Unabomber: Fruitcake, anyone?

Ted Kaczynski was a mathematician and a real nutjob. Glad he was finally caught.

cbs5.com - Exclusive: Unabomber's Secret Code Cracked

Technorati Tags: Unabomber

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Court rules MLB players can be identified for steroid use

This could be barry, barry bad.

Court rules MLB players can be ID'd for 'roids - Baseball - MSNBC.com

Technorati Tags: Major League Baseball, MLB, Barry Bonds, steroids, baseball, drug use

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John Edwards declares his candidacy for President

Here's one of the truly great guys. I hope he gets a real chance. He has much more personality than John Kerry, is smart, resourceful, and has compassion. I think he'd make a great president.

John Edwards joins presidential race - John Edwards News - MSNBC.com

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President Ford disagreed with President Bush's rationale for Iraq war

I have two immediate thoughts about this story: First, duh? Second, was Ford a coward? Why did he not let his comments out until after his death? What is the reasoning behind this?

I know that Ford made no enemies. He was a very likable guy, a statesman. Maybe that's why he conditioned his response to Bush's rationale (WMDs) for war on release only after his death. At least I hope that's why he did it.

Ford had problems with Bush Iraq policy - Yahoo! News

Technorati Tags: President Bush, President Ford, Iraq war

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Biden = Loser

Now, don't get me wrong. I like Joe Biden. He seems like a good guy. And his constituents apparently think so, too; they keep re-electing him.

He's difficult to listen to though, mostly, I'm sure, due to his being in the Senate. Not many of those guys or gals can speak well. Must be something in the Senate drinking water.

Joe Biden cannot win the presidency. He shouldn't even try. It's a waste of time and money and will draw too much from other, more viable candidates, like Barack Obama.

Biden says intends to run for president - Yahoo! News

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Plane carrying Blair overshoots runway -- not unlike Blair's mouth on Iraq

This is a really funny headline:

Plane carrying Blair overshoots runway - Yahoo! News

Makes me immediately think that it's a metaphor for his handling of the Iraq war. Besides making grave mistakes in going to war, he's now seen on the world stage not as a leader but as George W. Bush's lapdog. Maybe Tony should change his name to Barney and star in one of those stupid Christmas pet/Bush videos!

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Former President Gerald Ford dies at 93

They're all dead. Nixon, Reagan, Ford. Only Carter, Bush, and Clinton are left...

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94 Percent of Spanish banknotes have traces of cocaine

Cocaine has been found on 94% of all Spanish banknotes in Spain. That's pretty amazing. But what it doesn't tell is how many of those notes were used to snort the coke and how many simply transferred coke from tainted bills to untainted ones.

I guess it really doesn't matter. That's just a lot of coke floatin' around. I wonder if there's a business in squeezing coke from banknotes...somebody will try, I'm sure.

California Governor Schwarzenegger to have surgery

Call-ee-for-nya Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is to have surgery on his broken right leg after a skiing accident.

But the bigger news is we now have a new governor, Cruz Bustamante. Ironically, Cruz ran against Schwarzenegger in the recall election, if memory serves me correctly. Now Cruz gets to be governor for a few hours. All that hard work has paid off.

Schwarzenegger to have surgery on leg - Yahoo! News

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How budgets and cost-cutting innovation works, Dilbert-style

I know a lot of great employees who look for ways to cut costs, reduce redundancy, or grow revenue. This is how most of their suggestions go -- to the boss, and then dropped for "feasibility" reasons, usually due to the fact that there's nothing in it for the boss.

Trump the Chump or is it Chimp?

You've by now heard about the fuss Rosie O'Donnell stirred up with Donald Trump when she critiqued his non-firing of that bikini bimbo, Tara whatshername (sounds like that chick from The Terminator). Rosie said Trump went bankrupt, never paid back his creditors, has a comb-over, etc. All true, by the way. Oh, Trump may not have declared a personal bankruptcy, but his companies (yes, plural) sure have.

I think I even read about it in one of his books, but I digress.

Now, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has joined the fray. It seems that he's still smarting a bit from his loser TV show, The Benefactor, and how Trump's The Apprentice kicked his show's ass. Whatever. Mark Cuban is certainly more business savvy than Trump ever will be.

Donald Trump is George W Bush, without the fit physique. He goes out, creates a business, it fails, owing lots of people money, then daddy comes in and bails his fat ass out. Just like Georgie.

Anyway, Cuban rakes Trump over the coals about his business acumen, and more specifically, his knowledge about technology. It's quite an interesting read. If only Cuban learned how to check his grammar and spelling before he posted, he wouldn't look like such a dummy. But he's clearly not. He just doesn't check before he posts. Kinda like I'm going to do right...NOW.

Edwards / Obama ticket?

This is the Democrat dream ticket for President 2008. You've got two guys who are relatively inexperienced with government, at least at the national level, so the presumption is they're not jaded or corrupt. They both speak very well and are "every men" looking out for the "commoner." Finally, they are extremely smart gentlemen.

But more importantly, they span a lot of demographic area. Where one doesn't appeal, the other, almost by default, does appeal. This is the ultimate, hedge-your-bet strategy for winning in '08. The Repugnicans have nothing to offer but John "My own party beat me down last time" McCain and Rudy "Bernie Kerik is my kind of guy" Giuliani.

They have no chance of winning, unless Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination. While I believe she has the ability to do a fine job as president, I believe she won't be allowed to. But more importantly, not too many people are keen on seeing Hillary in the White House again, this time as official boss. So, she may win the nomination, but she most certainly will not win the race.

Give these two men a chance. I think this thing might shake out well for the both of them. The one thing both have going against them is they're senators. Senators don't become President of the United States.

Rangel supports Giuliani / Kerik ticket

See, our politicians can be purposely funny. For example, Charles Rangel, D-NY, says he supports Rudy Giuliani, but only if he names his running mate Bernie Kerik.

Net Neutrality video

Nice little video on Net Neutrality via youtube.com and Free Press.

The Horror! Congress will work 2+ days per week!!

The new Democratic Congress will be in session five days a week (sure, how long will that last?), according to a recent article at breitbart.com. Last year, they worked 103 days. Most of us working stiffs, their employers, work at least 250 days a year, yet most of us don't make what they make.

Here's a quote from a disgruntled Repugnican --

"Marriages suffer. The Democrats couldn't care less about families -- that's what this says," Congressman Jack Kingston told The Washington Post.

I guess they're so important and effective that they can work less than half than us and get more done.

Oh, wait, that's not it. They basically do nothing but write legislation to benefit their friends and family (hello, MCI?) or to banish things like abortion, gayness, and equitable health care.

I love these guys (and gals)! They're champs. Or is that chumps? You decide.

California and Florida place moratorium on executions

This is big news. Both California and Florida have been the death penalty on hold in their respective states. Florida for botching lethal injections; California for putting death-row inmates through cruel and unusual punishment.

No matter where you stand on the death penalty, this news is significant.

Senator Johnson in critical but stable condition

Senator Johnson from South Dakota is in critical but stable condition after brain surgery following a bout where he could move and could not speak. Turns out he has a condition called arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, where the blood vessels in the brain grow larger than normal and then tangle with one another, cutting off blood flow and/or causing internal bleeding.

Apparently, 300,000 Americans suffer this malady and 3,000 a year will die from it.

The news reports focused, of course, on two things. First, it appeared to be a stroke. When it was determined that he had AVM, the press seemed relieved. However, the effects are the same, or at least similar to, a stroke (cutting off blood supply to the brain).

The second, and most important, at least to the press, is the fact that Johnson is a Democrat in a Republican-led (i.e., the Governor of South Dakota is Republican) state. Therefore, if Johnson could not return to his position, the Governor, it is presumed, will appoint a Republican to take Johnson's spot, leading to a 50-50 tie in the Senate, with Tricky Dick Cheney the tie-breaker.

Of course, the Republicans will jump all over this, too. However, if South Dakota's Governor has any integrity whatsoever, he will appoint another Democrat, assuming a qualified Democrat exists. It is the right thing to do.

And trust me, if the tables were turned, I would suggest exactly the same thing. Appoint a Democrat!

No, seriously, I would appoint a Republican, provided a qualified Republican existed.

Texas lawmaker wants blind to be able to hunt

Only in Texas...

Evel Knievel sues Kanye West: Celebrity death match, anyone?

Evel Knievel is suing rapper Kanye West over his depiction of jumping over a canyon in a rocket, much like Knievel's failed attempt back in 1974. I watched Evel's attempt the first time around, and it sucked.

He shouldn't be suing anyone because he sucked so bad.

The Most Shocking Story You'll EVER Hear

San Francisco has been rated the #1 "gay-friendly" city. NO! Say it isn't so!!

Who didn't know this and why did a travel magazine have to point this out to them?

Morning donuts

Sometimes, you just gotta use the powers...

Iran's nuclear plan(t)s

Deja vu?

Food for thought

Here's a scary read from the NYT about our food supply. Think you're safe from food contamination? Think again.

Iraq Study Group to be made into movie

*** SATIRE *** from the Borowitz Report.

For the past few years, we’ve been pulling our hair out trying to come up with another sequel to ‘Dumb and Dumber,’” said studio spokesperson JoBeth Krantz. “We believe that in the Iraq Study Group’s report we have a ‘Dumb and Dumber’ sequel that will write itself.

Sounds about right.

Dilbert and Hope

Ever have a boss like this?

Why does NASA keep doing this?

How many people have to die, how many spacecraft have to be destroyed, how many pieces of foam have to fall off before NASA gets it through its thick skull to stop launching these darned space shuttles until they fix the problems?

I hope that the brave souls onboard make it back to Earth alive...

Llama could warn of biological attack

And I thought all they were good for was spitting...

Gay Mary Cheney is pregnant? WTF???!!!

How does this happen?

How can an openly gay daughter of the most conservative dead man alive be/get pregnant? She cannot possibly have had sex with a man, could she? This coming from the Republicans? This is a MORAL calamity! No such thing could possibly happen!

I am appalled.

Seriously, is it moral, from a Republican standpoint, to have a baby without a married man and woman (married to each other) being the parents?

Or, did she join the test tube club? Even still, doesn't doing so smack of hypocrisy? It's a crazy world we live in, full of hypocrites and liars. Now, there's one more bastard grandchild, in the literal sense.

Bush Iraq strategy, plan "not working" -- Duh!

The Baker "Iraq Study Group" has concluded that Bush's Iraq policies are not working. Well, we paid how much for this 8-month study, a study that will most likely be ignored?

Or, rather than being ignore, Bush might do his famous flip-flopping and hijack the Baker panel's recommendations and claim them as his own, just like he's done with the Department of Homeland Security (initially, he was against such a thing, until he was for it).

In all seriousness, though, it appears that the group has come up with some sound recommendations that maybe Bush will listen to. After all, he's dealing with a man who's far more respected than himself, in James Baker, former Secretary of State under Bush's dad, Poppa Bush. Who knows, the US might be out of Iraq in a couple of years. Hooray! And better yet, the Iraqis might actually then be better off without Saddam (unlike now, where at least they had running water, electricity, and a sewer system).

The king is dead

Apparently, this snake charmer didn't charm his latest cobra...and died.

Cut and Run: Bush's new Iraq exit strategy

President Bush has met with Pam Anderson, Britney Spears, and Renee Zellweger and has formulated a new exit strategy from Iraq: Cut and Run.

*** SATIRE ***

US, UN place bans on exports of luxury goods to North Korea

This one takes the cake -- and the cognac, iPods, and jet skis. The United States and the United Nations have jointly decided that they will curtail US exports of so-called luxury goods (like the afore-mentioned iPods, personal watercraft, and the like) to North Korea, supposedly in order to stifle Kim Jong Il's power.

Better this than actually talking with the guy. This is like taking your ball away when the pick-up game doesn't go your way...such a childish thing to do.

San Diego bans Wal-Mart Supercenters

Say what you will about Wal-Mart: Greedy capitalists or super-low prices...this decision by the city council of San Diego smacks of stupidity and self-righteousness.

Pfizer laying off 20 percent of sales force

Pfizer, infamous for Viagra, is laying off 2200 sales people due to sagging (ahem!) sales.

Top Ten TV greatest catch phrases

TV Land posted their TV top 100 greatest catch phrases. Here are my Top 10:

1. "Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril Live")
2. "D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")
3. "Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., "Good Times")
4. "Norm!" ("Cheers")
5. "Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, "South Park")
6. "The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, "ABC's Wide World of Sports"
7. "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, "Diff'rent Strokes")
8. "How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, "Friends")
9. "I'm Rick James, bitch!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, "Chappelle's Show")
10. "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)

New leader of Christian Coalition steps down

Isn't it telling that the president-elect of the Christian Coalition, who wanted to expand the group's focus from anti-gay and anti-abortion to the environment and poverty, was told,

These issues are fine, but they're not our issues, that's not our base.

?

Rush Limbaugh for president!

Oh, god, no. The fat bastard, leader of the "Dittoheads," perennial drug user, homophobic moron proclaimed yesterday that we should just blow up the Middle East. Way to go, Rush! I bet you'd yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater, just to watch the ensuing madness. It'd get you all hot and steamy inside, wouldn't it?

You and your supposed 13.5 million followers need to be exposed for what you are: Hateful, stupid egomaniacs with no conscience or brainpower.

Man blames Putin for his death

What's wrong with the title above? How can a man blame someone for his own death? I mean, he could blame Putin for his poisoning, but not for his death.

Silly headline, and I just propagated it. You're welcome!

Sean Connery condones slapping women, but only if her behavior "merits" it

Don't think my wife thinks he's so hot any more...

Defeat telemarketers with these diversions

The article at the Jump tells of various ways that people have gotten off the phone with telemarketers.

Obama and Edwards: Two guys I would vote for

Here's two guys I'd vote for. Both relatively young and inexperienced. Unlike our current president, who's certainly not old and very inexperienced (after all, he needed tutors to teach him foreign policy -- I guess he wasn't a very good student), these guys are smart, handsome, well-spoken, and look "presidential."

I think they're genuinely good candidates to run for president. They have much better chances of scoring with the opposition than Hillary Clinton, in my opinion.

Big 3 automakers to become Big 2?

This is purely speculation on my part. I have no basis for arriving at the conclusion, other than that it would make a tasty story. Well, at least an interesting story.

With all the talk of Ford and GM in the dumps, is it possible that the two biggest American automakers might join forces (i.e., merge) to compete with their Japanese and European counterparts? The resulting company would be enormous. But there would be a lot to gain in terms of synergy, efficiency, and capital.

Much of the overlapping manufacturing capacity could be sold off to, guess who, the competition. Ford-GM would have much more bargaining clout when it comes to negotiation of contracts with the UAW. America's best and brightest managers could be recruited and/or retained to build a better car and brand. Many of the non-core businesses could be sold off. It looks like a win-win to me.

Rudy Giuliani in drag

Remember this one when you decide to cast your ballot for Rudy --

Operation Relentless Smear

It's satire, but it might just work...using negative ads, created by all the jobless post-election TV political producers, to embarrass and demoralize the Iraqi insurgents.

One more for the road

Clearly edited, but funny nonetheless.

Sovereign, as defined by our leader

I guess now that the Reps have lost both houses of Congress, it's beat up on Bush day. That sounds like a great name for a new presidential holiday!

What the hell is wrong with George Bush?

JOKE: The senator, heaven, and hell

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse. Standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf; and then dine on lobster, caviar, and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time.

Before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The senator reflects for a minute, and then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse. We ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning…Today you voted."

California man arrested for sending threats through mail to Jon Stewart, Nancy Pelosi, and David Letterman

Chalk this one up to "how not to get free publicity." What a 'tard.

Bush: AWOL during Vietnam War; Bush's balls MIA since mid-term election

*** Satire ***

Aides to Mr. Bush had indicated in recent days that he was "concerned" about the whereabouts of his testicles and was hoping that Rep. Pelosi would set a firm timetable for their safe return.

Full story at the Jump.

Controversial abortion restriction before the Supreme Court

Pro-life or pro-choice. It seems like an unwinnable either-or proposition. I think I'm both. Of course, I am pro-life. I want people to live healthy, happy lives. I am also pro-choice. I believe people have the right to do with their bodies what they wish.

I wish abortion were a topic only talked about rhetorically. But the fact is, abortions, millions of them in fact, take place in the US every year. It is an unfortunate result of, in some cases, poor planning on the part of two consenting adults.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a woman has a right to choose how she uses her body. While I disagree that it's only a woman's right (what about the potential child's rights and the rights of the father?), I do believe that on balance, it is much more HER choice than anybody else's. So, on this matter, while I cannot wholly support it, I do agree with the Court's decision.

The article at the Jump , however, deals with a perhaps misunderstood form of abortion that many opponents have been calling "partial birth" abortion. This is a misnomer at best and purposely false and misleading at worst. I don't know all the details of how abortions are performed, much less this one, but I can only guess that if one watched one, one would be inclined to vomit. But I'd say the same about brain surgery, cancer removal, or breast reduction: They're all gruesome to watch. But their gruesomeness does not reflect negatively on their necessity.

There are varying degrees by which abortions are "necessary." Let's say that a woman was raped and became pregnant (most rapists, I would guess, do not take the time to slip a condom on before they commit the crime; therefore, birth control is not an issue). She's 12. Should she choose to carry out the pregnancy? She's 12. She can't even decide if she wants a pink dress or a blue dress. So, as a society, do we wish to support her and her baby into adulthood?

For it is the conservatives who believe that family is all-important, and this future child has no father (he'll presumably be caught and imprisoned) and really won't have a mother until he's 12. So, are these abortion opponents ready to pony up and create a social program that cares for not only the child but the mother and her family? It wasn't her fault that she was raped. Remember, rape in the criminal courts, is considered a crime against society, not against just the victim.

I really don't think that anti-abortion activists are ready to take on this financial and societal challenge.

Or let's say that a competent doctor decides that carrying out a pregnancy will not only result in the death of the child but the death of the mother. The only viable way to keep the mother alive is to abort the fetus. Now, do we let both die ("It's God's will") or do we choose to save the mother?

In these two cases, I'd imagine, most thoughtful people would choose abortion. They'd be pro-choice, I think. Now, how this abortion is carried out ought to be a choice between the patient and her doctor. Politicians and judges ought not to be encouraged or allowed to make this determination. After all, they don't necessarily get involved in how breast cancer is treated, for example (remove the cancer only or the entire breast?). So they should not get involved in this delicate and sometimes necessary procedure.

I am doubtful, however, that the very conservative Supreme Court will overturn this ban on a controversial form of abortion.

How long will the honeymoon last?

One has to wonder how long the honeymoon between the Democrats and President Bush will last. Bush claims that partisanship is over.

I guess it has to be for him, since he no longer has a bunch of rubber stampers in his stead. Where was his "bipartisanship" before Tuesday? Remember his "mandate" when he won the 2004 election by only 2.5%?

I think the only "mandate" Bush has was his weekly conference call with Ted Haggard.

My prediction: The lame-duck Congress will try to push through a bunch of crappy bills (like Richard Pombo's Rape the Environment bill and the warrantless wiretapping bill), the President will sign them into law, and the Democrats will stew until January, when not only the honeymoon but the marriage will officially be over.

Dead man wins election

This should come as no surprise, but it's always illuminating -- a man dead for a month won an election in North Carolina. I'd normally make a snide comment here about how stupid people are in North Carolina, but this happens all over the United States.

So, here's a snide comment about US voters: There are a lot of stupid people out there, not just in North Carolina.

Cheney Reminds Bush He Has Pictures of Him Naked

Vice President Dick Cheney has some nude photos of President Bush with a goat, according to Andy Borowitz over at the Borowitz Report.

*** SATIRE ***

Rumsfeld out, humane treatment in?

Not more than a few minutes after soon-to-be House Speaker Pelosi called for civilian defense department leadership to step down, Donald Rumsfeld stepped down. I wonder if it was by choice?

Now that Rummy's out, can we count on some real progress in Iraq? I doubt it, but I hope I'm wrong.

We need to get on our knees and beg the UN to bail us out of this mess. I am sure that Bush can do this. He really does want a legacy that doesn't include multiple instances of failure in it. This would be one small step for a man, one great step for mankind.

Bush asks for "do over"

President Bush has asked for a "do over" on his call to keep Rumsfeld and Cheney on board, even though they have proven to be more like boat anchors than engines.

*Satire* at the Jump.

Richard Pombo loses! Democracy and the environment win!

Where do I start? The jerk in me wants to begin by saying that Dick Pombo eats horseshit for breakfast and washes it down with cow piss (he's a rancher, you know). But the humble gentleman I am says that I should just state the facts.

So, with the above paragraph, I have effectively killed two birds with one stone, not unlike Pombo himself, who wanted to kill all living things other than Republicans, including birds, deer, spotted owls, and your dog.

I guess the jerk in me won out. Sorry.

Here's some interesting facts, now that I got the insults off my chest.

Pombo and his Repugnican cohorts in Congress re-jigged the districts that they represented, presumably to make it easier to win reelection (that didn't work, at least for Pombo). The results are rather illuminating. CA-11 is a meandering district that has some really strange boundaries. I guess Pombo thought that re-drawing his district to capture more Republicans was sound political science. The district includes portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara Counties. Pombo lost resoundingly in all but one, San Joaquin, where he lives and where he and his family own a lot of agricultural land. He won San Joaquin by 2 points, 51-49.

CA-11 is 43 percent Republican, 37 percent Democrat. 20 percent, presumably, could go either way, I suppose. If people voted with their party, which they generally do, that leaves 20 percent left to decide. If McNerney ends up winning 53 to 47, as is the score right now, that means that 80 percent of those not identifying themselves as either Republican or Democrat voted for McNerney. That, to me, is astounding. I would expect a figure greater than 50 percent, but not 80!

Although I live in Alameda County, I could not vote for anybody in CA-11. Ellen Tauscher is my US Representative. She won by a landslide.

It just goes to show how badly Pombo lost, considering that not only President Bush came out to rally and fund raise for him but also, Mr Bush's wife came out just a few days ago to rally the troops. She failed. Bush failed (what's new?).

I really hope I'm not counting my chickens before the eggs hatch. McNerney is only projected to win. He hasn't won. Pombo hasn't conceded. Nobody's been sworn in.

I guess if Pombo turns out the winner, I can eat crow. Pombo wants to kill them, too.

Election results for 2006 mid-term elections

CNN has a beautifully-done web on the election results for the 2006 mid-term elections. As you most likely know by now, the Democrats have taken control of the House (expected) and the Senate is still up for grabs.

Looks like George Allen and Jim Webb are in a dead heat and there may be a re-count. This is good. George "Macaca" Allen, the incumbent, should have never even come close to losing, not that Webb's a bad guy, but because incumbents in the Senate win, like, 99% of the time (not sure of that stat, but it's really HIGH).

The sweep by the Dems in the House was expected. This election seemed like a referendum not only on President Bush (if only we could have come to this conclusion 2 years ago!), but also on the war in Iraq, the economy, and the scandal-ridden Repugnican party.

Power is a terrible thing to let go to your head, the the Repos really let it get to them. They were, and still are, drunk with power. Like an alcoholic, the key to getting help starts with admitting you have a problem. Well, Republicans will never admit they're wrong, but the people spoke yesterday, and, as Andrew Sullivan has said, this was an "intervention."

I saw Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum's concession speech last night. In fact, it was the only one I saw. I grow exceedingly weary of all the hoopla and "news" coming out of the coverage (I mostly watched MSNBC but also watched Faux for its incompetence and petty partisanship, just to see what the "other side" is up to). I liked how Santorum kept his composure and talked about spending time with his family now that he doesn't have a cushy government job.

I got a real kick out of his family, though. His kids were blubbering idiots. I mean, come on, your daddy is most likely set for life (as are you) and he gets to spend more time with you.

Wait! Maybe that's the problem. Maybe his kids were crying because they realize that they're going to have to spend a whole LOT MORE TIME with daddy.

If I had a dad like him (I didn't), I'd be crying at that prospect, too.

I was especially humored by Santorum's saying that they guy who beat him (I don't even know his name; it was Casey) was "a good man." He thought he'd do well. I wonder if that's what he said about him prior to losing? I doubt it.

Anyway, next post -- Richard Pombo's dog died because Dick Cheney shot it.

The origin of the ass and the elephant

In the interest of learning something new -- anything -- every day, here's a page at the Jump telling of the origin of the donkey as a Democratic symbol and the elephant as the Republican symbol.

I personally think each ought to go away, in favor of something more modern (not as though we have any new interesting animals), like the wolverine (as Letterman says, "Pound for pound the fiercest animal on the planet!") and the killer whale, or something along those lines.

Republican "values"

Andrew Sullivan on torture and George W. Bush

Sullivan has really come around. I admit I don't read him often, but he used to be, it seems to me, on Bush's side.

Now he definitely isn't. Here's an excerpt:

And that is why the Khmer Rouge used it. And the Soviets. And the Nazis. And George W. Bush.

Here he's talking about waterboarding, a torture technique that makes the subject say just about anything because he thinks he's being drowned.

I think they need to come up with a torture technique that involves fire. Like pouring kerosene on a victim and setting him ablaze.

Hey, he'd most likely die, but he's not going to tell the truth anyway.

And fire's a lot neater to watch than pouring water.

Just a thought. (By the way, I am really kidding, but I would not put it past these a-holes to give it a try.)

Texas Governor Rick "Goodhair" Perry says non-believers are going straight to hell

Well, there you go. Another Texan spouting off about stuff he has no clue about. In all fairness, Perry did not say that people who didn't believe in God would go to hell. A preacher man he listened to at some sort of rally said it.

Perry, afterward, said he didn't disagree with anything the holy man said.

So, he believes it. I am tired of self-righteous religious zealots spewing "facts" they know nothing about. The holy man probably cheats on his wife or has a boyfriend somewhere while saying he's straight.

What a bunch of jerks.

Voting machines crash in Ohio...what's next?

Don't the jackasses who run elections for each state test this stuff out first? Are these things Windows-based or what? Why do we have the technology of some third-world country behind these voting machines?

Does any of this make you really mad? I mean, I could see myself beating the hell out of a voting machine if it failed to take my vote. Sheesh, I could build a voting machine in about an hour that would work and print out a frikkin' receipt!

Anybody could. Go down to Fry's, get a box, build a GUI (MS Access is used now, methinks), and go to town. Give me a bazillion dollars, please. Just solved America's democracy problem.

Now, onto its Constitutional issues: Fire the government. Hire a new one. We're the CEO, you know.

VOTE!!!

There are few privileges (I know, it's not a privilege, it's a right, but you get my point) held with higher regard than our ability to vote. Please don't squander the opportunity that we're afforded only every couple of years.

I haven't made it down to my polling place yet, but I'll get there.

Express one facet of your freedom today. Vote. Make a difference. Be heard.

Australia votes to clone human embryos

What if the United States is the last nation on Earth to allow this or to embrace this? I admit that I haven't kept up on this issue. Maybe we already do clone stem cells? I don't think we do, and frankly, I don't have the time today to "get intelligent" about this topic.

So, what do you all know about this? Are we ahead, behind, or right there in the middle of it all?

I know we don't do stem cell research...at least on a broad basis, only using certain kinds for experimentation. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we cannot clone those cells that already exist (and then not use them. Kinda like farmers getting paid not to grow corn). It seems that most of the flak heard 'round here is about "killing" stem cells that already exist, and, by definition I suppose, doing lab tests on cells kills them. The scrotums -- by that I mean nutsacks -- that believe using these stem cells for research or other purposes is tantamount to killing a human being are a little too nutty for my tastes. After all, humankind would not be as advanced is it is if doctors, scientists, and biologists hadn't experimented with "unnatural" phenomena.

These same people who think we could not evolve from the murky depths of the oceans think that these very basic cells could evolve into human beings. Not sure how that would work. Put a stem cell out on the lab table and it would probably die in a few short minutes. Just guessing. I guess the same could be said for a 3-month-old fetus. (Maybe there's something there?)

But I digress.

What will the US be like if we're the only major country (not to mention all the minor ones that might be ahead of us on this front already) that doesn't do this kind of experimentation? I mean, we, as the human species, didn't need atomic weapons, but that didn't stop us from finding out, before the Germans and the Japanese, how to make the technology work. We beat Hitler to the punch. If we hadn't taken it upon ourselves to figure out nuclear tech, we might all be blond-haired, blue-eyed, German-speaking folk.

It seems that we're falling behind in scientific endeavors. Is it because the current administration doesn't believe in science? They'd rather place their bets on God and faith rather than science and ingenuity. Or is it because our educational and business systems don't value nor do they encourage such pursuits? We live in such a short-sighted society that perhaps looking for cures for AIDS is too far-reaching? Can't make a dollar today if we have to expend $2 today on R&D.

It saddens me that we're falling behind the rest of the world on a lot of things. We have much too much potential to squander it. It's really a shame.

What would you do with $340 Billion?

George Bush would spend it. On an unwinnable war.

And then ask for more. He's got 2 full years left to spend a lot of money that's not his own.

He exhibited this type of behavior before he was President, too. He just didn't spend so much. More here.

Naked man arrested for concealed weapon

Huh?

Bill Maher on what the Democrats need to do to win today

Bill Maher is one of my favorite TV personalities. Me being very frugal (okay, cheap), I haven't subscribed to HBO since Roger Moore was James Bond and Sheena Easton was the hottest thing around (she still is, isn't she?).

However, I really am contemplating subscribing, only for Bill Maher's Real Time TV show.

Here are his points. Read the full article at the Jump.

1) When they say, "Democrats will raise taxes," you say, "We have to, because some asshole spent all the money in the world cutting Paris Hilton's taxes and not killing Osama bin Laden."

2) When they say, "The terrorists want the Democrats to win," you say, "Are you insane? George Bush has been a terrorist's wet dream, and nonpartisan commissions have confirmed that he's a recruiter's dream: theirs, not ours. And, he has exhausted our military without coming away with a win, the worst of both worlds."

3) When they say, "Cut and Run" or "Defeatocrat," you say, "Bush lost the war -- period."

4) When they say that actual combat veterans like John Kerry are "denigrating" the troops, you say, "You're completely full of shit."

So when they say, "Democrats are obstructionists," you say, "You're welcome." Because with a bad administration that has bad ideas, obstruction is a good thing, just as it's a good thing to obstruct a drunk from getting his car keys.

Maher has a way of speaking truth in a humorous, yet enlightening, way. Bravo, Bill!

Double taxation is a rip-off

I have a fundamental problem with the way taxes are collected here in the US. Now, I have lived here all of my life; thus, I have nothing with which to compare. So, take this with a grain of salt.

First, why are coporations taxed, and then when it disburses dividends, those dividends are taxed at the individual level, AGAIN? These corporate income has already been taxed.

So, why is there a tax on dividends at all?

The Bush administration actually did a good thing recently, when it rolled back the tax on dividends from "ordinary income" to a flat 20%. This is good, but it's not ideal.

I would rather that either corporations are not taxed at all and any income that they pass onto shareholders is taxed at personal income tax rates.

OR, corporations are taxed and any income they pass along is not taxed at all when it gets into shareholders' hands.

One or the other.

What do you think? More on income taxes later.

Rumsfeld to keep his job for next 30 years

Sorry, I'm a little late in reporting this, but, after all, this really isn't news, is it? Bush hasn't fired anybody bad. In fact, has he fired anybody?

Some funny comments to the news that Cheney is going hunting on election day

"Would you give Dead-Eye Dick a break already? So he shot his friend in the face. In his defense, he never learned to shoot a gun in Vietnam like most boys his age."

"South Dakota, huh? At least he won’t be shooting people in the face in a blue state. I do feel sorry for this Mel Raines, if he’s bringing bad political news to a drunk and dangerous man."

No joke: Cheney's going hunting on election day

Yep, VP Dick Cheney's going hunting for the first time since shooting his friend in the face. He might just be coming after you, Mr. Democrat. After all, this guy will stop at nothing in order to preserve his Presidential power, up to and including shooting each dissenter, one-by-one.

So be on the lookout for an old man with a hunting vest and a shotgun in or around your polling place on Tuesday. Tricky Dick may be just around the corner, receiving transmissions from the Diebold voting machines, right before the machines change your votes from Democrats to Republicans.

Saddam verdict and the US mid-term elections

The Saddam verdict and the mid-term elections: Obviously, by definition, this is a coincidence. But is it a planned coincidence? Is this a November surprise? Did the Bushies pull this one off?

Does anybody care? Everybody knew Saddam Hussein was a horrible dictator, reponsible for many murders of his own people, so this verdict, I'm sure, is welcome by most Americans.

But how do Iraqis feel? Do they feel vindicated? Relieved? Sad? Remorseful? Ambivalent?

Who knows? We'll never get the truth out of Iraq, no matter the topic. I guess final closure will occur once the image is broadcast around the world of Saddam Hussein's limp body hanging from a noose.

Ted Haggard frequent guest of White House and President Bush

From The Washington Post's Dan Froomkin:

Alan Cooperman writes in The Washington Post: "One of the nation's most influential conservative Christian leaders, the Rev. Ted Haggard, resigned yesterday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and temporarily stepped aside as pastor of a Colorado mega-church after a self-described male escort accused him of paying for gay sex."

How close was Haggard to the White House?

Tim Grieve of Salon talk to Lauren Sandler, the author of "Righteous: Dispatches From the Evangelical Youth Movement," who reports: "Haggard participates -- or at least he did -- in weekly White House conference calls, and he and the president like to joke that the only thing they disagree on is what truck to drive."

And whether to suck dick or not.

Bush challenges Democrats to offer plan for Iraq

This one is truly funny. "Bush challenges Democrats to offer plan for Iraq." Good one.

What is your plan, President Bush? Do you have one? Are you following it? If so, why are things going so poorly? If not, why not? Oh, wait, you don't have a plan, much less a clue.

Is this some sort of trick? The Dems tell you their plan, you take it, make it your own, and get the hell out of Iraq? Kind of like the Department of Homeland Security (remember, Bush didn't want a Department of Homeland Security. Only after the Democrats in Congress offered up the idea, with a lot of pressure, did Bush accept the idea, then stole it and called it his own. My facts may be a little off here, but I think I remember Joe "Eeyore" Lieberman proposed legislation to make a Department of Homeland Security and the President was against it, before he was for it.)

Brilliant!

You're not nearly as stupid as you look or sound or act. Bravo!

Unemployment rate drops to five year low

Great news! The unemployment rate is now at 4.4%, its lowest rate for the last 5 years! Hooray!

Letters to God end up in ocean

Isn't that where they all end up? I mean, where the hell is the Post Office supposed to send them?

Laura Bush throws integrity aside, stumps for Pombo

Laura Bush has sunk as low as her husband, the First Gentelman, George. She is now campaigning for CA-11 incumbent, Richard Pombo. I guess George Bush coming out last month to rally the troops in Pombo's district wasn't enough. These guys are desperate, now that Pombo's challenger, Jerry McNerney, is leading in the latest polls, by 2 points (a tie, statistically, and who knows who'll show up? The Kerry-motivated base or REAL AMERICANS who vote when there's an election?)

Apparently, her Pombo lovefest is being held by "Goal Line Productions," owned by none other than the son of former Oakland Raider coach, John Madden. I cannot find out where the event is in Pleasanton, which is typical. Only VIPs and invited guests will be allowed to attend. Nobody wants a heckling of the First Lady. Let alone some really scary questions, like, "Why are you endorsing a man who hates children?" (I made that up, he probably loves children, but he wants to kill your dog. Okay, I made that up, too, but he does want to repeal the Endangered Species Act. )

Bush stumping for his Republican Congressmen

President George Bush is on the stump for some of his Republican Congressmen, who are most likely behind or running neck-and-neck with their opponents. One has to wonder why anyone would want Bush in their corner. He has one of the lowest approval ratings of any president, ever. In short, his stature with the American public sucks.

He is giving campaign speeches on 3 key topics:

1. Democrats don't have a plan for victory in Iraq. Neither does he. Oh, wait, his is private. Hey, maybe the Democrats have a private plan, too. You know, so they don't tip off the enemy when they win back control of both Houses. (I know, this is wishful thinking. At the very least, Karl Rove has rigged the machines again to give slim wins to Republicans, to make it look close.)
   
2. Democrats will make us less safe. As if we're safe with this joker. Security "theater" is being conducted right now. All the safety "precautions" we have to undergo at airports is just that -- theater. It doesn't make us any safer. And remember, the worst attack in 60 or so years on our own turf occurred during Bush's watch, when he was focused on the Cold War and Iraq, and took his eye off the ball (PDB entitled "bin Laden determined to attack" only one month before he did).
   
3. Democrats will raise taxes. Well, he may be right on this one. After all, Clinton raised taxes and look where that put us. The economy tanked (it didn't -- in fact, the economy was rip-roarin' nuts), the deficit grew out of control (oh, wait, the deficit went down under Clinton, UP during Bush, by a LOT), and people were throwing themselves out of buildings (oops, they did that only after Bush came to DC, when the NASDAQ fell from 5000 to less than 2000; oh, and when planes crashed into the two biggest buildings in America). And they might have to raise taxes to get our asses out of debt to the Chinese. The biggest threat to our existence is the Chinese and their having us by the collective debt balls.
   

Gay marriage? Has he been talking about this? I don't know. I only know what's reported on TV and I haven't seen any of his tripe about that. And it's probably good, now that one of the top "evangelicals" (Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, a 30-million member body) in the country may have had a gay relationship with a male prostitute. Hmmm, cover my eyes and it's not there, I guess is what the Republicans are doing.

What with Mark Foley and other Congressional members hiding in the closet, only to have been outed by those they scurried naked around with at summer camp, the Republicans really look like a bunch of hypocritical, gay, confused, imbeciles. More in the next post when I talk about Laura Bush stooping -- um, stumping -- for Dick Pombo in Pleasanton this morning.

Rangel versus Cheney: War of the Words

The banter between the White House and Congress is heating up. If you thought the Kerry-Bush scrapping was good, you gotta see the verbal grenades being thrown by VP Dick Cheney and Congressman Rangel from New York.

Cheney basically said that if the Democrats won the House, they'd raise taxes (by not re-upping Bush's stupid tax cuts) and Rangel would be the one to do it since he'd be the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. By essentially just sitting on his hands, Rangel could kill the re-extension of the cuts, thereby "raising" taxes.

Two things:

• Letting temporary tax cuts expire is not raising taxes
• The tax cuts are due to expire in 2010. Rangel might not even be in Congress by then, let alone the Chaiman of the Ways and Means Committee

Rangel fired back (from the New York Post):

"He's such a real son of a bitch, he just enjoys a confrontation." Rangel said Cheney may need to go to "rehab" for "whatever personality deficit he may have suffered." "When you have those sorts of problems, you're supposed to seek help," Rangel advised.

And the kicker (again, from NYP):

Asked whether he was resurrecting over-the-top charges he made last year that he believes Cheney is mentally ill, Rangel cracked, "I don't think he's shot anyone in the face lately, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

Cheney's response:

"Charlie doesn't understand how the economy works."

Nazi

Wikipedia lists these attributes for Nazism:

• nationalism,
  
• racism,
  
• totalitarism,
  
• homophobia,
  
• anti-Semitism, and
  
• anti-communism

The only thing the current administration isn't is anti-Semitical (we love the Israelis, to the detriment, I think, of the entire Middle East and beyond).

George Bush is not a Nazi. But our government certainly shares similar attributes. I will take each point one-by-one.

Nationalism

After 9/11, the overabundance of American flags on cars was ridiculous. I saw many cars and trucks, not with stickers of American flags, but with actual flags. One guy had a full-size Betsy Ross fastened to his pickup truck. That was outrageous.

Now, I was as heart-broken, shocked, scared, and stunned that America had been struck by terrorist as anyone else. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. The horror hasn't left me. The memory of the planes striking the Twin Towers, the fires, and the collapse of the buildings are etched forever behind my eyeballs. I have never been more afraid, on a national scale, than I had been then. I thought the world might be coming to an end.

However, I didn't put a freakin' flag on my car. I didn't wave Old Glory like I was better than anybody else. National pride is one thing. Back then, I was proud to be an American. Now, I am ashamed. I hope, soon, that my feelings will change.

After WWI, the Germans felt deeply ashamed of their plight. WWI caused WWII. The Germans were wracked with debt, inflation, poor self-image, and generally crappy living conditions. They were in the midst of a global Depression when Hitler arose as a national figure. He had charm. He had charisma. One might say that the typical German would like to share a brew with him. He was not looked upon as evil. Even after the atrocities started happening, Germans defended him.

Now, what this American administration has done is nothing close to the Holocaust. But it's pretty bad, not befitting a civlized society. Beatings, torture, detentions without due process. Secret spy planes taking "enemy combatants" to foreign lands and then beating them to death is not something I am proud of.

But we had to do something. What we should have done is kill bin Laden when we could have. And that's not Bill Clinton's fault. It's George Bush's fault, without a doubt. We didn't invade Afghanistan until 2 months after 9/11. Talk about giving the guy a lead! He left Afghanistan and surely fled to another "-stan."

So, we invaded Iraq. That's were the terrorists were (or were to be?), after all. You know, Sadaam Hussein loved the terrorists. I'm sure he was so in love with them that he had them all shot. Because terrorists don't operate well within a totalitarian regime. The dictator usually suffers some sort of delusion and is certainly paranoid that he's going to get blown up by somebody because he's just such a big dick.

Racism

Of course, President Bush is not a racist either. As Bill Maher puts it, Bush doesn't hate people. He just doesn't know they exist. Rather, it's a class thing with Bush and his cronies. There's the lower class, middle class, upper class, and uber class. (See the German reference? Witty, huh?) Bush belongs to the uber class. The uber class, otherwise known as the ownership society, is the only thing that matters. Witness Katrina, the assault on Social Security, the Medicare legislation, etc.

Of course, it only seems as though brown people make up the lower class. They're the ones you see on the news. But it's not true. There are more poor white folks than black, mainly as a function of there are more white people around than black.

So, much of our "racism" is really mischaracterized: It's really "classism."

But the recent electoral diversion called "immigration" has really stirred America's melting pot. A skeptic might call the debate a racist debate. It's a matter of "what's mine is mine." Most Americans are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Only the Native American Indians can truly be called "native." Anybody who wants to keep immigrants out ought to look at their lineage.

I'm all for legal immigration. But ask yourself this: If you were being paid $1 a day and could get $40 a day by crossing an invisible border, which could help you feed your family, would you do it? I'd say you're a deadbeat if you didn't say "Yes!"

It's still all about class, though. It's the case of the "haves" versus the "have nots."

Totalitarianism

If we aren't approaching totalitarianism, I don't know where we're going. From wikipedia:

Totalitarianism is a term...to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior...Common to all definitions is the attempt to mobilize entire populations in support of the state and a political or religious ideology, and the intolerance of activities which are not directed towards the goals of the state, such as involvement with labour unions, non-sanctioned churches or opposition political parties. Totalitarian regimes maintain themselves in political power by means of single-party state, secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, personality cult, regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism, the use of mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror tactics (political purges and persecution of specific groups of people).

This description seems to fit the current state of the union to a tee. Warrantless wiretapping, poring over phone and Internet records without any court orders, Faith-based initiatives, anti-Islam, Swift Boating, secret CIA prisons, FOX News, censored and filtered sound bites and audience participation at Bush rallies: All symptoms of the totalitarian disease.

Homophobia

The Defense of Marriage Act pretty much sums this one up. And the fact that gays cannot openly serve in the military. How many openly homosexual people are employed in Bush's cabinet? Now that the Mark Foley scandal has broken, it seems that there might be a lot of Republicans in the closet, but nobody's sayin'.

Anti-Communism

One of the main reasons 9/11 happened was because the Bush Administration took its eye off the ball (the ball being legitimate, plausible threats) and watched out for the Commies. Secretery of State Rice was selected for Bush's cabinet primarily becuase she's an expert on the Soviet Union (which, NEWSFLASH, fell during Bush I's reign. I guess the boy wasn't payin' attention). Rumsfeld had his first stint when the Soviets were a real threat. I guess he thought they were playing possum.

Anyhow, these guys were preoccupied with the Cold War. They didn't pay any attention to al Qaeda. They're nothing but anti-Communist.

Summary

It appears that the United States shares many of the attributes of Nazism. We've come a long way. Only it's the wrong way.

Kerry Found With Duct Tape Over Mouth

Today's Borowitz Report is a good one. It tells the story of John Kerry going missing after his speech about getting stuck in Iraq.

It's SATIRE by the way...

CEO of Compulinx steals employees' identities, racks up massive credit card debt

A lot of us work for other people. We trust that they'll keep our employee data safe. Well, this guy, broke that confidence. Terrence D. Chalk, 44, of White Plains and his nephew, Damon T. Chalk, 35, used employee data to get credit cards, which they then used to rack up some pretty hefty debt.

Terrence, the CEO of Compulinx, faces 165 years in prison. Damon faces 35 years. I hope they both rot in hell.

Heroes revisited

Now that I've seen the Kerry comment about "getting stuck in Iraq," I get it. Context makes a whole lot of difference in this stuff.

Kerry was talking about Bush. He was basically saying that Bush and his cohorts had not done their homework with regard to Iraq; furthermore, Bush's rap has always been that he was never a good student and didn't study hard.

I can totally get what Kerry was talking about.

The White House, yet again, has taken comments from Democrats out of context and has distorted the issue.

Kerry could have said, explicitly, "Bush got us stuck in Iraq because he didn't do his homework" but come on. This distortion by Snowjob and Bush is ridiculous.

This is all they've got. And they do it so well. They take a mole hill and make it a mountain.

The thing that really galls me is that all the "radio pundits" like Savage and Doyle, not to mention Hannity and O'Reilly, all jumped on this and furthered the out-of-context banter. Furthermore, the radioheads (I can only reference Savage and Doyle on this one) said that this comment by Kerry would "motivate the base," implying that the "base" was not going to vote until Kerry pissed them off. I heard so many of the callers to these radio shows lament, "Kerry needs to apologize to the troops." Or, "Kerry hates the soldiers." And, "All 3 of my kids are in the military and they're very well-educated. My daughter said, 'If anything happends to me, don't pull a Kerry on me.'"

What kind of crap is that? What does that mean?

The real issue here is one of voting. The Republican base was going to "sit this one out?"

Don't real Americans vote, each and every time? Don't real Americans believe that it's their civic duty to vote, each and every time?

You mean to tell me that these Republicans aren't real Americans? OMG, what has come of this country? It takes a poorly-worded comment from an also-ran politician to motivate these jerks to vote?

Where do all these stupid people come from? Heck, it's these same people who hate immigrants (and, aren't we all, except for us descendants of the American Indian)! I think the immigrants, illegal or not, can only make this country smarter. It's real easy to raise the collective IQ when it's room temperature, opposed to when it's above average, or only average (to which we can only aspire).

The crap needs to stop.

Vote for the best candidate, based on his/her record, or short of a record, vote based on his/her ideas and integrity. I don't care whether he's Democrat, Republican, alien, or what.

And stay away from jerks who distort what really happened.

Heroes?

Heroes. It's an overused word, applicable to everything from sports stars to teachers to guys in costumes who save lives in the movies to soldiers. Today, there's been a flap between John Kerry (and no doubt all Democrats) and the White House over Kerry's apparent (to Bush Administration) slight on the soldiers fighting in Iraq. To note, Kerry, speaking at a college, said that people who cannot navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."

To which I would agree. Back when I was about to enter college, I kept asking myself "Why?" With all the armed forces recruiters on campus and calling me on the phone, I felt like I was needed. Plus, I could get money to go to college in a few years, have relevant experience, see the world, get in shape, and serve my country.

But I went to college and got a degree.

But this isn't the point. Tony Snow (aka "Mr Snowjob") shot back at Kerry's remark:

"Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this."

Kerry shot back, saying he was criticizing George Bush, not the "heroes serving in Iraq."

BULLSHIT. He meant what he said. If you don't get an education, one of a few alternatives a youngster has is to enlist. The bullshit part is the line about "heroes."

Is it heroic to do your job? I mean, most of the "kids" serving in the war signed up for the reasons I contemplated. They didn't aim to be heroes. Nor are most of them heroes now. Who have they saved? Allowing yourself to be put in harm's way by others is kind of cowardly, isn't it? Especially if you think the war is wrong, which apparently a lot of soldiers believe. So, why not stand up for your beliefs? What's so heroic about not doing so?

Don't get me wrong. Our men and women serving in Iraq are brave souls, due our respect for surviving under extreme circumstances. But are they heroes?

No. A guy who jumps in front of a bus in order to move a child out of harm's way is a hero.

A woman who puts her neck on the line to save hundreds of others without a voice, she's a hero.

A boy who defies the odds of winning the battle against cancer and becomes an inspiration to other children suffering from disease. He's a hero.

Heroes save others, either directly or indirectly. Martin Luther King was a hero. Men and women who dropped what they were doing to help in New Orleans: They are heroes.

Soldiers "doing their jobs" are not necessarily heroes. They might be under circumstances that call for it, but their presence in the face of danger doesn't make them heroes. It's what you do in the face of danger that makes you a hero.

Sorry. Heroes are few and far between. We mustn't use the term lightly.

Dilbert's personal life

Sometimes, don't you feel like this, too?

Hiatus II

Last night's post, entitled "Hiatus," may have led readers to believe that I am taking a 6-week hiatus; I am not. Merely, I was trying to say that I am having difficulty finding time to post while watching my son.

I will post when time permits. For now, bear with me, check out the links on the right (many good ones, like AmericaBlog and Say No to Pombo), and remember to vote. There are many new challengers who might be better than the incumbents. Let's give the sensible ones a chance.

It doesn't matter the party. The only thing that matters are the people running for office. Use the incumbent's record to decide if he/she is worth your vote. If not, consider his/her challenger.

VOTE or CRY.

Hiatus

Wow, I took 6 weeks off for "baby bonding time" to, well, bond with my 10-month old. I thought I'd be able to write a significant number of blogs during this time.

NOPE! No time. A 10-month old takes some serious attention! I knew this; I just thought we'd settle into a routine and I could write when he slept. He takes 10-minute naps. Enough said!

Why Richard Pombo chaps my hide

I apologize for my last few days' worth of posts; they have mostly centered on me telling you that Richard Pombo is a useless Congressman. He's dangerous. He's corrupt. He's a liar. He distorts the record.

He really chaps my hide.

Let me explain a few things. I wholeheartedly am against term limits. I believe them to be the lazy and stupid way to effect change. The voting public decided that they'd be a great idea quite a few years ago here in California. I believe them to be a horrible mistake.

Here's why. Good politicians are kicked out of office prematurely. Bad ones, too (this is good, but redundant). The good ones are usually so turned off by their experience that they just decide to leave politics altogether. The bad ones run for a higher office. It's a natural progression. Their names are known, and name recognition is the single most important thing in winning an election. I am confident that when Joe Citizen goes to the polls, he may not know the entire ballot. Like in school, during exams, he guesses at an answer when he doesn't know who or what he wants to vote for.

Thus, when he sees a name he recognizes, he votes for it.

Now, I used to believe, and still want to believe, that the voting public is made up of rational, thinking, considerate folks.

But the past few election cycles have led me to believe differently.

How can you explain George Bush's terrible approval ratings? His policies and actions haven't changed for 6 years running. He didn't change. The voting public's perception has surely changed. But nothing about the elected official nor his stance, action, or policies have changed. But it's these same people, for the most part, who voted for Bush but who are now suddenly upset with him. It simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You knew from the first term the type of President he was. He hasn't changed!

Nevertheless, I still believe that term limits are a bad idea. The President is limited to 2, 4-year terms. This 'term limit' was imposed after FDR ran, and won, 4 times. I guess people thought that such a run killed him. God forbid that a President die in office doing a great job. If the people want to re-elect somebody 40 times, I have no issues with that.

However, there are problems with this. It's nearly impossible to defeat an incumbent. Rarely is it ever done. At the Presidential level, the last time it happened was in '92 when Bill Clinton beat George H.W. Bush, who had won the '88 election after having been Vice President from 1981-89. Before that, who lost it?

On a percentage basis, the frequency is very low. At the federal level, the percentage is somewhere north of 90%. At the local level, the odds are better for new challengers, though they still face the same challenges. As Guy Molyneux puts it,

Elections are fundamentally a referendum on the incumbent.

Challengers face the uphill battle of lesser name recognition, lesser ability to raise money, and the prospect that they really don't matter to the voting public. Rather, the voting public simply decides whether they like the incumbent. If they do, it doesn't really matter how the challenger stacks up against the incumbent. If they don't like the incumbent, then they have to decide how the challenger matches up against the incumbent. The challenger still might lose (read: most likely will lose) because he, in many cases, doesn't have a record to compare to the incumbent's.

The biggest factor in all this is money. Incumbents have an innate ability to raise significantly more funds than challengers. A lot of it has to do with name recognition. But it also has to do with the fact that incumbents are in positions of power and their influence can be bought. "Do me a favor and I will give you money" is the implicit idea. Think it doesn't happen? Wake up! It happens every day. It doesn't take scandals involving Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, or Bob Ney to tell you this. Just look at all the pork inserted into unrelated bills. Somebody's paying somebody!

The voting public certainly has the ability to vote for challengers. But, overwhemingly, they don't.

This is why it's especially important to get people who are "on the fence" about an office to look at a) the challenger's qualities and b) the incumbent's record.

It is here where Richard Pombo fails. He is partisan. He is connected to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff (he's taken $37000 from Abromoff). He wants to repeal some of the most critical pieces of the Endangered Species Act. He wants the federal government to pay land owners who cannot develop their land millions of dollars, effectively bankrupting the federal agency responsible for payment. He wants to build a federal highway that runs through his and his family's property and be paid millions more than it's worth. He's voted against vital stem-cell research. He's got ties to Indian casinos and the shenanigans involving the Northern Mariana Islands. He pays his family to "consult" him (his wife gets $3000 per month for unspecified services). His pay has risen $40,000 since elected. Has yours?

Just google Pombo. Or, better yet, look him up on Wikipedia. There's enough of a shoddy record on him that he should lose on his record alone. A farm animal should be able to beat him.

But because the voting public is lazy, stupid, or both, he will be re-elected, even if Jesus himself were running against him. Here are some links for those of you who want to learn more about Pombo, McNerney, and the race for the 11th District of California.

Contra Costa Times
Say No to Pombo
Richard Pombo's Official Site
Jerry McNerney's Official Site

One more and I'm done

Pombo is bad for endangered species

Jerry McNerney ad: It also says nothing about the candidate but everything against his opponent, the dispicable Richard Pombo

Ratbert on the Internet

Sometimes, I feel like this (sometimes the "smart" people and sometimes the not so smart) --

Richard Pombo ad is misleading and doesn't speak to his own record

Richard Pombo, running for re-election in the 11th district of California, just ran an ad last night that speaks only to his opponent's "record," rather than his own (Pombo has been in Congress for over a decade).

As far as I know, Jerry McNerney doesn't have a record. He has only made statements, taken out of context, of course, for the benefit of Pombo's ad.

REPEAL RICHARD POMBO. DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM. VOTE FOR A PROGRESSIVE. VOTE FOR MCNERNEY.

Are diamonds a boy's best friend now, too?

Lab-created diamonds have same properties as the DeBeers-cartel kind. Maybe prices fall now? Instead of 2 or 3 months' salary, maybe now 2 or 3 days? Wishful thinking, I know. DeBeers is more powerful than OPEC.

ABC News: 'Simpsons' Halloween 'Horror' Could Hit GOP

The Simpson's will be a parody of that thing that is most humorous -- our government.

How Safe is Your Election Ballot? by Greg Palast

Interesting read from Greg Palast on cooked elections.

Richard Pombo wants to kill your dog (as long as it's on the Endangered Species list)

The post at the Jump, while tremendously hilarious, is quite sad. It reports that our esteemed US Representative, Richard "Dick" Pombo, is to be the beneficiary of a letter in which the writer, the SCI, pleads for money from its members for the very poor and very poorly received Pombo, who has done everything in his power (along with Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff) to dismantle the Endangered Species Act.

You see, the SCI, short for Safari Club International, hunts fenced-in animals all over the world. Men with small penises like to kill animals that cannot get away with large caliber rifles and then hang their heads on their walls like trophies. This is why the SCI refers to the animals on its hit list as "trophies."

It's unfortunate that this group, SCI, hides behind "animal conservation" in its pursuit of trophy animals. It's even more unfortunate that members of our government, like acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Matthew J. Hogan, are either members of or supporters of SCI. I know hunters around the world beleive that "thinning the herd" is appropriate and essential to the survival of the species (whatever the species) because, in part, mankind, in causing the demise of natural predators, has caused the over population of the species that they seek to hunt and kill.

I believe that hunting some species is beneficial to the species. But when is the last time you've heard of buffalo overpopulation?

It doesn't occur. Same with water buffalo and elephants. And tigers, and bears, and ... the list goes on.

The point of all this is:

• Under-endowed men like to kill all things with penises bigger than theirs
• Richard Pombo supports these men
• They all want to repeal the Endangered Species Act

I want to repeal Richard Pombo.

Bush: "We have never been 'Stay the course'"

The Bush Administration never ceases to befuddle and confuse the situation to their benefit. They are now saying that they have never been "stay the course." Of course, up is down, left is right, forward is backward, etc.

There are too many quotes from the President and his staff saying exactly "stay the course" that it's ridiculous to even suggest that it's never been said. But since the American (voting) public seems to have the attention span and intelligence of a typical garden gnat, the Bushies think (and are most likely right) that they can pull the wool over our tiny bug-like eyes.

But never fear, Froomkin is at the helm, debunking the Bush myth-makers that "stay the course" has never been uttered by anyone in the White House. More at the Jump.

BUSH: We will stay the course. [8/30/06]

BUSH: We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq. [8/4/05]

BUSH: We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve. And the temptation is to try to get the President or somebody to put a timetable on the definition of getting the job done. We’re just going to stay the course. [12/15/03]

BUSH: And my message today to those in Iraq is: We’ll stay the course. [4/13/04]

BUSH: And that’s why we’re going to stay the course in Iraq. And that’s why when we say something in Iraq, we’re going to do it. [4/16/04]

BUSH: And so we’ve got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course. [4/5/04]

It's pretty obvious that we're getting a Snow-job here, not to mention a blowjob. It's good to know that Bush and his cronies think we're idiots. The sad fact is that we are, since we've fallen for this too many times.

Enron's Skilling Gets 24 Years

Finally, some good news on the corporate scandal front: Jeff Skilling, former CEO of former high-flying company Enron, received his sentence today -- 24 years.

Hooray. The little guy wins a little victory.

Now, too bad Skilling cannot reach into the depths of Hell to pull up his cohort, "Kenny Boy" Lay, and make him get sentenced, too.

Lay's sentence was vacated because, well, he vacated Earth. So, technically, Ken Lay was never convicted of any crimes.

And that's a crime in and of itself.

Ads accuse Dems of not protecting kids - Yahoo! News

You had to know that this was going to happen...Republicans getting out the ads before the Democrats, beating them to the punch yet again.

And it's really juicy because the ads accuse the Democrats of that very thing that the Republicans are clearly guilty of: Not protecting children.

After all, it's the Repubs that let Mark Foley loose for years; rather than deal with the problem, they turned their heads.

Now that the Dems opened up a can of worms for the Repubs, you'd think the Dems would have the upper hand.

Of course, they don't. They didn't act, yet again, and have failed to capitalize on this serious breach of the public confidence.

Poor, poor Democrats. They need some scum-sucking pig producers to publicize the putrid behavior exibited by the Republicans. But they'll never learn.

Take a look at the Election projections above. The Dems are clearly going to win the House. But are they? What will happen (i.e., what negative ads will appear?) in the next 2-3 weeks that turns the tide for the Republicans against the Democrats?

Time will tell. But I bet the Dems blow it again. I am telling myself this so that my mind can prepare for another letdown.

And this will be a big letdown because there's NO WAY that the Dems should lose.

But they will.

Grocery clerk charged in stadium hoax - Yahoo! News

Moron!

Unfortunately, the youth always seem to learn things the hard way. Doing hard time might be in this guy's future.

I think he might be better served having to do community service work or something else as an alternative to doing time in prison, but, hey, he did scare the bejesus out of a lot of people. That's what terrorism is all about.

He may have had unintended consequences, but what consequences might one expect by threatening people with bombs? Clearly, this guy either meant to scare people or he didn't. If he didn't mean to scare anybody, you have to ask:

WHAT WAS HE THINKIN'? Only one way to describe this guy:

MORON!!!

Country singer Keith Urban enters rehab - Yahoo! News

If this isn't testimony that marriage is bad for a man's health, I don't know what is!

Seriously, we wish you the best, Keith and Nicole.

I first saw Keith quite a few years ago (with my wife!) in Monterey, California. He was an opening act for Toby Keith. He rocked the place. I knew then that he would be a star.

I even talked to him off stage. He was then, as he most likely is now, a really nice person. He was very personable and outgoing and kind.

So, even though I don't know him, I feel like I do. I have followed his career since that day and can only wish him the best.

He got the best when he married Nicole. I hope that they can make their marriage last.

Again, best of luck!!!

Hannity to Democrats: "[S]tay home on Election Day ... for the sake of the nation"

Let me go on record here:

SEAN HANNITY IS A COMPLETE IDIOT AND A WASTE OF DNA.

Okay? There, I said it. There is nobody dumber, more hostile, more arrogant without the talent to back it up than Sean "I'm a bitch" Hannity.

It's too bad his parents didn't believe in birth control. I seriously do not like this guy. I betcha he got his ass kicked regularly in school OR he kept his pie hole shut back then because he knew he'd get a whuppin' (like most big talkers, he's all hat and no cattle).

Republican hypocrisy on morals and family values

This one is great. It shows the ridiculousness of Republican rhetoric when it juxtaposes Newt Gingrich's harping on Nancy Pelosi's "values" when the Newt himself apparently has no values.

Survivor of retired gay Congressman not entitled to survivor's benefits

The most telling part of this article is the last one:

Nevertheless, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) who pled guilty last week to conspiracy charges and faces up to 10 years in prison for taking bribes will receive about $29,000 a year from his pension for the rest of his life - even while he is in prison.

Not much one can say about the ridiculousness of this decision.

Double your money

But there's a catch: Donate here and a kindly Democrat will match your contribution.

I suggest you contribute to Jerry McNerney, opponent of corrupt Dick Pombo. You see, Richard Pombo is a co-conspirator with Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay. He ranks as one of the Top 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress. He really needs to lose.

McNerney is way behind Pombo in campaign funds. Incumbents usually are way ahead. This is why they keep winning. It's time to vote the loser Pombo out of office. He wants to dismantle the Endangered Species Act, he wants to profit off his farm land in the San Joaquin valley by running a federal highway through it, and he's taken vacations on the public dime.

Kansas -- 9 candidates have switched from Republican to Democrat -- Do you smell something?

Not a case of "If you can't beat, them, join them."

Rather, it's a case of "When you beat them, join them." Something tells me this is all smoke and mirrors to get Regressives elected either way: Win or lose.

Calif. candidate denies sending letter

Yeah, right, he didn't do it. Bet he's an alcoholic before the end of the month...

Judge: File sharing legal in Canada

This is a big deal. A Canadian judge has ruled that file sharing is legal in Canada. Since the Internet is a global network, how will this ruling affect file sharing in America (or anywhere else)?

If a person puts up a file in Canada, and I download it in America, clearly, I have broken an American law. But how to enforce it?

Work for a living? Top 20 tips for survival

1 Never offer to make coffee
2 Ignore all emails
3 Get yourself noticed
4 Remember that less is more
5 Treat appraisals as auditions for panto
6 Get up to speed with the jargon
7 Be nice to PAs
8 Try not to upset anyone
9 Manage without bosses
10 Steer clear of paper
11 Don't drink under the influence of work
12 Dress up not down
13 Never answer a phone
14 Cycle to work
15 Refuse to go to conferences
16 Ignore consultants
17 Find the right person
18 Leave networking to trawlermen
19 Learn to recycle reports
20 Steer well clear of all meetings

The explanatory commentary following each of the above tips is hilarious. I love this guy! I will be making a trip to the library to find some of his books.

School bans tag for fear of liability from children getting hurt

This story pretty much sums up what is wrong with America today: Fear of nothing causes stupid people to take stupid actions.

When I was a kid, we played a game called "smear the queer." Now, we didn't know what "queer" meant, we thought it was the dude with the football that we were supposed to tackle.

And tackle we did during recess. Tag, freeze tag, softball, and 9-square were all games we played during recess.

Dodge ball was a school-sponsored rainy day game we played inside the gymnasium. The point is that kids play. They rough-house. It's a part of growing up.

Apparently, America has grown soft. This is why we get so riled up when it comes to talk of terror.

Bush tough talks North Korea

The latest from Andy Borowitz --

"The message is clear: the United States has a thesaurus and we're not afraid to use it."

This is about as far as we're gonna get with this one, unless Rove's October surprise is a surprise ("Surprise, we've got no army or money!") attack on the 2nd leg of axis of evil.

Dilbert: Sadness means not enough coffee

For me, it means I need a Dew, which I gave up a few years ago (and all caffeine), but once in a while, I have one. Let's me know that I am still in control of it :)

Molly Ivins on Iraq, AGAIN

As always, Molly Ivins has written a great piece on the Iraq war. The gist of it is, it sucks, but don't despair, because it can always get worse. Key points in the article:

• This war is just like Vietnam
• 655,000 (estimated) Iraqi civilians have been killed
• Many retired Generals oppose this war and are beginning to speak out
• The Bush administration is obviously hiding something when they only release 3 pages out of a 30-page report put together by the nation's intelligence agencies
  

Read more about it at the

1 Watt: Appliances and electronics on standby power still consume a LOT of energy

arstechnica posted an informative article on power usage by electronic gear in standby mode. Great read for those of you who a) want to save money, b) want to save the world, a few watts at a time, and/or c) hate to waste energy just because. More at the

US Representatives who have missed more than 10% of their votes

The following is a slightly different list of slackers in the US House of Representatives (as compared to the last list that was comprised of the top 7 slackers in the Senate). These are losers who apparently think that doing 90% of their job is okay.

1. Lane Evans
2. Jim Davis
3. Ted Strickland
4. Ernest Istook
5. Harold Ford
6. Luis Gutiérrez
7. John Lewis
8. Juanita Millender-McDonald
9. Donald Payne
10. John Sweeney
11. Jim Nussle
12. Leonard Boswell
13. Corrine Brown
14. Henry Hyde
15. Rubén Hinojosa
16. Patrick Kennedy
17. Michael Oxley
18. Alcee Hastings
19. Pete Sessions
20. Silvestre Reyes
21. Katherine Harris
22. Mario Diaz-Balart
23. Pete Stark

Vote these bafoons out. It troubles me that I actually like some of these folks. But a job is a job, and ya gotta do it right. Doing 90% of something is not doing it right.

Good luck in finding a "real job," guys and gals. No boss I know will accept you being absent once every ten days. Nobody in the "real world" gets 37 sick days, at least in America.

Top 7 Slacker Senators

With my newfound tool at the Washington Post, I have found the following list (at the Jump):

Senators and the # of votes they've missed. I'd say those at the top of the list, say, missing 10% or more votes, should get one if not two things:

• a pay cut
• fired

Here are the Top 7 Senators who should be fired for not even trying to do their jobs:

1. Jay Rockefeller
2. Jon Corzine
3. Daniel Inouye
4. Joseph Biden
5. John McCain
6. Trent Lott
7. Joseph (Eeyore) Lieberman
   

All big names, all big-time slackers.

The next list on its way is for US Representatives.