Der Parson's rant

Oh that wacky George is at again. Butchering the innocent English language. Maybe they should hire a actor to play the president? oh wait we already went through that in the '80s

Bushism of the Day - By Jacob Weisberg - Slate Magazine: "Bushism of the Day By Jacob Weisberg Posted Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, at 2:39 PM ET
'I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it.'—Crawford, Texas, Nov. 10, 2007"

Click here to see video of Bush's comments. The Bushism is at 27:17.

Bush vetoes health-labor bill - Yahoo! News

Bush vetoes health-labor bill - Yahoo! News: "Bush vetoes health-labor bill By Caren Bohan 35 minutes ago NEW ALBANY, Indiana (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday vetoed a measure to fund education, job training and health programs, marking the sixth veto of his presidency and the latest salvo in a fight with congressional Democrats over domestic spending."

Once again Bush demonstrates his willingness to keep the Iraq war going and going and going. When it comes to spending money on things we really need like education, job training and health, he whips out that veto pen. Then of course all the republicans and libertarian types hail him as some kind of hero.

"I understand some of them in Congress didn't agree with my decision, that's fine," he said. "But whatever their position on the war is we should be able to agree that our troops deserve the full support of those of us in Washington D.C."

What about the rest of America you jackass? Don't we deserve some support? I am getting tired of these right wingnuts that cry about how the troops are fighting for our freedom. They are fighting in Iraq. Iraq didn't invade us or have us under control. Iraq was never a threat to our freedom. Iraq was just used as threat for Emperor Bush and Darth Chaney, and their domestic spying and bypassing the constitution every chance they can.

I don't know if anyone seen this story run in the NY times about Hillary's waitress tipping ordeal.

I could care less about the tipping, I've forgotten to tip once or twice in my life. (I never forgot to tip a stripper, but that's another story).
Here is part of what the waitress had to say, (from the NY times story).

Ms. Esterday said she did not understand what all the commotion was about.
“You people are really nuts,” she told a reporter during a phone interview. “There’s kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now — there’s better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn’t get a tip.”

I thought this was interesting though,

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign on Thursday introduced a Web site dedicated exclusively to the instantaneous rebuttal of charges or news reports it deems offensive or wrong.

The web site is "The Fact Hub". Don't go there looking for a unbiased view of Hillary. If the top banner doesn't give it away "The Fact Hub : The Straight Scoop On Election '08 From The Hillary Clinton Campaign", at the bottom of the page it says "Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President". A few entries I read through didn't really seem to shed any light on things. It looked like more spin to me.
Here is there rebuttal for the tipping story, the NY times story seems to have a little different version.

I think I have to give someone credit though, this is a great idea. If your running a campaign in these days for blogs and Youtube video, you need to have a place to answer your critics or get the spin out after your caught tapping your foot in a airport restroom. I think some local Fort Wayne politician's could have used such a site. Especially with some of the blowhards (on the left and right) around our local scene, sometimes the guy defending you does more damage then the attack would have. At least this way you or "your people" have control of the spin. On the The Fact Hub they have a rebuttal to something Obama said about Hillary not having a plan for Social Security. The rebuttal the quotes and such they have try to spin it as her having a answer, but the way I read it, Obama was right, she does the ol' tap dance around the issue, but never gives a direct answer. I guess at least they are seeing the threat and trying to get a spin out there, hopefully people can make up their own mind. I would say if you going to "The Fact Hub : the straight scoop on election '08 from The Hillary Clinton campaign", your already sailing on the HMS Hillary in the kool-aid seas. On "The Fact Hub" they have a link to another site called "HillaryHub.com", it's just a list of links to news stories blogs about Hillary, another pretty good idea. Both sites have RSS feeds, so if your running a "I love Hillary" blog you can get the kool-aid hooked right up to your veins.

If you really want to do some fact checking, I found these websites, FactCheck.org (added their RSS feed to the right side under the WP Issue tracker). They are nonpartisan and nonprofit, and seem to be credible source to check up what the candidates are saying, they also run FactCheckED.org it is aimed at high school students, sort of a answer to Wikipedia and the possibilities incorrect or just plain false information.
This site, PolitiFact seems ok, but looks likes it's part of a newspaper's website so may not be completly "fair and balanced". Same as the Washington Post Issue Tracker on the right side, it might lean a little.

Comcast.net Entertainment - Winona Ryder Goes Trekking

STAR TREK GEEK WARNING!

I'm sorry, but this movie is going to SUCK and suck hard. They are just beating a dead horse, if they had any respect for Gene Rodneberry they would just let Star Trek go, let the fans imaginations run wild with how things started and end. Star Trek "jumped the shark" a long time ago, sometime during Deep Space 9. Then Voyager just made things worse, Enterprise wasn't as bad as Voyager, but it wasn't that great either. At least they could do is put money into the actual story and writing for a movie, not put all the money into special effects. Give us a actual story, hire some good writers. I hear there a bunch out of work and might need some money. This is just crap, making Spock's mother a Vulcan! Anyone that ever watched any Star Trek would know Spock's mother was human. She was even in a episode of the original TV show. I could care less about Winona Ryder, I'm sure she would be good in the role playing a human or Vulcan. (If you want to see a twisted movie watch A Scanner Darkly with Winona. It really messes with your mind)

Just like the whole Star Wars episodes I,II, III. The only half decent movie was episode III, and only because it paralleled our own screwed up government. We were better off left to our imaginations on how Anikin became evil and all that.

ALL I WANT FROM HOLLYWOOD IS TO STOP SCREWING WITH MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES!

Gina Serpe, eonline
Fri Nov 9, 9:24 AM EST
For Winona Ryder, it's a fine line between pixie-like and Vulcanesque.

The actress has become the latest boldface name attached to J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated reboot of the Star Trek franchise, signing on to star as mother to a young Spock.

It will be Ryder's biggest studio film since 2002, when the two-time Oscar nominee costarred in Mr. Deeds with Adam Sandler and S1m0ne with Al Pacino. Ryder laid low for several years following her shoplifting arrest and has only appeared in a handful of mostly independent films, most notably in Richard Linklater's 2006 rotoscope-animated feature, A Scanner Darkly.??

Variety reports the erstwhile Heathers star will play the Vulcan mother of the Starfleet logician,?? sending Trekkers into a tizzy. Abrams is messing with a key element of the Star Trek canon: In all previous installments of the franchise, Spock's mother was human, not Vulcan (the pointy ears come courtesy of his father's side of the family).

As conceived by Trek mastermind Gene Rodenberry, Spock's mother was Amanda Grayson, a teacher who met and married Sarek, the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. The two later decamped?? to planet Vulcan. Spock's maternal unit was first introduced in a 1967 episode of the original series and portrayed by actress Jane Wyatt. Wyatt reprised the role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

The 36-year-old Ryder will mother Heroes' Zachary Quinto, an actor just six years her junior. It's unclear whether movie makeup magic will make up the age difference or whether Ryder's character will only appear in flashback. Original Spock Leonard Nimoy is also slated to appear in a cameo role, though it's unclear in what capacity.

No official details have been released about the film's plot, other than it will revolve around the Starship Enterprise crew's first mission together.

Ryder's addition signals the end of casting. In recent weeks, Abrams beamed up Chris Pine (Kirk), Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy), Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Anton Yelchin (Chekov) and Eric Bana (the nefarious Nero) to the film.

Shooting is scheduled to begin on the film this month and is expected to last through March 2008. The film is slated for a Christmas 2008 release.

?? 2007 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved., http://www.eonline.com/about/copyright/index.jsp

Senate overrides Bush water projects veto - Politics - MSNBC.com

WASHINGTON - President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects.

Wow, it's almost shocking that Congress and Senate finally stood up to the tyrant and chief.

The bill funds hundreds of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as dams, sewage plants and beach restoration, that are important to local communities and their representatives. It also includes money for the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast and for Florida Everglades restoration efforts.

"his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects", Bush is pretty much clueless to what goes on outside of the oval office.

The Senate vote was 79-14 to pass the bill. The House voted 361-54 to override the veto Tuesday. Both votes easily exceeded the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to negate a presidential veto.

Do you think he will get the hint that he was horribly wrong? I would bet not. With so many Republicans turning against him he will probably be sending Darth Chaney and the waterboard crew to visit. I can almost hear Chaney saying "you have failed me for the last time, Senator"

The bill among other things would authorize the construction of navigation improvements for the Upper Mississippi River, at an estimated federal cost of $1.9 billion, and an ecosystem restoration project for the Upper Mississippi costing $1.7 billion.

The Indian River Lagoon project in the Florida Everglades would be funded at about $700 million.

The bill calls for an independent peer review process of all Army Corps projects costing $45 million or more, a bid to cut down on wasteful spending.

To me that all looks like good things. The type of thing any president should support. He has his head so far up his ass and just wants to spend all our money in wars or spying on his own citizens. With global warming this water bill is needed more then ever. We see what happens when a flood happens (FEMA sits on their ass), so we need to spend more on prevention. Hasn't Bush ever heard the saying a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?

Ron Paul Raises More Than $4 Million in One Day - New York Times:

"Ron Paul Raises More Than $4 Million in One Day
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: November 6, 2007 Historians and British schoolchildren remember Guy Fawkes as the Roman Catholic, anti-Protestant rebel who on Nov. 5, 1605, tried to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament. Supporters of the Republican primary campaign of the libertarian Representative Ron Paul may remember Fawkes as a wildly successful fund-raising gimmick."

I found this pretty interesting, good ol' Ron Paul. Wouldn't it be great if someone like this could actually become President. I think it will be really hard for Ron to get the actual Republican nomination. I have a feeling the GOP good ol' boys are going to be backing that idiot rotten Rudy. I have noticed a Ron Paul yard sign in front of a house on my way to work, I have ment to get a picture of it, but there is usually someone behind me or such, so I don't want to be stopping traffic just so I can play with my cell phone.

I got up nice and early about 6am. and drove down the street to the polling place. They opened at 6 so there really wasn't anyone there. I was able to walk right in show my ID and sign some book. Go to a electronic voting machine and push the buttons for Henry and Goldner, I even voted for a libertarian for At Large. This was the first time I ever voted. I don't know why but it felt pretty good. I never really paid much attention to politics as I have this year especially locally. I can't wait till next year when (if Georgie W. allows it) there will be presidential elections. I need to get my self in the habit of sleeping more at night so I can get more involved with volunteering the next time around.

I noticed something kind of funny outside the polls there were lots of political signs, but none for Republican golden boy Matt Kelty. The kool-aid must not have been made early enough for them to get some people out to put up signs.

I went downtown to the Court house green for the Henry for Mayor rally. Senator Evan Bayh came in from Washington to support Mr. Henry.
These videos aren't very good (done with the cell phone camera)
Here is Tom Henry rallying the troops

Here is Senator Bayh talking about Tom's character


Robert from Left of Centrist has a better quality video, it shows pretty much the whole rally.

Here are some still photos.
Senator Bayh speaking

Here are Mr. and Mrs. Henry

Here is Tom Henry talking to local blogger John Good of Left in Aboite kids

Here is one of Bayh and Tom Henry, some how another local blogger Rober Rouse from Left of Centrist got in there.

Here is another picture of Senator Bayh with Mike Montagano who is running for Congress.


I thought it was a good rally, I think there was a pretty good turn out. We had great weather and the speakers really got everyone charged up. We have to get out and vote Nov. 6, don't sit home just thinking your guy will win, you have to vote to make sure that will happen.

That's right boys and girls, it's my favorite time of the year. The time when all us good Hoosier boys and girls have to set the clocks BACK one hour. It's called Daylight savings time! I don't think even local super hero Matt Kelty can save you from be drug kicking and screaming into Daylight savings time. Welcome to the 20th century Indiana, hope you enjoy the stay. So don't forget to turn those clocks back when you go to bed Saturday night.



Wait! does this mean I'm going to loose a hour at the bar Saturday / Sunday morning?

Bill Maher hits the nail on the head again. Here is post from Hffington Post about how even "No Child Left Behind" makes money for Bush's corprate buddies.

Bill Maher: No Crony Left Behind - Politics on The Huffington Post

New Rule: In the next fifteen months, President Bush has to perform at least one act that doesn't make money for someone he knows.

Take "No Child Left Behind." At first it just looked like gentle empty bullshit, a way to neutralize the Democrats edge with voters on education issues. What did it even mean? And how could you be against it? Education. It was a perfect cause that would honor the legacy of any president...'s wife. Which made it even more perfect for pre-9/11 Bush. And who could it hurt? No one. It made Lady Bird Johnson's wild-flowers-by-the-highways project look like the fucking Marshall Plan.

Except, like all Bush ideas, there was more to it. To meet the requirements of "No Child Left Behind" America's public schools have ordered more than eleven million standardized tests in the last two years. (New York State alone ordered 1.7 million.) The cost of the tests -- and the testing industry, including test prep -- now exceeds two billion dollars a year. And 90% of the industry is controlled by five corporations. And the largest of them is McGraw-Hill. And the McGraw family just happens to go back 80 years with the Bushes.

Another beneficiary of No Child Left Behind? Neil Bush's educational software company. The one funded by the United Arab Emirates. The one Barbara Bush said the Katrina victims had to spend her donation on.

Which is, of course, all blood under the bridge. But when Bush does anything, there's always some profit motive behind it. Nothing is free but the hookers. So it wasn't surprising that he announced his post war plans were to replenish the coffers with speeches. But before that, he has to do one purely altruistic thing. Just one.

Here is a video found on Youtube about our local boy running for mayor. Some pretty funny slogans!

I got this in e-mail the other day from Evan Bayh about the Burma letter I wrote a month or so ago. It's a pretty good letter I guess, someone did take a little time to write this and give some more information on sanctions against the Myanmar junta. I appreciate them taking a few minutes to respond.

Dear Mr. Parson :

Thank you for contacting me regarding the situation in Burma . I appreciate your thoughts and concerns on this important issue.

As you may know, protests against the Burmese military government, or junta, began anew in late August 2007. By September, the protests grew to an estimated 100,000 persons led by monks. Responding with military force, the junta conducted mass arrests, surrounded Buddhist monasteries, and killed an unknown number of protestors before successfully suppressing the protests late in the month. In response, President Bush tightened sanctions against Burma to target leading Burmese officials, and imposed financial and travel sanctions on 14 senior Burmese government officials.

I support the additional sanctions placed on the junta in Rangoon . Regrettably, too few Asian nations are prepared to isolate the military rulers of Burma . Burma is blessed with natural resources and Burma 's neighbors are putting access to these resources ahead of human rights.

The Burmese people deserve a government that reflects their aspirations and needs. To that end, it is imperative that the international community, including China , join together in opposition to the junta's behavior and abuse of human rights. Individuals, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs should have the freedom to speak their mind and live their lives as they see fit. As a democratic country forged in a revolution against tyranny we have an understandable inclination to support such rights in foreign lands, such as Burma . We must encourage these nations to increase the freedoms granted to their citizens and support more open and democratic societies.

As a proud member of the Senate Armed Services and Senate Intelligence Committees, rest assured that I remain focused on Burma 's conduct and will keep your thoughts in mind when the Senate considers legislation affecting this important issue.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided is helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov , can provide additional details about legislation and state projects, and you can also sign up to receive my monthly e - newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin , by clicking on the link at the top of my homepage. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues that are important to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
(202) 224-5623
Russell 463
Washington, D.C. 20510

Comcast.net News - Immunity Deal Hampers Blackwater Inquiry

Top News
Immunity Deal Hampers Blackwater Inquiry
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, AP
13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immuntiy from prosecution in its invtestigation of last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians.

I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I really hope the Iraqi government get's wind of this and raises some form of protest.

Here is a look into the future of Fort Wayne, IF Matt Kelty get's elected mayor.

WATCH AND WEEP!!!!



I hope everyone is ready to party like it's 1699! We will all be living in a Amish paradise if Kelty gets elected. Everything plain and status quo.

"Terrorist Buster" Logo — Central Intelligence Agency

Please!!! someone tell me the CIA website was hacked and they put this up as a joke. That or the CIA has a sense of humor we didn't know about. Maybe they hope the terrorist will die laughing. I am actually surprised they didn't put a turban on the little terrorist guy and end up getting sued.

H/T: Divine Democrat

In Myanmar, Fear Is a Constant Companion - New York Times

Here is bit of a update from how things are in Burma, it's heartbreaking to read this, It's hard to put into word the frustration and helplessness. This is just one clip from the article, there is so many other horrible things going on there.

By perpetrating what most Burmese felt was unthinkable — the beating and killing of monks — the ruling generals proved that they would stop at nothing to keep their grip on power. People were again cowed into subjugation. Now dissidents worry that the world, after its initial uproar, will again leave the Burmese people to cope with the junta on their own.

“We want to explode our feelings, but if we do, who will help us?” said a 58-year-old businessman who, like many, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “The U.N.? The U.S.? China? They all said they would help us. But all they did was blah, blah, blah.”

Sorry there haven't been much in the way of new post. I've been keeping up on the news but haven't had time to post stuff. They have us working extra our at the ol' salt mine. We just took over some new projects from another place that went bankrupt. Lots of overtime working Saturday and Sunday. (yay double time pay). I haven't had much time to get to other blogs as much.

Do make sure you check out the new and improved Blog World Report from Left of Centrist. It's a bit like Slate's "Today's Blog" feature but better. Maybe we can petition Robert to do a RSS feed so the feed could be added to the blogs.

"We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or Ping-Pong than they do today, with their torture."
-- Henry Kolm, 90, part of a U.S. intelligence team that interrogated Nazis POWs during WWII

What? you can catch more bees with honey then you can with vinegar? I can't believe it. Does Georgy W. know about this? (Probably not he doesn't know much about anything else)

If you remember a while back I posted about writing a letter to congress and senate.

I got a letter back today from Senator Lugar. It's kind of long to re-type. It's actually a real letter. Not just one sentence about my original letter then some canned political response. It talks about sanctions and such. It talks about getting India, Russia, Japan, and China involved. There is also information were you can go on the senate web site for information.

Here is one paragraph from the letter

"I continue to be particularly concerned with the on-going imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi. I am co-sponsor of a resolution recognizing her achievments in the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma. On March 29, 2006, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, of which I was then chairman, held a hearing on U.S.-Burma relations. You may wish to read more about this hearing at http://foreign.senate.gov/"

(If you click the U.S.-Burma Relations link at the top you can watch a video of the hearings, it doesn't actually start until like 15min. into the video.)

The letter makes me feel he really does care (maybe I'm easily fooled?). I wouldn't say this letter would guarantee me to vote for him again, but he gets brownie points for trying.

I got this from a local bar last night. We don't want this guy to stay on city council. No telling what he will want to ban next to "proctect us".

Mom charged with buying guns for son - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

MSNBC and NBC News
Updated: 10:58 a.m. ET Oct 12, 2007

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - The mother of a 14-year-old who authorities say had a cache of guns, knives and explosive devices in his bedroom for a possible school attack was charged Friday with buying her son three weapons.

Michele Cossey bought her home-schooled son, Dillon, a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle, authorities said. The teenager felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for the possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in suburban Philadelphia, authorities said.

It seems the competition for Mother of the year is going to be tight for 2007. Between this nut buying sweet little Dillon several guns, Britney Spears and her on going train wreak of a life and Fort Wayne's own Mrs. Wooten.

Turkey recalls ambassador to U.S. over Armenians - Yahoo! News

"The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved on Wednesday a resolution branding the killings during World War One as genocide."

The non-binding resolution now goes to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Democratic leaders say there will be a vote by mid-November.

Why is this a issue for The House of Representatives to vote on? Don't they have better things they should be doing, like children's health car or ending a current war? I wonder what is next, a resolution against the Greeks for sacking Troy? The Romans for taking over most of Europe? Tax dollars at work I suppose.

The issue of the Armenian massacres is deeply sensitive in Turkey, where it is a crime to portray them as "genocide."

Apparently they think they can force other countries to follow this ridiculous law.

The United States relies heavily on Turkish bases to supply its war effort in Iraq. Any Turkish offensive into northern Iraq would seriously strain ties with Washington and possibly hurt Turkey's bid for European Union membership.

Ankara will lobby Congress to prevent the bill from being approved and Erdogan is due to travel to Washington in early November for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush.

I guess on the other hand maybe this is a trick by the Democrats to end the war by pissing off one of Bush's allies in the "war on terror", making it really hard for them to keep the war supplies flowing. It might help cut off a attack on Iran.

Gunman dead, 5 injured at Ohio school - Yahoo! News

CLEVELAND - A 14-year-old suspended student opened fire in a downtown high school Wednesday before killing himself, and five people were taken to hospitals, authorities said.

Well here we go again, another school shooting. Hopefully there will be more info. later on were the kid got the gun and such. I'm blaming Bush on this one though, who else teaches our young people, the way to solve problems is by the use of force. If you don't like the leader of another country bomb 'em into submission. You don't like being suspended from school, go back with a gun. That will teach 'em.

Democrats Seem Ready to Extend Wiretap Powers - New York Times

All Bush needs to do now is teach the Democrats to roll over and play dead, he seem to already have them housebroken.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 — Two months after insisting that they would roll back broad eavesdropping powers won by the Bush administration, Democrats in Congress appear ready to make concessions that could extend some crucial powers given to the National Security Agency.

Administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess. Some Democratic officials concede that they may not come up with enough votes to stop approval.

Which really means "we are worried about try to get a little bit of the conservative vote when it's time to be re-elected, so we can't look like we are too liberal." George is probably sending these Democrats some special kool-aid to help them sleep at night. Hillary will probably be the first one to vote yes on this bill.

Parents of Wisc. official express shame - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

Pretty sad situation in Wisc. 20 year old cop goes on shooting rampage. Lots of people are wondering how he passed background checks and such. How much background does a 20 year old have? There should be some kind of mental health checks being done on guys entering the police force though.

Make sure your registered to vote, and know were your polling place is located.
Voter Registration Info.

Registration for November's election closes Tuesday, Oct. 9. Here is a link to the registration form.
Voter Registration Application

H/T to Be Part of the Solution A new addition to the Fort Wayne blogging community.

Please get out there and vote on Nov. 6th. It's important for the future of Fort Wayne.

Tenn. Man Kills Self at Council Meeting - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net

People in Fort Wayne, think our City Council meetings are bad?

For those of you that don't live in Fort Wayne, this is the reason that story caught my attention. Fort Wayne Left, Jeff's last few post have been about a local BBQ business owner who's health really went down hill, probably due to the stress of having to deal with the health inspectors and them forcing him to only run his business a few days a week.

We are having a election for mayor coming up, I wonder how the candidates feel about this?

H/T: Just for the Record

Note, names have been changed to point out the guilty.

One day a fourth-grade teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up -- fireman, mechanic, businessman, salesman, doctor, lawyer, and so forth.

However, little Mike was being uncharacteristically quiet, so when the teacher prodded him about his father, he replied, "My father's an exotic dancer in a gay cabaret named "DaVinci's Decadent Dance Den" and takes off all his clothes in front of other men and they put money in his underwear. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he will go home with some guy and stay with him all night for money."

The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some exercises and then took little Mike aside to ask him, "Is that really true about your father?"


No," the boy said, "He works for the Fort Wayne Republican party, helping to get Matt
Kelty to be our next Mayor, but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids.

I got a response from my e-mail to Congressman Mike Pence about the situation.

Dear Mr. XXXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me regarding Burma. It was a pleasure to hear from you.

As we begin a new century, America will face unfathomable challenges, but also plentiful opportunities. As your representative in Washington , my mandate is to renew the American dream for Hoosiers and all Americans.

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. Your participation is vital to my work in the United States Congress. Rest assured, should relevant legislation come to the House floor for a vote, I will certainly keep your views in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. It is an honor to serve in the United States House of Representatives and have the benefit of your advice . If you would like more information on this or any other issue, please visit my website at http://mikepence.house.gov.

Warmest regards,

Mike Pence

This kind of seems like a generic response, but at least I got some acknowledgement back I suppose.

Myanmar Junta Unplugs Internet - New York Times

Comcast.net News - Bush Vetoes Child Health Insurance Plan:

"The president argued that the Democratic bill was too costly, took the program too far beyond its original intent of helping the poor, and would entice people now covered in the private sector to switch to government coverage. He has proposed only a $5 billion increase in funding. After Bush's speech, White House counselor Ed Gillespie said the president's offer of more money meant more than the $5 billion extra, but he wasn't specific about how much more."

I know us bloggers are suppose to say something like "Bush hates the children" when we see this story. I don't really see it that way. I think it's the Democrats that aren't thinking of the children. At least not thinking things all the way through. They want to push through a child health care bill so they can pat each other on the back and get Hillary a few more votes come election day, and there is the added benefit of making the Republicans look bad. The Republicans don't need help too look bad.

My concern with the health care plan is this part "and would entice people now covered in the private sector to switch to government coverage." If Bush signed that bill, I can almost guarantee when you went to work Monday morning, you would be having a special benefit meeting. In this meeting they will tell you the company health care will no longer cover your children. Why? because you can get the government to cover them now. Why should your employer foot the bill? Were I work we pay a percentage of the insurance and the company pays the rest so dropping you children would save them money.

Do you really want a government lead by George Bush to be running your child's health care? As if HMOs aren't bad enough. Look at all the welfare scams that go on already with low income people having more kids just to get more welfare money, this plan may open the system up to more abuse. The Democrats need to come up with a bill to clean up the system and get it back on track, the Republicans love that kind of thing and would be more likely to sign on to it.

U.N. envoy ends mission to Myanmar - Yahoo! News

YANGON, Myanmar - A U.N. envoy completed his mission to Myanmar on Tuesday with no word of progress on the military junta's refusal to address the people's insistent demands for democracy.

While the military government has said only 10 people were killed, dissident groups say up to 200 protesters were slain and 6,000 detained in the crackdown.

Oh come the F*ck on! George Bush can lie better then this and he's a f*cking moron. Only 10 people killed, who are they trying kid?

In Myanmar's main city of Yangon, residents launched a new form of dissent, switching off their lights and TV sets for 15 minutes during the nightly government newscast starting at 8 p.m.

The "silent protest" began Monday and continued Tuesday, even when state television showed pictures of the Gambari-Than Shwe meeting, which included Deputy Senior Gen. Maung Aye, the No. 2 leader, and two other top generals.

This really is not a bad idea, the American people need to do this type of thing, turn off the TV from 6pm to 8pm, get the MSM's ratings to drop and maybe they will start reporting real news. Instead of what Britney or Paris had for dinner last night.

Comcast.net News - World - Groups Struggle to Tally Myanmar's Dead

BANGKOK, Thailand —

One hundred shot dead outside a Myanmar school. Activists burned alive at government crematoriums. A Buddhist monk floating face down in a river.

After last week's brutal crackdown by the military, horror stories are filling Myanmar blogs and dissident sites. But the tight security of the repressive regime makes it impossible to verify just how many people are dead, detained or missing.

"We do believe the death toll is higher than acknowledged by the government," Shari Villarosa, the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar, told The Associated Press Monday. "We are doing our best to get more precise, more detailed information, not only in terms of deaths but also arrests."

The U.S. Campaign For Burma, a Washington-based pro-democracy group, says more than 100 people were killed in downtown Yangon after truckloads of government troops fired automatic weapons last Thursday at thousands of demonstrators. It also claims that 100 students and parents were killed the same day at a high school in Tamwe, in northeastern Yangon, after troops shot at them as school let out.

The Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based dissident news organization, has received reports of soldiers burning protesters alive at the Yae Way cemetery crematorium on the outskirts of Yangon. The group also shot video Sunday of a dead monk, badly beaten and floating face down in a Yangon river.

Things are still pretty bad in Burma. The one thing I think about when I read this, is what about the soldiers? I know it's a soldiers duty to follow orders, but isn't there a point when enough is enough? Doesn't killing unarmed people that aren't even a threat to you have some kind of weight on your conscience, especially when it comes to burning someone alive? I guess that is why I could never be a soldier type, even if someone is giving you orders there is still right and wrong. Is "I was just following orders" going to be a viable defense when you stand before your god?

Here is something like I was sort of trying to say in my last post about how to help and get more information about the Burma people. A lot of them live here in Fort Wayne. There is information from the local paper.

burma3

I used the information on that website to send a letter to my representatives in the government.

Here is a copy of my letter, any comments or critisim would be helpful. I never wrote to anyone in government before so I hope I did ok.

I am writing in concern to the situation in Burma, I'm sure you are aware of the things that are going on in that country. I think it's important that the United States government take a strong stance to get this situation under control. After all we charged into Iraq to save them from a tyrant. I'm not saying out military should be involved, but we need to put some pressure on the junta to actually engage in talks. They wouldn't even speak UN envoy that went to Burma (at least at the time of writting this). The United States Senate and Congress needs to do anything in their power to try and get either more US or United Nations involvement in that country.

Thank you in advance for your attention and anything you can do to help these people in Burma.

Here is something about the UN envoy that is in Burmna, apparently the junta leader won't even speak to the man.


UN envoy snubbed by junta leader in Burma - Telegraph

The United Nations special envoy to Burma has met the opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, but was snubbed by the leader of the junta that crushed democracy protests last week.

However, some Western diplomats consider Mr Gambari a weak negotiator. One commentator also pointed out that the junta holds deeply racist attitudes and is probably prejudiced against dealing with a black man.

This is were the real shame is, here is a government so affraid of the truth they shut down the internet and phone lines. You know things are in bad shape when the world is looking too China to put some pressure on these junta thugs.

Cut off from the outside world after the regime switched off foreign phone lines and the internet, their sole source of information, apart from government propaganda, is now the grim whispers on the streets, which speak of hundreds being arrested, killed and tortured.

The most sinister report circulating in the streetside tea shops spoke of how up to 200 people had been killed in custody since Friday, with their bodies allegedly incinerated at a secret location.

"We heard that one of the victims turned out to be still alive when they started burning them, and began screaming, but the soldiers just continued regardless, because they had their orders," said Mr Kyaw, who has no way of verifying the claims.

However, given Burma’s past record in dealing with pro-democracy uprisings — an estimated 3,000 people were killed during the last one, in 1988 — he was not the only one to take them seriously.

Obviously living the high life here in America I can't have any real idea of what these people are going through. We talk about how bad protesters and such have been treated by police in this country. I say we have it pretty good. Yes people have been killed potesting in this country (Kent State Shootings), but nothing like what is happening in Myanmar. For me to sit here in my ivory tower and say "my heart goes out to these people" just is not enough. There are no words that can express the helplessness I and probably a lot of other blogger types feel. I sit here and think, "what can I do?", does writting a blog post really help anyone in Myanmar?, probably not, maybe it does help me in a way. Getting the feelings out there so maybe someone else will read this and understand were I'm coming from. Sometimes this blogging thing is like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it out into the ocean.
I just turned on CNN just to see if the MSM is even covering this. They were just showing the same video I already have linked.

Myanmar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Myanmar is bordered by China on the north, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Andaman Sea to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. One-third of Myanmar’s total perimeter, 1,930 kilometres (1,199 mi), forms an uninterrupted coastline.

Here is some general information about Myanmar. I wasn't even sure were it was on a map, until I started doing some reading. I'm going to link other things I found on Wiki to save anyone wanting to read up some time.

Burmese anti-government protests

WARNING, GRAPHIC violence!



Watch carefully at about :30. Were are all you neocons and war mongers now? Here is a country killing journalist at point blank range, cutting off internet access and cellphone servics so nobody can get news out of these types of outrages that are going on. Why isn't good ol' Georgy boy charging in to help these people? They must not have enough oil to make it worth is trouble.

Here is something for the you can't be serious file, or the What the Hell are they thinking file.

Madonna Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame - MSN Music News

Madonna Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame
Sept. 28, 2007, 10:52 AM EST
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Here's something Madonna can really celebrate: a nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Madge joins heartland rocker John Mellencamp, the puckish rappers Beastie Boys and premier dance acts Donna Summer and Chic among the nine nominees for the hall. The five leading vote-getters will be inducted in the annual ceremony March 10, 2008, at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Are you f'ing kidding me? Madonna in the "Rock and Roll" Hall of fame. How can anyone think Madonna even belongs in this hall of fame? Seriously WTF are they smoking? They need to consider changing the name to the "Rock and Roll Hall of LAME"!!!

Sorry, I just found this funny.

Knocked off by a bargain - Los Angeles Times

By David Colker, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 26, 2007
I make my living writing about scams.

Check-cashing schemes, Nigerian frauds, fake Viagra -- I've covered them all. And in the back of my mind was always the sense that the victims must be a bit greedy or stupid. Like me.

My comeuppance came this year when I went shopping online for high-end earphones and ended up with a fake.

And I don't mean crude knockoffs. I thought I was getting a brand-name product at a bargain price by being a smart shopper, just like my flea-market-loving mom taught me.

It's amazing how much counterfeiting is going on. I guess as technology gets better there always be crooks and scammers ready to use it to make a easy buck.

Iran leader condemned by university host - Focus on Iran - MSNBC.com

NEW YORK - As hundreds protested outside, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the stage at Columbia University on Monday after a blistering introduction from the school's president, who said the hard-line leader was a dictator with preposterous beliefs.
Ahmadinejad smiled as Columbia President Lee Bollinger took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.

"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause.

"There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully," Ahmadinejad said, accusing Bollinger of offering "unfriendly treatment" under the influence of the U.S. press and politicians.

I wonder the same thing knowing Columbia has been under fire for having Imanutjob speaking there, It's kind of funny Bollinger suddenly grows some balls.

I know I probably shouldn't agree with Imanutjob,

Asked whether he beleved the U.S. is preparing for war, he responded: “That is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq.”

It is definitely something the neo-cons like McCain and Giuliani are using to scare the sheep into voting for them.

I apparently messed up while trying to change my template to something new. It will take me a bit to get everything back. As George Bush might say, Oh well you can't break a omlete without making some eggs...

I will try to get all my blog roll links back and some of my news feeds tomorrow when I get home from the day job. It's going to be hard to remember were I got most of that stuff.

InFlash.com - Flash Games, Flash Shows, Flash Greetings and more!

A fun little game to waste some time. A game like this could keep Bush busy for days, and maybe he would forget about invading other countries.

News-Sentinel.com

Gary dad finds son's body police missed after crash
He wants answers after discovering two teens seven hours later.

By Jeff Long
of The Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — Gary police and city officials on Sunday remained silent for a second day about the weekend crash that killed two teens and left two others injured, but the father who found his son's mangled body at the side of a road seven hours after the wreck lashed out at what he called a failure that no parent should endure.

“It's a disgrace, how we have to be tormented,” said Arthur Smith, as friends and relatives stopped by to offer condolences for the death of his son, Brandon Smith. “And you, as a city, can't stand up and say, ‘We made a mistake.'”

This is completely inexcusable, and to make it worse.

“We haven't heard anything from anyone,” Smith said Sunday during an interview at the family's home. “Nothing. We haven't heard anything from anybody. Not the police. Not the mayor.”

Repeated calls from reporters to Gary Police Cmdr. Sam Roberts, to whom all calls were referred, were not returned Saturday or Sunday. An officer at the police headquarters desk Sunday said no one was available for comment about the crash.

Police Chief Thomas Houston could not be reached for comment, nor could Gary Mayor Rudy Clay. Fire Chief Jeff Ward also could not be reached.

Not even the decency to say they are sorry? The police chief needs to be turning in his badge.

Security Firm’s License Is Pulled in Iraq - New York Times:

BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 — The Iraqi government said it had revoked the license of Blackwater USA, a private security company that provides protection for American diplomats across Iraq, after shots fired from an American convoy killed eight Iraqis.

Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, said the authorities had canceled the company’s license and barred its activity across Iraq. He said the government would prosecute the deaths, though according to the rules that govern private contractors, it was not clear whether the Iraqis had the legal authority to do so.

“This is a big crime that we can’t stay silent before,” said Jawad al-Bolani, Iraq’s interior minister, speaking on satellite television. “Anyone who wants to have good relations with Iraq has to respect Iraqis.”

It should be interesting to see how this plays out.

White House threatens terror insurance bill veto - Yahoo! News

By Kevin Drawbaugh 1 hour, 3 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration threatened on Monday to veto a bill the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on this week that would extend a post-9/11 federal terrorism risk insurance program.
ADVERTISEMENT

"The administration strongly opposes efforts to expand the federal government's role in terrorism reinsurance," the White House said in a statement.

What's next falling bridge insurance? I will probably have to turn in my liberal badge, but I partially agree with Bush on this one. (Hey I liked parts of his immigration bill). The other thing is I really wouldn't want to depend on the federal government on insurance. Look at FEMA they didn't figure out how messed up it was until it was too late. I wonder what the libertarians have to say about this? The federal government has enough of a role in terrorism, we don't need them selling us insurance against it.

Protest bloggers ordered to come out of the shadows - Times Online


Jane Macartney in Beijing

Anonymous online postings are to be banned by a city in China, after residents mounted a successful internet campaign against proposals for a huge chemicals factory.

Internet users will have to provide their real names, backed up by data from their identity cards, when posting messages on more than 100,000 websites registered in Xiamen. Authorities are taking action after thousands of residents of the prosperous southern port city marched through the streets, mobilised by mobile phone text messages and an internet-based campaign.

One government official said that the protest had shown the necessity to control content on the internet. He said: “Those who illegally spread harmful or bad information will be detained or fined.”

Wow, this would be a conservative's wet dream to make it easier to track down us liberal bloggers that refuse to praise President Bush's or Mayor wanabe Kelty's retarded policies.

I guess communism as hit the modern times. I guess it's true in Red China you don't watch the internets, the internets watch YOU!


hat tip to the Libertarian party of Allen county

Russia tests superstrength bomb, military says - Yahoo! News

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has tested the world's most powerful vacuum bomb, which unleashes a destructive shockwave with the power of a nuclear blast, the military said on Tuesday, dubbing it the "father of all bombs."

It sounds like someone in Russia hasn't been getting enough attention lately.

Today it's been 6 years since September 11, 2007

Take a minute or more to remember those that died today.

Also remember how the Republican neocons bring this day up every time they need to justify their endless war. Remember how as those towers fell, so did your civil liberties as Georgie boy use them as a excuse to wire tap your phones and read your mail.

"I lost," top Colombian drug suspect tells captors - Yahoo! News

BOGOTA (Reuters) - He is charged with running one of the world's fiercest drug cartels, but Colombian soldiers finally caught up with Diego "Lord of War" Montoya cowering in his underpants in a shallow hole hidden by a pile of leaves.

I just thought this was a bit funny. I drug deal with millions of dollars caught under a pile of leaves. It's good they captured this guy, but now the other drug cartels just have to step up production and fill in the gap he's left. Until the demand is curbed there are always going to be suppliers waiting to fill that need.

FOX Sports on MSN - NFL - Everett likely paralyzed after neck injury

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - The Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury and his chances of regaining a full range of body motion are very small, an orthopedic surgeon said Monday.

"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," Dr. Andrew Cappuccino said, one day after performing a four-hour operation on the player. "I believe there will be some permanent neurological paralysis. ... A full neurological recovery was bleak, dismal."

Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old reserve tight end did have touch sensation throughout his body and also showed signs of movement. But he cautioned that Everett's injury remained life-threatening, saying the player is still susceptible to blood clots, infection and breathing failure.

I hope Kevin Everett can make a full recovery.

I decided to go green, at least a little bit. It's pretty neat you can replace a old 75 watt light bulb with a 26 watt "energy smart" bulb and get the light you would get out of a old 100 watt light bulb. I see you have to send this bulb to someplace special when it burns out. I hope I can remember that part if it burns out a year or so from now. I have a few other bulbs I'm going to replace as I get a chance. It's nice you get more light for less watts which hopefully means less electricity and a lower bill.

S. Korea rebuffs Bush; North makes nice - Yahoo! News

In an unexpected confrontation, Roh publicly challenged Bush during a picture-taking session to pledge support for "a declaration to end the Korean War." That conflict ended in a truce in 1953, not with a peace treaty, so the two sides technically remain at war.

Bush said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has "got to get rid of his (nuclear) weapons in a verifiable fashion" for the United States to agree to sign a peace treaty. Roh told Bush he should "be a bit clearer in your message" and Bush shot back "I can't make it any more clear, Mr. President."

That Bush, he's a diplomatic genius.

Sammy Kershaw Running for Office - MSN Music News

The Associated Press

Baton Rouge, La. -- Country singer Sammy Kershaw officially entered the race for lieutenant governor of Louisiana on Wednesday, challenging incumbent Mitch Landrieu.

Kershaw, who arrived at the Capitol to sign up for the race wearing a sport-coat and cowboy boots, said he would prove wrong critics who have accused him of running for public office to get attention for his music career.

"I'm here to tell you now, this is not a publicity stunt and I am serious," said Kershaw.

Kershaw is a Republican who announced in June that he would seek the post. Landrieu, a Democrat and the brother of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, signed up for re-election on Tuesday.

Kershaw's hits include "She Don't Know She's Beautiful," "Third Rate Romance" and "Queen of My Double Wide Trailer."

It wouldn't be the first time a country singer made the move into Louisiana politics. Jimmie Davis, famous for "You Are My Sunshine," was twice elected governor, serving from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964.

Wow a country singer running for office as a Republican. Who would have figured?

If you can't fix the problem, try bullying....

Asians Say Trade Complaints Bring Out the Bully in China - washingtonpost.com

By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, September 5, 2007; Page A01

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- After hearing about dangerous Chinese products elsewhere, Indonesia this summer began testing popular Chinese-made items on its own store shelves. What it found has added to the list of horrors: mercury-laced makeup that turns skin black, dried fruit spiked with industrial chemicals, carcinogenic children's candy.

The Chinese government called up in August saying it had a possible solution. Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib, head of Indonesia's top food and drug safety agency, was pleased and welcomed her counterparts to her office.

But according to Husniah, the Chinese suggested Indonesia lower its safety standards. Husniah said she was "very upset and very surprised." "I said to them, 'I respect your standards for your country. I hope you respect ours,' " Husniah said.

In dealing with product safety complaints from the United States, China has sought to convince a concerned American public that it has reformed and is doing all it can to ensure the safety of its products. But its dealings with other, less-developed countries or those in vulnerable political positions are a different story, according to Husniah and officials in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Greatest video ever I say!!!!! Rap music has never been so good.

Here is something great I found on Daily Kos: America

"Who are these Swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush? ..... They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character.... I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck Them."

"But wow! This goofy child president we have on our hands now. He is demonstrably a fool and a failure, and this is only the summer of '03. The American nation is in the worst condition I can remember in my lifetime, and our prospects for the immediate future are even worse. . . The Bush family must be very proud of themselves today, but I am not. Big Darkness, soon come. Take my word for it."

"The utter collapse of this Profoundly criminal Bush conspiracy will come none too soon for people like me.... The massive plundering of the U.S. Treasury and all its resources has been almost on a scale that is criminally insane, and has literally destroyed the lives of millions of American people and American families. Exactly. You and me, sport— we are the ones who are going to suffer, and suffer massively. This is going to be just like the Book of Revelation said it was going to be— the end of the world as we knew it."

"These horrifying digital snapshots of the American dream in action on foreign soil are worse than anything even I could have expected. I have been in this business a long time and I have seen many staggering things, but this one is over the line. Now I am really ashamed to carry an American passport."

"America... just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable."

~ Hunter S. Thompson

Congress won’t stand up for us. The Democrats won’t stand up for us. The media won’t stand up for us. We have been left to our own devices. It’s time for us all to stand up for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.

The revolution will not be televised – but it will be YouTubed.

Come to Washington on September 15th and join the American Revolution!

This is how I feel! Democrats or Republicans, it's all the same shit. The Democrats pretty much said what we wanted to hear to get elected. Now they are in, they won't stand up to Bush Co. because the only thing they care about is staying elected or making that Presidential run. They won't stand up because they know the Republicans will use it against them in the next election and that might loose them a few swing votes. I don't understand these politicans, I guess I though the idea of public service was to SERVE the public, to do actually represent the people that elected you. Not to make money off lobbyist and anyone else that want's to give you a "campaign donation".

I don't know how to solve these problems, how can I solve human greed and power lust? Oh I wait, I got it!!! Pick up that King James Bible you all claim to believe in so much when your on the campaign trail trying to get Mr. and Mrs. Christian's vote. I'm not saying become born again or some crap. Just read it and learn how to actually treat other people. If nothing else learn to treat ALL people the way you want to be treated.

More on the favorite Senator of the week.

Officer accuses Craig of lying - Politics - MSNBC.com

"WASHINGTON - The officer who arrested Sen. Larry Craig in a police undercover operation at an airport men’s room accused the senator of lying to him during an interrogation afterward, according to an audiotape of the arrest. On the tape, released Thursday by the Minneapolis Airport Police, the Idaho Republican senator, in turn, accuses the officer of soliciting him for sex. “I’m not gay. I don’t do these kinds of things,” Craig told Sgt. Dave Karsnia minutes after the two men met in a men’s room at the airport on June 11."

Another video here Huffington Post MSNBC video

I wonder, why doesn't this guy just resign, he's old enough and probably got plenty of money to retire and live comfortably. Resigning now and live out the rest of your days in obscurity. His own party wants him to resign. Wouldn't it be best to resign? In a week Leno, Letterman, and everyone else will have forgot you. Your boy Mitt has gone through a lot of trouble to erase any trace of you from his website. Maybe you should take the hint.

Bill Maher: That Tingle Means it's Working - Politics on The Huffington Post

As usual Bill hits the nail on the head.

The whole idea of the surge was to establish some semblance of security and provide "breathing space" so that the Iraqi leaders could make political progress. And while the military has done a better job creating pockets of security, even while overall violence is up from last summer, the political side of the equation has gone backwards. The Sunnis have left the government entirely, and an emergency summit designed at bringing them back in has failed. Half of the 36 ministries have withdrawn support for the government and don't even attend meetings. Which raises another question: how do you tell who is showing up when they're all on vacation?

So what do we do now? Try to install the Allawi government back in. That way, when General Petraeus testifies before Congress that the surge has not created an environment where political reconciliation could take place -- i.e. the surge has failed -- we'll then pretend that was because we had the wrong team in charge. But now we have the right team in charge! And you can't pull the plug now that we have the right team in charge! Just you wait and see! It's all going to turn out great! Just give us a couple more months!

And by months, I mean years.

Doonesbury@Slate-35th Anniversary--: "SAY WHAT? 'I was able to see Craig's blue eyes as he looked into my stall.' -- Sgt. Dave Karsnia, in his report describing the arrest of Sen. Larry Craig.

'I am not gay.' -- Sen. Larry Craig"

Not that there is anything wrong with that, right Larry?

GOP Senator Pleaded Guilty After Restroom Arrest - washingtonpost.com

GOP Senator Pleaded Guilty After Restroom Arrest
Idaho's Craig Denies 'Inappropriate Conduct,' Says He Regrets Entering Plea

By Paul Kane and Shailagh Murray
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer and Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 28, 2007; Page A01

Sen. Larry E. Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor disorderly-conduct charges stemming from his June arrest by an undercover police officer in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a court spokeswoman and the senator's office said yesterday.

"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct," Craig said. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."

That is the sillyest thing I've read lately (that didn't come out of Bush's mouth). Why would you plead guilty if you were innocent? It's not like he couldn't afford a lawyer. I might not be a legal genius (but I play one on the internets) but even if you planned to plead guilty wouldn't you get a lawyer? No matter what, this was still going to be in the news. I think Ol' Senator Denies got caught with his pants down and it typical GOP manner he's trying to back peddle, flip-flop, and downplay his perversion because he has to try to hold his marriage together to maintain that "family value" image. If he is working on the Romney campaign, he has experience flip-flopping and back peddling.

In 2006, a gay activist said he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including in the restrooms at Union Station. Craig's office told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., that the allegations were "completely ridiculous."

Seems the Senator that is so against gay marriage and gays in the military has some skeletons in his closet. I wonder if he ever got any text messages from Foley? of course he is probably too old for Foley.

More on the Senator Craig news, and some opinion that I like.

Senator Craig Withdraws From Role in Romney Campaign, Conservative Calls for Resignation

I've been nominated in a Blog award poll at Left of Centerist

Poll: Name your choice for the Synapses Building Blog Award

Get over there and vote for Der Parson!! Together we can break up the staus quo that Left in Aboite has maintained in the blogosphere. Everyone knows were Der Parson rant stands on the issues, but what about Left in Aboite? Where does he stand?

(Disclaimer) The $150,000.00 was a loan not a contribution and does not need to be disclosed. oops, maybe I shouldn't have disclosed that.

This thing looks pretty cool, I'm not sure it's worth $40.00 though.

Video: USB Missile Launcher

Another rat leaves the sinking ship.

Attorney General Gonzales resigns: official - Yahoo! News:
"By Jackie Frank and David Morgan 8 minutes ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, an official said on Monday, ending a controversial tenure as chief law enforcement officer that blemished the administration of President George W. Bush. "

Goodbye and Good Riddance to bad trash. To say this is long overdue is the understatement of the year. Talk about your poster child for incompetence. Which is pretty bad considering his boss. Now when is Dick Chaney going to follow his lead and do the right thing?

I guess the big question is now who is Bush going to put in that job? Is he going to find someone even more incompetent? (which would be par for the course considering Bush) I know it will be hard to find someone worse, but I belive Bush can do it.

Shine dissolves local GOP's executive committee | The Journal Gazette

"Shine said he decided to eliminate the group because its members were using it as a forum to get publicity for party infighting."

A fine example of a great leader, if you can't bring your team together and get them through a rough spot, just eliminate the team. Good thing the Chicago Cubs don't follow republican strategy. This kind of reminds me of my job. When the road gets bumpy just drop the load on one guy, instead of spreading the load out.

I guess the last part is a personal issue, things aren't going well at work. I love fixing problems left by outside contractors. Especially when the work they did is critical to timing new product launches. The one time you need things go go smooth they get so screwed up you can't even see a light at the end of the tunnel. I guess I know were I will be Saturday and Sunday.

Spy Chief Reveals Classified Details - The Huffington Post: "WASHINGTON — National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell pulled the curtain back on previously classified details of government surveillance and of a secretive court whose recent rulings created new hurdles for the Bush administration as it tries to prevent terrorism."

It's nice to know we pay to use phone services and we are actually paying these companies to spy on us.

Doonesbury@Slate-35th Anniversary--:

"SAY WHAT? 'I'm Moby Dick and we've got three or four members of Congress who are trying to cast themselves in the part of Captain Ahab.' -- Karl Rove, 8/13/07

'They'll keep after me. Let's face it. I mean, I'm a myth, and they're -- you know, I'm Beowulf. You know, I'm Grendel. I don't know who I am, but they're after me.' -- Karl Rove, 8/19/07"

Dude, what are you smoking? Those Washington guys can really get the best stuff.

Doonesbury@Slate-35th Anniversary--:

Here are some interesting quotes for the day.

'I missspoke.' -- Mitt Romney, on his earlier suggestion that his sons' work on his presidential campaign was comparable to serving in the military in Iraq

'I misspoke.' -- Rudy Guiliani, on his earlier claim to have spent as much time at Ground Zero as most of the workers

So I guess it won't be much of a change from Bush if one of these asshats get elected.

On a local note, I wonder how long it will be before we hear about how Mayor candidate Matt Kelty has missspoke when he testified to the grand jury and ended up with those perjury charges.

FortWayne.com : Fort Wayne news

Kelty indicted on nine counts Republican candidate for mayor charged with perjury, fraudulent election filing By Dionne Waugh The Journal Gazette

An Allen County grand jury indicted Republican mayoral candidate Matt Kelty on Tuesday, charging him with seven felonies and two misdemeanors.
Kelty, 42, is charged with two counts of perjury, five felony counts of fraudulent election filing and two misdemeanor counts of commingling campaign and personal funds, special prosecutor Dan Sigler said.

Kelty was taken in handcuffs to the Allen County Lockup,

I shouldn't laugh at another person's misfortune, but when I read that I giggle like schoolgirl. I am kind of surprised they actually handed down a indictment.

Seriously, even though I think he's guilty, I have would guess a jury trial will find him innocent at least partially. Maybe we should start a betting pool. I don't really think Kelty is as evil as Bush and actually plotted this out. He made a big mistake that is for sure. I could care less about him serving prison time. Just keep him out of that Mayor's office.

Karl Rove, Top Strategist, Is Leaving the White House - New York Times

By JIM RUTENBERG and STEVEN LEE MYERS
Published: August 13, 2007

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 — Karl Rove, the political adviser who masterminded President George W. Bush’s two winning presidential campaigns and secured his own place in history as a political strategist with extraordinary influence within the White House, announced on Monday that he would resign at the end of the month.

Does this mean Dick Chaney will do ALL the thinking for Bush now?

Mitutoyo_ban.pdf (it's a pretty long document, the first page gives what I think is the important info.)

A lot of American companies use Mitutoyo productions for quality assurance. This is going to hurt manufactures that can not get new gages and testing equipment or even parts to fix equipment that may get broken. There are alternatives for some equipment, but other things are large almost permanent parts of a building, not something that can be thrown out and replaced. (this a small example, some of these machines are big enough to measure parts of the space shuttle)


If a machine like this is down, you can be loosing millions of dollars a day. It could be interesting, especially for places that have older model machines that could break down more.

Simpsonize Me
Simpsonized Matt Kelty?

I never looked better...

And the #1 reason NOT to vote for Matt Kelty is....
Kelty's religious nut job memo

(Link from Taking Down Words)

Weapons Given to Iraq Are Missing - washingtonpost.com:

"The Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to a new government report, raising fears that some of those weapons have fallen into the hands of insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq."

Were do the terrorist in Iraq get all those guns? It's not from Syria or Iran! Nope, it's from the good ol' American taxpayer.

"Although controls have been tightened since 2005, the inability of the United States to track weapons with tools such as serial numbers makes it nearly impossible for the U.S. military to know whether it is battling an enemy equipped by American taxpayers."

I just want to know were is my AK-47? If I'm paying for them I want one! Every household in Iraq is allowed to have 1 AK-47 for protection. I need some protection.

House Approves Changes in Eavesdropping - New York Times:

"WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 — Under pressure from President Bush, the House gave final approval Saturday to changes in a terrorism surveillance program, despite serious objections from many Democrats about the scope of the executive branch’s new eavesdropping power."

The Democrats give in to Bush because he made them work on Saturday?

"If it had stalled, that would have left Democratic lawmakers, long anxious about appearing weak on national security issues, facing an August spent fending off charges from Republicans that they had left Americans exposed to threats."

It's better to throw the Constitution out the window then to look weak in front of the Republicans?

The House Democratic leadership had severe reservations about the proposal and an overwhelming majority of Democrats opposed it. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure “does violence to the Constitution of the United States.”

Pelosi, you just a tool for Bush to get what he wants. If you were so concerned about doing violence to the Constitution you would be impeaching Bush right now.