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Friday Fun Stack
Author: BobR    Date: 10/12/2007 12:06:30

Good morning folks! It's Friday and the weekend is within our grasp. Last Friday, I posted a rather heavy reflection on our current situation, so this week I am following the lead of the Stephanie Miller Show and providing a Friday Fun Stack.

First, from the web site Bush or Chimp we have this gem:
http://www.bushorchimp.com/images/pic81.jpg

Prezzie want a banana? :sprint:

Continuing along in the "things are not what they seem" vein, here we have Reagan talking about the virtues of being a *gasp* LIBERAL:

(Thanks to Bob Harris for this...)

Continuing with the absurd, there's this headline that is absolutely NOT made up:

Taco Bell to open restaurants in Mexico

"It's like bringing ice to the Arctic," complained pop culture historian Carlos Monsivais.
Hey - there's a McDonalds in Paris...

Continue reading...

97 comments (Latest Comment: 10/13/2007 01:50:05 by livingonli)

Profits Before People, the Corporatist Agenda
Author: Raine    Date: 10/11/2007 12:12:46

As many of you may have heard, The Dems Pushed thru the surveillance bill...
House Democrats pushed their government eavesdropping bill through two committees Wednesday with only minor changes, setting the stage for a confrontation with the Bush administration.

President Bush said that he will not sign the bill if it does not give retroactive immunity to U.S. telecommunications companies that helped conduct electronic surveillance without court orders.
[...]
The measure advanced by the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees left out the immunity provision Bush wants. Democrats also voted down Republican attempts to tailor the legislation more to the administration's liking.
Good for the Dems. The president and the members of congress must know that they don't work for the president. They work for us. But the real question here is this: Bush has been telling us for years that his spying program was legal.... The phone companies have said it was legal... so why do they need immunity?

Why? Because they all know it isn't. I cannot tell you how disgusted I am that the president would rather protect the interests of corporations over children in this country. AGAIN.

I ask myself, why am I still surprised? When the president and the republican party has people like Rush, Hannity and Malkin (fill in whoever else you want) and all the wonderful folks over at Faux Noise, (not to mention Mitch McConnell) that would rather attack Americans for going against this Republican agenda, it makes it all the more clear to me that we really are heading to becoming a fascist country. These watercarriers for Bush and the republican party have viciously attacked people for their religion, speaking out against the war, their race, their sex, their economic status, their politics, and yet, the President says nothing... but would rather protect and defend companies like AT&T and Blackwater.... well then, who do you think he is really serving? When a company that regular Americans use for basic services such as telephones is used by the government to spy on Americans without a court order... well, that is fascism pure and simple.
Continue reading...

44 comments (Latest Comment: 10/12/2007 03:11:16 by livingonli)

War of the Words
Author: BobR    Date: 10/10/2007 12:16:13

It's been discussed many times on the internets and on our TV machines that Republicans have fine-tuned the science of words. They call a pro-pollution bill the "Clear Skies Initiative". They've demonized the noble ideology of being "liberal". They've conflated Iraq and Osama bin Laden by combining them under the umbrella term of "The War on Terror".

But it goes beyond creating simple (yet deceptive) soundbites. It goes beyond "framing the debate". The key to their success (and the key to Democrats hope for success) is to "personalize" issues, to appeal to voters emotions, for it is there that most voters make their decisions. It doesn't matter how good a 14 point plan is if a candidate can't evoke an emotional response to the plan within the voter.

So says Drew Weston, P.H.D. He spoke to the N. Fulton Democrats last night, and I was there to listen. He is a professor, a consultant, and the author of several books including his latest The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.
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60 comments (Latest Comment: 10/11/2007 01:36:27 by livingonli)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/09/2007 10:40:21

Good Morning.

Another week in the Warron Terra, the 1, 665 th day in Iraq.

We'll start this morning like we always do, with the latest casualty figures courtesy of Antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 3817
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 3679
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3356
Since Handover (6/29/04): 2958
Since Election (1/31/05): 2740

Other Coalition Troops: 301
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 449


Checking in with our friends at IAVA, there's a very interesting story about one US officials' ride-along with Blackwater...
Continue reading...

72 comments (Latest Comment: 10/10/2007 04:08:37 by livingonli)

Larry Craig, is he 'Da ho', a 'Nauti' Ho, or does he love his job?....
Author: Raine    Date: 10/08/2007 12:15:59

Good Monday morning! Amidst all the sports this weekend, I am sure some of this one went under the radar...
Larry Craig to Join Idaho Hall of Fame
Yes, you read that right... Idaho has a "Hall of Fame"... (I did not know either)
Sen. Larry Craig will be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame next week, despite his well-publicized arrest and guilty plea in an airport sex sting, officials said.

The non-profit Idaho Hall of Fame Association picked Craig in March, months before he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a Minneapolis airport police officer accused him of soliciting sex in the men's restroom, the organization's board chairman said.[...]

But some Republicans said the honor is inappropriate now. Kootenai County Republican precinct committeeman Phil Thompson said Idaho Hall of Fame officials should consider at least postponing the induction.
Perhaps Larry will stall his induction the same way he did with his senate resignation? In the end, I'm sure Larry is flushed with pride...

But hey, speaking of Larry *I am not Gay* Craig... it seems as tho he might have something in common with our Favorite CrystalMethodist!! Yes... I am talking about Ted "I know what you did last night" Haggard... His former "escort" claims to have known Larry Craig as well...
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33 comments (Latest Comment: 10/09/2007 01:55:56 by livingonli)

Musings on the National Pastime
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/06/2007 12:44:07

Good Morning!

We have a saying around thes parts....'There'se only two year-round sports....Politics and Baseball'.

Last night, I watched a terrific ballgame. It was a taught pitcher's duel that went into extra innings, and featured a full count with the bases loaded in the home team's last at bat.

Trouble is....it was the "wrong" team for me. Yes, I watched the Yankees game last night.

But they started early, and even going into extra innings, the game was over at a reasonable hour, just a few minutes after 9pm eastern.

Changing channels to the hometown nine, at 10pm they were just in the third inning at Fenway. I made it to the sixth in front of the teevee, then went upstairs with my trusty radio. I listened in a half-dozing state until midnight....which was still only the eighth inning of that game.

Writing this, I haven't checked; I don't know who won.

But isn't that something wrong about this game? The playoffs started Wednesday, and already all 4 series are better than half over. All the games have been played at night, and for some reason, last night's game at Fenway didn't start until 8:30 pm, an astonishingly late hour for a game with no time limits.

Many arguments can be made both for and against the designated hitter, and interleague play, but I think any true baseball fan would not have anything bad to say if the playoffs went like the regular season. Most night games all year start at 7:05 at Fenway and are usually done by 10:30...why can't they do that during the playoffs? Unless it's a major team coming in for a national broadcast, weekend games at Fenway start at 1:05 pm, the way baseball was meant to be played...in the glorious sunshine. Why can't at least one World Series game be played in the sun?

These are the things that occupy your loyal TriSec's mind this Saturday morning....now let's get out there and hit some fungoes!


 
23 comments (Latest Comment: 10/08/2007 03:52:38 by BobR)

Whither Now?
Author: BobR    Date: 10/05/2007 12:13:29

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by..." - Robert Frost

There comes a time in all our lives when we happen upon that fork in the road and ask ourselves:

Whither now?

For once we commit to a path, there is no rewinding the universe and choosing anew. There are many forks along the road that defines our lives, both individually and collectively. Some choices are easy and some are hard, some insignificant and some that change the course of humankind. As the children's illustrator Mary Englebright has shown in a simple yet poignant drawing, once we choose, the other road is "no longer an option". Lest we remain immobilized with indecision, we are sometimes required to fight back the demons of doubt and drive ourselves down that less traveled road.
Continue reading...

99 comments (Latest Comment: 10/06/2007 02:40:17 by livingonli)

NCLB? Naw... Let's call it PCLB*
Author: Raine    Date: 10/04/2007 12:45:48

(*Poor Children left behind)

So, As you may be aware, the president vetoed the SCHIP program. Here is a little bit of what he said regarding this:
"I believe in private medicine," Bush told an audience in Lancaster, Penn., on Wednesday morning. "I believe in helping poor people, which was the intent of SCHIP, now being expanded beyond its initial intent. I also believe that the federal government should make it easier for people to afford private insurance. I don't want the federal government making decisions for doctors and customers."
This man has lost touch with America and even worse, he lost touch with what it means to be compassionate. I have oft wondered about it, but yesterday... he threw American children under the bus. I have a niece and a nephew who will be impacted by this directly.

And please remember those words... he believes in "private medicine". Please remember that. That means that Bush believes in ALL health care being privatized... ALL. That includes Medicare, Medicaid, and all of the Veteran medical care.

He also believes in helping poor people... but only to a certain point I suppose... He decided to not help them today. That is for sure. In his veto, Bush decided who is poor enough to get health care... and now we learn that millions of children are just not poor enough to get SCHIP... one of the most successful government programs... No really, it was.
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62 comments (Latest Comment: 10/05/2007 03:58:16 by Raine)

Blackwater in the news again
Author: BobR    Date: 10/03/2007 12:34:20

It looks like the British are pulling another 1000 troops out of Iraq. Where does that leave us? How do we fill the void. More mercenaries?

Blackwater has been the main supplier of private for-hire soldiers, fullfilling the neocon dream of privitizing everything in the government, but - like most other neocon initiatives, this one is blowing up in their faces as well.

The House Oversight Committee filed a report on Monday that showed that Blackwater guards fired first 80% of the time.
Continue reading...

87 comments (Latest Comment: 10/04/2007 18:14:47 by Raine)

Ask A Vet!
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/02/2007 10:24:47

Good Morning. Ask A Vet returns!

We'll start this morning as we always do, with the latest casualty figures from the warron terra, courtesy of Antiwar.com:

American Deaths in Iraq
Since war began (3/19/03): 3807
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 3668
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3346
Since Handover (6/29/04): 2948
Since Election (1/31/05): 2370

Other Coalition Troops: 300
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 447



This morning, we find the Cost of war standing at:

$456, 452, 150, 000. 00

Continue reading...

87 comments (Latest Comment: 10/03/2007 02:57:02 by livingonli)

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