San Francisco Values

I'm a little late to the bandwagon, but go, Kos, go!

Why Does Bush Need All Those Mega Buck Donors For His "Legacy" Library? Why, The Better To Mislead You, My Dear!

A George W. Bush Library? What's it going to house, 100,000 copies of The Pet Goat -- with some Shakespeares and a Camus thrown in for good measure?

This is hilarious.

So why is Bush 43 shooting for half-a-bil? According to an insider, the amount is "so much bigger than anything that's been tried before. But the more you have, the more influence [on history] you can exert."

In other words, it's going to take a hell of a lot of money to try and perform the political alchemy of turning Bush's legacy of tragic failure into something future generations won't need a gas mask and an air sickness bag to study.

Well, THAT'S a given!

So where is the $500 million going to come from?

According to the New York Daily News, Bush fundraisers hope to raise half their goal -- $250 million -- in "megadonations" of $10 million to $20 million from "wealthy heiresses, Arab nations, and captains of industry."

Wealthy heiresses? Somehow I just can't picture Bush putting on an ascot and turning into a Beltway version of The Producers' Max Bialystock, chasing rich old ladies around the Oval Office, trying to romance them out of a seven-figure check. Or maybe the Bush Twins are closer to Paris Hilton and Ivanka Trump than we know.

On the other hand, I get the Arab nations part -- it's a family tradition: the Sultanate of Oman, the King of Morocco, the Emir of Qatar, the Bandar bin Sultan family, the state of Kuwait, and a sheik from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai Port flashback!) all kicked in to help build Poppy Bush's library.

Now it all becomes clear.

Bush 43 may be a lame duck, but he still has two years left in which he can throw open the doors of the White House favor bank. So it's especially troubling that the names of donors to his library don't have to be made public.

That's right, captains of industry, Arab nations, wealthy heiresses, and anyone else with very deep pockets will be able to curry $10 million or $20 million worth of goodwill with the president of the United States -- and no one need know.

Hmmmm.

It would be one thing if Bush waited until he was out of office before hanging a For Sale sign on the Oval Office. But if he insists on going for the gold while he's still president, the least he can do is make sure the public knows who is contributing to his library fund.

Amen.

Testy there, boy

President Bush has pledged to work with the new Democratic majorities in Congress, but he has already gotten off on the wrong foot with Jim Webb, whose surprise victory over Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) tipped the Senate to the Democrats.

Webb, a decorated former Marine officer, hammered Allen and Bush over the unpopular war in Iraq while wearing his son’s old combat boots on the campaign trail. It seems the president may have some lingering resentment.

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.

“Jim did have a conversation with Bush at that dinner,” said Webb’s spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd. “Basically, he asked about Jim’s son, Jim expressed the fact that he wanted to have him home.” Todd did not want to escalate matters by commenting on Bush’s response, saying, “It was a private conversation.”

A White House spokeswoman declined to give Bush’s version of the conversation.

Yup. Sounds just like good ole Bush.

It's A Civil War, Damn It

Today on MSNBC’s Hardball, Washington Post national security reporter Dana Priest explained that her newspaper does not use the phrase “civil war” to describe the current violence in Iraq in part because Iraqi government officials say it is not a civil war.

So, now we can't call a spade a spade, because the spade is in denial? Truth is irrelevant simply because someone ignores it? The press is supposed to investigate and report, but they seemed to have forgotten the investigate part, and simply report what is put in front of them.

On Your Mark ...

I hope everyone who reads my blog had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

I've been under the weather (again - that's three times in three months that I've caught a cold), so there was no blogging. Hopefully, I can get back up to speed by the end of the week.

(cough, cough ---- aaachhuuuu!)

No A-List Here (Looking Under Desk)

What went wrong with this guest list?

Now, the truth is, barely any famous people turned up. And when there is a dearth of the famous, the appearance of the odd A-lister - J-Lo, Will Smith, I suppose "Jimella" Carrey, if we're going to be generous - rather than lifting the spirit of the gathering, actually just rams home how thoroughly it has been rejected by everyone else on the A-list. If there are no A-listers at all, you can pretend it's because you didn't invite any. As soon as Posh Spice is there, this option is now closed to you, and your only option is to pretend that your entire A-list is stuck in traffic. I think the fact that guests left with a £5,000 Armani goodie bag sheds some light on the matter ... there's a cognitive error, here, isn't there? Now, £5k is loads to a normal person, but they didn't want normal people. It's not very impressive at all to a full-blown celeb, which might be why they only got four or five. Better, if those are the kind of numbers you're talking about, to have ginormous leaving presents and give them all a snow leopard.

Ouch!

I'm tripping Brooke Shields actually attended the damn thing. Sheesh.

21 Months For A Cold Blooded Murder

A 21-year-old lance corporal who joined the Marine Corps to "have adventures I could tell about" became the fourth defendant Tuesday to plead guilty to dragging an unarmed Iraqi from his home and executing him as he begged for his life.

Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr. was sentenced to 21 months in the brig after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

This man got a measly 21 months after he murdered a man, for no reason, and who was unarmed and was begging for his life.

I need another drink.

Let's Give A Hand To Bernie Sanders

Mother Jones: What's your first-100-days agenda?

Bernie Sanders: The first thing I want to do is to force reality onto the floor of the Senate so that we can end this stupid discussion about how great the American economy is. The economy is not great. The economy is a disaster for the middle class.

Second, I want to focus on an issue that is almost never talked about on the floor — that is the power of big money. What are the moral implications? What do these people do when they have tremendous amounts of money? They use that money to perpetuate their own wealth and their own power. Every day, Congress works on behalf of big-money interests.

Third, I want to take a look at some of the good things that are being done around the rest of the world that are almost never discussed in the United States. How often is it discussed that the American people work the longest hours of any industrialized country in the world? The two-week paid vacation is almost a thing of the past; meanwhile in Europe you get four to six weeks vacation, and maternity leave with pay. We don't know about these things. I want to take a look around the world and see what workers are receiving, and compare that to the United States — from an educational point of view.

This is good. I'm sick and tired of the right wing spin machine that keeps telling the American public that this economy is just fabulous, baby, fabulous.

I am looking forward to seeing this new congress in action. There is so much work to do. The magnitude of this administration's pillage and plunder of the taxpayer's funds is mind boggling. And the secrecy! It's about time the people's business is before the people, damn it.

Free Speech On Internet Upheld In California

Stephen Barrett v Ilena Rosenthal, S122953, California Supreme Court, San Francisco.

The California Supreme Court said Internet publishers can't be held liable if they post defamatory comments written by others, a victory for online companies like Google Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s America Online Inc.

The court, in a unanimous decision, said those claiming defamation can only sue the original source of the allegedly offending comments, not publishers or distributors, even if the distributor is an individual. Internet users are protected by the same 1996 Communications Decency Act that grants immunity against defamation claims to publishers in most circumstances, the court said, overturning a San Francisco appeals court.

A victory for bloggers.

With Or Without Light Sabres

Last week, two self-proclaimed Jedi Knights appealed to the United Nations to recognize their faith as an official religion and accordingly rename the International Day for Tolerance to Interstellar Day of Tolerance.

The petition from Britons John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law, who call themselves Umada and Yunyun, comes after a 2001 British census recorded 400,000 people who "practice" the Jedi faith.

[snip]

Not that the United Nations proved anymore supportive in response to the Jedis' proposal. "The UN is not in the business of certifying religions," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "With or without light sabers."

Ha ha. That was funny. I'm not one to denigrate religious groups or a religion, but that last line made me laugh.

Noe -- 18 Years

TOLEDO, OHIO-Judge Thomas Osowik told coin dealer and GOP fund raiser Tom Noe that he had "cooked the books" in a premeditated "elaborate scheme before sentencing Noe to serve 18 years in state prison for embezzling more than $2 million from the $50 million investment fund of the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation.

[snip]

Noe could have received as little as 10 years if he had agreed to a plea bargain offered months ago had he admitted to the crimes and saved the state the cost of the prosecution.

Prosecutors offered Noe a deal of 10 years in prison in addition to a full accounting of his theft to be supported by polygraphs, forfeiture of his and his wife's home in the Florida Keys and restitution.

Noe declined the offer.

Mother fucker. Serve the entire term, asshole.

FBI Ordered To Correct Disclosures Regarding Post 9-11 Evacuation Of Saudis

A U.S. district court judge has ordered the FBI to correct disclosures regarding the US government's evacuation of Saudi royals and bin Laden family members after the September 11 attacks in 2001, a conservative, non-partisan group announced today.

"Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to submit 'proper disclosures' to the Court and Judicial Watch by December 15, 2006 concerning the U.S. government's evacuation of Saudi royals and members of the bin Laden family from the United States immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks," the group said in a press release obtained by RAW STORY.

Judicial Watch notes that Judge Roberts criticized "the adequacy of redaction descriptions, the accuracy of the sworn statement submitted with the documents, the validity of exemption claims, and other errors in the FBI’s disclosures.

"The FBI’s 220-page annotated production and accompanying … declaration together do not, as they must, provide sufficient detail or precision about the withheld information … the FBI’s motion or summary judgment will be denied and the FBI will be directed to file disclosures that fairly meet the requirements of [court precedent]," wrote Judge Roberts.

Judge Roberts added that one particular FBI exemption argument "strains credulity."

According to Judicial Watch, US government documents reveal that 160 Saudis flew from the US between September 11 and September 15, 2001.

(A 19-page PDF of the Court's opinion can be read at this link)

That's right. 160 Saudis. It's amazing that in the wake of 9/11, despite the fact that this president did nothing to protect the lives of American citizens, made sure that it got Saudi citizens, including members of the bin Laden family, out of this country before any interrogation or investigation. It's no surprise that we are not interested in capturing Osama.

For a complete list of the fly-outs, check here.

Johnny Carson circa 1972 Featuring John Denver - Rocky Mountain High


Speaking of Johnny Carson, this John Denver clip is tonight's closer.

Steve Allen featuring Louis Jordan in San Fancisco -- Caldadonia


Before Johnny Carson, there was Steve Allen.

Last call for alcohol!

Artie Shaw Night

How can your foot NOT be tapping to these tunes?

4 Touchdowns, Breaks A Jim Brown Record

Tomlinson broke Jim Brown's record for fastest 100 touchdowns, getting 100 in his 89th game.

I've been a Charger fan since 1980, during the Air Coryell days.

The San Diego Chargers of the late 1970s and early ‘80s featured one of the most explosive and exciting offenses that ever set foot on an NFL field. The unit became known as “Air Coryell” because of the passing attack devised by head coach Don Coryell.

Danny Fouts, the best quarterback ever to not play in a Super Bowl. What a shame.

I remember when they changed uniform colors, from the powder blue to the dark blue. I kept adjusting the color, but when I got the field the proper green, the blue was dark. When I got the blue almost right, all the rest of the colors where whack. When the announcer commented, about 15 minutes into the game, that the Chargers had changed their uniform colors ... I almost fell out of my chair! Half an hour of wicked adjustments, for naught!

Then there was the time when I lived in Portland, Oregon, and one Mondy Night Football game between the Chargers and their number one nemises, the Raiders. Unbeknownst to me, the games in Portland started at a different time than the rest of the Pacific Time Zone, so while I was having these telephonic update/bets with my mother in Los Angeles, I was not aware that we were watching the same game, except that I was watching it later than she was.

The Chargers were kicking butt the entire game, and at the third quarter, were up, I don't know, perhaps 21 points or something ridiculous. I remember calling my mom, when the game after the third quarter to gloat, and she was laughing and told me the Raiders won. I was like, what? I didn't believe her, but after I watched the fourth quarter, I was sick to my stomach.

Then of course, there is my favorite game, a playoff game with Miami. The images of Kellen Winslow being helped off the field with two players is seared in my brain.

In a 1982 (1981 season), playoff game against the Miami Dolphins that became known as The Epic In Miami, Winslow caught a playoff record 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also blocking a field goal with seconds remaining to send the game to overtime in one of the greatest single player efforts in Chargers history. What made Winslow's performance all the more memorable was that fact during the game he was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder, dehydration, severe cramps, and received three stitches in his lower lip. After the game, a picture of Winslow being helped off the field by his teamates became an enduring image in NFL Lore.

Rolf Benirschke's 29-yard field ended the game after 13:52 of overtime.

Our Commander And Chief, Afraid To Get Out Of His Limousine

In 2000, tens of thousands of Hanoi’s residents poured into the streets to witness the visit of the first American head of state since the end of the Vietnam War. Mr. Clinton toured the thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, grabbed lunch at a noodle shop, argued with Communist Party leaders about American imperialism and sifted the earth for the remains of a missing airman.

On Saturday, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, conceded that the president had not come into direct contact with ordinary Vietnamese, but said that they connected anyway.

“If you’d been part of the president’s motorcade as we’ve shuttled back and forth,” he said, reporters would have seen that “the president has been doing a lot of waving and getting a lot of waving and smiles.”

Ha ha ha. A lot of waving and getting a lot of waving and smiles. THIS is OUR president? So afraid to even get out of his car and come into contact with one measly person?

Is there any more proof the American people need to confirm that this man is completely out of touch with ordinary people? He's a stick figure, period.

Brecker Brothers - skunk funk

I've been going through my YouTube files, and man, I've got a lot of them.

This is one of the top jazz fusion groups, among my favorites.

Props to any musician that has the chops to play this.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

War is hell
When will it end
When will people start to get together again.

This song is just as appropriate now as it was back then.

What's going on?

Dead Kennedys: Too Drunk To Fuck - Finland 1981

Sorry, I've never been too drunk to fuck!

The Clash - Rock The Casbah

Dedicated to my new regular, Trollboy!

"Mr. Leavitt Finds It Too Difficult To 'Develop A Plan That Would Satisfy The Needs Of A Broad Range Of Consumers"

(Peripheral gripe: This "consumer" labeling business bugs me. These are taxpaying citizens who have supported the medical care of previous generations and now it's their turn. I don't consider myself a "consumer" of this country's highways or IRS services even though I use them and the term may be technically correct. I know it doesn't fit the current fa-la-la paradigm from the CEO president, but there is more depth to both the responsibilities and benefits of citizenship than can be reduced to "producing" or "consuming," and frankly I can't wait until the executive branch is staffed by people who understand the distinctions between consumership and citizenship.)

Good take. Read the rest of the post here.

Now Is The Time To Step Up And Force Real Dialogue

ALERT! ALERT!

THIS IS MY 1,000 POST!

What is indisputably clear is that our current course is totally unsustainable. That's just reality. It isn't that things have progressed too slowly in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's that the situation has deteriorated in both countries, to the point where Al Qaeda now has not one but two countries (not counting a nuclear-armed Pakistan) in which it is more or less free to operate. And the stronger they get, the more of our resources are needed to keep up. Yet we don't have the resources needed and aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get them. But we pretend that's not the case by insisting on our divine entitlement to magical victory and depicting those who claim otherwise as people who hate the troops and don't want to win.

Incremental changes and some mild limits on this administration are nice and welcomed. But the damage done to the United States by this administration over the last six years is truly severe. It's fundamental damage, and it requires much, much more than some tinkering around the edges. We need a debate and re-examination of the core premises of our foreign policy and our role in the world. That, in turn, requires a willingness to call into question the most sacred orthodoxies, which, in turn, requires real political leaders with the courage, credibility and skills to do that. Does anyone see any of those?

What is the morning without a little Greenwald with your coffee?

Aside from the fact that this happens to be my 1,000 post (yippee), once again Mr. Greenwald nails it.

"Does anyone see any of those?" Not really, I'm sorry to say. But, if this recent election is indicative of the changing winds, there is hope where none used to be. The fact that Washington (both parties) keeps spinning this Democratic party victory as the voice of the conservative American finally speaking, is proof positive that real dialogue is still a figment.

Ask that question again in six months when, perhaps, someone (or more than one) actually steps up to the plate.

The Miracles - Come On Do The Jerk



Closing time.. come on, everybody.

DO THE JERK!

Check out those moves.

The Reflections - Just Like Romeo & Juliet


Ah, the "go go" girls!

Right Smack Dab ...

Right now I'm speculating...

Great hair, eh?

Last call for alcohol.

Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose A Good Thing


I was probably all of 15 at the time, but I ordered some record off the television, because of this song. I never had a clue she played the guitar on the song.

The Temptations - Beauty's Only Skin Deep


I'm on a roll, tonight. Dig those pants!

I'm pouring free shots for those that were "there."

Major Lance - The Monkey Time


Dancing over to the tip jar (cool, lots of tips tonight). Do the Monkey, yeah! Let your backbone slip! Move your feet.

Are you ready???

Los Lobos - Will The Wolf Survive??


One of my all-time fave bands, circa the 1980's. I've seen them a number of times, the most recent opening for Santana at the Greek Theater in the late '90's.

I saw them often as they opened for The Blasters (The Hardest Working Band In L.A.)

KFC, Seriously Super Sized!

Ok, so this is pretty wierd. This is an actual image taken from satellite. Someone get me a 10-piece bucket of KFC, extra gravy, please!

Hat tip to Preemptive Karma.

Assassination Attempt On Iraqi Vice President Fails

Guerrillas attempted to assassinate Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul Mahdi on Monday, but only succeeded in killing two of his bodyguards. The gunmen attacked the vice presidential convoy. Abdul Mahdi was narrowly defeated for the position of prime minister last spring, and is a prominent member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). That group has taken a controversial position in advocating the establishment of a single Shiite superprovince in the south of the country.

I haven't heard much about his assassination attempt elsewhere.

It's Just A Flesh Wound

It's like watching a patient who has lost limbs and organs due to a surgeon's gross malpractice continue to return to that same surgeon for the next operation, while scoffing at the doctors who warned of the dangers.

Wow. What a way with words. Sigh. Daily reading, for sure.

Just to add my two cents worth, with respect to the question and answer Greenwald brings up of why, when "we had ample opportunity to adjust, change course, alter our objectives, or leave" we didn't. He states the "reason we didn't is because the country was continuously lied to by the most morally depraved people one can fathom, who were so afraid of admitting error regarding the wisdom of the invasion that they kept insisting to Americans that things were going great and that everything would be fixed very soon."

Let's not forget that finding WMD and removing a brutal dictator were merely the candles on the cake for the American public to blow out. The main reason we invaded Iraq was to set up those permanent bases and to take control of the oil. There was no plan after the invasion because the buttheads that ran the program believed everyone, including the Iraqis, would just wet their pants at the opportunity to privatize Iraqi resources, and sell them off to the highest bidder! And that is why there still is no plan to leave. As Bush has indicated, no one's leaving during his term in office.

The Long Arm Of The Illegal U.S. Entrapment Schemes

The case has provoked a huge row because the agents used tactics banned in Britain. In addition, the offence of which he is accused would not be a crime in this country. If British police officers had employed this type of sting, the ensuing case would almost certainly be thrown out of court.

Bush Administration using banned tactics to entrap a subject residing in England, of an offense that is not illegal in England, for the sole purpose of being able to extradite the subject to the U.S. for prosecution. Nice going. I can feel the slap already.

"It is hard to overstate how ignorant and wrong Beltway pundits are about everything..."

It is hard to overstate how ignorant and wrong Beltway pundits are about everything, and how barren and corrupt inside-Washington conventional wisdom is.

[snip]

That's because they believe in nothing. They have no passion about anything. And they thus assume that everyone else suffers from the same emptiness of character and ossified cynicism that plagues them. And all of their punditry and analysis and political strategizing flows from this corrupt root.

[snip]

All of that combines to produce a worldview that is as inaccurate as it is bereft of integrity and principle. The excitement over new politicians like Jim Webb and Jon Tester -- and the passion inspired by Russ Feingold and even Howard Dean -- has nothing to do with long-standing and increasingly obsolete liberal/conservative stereotypes (the only prism through which the media can analyze the election results, which is why they are so confused). Instead, the excitement is due to a widespread hunger for people who are outside of and immune to the entire, soul-less Beltway machinery -- a system which, in every aspect, is broken and empty at its core.

Where to begin? Read the whole thing.

From Spain to Sweden

How's this for a coincidence: Within an hour of each other, someone in Madrid, Span and someone in Sweden check my blog, with the search words "Warren Wiebe."

Honoring Our Veterans

Today Is Your Birthday

Shout out to my buddy, DJ Rix. It's his birthday today.

Cheers.

RIP Jack

Although I would love to post a video of Jack doing his famous one-arm push-up at the Oscars (which I cannot find on YouTube), this is actually how most of us from "that" generation, saw Jack, movie-wise.

More Increases To Gasoline Price

Yup, another surge upward in the price of gas. Three days after the election, and the price here locally has risen 10 cents already. Like I posted earlier, below, I'm sure we will see the dollar decrease that preceded the election, tacked back on. Probably before the end of the year.

Senator Chris Dodd's ResponseTo The Bolton Nomination (And It's A Doozy)

The President has indicated that he understands the significance of Tuesday’s election and the need to work in a bipartisan fashion to move our nation forward. But trying to jam this nomination through during a lame duck session may indicate that the President didn’t fully hear the voice of the American public – and that is troubling. Our nation needs someone who can represent change at the United Nations, who understands the importance of a strong and muscular diplomacy, and who can garner United States allies in the war on terror. To that end, the President should immediately rethink this nomination. But if he doesn’t, I intend to make every effort to ensure that this nomination doesn’t get approved.

This is from Senator Chris Dodd, in response to President Bush's renomination of Bolton as United States' Ambassador to the United Nations. Bipartisn, my ass. My favorite line is the part that accuses the President of not fully hearing the American public. Well, duh.

Bush is still going to lie right to the American public's face. He doesn't know how to do anything else. It's just that no one ever called him on it before, and now it is a little bit strange for him to be out of synch so much. Before, he had all the little ducks lined up in a row, but now, there's not much for him to hide behind.

November 7, 2006 was just the first step. We all know that. As most of the blogosphere has written, the netroots have to make sure it's not "business as usual" in Washington come January 2007. It's interesting how K-Street has suddenly gone bipartisan! And I don't mean that in a flattering way.

The television, Republican, right-wing meme that November 7, 2006 showed that Americans are just center of right is bullshit. The Democratic party was successful this election because of progressives in all strata of this country, putting their eggs in this party's basket, and hoping that by giving the big D party the majority, the brakes can be applied by Congress on this Administration's destruction of the American way of life.

jackson five stop the love you save

I'm the one that loves you!

This brings back memories. Drawback of celebration.

Still, who wasn't influenced by Michael??????? Admit it.

cher medley with the osmonds


Ok, I need sunglasses to watch this video. Still, as I'm clinking my glass and cheering the changes of November 7, 2006, this video resonates.

Don't Look Now, But Gas Prices Went Up Right After The Election

Hmmmmm. Now that the oil companies don't have to give Bush and the Republicans cover, they immediately hiked the price of gas up one day after the election. Watch as the price now creeps back up the $1.00 it has dropped the couple of months before the election. Perhaps, we will even see it back to $3.00 a gallon before the year is over.

For background, view my post(s) entitled "Take A Bus, It's Cheaper."

Tonight, Let's Guzzle Liberally!

Join me at the bar "guzzling liberally!"

I saw this on a blog earlier. Can't remember which one, though, my bad!

A Big High Five To The Leader, Howard Dean

No matter what the final verdict is, Howard Dean has arrived. His 50-state strategy WORKED. That plan let traditionally non-Democratic states become keenly aware that we were there and we were ready to serve.

While Karl Rove hatched schemes that showed how well the Republicans can cheat, Dean did the opposite by simply working the party's ass off to show we're serious about change. The Democrats won. End of story.

Exactly. Without Dean, the netroots would most likely have barked up empty trees. The ability of Dean to stay the course with respect to his 50-state plan, and the ability of the netroots to take that beginning and run with it, was key to the success of last night.

I read Rahm's comment about not letting the so called liberal wing of the party dominate the agenda. What a turd that man is. Hopefully, the next step the Democratic party takes is to get rid of that guy.

H/T to Hoff.

Gina G - Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit


Take it slow, don't let it go!

Bar is open.

Madame Speaker

I like the sound of that.

Well, there's a celebration in the House! Of course, I'm not happy about Lieberman, but that's another post.

Icing The Bottle

I'm putting the bottle on ice, and hoping I'll have something to celebrate tomorrow night.

Tribute To Those That Can Uncross Their Legs

Ha ha. I'm closing the bar with this video. God, I miss live television! Today's FCC would have already fined him zillions.

I loved Red. My aunt used to be one of the principal dancers on his television show for a number of years.

People always associate him with being the squeeky clean guy, mostly because of his poignant rendition of the Pledge of Alegience. However, this video shows you that he could play in the gutter with the best of them.

"A 30 million strong evangelical group! Holy fucking shit!!"

(And right around now, if you haven't been following the American theocracy movement closely, you should be saying to yourself: "A 30 million strong evangelical group! Holy fucking shit!!")

Ha ha. That one almost got by me tonight!

The Chairman Of The Board

A lady doesn't leave her escort. It's not fair, and it's not nice. A lady doesn't wander all over the room and then blow on some other guy's dice.
Stick with me baby, I'm the guy you came in with.

Gotta love the lyrics.



This would be when he was becoming the "bobby soxer" heart throb.

My dad played trombone in Jimmy Dorsey's (Tommy's brother) band.

I'm a brass sort of broad.

Anti-Flag

I LOVE THESE GUYS!

Can't believe I didn't think of YouTubing them earlier.

At some point, perhaps I can find "fuck the flag" by Anti-Flag. Seriously, though, for those that like the Ramones, Green Day genre of rock, Anti-Flag is right up your alley.

"We're Not Running For Office. We're Doing What We Think Is Right"

"It may not be popular with the public — it doesn't matter in the sense that we have to continue the mission and do what we think is right. And that's exactly what we're doing," Cheney said. "We're not running for office. We're doing what we think is right."

There you have it, straight from the Vice President's mouth. It simply does not matter what the majority of the American people want ... he and Bush are not running for office. They intend to just do whatever they feel is right. To hell with the rest of America.

He also said "voter sentiment would not influence Bush's Iraq policy." Yup. Can you feel that slap across the face yet, America?

He said it.

Will A Majority Of Americans Finally Speak To Bush On November 7?

This illustrates what has become a huge (and self-perpetuating)problem for Bush followers -- how do you continue to use the old reliable demonization tactics against Bush critics and war critics when the vast majority of Americans now fall into those categories?

My sentiments, as well.

I have a difficult time picking which emotion I wish to have about this upcoming election. I want to be joyous and excited about the fact that approximately 70% of Americans disagree with this administration in many ways. I don't want to get my expectations up, though, as long as there still is a Rove, and Diebold, and the Republican party's ability to manipulate voting results. I am sorry, but I am totally one of those that has firmly believed in the rigging of the elections since 2000, and I see nothing that has changed my mind about the voting machines and the people that deal with them on the inside, or that they aren't still attempting to swing this election.

Although, it won't be as easy given the fact that this is not a national election where it is possible to switch a few thousand votes here and there in key delegate states. This manipulation would have to entail a larger framework, one that is subject to individual participation breakdowns. Meaning, the solidarity of the silence is compromised given the fact that many voting areas would have to be manipulated in many cities in many states. This is not as likely as being able to manipulate a national election by tilting key states' totals here and there, to pass the margin of error red marker. Just remember how many key exit polls were off the mark for the first time ever in 2004. It's just those few thousand votes, baby.

Anyway, back to the present. As Greenwald succinctly puts it, don't fall into that overly pessimistic mindset.

I already went down that road in 2004, when I swear on election day, I was fully believing that Kerry was going to win. I fully believe the Democrats will take the majority in the House, but I cannot promise that the Rove and Diebold connection won't snatch that victory from us. And, given the fact that very few politicians or any representatives of the general public, have actually contested the past two presidential elections, I am not confident there will be sufficient outrage over any obvious manipulation of an election to spark even a page 32 mention in any major newspaper.

Still, I will party hard next Wednesday if a miracle happens and our country is taken back by the people.

Control The Oil Before They Control The Oil

"Give me a second here, Rush, because I want to share something with you," Bush said. "I am deeply concerned about a country, the United States, leaving the Middle East."

Bush said that he was "worried that rival forms of extremists will battle for power, obviously creating incredible damage if they do so; that they will topple modern governments, that they will be in a position to use oil as a tool to blackmail the West."

"People say, 'What do you mean by that?'" The president continued. "I say, 'If they control oil resources, then they pull oil off the market in order to run the price up, and they will do so unless we abandon Israel, for example, or unless we abandon allies.'"

"You couple that with a country that doesn't like us with a nuclear weapon, and people will look back at this moment and say, 'What happened to those people in 2006?' and those are the stakes in this war we face," Bush said.

Well, there you have it. The Bush Administration’s dip into the new meme about Iraq – that we can never leave there because then bad guys will take over and control the OIL. Finally, the word OIL is being introduced, and it is in direct connection with the word Iraq, and is now being offered as one of the many changing reasons why we have to “stay the course.” This sets up the introduction of the permanent bases that this government has been building, but has been denying they are building, but that everyone connected actually knows are in the process of being built. It has ALWAYS AND FOREVER been about the oil. It was never about WMD, never about deposing a tyrannical dictator, and it most certainly is not about fighting terrorists there so we don’t have to fight them here. It’s about the oil. This government wishes to control the oil in Iraq, and so they basically set out to topple an existing government so that they could “free” Iraqis of their oil. Let’s not forget the months leading up to the war in Iraq that this country was holding business meetings selling off all kinds of Iraqi assets to oil and big business interests. The only thing that prevented all the proposed takeover of Iraq was this government’s miscalculation of Iraqis’ desire to be UNOCCUPIED. History with England should have been a tell tale sign, especially since the British were our supposed allies in this venture.

Watch now. This new need for us to control the oil before they control the oil will be the beginning of redefining the war, and the slow introduction of the “need” for permanent bases in order for us to be able to pull out of Iraq and not risk total domination and control by OIL extremists.