Have a very good Fitz…day

Fitz!

Hwaaa, more coffee please…

Well, I just arrived at work and I’m reading a couple of proposals I need to send out. And firedoglake, of course!

Hey Christy,

Enjoying the morning quiet, watching my bird feeder on the deck, and getting my daily dose of outrage on the blogs. My son’s getting married tomorrow, so today will be consumed by preparations for the rehearsal dinner I, my wife and family are putting on. Wedding tomorrow, relatives for the rest of the weekend. Back to reality next week. Have a good day!

Oh wow, Deacon — congratulations to your son and family. Hope you get time to sit down and take a deep breath when it is all over — I remember how frenetic our wedding weekend was, and how great it was to just sit down and take it all in after the whole thing was finished. May you have lost of sunshine and few hiccups.

Not a link, but I’m having a thought (this may have been covered before, in case I missed it.)

In Fitzy’s “abundance of caution” letter, he said that not all the emails were archived in the normal White House system. Could that be true at face value, that some White House emails really did just honestly fall through the cracks, like the Hadley email? If so, then that would explain why Rove didn’t find the email and why it took so long to “correct” his testimony.

After 5 hours of pulling weeds yesterday, reading late into the night, I finally got a decent night’s sleep!!! Christy, I know of what you speak.

Pain au chocolate? Makes me want to make some, always better than store bought, real butter and all that.

Reading Kos this morning. He finally gets his or in and declares TNR officially in the winger camp. I’ve had my doubts about them for a while now.

Also War Tapes story. I saw about half of the film at YKos and it was quite an experience. One scene that stood out in my mind was the view of all of the burned out vehicles on what looked like an air strip. Close up to one after another with the line, “each of these has it’s own story.”

Someone mentioned on a thread a day or two ago that Iraq seems to be resembling the world of Mad Max. I’m still thinking about that one.

I wanted to comment on how fast the defense department discliamed the santorium statement that we found wmd’s, using the data that the kay report addressed and dismissed

this is their tactic, give their base fodder to make believe whatever they want, they don’t care if it’s true, they only care that it’s repeated

Just gearing up for my day. Making sure everyone I know has the link for the FRONTLINE program that will be available online tonight. btw, isn’t the Commerce Committee vote on the Snowe-Dorgan bill today?

Does “pain au chocolat” describe the pain of looking in the mirror as one’s a** gets larger from eating the darn things?

Deacon,
Congrats! Take it all in and enjoy. It will all go so quickly — months of preparation for what will be one beautiful day. May it be all your son and his fianc� wish it to be.

First off, congrats Deacon Blues on your son’s marriage, and on your fine taste in music.

Second off, what’s the deal with these WMD in Iraq that Sen. Rick “Frothy Mixture” Santorum is crowing about? Are they the sort of thing that posed a huge threat to us and our allies before we invaded? Are these the sort of things that we sold to Saddam in the 1980s? Do they actually exist? I’ll do work-related work here at my office, someone else can troll the internets or Iraq for Answers. Thanks.

Mornin’, ever-ReddHeddy!

Jane and her mom and sis and Dr. BB and everybody else in special travail are on my mind this morning. Comfort and hugs to all of them, and to you.

I just found two stories that I’ll relink from the last thread: a new Charlie Savage on Arlen’s latest woof in the signing-statement direction, and an uncopy-able from Raw Story about the return of 24K desert-ruined Humvees and other equipment from Iraq for rehab. The major $$$ and policy implications tucked away in that one recommend it to your attention.

Good morning. Actually, it’s 3:45pm here in Barcelona. I’m a hardcore lurker but hardly ever comment. Most of the action at FDL is in the evening, which is the wee hours where I am. By the time I log on it’s EPUsville. Not that I have much to add anyway. I love the work all of you do and the spirit of community shared. It gives me hope and encouragement when I feel dispirited, which happens at least once a day. Keep it up.

lisadawn 11

At some point, we realize that certain things are inevitable. We try not to exacerbate them, but to live in a state of self-denial of the true pleasures of life no longer seems worth it.

Yes, it may be painful to look, but worth it!

Ooo, Brendan — for Barcelona, I’d forgive a LOT of off-timing. Welcome!

Mmmmm… I’ve got my French Roast but sadly I am lacking any delicious pain au chocolat. Where to begin… so much to read this morning!

for those who missed it: frontline online, today at 5pm:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/

Christy, I’m glad to hear you got some well deserved rest. Sorry I missed the Jane thread, see that the comments had to be closed.

Wanted to wish Jane, and her mother, and sister all the best. My peonies just bloomed and they bloom for your dear mother. I hope that she suffers not and that you are able to make your cruise together.

I haven’t had a chance to read the TNR piece but if they are going after your tails, and attacking you ad hominem, they’re threatened – so keep up the good work.

Haven’t had a chance to look around yet but I LOL so hard this morning when I saw the look on BUsh’s face after being hugged by that merchant marine. He did not know WTF to make of that guy.
Bush has probably never experienced an authentic moment in his life and here it was suffocating him. Pretty funny stuff – I take my laughs wherever I can find them these days.

RevDeb, how ’bout your pain au chocolat recipe for Saturday morning? (I may not be able to master it, but I can dream.)

Oh, man, Reddhead-
I get chocolate pains all the time too. I find that liberal administration of Green and Black’s clears the ache right up.

I’ve posted an update on the return of the National Guard to New Orleans…
http://katrinamemo.blogspot.co…..leans.html

A somewhat discouraging story.

TPM is Hiring. Any political junkies around here looking for a job? It’s a short term gig.

Congrats on the family festivities, DB.

Further on Santorum on Imus [EPUed on last thread].

Agenda: #1–suck up to Imus
#2–change the subject…to autism bill, an Imus pet project…see #1
#3–duck and weave on polls and WMD

Imus pushed him to get the admin to say they’re sorry and they’re going to get our soldiers out… Good on Imus.

Anybody else looking forward to today’s installment of “The Show with Ze Frank”? If you haven’t ever seen it, check it out… its absolutely hilarious!

http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/#

I feel like that lady on those old Mervyn’s commercials waiting for the sale… open, open, open…

Here’s an article I read earlier this morning about how that mean District Attorney (?)Fitzgerald is harrassing poor Connie Black….

http://torontosun.com/News/Can…..7-sun.html

I think they send out their dumb as dirt legislators like santorum to keep their believe anything a rightie says base mesmerized. I wonder if santorum can name all of the ten commandments, btw.

{{{{{{{{Jane & her sister & her mom}}}}}}}}

New in the Mucker:

New Abramoff Report Today — More Details on Reed, Norquist?
By Paul Kiel – June 22, 2006, 8:29 AM

About two years ago, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee began investigating Jack Abramoff. Finally, the committee will release its report today, a narrative of how Abramoff managed to so thoroughly screw his tribal clients out of so much money.

Now, McCain has already said he won’t be dishing on how his fellow lawmakers helped Abramoff — decorum of the Senate and all that, not to mention the fact that nearly all involved with Abramoff were Republicans, and if McCain wants to run for president, airing other GOPers’ dirty laundry won’t win him any endorsements on the Hill. And most of what’s in the report is expected to be old news. But wait! The committee has 100 pages of unpublished material that might be included — material that might reveal more of Abramoff’s relationship with his buddies Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist. We’ll just have to wait and see what’s in there. [more]

I did see a clever phrase the other day wrt Republicans who preach a higher level of sexual morality than they practice: that they believe in “The Nine Commandments”.

Reminder: PBS is running Darkside today (Thursday) at 5 EST.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/

oooo, fresh Krispy Kremes just arrive at the office. Gotta refill my coffee and jump into those. Never been a glazed donut that didn’t have my name on it. LOL

Ooops, should have mentioned they are running it ONLINE, not on TV.

G’morning Christy…..

after watching the family of rabbits try to figure out how to defeat the new fence around the garden, I fired up the pc and caught the latest on the GOP We FOUND THE WMDS frenzy….

It’s so pathetic really….but I know the “core” will buy it hook, line and sinker…

sigh

Need to pour some more coffee..

hizzhoner

http://politicalwire.com/archi…..ndent.html

According to the National Review, Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), who is locked in a tough primary battle with Steve Laffey (R), is considering an independent bid for the Senate. Similar to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Ned Lamont (D) in Connecticut, “if Chafee doesn’t believe he can win the GOP primary against challenger Steven Laffey, he may decide to forgo the whole thing and create a three-way race between himself, Laffey, and presumptive Democratic nominee Sheldon Whitehouse.”

“This would create an interesting dilemma for Elizabeth Dole and the NRSC, which has already pumped a lot of cash into Chafee’s re-election: Would they still support a guy who doesn’t want to compete for their own party’s nod?”

Sleeping in is a wonderful luxury for those with little ones: enjoy!

We shop at Value City more often than I care to admint, but I never saw this

We’re having fun here in KY watching the corrupt Fletcher (Governor) administration fall all over themselves trying to explain why their State gov’t web filtering software just happens to target (apparently) the highly critical-of-Fletcher bluegrassreport.org, and magically picked up TPMMuckraker and TalkingPointsMemo once those sites started commenting on the filtering.

Just looked up and spied Dana Bash on CNN, and it struck me — gee, she looks like a prettier, shorter-haired, apple-less version of Someone Else.

Diet Dr. Pepper for me this morning…

Well, let’s see…front-paged on the Baltimore Sun this morning is an article about how the DoJ and Homeland Security are still engaged in a turf war over which of them is in charge of coordinating and vetting information on terrorism…

Yeah, I feel safer…

Yesterday’s Senate debate on Iraq was buried inside, and – like all the media coverage I have seen of it – made sure to highlight the Rovian theme that the Dems are in “disarray.”

Apparently, Karl Rove has convinced the GOP that their message should be that it is better to have no plan than to have a discussion about what would be the best plan.

There was a fairly long article – on page 5 – on the House committee vote demanding info on the NSA program. More disturbing, though, was the defeat of an amendment that would have withheld funding for any surveillance program that was not in compliance with FISA. It failed by 12 votes. Twenty-three Republicans voted FOR the measure, and 15 Dems voted AGAINST it.

You do the math.

I missed the thread last night that Jane posted. Positive energy and peace to her and her family.

So sorry to see that the comments had to be closed. Sad how miserable some people could be.

“Keep your eyes clear and hit ‘em where they
ain’t.” Wee Willie Keeler

Fitz will outfox the bad guys.

The Bay State Optimist

Dr. Bonzo, when I first mentioned that KY story on here yesterday, I did so with some trepidation that we might be next.

Wonder how long they can stand the ridicule.

Krispy Kreme! Oh dear, I miss those living here in the middle of nowhere. Have a great time tomorrow Deacon and greetings to Brendan in Barcelona.

Watch the “Dark Side”, I was intrigued by the breadth of Cheney’s minion placements throughout the executive branch. Coupling this with the K Street’s project placement of loyal, foammingmouth wingnutters in the major lobbying firms got me thinking. If the Dem’s get the WH in ‘08, how do you purge these placements and not have a residual class of mole wingnutters throughout the executive branch. A whole new type of sleeper cell and/or saboteurs?

LLSSC

Legacy of the Storm.
“The world is over, Move on”

Has the country really moved on and left the Gulf to die – physically and emotionally? I hope not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06…..amp;emc=th

The KY story is now on Romenesko which means that all the newsie pros will see it. Spreadin’ the good word, one thread at a time.

Mack, 37: “Sleeping in is a wonderful luxury for those with little ones: enjoy!”

Add this to your lore of useful information: Most of growth in humans (I assume all mammals) takes place during sleep, and 90% of this takes place during the first 4 hours of sleep.

This is why little ones need a lot of sleep, because they are growing at such a rapid rate.

Older folks need sleep too. (Growth in old farts means replacing expiring tissue.) Sleep experts estimate that nearly 50% of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation to some extent. So get your daily 8 folks. (May have to ease up on the caffeine, Christy! :-) )

Finally cancelled My New Republic(an) subscription. Had been a Looong time subscriber too. It’s too bad but they continue to believe that the center actually exists and they keep bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Ryan Lizza is a weasel.

In an effort to meet recruiting goals, the Army has raised its maximum enlistment age to 42. The move “marked the second time this year the Army has boosted the maximum age for new volunteers.”

That’s great. Now all those republicans who said they would enlist but are past the age requirement now have a chance.

orange 47

I haven’t known a daily 8 in recent memory. As I age, I am able to sleep less and less even though I try. Reading the blogs doesn’t help%u2014too much to think about.

L.A. Times reporting that Iraqi trainees killed American trainers. Trainers, California National Guardsmen, saw it coming and complained to superiors, but were told to STFU because these stories didn’t match prescribed narrative of Iraqi forces standing up to defend their democracy. Details, today and yesterday

When my twins were little and I was nursing and not sleeping at all, my body (not my mind – which I fear has never fully recovered) became used to the sleeplessness. Then when I finally had the chance to sleep, I felt worse for it. It’s amazing how we adapt.

from charlie savage at the boston globe this morning….

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter yesterday scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday on President Bush’s use of signing statements to claim the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office.

http://www.boston.com/news/nat…..ts?mode=PF

p.s. most important thoughts of the day are with jane and her mom…

Glad to read you got to sleep in Jane, sleep’s been hard to find since I started my campaign.

Manondog’s assertions about WMD were amazing – those ‘discoveries’ were discredited months ago. Maybe he’s counting on the public and media having a severely short attention span.

As far as RevDeb’s comment about Iraq being like Mad Max goes, my neighbor just left after two week’s leave from Iraq (our local Guard unit is running convoys there now). Everything he talked about fits that very apt description. Two more months and ‘our boys’ come home. They’ve been very lucky so far, just hoping things don’t change.

moi @ 27
Read the article on Black. Interesting.
The Sun is one of those scurrilous right wing tabloid types rags. Never read it. Peter Worthington used to be the publisher. He is in tight with the Conservatives. (Tidbit of interest: Worthington was covering the Lee Harvey Oswald case and was there when Ruby was shot. He can actually be seen in the famous film of the event.)

I found interesting that Radler has been offered a deal to turn on Black. Worthington acts like that is a bad thing. Will have to look into it and see what’s going on.

Back to Chrisy’s question, I am rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I am trying to get my head around the idea that in less than 48 hours I will be in England. Somehow it’s not the same as going on vacation. I don’t have the sense of anticipation that you regularly get, only mild disbelief.

I haven’t flown since 911. Found out that there is a new rule that your passport cannot be expiring in less than 6 months of your end date of travel. So in effect, a 5 year passport is only a 4.5 year passport.

I had a long complicated dream which culminated in Oprah throwing an impromptu lunch for a whole bunch of us. Her staff whipped up chicken caesar salads. I went up to her to thank her for the meal and got caught up in long winded silliness about essentially nothing and now I think of all the really interesting things I should have spoken to her about.

But it was just a dream, so means nothing anyway. Like I said, I am in a weird space.

I’ll try and look in while I am away. Anyone want anything from England?

OT, but kinda cool…just signed up to be an election judge where I vote – for both the Sept. primary and the Nov. general elections.

OT – revdeb, if you’re still here to see this, pls give me a call… thx.

I’m reading Mark Crispin Miller’s Fooled Again,I just finished reading the Conyers Report on the 2004 Ohio Elections.

All I can say is wow.Blackwell needs to be run out of office on a rail.A rail leading to prison time.Seems to me everyone should now be watching their Sec of State’s office closely,there’s alot of similarity in the Ohio and Florida messes.

I’m from Ohio(I moved away in the 80’s.Once the auto industry took a crap,the jobs were gone.And they mostly haven’t returned,unless you want to work for WalMart,and there’s a waiting list to be hired),my daughter still lives there.She said alot of stuff went down in her county at election time.She and her friends went to vote,one of them was challenged(this is a poor,rural and mostly white area,with a whole generation of 20 somethings who can’t find work and have never held jobs)a couple others said they knew their votes for Kerry went to Bush.

Something has to happen to fix this mess.Why are there not uniform and simpler rules and regulations for voting?And should we keep or discard the Electoral College? I’ve only started digging deeper into all this,I don’t know what the hell to think.It just seems like the whole voting process is lots more complex than it needs to be.When things are complicated further by people manipulating the voting process(in this case the”mistakes”always seem to end up benefiting the GOP candidate,not that I’m paranoid or anything,it’s just an observation),it’s time to step back and go about getting rid of what’s not working.Even if that means doing things the old fashioned way for awhile.

Voting fraud/corruption needs to also be tied to the issue of public funding for political campaigns somehow(IMO,at least).Problem is,the Legislative Branch benefits from the corruption and they’re the only ones who can change the laws to stop the corruption.Kind of a catch-22 there.

Christy,I don’t know if you remember me posting a comment about Frances Moore Lappe’s latest book(Democracy’s Edge) or not-it’s been awhile,but her office contacted me about a book review I wrote for another blog.Nice folks work at the Small Planet Institute.That book would be a good book salon title somewhere down the line.(oh and serious kudos for getting Mr Soros for a book Q and A,wow)

And your good morning is almost bedtime here in the Far East. Today was a day of rather heavy monsoon rains, and I walked to school along swollen irrigation ditches. Saw students in bunches all day (they are busy with video projects) and spent most of the time teachinhg them how to use the editing computers and trying to get the computers back to normal after they’ve used them. Had a glance at Yahoo news after dinner, saw that things are not so good as usual and now will try not to think about them so much before bed.

And Christy, please add my voice to those who wish Jane and her family all the best in their trying times.

And yesterday, I was gratified to learn that The Globe has joined Wayne Madsen in publicizing the Resident’s marital troubles:
June 19, 2006–Globe Headline

Hope it’s all true.

I started my day with another dose of reality from Congressman Murtha, provided via Huffingtonpost. We need a thousand Murthas, and lacking them, we must become them. Just heartsick over the news, as I have been for years. Knowing that my sister’s husband must be facing tough times with the 101st (the captured and beheaded troops were from the his command, as are several soldiers under investigation for murder of an Iraqi,I’m sure he finds both unacceptable in the extreme).

And for Jane, hestitantly, but with all earnestness, I offer the following (hesitant because I’m always circumspect about conveying emotions to someone I don’t know). Hearing of your mother’s condition reminds me of the time I spent with and caring for my mother. You are facing the impossible. It’s unbelievably hard to face how little control we have over events in the lives of those we care for. Especially our mothers. Who has cared for us more, done more for us? Who knows us in a way no one else really can? We must face the growing reality, every day perhaps they move a little slower, maybe another memory slips away. We care for them, we do everything, yet it seems like nothing, why can we not do more for the one who brought us into the world?

That you have feelings like this is testament to the lives you have shared together. Everything that has ever transpired between you is not just a memory, it is real in you. In her presence you are a baby, a playful child, a sullen teenager struggling to work out your own identity. We are all still all of those things, it is only in the presence of our mothers that we become aware.

As hopeless and powerless as you may feel at times, remember, all of these things she has done with no expectation of repayment or reward. Your debt to her is incalculable, but there is no expectation of repayment. Everything you do for her is a blessing that she is grateful to have. Take in everything of her you can, a smile, feeling your hand in her grip, even if she gives only the slightest squeeze. Everything in life we receive is in limited supply, and at times like this, at least we are given the chance to know how fortunate we are.

All the best to you and your mother,

Stuart Strum
Austin, Texas
(I give my name because a psuedonym seemed wrong for this.)

thanks selise 53.

Charlie Savage has been doing some of the only really good reporting all year.

Wish I could trust Arlen to come through, but between now and then he will issue a retraction and say that he really didn’t say what he said or did what he did. Then he will find a way to help W along and make the signing statements legit ex post facto.

Arlen has turned into one of the most disappointing tools out there precisely because he doesn’t appear to be a froth spewing wingnut. It must be sad to be him these days. No principles left.

RevDeb #24:

After last night, I wonder if Rendon is hiring “perception managers”. Then we could get paying gigs to post here, and maybe we could do a thread on how we were trained and what perceptions we were supposed to be managing.

Maybe we could even get Christy within shouting distance of minimum wage.

I think this idea “has legs”. *g*

Mornin’
I had dinner with friends last nite and got into a semi political conversation with their 18 year old college student son. It started out by commenting on his everpresent laptop computer and what blogs if any do you read? He said he has very political friends who read a lot of blogs but he does’nt read any.

He then said although he does’nt agree with Republican scocial caauses ie. abortion, gays min wage, privacy but he still votes basicly republican across the board. This will be hard to fight , smart articulate youths, who still vote their parents conscience. I tried to steer him left but his mind was allready at ‘when can I get away from this fuck’n dinner party?’

knuckledragger/Stuart, I know it was for Jane, but I thank you too. That was exactly what I felt in my mother’s last days, what you said so much better than I could have.

Susan (20), the picture on Huffington Post of “The Hugger and the Hugged” captured the look Bush has when Barney smacks him in the face with a wet tail (oh, to be Barney for a short time). But, Dana Perino claims Bush thought it was “funny.” Not from the pictures I saw on Huff and elsewhere. If only Bush’s constituents could have the optimism he pretends to have about what he thinks we should love him for.

Good morning, all!

The wife let me sleep in–peace be upon her–so I’m having the first cuppa. Later, I will walk to the new co-op (yay!) for a muffin.

I know–life is hard.

CNN’s running a report on the building of the U.S.S. New York, a warship whose bow includes a 7-ton piece of steel from Ground Zero.

morning, Christy! :~)

Got up early to watch USA World Cup – I promise no spoiler updates…..

The New York is being built in New Orleans.

a couple of weeks ago I finally defrosted my freezer and threw out a lot of inedible stuff … a local supermarket had a serious sale of Stouffers … I’m breakfasting on rigatoni with chicken … the microwave oven is such a blessing from World War II

*ilson – did you find the $90k?

How do the Democrats and Republicans compare when it comes to corruption?

For the answers, see:
“The Republican Rap Sheet.”

Thank you knuckledragger. I lost my father a few years ago (feels like yesterday). You are so thoughtful, kind, and eloquent. The reason why I love the fdl community – and thank you Jane and Christy for providing this forum that connects us.

Net neutrality. Is it just me or is this maybe the singlemost important issue relating to the continued and unimpeded growth of the netroots? If the telcos get ahold of it, then it’s just another adjunct of the MSM–the only real critical alternative to which is the blogosphere. I’m worried about this because–except for the progressive blogosphere–it’s completely under the radar. It’s like being robbed in your sleep.

Just a note to people calling their senators on net neutrality. There is usually a staffer who covers telecom issues. It’s worth asking the person answering the phone to be connected to that staffer. And to get the name.

The senate email template seems to be firstname_lastname@senatorname.senate.gov. So even if you all you can get is the name, and voice mail, you can be in touch via email.

Jane, my thoughts are with you. I’ve sat by that bedside, and know what it’s like.

That’s firstname_lastname.

Good to go for US v Ghana match this morning with some java and a bagel. A busy day to follow.

michael, all of life about the Bush yeara is (not just “is like”) being robbed in your sleep, no?

(Not to minimize your point about NN one bit.)

Strong coffee & a 6am web conference w/ European ops. (Pacific time zone — at least I’ll be done w/ work by 3 or 4 pm…) Did I mention the World Cup on in background at 7am?

Funny post about eHarmony.com over at Daily Kos this AM.

Bush yearS

Lotus and Susan,

I just felt I had to pass that on, my mother was an extraordinary woman, and I sensed Jane would say the same of her mother. I didn’t understand the feelings I was having until a friend told me about the buddhist idea of “goosebump redemption.”

off to officeland…

David Broder has some thoughts today on YKos, the netroots and the new journals “Democratic Strategist” and “Democracy: A Journal of Ideas”. The blogs, says our dear establishment voice, are “heavier on vituperation of President Bush and other targets than on creative thought,” while “D:JI” is “really impressive.”

It’s titled “Thinking Outside the Blog” which is probably the best part about the piece. Are the blogs that are merely places to rant? Sure, but then there are places like FDL. Broder’s obviously thinking outside the blog, since there’s little evidence he’s gone around looking inside one.

Obviously, Broder’s done precious little reading around here – but then he works for [trumpet fanfare and drum roll] The Washington Post, and not [kazoo] WashingtonPost.Com. Maybe Dan Froomkin can pass along a few links.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01521.html

I read ‘chocolate’ and had to respond :-p

I’m hoping that Ricky and pals are slapped down hard. That intel was pre-Gulf War, no? And how stupid is it to wave around a ‘classified’ document on TV, then quote from it. Pretty darn stupid, I say. Isn’t leaking such things a really, really BIG no-no according to this administration?
Ack, pah, fooey – all these republican clowns just have to go.
How many seats can we take back? Can we get these bums out in Nov? I know God is on OUR side. She told me so, yesterday ;-)

- Sending love to Jane and Family -

FWIW: the House template is firstname DOT lastname AT mail.house.gov

punaise

My four year old got up early, so he wouldn’t miss the match. Of course, he didn’t have to get up that early, so we tried to get him to go back to sleep – but that wasn’t gonna happen.

Sigh.

Go Kasey!

(us keepers [former in my case] gotta stick together)

9/11 Iraq = Bush’s fundamentalist Islamic Republic

Flurry of new headlines on Raw Story:

Supremes TX redistricting ruling could come today: Soon…

Karzai: ‘War on terror not working’

Hamas recognizes Israel’s existence

I am glad you had that luxury, I do remember the sheer joy of it and my first fright when the first baby slept all night for the first time.

Conspiracy theorist alert:
The rich are not like us.
When they choose to end it all, they choose a place and activity they love, in this instance sailing off the coast of Maryland. Then you tie a small anchor around your ankle and blow your head off with a shotgun so that your body will be blown off the boat
Totally rational reconstruction of the events… that is if you are a friend of The Dark Side and a former CIA director is going to read your eulogy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..02094.html

Newt Neutrality (a good typo)
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson’s (he’s on the committee) phone mailbox is full. That’s a good sign, but I’d say continued effort is required.

The WaPo article al-scooter linked previously is a scary one. Please link to it again so others can read it. Serious Sabre rattling going on. (The idea of shooting down a North Korean Missile with a nookyular warhead on it
while it is still on the launchpad is really frightening.) With the shootem first cowboys we got running our place! Calling Dr. Strangelove.

katymine,
I’ll bet *you* didn’t sleep through that night
^_^

Peterr #83:

The Human Cocktail Weenie (with the emphasis on the latter) will write a column complimentary to blogs – if he’s still quasi-sentient – after the gate’s been completely crashed and the netroots have taken over DC.

His job is to ratify what’s already happened, but moreso to preserve the inside-the Beltway status quo for as long as possible. Notice how no one is acceptable to him without the proper credentials. And if he doesn’t understand something, then it can’t be serious.

It might be instructive to note that Karl Rove’s taking the netroots seriously, while Broder’s trying to whistle past the graveyard.

Mornin’ Christy & everybody else.
Couldn’t fall asleep last night so I started wondering where the Dems are on an initiative to repair Iraq.
It looks like we’re never going to get party consensus on when and how we get out (which is fine, reasonable people disagree), maybe we could coalesce around our moral obligation to leave Iraq better than we “found” it.
The Dems have been deathly silent regarding our responsibility to fix what we broke, you know the pottery barn rule.
And we need to start that process immediately.
We know that the gop will run away from that idea…and fast.
The’re all about sellin’ snake oil, to take oil.

T-

nOTJONATHAN AT #60–At the link you posted, there is also a nice Fitz story too….thanks for the blink!

Morning all,

Just wondering why there isn’t more outrage about the Voting Rights Act…Trying to remember the words to We Shall Overcome

Well, Christy…you asked…

Since I posted briefly earlier, I’ve been reading over the shoulder of the cop as I gave a witness statement to a nasty accident while driving my husband to the office. Speeding car, commuter street, plowed into back end of young woman’s car in the turn lane strong enough to smash the entire back end of her car into the back seat and propel it forward a football field’s length. While he caroomed thru a median and oncoming traffic and into a parking lot and the side of a parked car. She left in shock on an ambulance gurney.

I belabor these details because it struck me this morning–not literally, thank Jeebus–that we go along with our lives and all of a sudden WHAM!!!

Which brings me back to the Santorum on Imus thing…he’s doing what he always does, says something totally preposterous and then refuses to back down…and gets away with it. But maybe not so much any more.

Because we all live our lives, but we’re also witnesses. And we stop and make time to give our statements. We respect our cops, and first responders, and we support their work.

What we do on a busy street on a sunny Fargo morning matters. What we say here, and do as an outgrowth of being here, matters.

We are small stones, and we will move the mountain.

oops! a “b” escaped on my post above. Blink sounds pretty good though…

Good morning,

This is from yesterday, but I think it really deserves another look.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..s_politics

By coincidence as Karzai says his piece, WaPo ledes with:

Al-Qaeda Leader Calls for Afghan Rebellion

I’m coming late to this thread. It’s lovely. Thanks, Christy. I like the early-morning spirit of contemplation here (except for pain au chocolat, which gets me fired up).

I can’t do better than the eloquence of those who expressed concern for Jane’s mom, Jane and her family, who are in my thoughts.

Good day, all.

Doesn’t it seem like the Santorum story is “balance” for the Frontline piece, and TNR is just an articulatiion of the growing panic of inside-the-beltway Left?

In other words, both (though irritating) are a sign of progress.

Plano tex #91:

Here ya go:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01838.html

Gotta run to a breakfast meeting – it’s early here on the coast. Be well, best to Jane/mom/sis!

OT, sorry: Marcy Wheeler is supposed to have a post up on Frontline: The Dark Side this a.m. I can’t get to it, and was wondering if anyone else was having that problem. I’m interested to hear what she has to say, since I didn’t get to see Frontline.

I’m hosting a house party tonight for a local school board candidate, so I’ve been up since 5:30am getting ready. Been listening to C-Span and checking the blogs every time I pass the computer.

I got very frustrated first thing when a reporter being interviewed via telephone by Susan Swain referred to a story about some European politician who was making the point that we can’t leave Iraq because the instability there is very dangerous to all of us. NO SHIT…That’s what we warned them about BEFORE Bush invaded!

This guy Miller whose yacht was found abandoned newar Annapolis turned up with an anchor chain wrapped around his waist and a bullet hole in his head.

He had ties to the financing of the reconstruction in Iraq… which seems to be rather dubious and corrupt at best. Was he afraid that he would go south in the legal way and took another exit instead? Was he actually offed to keep him quiet?

They say suicide… How do you shoot yourself and jump overboard with a anchor?

DefJef : nowadays, it seems last throes can take a long time …

Jimmy Jeff Gannon Guckert White House Press Escort had lots of credentials, few pertaining to journalism -

Yet he entered the WH Press Room numerous times with repeatedy issued (by whom?) daily press passes (which are designated for infrequent use by occassional guests). He did not receive a background check (if he had, it may have been discovered that he was a male escort with a website who specialized in the “top” position) and was called on by Bush whenever a soft ball was needed.

… or a hard balling if needed … whichever!

The Adcocate is running a poll about Fred Phelps and his hate speech. In an editorial, they back his right to protest at funerals as free speech protected by the Consitution.

They also make a point about how long would it be before politicans courting right wing voters decide that gay rights demonstrations must be stopped.

They don’t support his message, they support his right to free speech. They are framing it a civil rights issue and attempt to tie it to the rights of gay and lesbians.

They sum it up by saying “We’d rather stand with Phleps, shouting back at him, than risk being sileneced ourrselves”

I don’t agree with this. Shout all you want at public assemblies, leave private assemblies alone. The key here being private. I don’t the goverment interfering into my right of privacy, and niether do I want politcal wackos on any side of the spectrum.

Link to the editorial
http://www.advocate.com/curren…..p?id=32595

Link to the poll
http://www.advocate.com/poll.asp

LindyH,
That page won’t open for me either.
trange.

new thread — crunch time!

what is the link for the frontiline show, I will get a few hundred to watch it

LindyH and moi, I’m not having the same trouble. Here’s some of what’s there:

June 22, 2006

Frontline — The Dark Side
By Sara

I hope everyone here has watched the PBS Frontline program, “The Dark Side.” And I think actually more important is going to the PBS site and reading through the interviews with the witnesses and experts who were used in framing the PBS program. For many of us here, there is not all that much new information in the Frontline program, but what it does is put the matter into a long form narrative which is much needed. Too many of us do not comprehend that all too many people do not read the daily papers or watch TV on a regular basis, and thus parts of the narrative are lost. It is a serial — and many people don’t get the lost episodes. It is not their fault — they are the Democrats out there holding down two jobs and dealing with family and day care and all the rest in between. That’s why we need to make certain that between now and later (November for instance) they get an hour and a half to really take in the Frontline program.

I also want to recommend to TNH readers, a close read of the interviews on the PBS site, interviews that were in short-take fashion incorporated in the longer program. I actually believe a close read of these is as valuable as the program itself — though the program does the narrative in a way that small arguments about this and that do not.

One value of the program is that it sites the Cheney-Rumsfeld axis back in the Ford Administration — and if that was about anything it was about recovering a concept of power center after the demise of Nixon’s administration. I still think the decision made in December 1976 to get rid of William Colby and install GHWBush as head of CIA has to be factored into things. Colby, afterall, had spilled the secrets “The Family Jewels” to the congressional committees, and that was why he had to go. I think that instinct was more about Colby recognizing the legitimate power of Congress to inquire — and less about his willingness to take a hit for the cause. I think that is still the issue — and in some ways the Frontline presentation makes that clear if you know what you are looking for. For instance, only 6 members of Congress actually went to the secured room to read the NIE before voting, flawed though it was. Why should not the “failure to read and inquire before authorizing war” be an issue in the non-reader’s campaigns next fall? Essentially they depend on us not being able to make a stink about stuff like this.

Hey guys new fibers up

Ahem, Wilson 109 -
Yes exactly. At least, that’s what he claimed.
He was hardly the stud he represented himself to be. He used photos that were at least five years old and he implied that he had been a Marine and wasn’t – nor had he ever been a Marine).

I thought the Guckert thing was gonna blow the lid off the Bush WH. God knows it would have been enough to have taken Clinton down.

Then, there are the other closeted gay Republicans. If Churchy knew – that is – they would know IF we had a free press – and a Ken Starr of the left to “investigate” the clandestine gay underpinnings of the Bush WH – they would be toast.

I’m not judging, but Churchy would. And I say take anything we can get. There are a bunch of closeted gays, so what? Expose them. They are helping to push us (ALL of society) back to the dark ages, by staying in the closet and promoting the rethug agenda for their own personal gain. Churchy (hypocrites) would take them down.

Now we’ve got the Korean Missile Crisis. Kim Jung Il was hopping up and down, screaming for attention 5 effing years ago, but the greedy cons wanted Eyerak.

PTSD – the ongoing sapping of young men/womens minds…..read a good interview here:
http://scoop.epluribusmedia.or…..135855/445
Interview with Author Penny Coleman…….

Get your hanky out…..cause this is an emotional read.

I haven’t started reading much yet today, but I did some listening to NPR this morning, and this becomes less and less good for my blood pressure. Is it just me, or does one notice a difference in “intestinal fortitude” between National Public Radio and the PBS. “The Dark Side” was a gutsy thing to put on. NPR produced one of its typically unthoughtful sections on how the soldiers in a front line unit want to “stay the course” and “complete the mission” in Iraq, complete with comments by the units Chaplain, who at least used the qualifying word “most” in his segment. I wrote NPR to observe that I wasn’t the least bit surprised that career military men in Iraq wouldn’t publicly question the mission upon which they were on, and that it was a sign of naive journalism at best to provide those interviews without any kind of context.

I probably should have observed that broadcasting this “human interest” segment on the day the Senate was debating motions to redeploy from Iraq was transparently and blatantly political and another sign of how corrupt mainstream media has become. I guess I was to rattle headed to make that observation in my letter. I make it here now.

As far as personal reading goes, I picked up War is a Force that Gives us Meaning by Chris Hedges. I picked it up at the Take Back America conference. It is a slim book, but it is going to take me awhile to get through it nonetheless: it is hard to read through teary eyes. Though published in 2002, it is more relevant today, if anything. I think it would make a pretty good FDL book forum choice, IMHO.

calvin felt the need to send a brief note to Ms. Hamsher. calvin and far too many other FDLers have had to address life and death issues. calvin is now sorry that he skipped school on the days when dealing with aging parents and death and dying were being studied.

calvin has observed that some things in life have ripple effects. Death, abuse, alcohol, health problems may seemingly hit one person, but actually impact heavily on other family members, friends and the community. Okay, so calvin lives in a small town.

Most of us are simply members of the community, but because of all that you and Jane have done with FDL, many feel as if we are part of your extended family. So, we do, in many ways, feel your pain.

Thanks to you, TRex, Taylor and other family members for keeping the fire burning. calvin can feel Red’s pain because last week his 3 year old and seven month old grandchildren came to play for the week. He was reminded of why it is that we have children when we are younger. calvin likes his status as parent emeritus. It means that, eventually, they go home.

19 Senate Republicans say it’s okay to kill U.S. soldiers!

http://www.dubyad40.com/2006/0…..nate.shtml

DefJef @ 106:

‘They say suicide…How do you shoot yourself and jump overboard with a anchor?’

The proposed sequence of events does present some challenges, doesn’t it?

I have my own pet peeves, of course, but the inability of Washington Dems to get their act together on Iraq is so disheartening and depressing I wonder why I even stay a Democrat.

I’m also fighting the tendency to get down about the Rove/Plame/NSA and the inability of the Dems to get their collective balls strapped on and start screaming to high heaven about it.

On the other hand, I emailed some people I met at the convention and found out I’m not the only one panting to get packed for the next one. Yeeeehaw!

I don’t often post anymore — too busy with two kids, dog, house, chauffeur duties, volunteer duties, scouts, swim team, etc.

BUT — I wanted to tell Jane that she is in my prayers, and that both of you are a tremendous source of hope and insight in this dark, mad world we are living in… And your guest bloggers, too!

Bless you all for the work you do here. The little people on the other side of the computer screen appreciate it. And f*ck the Wingnuts and MSM hacks who abuse you. Their time is nearly over.

lotus @ 114, and lindyh and moi,
I click on the title of the post at nexthurrah and cannot get the story either. Is there another way in? Would really like to read the full post.

weeder, this is all I’ve got:

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com

Morning Christy!

First thing I am checking is to see what the response is to the wonderfully concise and moving statement that a local man made before the Portland, OR City Council yesterday, urging them to adopt a local Resolution of Impeachment against Bush and Cheney. We are trying to compel City Council to do this, so that under Jefferson’s Manual, sec. 603, the State may submit a Resolution to the US Congress, and it has to be given “privileged consideration”…as a way to get around the stalemate Conyers’ bill 635 has faced in the GOP-run Congress.

Here it is, and it can be accessed at http://www.portland.indymedia.org ~~

Styve
———————
Greer Impeachment Statement to PDX City Council-author: Brian Greer

Text of the Statement to the Portland City Council
to pass a Resolution impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney

Presented at City Hall June 21, 2006
by Brian Greer
as a private citizen of Portland

I am proud to be a citizen of Portland and deeply appreciative of this opportunity to address you.

We all know that the planet is facing an environmental crisis.
The United States is deep in Constitutional crisis.
And this regime has mired all of us in a moral crisis.

In the six years I have been in this country, I have seen the structure of checks and balances collapse like a house of cards.
I have seen the moral fabric of society rotted by corruption and subversion of justice.
I have seen more and more the exercise of raw power and brute force in both domestic and foreign policies.
And I have seen too many people sleepwalking toward a precipice.

I am not alone in believing that the United States today resembles Germany in the 1930s. Now, as then, all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

The unfolding of events has been surreal.
It is tragic.
It makes me angry.
And it should make all patriots angry. Not just angry, but determined to act.

Thanks to the foresight of the Framers of the Constitution, there is a necessary, though not sufficient, remedy at hand, namely impeachment of the President and the Vice-President.

Among the grounds for impeachment are four plainly set out by the Center for Constitutional Rights:

* Secret and illegal surveillance.
* An illegal war based on deception.
* Systematic use of arbitrary detentions and torture.
* Arrogation of excessive power to the executive branch in violation of Constitutional principles of the Separation of Powers.

Accordingly, I urge you to show moral and political leadership, not only on behalf of the citizens of Portland, but for all the people of this stained and betrayed nation, by passing a resolution for the impeachment of the President and Vice-President.

Thank you.

What is on my mind is our “Sit and Watch” Congress. Rome is burning and they “Sit and Watch” and discuss how to add more fuel, such as death, deception, dissention, duplicity, disruption and destruction. These people make me sick.

Well that worked! Thanks lotus.

I’m reading Anthony Trollope, after putting it off for some time. I’m starting with the Palliser novels. And this morning I took from the oven the slow-cooked beef things I put in last night—aroma was divine as I pulled out the bones (the things in this case being short ribs). The pot is now sitting uncovered in the fridge for the fat layer to congeal so it can be removed, and then I’ll add pearled barley and musrooms and cook a bit more…

Is anyone still interested in the non-Mea Culpa posted yesterday at Truthout.org?

http://forum.truthout.org/blog…..185947/499

Mornin’ Christy and friends..

I have spent the last few days in Illinois dealing with some family illnesses, so my heart goes out to Jane and her family.

Killing time at O’Hare at the moment…visit me near B15 if you want!

In the course of my visits, I have had two people of my parent’s generation, now in their 70’s, comment on their concerns over internet privacy. These are fairly computer literate people and they know I am a geek so talk to me about such things. They are at both sides of the political spectrum – my Dad is almost as liberal as I am, and my old neighbor is a very conservative Fox addict. Both went so far as to voice concerns even over people with cameras in cell phones taking pictures surrepiticiously and sending them on the internet, something even I have never worried about.

The upshot is that I think privacy rights, be it from the NSA or corporate angles, can be used effectlively in the upcoming elections, I think progressives are by far the more tech savvy group, and we should be hitting privacy rights hard in the next few months.

Thats about all I learned in the heartland this trip.

Oh yeah – and a hospital gift shop had a doormat with a Cubs logo. How apropos. Gave us a chuckle at a hard time.

Started reading about the blowjob wars at Dkos this morning and followed the links to a bunch of feminists blogs, where the controversy started. And I tell ya, these are the types of conservations that make me feel that the feminist movement is far from perfect and often can’t see the forest for the trees.

Also wanted to share some gallows humor, my family’s specialty:

My Mom, gravely ill, talking to her doctor:

Mom: I have been really weepy lately, probably from the chemo.

Doc: I mean no offense, but I have to ask you if you have contemplated suicide.

Mom: Is that a suggestion?

“What issues….”

Well, Christy, I see where goatboy is continuing his whirlwind tour of europe, and speaking in Budapest, has invited the people of Iraq, to be inspired by the Hungarian up-rising some 50 years ago, against the Russians.

Hey, it probably resonates…

Foreign country occupies your country; totally fucks things up; kills an ASS of your people…

I’ll bet the insurgents will be passing out video burns of the clip.

Heard that and laughed darkly, tanbark. soooooooooo stoopid.

Good morning and best wishes for you and peanut today.

As a fellow expatriate West Virginian, I admired and followed closely your blogging on coal mine safety this winter. I think this topic, as well as the broader issue of worker safety in other areas, needs more attention. I understand that a mine safety bill was past recently but I have not seen any analysis of the legislation on line. Do you have any good links on the substance of the bill and/or other developments at the DOL regarding coal mine safety?

BTW, yesterday the NYT reviewed a new book on the coal industry, “Big Coal” by Jeff Goodell. Sounds like a a good primer on the state of the modern industry. I will be reading it ASAP.

Side note– “Big Coal” was to be the title of my bildungsroman about life in the 50’s-60’s on the Big Coal river in Boone Co. Time to rethink the title, I guess.

Q. Could that be true at face value, that some White House emails really did just honestly fall through the cracks, like the Hadley email? If so, then that would explain why Rove didn’t find the email and why it took so long to “correct” his testimony.

8 RevDeb says:

June 22nd, 2006 at 5:48 am
=====
A. All you have to do is look at a picture of Karl Rove, and you’ve got your answer, Dahling!

Today’s my birthday! Happy to have it! 66
I’m thanking God I wasn’t born on the 6th.

Someone told me that they saw me at the YK at Las Vegas, had pic to prove it. (It was Jane, not me!) How’s that for sharing!

lotus @ 79.

With respect I disagree. “Most of life in the Bush years” is not being robbed in your sleep–it’s more like being violently mugged in broad daylight with no one willing to intervene. Losing net neutrality is like “being robbed in your sleep” because–unlike say the GWOT, which everybody knows about, whatever their opinion on its merits–at the moment the full range of advantages of net neutrality belong to relatively few, including members of the progressive blogosphere. Unlike most people we know what stands to be lost. And that therefore means, for the moment anyway, this is our issue. In a better world the blogosphere supercedes the lazy and corruptly Romanov MSM. But we’re not there yet. And if we lose net neutrality it’s something we’re not likely to see. That genuinely terrifies me. The culture war is fought on many fronts. But this is the Western Front–and it’s quiet. Too quiet.

In need of a break from hard (and hard-hearted) news this morning, I’ve been hanging out at Blogging Project Runway (BPR, to its fans) and checking out the design contestants for Project Runway Season 3, which Bravo starts airing July 12.

http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

Honestly, kids. This show is fun!

Walking in front of Westminster Abbey this afternoon and thinking about splinter-sharp American websites – like this one – the thought jet ski went here: wonder how many readers they’ve got? Half a million? What if they were to charge absolutely nothing – two hundred pennies a year, say, for an FDL “membership”, or whatever you wanna call it – that’s a million dollarinos – what’s that get you? probably three good reporters and expenses. Get ‘em. And put ‘em to work. And just build the thing. And watch the MSM start defecating little green ones…

You woke up late — and the time says 5:30am?? Does not compute. Ah, the days of little children! Back when I could get by on 5 hours of sleep a night!

[Moderator: the server clock runs on Pacific Time but ReddHedd lives in Eastern Time]

What I notice is that this says I posted the last at 2:55 — and that is west coast time. So the 5:30 was really 8:30. That’s better. LOL

What’s on my mind? This:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/…..index.html

Ummmm, Georgie, Dickie, and Donnie: I thought we were “fightin’ them over there so we don’t have to fight ‘em over here.”

Why the fuck are we in Iraq again?