Getting Ready for Mid-Term Elections

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Desperate Housewife?

When you live in any neighborhood for long enough you get to know its rhythms. You know when the folks next door get a new car. You watch the latest renovations as they change the look of the house down the street. Over the years, you see the kids grow up and leave home. In New England, most of these neighborhood changes are noticed in the springtime, when we emerge from our long winter indoors. This year, there was a significant change next door, although it took several weeks to actually dawn on us.

These particular neighbors have a built-in swimming pool that requires regular maintenance once the cover comes off early in the swimming season. For the last several years, these duties were handled by a sandy-haired man, who would pace the sides of the pool with his long handled net, skimming the surface to lift out the occasional insect and leaf. At the same time, he would seemingly keep an eye on the two young kids and the pretty red-haired wife, who were often nearby.

This spring, several weeks of pool maintenance had passed when I began to notice a different guy performing these duties. He is dark haired and slender, and most definitely not the same person we've seen in the past. For a while I figured he was a house guest, but then I noticed the sandy-haired man was never there.

Wisteria Lane has had nothing on us over the past few weeks as we speculated on the missing man and the continuing presence of the mysterious new one. Where did he come from? What was his relationship to the family? Part of the mystery was solved about a week or so ago when I saw the dark haired man lean over to kiss the woman of the house as they did yardwork together - it wasn't a deep, soulful kiss, but rather the sweet peck of two people who are in a relationship.

So what happened to the first guy? Was he indeed the loving husband and father, as he appeared? Was she the wronged woman, or is she actually a floozie who takes up with a different man every few years? Whose fault is it that the first relationship fizzled? Did it actually fizzle? The various alternatives will keep us speculating for the rest of the summer. And, come the winter, I'll have to see who does the snow-blowing.

Now that is love.

Hot Time, Summer in the City?

We're enjoying a quiet long 4th of July weekend here in suburbia. It's nice to have a few days off to just hang out, especially since it took so long for real summer weather to arrive. I've been cooking some nice meals, doing a bit of yard work (featuring my yearly battle with the front hedge...not sure who's winning at this point), catching up on some DVDs and baseball games (Let's go Red Sox, clap, clap, CLAP, clap, clap!), etc. Best purchase of the weekend was a homemade blueberry pie from the local farm stand. Yummy!

Tomorrow, of course, we celebrate the 230th birthday of the good ole USofA. Along with Independence Day, we commemorate the 180th anniversary of the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams - two American presidents who actually understood words like patriotism, freedom and the rule of law. Here's hoping the Constitution survives the current administration so that we can mark many, many more Independence Days.

Happy Birthday, America!

Supreme Court Wakes Up

Can the Congress be far behind? Well, that might be a little too much to ask, I suppose, but perhaps they have just been given the wiggle room to do their jobs...in other words, actually figuring out just how fucked up the Chimp's legal team really is. Who sez we don't have to follow the Geneva Conventions, eh?

Here's the report from Dan Froomkin at the Washington Post today:

"Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, definitively curbing the Bush White House's assertion of nearly unlimited executive power in a time of war, puts the other two branches of government back in business.

The Republican-controlled Congress, which has remained resolutely blind, deaf and dumb as President Bush took national security matters entirely into his own hands, now has little choice but to rouse itself to some sort of action.

And in reasserting the rule of law, the high court has opened the way to what could be major legal action over other executive branch violations of established statutes -- about domestic spying, for instance. The ruling even raises the possibility that U.S. forces and Bush administration officials could be tried for war crimes."

War crimes are probably too much to ask...I'll settle for Americans simply waking up and realizing that it's important to vote to ensure we keep some semblance of reality in the Courts. Today we had a modium of success. We'll keep our fingers crossed for more.

In My America...

This is what a president says:

"How we work to improve our country and lift people up is also critical to restoring American leadership in the world. For decades, many drew inspiration from us, admiring how we worked everyday to make our country a better place. And the whole world is watching. Just as we fight poverty here at home, we must show more leadership in ending extreme poverty around the globe. It is wrong that close to half the world’s population – more than 3 billion people – live on less than 2 dollars a day. And it is a disgrace that millions of people suffer and die from diseases that are preventable – for example, a $5 dollar mosquito net could save a family from malaria; a few cents could vaccinate a child; and a $4 dose of medicine can help prevent a mother from transmitting AIDS to her newborn at childbirth. If we are to rebuild America’s moral leadership, we must do better at home – and abroad.

On the America we want to achieve in the next twenty years, I don’t think the picture is hard to draw. It is an America where we are well on our way to ending poverty. It is an America where every American has health care coverage – not access to health insurance or other wiggle-word ways we try to describe something less than health coverage for every American. It is time. It is an America where businesses and working people thrive in a competitive and fair international marketplace. It is an America where everyone can join the middle class and everyone can build a better future than their parents had."

Go here and learn more.

Boondocks Deserves a Pulitzer

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Reason Number 2,500+ for Blogging

Came across this story in the New York Times today. It's called "Iraq War Ends Silently for One American Soldier" about the death of just one young man, and it is sad -- and maddening -- beyond belief. Here's the ending:

"The six soldiers walked out to the chopper and lifted Sergeant Lisk's body into it. The door went back up. The helicopter flew away.

The soldiers saluted a final time.

In the darkness, as the sound of the helicopter faded, Colonel MacFarland addressed his soldiers.

"I don't know if this war is worth the life of Terry Lisk, or 10 soldiers, or 2,500 soldiers like him," Colonel MacFarland told his forces. "What I do know is that he did not die alone. He was surrounded by friends.

"A Greek philosopher said that only the dead have seen the end of war," the colonel said. "Only Terry Lisk has seen the end of this war."

The soldiers turned and walked back to their barracks in the darkness. No one said a word."

It's Been Awhile, I Know

Where have I been? Why no posting? Well, I needed to take a break from this because I feared this little place o'mine was becoming a bit redundant. What did I really have to say, what was my point of view, what did I really want the blog to be? All of these questions have been rolling around my head...in that tiny voice that weal have that says, who the hell cares what you write, anyway? So I thought I'd let that inner conversation go on a while to see whether I really felt like starting up again.

Well, turns out I do want to continue. (And, oddly, it's been exactly one month since the last post.)

And who the hell cares?

I do.

We're Back

A trip to the West Coast is always interesting...I find it always fun to be in a different time zone, yet I spend half the time trying to figure out what time it is back home. As my family will attest, I've always have had difficulties telling time, so I guess this just complicates matters for me!

So, having never been to Oregon, I must say I was impressed. Portland is a really fun city - full of great restaurants, interesting views, some eccentric people and of course, the home of my brother. We had a nice opportunity to celebrate his birthday and get to see his new abode. He was a great host...driving us all over the place, all with good humor, especially considering he probably has seen these sights a million times.

The coastline was gorgeous and the weather cooperated just enough to give us some great views. We also drove through the Columbia River Gorge and took some backroads to see the Evergreen Aviation Museum...home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose airplane. (If you saw the movie "Aviator" it was the plane he flew at the end of the movie.)

Here's a sampling of some of the zillion+ pictures we took. Enjoy!




My brother and sister on the bridge!

Portland Bound

Go west, young woman (and man)!

Packed up and ready to go to the airport for our week in Oregon. Looking forward to a fun, relaxing trip. Especially looking forward to becoming reacquainted with some siblings who I don't see enough of. Nice to leave the bonds of the working world too for much needed R&R.

We believe the hotel has internet access, so presumably we can blog the trip, but we'll see!

Sayonara.

Has Rove Been Indicted?

What if it was Fitzmas and we didn't even know it? Check out this story from TruthOut.com, which says that Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury indicted Mr. Rove on Friday.

Here's the substance of the story:

"During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 business hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning.

Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

It was still unknown Saturday whether Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to the case said Friday that it appeared very likely that an obstruction charge against Rove would be included with charges of perjury and lying to investigators.

An announcement by Fitzgerald is expected to come this week, sources close to the case said. However, the day and time is unknown. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the special prosecutor was unavailable for comment. In the past, Samborn said he could not comment on the case."

Could it be true?

President Gore

Last night, Al Gore opened Saturday Night Live with a speech to the nation talking about his Administration's many accomplishments. It's funny, of course, but it's a little sad at the same time. Check it out from Crooks and Liars.

Let's hope this is a premonition of things to come, eh? Right now, I think he's the candidate to beat for the nomination in '08. Personally, I can't wait to see his new movie: "An Inconvenient Truth," which has gotten rave reviews.

Welcome Aboard, Melanie Rose!

Welcome to our crazy family, Miss Melanie! May the road ahead be nothing but sunshine and flowers for you.

Congratulations, B & S, and I hope you are caught up on your sleep!

Two More Weeks Till Fitzmas?

Here's the latest reporting from David Shuster of MSNBC.

Agreeing with the Chimp

The high point of his presidency, according to the Chimp himself, is catching a 7+ pound fish on his "ranch" in Texas. At first I was appalled at him saying something so ridiculous, but when I actually started to think about it, I couldn't come up with anything better myself. Hmm, who'da thunk I'd agree with him?

Favorite Picture II

In happy anticipation of our upcoming trip to Oregon, here's another favorite picture from a previous vacation. This one is from Key West, back in November 2003.

Calling Bullshit

There's been a raging debate in the blogosphere this week over Stephen Colbert's appearance at the White House Correspondent's dinner last weekend. This story from today's Washington Post summarizes the whys and wherefores of the controversy. As always, I am here to give you the significant quote, but you really should read the whole story:

"The way I see it, the Washington press corps is still appropriately embarrassed that they screwed up in the run-up to war. Now, as Bush's approval ratings fester, they are getting bolder in challenging the official White House line on any number of issues. They're justifiably proud of a handful of great investigative pieces.

But they still haven't addressed the central issue Colbert was raising: Bush's credibility. As it happens, the public is way ahead of them on this one: For more than a year, the polls have consistently been showing that a majority of Americans don't find Bush honest and trustworthy."

Gonzo?

Well, I recently discovered I'm "Gonzo." (Although people have probably thought so for a long time.) What about you?

Belated Blogging: Mr. Colbert Goes to Washington

From what everyone's saying, the White House was not thrilled by Steven Colbert's performance the other night at the White House Correspondent's Dinner in DC. However, as the Mr. says, "They should give him a fuckin' medal!" for this performance. Here's a transcript for your reading pleasure.

And, if you're interested in reading about the Chimp's administration reaction to it (as if you couldn't figure out what these no-talent, humorless people would act like), visit US News. On the other hand, find out how Jon Stewart reacted here.

The Church of Bruce Springsteen

Imagine driving to work, sitting in traffic on a highway, and not wanting the ride to end. That happened to me one morning last week when I first listened, all the way through, to Bruce Springsteen's newest CD "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions." This CD is a religious experience, a New Orleans dance party, a revival, a history lesson, a hoedown...and it is thrilling. I understand he and the 18-person Seeger Sessions Band are planning to play at next week's New Orleans Jazz Fest, and I am jealous beyond belief that I won't be able to see this band in person.

Folk music? It's more than that, you can almost literally feel this music passing down through the generations of Americans...from colonial seafaring days to the Civil War, to the Dust Bowl, New Orleans gospel and spirituals. It has echoes of Walt Whitman, and of course Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck and Bob Dylan...and if you're looking for the most uplifting hour possible, check it out.

You won't regret it.

War. What Is It Good For?

Big protest march in NYC today. Word has it that around 300,000 people showed up. Would like to have gone...here's a picture that gives you an idea of what went on.

Gassing Up

I paid $2.91 today, how 'bout you?

Lower than Ever

Just for the record, the Chimp's approval has now dropped to a new low: 32%.

He really does suck.

Ambivalence, John Kerry and Me

Ambivalence is a good word. I looked it up and the definition is: "The coexistence of contradictory emotions, attitudes, ideas, or desires with respect to a particular person, object, or situation." This perfectly describes my feeling for the junior senator from Massachusetts, our own John Kerry.

On Saturday, two friends and I took him up on a recent invitation to hear him speak about dissent at Boston's Faneuil Hall. It was an interesting and invigorating speech - my hands hurt afterwards from all the applause.

So, where does the ambivalence come from? On one hand, I backed him enough to become a volunteer for one of his senatorial reelection campaigns back in the 1990s. Yet I couldn't bring myself to support him in the Democratic primary in 2004 when he ran against others in his party.

On the other hand, during the 2004 campaign I thought he did a hell of a job during the debates...make the Chimp look as small-minded and ignorant as any incumbent president could possibly look. Yet his overall campaign was rather lackluster. Do I want him to run again for President? Nah, probably not, but I'll be very happy to continue voting for him as Massachusetts' senator.

So while his speech yesterday was quite good...it came on the 35th anniversary of his Senate testimony as a young Navy veteran ("How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"), it was also a bit of too little, too late.

My friend Julie thinks that the speech "won't change a thing." In reality, it probably won't. If nothing else, it reminds everyone about the hubris of administrations that continue to send young people to die in a war that is clearly a mistake. Do I wish Kerry had made this speech 4 years ago? Undoubtedly. Will I take it now? By all means.

So will it change anything? As Julie says, probably not.

I'm the Decider

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This is not a very original post, but if you haven't heard this song based on the Chimp's most recent rumblings about Rumsfeld, you should check it out. It WILL make you laugh!

Raging Against the Lying of the Right

Reading blogs is a fascination of mine...particularly those that stem from the famous Dailykos.com, probably the most visited left-leaning blog of all. Nowadays, the mainstream media is taking to profiling the writers behind the posts, and this particular story I found fascinating from the Washington Post:

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. -- In the angry life of Maryscott O'Connor, the rage begins as soon as she opens her eyes and realizes that her president is still George W. Bush. The sun has yet to rise and her family is asleep, but no matter; as soon as the realization kicks in, O'Connor, 37, is out of bed and heading toward her computer.

Out there, awaiting her building fury: the Angry Left, where O'Connor's reputation is as one of the angriest of all. "One long, sustained scream" is how she describes the writing she does for various Web logs, as she wonders what she should scream about this day."

I've read some of Maryscott's rants and indeed they are among the harshest, but after reading her full profile, I have a better sense of why she is so angry and I hope her psyche can last the next few years while the Chimp is in office (so to speak). Hopefully, the latest polls will give Maryscott some comfort that the rest of the country is starting to agree with her. From today's Washington Post:

"According to the latest Post-ABC News poll, Bush's overall job approval rating now averages 43 percent in the states where he beat Democratic nominee John Kerry two years ago, while 57 percent disapprove of his performance.

Bush is even marginally unpopular, at least on average, in states where he beat Kerry with relative ease. The poll data suggest that in states where the president's victory margin was greater than five percentage points, his average job approval currently stands at 47 percent. Red? Hardly. A watery pink at best.

And in states where the president's victory margin was five percentage points or less, a clear majority of residents now disapprove of his performance. Color them light blue."

New Rules: Patriot's Day Edition

It's Patriot's Day here in Massachusetts. Although we're supposed to be honoring the "shot heard round the world" at Lexington Green, and the march of British troops from there to Concord in 1775, this important historic moment has become overshadowed by sporting events.

One paricular sporting event actually has the world's focus, and that is the Boston Marathon - and the starting line is about 5 miles from our house. Tens of thousands of runners take off for their 26+ mile-run to downtown at noon, with the first runner crossing the finish line in just a bit over 2 hours. This year, as has been the case for the past decade, two Kenyans won the race.

Simultaneous to the marathon, the Sox play a home game at Fenway, starting at the ungodly hour of 11 a.m. (Yes, the boys won today in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off home run by our new hero, Mark Loretta...aka "Mahk Loretter" in local accent) The game usually takes three hours, making it also end at roughly the exact time as the winners cross the finish line in the Marathon, and only blocks away from each other.

Here's where the new rule comes in. Next year, how 'bout moving the finish line to home plate? The runners could come in through the Green Monster (left field wall) and run down the third base line. The winner would be required to slide into home (headfirst, feetfirst...up to the runner).

Sounds good to me, but how to explain this to some really healthy Kenyans?

Libby, Libby, Libby...Leaky, Leaky, Leaky

As certain as rats deserting a sinking ship, Scooter is now protecting himself by "fingering" others in the Plamegate investigation. This story from the Boston Globe resulted from documents filed in Fitzmas-land:

"Libby's request could lead to greater attention on the administration's handling of Iraqi intelligence, and is being made at a time when Bush's past statements about Iraq's weapons have come under renewed scrutiny.

On Sunday the Washington Post reported that when Bush proclaimed, ''We have found the weapons of mass destruction" in May 2003 following the seizure of two trailers he described as mobile bioweapons labs, a team of specialists had already told the White House that the trailers had nothing to do with making weapons."

Atten-HUT!

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Well, you know you've gone over the edge when the military starts turning against you. First, it's the generals, now it's West Point graduates.

From the military academy graduates...this will just give you chills:

"Instilled by the Cadet Honor System with a fundamental, longstanding respect for truth, we graduates of the United States Military Academy believe that honor is a basic attribute of character. That we are no longer cadets is irrelevant. We stand appalled by the deceitful behavior of the government of the United States and, in particular, its widely known malefactors. Lying, cheating, stealing, delivering evasive statements and quibbling not only has demeaned these deceivers and the United States of America, but has placed vast numbers of innocent people in deadly peril. We will not serve the lies.

The war in Iraq was launched illegally. It has since killed tens of thousands of innocents, causing incalculable damage to Iraq and the Iraqi people, as well as the reputation of the United States of America. We will not serve the lies.

When we West Point graduates took our commissioning oath of office one past June morning, we swore to protect our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The deceitful connivances of the current administration have resulted in a war catastrophic to our nation’s interests: politically, economically, militarily, and morally. We now stand to protect our nation from these deceivers. We will not serve their lies.

We seek justice for all victims of this illegal war, both servicemen and servicewomen, and the citizens of Iraq.

To our purpose we invoke the words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence whereby we too “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, & our sacred Honor.”

Favorite Picture, Part Uno

Since it's actually getting a bit boring to continually list the many problems in Washington these days, I thought I'd take a different tack. Today we begin a new feature: Beckperson's Favorite Photographs.

Here's the first one, taken at a restaurant called "Greens" in San Francisco where we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last year:

Vacation Days Ahead

Well, it's still over a month away, but there's nothing like a plan for a trip to get the juices flowing. This year, we're heading west again, but to an entirely new place: Portland, Oregon. My brother has lived there for several years and this is our first opportunity to go...so in addition to exploring a new location, we'll have some quality time with my sister and him. Looking forward to it! We leave May 20!

Department of Repeated Redundancy Again

Well, this is interesting. The Chimp is the Leaker-in-Chief. Imagine.

Once again, a new revelation shows that national security is continuing to be threatened by the very people whose job it is to protect us all. Today's New York Times:

"The [White House] spokesman, Scott McClellan, said a decision was made to declassify and release some information to rebut "irresponsible and unfounded accusations" that the administration had manipulated or misused prewar intelligence to buttress its case for war."

WTF? Now it appears that they can use the power of the national government to justify anything they damn well please.

Worst.Administration.Ever.

Scapegoat Wanted

Did you hear that the government is having trouble finding someone to accept the job of FEMA Director? Hard to believe that someone wouldn't want that fun job.

"WASHINGTON, April 1 — The calls went out across the nation, as Bush administration officials asked the country's most seasoned disaster response experts to consider the job of a lifetime: FEMA director. But again and again, the response over the past several months was the same: "No thanks."

Unconvinced that the administration is serious about fixing the Federal Emergency Management Agency or that there is enough time actually to get it done before President Bush's second term ends, seven of these candidates for director or another top FEMA job said in interviews that they had pulled themselves out of the running.

"You don't take the fire chief job after someone has burned down the city unless you are going to be able to do it in the right fashion," said Ellis M. Stanley, general manager of emergency planning in Los Angeles, who said he was one of those called.

Now, with the next hurricane season only two months away, the Bush administration has finally come up with a convenient but somewhat embarrassing solution. Mr. Bush, several former and current FEMA officials said, intends to nominate R. David Paulison, a former fire official who has been filling in for the past seven months, to take on the job permanently."

From yesterday's New York Times.

Opening Day 2006

Well, it's finally here. Baseball season. This year's off-season seemed to take forever. And we're in first place! The Sox and everyone else who won their first game today.

New favorite playah? Coco - without a doubt. Man never stops smiling. That can be contagious. They may be idiots no longer, but they're going to be great fun to watch.

Johnny who?

Scandal-du-jour: Washington DC

*Yawn*

Another story about the evil-doers in DC:

"Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews."

Not even the least bit shocking, is it? They'll do anything.

Three Days...And Counting

Baseball season starts Monday.

If you don't understand the meaning of this picture....or wonder why I would allow a MFY on the blog, it's ok. You'll catch on. ;-)

Can Bush Survive Dean?

This is gonna be good.

John Dean will be testifying this Friday at the Senate hearing on censuring the Chimp. Fingers crossed that it has the same end result (although having Deadeye Dick as the Preznit doesn't sound too appealing, does it?

Do You Believe Me Now?

OK, the shit is really hitting the fan now. I can't imagine how I'd feel reading this if a family member of mine died in this fiasco.

WASHINGTON - President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were officially on a diplomatic track regarding Iraq in January 2003, but a secret memo now reveals they were determined to go to war six weeks before invading.

"This issue will come to a head in a matter of weeks, not months," said Bush on Jan. 31, 2003.

Taking notes at the meeting that day in the Oval Office, Blair's National Security Adviser David Manning, now Great Britain's ambassador in Washington.

Five days later, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell made the U.S. case to the United Nations.

But Manning wrote that the president had decided on war no matter what happened diplomatically, or whether inspectors found weapons of mass destruction.

"As the memo makes clear, the diplomatic strategy was fixed around the military planning," says Philippe Sands, a professor of international law and the author of the book “Lawless World.” "The decision had been taken."

According to the memo, Bush and Blair also predicted a quick victory and vastly underestimated the challenge of creating a new government.

New Mexicans in New England

Too damn cold for the beach, but we went anyway! Come back in July, wouldja?

Babs Is At It Again

Well the former First Lady is in the news again. According to the Houston Chronicle describes Grandma Wingnut's contribution to Katrina survivors as follows:

"She gave specific instructions that part of the money be sent to the Scottish Space School Foundation. She asked that group, in turn, to use the money to buy eight Ignite systems — valued at $3,800 each — for Harris County schools with large numbers of Hurricane Katrina evacuees, according to Bush and fund officials.

"I said to George one day: 'Maybe it's sort of selfish of me, but I'd like to give something that I could see the results of,' " she told the crowd. "The thing I knew about was the COW."

She said she hopes the donation will encourage other companies and individuals to give both time and money to public schools strapped by Hurricane Katrina."

Sort of selfish, Mrs. B? Or business as usual for BushCo? Gimme a break.

Lapsed Republicans? What a Concept

It's very hard to believe in today's world that there can be responsible conservative Republicans. But today, at TPMCafe, you will find the following post from Kevin Phillips:

"I believe that Democrats and liberals in 2006 stand to have their greatest opportunity since 1992 (which was lost). You will have the substantial support of many lapsed Republicans and doubters of Bush conservatism like myself. But I also have the sense that many Democrats and liberals have an instinct for for the capillaries, not for the jugular. If that leads to failure in 2006, there will be a major price to pay, not just for the United States but in terms of the credibility of your party and movement."

Mr. Phillips has been over at The TPM Cafe discussing his new book: "American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century." In his book, he explores the dangerous political coalition of oil, radicalized religion, and debt that are running--and ruining--this country.

Sounds like a sensible person, no?

Especially sensible is one of his: American Dynasty : Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush

Something tells me he's not a fan of the Chimp or his ancestors.

Thursday Nights

Well, it's baaaack. Thursday night comedy, and it's not even on Fox News. ;-)...or Scott McClellan's press briefing from the White House.

We're now hooked on "My Name is Earl" and "The Office." If you haven't had a chance to check them out, you're missing some fun. Especially love Randy, with his mouth hanging open trying to figure out life.

Too freakin' funny.

Bye, Bye Bronson

You'll always be remembered:



Good luck in Cincinnati, Bronson. I'll stop by to see you next time I'm in town.

It's All About Me

First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Martin
Last word you said: Sheesh
Last song you sang: The Revolution Starts Now
Last thing you laughed at: my wacky husband
Last time you cried: watching Katrina's wrath on TV
What's in your cd player? nothing, now ask me about my mp3 player...
What color socks are you wearing? black speckled
What's under your bed? out-of-season clothing
What time did you wake up today? 8:30
Current hair: short, reddish
Current outfit: jeans, white T-shirt, salmon colored sweater
Current annoyance: Bush Administration
Current smell: Chili cooking on the stove
Current longing: vacation in May! can't come soon enough
Current desktop picture: work- picture of Gabe Kapler... home- crazy picture of my niece Molly
Current favorite music artist: Allison Krauss
Current book: Crashing the Gates
Current worry: nothing too much, regular stuff: war, pestilence, bombs
Current hate: New York Yankees
Current favorite article of clothing: jeans jacket
Line from the last thing you wrote to someone: xoxoxoxoxo
I am happiest when: I hear my husband whistling
I feel lonely when: rarely feel lonely
Favorite authors: Hmmmm....hard to say....nobody special right now, lots of people come to mind
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Big Sur
Famous person you have met: haven't met any famous people
Do you have any regrets? nope
Sex or love: Love
Favorite coffee: Verona
Favorite smell: the back of my husband's neck
What makes you mad? injustice
Favorite way to waste time: blogging
What is your best quality? the ability to see both sides of an argument (usually)
Are in currently in love/lust? love the hubbles
What's the craziest thing you have ever done? streaking (looooong time ago)
Do you find it hard to trust people? nope
Last thing you bought yourself: DVDs for new plasma tv
Bath or shower? shower
Favorite season: summer
Favorite color: green
Favorite flavor: chocolate
Favorite time of day: sunset
Any secret crushes? nah, except for Jason Varitek
Do you wear a watch? sometimes
Favorite stores: hmmmm, not really
How big is your closet? not big enough
Ever spend more then $200 in a store? yup, but not often
Do your friends know everything about you? Good Lord, no.
What do they tend to be like? mouthy, like me
Can you count on them? most of the time
Can they count on you? certainly
Last book you read: Night, Elie Wiesel
last movie you saw: Enigma
movie you saw on the big screen: Brokeback Mountain
show you watched on tv: What Not to Wear
song you heard: Mama You Been On My Mind, Dylan
thing you had to drink: Diet Coke
thing you ate: lunch: cottage cheese/pretzels
time you showered: this morning
time you smiled: a few minutes ago
time you laughed: this afternoon
person you hugged: the husband
person you talked to online: SMG
person you talked to on the phone: Amanda
Do You?
Smoke? no
Do drugs? no
Drink? occasionally
Sleep with stuffed animals? no
Have a dream that keeps coming back? no
Play an instrument? no
Read the newspaper? less and less
Believe in miracles? yes
Consider yourself tolerant? yes
Like the taste of alchohol? some
Go to church? no
Have any secrets? sure
Have any pets? no
Have any piercings? yes
Have any tattoos? no
Hate yourself? no
Wish on stars? sometimes
Like your handwriting? yes
Believe in ghosts? yes
Believe in the tooth fairy? sure
Sing in the shower? sometimes

Shredding the Constitution

Apparently, there will be a story coming up in US News & World Report outlining the Administration's choice to not ONLY tap our phones illegally, but also invade private homes and businesses at will. All of which has been going on since September 11, 2001, in the name of protecting us from terrorists. Bah!

Censure? That's not strong enough a punishment for these people. I think we'll look back on Feingold's resolution as a sweet little slap on the wrist in comparison to where they will all end up. Read more here.

People, Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend...

My best buddy from high school is passing through town this weekend while on the traditional college tour with her teenaged daughter. It seems like a minute-and-a-half ago that Janet and I were contemplating our futures, back in the early '70s. Pre-Watergate, pre-pullout of Vietnam, pre-college, pre-marijuana, pre-marriages, pre-children (hers), pre-divorce (hers) and pre-menopause (mine, but probably hers also).

A lot has happened over the years to both of us and the world. But the beautiful thing is that when we see each other we're pretty much the same. I still am better with planning and driving directions; she's the better writer. I'm more practical; she's the dreamer, and, by a long shot, the more intelligent. And, as is typical, I work in a corporation in a big city, she's a college professor in a small town. In the last election, she was a Kucinich voter; I went for Edwards. Both of us went for Kerry in the end, however, and both of us are appalled at where the United States is going today.

It will be interesting to spend the day with Janet and Amanda and to see where her third (of 4) daughters is, both intellectually and personally.

And to catch up with my pal. Certainly brightens up a cold March weekend.

Losing His Grip

The liberal media strikes again...at long last! In my check of news sites this morning, I was warmly greeted by this caption:



Perhaps it's because so many people think he's an idiot...or a liar...or just plain ole' incompetent. Check this out!:



It would be a nice way to start the day except that our country is going down the drain bit by bit.

Oh, And Another Thing...

How 'Bout You?

Will Baseball Season EVER Get Here?

Do I Hear 29%

Ok, another poll today has the Chimp at 33%. I say we go for broke and sink into the 20s.

Worst.Administration.Ever.

Censure? Sure.

Russ Feingold is introducing the idea of censure into the US Senate this week. It makes so much sense, I can't believe no one has thought of it before now.

While the link above takes you to Talk Left, there are many subsequent links to all the coverage of the Feingold proposal for censure, if you're interested. But I couldn't resist snatching the picture above from there, and I hope they don't mind me borrowing it for this post.

Should be interesting to see how this story is covered. Surely they'll say it's a partisan witch hunt and overly emotional. But either way, it keeps the illegal wiretap story front and center and reminds everyone what lapdogs the Senate Republicans really are. Kudos to Russ. For what it's worth, I think you have my vote so far in 2008.

Dubya and Dubai, The Saga Continues

Perhaps there is a fate worse than Dubai after all...


Stay tuned.

Groundhog Day?

Having assumed they learned their lessons from past "pr offensives," I was surprised to learn the Chimp and his cronies are planning yet another one to catch us all up on the wonderfulness that is the war in Iraq.

Wouldn't it be nice to once in a while read that the Administration was actually doing something instead of talking about doing something? They will live in infamy as the most pr-oriented administration ever. The problem with them is that they don't know how to actually govern, they just know how to talk, berate, embarrass, whine, complain. All with a beautiful Hitler-like backdrop with repetitive words that they think will help us think they're actually competent. Dream on, boys. How many days until January 20, 2009? Can't come soon enough.

Worst.Administration.Ever.

Embarrassed to be a Republican

Typically, I avoid just picking up posts from DailyKos because I know that anyone who leans left probably goes there themselves to catch up on the latest.

However, I had to link to this one because I just loved the title: Embarrassed to be a Republican. In it Joe Scarborough, a noted Republican pundit says the following:

The lack of leadership in Washington, D.C., is sickening. If you look at what Republicans did--promised to do in 1994, when they took control of Congress, and see, how they've been acting over the past three or four years, the biggest debt and deficit ever. They are irresponsible and reckless on so many levels. I'm embarrassed right now to be a Republican. It's a disgrace because of the lack of leadership.

And the author of the post adds this kicker:

As kos said below, for all their fancy slogans, Republicans just can't govern. They can't deliver. They can't lead. The GOP leadership occupying the White House and the majority positions in Congress is pathetically incompetent, and Republicans are finally forced to publicly admit that fact.

It's really hard to believe how fast they've fallen...it's hard to believe it's not fiction. Perhaps this country is finally waking up.

And the Winner Is...

Sorry for the lack of posts recently...no real explanation since there's been plenty of craziness going on in Washington. Makes our job here just way too easy, doesn't it?

So, in light of the fact that everyone's talking about the port deal, the ridiculously low poll numbers (apparently lower than those of Tricky Dick during Watergate), etc., I thought I'd try my hand at Oscar predictions. If you recall, last year I went on the record as saying I didn't think "Million Dollar Baby" should win and, of course, it did.

This year, I believe the frontrunner is "Brokeback Mountain" and I couldn't agree more. Unlike "Million Dollar Baby" this was actually an original story about totally overlooked people in a totally overlooked place and time. And, to me, that's what makes it the best picture this year. All of which has nothing to do with the sexuality of any involved. In fact, I was reading an article about Brokeback the other day that referred to Ennis as gay and I actually stopped to think about it. I don't know whether that says anything about my general acceptance of sexuality or whether the story was that good. Either way, I took it as a good sign about the movie.

As much as I liked "Good Night and Good Luck," it doesn't deserve the win because it didn't have as coherent a story. I came away from it thinking that I knew a lot more about Joseph McCarthy than the movie told. This made me wonder if people new to the story (like those under the age of 45) would actually be able to understand it fully.

I liked "Crash" moderately well, but it's not best picture material and why it was nominated is beyond me. I think it was an important story to tell, but the movie was fairly predictable AND unrealistic. People don't actually talk to people of different races the way they do in this movie. In my experience, I find that people do talk to others in their own race the way it's depicted in the movie, which makes racism much more subtle and subversive. But, if nothing else, it reminds people that there still is a long way to go.

I haven't seen "Capote," "Walk the Line" or some of the other big movies, but I think the Academy missed the boat on not nominating "The Constant Gardener" for more awards. I thought Ralph Fiennes was fabulous, the story was quite original, as was its setting. It definitely did not look like every other movie from a visual perspective.

Anyway, for what its worth, here's my hoped for predictions:

Best picture: Brokeback Mountain
Best actor: Heath Ledger
Best actress: Felicity Huffman
Best supporting actor: George Clooney
Best supporting actress: Rachel Weisz
Best director: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

I just hope George Clooney wins at least one award as I'm dying to hear what will pop out of that witty man's mouth...and we both grew up in greater Cincinnati, so I have to go with the hometown guy. Plus, I have a reason to post his picture on the blog.

Christmas is Coming

If you're the type of person who does Christmas shopping all year-round, here's something you can buy me, or other like-minded thinkers. Enjoy

"Complete with "Urban Camo pants, Shotgun, T-shirt and Retractable kick spike shoes" comes the "You don't know Dick" action figure. Since appearing in the New York Post, the toy has raised eyebrows across the blogosphere.

The figure, soon to be released by HeroBuilders.com through Vicale Corporation, seems to make light of the hunting accident in which the Vice President Dick Cheney shot 78-year-old Texas attorney Harry Whittington..."

The Chimp Doing a Heckuva Job

Oh, I see. They did anticipate the levees breaking. They just decided to ignore it.

Why don't I feel better?

(Kudos to AP for finally doing some real reporting!)

Gravity Taking Its Toll

How low can he go?

CBS) The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high.

Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement.

Better Late Than Never?

Suddenly some missing emails from the VP's office have been found and forwarded to Patrick Fitzgerald's office, as mandated more than three years ago. The story is here. A quote is here:

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court hearing Friday that the White House "recently located and turned over" 250 pages of emails from the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney, according to an article filed by the Associated Press Friday evening.

That Friday was yesterday, my friends. Fitzmas delayed is Fitzmas denied? I don't think so.

Speaking of Good Music

If you're interested in listening to music that is quite good, original, and not found in any ordinary, average, everyday neighborhood cd store, you've come to the right place.

Allow me to introduce Fred Steffen, a guitar-player extraordinaire and all-around great guy. You can buy his double-cd for a mere $20 here. Fred's been writing and playing his own brand of folk and blues for a number of years and since we don't live in the same city, I don't get a chance to hear him live as much as I'd like. But when I do, I'm always in awe of his ability, primarily with the guitar and harmonica, and most recently with piano. If anyone has heard me sing they know I have absolutely no musical talent, but I excel at appreciating other people's abilities in this area.

And if you enjoy the artwork on Fred's CD, you can credit his brother Bob, a talented artist in his own right.

For you trivia buffs out there, check out Song #12 "And I Love You," which was written for our wedding a few (ahem) years ago. Enjoy!

James Wolcott is My Writing Hero

Where have you ever read a better paragraph that sums up the current state of affairs?

As I post, President Bush is on Fox News delivering a speech in Indiana, looking jaunty and relaxed, repeating soundbites such as "As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down" and working that Determined Jaw as if he were personally going to grind terrorists between his back molars. He has to repeat himself ad nauseum because if he paused to reflect on the harm he's done and the horror he's unleashed he'd collapse like a paper cup crushed beneath a boot.

Sound Familiar?

Tonight, we watched John Fogarty (from Creedence Clearwater Revival, you remember...) on Austin City Limits, and he sang this song. I thought it would be good to repeat those lyrics here because it got me up dancing in the living room.

Fortunate Son

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no senator's son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, why don't they help themselves? oh.
But when the taxman come to the door,
Lord, the house look a like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Yeh, some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we give,
oh, they only answer, more, more, more, yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no military son, SON, NO
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, NO NO

It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate son, son son son

Follow the Money

If cranky old Lou Dobbs gets it, when will everyone else?

DOBBS: President Bush's family and members of the Bush administration have long-standing business connections with the United Arab Emirates, and those connections are raising new concerns and questions tonight in some quarters about why the president is defying his very own party leadership and his party in defending the Dubai port deal.

From CNN today. A-men.

Have You Been to "Dickfest?"

This is priceless...

You may not have heard about it, but there's been a "Dickfest" going on over at firedoglake, a blog that is fast becoming one of my favorites. It seems that their comments section spawned a great deal of spontaneous poetry during last week's feeding frenzy over the Veep shooting an old guy down in Tex-ass. Enjoy some of the great submissions here.

Cartoon of the Day

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Sorry, Mr. Vice President

I am so very sorry for getting in the way of your gun, Dick! You really must not drink and hunt, ya know?

Learned Something Recently

Traffic for this humble blog nearly tripled in the last week or so. My normal visits are around 20 per day...mostly friends and family. In looking at my site meter results I see that a lot of traffic has come from people searching on "David Gregory NBC." So I've ended up getting posts from riled up conservatives wanting to piss me off.

What have I learned from this? If you are seeking a lot of attention to your blog, write famous people's names in your headlines. In my case, I'm not so interested in attracting so much attention, so I think it is likely that I'll avoid that sort of thing in the future.

If you're a conservative reading here, have a nice day - and don't get all hot and bothered, it's just a blog. If you're a raging liberal like me and my pals, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!

The Boys Are Back In Town

Spring training opened for pitchers and catchers today! Wahoo.

Thank You, David Gregory

Hmmmm...watching David Gregory beat up on poor Scotty McClellan makes me think he's reading my humble scribblings. Although he hasn't stopped going to the press room every day as I recommended the other day, David is putting up quite a ruckus at the White House over the shooting of Cheney's hunting partner.

"I have one final question, since that one wasn't answered. Is it appropriate for the vice president to have waited 14 hours after the incident before he spoke with local law enforcement officials? And do you think that an average citizen would have been accorded that same amount of time before having to answer questions about a shooting incident?

Way to go, David!

Drunken Dick?

Something tells me that our friend Mr. Cheney was hitting the bottle when he shot his buddy the other day. Probably got the booze from the boss.

Shooting Quail With Dead Eye Dick

Enjoy the fun of hunting with the Vice President from the Huffington Post.

Here!

Read James Wolcott's take on the whole affair: Birdshot and Birdshit. His description of former senator Alan Simpson's appearance on "Hardball" is priceless. We caught that abysmal act earlier tonight, unfortunately.

I Want My Money Back

Apparently the Chimp's administration can't spend enough on PR. According to Raw Story:

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. George Miller, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, and other senior Democrats released a new Government Accountability Office report finding that the Bush Administration spent more than $1.6 billion in public relations and media contracts in a two and a half year span.

"The government is spending over a billion dollars per year on PR and advertising," said Rep. Waxman. "Careful oversight of this spending is essential given the track record of the Bush Administration, which has used taxpayer dollars to fund covert propaganda within the United States."

Yowza. $1.6 Billion. Imagine if they used their money for something worthwhile. Sigh.

Cheney Finally Flipped

You're not going to believe it but Cheney finally did it: he shot somebody. Luckily the fellow hunter is going to be fine, but you might want to read one of the first "Top Ten Reasons Why..." here.

Having a Blizzard!

This Week Flew By

Honest to God, where does the time go? I can't believe a week has nearly passed since my last post. Not that I've been all that busy, but it's been kind of a stressful week. In any event, here are a few links to keep us happy.

First, Mrs. Chimp cracks me up. While traveling the world (currently at the Olympics) she speaks her mind on a couple of things...like cartoon violence etc. But she actually thinks Hillary Clinton's comments about the Administration being the worst ever are "out of bounds." Yes, I note that the words were chosen by a journalist, but still...Mrs. Chimp should know that someone who has "lived in that house" actually knows about the choices that face the president and that he has opportunities to actually do things right. The fact is the Chimp surrounds himself by idiots and makes repeatedly wrong choices. And Hillary is right.

A pal of mine sent me this email last night, which sort of sums up the week:

What a day...Scooter and Cheney; Abramoff visits to Crawford..."Brownie discussing warnings about levees to the White House"; ex-CIA official accusation of misusing data to justify the Iraq war.

Good news just keeps coming. Did you see Coretta King's funeral highlights in the news the other day? The Chimp looked a a deer caught in headlights when speakers were taking jabs at him!

Yes, Mrs. King's funeral was a sight to behold, wasn't it? I would have given ANYTHING to be in the audience for that. Just imagine what it would be like to have someone say...in front of the Chimp...that there were no WMD! And to be able to leap from your seat in applause? I'd give a lot to do that.

So, just in case anyone is curious, if you want to get political at my funeral, you have my permission.

Happy Birthday, Molly...

Yeah. What He Said.

Dan Froomkin's column says what I wished I had said the other day in my comments about how the media should deal with the White House these days.

It's about credibility. An excerpt:

There is a reason members of the press corps don't grill Bush on issues like his credibility. But it's not (as many of my readers often complain) because they're craven.

It's the structure of the relationship. At a typical press conference, there are in fact quite a few tough questions. Consider last week's press conference, when the newest Los Angeles Times White House reporter, James Gerstenzang, asked Bush if his defense of domestic spying wasn't basically a variation on President Nixon's "When the President does it, then that means it is not illegal."

Typically, however, Bush didn't actually answer the question -- choosing to respond with some generic comments about his authority. And, like many tough questions, it was not aggressively followed up. Bush does not tolerate multiple questions from a single reporter, and other reporters are loathe to give up their questions to repeat one from a colleague.

I Agree With A Republican?

OK, folks, mark it down. I said it. I believe it. I might even say it more often if more Republicans were like John Danforth.

A profile of him in yesterday's Washington Post, carries the following paragraph:

As a mainline Episcopal priest, retired U.S. senator and diplomat, Danforth worships a humbler God and considers the right's certainty a sin. Legislating against gay marriage, for instance? "It's just cussedness." As he sees it, many Republican leaders have lost their bearings and, if they don't change, will lose their grip on power. Not to mention make the United States a meaner place.

Alleluia, brother. You're on to something. Let's pray that others begin to see the light.

It's About Time...Only 4+ Years Late

In October 2001, my husband and I visited Ground Zero in New York City during a very sad and solemn Columbus Day weekend. We hailed a taxi and drove through the almost freakishly deserted streets of Manhattan. Our cab driver, who was not native-born American (hmmmm, why does that detail matter?), described how one of the planes flew right over his head, practically straight down 5th Avenue on its way to the World Trade Center. It gave us chills, especially since the sky on this particular morning was just as bright and blue as it was on 9/11.

At Chandler Street, just above SoHo, we joined a steady stream of people in quiet, small groups going in one direction: toward Ground Zero. As we neared the site, we noticed a unique smell in the air - kind of metallic and dirty. During the next few hours we circled the blocks around the site (where I took this picture), passing many people who were wearing surgical masks or scarves over their mouths. Increasingly we noticed the dust in the air and as time passed, we felt a certain scratchiness in our own throats.

One question kept coming to us: how in hell were the construction workers and fire fighters, soldiers and police officers surviving while they worked on the piles of rubble that were still everywhere? Every building within ten blocks still had a shroud of dust on them. How was all of this going to affect the health of residents and caregivers in the short and long-term?

As the years passed, several officials have made attempts at getting to the bottom of this environmental and health nightmare. Mrs. Clinton took a stab at it, among others. Today, I noticed that the former EPA Chief Christie Todd Whitman was refused immunity from a class action suit over her part in this ridiculousness. It's not enough; it's not nearly enough. The rest of the Administration - including Giuliani too - should be refused immunity as well, in my opinion.

Here's an excerpt from this sad and sorry tale:

NEW YORK - A federal judge blasted former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman on Thursday for reassuring New Yorkers soon after the Sept. 11 attacks that it was safe to return to their homes and offices while toxic dust was polluting the neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts refused to grant Whitman immunity against a class-action lawsuit brought in 2004 by residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn who said they were exposed to hazardous materials from the collapse of the World Trade Center.

"No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," the judge said.

She called Whitman's actions "conscience-shocking," saying the EPA chief knew that the fall of the twin towers released tons of hazardous materials into the air.

Conscience-shocking indeed.