because they believe the spin, but because there's a massive conservative infrastructure devoting to working the refs and getting the coverage the right wants."

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Say it loud and say it proud.... I'M A LIBERAL AND FUCK YOU IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!!!

Op-Ed Columnist - Hold Your Heads Up - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com:

"Ignorance must really be bliss. How else, over so many years, could the G.O.P. get away with ridiculing all things liberal?

Troglodytes on the right are no respecters of reality. They say the most absurd things and hardly anyone calls them on it. Evolution? Don’t you believe it. Global warming? A figment of the liberal imagination.

Liberals have been so cowed by the pummeling they’ve taken from the right that they’ve tried to shed their own identity, calling themselves everything but liberal and hoping to pass conservative muster by presenting themselves as hyper-religious and lifelong lovers of rifles, handguns, whatever."

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Jason Bourne has got a really good head on his shoulders. Smart as a whip, too (One has to be smart to write a script like Good Will Hunting).

Nail on head, Bourne, nail on head:

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Anecdote for the progressive soul:

Daily Kos: We Are Out Here:

"ROTC Cadet, Air Force Captain, Free Republic diarist, James Dobson quoting conservative, 2 time Bush voter. Church worship leader. These all describe me. And there are more just like me. My evolution to progressive awareness has been a slow one, but is has never gone faster than in the last 3 or 4 months. How do I describe myself now - a progressive conservative, of course (if there is such a thing)!

So why am I and those like me out here? I am out here because I see through the hysteria that the right wing has become. I know the abandonment of principles when we see it. I despise in today's Republican Party what I was always told were the worst traits of the 'left' in years past. I know better these days. I have come to the realization that in many ways I left my brain turned off for far too long. I listened to those I was supposed to agree with, and never tried to be, as Rush Limbaugh says, a 'truth seeker'. Well I am a truth seeker now, I find truth much more often when I listen to Rachel Maddow that I ever did on Rush. I am able to see (on the right) political opportunism, shameless lying, rampant political positioning, and a party leadership that has forfieted all claim to trust."

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On Tuesday I posted about my good friend's brother who was running for NY State Senate and was in a primary election yesterday.

Daniel pulled it off and defeated a 30 year incumbent.

More and better Democrats! Congrats, Daniel!

Silver Sidesteps a Challenge, but Other Incumbents Fall in Primary - NYTimes.com:

"Daniel L. Squadron defeated Martin E. Connor, a former Senate minority leader in office since 1978, in a Democratic primary for a State Senate district that covers parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Mr. Squadron, a 28-year-old former aide to United States Senator Charles E. Schumer, campaigned on a pledge to bring reform and fresh energy to Albany and was endorsed by a number of prominent politicians, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg."

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Walk this Way

You know you wanna.

Send Karl Rove to Jail!

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Very cool.

Alabama man turns 112, still spends days drawing:

"TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals — and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.

Drawn on sheets of butcher paper and sometimes stretching to more than 30 feet long, the works mostly show rural agricultural scenes, with buildings, trains and vehicles straight out of the early 20th century. And his colorful creations are gaining more attention in the art world.

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Number one, baby.

America's Most Walkable Neighborhoods - Walkability Rankings of the Largest 40 U.S. Cities

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Texas is a head of the curve. Yes, Texas.

Texas Approves Big Plan To Transmit Wind Power

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Dude, where's my car?! Dude, you're driving it.

RI cops arrest man with .491 blood alcohol level:

"State Police arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level allegedly was .491, more than six times the legal limit, which they believe is the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.

The man, 34, was arrested after he drove into a highway message board on Interstate 95 in Providence, Maj. Steven O'Donnell said."

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You Pretty MoFo

Siegelman is out and Rove should be taking his place.

The blogosphere made this happen:

Ben Smith's Blog:

"Thanks to the persistence of progressive blogs and '60 Minutes,' a fascinating story now will be scrutinized everywhere. Wonder if any TV stations in Alabama will have, um, technical difficulties with this bulletin.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The House Judiciary Committee has asked the Justice Department to temporarily release former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman from prison to testify before Congress in early May about possible political influence over his prosecution."

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ah-hahahaha. Nobody likes him yet his ego knows no bounds.

Bush getting seriously boo'd at the Nationals MLB opener.

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Damn you Barrack Obama!

NSFW (dirty words)

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Shocking!!!!

Obama Fathers Two-Headed Gay Terrorist Baby: The National Enquirer-ization of American Politics

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Root beer? What kind of example does this set for other teenagers. Might as well had a damn tea party. Youths! Your rebellion is a requirement of a healthy society. But maybe you did rebel with the root beer stunt. Still... I expect you all to be busted for real beer next weekend.

The Raw Story | Cops bust high school root beer kegger

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Ala-Effing-Bama

(with a little music mixed in)

I'll keep following this until President Obama pardons Siegelman.

Legal Schnauzer: What 60 Minutes Didn't Tell You:

"Based on the quality of its report on Sunday night, it's safe to assume that CBS has material that would break new ground in the case. It's not unusual for 60 Minutes to revisit stories and update them. The Siegelman case cries out for that kind of treatment--particularly because it is not just an 'Alabama' story. This goes to the heart of wrongdoing in the Bush Department of Justice, which involves all Americans.

Just consider a few angles that 60 Minutes was not able to touch:

* The apparent electronic manipulation of votes in Baldwin County that gave Bob Riley the 2002 election over Siegelman."

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Jailed governor's daughter accuses judge of delaying appeal:

"Dana Siegelman, the former governor's daughter, joined Abrams Wednesday to discuss attempts to get her father's sentence reviewed. She said her father was 'excited' and 'reencouraged' by the CBS and MSNBC coverage of his case and that she believes Judge Mark Fuller is deliberately 'sitting on' the transcript of Siegelman's 2006 trial that has to be available before any appeal can go forward.

She confirmed that her father 'absolutely' believes Rove is responsible for his incarceration. 'He knows Karl Rove is behind this. ... My dad was the first governor to endorse Al Gore. ... He spoke at the Democratic national meeting in Boston and said some things that were very controversial and things that scared the Republican Party into thinking that my dad was also looking to run on a national sca"

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Crooks and Liars � Bush League Justice: More on Siegelman

Finally, Abrams speaks to Don Siegelman’s daughter, Dana, who speaks out on her father’s feelings about this new publicity in his case and gives some indication of why the Republican party was interested in getting Siegelman out of the way

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Some DBT NewYouTubes:

The Implosion-orium:

"Lately I've been doing alot with Graphic Design (small time altercations, nothing huge) and Video making. I made this one last week, and was incredibly proud of it... sort of. The actual process and quality of the diffrent frames is wonderful. Unfortuntily, the message it delivers borders on the side of 'bat shit liberal Crazy as fuck'. I'm gonna try to stick with the same format (the T.V. part atleast), and move to a more realisitc portrayal of my views. I won't lie, I got carried away. Why you ask? Who knows? A major reason is all the coolest graphics I found were once revolved around Anti-government concepts. And I won't lie, the graphics rock. Unfortunitly, it just didn't come together in any way that even closely resembles my political views.

I debated for a view days even posting it up, because I didnt want someone thinking I'm one of those bat shit crazy people... but my pride got the best of me. It just turned out...so good under process and formation standards!

To bad the message would make my grandfather have a heartattack. Oh well, enjoy... or atleast appreciate!"

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From Boulder:

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All But The Kitchen Cink

Man, I love dissent. The only way this video could be any cooler is if at the end the guy slaps handcuffs on Rove and then tosses him into a black van headed to the federal pen.

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Let's stick with the Alabama theme, shall we. Here's one of the more colorful members of Bama speaking much truth on 'fake christians'.

Charles Barkley: Conservatives are 'fake Christians':

"Barkley said he didn't want to see the Republicans win because they were 'fake Christians.'

The comment came after Barkley was asked his reasons for supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama, rather than Hillary Clinton or any of the Republican candidates.

'I've got great respect for Sen. McCain, great respect, but I don't like the way Republicans have taken this country,' said Barkley. 'Every time I hear the word 'conservative,' it makes me sick to my stomach, because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them. That's all they are.'"

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I grew up learning and playing golf with Stewart Cink at Florence Golf and Country Club. Stewart's mom Ann would drive us around the region so we could play in Dixie Junior tournaments. Some of the best times of my life. Not a care in the world.

While me and some of the other country club hoodlums were hitting on girls at the pool, or sneaking cigarettes by down by the cart chargers, or trying to steal liquor from one of the ROBs (Retired Old Boys) Stewart was always on the course playing or on the putting green practicing.

I guess that's why he's playing against Tiger Woods on Sundays and I'm.... watching him on the TV playing against Tiger Woods on Sundays.

Even though Tiger kicked his ass, Stewart still made out with a nice chunk of change.

PGATOUR.COM - Cink can only express awe as Woods dominates again:

"MARANA, Ariz. -- Over the past decade, a lot of people have tried in vain to explain the phenomenon that is Tiger Woods.

Stewart Cink could have a way to get to the bottom of it, once and for all."

"I think maybe we ought to slice him open to see what's inside there," Cink said, grinning. "Maybe nuts and bolts."

.............
Cink earned $800,000 and will look back on a week in which he beat British Open champion Padraig Harrington and U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera before running out of magic against the reigning PGA champion.

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I did not know that Rick Steves was down with the cheeba.

ACLU, Rick Steves launch marijuana campaign :

"Travel writer Rick Steves and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington have formed a partnership to tackle a topic they call the equivalent of the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s: the criminalization of marijuana.

Steves, the Edmonds-based travel guru who five years ago openly acknowledged that he uses marijuana while visiting Europe, says he's not 'pro-marijuana,' but in favor of discussing the laws that affect the 830,000 Americans who are arrested annually under existing marijuana laws. About 90 percent of the arrests are for possession."

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Alabama Slammer?

Only if you're a successful Democrat in the state.

What we have here is a politically motivated prosecution of a former Democratic Governor of the state of Alabama. A case so flimsy that it was thrown out of court within 5 minutes of the prosecution presenting their case to the judge on their first attempt.

Cuba, USSR, China... all would be proud of this type of political jailing.

And nobody gives a damn.


Daily Kos: If it can happen to a Governor...:

"Siegelman's supporters (which includes 52 former states’ attorneys general from both political parties) have been working with 60 Minutes for months to get this story aired in hopes that it will bring renewed interest in the case. Given that the show is going to air opposite the Academy Awards, that seems unlikely.
Scott Horton has covered this story in excruciating detail over at Harper's.
If you haven't heard of this case, or aren't 100% clear on its details, you owe it to yourself as an American, as a voter, or just as an educated, capable adult human being with any amount of political awareness, to make yourself familiar with this travesty. CBS will only go so far in helping you do it."

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The Raw Story | Report: Rove wanted dirt on Alabama gov.:

A former Republican campaign worker claims that President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, asked her to find evidence that the Democratic governor of Alabama at the time was cheating on his wife, according to an upcoming broadcast of "60 Minutes."
..........

"Democrats on Capitol Hill, however, have been looking into the case as part of a broader investigation into political meddling by the White House at the Justice Department. Also, more than 40 former attorneys general have asked for a congressional investigation into the case."

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Parts of "60 Minutes" Broadcast Blocked in Alabama... :

"Tonight was something truly unseen in US history. During the 60 Minutes broadcast and ONLY during the Don Siegelman portion -- the screen went black for Huntsville residents and Mobile residents. There are other reports of other locations, but I have not yet confirmed those. In Florida, a series of strange ads were running about the FISA bill and how Democrats are not tough on terrorism, apparently during the 60 Minutes hour and also right before 60 Minutes, but not after (still trying to confirm when the ads stopped running).

In other words, in the United States of America, a man is imprisoned for being a Democrat. When reporters attempt to get this story out, they are threatened and smeared. When all else fails, the public is not allowed to see the news."

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Important Updates to Siegelman Blackout Story in AL:

"Channel 19 is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners, who can be contacted through Rhonda Barnat, 212-371-5999 or rb@abmac.com. Oak Hill Partners represents interests of the Bass family, which contribute heavily to the Republican Party. Viewers displeased about the channel’s decision to censor the broadcast should express their views directly to the station management or to the owners.'"

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Don Siegelman can't appeal his conviction. Catch-22:

"It has been 20 months since Siegelman’s trial ended and no trial transcript has been produced by Fuller's court. This is in violation of the rules of criminal procedure which require a transcript within 30 days of sentencing. Siegelman can't appeal his conviction with out an official trial transcript."

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Ex-Ala. gov. wants special prosecutor:

"Attorneys for imprisoned former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on Monday called for a special prosecutor after a key government witness claimed that he was forced to write out his testimony to get his story straight."

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Mr. Crooked talk is now involved:

McCain Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email

"A little-known document, however, shows that McCain may have taken steps to protect his Republican colleagues from the scope of his investigation.

In the 2006 Senate report concerning Abramoff's activities, which McCain spearheaded, the Arizona Republican conspicuously left out information detailing how Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme. Riley, a Republican, won election in November 2002, and was reelected in 2006."

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Bad Attitude

It is incredible that this is not a major story for every news outlet in the U.S. Thus the times in which we live....

SIEGELMAN SPEAKS! EX-GOV CALLS '02 ELECTION "STOLEN" BY THE WHITE HOUSE!:

"So far, the mainstream press coverage of Don Siegelman's ordeal has pointedly ignored the theft of the 2002 election. Clearly, Siegelman himself does not regard that theft as a side issue, but as a major crime, and one that is quite relevant to his whole story.

Today, the Alabama governor is not allowed to speak up on his own behalf. He's locked away inside a federal prison cell, and, for good measure, has been silenced by the Alabama courts. As Scott Horton has so aptly put it, Don Siegelman is the Man in the Iron Mask."

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Brief win for the good guys. Important win.

Judge: White House logs are public:

"WASHINGTON - White House visitor logs are public documents, a federal judge ruled Monday, rejecting a legal strategy that the Bush administration had hoped would get around public records laws."

And another really important brief win:

BREAKING: REID PULLED TELECOM BILL:

"Harry Reid just pulled the telecom bill. The Senate will take it up again after the first of the year, but for now there will be no retroactive telecom immunity."

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What the hell is wrong with these people.

Princeton Student Admits Faking Attack :

"A Princeton University junior who claimed to have been beaten by two men in black ski caps for his conservative views admitted on Monday that he made up the attack, according to Princeton Township police officials."

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Finally, FINALLY an organization that's will clean up all of this filth.

Singleton hunts for 'A-Team' team

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We're # 12!

Travel day today. Here's to hoping that the skies are friendly today.

Slobberbone fan Stephen King keepin' it real:

Q&A: Talking with Stephen King - TIME:

"I mean, I know people who can tell you who won the last four seasons on American Idol and they don't know who their f------ Representatives are."

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Riiiiiiight. OK.

Rove: "Congress Pushed Bush to War in Iraq Prematurely"

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One Meal-ee-on Dollars.

This guy is a Super Genius.

Ga. man tries to deposit fake $1M bill:

"AIKEN, S.C. - A bank teller in Clearwater had a million reasons not to open an account for an Augusta, Ga., man Monday, authorities said. Alexander D. Smith, 31, was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery after he walked into the bank and tried to open an account by depositing a fake $1 million bill, said Aiken County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Michael Frank."

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We're # 12! We're #12! We're #12!

Iceland best place to live, Africa worst: U.N.

"BRASILIA (Reuters) - Iceland has overtaken Norway as the world's most desirable country to live in, according to an annual U.N. table published on Tuesday that again puts AIDS-afflicted sub-Saharan African states at the bottom.

Rich free-market countries dominate the top places, with Iceland, Norway, Australia, Canada and Ireland the first five but the United States slipping to 12th place from eighth last year in the U.N. Human Development Index."

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Cussin at Work is Cool!

Dude. Seriously. Hate to keep bagging on organized religion (not really) but these jokers just make it too damn easy.

It's times like these that I wished I believed in Hell.

Half Moon Bay charity boss accused of offering job seeker $500 for sex:

"(10-17) 13:43 PDT HALF MOON BAY - The director of a Half Moon Bay Catholic charity has been charged with a misdemeanor count of soliciting prostitution for allegedly offering a woman $500 to have sex with him after she asked him for help finding a job, prosecutors said."

Michael David Niece pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court through his attorney. Niece was not present in court, and an answering machine message at the Half Moon Bay home he shares with his wife indicated they were on a pilgrimage in Italy.

'Pilgrimage in Italy'? Ummmmmm, don't think you can call it a 'pilgrimage' when you're sitting on a beach in the Mediterranean sipping Limoncello.

Gotta love the organizations mission statement:

"We ground our work in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every person and we take seriously the gospel mandate in Christian scripture to practice the works of mercy," says a statement on the Web site. "We are not a charity in the traditional sense, and the ministry is not just about giving handouts. It is about walking with our brothers and sisters in need, trying to live lives of 'active love' and taking personal responsibility in addressing struggles in life."

'Active love' = '$500 for booty'

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Alabama: Karl Rove's petri dish.

Daily Kos: DOJ Scandal Deepens, Siegelman Judge Exposed

Mark Fuller, an Alabama judge appointed by George Bush as been accused of pension fraud, misuse of his office, perjury, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of the FBI's background check for the Federal Judiciary. These charges were made well before Fuller was assigned to prosecute Don Siegelman, former Democratic governor of Alabama.

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Eff yeah. It would be good for blog moral if it weren't for all those stupid content filters.

The Raw Story | Swearing at work 'boosts team spirt, morale':

"Regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings as well as develop social relationships, according to a study by researchers. Yehuda Baruch, a professor of management at the University of East Anglia, and graduate Stuart Jenkins studied the use of profanity in the workplace and assessed its implications for managers."

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She was holding the good piss.

Woman Jailed for 50 Days Over Cat Urine:

Cynthia Hunter spent almost two months in jail over a vial of cat urine."

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Heart ons and Mindlessness

Fredo has left the building.... or has he?

Maybe he doesn't recall?

Daily Kos: Gonzales Does Not Remember Resigning:

"Washington, Aug. 27 (crAP) -- Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, five minutes after having submitted his resignation to President George W. Bush, was asked by a passer-by whether the rumor was true that he had resigned. 'I have no memory of having submitted such a letter or of having any conversation with the President about anything at all,' Mr. Gonzales replied. The former Attorney General immediately returned to his office at the Department of Justice, though he could not remember what he was supposed to do there."

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Why does Rove leave one week and Fredo leave the next? Could it be a little something called oversight? Hmmm? Maybe a little check and a little balance? Hmm, hmmm?

Yeah, something is amiss.

Fired attorney: Rove, Gonzales resignations 'absolutely linked':

"Like President Bush's top political adviser, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned to avoid encroaching Congressional investigations, a fired federal prosecutor said Monday. During an appearance on CNN, former US Attorney David Iglesias said Gonzales's resignation is 'absolutely linked with Karl Rove leaving two weeks ago,' and speculated the two resigned 'for the same reason': Congressional investigators closing in on their suspected roles in the attorney-firing scandal. 'This is what happens when there is not check and balance' under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House 'and all of a sudden you have a new sheriff in town - so to speak - that wants answers to hard questions.'"

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What the hell is it with Republicans and anonymous, public-bathroom, gay sex prostitution?

Its like a dog with cat shit.

We should call it "Getting your Republican On".

GOP Senator Larry Craig arrested in 'bathroom incident':

"According to Roll Call (subscription required) Idaho GOP Senator Larry Craig was arrested in June in a Minnesota airport public bathroom during an investigation into 'lewd conduct' in the facility."

But he's not gay and it was all a big misunderstanding, right?

Here's what Craig said about Bill Clinton (Democrat who likes the ladies) back in the day.

Election Central | Talking Points Memo:

"MR. RUSSERT: Larry Craig, would you want the last word from the Senate be an acquittal of the president and no censure?
'
SEN. CRAIG: Well, I don't know where the Senate's going to be on that issue of an up or down vote on impeachment, but I will tell you that the Senate certainly can bring about a censure reslution and it's a slap on the wrist. It's a, 'Bad boy, Bill Clinton. You're a naughty boy.' The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy, a naughty boy. I'm going to speak out for the citizens of my state, who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy. The question issue now is simply this: Did he lie under oath? Did he perjure himself and did he obstruct justice? And that's where we're trying to go now in this truth-seeking process."

"Bad boy, Mr. Clinton"?!?

Craig is practically masturbating in front of pumpkin head... I mean Tim Russert.

Damn, repression and self hatred and living in a closet and the heights of hypocrisy will f a man up inside.

Pretty sweet bigoted voting record you got their Craig.

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Not that there's a damn thing wrong with it. Been doin' it for years and years and years.

Gay Unions Sanctioned in Medieval Europe:

"Civil unions between male couples existed around 600 years ago in medieval Europe, a historian now says.

Historical evidence, including legal documents and gravesites, can be interpreted as supporting the prevalence of homosexual relationships hundreds of years ago, said Allan Tulchin of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. If accurate, the results indicate socially sanctioned same-sex unions are nothing new, nor were they taboo in the past. “Western family structures have been much more varied than many people today seem to realize,' Tulchin writes in the September issue of the Journal of Modern History. 'And Western legal systems have in the past made provisions for a variety of household structures.”"

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Jeeeeeeez.

Armed guard found asleep at nuke plant:

"WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A federal inspector found an armed guard asleep at a gate inside the Indian Point nuclear power plants but officials said Monday there was no security breach. ADVERTISEMENT The inspector spent two minutes trying to rouse the unnamed guard Sunday afternoon before the guard 'stood up and opened his eyes,' said Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."

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Ooooooy. Hearts and Minds, y'all.

Could it be any more apparent that the folks in charge have absolutely no freakin' clue.

US military regrets Afghan football 'insult':

"The US military in Afghanistan expressed regret Monday after footballs it distributed kicked off a storm of protest because they bore Koranic verses as part of the flag of Saudi Arabia. The US-led coalition on Friday dropped toys, including soccer balls, into the eastern province of Khost from a helicopter as part of a goodwill gesture aimed at winning over support from the local population. The balls showed the flags of several nations, including the Saudi standard. A few dozen people protested Friday near the provincial capital, also called Khost, saying it was insulting for texts from the Koran to be put on the ground and kicked. The resentment simmered on Friday. 'It's an insult to our religion,' said one man, named only Palawan, who was one of the protestors. 'They insult our religion and call it a gift,' another man, Gilani Sanizai, said. The coalition regretted causing any unhappiness, said a spokeswoman, Captain Vanessa Bowman. The distribution of the toys was part of a 'hearts and minds' campaign, she said."

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E-Titty

Thank Zeus we still have journalist like Bill Moyer.

Bill Moyers: 'Greed and God won four elections in a row' for Rove

What struck me about my fellow Texan, Karl Rove, is that he knew how to win elections as if they were divine interventions. You may think God summoned Billy Graham to Florida on the eve of the 2000 election to endorse George W. Bush just in the nick of time, but if it did happen that way, the good lord was speaking in a Texas accent.

Karl Rove figured out a long time ago that the way to take an intellectually incurious draft-averse naughty playboy in a flight jacket with chewing tobacco in his back pocket and make him governor of Texas, was to sell him as God’s anointed in a state where preachers and televangelists outnumber even oil derricks and jack rabbits. Using church pews as precincts Rove turned religion into a weapon of political combat -- a battering ram, aimed at the devil’s minions, especially at gay people.

It’s so easy, as Karl knew, to scapegoat people you outnumber, and if God is love, as rumor has it, Rove knew that, in politics, you better bet on fear and loathing. Never mind that in stroking the basest bigotry of true believers you coarsen both politics and religion.

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Appalling. This is supporting the troops?!?

Short of Purple Hearts, Navy tells vet to buy own:

"PEARLAND — Korean War veteran Nyles Reed, 75, opened an envelope last week to learn a Purple Heart had been approved for injuries he sustained as a Marine on June 22, 1952. But there was no medal. Just a certificate and a form stating that the medal was 'out of stock.' 'I can imagine, of course, with what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's a big shortage,' Reed said. 'At least, I would imagine so.' The form letter from the Navy Personnel Command told Reed he could wait 90 days and resubmit an application, or buy his own medal. After waiting 55 years, however, Reed decided to pay $42 for his own Purple Heart and accompanying ribbon — plus state sales taxes — at a military surplus store."

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Terrifying. This is the United States of America?!?

Homeland Security Enlists Clergy to Quell Public Unrest if Martial Law Ever Declared:

"Could martial law ever become a reality in America? Some fear any nuclear, biological or chemical attack on U.S. soil might trigger just that. KSLA News 12 has discovered that the clergy would help the government with potentially their biggest problem: Us. Charleton Heston's now-famous speech before the National Rifle Association at a convention back in 2000 will forever be remembered as a stirring moment for all 2nd Amendment advocates. At the end of his remarks, Heston held up his antique rifle and told the crowd in his Moses-like voice, 'over my cold, dead hands.'"

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First.... ow. Second.... I would tattoo them immediately with their initials.

Woman has rare identical quadruplets:

"HELENA, Mont. - A 35-year-old Canadian woman has given birth to rare identical quadruplets, officials at a Great Falls hospital said Thursday.

Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by Caesarian section Sunday afternoon at Benefis Healthcare, said Amy Astin, the hospital's director of community and government relations. The four girls were breathing without ventilators and listed in good condition Thursday, she said. 'These babies are doing grand,' said Dr. Tom Key of Great Falls, the perinatologist who delivered the girls."

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Dammit! Why didn't I come up with this.

People of the Web - Hooter Heaven:

"Jason Grunstra's 'eureka' moment did not occur while sitting under an apple tree like Newton — nor while flying a kite in the rain, like Franklin. Then again, Grunstra wasn't busy discovering the law of gravity or the conductivity of electricity.

Grunstra's 'discovery' was this: Americans are obsessed with breasts. Ashley, a.k.a. Minxie, trades photos for donations to her next implant procedure. Appropriately enough, his eureka moment came in Las Vegas, at a bachelor party, in the company of strippers. One of the strippers had recently gotten breast implants. Another was sad because she could not afford them. So Grunstra did what any gentlemen would do — he started raising cash for the flat-chested one. 'I said, 'I've got five on it!'' he recalls. 'And everybody else said, 'I've got five on it, too.' By the end of the night we had $70 bucks.' That's a long way from the cost of a breast implant operation, which can run $4,000 and up. But for Grunstra, this was more than just crumpled dollar bills stuffed in a thong. This was a big idea."

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Mississippi Monkey

Man, this September 'surge' report is becoming the most ludicrous display of marketing spin containing no factual data pony show evah.

Patsy... I mean Patraeus is already stating that he will recommend some troops being pulled out. First, if you believe that then your part of the 25%'ers and any troops leaving 'before we've achieved victory (whatever the fuck that is) probably pisses you off. But yer not pissed off because you saw the 'wink-wink'. Smoke and mirrors.... and not the sexy kind.

Bush has already jacked up the troops levels this year so he could pull a few back come September to 'fool' folks. If you get fooled by this then you are a fool.

Fool me once......

Democrats, quit sucking your thumb and pull the plug on this meat grinder. I look forward to voting out the fake Democrats as much as I look forward to tossing Republicans


White House is writing General Petraeus' September progress report on "the surge" in Iraq:

"Incredible. Absolutely incredible. These people have no shame. The 'big' report coming this September, the one Bush has been telling us we should wait for before making any decisions about what to do next in Iraq. Well, the White House is writing the frigging report. From today's Los Angeles Times:.....

And special brownie points to the LA Times for burying this huge revelation at the end of the story where no one would see it."

From what you've sown....

Suicide rate in Army at a 26-year high:

"WASHINGTON - Ninety-nine U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year, the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years, a new report says."

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No fucking shit, Obama. And the rest of the Dem candidates need to realize that Bush ain't running again. Fuck using Bush. It's the entire Republican party. Ignore Bush on the campaign trail. Hammer Republican ideology.

I am digging what Obama is saying below. I want my government more open than a 7/11.

Obama says Bush not solely to blame:

"To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online. Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies. He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest"

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Didn't realize Rove was going into comedy after he resigns.

What-the-fuck-ever, Rove. Yeah, Bush is one of the best-read people you've ever met?!?

What kind of losers do you hang out with?

Rove: Bush’s critics are ’snobs’ who hate his ‘common sense.’:

"In his interview with Rush Limbaugh this afternoon, Karl Rove claimed that the people criticizing Bush are “sort of elite, effete snobs who can’t hold a candle to this guy. What they don’t like about him is that he is common sense, that he is Middle America.” Limbaugh suggest that Bush critics are frustrated the the President “outsmarts ‘em.” Rove argued Bush is far more intelligent than people give him credit for, and is “one of the best-read people I’ve ever met” whose “passion is history.” Listen to a portion of the interview:"

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These aren't terrorist, they're soldiers of jesus.

Killing in jesus' name is cool!

jesus loves me this I know, for the doctor killer told me so.

Daily Kos: Right-wing terrorists threaten bombing in Alabama:

"If al Qaeda threatened to blow up a building anywhere in the United States how long do you suppose it would take before Michael Chertoff and George Bush and Dick Cheney were screaming at the top of their lungs on TV about it? Probably less time than it takes the Pentagon to spend $1 million in Iraq. But apparently home-grown racist extremists can threaten to blow up a buildingwith nary a peep from our valiant leaders in the War on Terror.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed suit against the nation's second-largest Ku Klux Klan group, has increased security following threats from white supremacists to blow up its building. The Montgomery-based center filed suit July 25 against the Imperial Klans of America in Kentucky's Meade County Circuit Court over the beating of a 16-year-old boy of Panamanian descent. 'The latest case against the IKA promises to be as dangerous as anything we've faced,' SPLC co-founder Morris Dees stated in an e-mail Monday. 'We won't back down from these threats, but we'll have to increase our security to ensure the safety of our staff.'"

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Unfair and unbalanced.... oh yeah.

Daily Kos: Fox News Scrubs Wikipedia

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I have deep empathy for the extremely bored.... *yawn*.

Empathy can spark contagious yawning: study:

"LONDON (Reuters) - Showing empathy can make for a lot of yawning. ADVERTISEMENT A study of autistic children has bolstered evidence that people who identify better with others are more prone to contagious yawning, Japanese researchers say. Scientists have long known that one yawn often leads others to follow suit but what triggers the phenomenon is not as clear, said Atsushi Senju, a researcher at the University of London who worked on the study. Some believe it is simply a reflex. Others suggest the same mechanisms in the brain that make people feel empathy also cause them to yawn when they see others doing the same, he said."

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Sooooo, close. If she were a MILF you might have gotten away with it.... Not a MILF.

Mom Sentenced for Posing As Son's Wife:

"A woman was sentenced to 30 days in jail for claiming in court that she was her son's wife. Christopher Crowe, 25, was in court recently to plead guilty to four felony counts including residential entry and domestic battery. During the hearing, the judge asked if Crowe's wife agreed with the plea deal. Crowe's mother, 47-year-old Rebecca Crowe, stood up, said she was Crowe's wife and said the plea agreement was OK. Later, Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor Anna Clutter discovered Rebecca Crowe's identity when she saw a picture of Christopher Crowe's wife, a much younger woman. Courtroom personnel later admitted they thought the woman looked too old."

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Uh, baby, I uh......

Busted.

US Florist sued after red roses lead to divorce:

"Leroy Greer is a bit of a romantic. He sent a dozen roses and a teddy bear to his girlfriend, with a card reading 'Just wanted to say I love you'. Unfortunately the florist sent the receipt to his wife. Now the luxury car salesman from Missouri City is suing the firm for $1 million for 'mental anguish' caused by the mix-up and his resultant divorce."

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Great band name.

Mississippi Monkey Escapes Again:

"Oliver apparently has learned to pick locks, making his second breakout from behind bars in less than a month. On Wednesday, however, the white-faced capuchin monkey was back at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo, and this time his cage has been secured with triple chains and locks. 'There's one on top, one on the bottom and one in the middle,' park manager Kirk Nemecheck said. 'If he gets out again, someone is letting him out.'"

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"Winning is Fun and Makes you Strong"

They'll say anything....

Bizarro world.

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Honestly, I'd rather have Rove where I can see him.

Some interesting conjecture on Rove and what made him leave.

"Don't piss off the boys from Alabama, you know we won't let it slide...."

Daily Kos: Rove Done in by 'Bama Case:

So, just like Al Capone, Rove has been felled by the smallest of his peccadillos.

It's a story of intrigue, injustice and backroom influence peddling: The case has now attracted attention across the United States and around the world. Forty-four former attorneys general from across the nation—Democrats and Republicans—have petitioned Congress asking that a special investigation be undertaken to examine the now obvious gross irregularities associated with the case. Here is the case in a nutshell:"

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More Bama malfeasance. It may be legal due to a loop hole but it ain't ethical.

I make myself laugh sometimes... like these people know what the word 'ethical' means. They know the 'profit', though:

Katrina Aid Goes Toward Football Condos:

"TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.

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Hey Democrats! What Atrios says:

Eschaton:

"Winning is Fun and Makes You Strong One of the things Rove always understand is that. The most fun the Democrats had in this entire decade is when they stood firm on Social Security, not only refusing to support some version of the non-existent Bush plan, but also refusing to put up an 'alternative' so that some middle ground compromise could be found which was 90% what the president wanted. They defied the pundits, they stood together, they beat Bush and the Republicans. As Josh Green explains in his Atlantic Monthly article about Rove (no link sorry), out now at a timely moment, killing Social Security wasn't just a plan to kill Social Security, it was a key part of the plan to destroy Democrats. Miraculously, they didn't let themselves be destroyed. Sadly, they seem to have forgotten how fun that was. -Atrios 10:36"

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The difference....

The Plank:

"Anyway, I thought the most interesting anecdote in the article reflected on President Bush, not Rove: Dick Armey, the House Republican majority leader when Bush took office (and no more a shrinking violet than DeLay), told me a story that captures the exquisite pettiness of most members of Congress and the arrogance that made Bush and Rove so inept at handling them. 'For all the years he was president,' Armey told me, 'Bill Clinton and I had a little thing we'd do where every time I went to the White House, I would take the little name tag they give you and pass it to the president, who, without saying a word, would sign and date it. Bill Clinton and I didn't like each other. He said I was his least-favorite member of Congress. But he knew that when I left his office, the first schoolkid I came across would be given that card, and some kid who had come to Washington with his mama would go home with the president's autograph. I think Clinton thought it was a nice thing to do for some kid, and he was happy to do it.' Armey said that when he went to his first meeting in the White House with President Bush, he explained the tradition with Clinton and asked the president if he would care to continue it. 'Bush refused to sign the card. Rove, who was sitting across the table, said, 'It would probably wind up on eBay,'' Armey continued."

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Hey Wal-Mart executives....

China Toy Boss Kills Self After Recall:

The head of a Chinese toy manufacturing company at the center of a huge U.S. recall has committed suicide, a state-run newspaper said Monday."

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Cool.

Researchers develop bendable battery:

"WASHINGTON - It's a battery that looks like a piece of paper and can be bent or twisted, trimmed with scissors or molded into any shape needed. While the battery is only a prototype a few inches square right now, the researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who developed it have high hopes for it in electronics and other fields that need smaller, lighter power sources. 'We would like to scale this up to the point where you can imagine printing batteries like a newspaper. That would be the ultimate,' Robert Linhardt a professor at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at RPI said in a telephone interview."

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Extra botox, please.

New 'anti-wrinkle' pizza causes a stir with pie purists in Italy:

"A so-called 'anti-wrinkle' pizza created by a nutritionist in southern Italy has caused a stir, with pizza purists protesting against the desecration of the national dish. The 'primula' pizza is made up of three times the amount of fibre found in a classic pizza and boasts that it contains more magnesium and iron, thanks to its ingredients, including wholemeal flour, La Stampa newspaper reported Monday."

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Tasmanian devil....

Teenage girl rushed to hospital after overdosing on coffee | the Daily Mail

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Super Rubber

No End in Sight

Go watch when it comes to a city near you. Just opened in SF and I plan on seeing it this weekend:

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The biggest rat of all jumps ship... if you believe it.

Karl Rove to resign at end of August:

"WASHINGTON - Karl Rove, President Bush's close friend and chief political strategist, plans to leave the White House at the end of August, joining a lengthening line of senior officials heading for the exits in the final 1 1/2 years of the administration."

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Old media's continued decent into irrelevancy and one of the main reasons why we're in the quagmire shown above.

US public sees news media as biased, inaccurate, uncaring: poll:

"More than half of Americans say US news organizations are politically biased, inaccurate, and don't care about the people they report on, a poll published Thursday showed.

And poll respondents who use the Internet as their main source of news -- roughly one quarter of all Americans -- were even harsher with their criticism, the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center said.

More than two-thirds of the Internet users said they felt that news organizations don't care about the people they report on; 59 percent said their reporting was inaccurate; and 64 percent they were politically biased.

More than half -- 53 percent -- of Internet users also faulted the news organizations for 'failing to stand up for America'."

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Limbaugh's demographic:

Man living in car since '00 upsets city:

"PITTSBURG, Kan. --Steve Graham might not be in the doghouse over a dispute with his wife, but as far as his neighbors are concerned, he's not far from it. For the past seven years, Graham, 55, has been living in his car parked in the backyard of a house he and his wife, La Donna Graham, own."
.......

"'I get better reception there than I do in there,' he said, pointing at the house. 'I listen to Rush (Limbaugh) every day, just about.'"

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Science sure does know where the money is....

Firm sees big impact from enlarging condoms

LONDON (Reuters) - British condom maker Futura Medical Plc said on Thursday that results of a study showed its new condom helped men have firmer and bigger erections, as well as a longer-lasting sexual experience.

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Bullet Headache

Following up on yesterday's post re: the modern day Alabama lynching:

Looks like sweet home Alabama was a real world evil laboratory for Rove. He tested of few of his nastier tricks in Alabama, pre-W's reign of terror on the entire country.

Most specifically, it looks as though he worked on perverting an already shaky legal system in the state.

TPMmuckraker:

"Ex-Gov. Don Siegelman (D-AL) is again questioning the motives and impartiality of the prosecutors who want to put him away for 30 years. And the prosecutors keep giving him good reason to."

A newbieish Alabama blogger, Legal Schnauzer seems to be all over this story:

Legal Schnauzer:

"Reporters are focusing on the case because it is the latest example of corruption in the U.S. Justice Department, a scandal that began with the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys earlier this year. A growing body of evidence suggests that the Siegelman/Scrushy prosecution was politically motivated and driven by Alabama Republican operative Bill Canary, with assistance from White House political strategist Karl Rove. The Alabama case presents the strongest evidence to date that the politicization of the U.S. Justice Department has direct links to the White House.

The Los Angeles Times reports that even prominent Republicans, such as former Arizona attorney general Grant Woods, smell something fishy going on in Alabama."

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Again, if you vote for people who don't believe in government and want to shrink it to an appropriate bathtub drownable size, then this is what you get.

They feel no shame, no obligation to their fellow men and women, no sense of honor, no sense of honesty.

Fuckers.

Think Progress - New Post-Katrina Investigations Reveal More Federal Waste And Incompetence

EPA allowed toxic chemicals to harm poor Katrina victims:

FEMA guaranteed billions in profits for big companies:

FEMA guaranteed billions in profits for big companies:

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Another follow up on yesterday's post re: obstructionist Republicans.

Why the fuck aren't the Democrats screaming bloody 'up or down vote' just like the Republicans did? Why aren't we threatening the nuclear option.

Democrats, quit playing a game that your opponents aren't playing. They've defined the game over the past six years. You can't just ignore it. You have to play their game and whip their ass at it THEN you can change the rules to your game.

Take off the fucking gloves.

Think Progress - Senate Conservatives Aggressively Obstructing Critical Legislation:

"Senate conservatives in the 110th Congress are obstructing and blocking legislation at a rate more than double that of the past two Congresses combined.
.....

The legislation being blocked by right-wing senators has broad public support:

– Conservatives blocked debate on raising the minimum wage (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
– Conservatives blocked debate ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
– Conservatives blocked debate on funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)
– Conservatives blocked a vote on funding for the intelligence community (Rejected 41-40, Roll Call Vote #130)
– Conservatives delayed legislation fulfilling the 9/11 Commission recommendations (Passed 97-0, Roll Call Vote #53)

Believe your eyes, then....

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A ray of hope... though it don't mean shit until it translates into votes.... I take that back, it does mean shit b/c these young'uns are attaching themselves to liberal/progressive ideas which are the best ideas at fostering a peaceful, responsible, educated, loving, lucrative future for this dirt ball we're stuck to.

MyDD :: Direct Democracy for People-Powered Politics:

I've been trying to track the transformational potential of the Bush presidency -- how the tenure of George W. Bush could change the electorate for decades to come to become significantly more Democratic -- for some time. Back before the election, for instance, I pointed to the argument that once political and partisan leanings are enshrined in young voters, as they appeared to be doing last fall, they tend stay with that cohort for as long as that cohort stays in the electorate.

Exit polling from last November's elections indicated that younger voters -- those age 18 to 29 -- were more likely than any other age group to vote for Democrats, backing Democratic House candidates over GOP candidates by a whopping 60 percent to 38 percent margin (up from 55 percent to 44 percent in the 2004 House elections). Subsequent polling undertaken by Pew back in January also indicated a decidedly Democratic and progressive lean to the group they labeled as 'generation next.' And now a new survey (.pdf) commissioned by The New York Times, CBS News and MTV finds that younger voters look a lot more Democratic and progressive than the electorate as a whole."

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god, I hate those liberal Hollywood jerks, using their time and money to prevent genocide. I mean, what kind of jackasses are these people?

Clooney's dreamy. I mean, he's no Fred Thompson with the smell and all, but....

Clooney: Cast raises millions for Darfur:

"UNITED NATIONS - 'Ocean's Thirteen' stars have donated $5.5 million to humanitarian efforts in Sudan's Darfur region, according to actor George Clooney.

Clooney told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Rome that he was joined by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and producer Jerry Weintraub in raising $9.3 million for Darfur, most of which was contributed at a dinner during the film's premiere last month at the Cannes Film Festival.

Clooney said more than half the money has already been donated to various charities dealing with Darfur. He said his group wants to keep emptying and replenishing the coffers of the humanitarian organization they co-founded, called Not On Our Watch, to focus global attention on the plight of the 2.5 million civilians in Darfur who have fled their homes."

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Oh, what a true champ Kobayashi is turning out to be. He's going to play through the pain, maybe.

Hot-Dog Champ Is Coming to Brooklyn, Manager Insists:

"Takeru Kobayashi’s debilitating jaw pain has generated widespread speculation in the world of competitive eating that he might not be able to take part in the Nathan’s Famous July 4 International Hot-Dog Eating Contest next week — a competition he has won every year since 2001.

But The Times’s Tokyo bureau, which interviewed Mr. Kobayashi’s manager today, tells City Room that Mr. Kobayashi got treatment for his jaw problems today and intends to catch a flight to the United States on Thursday. The manager said that Mr. Kobayashi intends to take part in the Nathan’s contest on July 4 and in a Pizza Hut “Dare You to Still be Hungry” eating contest on July 10."

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Man, how drunk do you have to be to not know you've been shot in the head until the next morning.

It's great.... she took him to the hospital and only ran after then found the bullet. Did she think they wouldn't find it?

Florida man's headache mystery solved by a bullet:

"MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man awoke with a severe headache and asked his wife to drive him to a hospital, where doctors found a bullet lodged behind his right ear, sheriff's deputies said.

'The nurse looked at him and said, 'It appears that you've been shot,'' the Fort Pierce Tribune quoted St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara as saying. 'And he said, 'No way.''

The wife, April Moylan, fled the emergency room when the bullet was discovered but later told deputies she had accidentally shot her husband as he slept early on Tuesday. She was jailed on a weapons violation charge while deputies pursued additional charges"

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