Thursday, November 30, 2006

NYT: Iraq panel to recommend troop pullback

quote[A much-discussed independent panel will recommend that U.S. troops in Iraq be withdrawn, according to an article that will appear on the front page of The New York Times.

"The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on Wednesday on a final report that would call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stopped short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal," write David E. Sanger and David S. Cloud, citing sources close to the group.

The report by the panel, led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton, will be given next week to the President. Sanger and Cloud indicate that the report avoids "a specific timetable, which has been opposed by Bush, but [makes] it clear that the American troop commitment should not be open-ended."]


Christ! Without a timetable, the conclusions in this report are meaningless. This just allows Bush to continue to ignore what should actually be done.

Ellison’s Oath On Koran Roils Conservatives

quote[Before he became the nation’s first Muslim elected to Congress, Democrat Keith Ellison was called “unfit” for Congress by his Republican opponent. And that was just the beginning.

Ellison is setting yet another precedent in January when he takes the oath of office on the Koran, Islam’s holiest book—an event that evoked conservatives to accuse him of deviating his allegiance from the Constitution to Allah.

On Tuesday, conservative radio talk show host and columnist Dennis Prager wrote: “America is interested in only one book, the Bible.” Directly addressing Ellison, he added “If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress.”

...

In his scathing article, Prager barely stopped short of calling Ellison a racist, but he said that allowing Ellison to swear on the Koran is akin to allowing a “racist” to choose “the Nazis’ Bible for his oath.”]


Fuck Dennis Prager.

He's a two-bit hack media-whore, and I can't stand him.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

McDonald's to patent . . . THE SANDWICH

quote[McDonald's wants to own the rights to how a sandwich is made. The fast-food chain has applied for a patent relating to the 'method and apparatus' used to prepare the snack.

The burger company says owning the 'intellectual property rights' would help its hot deli sandwiches look and taste the same at all of its restaurants.]


Give me a freakin' break!

Hey, CrapDonalds, supersize this:

Grift Card Warning

quote[Just a little warning before traditional gift giving time.

Well the crooks have found a way to rob you of your gift card balance. If you buy Gift Cards from a display rack that has various store cards you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days and call to see how much of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find the card is "activated", and then they go online and start shopping. You may want to purchase your card from a customer service person, where they do not have the Gift Cards viewable to the public. Please share this with all your family and friends...]


Just in time for the holidays...

Bad North Korea, you've lost your iPod privileges

quote[There's no shortage of snarky comments out there in response to the Bush administration's attempt to use trade sanctions to annoy North Korea's Kim Jong Il, who engineered a secret nuclear weapons program.
kimjong

The trade ban, according to the Associated Press, aims to make Kim's swanky life harder by forbidding U.S. shipments of luxury goods like Rolexes, French cognac, plasma TVs and iPods--"items favored by Kim but unattainable by most of the country."

Bloggers, along with the Associated Press, liken the administration's move to a scolding parent trying to take away prized privileges. But they doubt the effectiveness of the punishment, given that Kim will likely find other means for obtaining the consumer electronics he wants.]


Great idea, Bush!! This'll prevent them from lighting off more nukes!

Sheesh!!!!

Sen.-elect 'wanted to punch' Bush in spat over son in Iraq

quote[At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.]


I'm glad he was able to hold back. Not sure I would've been able to.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Science a la Joe Camel

quote[the company that made the documentary (An Inconvenient Truth) decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)

The teachers had a different idea: Thanks but no thanks, they said.
Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place "unnecessary risk upon the [NSTA] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." One of those supporters, it turns out, is the Exxon Mobil Corp.]


Ridiculous!

Monday, November 27, 2006

The sore-loser law is fair to voters

quote[I am writing to provide some clarification regarding the Nov. 15 article, "State official pushes for 'sore loser' law."

The Lieberman-Lamont race for the U.S. Senate provoked much passion on both sides this year. There were many who called my office angry at Senator Lieberman's plans to run as a petitioning party candidate after losing the Aug. 8 Democratic primary to Ned Lamont, and there were also many delighted that Senator Lieberman's candidacy remained viable even after losing the primary.

The August primary is a recent phenomenon. Prior to 2004, Connecticut's primaries were held in September and the deadline for candidates to submit petitions to run in November was early August.

However, when the legislature switched the primary date to August, it failed to keep the petition deadline consistent with the new primary date, which led to an unusual quirk in our elections calendar, highlighted by Senator Lieberman's candidacy this year.

I have discussed proposing legislation to realign our state's election calendar to make it as it was before 2004. If a candidate wishes to run in November, regardless of the outcome of a primary "" such as Senator Lieberman did this year "" that would still be possible, provided petitions are submitted to my office one month before the August primary.

This legislation would not have kept Senator Lieberman off the November ballot after he lost the August primary. The only difference would be that, under my proposal, he would have had to let the voters know before the primary that he did not intend to accept the results of the primary in the event he lost.

This bill is consistent with my long-time advocacy of encouraging ballot access and civic participation.

In order to ensure transparency of government, voters should have as much information about a candidate as possible when they are asked to make a choice.


Susan Bysiewicz Secretary of the State
HARTFORD
]


I wholeheartedly support this legislation!

Lincoln Memorial closed; liquid reported

quote[Authorities closed the Lincoln Memorial on Monday after finding suspicious bottles in a restroom and a note reading "Do you know what anthrax is?" and "Do you know what a bomb is?", a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Authorities found a bottle appearing to contain a liquid in a basement ladies' rest room, along with the note, said an official from the Department of Homeland Security who asked to not be identified because his agency was not in charge of the incident.

While investigating the liquid, authorities received a call about a suspicious package, District of Columbia fire spokesman Alan Etter said. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters, U.S. Park Police and the FBI were investigating. Hazardous materials crews in protective suits were seen working at the memorial.

Officials said the incident did not immediately appear to be an emergency.]


But...But...The elections are over...

Groom Killed On Wedding Day: Number Of Shots "inexplicable"

quote[New York City officials moved Monday to quell black community outrage after police shot and killed a bridegroom early on the morning of his wedding day.

The 23-year-old victim, Sean Bell, an African American, was killed in a rain of bullets by undercover police early Saturday morning outside Club Kalua, a strip club in Queens here he was celebrating his last night as a bachelor.

Police fired at least 50 bullets into the car driven by Bell, killing Bell and injuring two friends, one of them critically. The club had been under police surveillance.]


This is really disgusting...

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Poisoned spy was the victim of state terror

quote[Britain's intelligence agencies last night claimed that the poisoning of the Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko bore the hallmarks of a "state-sponsored" assassination.

A senior Whitehall official told The Times that confirmation that the former Russian spy, who had become a British citizen, had been poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 and other evidence so far not released pointed to the murder being carried out by foreign agents.]


I've been saying this all along. This could only have come from a nuclear state, and therefore would have been authorized only at the top levels.

There really are only a handful of states that could pull this off, and whomever did this (Russia) actually fucked up: If they used less polonium, the same effect would have been achieved (it might have taken a little longer), but it probably wouldn't have been detectable.

Want to talk about weapons of mass destruction now??? Or is it inconvenient when the perpetrators are our allies???

McCain/Lieberman '08?

quote[The politically ambidextrous king of one-line political zingers Marshall Wittman has made bloggers and traditional style journalists go bonkers the last couple of days. He's going back to work in the Senate, but this time for an Independent.

I wondered what was going on when Wittman moth-balled on November 17th his thoughtful blog, The Bull Moose, which frequently seemed to be tracking issues similar to what I was writing and thinking about (or I him) -- with us occasionally on quite opposite sides of an issue.

Today, the New York Times' Mark Leibovich penned a quite harsh treatment of Wittman's political profile and work career on the occasion of Senator Joseph Lieberman hiring "the bull moose" to be his new communications director.]


Oy!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Education Sec. loses to Laverne's Lenny

quote[Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says she studied hard to prepare for Tuesday night's airing of "Celebrity Jeopardy!"

"I didn't want to be the Education Secretary who didn't know how to spell potato," Spellings joked, describing how she read books and sought advice from a former show contender and her daughters.

In the end, Spellings said she thinks the effort was worth it. She came in second behind the actor Michael McKean, best known for his role as 'Lenny' on the television show "Laverne and Shirley" and for the movie "This Is Spinal Tap."]


I saw this last night and, even though the questions are dumbed down for "celebrities," Mike McKean mopped the floor with the others.

I think he could really compete in a regular Jeopardy! game (unlike Paul Shaffer, who was a complete idiot the day before).

Monday, November 20, 2006

Cheney Says Democratic Win Will Not Stop the Administration From Pursuing a Military Option with Iran

quote[A month before the November elections, Vice-President Dick Cheney was sitting in on a national-security discussion at the Executive Office Building. The talk took a political turn: what if the Democrats won both the Senate and the House? How would that affect policy toward Iran, which is believed to be on the verge of becoming a nuclear power? At that point, according to someone familiar with the discussion, Cheney began reminiscing about his job as a lineman, in the early nineteen-sixties, for a power company in Wyoming. Copper wire was expensive, and the linemen were instructed to return all unused pieces three feet or longer. No one wanted to deal with the paperwork that resulted, Cheney said, so he and his colleagues found a solution: putting “shorteners” on the wire—that is, cutting it into short pieces and tossing the leftovers at the end of the workday. If the Democrats won on November 7th, the Vice-President said, that victory would not stop the Administration from pursuing a military option with Iran. The White House would put “shorteners” on any legislative restrictions, Cheney said, and thus stop Congress from getting in its way.]

I think the lineman story highlights the lack of integrity of this man...

"Kramer's" Racist Tirade -- Caught on Tape

quote[Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. It appears two guys, both African-American, were in the cheap seats playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it.]


And to think, I used to really like him...

Friday, November 17, 2006

Mike Tyson To Be A Prostitute

quote[Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is to become a male escort after agreeing to work at legendary Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss' new legalized brothel for women. Fleiss bought 60 acres of land in Nevada, and his work is scheduled to begin on Heidi's Stud Farm.

She has high hopes for Tyson, once heavyweight champion of the world - despite the fact he is a convicted rapist.

She says, "I told him, 'You're going to be my big stallion.' It's every man's fear that their girlfriend will go for Mike Tyson."]


So, women are actually going to pay to be abused by this cretin??? Am I missing something??

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Courtney Wins!!!

quote[Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz made it official Wednesday, announcing that Democrat Joe Courtney won by 90 votes in Connecticut's close 2nd Congressional District race.

A recount that lasted nearly a week confirmed Courtney's victory over three-term Republican Rep. Rob Simmons, Bysiewicz said. The results will be officially certified Nov. 28.

The deadline to file any legal challenges is Nov. 21.]


I love the new nickname! Landslide Joe!!!

Rove to stay until end of Bush presidency

quote["He knows too much," a source said. "The last thing the president wants is another published memoir and book tour of life inside the White House."]

Good. Let's hope he fucks up 2008 for the GOP too.

Pelosi pulls out the stops for Murtha

quote[Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is imploring her colleagues to support Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for majority leader, multiple House Democrats said yesterday, dealing an unexpected but not necessarily fatal blow to Murtha’s opponent, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

It had been unclear until yesterday whether Pelosi would use her clout to turn votes to Murtha. She endorsed him in a letter Sunday, but some dismissed it as a nod to personal loyalty rather than a statement of her intentions.

But by yesterday, her intent was clear, several lawmakers said; she hopes to oust her onetime rival Hoyer from the leadership.]


This petty infighting is complete and utter bullshit. This will NOT move us forward!

Monday, November 13, 2006

Lieberman won't rule out GOP caucusing

quote[Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut said yesterday that he will caucus with Senate Democrats in the new Congress, but he would not rule out switching to the Republican caucus if he starts to feel uncomfortable among Democrats.

Lieberman, a Democrat who won reelection as an independent, also said he wants to be called an Independent Democrat.

A strong backer of the Iraq war, Lieberman was returned to office on Election Day with strong GOP support. He ran as an independent after he lost the Democratic primary in August to Ned Lamont.]


ANyone who is a CT dem, and voted for Lieberman, should be ashamed.

Anthrax hoaxer may be Free Republic poster

quote[The man arrested on Saturday for sending more than a dozen envelopes containing "fake anthrax" to anti-war celebrities, journalists, and politicians may have ties to the conservative supersite Free Republic, RAW STORY has found.

Chad Castagana, a 39 year old Californian named as the FBI's prime suspect in the case, is due in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles today, where procecutors are expected to file criminal complaint against him for sending threatening letters through the U.S. mail. Castagana has an extensive online history, often writing about science fiction and conservative politics, and many bloggers are convinced that he is also a contributor at the conservative activist Free Republic website under the name Marc Costanzo.]


Some of these nuts are getting more and more dangerous...

Friday, November 10, 2006

Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse

quote[Just days after his resignation, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to face more repercussions for his involvement in the troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New legal documents, to be filed next week with Germany's top prosecutor, will seek a criminal investigation and prosecution of Rumsfeld, along with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet and other senior U.S. civilian and military officers, for their alleged roles in abuses committed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.]

I just hope they don't drop the case this time around.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Guess What??? Bolton's Getting The Axe!

quote[JOHN Bolton's troubled nomination as US ambassador to the United Nations is "going nowhere", a key Democratic senator said today after the party scored big in mid-term elections.

Joseph Biden of Delaware is expected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if Democratic control of the US Senate is formally confirmed.

"I never saw a real enthusiasm (for Bolton's nomination) on the Republican side to begin with. There's none on our side. And I think John Bolton's going nowhere," he said.

Mr Bolton, the controversial former undersecretary of state in charge of non-proliferation, was nominated by President George W Bush to be UN envoy in March 2005.

But after his confirmation was blocked in the Republican-led Senate, Mr Bush made a recess appointment, which will last until the new Congress convenes in January 2007.]


Finally!!!

We Did It!!! Allen To Concede Today

quote[Sen. George Allen will concede the Virginia race to Democrat Jim Webb when he addresses supporters at 3 p.m. ET Thursday, a source within the Allen camp told the National Journal.

The Journal, a MSNBC.com content partner, said the source was someone close to the Republican incumbent. ]


Woot!!!!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

RNC Chairman: Don't let Dems turn Iraq into 'another Afghanistan'



quote["And again, in this war-on-terror issue, I think Americans want their leaders to have learned the lessons of 9/11, which is we need tools like the Patriot Act and the surveillance program, and it will be a big mistake to allow Iraq to become another Afghanistan, which unfortunately, I think, could happen if we followed the approach that Mr. Murtha and others have said," Mehlman said on CBS's Early Show.]

Whaaat???!!!???

BEWARE OF EXIT POLLS: THE FIX IS IN

quote[ * Election Experts Believe Exit Polls Give An Edge And Sway Towards Democrat Candidates.

* National Exit Polls Will Skew In Favor Of Democrats This Year, Due To Large Numbers Of Uncontested Democrat Seats In The House Of Representatives.

* Early Exit Polling Returns In 2004 Were Widely Inaccurate, Declaring Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) To Be The Next President Of The United States And Republicans Barely Holding A One Seat Majority In The U.S. Senate.

* In The 2002 Midterm Elections, Exit Polling Produced Unusable Data.

* In 2000, Exit Polling Malfunctioned And Incorrectly Projecting Vice President Al Gore As The Winner Of The Crucial Battleground State Of Florida.

EXIT POLLS TRADITIONALLY HAVE A DEMOCRAT BIAS]


Straight from the asses mouth...

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Olberman's On Fire Lately

You must watch this!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

FEMINISM: STILL NECESSARY

quote[The Happy Feminist and Jessica Valenti draw our attention to a remarkable-in-a-bad-way ruling by the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. The court threw out a rape conviction because the judge failed to instruct the jury that a woman could not legally withdraw consent after penetration. The Court's ruling was based on dicta in a 1980 decision, which it itself was based on common law definitions of rape. The court describes the principles animating the 1980 decision as follows:

But, to be sure, it was the act of penetration that was the essence of the crime of rape; after this initial infringement upon the responsible male's interest in a woman's sexual and reproductive functions, any further injury was considered to be less consequential. The damage was done. It was this view that the moment of penetration was the point in time, after which a woman could never be "re-flowered," that gave rise to the principle that, if a woman consents prior to penetration and withdraws consent following penetration, there is no rape.]


This is fucked up! Way to go Maryland!

Lost Moon landing tapes discovered

quote[For years 'lost' tapes recording data from the Apollo 11 Moon landing have been stored underneath the seats of Australian physics students. A recent search has uncovered them.

They were nearly thrown out with the rubbish. But a last minute search instead has scientists in Western Australia dusting off several boxes of 'lost' NASA tapes which record surface conditions on the Moon just after Neil Armstrong stepped into space history on 21 July 1969.

After addressing Earth, the American astronaut set up a package of scientific instruments, including a dust detector designed by an Australian physicist. The data collected by the detector was sent back to ground stations on Earth and recorded on magnetic tapes - copies of which are as rare as the 'misplaced' original video footage of the 1969 touchdown.]


Cool! I'd love to see/hear more about these.

U.S. Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques

quote[The true stories of how American troops, killed in Iraq, actually died keep spilling out this week. On Tuesday, we explored the case of Kenny Stanton, Jr., murdered last month by our allies, the Iraqi police, though the military didn’t make that known at the time. Now we learn that one of the first female soldiers killed in Iraq died by her own hand after objecting to interrogation techniques used on prisoners.

She was Army specialist Alyssa Peterson, 27, a Flagstaff, Az., native serving with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne. Peterson was an Arabic-speaking interrogator assigned to the prison at our air base in troubled Tal-Afar in northwestern Iraq. According to official records, she died on Sept. 15, 2003, from a “non-hostile weapons discharge.”]


This is so sad...