Fitz!

FITZ

TRex! You is the king of this thread!!! Congrats.

He IS the king. Thanks so much for taking the mic, you rock the house.

Anyone seen Fitz?

Rexstar :)

wow! Sizzlin’

fucking hilarious, thank you…

al-Scooter- Fitz has been spotted in my dreams :>)

I do love Foghorn Leghorn, too! Great post; I really love how she decimated him. It was so perfect and she was tenacious.

Is he claiming that if the Yankees tried to recruit him, he’d turn them down?

No, he’s not in the Yankees because he doesn’t meet their admission requirements.

He’s not in Iraq because he doesn’t really support the war.

TRex!

You Rock! No avians* in your blood line.

A big fdlelcome to ya!

(*well, since the Cretaceous. anyone who is still worked up about that can really hold a grudge.)

TRex you are the cat’s pajamas.

I had to go find out who this guy was.
http://www.radioamerica.org/Pr…..rguson.htm

===The War on Terror and in Iraq have increased demand among young listeners for substantive, news based programming. The Ben Ferguson Show offers an opportunity to reach those young men and women that are hungry for talk radio that speaks directly to them.===

TREX ROX

LMAO @ MMMMMMMMMM!!! Tastes like Chicken Hawk!!

I saw that interplay and Randi had the men looking for earplugs alright. Who hired that little boy for a radio show?

Thanks T

I listen to Randi whenever I have the chance.
She is sometimes obtuse, often shrill and ALWAYS on point.
I’d give my left nut to hear our ‘Party Leaders’ hand it to those Repug assholes, I’m lookin at you little Russ, the way Randi took it to The Fab Ben.

good post

Nicely done, Trex.

I love Randi; she certainly does kick some ass, but she’s funny and has a bit of sweetness about her that makes it hard even for her targets to hate her.

Yay! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the post!

Right after I hit ’send’, all hell broke loose here at the radio station. I have computers that are suddenly going tits-up in the middle of my show, but I wanted to pop by and thank you guys for being THE GREATEST BLOG COMMUNITY IN HISTORY!!

Have a good night.

Damn! Well said, TRex! That’s a good name for you, too.

Yo, TRex. Mad props from a former Athenian! Hope you’re keepin’ it real in the classic city.

Great thread T-Rex! I saw the exchange – and thought “Ben, you stupid coward punk weasel”. ) And then I thought of Bush and Cheney, too. What a very sad statement) I had to (laughingly)turn away from the verbal carnage. Randi rocked! Got passionate about it too – which only added extreme contrast to Ben’s vapid, insipid remarks. Passion vs talking points. No contest. When will the conservatives of this nation stop confusing PR (bad at that) with real substance??

Beautiful, TRex; you nailed it!

I love Randi Rhodes. She’s loud and she has heart – and it shows. The Larry King moment was a thing of beauty, and Ben was too stupid or too convinced of his own superiority to know when he’d been shown up – but good. A prime-time punk outing – did my heart good.

This was a great post to end my Monday! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

“Did the Larry King producers have an empty chair, so they just went to the local Fat Tuesdays, threw a set of Land Rover keys in the air and grabbed the first drunk that staggered out of the crowd?”

What excuse did Larry King’s show give for putting this Fuckhead out there? This “fair and balanced” shit has gone too far? Are we going to hear from the Flat Earth Society and from Philosophers that believe that we really don’t exist? How about Elvis Sightings?

Ummm…

“When we need advice about how you and your wealthy friends can rape a stripper and then hire a hot-shot attorney to get you all off scot-free, we’ll give you a call.”

I understand the point you’re are trying to make but your reference is case specific (Duke), and may I add, a conclusion (premature)in the “Trial by Media” fiasco that surrounds it.

Wish I’d been more careful with these: ))(0())

OT re this post, but dead on re Christy’s Gnome in the Garden post this past morning.

http://yro.slashdot.org/commen…..d=15329078

The writer works (or worked) for a company that was invited to bid on some of the TIA work that Poindexter was in charge of for a while:

“The level of information mined includes 100% of all commercial database data that could be obtained. This was not necessarily limited to the amount of data “Legally” obtainable. It included software engines to recognize speach, pictures and to even identify where a picture was taken, when and what angles etc. It was not limited to metadata either. The engines would generate contextual metadata on their own. The intent was to be able to listen electronically to 100% of all world wide phone, fax and internet traffic with full understanding and full cross reference of data. The computer networks and engines to do this are very big and do exist. The US Government under this routinely intercepts a large amount of data and has search engine skill applied to the output.”

Yo, TRex. Mad props from a former Athenian! Hope you’re keepin’ it real in the classic city.

Right, ON, Dr. N!! What years were you here? Maybe we know some of the same people.

EXCELLENT

EPU’d from the last thread ~
angie 146~
I just thought of another “fond†memory: One night, the electricity went out and the only thing that worked was the portable battery powered radio. The only thing we could get was Nixon speeking from the Oval Office. The next day, I said to one of the neighbors that I was absolutely deranged that Nixon was all I could get. She said,â€I thought it was rather comfortingâ€. I kid you not!

T-Rex Rocks!

after I finished your juicy post, I turned off all the house lights, stood up in the FDL wheelhouse and raised lit bics in each hand – excellent Trexster!!!

I should point out that some of the commenters to the slashdot post were rather skeptical about that post.

whew, Leslie, ugh!

Kevin Phillips on Colbert.

How dare you besmirch our ‘pundit jugend’, the last bastion of thoughtlessness between us and harsh, unyielding reality?

How can you expect them to sully their beautiful minds with such icky doubleplusbadbad concepts as deductive logic, sequential reasoning, and the broccoli of the principles of reasoning …Applied critical thinking?

It’s all so unfair.

Oh, wait…Perhaps those tender tyros were what old ‘Straight Talk’ was referring to when he said:

When I was a young man, I was quite infatuated with self-expression, and rightly so because, if memory conveniently serves, I was so much more eloquent, well-informed, and wiser than anyone else I knew. It seemed I understood the world and the purpose of life so much more profoundly than most people. I believed that to be especially true with many of my elders, people whose only accomplishment, as far as I could tell, was that they had been born before me, and, consequently, had suffered some number of years deprived of my insights. I had opinions on everything, and I was always right. I loved to argue, and I could become understandably belligerent with people who lacked the grace and intelligence to agree with me. With my superior qualities so obvious, it was an intolerable hardship to have to suffer fools gladly. So I rarely did. All their resistance to my brilliantly conceived and cogently argued views proved was that they possessed an inferior intellect and a weaker character than God had blessed me with, and I felt it was my clear duty to so inform them. It’s a pity that there wasn’t a blogosphere then. I would have felt very much at home in the medium.

VG,

I looked that twit up as well, was asking the other night what his wingnut welfare connections were – Mommy, Daddy, Uncle who ran Aryan Youth Camps??
all Wiki had was a ’stub’ – found it appropriate – does anyone know ?

This must be Ben’s week. He has also attracted the attention of Jesus’ General. In a manly, heterosexual way, naturally.

http://tinyurl.com/fefz8

Phillips says bush gets frequent g- grams and colbert said g- mail. (referencing God)

‘he (bush) deserves to be at 29%’– wow Phillips does not like chimpy a t’all.

catch it if you can.

Thanks for the quotes. But why is this such a great post for TRex? The glory belongs to Randi alone. And if anyone argues that point, I’m gonna open a can of Rhodes whoop-ass on ya. OK, TRex, you get a point for throwing in that shit stain remark. But that’s all. OK the rapist remark gets another 1/2 point. That’s all.

I agree with RR, and I’d still shit my pants if I called her show and she let me on the air. She’s almost as mean to her fans as to her critics.

Slightly OT, but what the hell –

I accidentally clicked on the SEIU PurpleOcean ad, and it is a cool thingy . . .

Scrolling down, there is Hillary, lauded for introducing a higher minimum wage bill — yea!!! But the photo’s are worth the click — Hill is kinda doofus, with a loaf of white bread underneath.

Go there for all of the good things SEIU does — and enjoy the unintended art . . .

T: I was in Athens between ‘75 and ‘81… long ago. Lived near the corner of Boulevard and Chase.

… bought records from Pete Buck at Wuxtry, and was once the victim of road rage from Ort.

GREAT article! Thanks! About time Randi got a good article in the blog!

Thanks TRex, you’ve made my night and inspired me to come out of the shadows to say hello. I’ve been sitting here for hours bangin’ my head against the computer and crying tears of frustration while trying to prepare a state complaint against Los Angeles Unified School District. I needed a break and decided to come to the lake for awhile. Ye gods man!You made me laugh and I sure needed that.

Thank-you so much my carnivore friend, and thanks to you Jane, Christy, and all the others…I feel like I know you even tho’ we’ve never met.

TRex~ Great post!

I saw that happen and cheered. Today on Randi’s show, she described how angered she was – not only by what they (Ben and Don) said, but that during the break, the mics had been left turned on, and D Prager and Ben and the host talked about how they should look bored and drink water, and roll their eyes whenever Randi was talking so that if the camera ever panned them, they would seem bored with her!
She said it pi**ed her off so much that she could barely manage. And that was why she sounded so shrill on that particular show.
I just loved it when she told that little punk, Ben to do his homework.

Also today, she said that the *big* conservative talk show people won’t debate her because they know she does her homework and they can’t compete with her in a fair debate.

I {heart} Randi

EPU’d and OT, but I wouldn’t mind an answer to my #169 from last:

Anne: 8:35

Care to back this up?

I’m betting they come in on international flights, through Canada, just like some of the 9/11 hijackers.

Hope that closed the tag.

Welcome, Irishmom!!!

Please post again — whenever you need a break, or the spirit moves you!!!

TRex,

Nicely done!

From last thread: “2. The “Well, if you have nothign to hide….†bullshit obviously rankles. It is such bullshit.”

The response needs to be: “Fine, then our govt should have nothing to hide either. I have a Constitutional right to unreasonable searches, and my privacy. This is a democracy. Next.”

BTW, TRex, great post. Have the exchange, if you can call it that, saved. Would love to see RR and some of the others, like AC, from the R side. Cage match anyone?

Ah, the Republican Party doing its level best to thwart purple finger moments in New Hampshire.

(Snip)

Purple Finger-Gate in NH

“He’s chosen to take millions of dollars from people to engage in a coverup,†Twomey said. “It’s an awful crime; it’s a crime on democracy.â€

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com…..2/60514022

TRex- WABE is playing piano music by Samson Francois. Just tuned in and got the very last of the voice. Is that you or another parallel universe?

Hell yes. Randi does not get nearly enough respect out here in Blogsylvania.

Perhaps, in a way, we should be thankful that this young man was a guest. He did get creamed by that Rhodes lady. My point is, it seems to me that too many times in the past, a talk show would line up 2 guests, one would always be an eloquent conservative, and the other would be a progressive…but just not very eloquent in making his/her points. Thus it would always come off as though the conservative’s points were stronger and wiser.
So, I would welcome this Ferguson guy to appear again…just make sure someone like Ms. Rhodes is also present.
Ghostman

I have to say that John Roberts did a really bad job of moderating that show.

from the transcript:
>>>>>>
ROBERTS: What we are going to need to do is we are going to need to take another break, and we promise you we are going to be talking about those poll numbers some more just as soon as we come back. We are trying to get Randi excited, but it is not working. I don’t know what is going on here.

ROBERTS: All right. We’re back, and the blood is flowing on the floor here. Let me keep it in the studio here.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRA…..kl.01.html

I think Randi shows us why the MSM shuns progressives on their shows-she can’t be controlled and she totally kicked the snot out of that putz. They would much rather have their docile house liberals like Joe Klein and Colmes to reinforce the notion that we are weak and have no new ideas. You go, Randi!!!

and was once the victim of road rage from Ort.

OMG!! I saw Ort for the first time in about five years today! He looks EXACTLY THE SAME, but a little greyer.

Boulevard and Chase, awwww. I am right down the street at the intersection of Childs and Barrow, if you remember where that is. Right across Prince Avenue from the old Coca Cola bottling company.

#41.

That adds an awful lot to her appearance. I almost never see or hear her..and it looks like the reason is Republicans hate to have to work and they have to work when they debate her.

She offers a moving target…she’s not a punching bag like Alamo Combs(He gets killed everytime) or Donna Brazile or a Republican meme confirming mook like Joke Line(Joe Klein) or Susan Ostrich.

-GSD

“I’m 24 years old”

ooooh nice repartee ben.

now i can see how this jerk off “earned” his way onto cnn. meritocracy indeed.

I get the feeling that Randi is getting asked back on CNN (she’s been on Dobbs & Zahn previously) because she’s damned good on the TeeVee. They’re beginning to understand that people will put down the remote when she’s on.

Watching the Bush rerun…

“To secure our borders, we must REDUCE the number of people coming across”

Reduce?

Thanx Mr. T. Well done!

I’d be really keen to see you serve up a tasty morsel of that blowhard Tucker Carlson.

Randi rules. Ben Fergusen drools. Puleeze, I root for the misguided war of the US of A, as long as I don’t have to be fight it? Patriotic soul (with really awful blow-dryed hair) there, mmm?!?

Thanks CK, will do.The fine writing here intimidates me. I’m worried I’ll mispell something, or embarass myself by making some godawful grammatical mistake. But I love to read…

Randi has the courage of a thousand wingnuts and she’s smarter than all of ‘em. I started listening to her as soon as AA hit the airwaves and as much as I love Franken, he’s far more measured and will often pull punches when he should be delivering the knockout punch, Randi is better radio. She’s also an old pro. Al’s looking at running for the Senate so I can understand his deliberation.

Well done Trex!

On her show today, Randi said that Ben is celibate or a virgin or something. My feeling is that will be a lifetime condition for putzy little Ben.

As for Dennis Prager, Randi said she told him to eff off. He said that would be material for his next show. That would be an improvement.

Thanks for the laugh TRex.

dr. nobody,

I think you’re right. They get reaction — both pro and con — from the audience when Randi is on. In my dreams, Randi gets the hour before or after Olberman, and blows Fox out of the water. Given the chance, I think she could be the top-rated cable news show, because in addition to her passion and preparation, she is just damned funny.

So now Khaddaffy is a model leader? The “butcher of Lockerbie”. They trust Ghaddaffi more than the trust American citizens.

I think Kadafy will be a rogue leader once again. Come on, when you are a bad boy, you always straighten up, but then resort to form.

He’s gonna get roped back into some terrorist activity at the monthly poker game with Kim Jong Il, Castro, Bashar Assad, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Saddam(by video phone), Hugo Chavez, Putin and Hu Jintao and Tony Blair(he is invited because they all pick on him).

http://english.aljazeera.net/N…..B77A0F.htm

Going to bed in a stupor.

But ian’t it weird that Cluster is in the only job in America that you can’t quit?

Irishmom #60– I felt that way for a long time while I lurked I and make embarrassing mistakes all the time! But as you’ve probably noticed, this is a forgiving bunch. My hands used to shake and my heart pound in the beginning. You will get over it, promise. :)

Rip ‘em a new one, Randi! Thanks for sharing this one, TRex.

I want to swear a blue effing streak whenever I hear these punk-assed, cerebrally-challenged silver-spooners puling about their support for the war. They don’t sit day-after-day, night-after-night, waiting for a call from a family member, afraid to leave the house for fear of missing the one call that will assure them there will be no dark sedan with military plates pulling in the driveway. They don’t have to deal with the PTSD symptoms and the nagging concern of whether the kids are safe in the house alone with this person, or if the weapons and the alcohol in the house have been secured adequately, or if the service will try to contact this person and yank them back for another tour through their on-going backdoor draft. They don’t have to wonder whether the miserable spoiled brats lighting off their M-80’s in the next yard throughout the night, in spite of repeated calls to their parents and the police, will set off an experience that none of us need. They don’t have to wonder what their family member went through to make comments to the contrary that the garbage can does not smell like something died…

And I’m only a family member; I’m not the person who went over and lived through hell and came back with PTSD, along with the rest of the crew that served with him, that survived to return. But this family member would gladly rip the lips off Mr. Ferguson if he ever gave me lip like he tried with Randi.

For her ability to restrain herself and not commit an act of violence, I commend her. I don’t have that kind of restraint any longer.

Lea,

I am sure “Uncle” Dennis Prager will walk him across the bridge to manhood on a fox hunting and cigar smoking trip to the countryside.

-GSD

Like I probably said before, I love tough girls like Randi. I’m glad she’s on our side.

BTW-69. I know she’s a grown woman. I can’t help but affectionately refer to her the way my best friend and I affectionately used to call each other bitch.

Again but this time with emphasis on secure too. This might be the money line…

“To SECURE our borders, we must REDUCE the number of people coming acrossâ€

Aren’t “secure” and “reduce” mutually exclusive, Red State lurkers? ; )

IrishMom,

Type on

this family is forgiving. It’s the point not the grammatics type on

Great post, TRex. Darn right saurian of you. I have, of course, heard of Little Bennie Domenech, but this was my first exposure to the other Little Bennie of the Right. What a jerk. I’m glad she slapped him down.

Welcome Irishmom 60~

I know just how you feel – honest. Each time I write, I think, “This time it will be a clean post.” Then I read it after it’s posted, and bingo another mis-spelled word and I’ve done it again. But it isn’t the spelling that counts ever so much. It’s the content. (and that intimidates me even more. But FDLers are so encouraging.)

Rayne #67:

You ever feel that way, you come here first so we can wade through it with you. There is no – repeat no – chickenhawk worth future consequences in a 1:1. You’re much too beautiful a life for that.

I have to think the national guard is getting a little tired of being Bush’s errand boys…

Imagine a Democrat proposing that US troops serve as truck drivers, fence makers and paper pushers?

-GSD

ROTFL– see Irishmom, check out my # 66– word order incorrect!!! supposed to read “and I”

Thank you TRex
that was great! She said everything I was screaming at my TV.

Irishmom~
yup and I misspelled speaking after changing it from speech. (thus my speeking see #27)
I hate when that happens.

Thanks everyone. You make me feel very welcome.

OT

Here’s hoping Tony Snow gets his cherri poped tomorrow with this :

FBI Acknowledges: Journalists Phone Records are Fair Game
May 15, 2006 7:18 PM

Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:
The FBI acknowledged late Monday that it is increasingly  seeking reporters’ phone records in leak investigations.
“It used to be very hard and complicated to do this, but it no longer is in the Bush administration,” said a senior federal official.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thebl…..ledge.html

Wow – being a baseball fan is just the same as being a war fan. I know he likes the Yankees, but is it the killing part or the dieing part of the war he likes best? Buy the boy a beer and a dog and let him kick back and enjoy himself.

Randi is very tough and I’m glad she is getting some air time. So much better than watching Joe Biden again. Joe would have spent the rest of the program discussion headwear with young Ben.

A few more TRex’s and Randis and the party might have a few more Feingolds.

Gyro,

They will cite Pat Fitzgerald as their inspiration. The very thing that got Rove’s tit in a wringer is now going to be turned on the people.

How very Rovian.

-GSD

Mary,

Of course, the war is just a game to the Republican right wing…to be played by poor and black and brown folks, anyone but them.

-GSD

TRex, congrats and well done! Maybe every time Falafel O’Reilly tries to get a Dem on his show, the answer should be, “I’ll come on your show after you go on Randi Rhodes’.”

Irishmom, we all make mistakes from time to time here; nothing to worry about. Speaking of mistakes, a little OT digression. I meant to say in the West Wing thread that though I loved all the characters, Leo McGarry was probably my favorite. He was just so very human, in the best sense of the word: so flawed, but so noble; not perfect, but good — always trying to do the right thing as he understood it. If I had to choose a fictional character as a role model, I would pick Leo.

OT: Gyro at 80…what’s amazing to me is that there is NARY a mention of this story on the MSM webpages. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Ok maybe on ABC (whose blogger broke it) but otherwise, the very people who are so affected (apart from us, the citizens) are silent. Still.

Gyro Gear Lo*se says:

May 15th, 2006 at 9:43 pm

That should make for a lively gaggle. I wonder whether Snowjob will refuse to “comment on an ongoing investigation.”

LMAO – great post TRex

http://tinyurl.com/a6erq

^^^ HELP IMPEACH TODAY

Keep the pressure on Congress… Talking about impeachment wakes people up… They question, it’s a strong motivator to get people thinking. It also lets Congress know how intense the dissapproval is for this President… They seem to be a little slow on the uptake. So please:

1) Sign petitions if you have not done so
2) Send a letter to Congress (both Senators & House rep)
3) Send a copy to the media
4) Enlist friends and family to help, ask them to chip in time
5) Spread the link around, email it (with a request to forward) post it on a blog, or in the comments of a news story.

Help out!!!

Thanks :)

FDL – a link to sanity in an otherwise bonkers era. Thanks everyone for restoring my faith and growing optimism.

Two Beers is right – Randi has great wit and knows not only today’s issues but also gives the listener historical info to back up arguments.
Frankly, even Bush’s appointees seem to be missing major brain cells. Look at the Secretary of Education, that Frances Townsend, undersecretary (?) of Homeland Security – even Stephen Hadley – then there’s Karen Hughes and on and on. None make any sense and lack a true professionial presence. Perhaps it’s having to tell lies constantly that makes all seem like they are so out of their league.

OT- TRex- the online station link does not work in Firefox, at least not my vers. 1.0.5. Had to go back to Explorer.

Weird. We had a Rove speech and a Bush prime-time address. And I look back on the last 24 hours and think that the most newsworthy event was the indictment of the 3rd Duke lacrosse player.

80 and 86

The reporters should ask whether the Bush administration has ever directed the spooks to spy on the phone records of a member of the White House press corps.

If we ever find out that Natalee Holloway eloped with Osama bin Laden, I’m leaving.

Fantastic post, TRex. I love me some Randi Rhodes, and listen to her every single chance I get. She is not just passionate but informed and kicked natural ass on Larry King. I couldn’t believe that prepubescent twit had the idiocy to compare Iraq to the Yankees – as if joining the Yankees is something he could choose. They shouldn’t even let him wear a Yankees ballcap. If only they’d let Randi debate someone who mattered.

I am sure Helen Thomas has so many bugs in her house that they interfere with her ‘Clapper’.

-GSD

I still read a handful of college newspapers online (mostly Big 10 and MAC) and there tends to be a pattern. A handful of college Young Republicans who enjoy letter campaigns to the editor. No doubt the Republicanus studientus is a minority on college campuses, so in an effort for the editorial page to seem “balanced” or to seem like it’s “engaging in discussion” it continually reprints the talking point musings of a select minority. To the untrained eye, it just might seem like there are actual movements, but just read for a month or two and you’ll see the same names taking that repub talking point stance. So these same people who faithfully repeat the mantras to college newspapers get picked up to work on larger projects since they’re so good at regurgitation.

The Repub PR machine used to be so much more slick. There aren’t any exprienced pundits so now the fresh college faces are doing the repeats? Is the RNC press room what Young Republicans consider being in the trenches and on the front line? If you can survive the heat of seemlessly duplicating memos on the radio and on TV, then you deserve a respectfuljob just like any other veteran? It goes comething like this:

“Where’d you get that scar? Iraq ‘03? Afghanistan ‘02?

Naw, I was pulling a tour on Hannity and Colmes in ‘05. I was yelling and I was so agitated. It was a great performance. But button flew off my shirt in my fake flurry and clipped my eye. It still stings even though I know it’s healed. I lost a buddy back in Scarborough Country. I told him to memorize his cue cards! He wouldn’t listen. He fumbled his cards and lost his place. They had to go to commercial break. I still have nightmares. I’m one of the lucky ones…. I got an honorable discharge after that and I do what any other vet does… I’m a lobbyist for an oil company.”

Figures that he’s a Yankees fan…..Ferguson S..ks!
And Randi and Big Ed Rock!

You know, I like Randi’s attitude, but she gets stuff wrong a lot. Little things – so inconsequential that I wince when I hear them, then forget them – but she does make misstatements often.

In a similar vein, Sam Seder (oe whoever is doing majority report tonight) keeps calling the NSA “NASA”. You know how embarrassing that it? What ever-so-slightly open minded former Bush supporter is going to give Air America a second chance when he hears some whiny liberal conflate the Administration that send out rockets with the one that taps our phones and catalogs our contacts with everyone?

Great post! I really like that weak-ass comparision. “I don’t wear the Yankees uniform”… Umm… the Yankees don’t take just anyone off the street with a high school diploma, unlike the Army, moron. Not to mention the whole dying part.

I’ve always thought, beyond my omniscience, there was some deep meaning behind my lifelong love for the Mets -and now I know. So that’s one question I can cross off the list.

I guess George Carlin is off limits to rightards (great term btw), probably b/c he cussed too much and questioned the powers that be, b/c we all know that football and war are the same. If he said he was a New York Giants fan, I think he really would have showed Randi.

Randi is wonderful! That being said I have a minor rant the is somewhat OT. Bill Maher had Gibson (from Fox) on the other night. They talked about Joe Wilson and Gibson told every single RW lie about him out there. Every single one, I kid you not. Maher just let him get away with it without a question or comment. I was pissed! Still am as far as that goes.

But I have making my way through the blogsphere and not one person has commented on it. Why? Doesn’t anyone watch his show but me? Is it not important that Maher allows liars to get away with it? What’s going on? Am I so out of it that there is something stopping people from talking about it that I don’t know? It’s literally driving me nuts. I sent him a nasty email and didn’t get an answer of course, but I am still pissed and frustrated that nobody else seemed to see it or give a shit.

National Guard to Texas… Can you say MILITARY COUP?

It’s going to take us two and a half years to train 6,000 Border Patrol officers, but we’re going to train a whole new Iraqi army in the same time?

WTF?

Even David Gergen tonight on CNN said we’re in a lot of trouble if it takes us that long to train that few officers.

BTW, great post tonight, T-Rex! You can join Christy, Jane, and Randi tonight right up there on my Mt. Rushmore of progressive women voices. It’s about time the Black Hills had some gender balance, anyway.

Rock on TRex and Randi!

Great seeing you both take it to the wingnuts!

al Scooter (75) — thanks for the offer, but I just plain avoid situations with them because of this, easier than becoming a topic of the local 11 pm newscast.

I caved in this past weekend and spent an evening with people I now consider former friends because of their absurdly neo-con perspective. It was a long evening and I will now refuse to see these people again until after November after biting through my tongue the entire night.

You see, this couple are just coming to terms with their son/stepson enlisting in the service immediately out of high school — and now they are all yanked up about it. Stepmom is being all righteous about it, but dad is having a very hard time with it. Funny, this is the same guy who told my spouse while our son/stepson was in Iraq in 2003, “Hell, we’ll just blow them all into melted glass and it will be all over.”

Three years later and they still haven’t clued in on what we’ve been through, or what their role has been in all of this.

Conveniently, karma is a much nastier bitch than I am and is only now beginning to flex her claws in this situation.

Trex, I say AMEN! Just the sermon needed for those standing vigil for Fitzmas…

Bush is going to protect the oil in the Republic of Texas from the rest of the Old Dominion.

-GSD

Maher is a bit of an arrogant ass. I bet he doesn’t look into a lot of things very deeply.

Having Gibson on a show should be like having David Duke on the show.

Irishmom == delurking is ALWAYS better than pounding one’s head into the computer.

As for quality of writing, there are few better than on this site. I cannot write like many who hang out here, but common sense and thoughtful words are always cherished here and I feel that I can say a few words without hiding behind the counter.

I heard Randi’s show this afternoon and she was actually complimentary about goin on the Lou Dobbs show. Whowouldathunk.

Lou treats Randi with respect– at least every time I have seen them together on the show. I think he has a teensy crush on her…

#99 – whiney liberal? Sam Seder? When people are trashing the consitution, we do not whine — we are raging mad.

BTW, that story about Rove’s AEI speech in FT is rather amusing.

His tone changed when asked to explain his alleged role in leaking the name of Valerie Plame, the Central Intelligence Agency agent. Mr Rove has testified five times before a grand jury. “My attorney, Mr Luskin, made a statement on April 26. I refer you to that statement. I have nothing more to add,” he responded. “Nice try, though.”

A block, not even a parry. Will have to double-check the Luskin statement per Rover.

But the rest of the article showed a man who is very much in denial, blaming the tanked and nearly bottomed-out JAR on the bitterness of war and blatantly ignoring other indices.

Gotta’ wonder what kind of mushroom-growing closet this guy has hidden himself in to be able to cling to this unreality. Or maybe he’s smoking the mushrooms.

Rayne #106:

You’re doing the right thing. I mucked through the rice paddies a couple of wars ago, and I just can’t seem to get the Gen-X/Y crowd to understand my frustration at seeing the same mistakes made again and more young lives being cut short.

Living where I do, I spend a lot of time in the car. I’ve trained myself that when I see a bumper sticker I don’t like, I grip the steering wheel a little tighter rather than indicate my displeasure. No good can come of it, so I just try to find someone to persuade later on. And vent the anger at the gym. The machines don’t care, and they always win anyway.

I wonder what kind of dirt thay have on O’Liely. Phone orders for falafel delivery?

“Where’d you get that scar? Iraq ‘03? Afghanistan ‘02?

Naw, I was pulling a tour on Hannity and Colmes in ‘05. I was yelling and I was so agitated. It was a great performance. But button flew off my shirt in my fake flurry and clipped my eye. It still stings even though I know it’s healed. I lost a buddy back in Scarborough Country. I told him to memorize his cue cards! He wouldn’t listen. He fumbled his cards and lost his place. They had to go to commercial break. I still have nightmares. I’m one of the lucky ones…. I got an honorable discharge after that and I do what any other vet does… I’m a lobbyist for an oil company.â€

Uh. Mah. Gawd. That is teh funny. This deserves its own post.

GSD,

My feelings on Maher exactly. He probably would have let him have it with both barrels if he had done his homework. He can be awfully funny though when he gets on a roll. New rules for Bill Maher: Don’t be lazy and be prepared when you host wingnuts.

Rayne #112:

I found this April 26 Luskin statement:

Luskin released this statement after Rove’s testimony:

In connection with this appearance, the Special Counsel has advised Mr. Rove that he is not a target of the investigation. Mr. Fitzgerald has affirmed that he has made no decision concerning charges.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.c…..008696.php

Weasel…

EPU’d.
Bush interrupts prime time to give an important speech (only his second on a domestic issue) to announce his grand solution to the illegal immigration problem. He’s going to send 6,000 National Guard troops to secure the border (although they won’t actually be intercepting attempted immigrants, just providing support). Wow. 6,000 troops should go a long way toward securing the border. What? They will only be there on two-week rotations? Oh. That’s only the year-round equivilant of 231 troops. Guess it wasn’t such a big announcement, after all. Stop looking at Fitzgerald–stop looking at Rove–stop looking at the NSA illegal domestic spying–look over here! 6,000 troops!

al-Scooter 114

“I wonder what kind of dirt thay have on O’Liely.”

Isn’t “dirt on O’Liely” redundant?

“YOU …are Official A!“

;>)

neurophius #119:

Point taken. Heavily fertilized with falafel remains, no doubt.

al Scooter (113) – I’m old enough to remember what happened back in the 60’s; my favorite uncle, a happy-go-lucky kid not unlike my stepson, came back a hollow shell from his tour in ‘Nam and has never been the same. I’ve fretted and stewed, worried about this happening to my once happy-go-lucky stepson, watch for that same shadow to fall over him.

If I see guy in traffic behind a W-stickered car gripping the wheel a bit too tightly, I’ll give him the thumbs up. It’ll help my grip on the wheel, too.

BTW, I don’t know if anybody mentioned this factoid on the other thread, but the NYT says that the governors of border states will have to request the NG troops. Arnold’s against doing so, as is Richardson, but Perry and Napolitano are down with it. So alternate states, splits in both parties. Sure, that’ll work.

Rayne, I’ll be lookin’ for ya! And I’ll be happy to return the courtesy. Lotsa those stickers here in TheOC, but nowhere near as many as a year ago.

T-Rex. Thanks for the plug for Randi. I’m damn tired of hearing liberals say, “She’s too shrill for my taste.” Screw ‘em.

Excellent post, TRex. It’s like Little Ben just listens for keywords that trigger some area in his brain, telling him to spew this or that talking point, because he sure ain’t following the conversation.

And thanks to Angie up @51 for the link to the transcript of the show. It’s quite good. Randy totally nails that freak Praeger on the NSA spying when he says, “Well, let me say and I believe that I speak on behalf of most Americans, God bless them for doing it.”

Go Randy! Go TRex!

everhopeful (117) — yes, a slippery weasel, using fine weasely words while pointing to more weasel words.

In connection with this appearance = but perhaps a target in connection with other appearances;

Not a target of the investigation = not at the moment, or not in regards to IIPA, but possibly in regards to being a general, all-round sh*thead;

Mr. Fitzgerald had affirmed he has made no decision concerning charges = but Fitz may well be dangling that sword above a certain bald pate.

And 26-April is so last month already…a lot of weaseling has gone on since then.

The weasel has been in front of the grand jury five times already. In Korea, an executive questioned five times by prosecutors for receiving excessive favors in the form of a vehicle discount, proclaimed his innocence and killed himself anyhow as he perceived no way to escape the shame or charges even if innocent.

Apparently we do not apply the same kind of social pressure here.

Before I turn in, Stephanie Miller did a great impression of/homage to Randi and her professionalism re: her faithful time checks:

“…the whole world’s going up in flames, and we’re all gonna die!!…17 after…”

Excellent tutorial up at dKos on datamining here.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/16/13030/3804

New poll out by Survey USA shows GW Clusterfuck with a 33 percent approval rating.

Only two states now rate him above 50 percent (Utah and Idyho) Mormons are stickin with their boy.

TRex, will you be my new best friend?

Rayne,

Rover was working with some real circular illogic to boot.

He said–consumer confidence polls are up and that indicates a good economy.

Then he was asked about the low 30% polls and he pooh-poohed polls as not an effective way to govern…”besides most of those polls show the president has a high personal approval rating as opposed to a J.A.R.”

So polls matter when they say that the people are confident consumers..they don’t matter when they say the people don’t like Mr. Bush’s job and they matter again when people say they personally like Bush.

He is living in the same fantasy world as Pickles Bush who thinks that going to a stage managed campaign event is a window into the national soul.

Bet she would be surprised to find out Mrs. Kim Jong Ill feels the same about her husband too.

-GSD

GRS 97 — that is funny.

GSD #96 – I don’t know if it’s all the sunshine I got today, the two glasses of red wine or what.. but if you keep making me laugh that hard I’m going to end up in the E.R. with split ribs!

…Clap on, clap off…

Good news and bad news.

Good news, of course I’ll be your new best friend, zennurse! Call me every five minutes.

Bad news, the neighbor’s potted fern says no go on the talk-show circuit thing. She says the camera adds 30 fronds and she’s just not done copy-editing the galleys for Michelle and Jesse’s next book.

Shoephone,

I don’t know if you heard that FEMA has responded to the floods in New England by sending water.

-GSD

Ha! I thought about that same Larry King segment, tonight.

My Mom got a Mother’s day call from Mosul, Iraq, from my nephew (her grandson), a PFC in our Army training the glorious new Iraqi Army.

They apparently got to talking about the NSA phone-spying scandal. Nephew’s comment: “Well, I guess I better not threaten to kill George W. Bush on the phone anymore.” Which led into a discussion of how difficult and dangerous it is to have any anti-Bush discussions over there, even beyond the normal military regulations. You can get your ass in a lot of trouble not being a happy camper about El Jefe Busho.

Prescott Bush = Yale Degree
George H. W. Bush = Yale Degree
Bill Clinton = Yale Graduate Degree
George W. Bush = Yale Degree
Hillary Clinton = Yale Degree
Dick Cheney = Went to Yale
Porter Goss = Yale Degree
John Ashcroft = Yale Degree
John Negroponte = Yale Degree
John Kerry = Yale Degree
Stephen Hadley = Yale Degree
What’s up with Yale? Shouldn’t the U.S. be in great shape with all these Elis running things????

GSD – yes, I believe I did hear that… along with the truckloads of ice?

But, seriously – has your air-conditioned trailer arrived yet?

I hate to be crass (actually, I don’t) but looking at Lil’ Benny’s picture over at Jesus’s General’s web site, I wonder if he could pass the physical exam for entry into the military. He is a lil’ on the porky side, even for a 24-year-old.

Moreover, I wonder if Lil’ Benny’s virginity is by choice, or by the fact that his porkiness might dissuade potential mates–be they female or male–from mating with him.

guy – that is quite an impressive list of alums. But, could you post a list of famous Americans who dropped out? It would make me feel better about my own rebellious years.

When I watched that segment on crooks and liars, I was disapointed Randy couldn’t just reach across the split screen, grab that kid by the ear and drag him to the nearest military recruiter to sign up. Somebody ought to send him a Yakees uniform.

GRS

I second Jane, that’s hilarious. Don’t forget their tours of duty battling the Contras… the Nintendo game.

Those guys were like brothers to me. The horror…

Trex!

in da house, with authorah-tay! that’s an epic post; one for the snarkives…..

here’s a companion image.

decked the punk-ass sniveler

“Decked” indeed. Hammered, stained, and sealed. Deck a man right the first time, and you can walk all over him for years.

Trex, I don’t have the words, and others have said before me, but dayam, that was good!

GRS @ 97 – LOL

punaise

I agree… GRS’s 97 deserves to be included in an update, IMHO.

Cozumel @ 71

“To SECURE our borders, we must REDUCE the number of people coming acrossâ€

to seduce our boarders, we must recure a number of cross people.

Off topic but IMPORTANT.

There is a piece of corporate propaganda on the left side of this supposedly progressive blog, masquarading as a “grass root movement” ad, which is being pushed by Blog Ads: the “Don’t Regulate The Internet” piece of vomit-inducing crapola.

I am severely dissapointed that no one from Firedoglake seems to be paying attention to this.

The ad is paid for by telephone and cable companies and if that propaganda campaign succeeds, Firedoglake and millions of other blogs will be for all practical purposes gone, unless they will be able to cough up the new “priority access” fees, otherwise being relegated to the slowest lanes of traffic on the “new and more profitable” internet. It will take probably around 5 minutes for any of the pages here to load unless of course you are rolling in cash.

I emplore you to put an immediate stop to this.

You are running ads for people who mean to destroy you.

For all of you who do not realize what is going on, check out this site.

Rayne’s comment is major. It deserves some coverage….not just in the comments. Sher Bono got involved in something close to this, and she did an excellent job, but she was not talking about what it’s like for the families. This is not really being covered in the msm, or are the cuts to the VA’s budget being covered.

Rates someone doing some digging
Rayne, sorry for stealing so much of your post, but it really hit a nerve with me.

I want to swear a blue effing streak whenever I hear these punk-assed, cerebrally-challenged silver-spooners puling about their support for the war. They don’t sit day-after-day, night-after-night, waiting for a call from a family member, afraid to leave the house for fear of missing the one call that will assure them there will be no dark sedan with military plates pulling in the driveway. They don’t have to deal with the PTSD symptoms and the nagging concern of whether the kids are safe in the house alone with this person, or if the weapons and the alcohol in the house have been secured adequately, or if the service will try to contact this person and yank them back for another tour through their on-going backdoor draft. They don’t have to wonder whether the miserable spoiled brats lighting off their M-80’s in the next yard throughout the night, in spite of repeated calls to their parents and the police, will set off an experience that none of us need. They don’t have to wonder what their family member went through to make comments to the contrary that the garbage can does not smell like something died…

And I’m only a family member; I’m not the person who went over and lived through hell and came back with PTSD, along with the rest of the crew that served with him, that survived to return. But this family member would gladly rip the lips off Mr. Ferguson if he ever gave me lip like he tried with Randi.

For her ability to restrain herself and not commit an act of violence, I commend her. I don’t have that kind of restraint any longer.

T Rexcellent post! many thanks.

darkblack @ 31

has it = “wingnut jugend”

ROFLMAO

FLEX THE TREX MUSCLES! –

Basement took on some water yesterday from the floods. Spent the evening/night mopping up and moving lumber. Went to bed and woke up to this EXCELLENT rant. Thanks, man. Very helpful to my attitude.

http://www.firedoglake.com/ind…..neutrality
FactsOnly, Jane, Christy, and Pach all strongly favor net neutrality and are against McCurry’s client. The problem is they are not charging you anything to read or comment here. Who do you think pays the bills? If it’s not pornography or a scam, they will accept advertising. If you know anyone at net neutrality, perhaps you can persuade them to outbid for that space. There has been a lot of discussion about this issue, which you evidently missed.

Just love the the discriptions..I qrew up with all these types….
if you have time ..go visit this young 12 year olds blog..
he posted on Fitz’s site,,
interesting read it will do your heart good
http://jordans-world.blogspot.com/
I leave him little interesting sites and so do others on Fitz’s blog..
again thanks for the great descriptions they warm the cockles of my heart…

another day in Fitzadise
todays the day…..

Randi has improved my debating skills: I am now calm, collected, fact-crammed and reality based. It’s game,set and match in a few short minutes. She is a national treasure, and I hope she continues her TeeVee appearances.

More Bush/Cheney Moments of National Pride:

Re: Guantanimo Bay

“The U.S. says it has held 759 males, ranging from teenagers to older than 70, from more than 40 countries, according to the list released late Monday in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press.”

-GSD

John Casper,

I was going to say the same thing and add: unlike the OTHER side of the blogosphere, FDL is against censorship of speech and believes that the best response to a bad idea is a good idea (or somesuch).

I really am starting to think this is some weird concern troll effort on these adds to boost their click-throughs…. Not to mention the blogwhoring.

here’s FAB photo of Randi!!

http://nornsisland.com/05Beeaatch05c.jpg

George Crile III; Journalist Alleged Vietnam War Lies
George Crile III, 61, a longtime producer for CBS’s “60 Minutes and “60 Minutes II” and the author of a best-selling book about a rogue Central Intelligence Agency operation in Afghanistan during the Reagan administration, died May 15 of pancreatic cancer at his home in New York City.

Cynic:post::
I am caregiver to one such person..
these are tools that you can ask the VA for:

a COMPUTER..downlowd all kinds of games for the person(not the war games) ..

if you are hassled call the prothectics people in DC
get books on tape:

their mind races so fast that they can’t read
properly…

I feel your pain…

Oh T-Rex your post was just what I needed to read after being busy for a couple days, I needed a break and got to bust a gut! ROFL *wild applause* (not to be confused with that speculation crap) Rhandi rocks our world and it’s about damn time someone does. “MMMMMMM Tastes Like Chicken Hawk” sounds like a new bumper sticker to me.

FactsOnly #151- We appreciate your concern. The ad has been knocked around alot and deservedly so for days now, damning posts linked to, specials emails circulated, calls to sign up our blogs at SaveTheInternet (my post on it is dated May 2), you name it, we’ve bitched aplenty.

The concensus is that if they want to waste money here let them go right ahead and foolishly drain their accounts on transparent motive ads instead of a senate campaign for instance, this blog needs money to operate. It therefore gives us more chances to refute it, mock it, stomp on it, and generally everything in the above paragraph all over again, you know, like Ben Ferguson. There’s not much that escapes anyone’s attention around here.

Love Randi, love the post!

I listen to Randi Rhodes every day. I watched the Larry King show only because she was going to be on it
That kid’s appearance is frat boy, Rush Limbuagh, and Tucker carlson Matt Drudge and Gucker/Gannon.
As Randi said before, she was relegated to the debate dungeon and the kid was sitting at the desk with whatever that guy’s name was that was sitting where Larry King usually sits.
I noticed that the host and frat boy were laughing together like they were buddies as the show was going to a break.
Maybe Randi should just refuse to go on a show that has that format.
It is set up so that everyone is forced to yell at each other. It was degrading to Randi.
It seems they’re using the same line that they used for Howard Dean “He is nuts.”
I forget where this quote is from:
First they ignore you
Then they make fun of you
Then they attack you.
I forget what the rest of the quote is. Maybe it is then they co-op or say it was their idea or exploit you in some way.

Was searching to see if Nightline ran anything about reporters being spied on. I had ‘Charlie Rose’ on PBS. Taylor Marsh wasn’t on, but at least it was three women…Judy Woodruff sitting in for Charlie, Linda Wertheimer from NPR, and Jean ?? from WSJ.

Shorter panel: Bush is screwed on immigration. Playing to the base is complicated by competing base elements. The WSJ reported spent so much time mentioning how Karl Rove worked this and that angle ‘and all that work is going for naught…’ that they must have drinks at some NoTell Hotel. Other than that, ‘fair and balanced’.

As for ABC/spying, they have a blog with enough entries willing to delete the Fourth Amendment and relevant clause in the First; looks like Chickenhawks can’t get enough.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onde…..ay_be.html
—-
Keep the Faith, and pass the TRex posts!

Beautiful job, T-Rex! Brightened my day.

That 24 year old turd gives the same answer all the other chicken dicks give when asked why he isn’t in Iraq; “I’m too young; I’m too old; I support them here.” One excuse after another. He needs one of those depleted uranium rounds shot up his chicken ass. The other asshole on that show wasn’t any better, calling the Iraqis evil. Like Randi said, “I thought we were there to liberate them, how can they be evil?” Are we there to liberate evil?

We need democratic candidates with Randi’s backbone. I was honored to march next to her at the anti war march in NYC.
Love you Randi

Re: floods. I know we have plenty from Mass and NH. I hope you guys are doing o.k.

Great post!

That exchange was priceless! She had another when they were discussing NSA spying and Dennis Prager was using his, “if you’re not doing anything wrong you shouldn’t mind the gov’t logging your phone number all in the name of capturing the bad guys” bedwetters of America talking point…Rhandi shot back, “Dennis what’s your phone number….”please tell us your phone number”…Dennis just smiled but remained silent ignoring her pleas, guess he only trust Big Brother gov’t (you know the one they constantly rail against).

Ben is so wet behind the ears he looks like he just got out of the shower. The hairdo, the smarmy attitude, the ultra self confidence just reminds me of the saying, “Your ego is writing checks it can’t cash”. Randi is like a pit bull & full of passion. I just wonder if Ed was a tad annoyed that she was able to dominate the show…highly competitive line of work. It’s interesting that we are seeing more & more of the reality based views (liberal) on cable & in print. It is so amusing & ironic that conservatives immediately talk about how “angry” liberals are when they get a rare chance to talk. They can dish it out but can’t take it. Of course, it’s all about smothering any other viewpoint, not debate.

Karl Rove, Bullish on the Budget and the Border
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, May 16, 2006; Page A02
It’s a heck of a curse.
Presidential adviser Karl Rove had almost finished his appearance yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute when it happened. Discussing the Bush administration’s record on illegal immigration, he blurted out, “We’re doing a heck of a job.
President Bush made the phrase a national shorthand for incompetence when he bestowed it on FEMA Director Mike “Brownie” Brown in the days after Hurricane Katrina. And Rove knew he stepped in it yesterday. First, he said the administration was doing “a heck of a lot better, uh, job of getting control of the border.” Then he uttered the forbidden phrase, and it sent him into a syntactical tailspin: “We’re doing a heck of a job — lot better job at getting, at getting, uh, the — the problem of catch-and-release under control.”

Rove has a lot on his mind these days — a fact hinted at in the introduction to his speech by AEI President Christopher DeMuth. “In Washington, the hens are clucking and pecking and the sharks are circling,” DeMuth observed. “Still, he goes about his work with discipline, serenity, never permitting himself to lapse into vitriol at the unfairness of it all, even in circumstances of flagrant unfairness.”

Among the unfair circumstances: Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald still has not released Rove from the probe into the Valerie Plame case. Add to that the unfairness of a Harris poll last week that put Bush’s support at 29 percent. And top it off with the flagrant unfairness of new White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten stripping Rove of his policy duties.

As if in answer to that demotion, Rove’s AEI speech was billed as a “major policy address” — and he inflicted a barrage of statistics on his audience. He knew that the tax burden went from 40.5 to 46.6 percent on the top 3 percent of taxpayers, that S&P 500 companies increased dividend payments 725 times and that real disposable income was up 14 percent. He then recited border statistics for the week of April 10.

His audience, half of them journalists, struggled to pull Rove back to the political during the Q&A. “Look, I don’t want to spend a lot of time on polls,” the wonk said with reproach. “I love this mania which has swept through American media today which substitutes polls for coverage of substance.” In the manner of a fish disavowing water, he continued, “We’re going to stay focused on good policy, and confident that that will ultimately take care of the politics.”

Only after prodding did Rove stoop from his policy perch to offer a political thought. “Look, we’re in a sour time,” he said. “I readily admit it. I mean, being in the middle of a war where people turn on their television sets and see brave men and women dying is not something that makes people happy and optimistic and upbeat. But I’m absolutely confident that . . . we’re going to be just fine in the fall elections.”

David Corn of the liberal Nation magazine made the obligatory (and fruitless) attempt to draw Rove into a discussion about his role in the Plame affair. “My attorney, Mr. Luskin, made a statement on April 26th,” the policymaker said. “I refer you to that statement. I have nothing more to add to it. Nice try, though…..”"

Maybe Larry King thought he was getting Stacy Ferguson.

Hey Mui!

Damp Damp damp damp in Boston area.
:~(

Thank You TRex!! — Yes, that haircut should be banned from the airwaves. Full agreement here.

immanentize, it’s damp in shoreline CT too. But I can’t complain when I hear of what’s happening with NH.
I guess you’re getting a workout with the flooding that people expect to get only in winter when it snows.

Excellent post, TRex, most excellent!

I’m ready to start the day now.

turnip-heads!

Michele Kasimirsky (166). agreed. Those guys always like to discredit our favourite women by acting like they’re crazy. It’s one of the reasons I never became Repub from early teens on.
Watch CSPAN, and the throw the bitch to the curb look some of these guys get when a congress woman on our side makes a stand. (not to sound bitter.)

I love that Randi has mastered the art of hitting them with their own technique– she keeps on talking when Ben tries to talk over her, and since she is louder, more coherent and a hell of a lot more passionate, hers is the voice that gets heard.

Heh heh. Yeah, ain’t it great? In this country little snotty nosed punks like that get to grow up to be president.

I love Randi, too, but I swear to God, I hate that kind of screaming match. I suppose it’s the way things are, but it makes me want to turn off the TV.

I heard Randi on her program the other day explaining how the other guests ganged-up on her during breaks. So, I’m glad she’s a street-fighter, but I wish all “pundits” were forced to go through charm school.

Spot on.

Also loved your post T-Rex!

There were many lol lines, but my favorite was:

“Ben Ferguson attempts to take her down about Iraq and ends up getting his ass handed to him, but not before Ms Rhodes has shredded it, stomped it, backed over it a couple times with the car, and fed it to the pigeons.”

Thanks for being so clever and funny!

From needlenose:
Rips in the GOP’s ‘Big Tent’
By greenboy
May 15 2006 – 6:21pm
“I didn’t get a chance to listen to Shrubya’s immigration speech this afternoon, but I did get a chance to hear some wrong-wing ‘reaction’ on various news programs immediately following.
Man it was refreshing hearing all the GoOPers attack the Preznit and his plan! Not that I agree with them in any regard, most of them wanting much more drastic anti-immigrant measures. But it’s very encouraging to see the growing rift between the improbable allies of the last several years, corporations, rascists and libertarians among others….”

Tastes like chicken hawk!

Love that line. The chicken hawk metaphor is the best one going. And we know that’s true because the chicken hawks HATE it!

Nice post.

Good Morning Firepups!
OT and I haven’t had a chance to catch up on the threads yet, but I saw this and wanted to share

ABC’s “theblotter” is confirming with FBI sources that journalist’s phone records are being reviewed as part of an investigation into CIA leaks that began with a review of the government’s own phone records.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/

ABC evidently spoke with someone at the FBI who said:

The official said our blotter item was wrong to suggest that ABC News phone calls were being “tracked.”
“Think of it more as backtracking,” said a senior federal official.

As I speculated yesterday on a previous thread, it seems that the FBI is doing this pursuant to a Patriot Act authorized National Security Letter.

This is not the same as the NSA program. This is significantly different as a matter of law because it is specifically authorized by the Patriot Act. This is a good example why the Patriot Act is a badly thought out unnuanced excuse for a law.

I’m not saying that every single word in the Patriot Act is a bad idea and it all needs to be scrapped. The couple or few good nuggets of useful updating and improvement in law enforcement authorizations could be done by amending existing laws, or drafting a good quality thoughtful version of the PA. The current version, however, is as shoddy a piece of work as I have ever seen and needs a major makeover if not demolition and rebuild from scratch.

When it was originally passed, Congress realized it was a “quick and dirty” pile of fertilizer, which is why the original version had sunset provisions. There was no excuse for reauthorizing it in it’s current form.

The Patriot Act, with it’s few tiny bits of genuine reform and improvement is kind of like a good lie, which always has a kernel or two of genuine truth buried in it.

Good Morning Everyone -
Chimpy didn’t get the memo – Chertoff “deploying Guard Troops to border would be horribly expensive and difficult”
via TPM Muck

Ruh-Roh

The rain here in Southern NH has subsided but it’s been misty this morning and the standing water around the foundation of my house has finally disappeared. Weather report says that we may actually see some sun here later this afternoon. I’m one of the more fortunate as we’re situated on a hill, many shelters have been setup in the region. Have never seen anything quite like the last several days.

“An exit plan for Iraq? YOU HATE AMERICA!”)

Yes, the question needs to be asked again and again:

Why do Republicans hate America?

lhp, cbl, great links, thanks.

shoephone #141:
guy – that is quite an impressive list of alums. But, could you post a list of famous Americans who dropped out? It would make me feel better about my own rebellious years.

Cole Porter is one of the most famous Yale dropouts. Cheney flunked out instead of dropping out, so he doesn’t count. According to the Yale Daily News, there’s also Oliver Stone, Paul Newman (drama school dropout), James Fenimore Cooper, Mark Rothko (abstract expressionist), David Duchovney, and Jennifer Garner. So I’d say you’re in good company!

cbl, 189:”Chertoff “deploying Guard Troops to border would be horribly expensive and difficultâ€

Of course Dubya knows this. The NG idea has nothing to do with realities on the ground. He is pandering to his base. Dubya’s solution to every problem is to respond with force and militia.

I wonder if Bush is aware that bringing the NG back into the news will remind people about his hiding under the skirts of the NG during Nam. (It reminded me!)

I have a college friend who I saw a few years ago and found out that, sadly, she had become a wingnut and was home-schooling their children so they wouldn’t be taught the “wrong” things. At the time, I wondered what was going to happen to these kids whose worldview was so fragile they couldn’t be allowed to hear any contrary ideas, once they left the coccoon.

Now we know. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them recover, but a hell of a lot of them seek out other coccoons (Liberty University, wingnut welfare) and remain absolutely convinced that they are right, while completely lacking the skills to justify themselves. What a sad waste of human potential.

OJS, 191.

Replying to my own post, some may think I am trying to be facetious by asking why Republicans hate America, but I am referring to a particular breed of Republican, not all of them, and certainly not to the authentic conservative ideals of the traditional Republican, some of which I share as an independent liberal.

I am referring to those who parade under the banner of Republicanism but who despise what America truly was intended to be: a republic governed under democratic principles of freedom, equality, the dignity of each individual, and access to the fruits of one’s own labor. Your right-wing Republicans hate this, and in doing so reveal their hatred of America.

orangejumpsuit says:
“Why do Republicans hate America?”

Republicans don’t hate America. They just hate Americans. :)

looseheadprop (188) — hmm. Backtracking. This means they’ve already recorded all of the journalists’ calls and they are going through the data they already have on hand.

Cripes, it’s nearly a “Minority Report”; let’s go look for the crime you’ve committed and the crime you’re going to commit at the same time, while changing the rules about the crime as well as evidentiary production.

F*ckers. The NSA needs to be completely hosed out if no one in the ranks could figure out how to blow the whistle years ago on this.

And I suppose somebody will now make that personal expression of my First Amendment rights a crime and come digging for this comment in a year or two.

They send in little frat babies like Ben because there is no way a big name wingnut would sit down with Randi for a real debate off their turf(she issued that challange on air yesterday to Hannity,Loofah Guy and Rush).They also think it diminishes Randi,heh,they have no clue who they’re dealing with.She really does well on the TeeVee,and she doesn’t allow herself to be talked over.I also love how she’s always outnumbered on these shows and still manages to steal the show.I think The Dobbs has a little puppy crush on her too.

I discovered Randi when my hubby got me XM radio for Christmas a couple of years ago(just so I could have Air America in my house and car.I hardly listen to anything else on XM),and I don’t think I’ve missed her more than a couple of times.She might be abrasive to some,but I love her.But then again,I’ve been told I’m abrasive too,so maybe it’s a birds of a feather thing for me,lol.Bonus,she’s the anti newsmodel,about my age(perimenopausal with older kids),looks good on camera,and she’s very confident.

I don’t always agree with her(she loves Oprah,who I find to be very annoying-on many levels)but she also doesn’t lie to me,and for that reason I love her.She really needs a show on CNN,I think she’d stomp the crap out of the big boys club ratings.I’d watch,just to see her nail wingnuts.She definitely puts the “broad”in broadcasting,it’s about damned time we had alot more of that.

She also mentioned yesterday that she was with Cindy Sheehan this weekend.There was a Mothers Day peace rally/slumber party across the street from the White House.Freaking Richard Perle showed up to hassle Cindy with cameras from PBS.Challenging Cindy to an on camera debate or something.I’ve seen Perle’s hideous mug around alot lately.WTF is someone from PNAC doing trying to upset a peaceful rally of Moms lending each other support and praying for peace in a time of war? God I hate these people sometimes.Try as I might not to.

I just realized I have been living in Virginia waaay too long; when I first read “I support the Yankees doesn’t mean I wear their uniform”; I thought he was talking about the Civil War…

Thank you T Rex, and Congratulations!

poormary, 197:”Republicans don’t hate America. They just hate Americans. :)”

I agree, but America is the Americans who inhabit it. But saying they hate America includes the principles that define us as a nation. Many Pubs want do disavow the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and want to establish a theocracy and rule by an oligarch. (So long as the oligarch consists of themselves.)

new thread…

!ztiF

I saw the CNN thing. John Roberts was hosting for Larry. I couldn’t figure out why he let the conservatives interrupt Randi every time she opened her mouth. This is how it went: Randi speaks, conservative mouse roars and talks all over her. Randi continues, louder, without backing down, mouse roars louder, trying to drown her out. Randi finishes her point, “exchange” ends. Then Roberts and mouse exchange knowing chuckles as we fade to commercial, letting us know that you just can’t do much with liberals but let them rant. How maddening! Where was the host in controlling his guests? I admire Randi for hanging in there in a bad situation.

He should be forced to enlist and take that stupid little shit with the bow tie Tucker Carlson with him.

GSD at 136
I told my wife yesterday that maybe FEMA would be sending dry ice.

Shoephone,

I don’t know if you heard that FEMA has responded to the floods in New England by sending water.

-GSD

UL #204:
He should be forced to enlist and take that stupid little shit with the bow tie Tucker Carlson with him.

If only W would have the balls to get that draft going. Then you’d see all these yellow elephants hiding in their beer kegs inside a Chevy Suburban trying to shuffle off to Canada.

orangejumpsuit #201 – This is true. I should have been more specific as to the group of Republicans I was referring to.

My son (who is 10) was watching the local news this morning (San Antonio), when they interviewed a woman who had come to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant 16 years ago. She worked hard, learned English, became legal, and agreed with the president on everything except the use of NG troops. My son looked over at me and said “It makes it hard to pick a side when you agree with some things but not all, doesn’t it?”

Yes it does. And trying to divine other people’s motives for their positions just complicates the issue. No wonder people tune out political discussions. It’s just hard work.

to be played by poor and black and brown folks, anyone but them.

Yeah, cause there are no white folks in the military. The bigotry of some people astounds me.

Problem with randy is she stoops to the standard radio pundit levels, and treats opposing callers like rush does his… and she always bringis so much unrelated stuff to her arguments. Yeah, she’s fun to listen to, but she suffers from the same dimentia that rush, oreilly and so many others do. And just because it works to bring in money, i dont respect it.

Rayne,
The way I would do it(if I would do it at all) is that I would take the phone call info from my suspected CIA folks and compare it to a Coles Directory (a reverse phone directory) until I had a list of all the call made to and from the CIA persons’s business phone.

If any Press person’s phone #s showeed up, I would then check all of the press person’s other phone #’s (cell home etc) as well as the suspected CIA person’s other phone #’s to establish if there were addtional calls.

Then I would see who else, both of them were calling.

I could get preliminary (not conclusive)answers to several questions re: leaks this way

1) was the reporter who broke/worked on the story talking to a CIA person who had access to the knowledge that was leaked

2)Did the CIA person make calls either to introduce the reporter to others in the gov’t who could confirm the CIA person’s info, who could go on record, or who had additional info?
3) was the CIA person “friends” with someone who had an agenda?

At that point I would be able to make some assesments about who to approach and confront with this info in the hopes they might flip.

Also at this point I would have a very good idea of where to go for a document trail.

Based on some combination of documents, testimony and the phone trap and trace info, I suspect I might have probable cause for a wire tap warrant to listen in on phone calls, if I can establish some pc to show the leaking is still ongoing–ASSUMING that the person I first targeted actually had particpated in the leak I am tracking.

The only things new about this A)is the change in DOJ policy (it used to be very hard for DOJ lawyers or FBI agents to get permission w/in DOJ to obtain ANY info re: journalists, and ; B) the use of FBI National Security Letters instead of Grand Jury Subpeonas.

Everything they are doing (at least as currently reported) is something I could have done back in my prosecutor days as far as the law goes. Just by more strictly controlled (there are rules about subpeonas and you can move to quash them) and subject to a more restrained internal DOJ policy.

This is way different than the NSA program.
It is the DOJ policy change that is freaking me out.

ABU has declared war on the press. Maybe they want to return the favor?

A new tradition begins to take hold. It’s the EPU’d Zone!

More talk about perch or W’s new border policy? You be the decider:

‘This practice, called catch and release, is unacceptable and we will end it,”

I’m a little confused here.

Chickenhawk is not qualified to discuss Mid-East policy because he never served.

UberLib is however, because she served an abortive term in the AF, leaving active duty early (transferring to the reserves and ultimately honorably discharged) – and served her active duty time in the state of Texas.

No double standard there. This is such a bad argument, transparently meant to shut down debate and nothing more. I guess all you folks who wish to opine on our Africa policy will be quitting your jobs and joining the Peace Corps, or maybe a nice NGO providing relief in Dufar.

“RHODES: Once you’ve served, you come back, and you’re suddenly a liberal. Do you know why, Ben? Because you’re only as good as the weakest.â€

Hogwash. Coming “back†from Texas made her a liberal? Also, exactly backwards. Serving allows the weakest to gain strength and rise to the level of their comrades. The weakest does not pull the squad down; rather the squad raises the weakest up. There is a reason more military are on the right than the left.

As Randi has pointed out, they pit her against piffle like The Virgin Ben, because the Big Time Fascist Bloviators (Rush, O’Loufa)won’t go head-to-head with her. They’re so afraid to get their asses handed to them by a GUURRRRLLLL!!!

Nice job, TRex. Randi is one of my heroes, too. She prepares for her appearances, she knows her stuff and she’s fearless. Not shrill, fearless.

More TRex, Jane and Christy, please.

“hard to pick a side when you agree on some things but not all.” Out of the mouths of babes. Kids are great…accepting of people & practice true democracy until so-called grownups mess with their heads. We could all take lessons.
My teacher niece in Las Vegas teaches an evening english class to immigrants & LOVES it. She says the eagerness to learn is so gratifying compared to her day classes teaching american kids. On her birthday, her adult students provided a feast of food from all their different ethnic origins. I guess these are the people that are “destroying” america.

As official commentator 216 or whatever number I end up, with depending on how fast I type this,
I have to say ooh baby, Randi you get me hot-one more time-Thank you for saying what many would like to say and saying it well.
Fues

okay 217-whatever, whatever-Joe Pesci

poormary (207) — if only the circumstances hadn’t changed since that interviewed illegal faced 16 years ago. Did she mention how long it took to get her paperwork? I just read an article out of a Colorado paper that said the INS is only just now working on applications filed in 1999-2000…

I have to wonder why it is taking so long for the processing, if we’re placing resources on the wrong end of the system. Why do we need NG troops when we need better processing?

OCSteve –

You don’t get it. (On several issues). Try reading and THINKING before you reply.

First of all, you missed the point entirely on the issue of being in the military. Those who love the military (allegedly) yet refuse to fight ARE hypocrites. If he loves the war so much, he SHOULD serve. Also, the child tried the hysterical line of DEMOCRATS being the reason the military didn’t have proper armor, etc. For more reasons that I can name, he needs to go into the service. Now.

Secondly, you admit that Randi served and was honorably discharged (and actually with honors) — then compare the two. How, again, is this a double standard? LOL

And lastly, get to the 21st century. The usual military is NOT Republican. They are strongly Democrats. (And if you don’t believe me, look at the number of Gulf vets running for national office. Then count how many are Dems and how many are Repubs. Hint: It is about 30-1 Democrats.) Are there vets who are GOPers? Sure. The ones who sit at home, drinking beer, and whining. (Is that YOU?)

I don’t know where you live, but you are way old fashioned. Get up with 2006.

looseheadprop (210) — but there’s the challenge: wouldn’t someone in the intel community be smart enough not to call journo using any land line that could be traced back to them if the intel person knew they were whistleblowing?

Why get an NSL for something that could be done in a very narrow search such as the one you outlined? I have to believe that a court would agree to a subpoena of any records that match the numbers of intel folks within a time frame. Either the NSL was used to protect the search under “state secrets” or they already had all the data, or both…

OCSteve: It’s simple if you stop to think for a moment. Agitating and apologizing for the war does not make you a chickenhawk. Ducking and running from your own duty, while agitating and apologizing for the war, does. See?

Ironranger #216 “Kids are great…accepting of people & practice true democracy until so-called grownups mess with their heads. We could all take lessons.” – True, but even though I strive to be open-minded with my son, I’m know my own opinions often come across too quickly and I have to force myself to take a neutral stance and let him come to his own conclusions. (Which I might add is not always easy.):-)

Rayne #219 – No, she did not. You know how local news shows are. It was a short clip and no telling what they cut out due to time constraints. I message I got was that she had worked long and hard to become a citizen (which is good), but that she thought others should follow the legal route. She may have very good reasons for her opinion. I would imagine not the least of them being the stress of being here illegally and worried what would happen to you if you were deported. She certainly didn’t seem to be of the “I’m here so let’s slam the door on the rest of them” mentality.

I don’t know why we they continue to defer to spineless little punks like Ben Ferguson if they hold mainstream positions when they clearly don’t. He’s the lunatic fringe here.

Loved the article until your reference to Duke. Are you also throwing away part of the constitution because, as a kneejerk, guilt laden liberal, whitey is guilty until proven innocent? Look at the facts in this case, would you accept a white accuser looking at photos of black men instead of using a real lineup? Hopefully not. Not only that, she was only shown pictures of the lacrosse players—and the third suspect was identified even though the victim thought he had a mustache.

Come on–feel sympathy for a possible miscarriage of justice that will have irreperable damage to the accused–even if they get off. Remember Twana Brawley? Now, this case might be different, and the preppies are guilty of the heinous crime–and should do the time. Just don’t jump to their offense. Sounds like a reverse lynch mob.

Rayne,
In case you check back,

Intell people might know better than to place a call that can be traced back to them, but an awful lot of folks at CIA are not trained in spycraft. They are analysts and admin persons and lawyers and paperclip buyers and all sorts of other things.

And they hear stuff.

poormary (223) — thanks for checking back. If the fundamental problem is with illegality, just seems like we should be dealing with the root problem. The Minutemen types are generally racist, so I don’t think that’s an issue deserving any attention. But the issue for illegal workers is that they can’t get out as easily as they get in, and for Americans it is use of services without contribution of taxes as well as a lack of monitoring who’s coming and going. Corporations — the entities which are awfully silent in all of this mess — would probably prefer these folks were simply documented. Probably a lot cheaper to simply deal with that issue than to deploy troops in violation of Posse Comitatus on American soil.

looseheadprop (226) — you know, any government-employed pencil pusher who actually thinks they can blow the whistle on this administration while using a traceable phone especially at work is really not smart enough to work for us. Heh. I guess that’s one way to weed ‘em out. Believe me, I was cautious about using a payphone to call the ethics department of a certain Fortune 100 company to file a complaint while I was in their employ…I’d be crazy-stupid not to cover my backside, after seeing too many people get canned for far less than a complaint about ethics.

Nice commentary Trex. Everyone should be listening to Randi Rhodes every single day. Mike Malloy also.

WHY is this little shit-stain considered an authority on ANYTHING?

A-fuckin’ – men! That’s exactly what I said when I laid eyes on this creep! What on earth has he done in his all-too-short life to merit a spot on Larry King????

The difference between the Yankees and the U.S. Army is that the Yankees won’t let most people join them, while the U.S. Army will.

Isn’t Randi’s point that chickenhawks should stop being fans on the side lines, and start being players in the game?