Roots!

fffitz.

Fitz!

You know, it’s funny. When my gay friends got married and burned the flag I thought it was really sweet.

First!

Amendment is in trouble.

I’m sitting at a table of very handsome men in Indianapolis right now. Wish you were here.

Jane! Enjoy yourself lady.

Okay. Who am I supposed to be jealous of, *ilson or Jane?

When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner. From flag etiquette.

This changes everything. Does the new bill explain how old flags should be disposed of?

hehehe Jane — I’m sure Kobe and the girls are lapping up all the attention, too. :)

Dana Milbank has a nice snark filled veiw on this Issue:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01321.html

So, Who all is with you there Jane?

Jane,

Sorry I can’ be there for you with the rest of the eye candy but I am married donctcha know ??

I heard on one Sunday show that the Senate will spend all week on this issue. Can we use “Do-Nothing Congress” alongside “Rubber-Stamp Republicans” when campaigning this fall?

Jane, something tells me you’re not entirely out of your element surrounded by handsome men…. hope you and the pups are having a wonderful road trip, and best to * and his lads!

PS Michael Abramowitz took my WaPoO chat question this morning, so I am 1-for-1 today; several more on deck….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01339.html

I’m sitting at a table of very handsome men in Indianapolis right now. Wish you were here.

Oh, that’s just not fair!

Heh.

Work calls . Later you all. Have fun Jane…

GO NED!!!!!!!!!!!!

OT, sorry. But I need to email Pach about the conference call and can’t find his address. Will someome please send to me? I’m Rena in Texas. Thanks.

Appears that DINO’s Fienstein, Salazar are on board the R’s on this silly flag amendment…

Humble at 9

Well Done! Not to mention the “sharpie” incident. I have never experienced such hate (I know it’a a strong word) for a group of people in my life. This GOP is evil, incarnate.

There’s a scene in ‘Broadcast News’:

Aaron Altman: I know you care about him. I’ve never seen you like this about anyone, so please don’t take it wrong when I tell you that I believe that Tom, while a very nice guy, is the Devil.
Jane Craig: This isn’t friendship.
Aaron Altman: What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he’s around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No. I’m semi-serious here. He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing… he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance… Just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen. And he’ll get all the great women.

Dadhusker @ 18,

Don’t forget Hillary. She’s a proponent.

I called Senator Diane Forgot-I’m-a-Democrat-stien. She supports it, of course. Why can’t we have a Ned Lamont in California? She is a constant disappointment.

Signed:
Another veteran against meaningless chicken-hawk displays of patriotism.

The Rude One makes a good point today. If I go out and buy myself a U.S. flag with my hard-earned cash, doesn’t it become my own private property?

“C’mon, nutzoid freeper types. Do you want the government telling you what you can do with your property?”

XOKGirl — Pach is actually in the “contacts” page at http://www.firedoglake.com/2392/ — pachacutec at firedoglake dot com.

Just called Feinstein’s office ( she’s my senator) and lodged a complaint.

lhp

I love Milbank’s opening:

The Citizens Flag Alliance, a group pushing for the Senate this week to pass a flag-burning amendment to the Constitution, just reported an alarming, 33 percent increase in the number of flag-desecration incidents this year.

The number has increased to four, from three.

I for one, don’t think the proposed amendment goes far enough. What about all the desecration of the colors red and white, mixed into a frothy pink for all the triangles at Pride parades?

There oughtta be a law . . .
<snark>

Milbank really had fun writing this story! It’s good to see someone who enjoys their work.

It would do my heart and soul a world of good to see some real work being done to preserve the rights and principles embodied in the Constitution, but instead, our legislators have decided to use what little time they have on a legislative boondoggle that accomplishes nothing.

The question, “And a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration helps that how?” should be appended to every real issue facing the country right now: Iraq, veterans’ issues, domestic spying, threats to prosecute publishers and reporters for treason, financial spying, port and border security, Katrina victims, horrific abuse of the contracting system, health care, energy, drug costs, and on and on and on.

Whoever is setting the legislative agenda in Congress ought to be taken to the woodshed, pronto.

Grrr.

Oh, and how ’bout an amendment prohibiting hypocritical politicians (oxymoron, I know) from wrapping themselves in the flag?

Tom Carper just gave an incredibly powerful speech against this dumb amendment.

Delawarians(?) ought to be proud.

mc #27:

They don’t want to get burned when they wrap themselves in the flag, hence the amendment.

You know who is going to kill this whoe thing are all the companies that sel Flag paraphanalia. Picnic ware, apparel. This ammendment could really effect their bottom lines!

I’m very disappointed my senator, Mark Dayton, is supporting such a stupid thing. No matter how they choose to restrict it, there’s always a way to get around. If someone burns the Stars and Bars or this shirt it will look just like a real flag being burned in protest, but since they’re not official flags there’s no crime.

What a bunch of stupid fools in our government.

Raw Story headline: AP accuses Bush of ignoring laws… Developing…

Peter Daou has quit blogging — he’s been hired by Hillary Clinton.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/6/26/153130/515

Trying not to harp on Rush too much,but I was also wondering….

Is there a morals clause in his employment/syndication contract(s)?

And now,onto the flag thing:

Do other countries have rules and laws about their flags?

What a colossal waste of time this is. I’m thinking this is more propaganda,a little more subtle than usual.After all,if those damned anti american far left move on kos rabid venemous lamb people didn’t burn flags on a regular basis,why,we wouldn’t have to introduce this vital piece of legislation in the first place.

The rest of the world simply has to think we’re the dumbest country on the planet.

al-Scooter (29):

Ah, of course!

ck at 33 — I think Peter is going to be running her internet outreach (?) for the Senate campaign in NY this year. Am I right? I’m pretty sure that’s correct… There was a discussion on the announcement in last night’s Late Nite thread that I skimmed through a bit this morning. (When I wasn’t chasing the peanut around the house…)

Mark Dayton is a fool. He is preparing for private life and is toeing the ‘corporate’ line to enhance future ventures. He is a shill. My disappointment in him (I live in Minnesota) is enormous. Paul Wellstone is absolutely spinning around in heaven. Paul, I am praying to you that you send an angel to Dayton and tell him to wake the ***ll up. Well, O.K., an angel would not threaten **ll, but there are always choices in this life. One path goes one way and the other goes … well ask Rush.

Maybe Daou can tell Hillary to give up flag burning and tell her to start listening to the Dixie Chicks.

Here’s the full AP story, Stephen P:

Bush Ignores Laws He Inks, Vexing Congress

OT…The National Review is calling on the WH to revoke the press credentials of the NY Times ……..Miss Piggy Rover and Babs Comstock look like they are getting desperate.
This is hillarious…….The National FootSoldiers for Bush Review calling for a legitimate newspapers(albeit bad) credentials revoked!
BWaaahahahaha

Carper spoke of the hypocrisy of those promoting the amendment who sought up to three deferrals when others served 3 tours of duty or left 3 limbs on the battlefield…

It is a desecration to our flag when we send troops into battle without the proper equipment, etc. He cited many examples like this– debt for our children, no healthcare, tax breaks for the rich, etc.

Christy at 36, Hil doesn’t need to reach out to anyone for US senate seat retention, it’s in the bag. In case anyone had doubts as to her 2008 intentions, this should lay them to rest.

there some discussion re Daou in the Late Nite thread last night, starting around siun @ #131

The last line made me laugh at loud.

You know I meant out, right? I haven’t mastered “preview” yet.

Hypocrisy 1–the flag amendment. All sensible Senators should vote Present so there are insufficient votes to pass. Change the framing. What will be the next ridiculous waste of time? Oh, yeah, they’ll bring back the gay one.

Hypocrisy 2–back to Rush. About the time of his deal, the Fargo Clear Channel station was playing bumper promos with the refrain “addicted to Rush” using the music of Addicted to Love. Clearly he was not only unrepentent, he was mocking the judicial system that gave him a free pass…and the dittoheads who excused him.

I just love this quote from Dana’s article:

And the pro-amendment crowd is armed with powerful constitutional arguments. “Ever since the Boy Scouts first taught me how to care for our flag over 40 years ago, it has always held a special place in my heart,” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said in a press release yesterday.

SNIP

He must have been absent the day the scoutmaster told the troop to be good to animals.

Use it and lose it

Oh, Hil and the other blockheads need to squawk as loudly as possible to drown out what National Journal’s CONGRESS DAILY is saying today:

The overall cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other global anti-terror operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks will top $500 billion next year, according to congressional estimates and expectations of future funding.

. . .

Box turtle: there have been 17 cases of flag desecration in the past 2 years… horrors!

hey, it’s just a number.

PATHETIC.

Afternoon folks. RE Peter Daou and my esteemed Senatress Hillary. Used to love her…now, not so much. Maybe Peter can reach her a little (doubt it), but I’m afraid he might have been co-opted, hope not, into her centrist-schmentrist money circle jerk

Sending home the remains of Americans killed in action in coffins wrapped in the flag, but prohibiting them from being photographed, desecrates the flag and dishonors those who gave the last full measure of devotion for their country.

XOKGirl:

try pachacutec01 gmail com

Just for conversation,let’s say , the ammendment passes. then what?They all jump up and down and high five each other, and then get on tee vee and brag about their ‘Big Win’.And then what?AND THEN WHAT? Fools have no friggin agenda.They are pissing away their time on this fluff piece and getting NOTHING done.November is coming,and people are very unhappy with these clowns. Lets clean house and get back to the business at hand.
GO NED!

… of course with the appropriate @ and . in the obvious places

:-)

Congress is “Vexed?” I’m thinking they’re all on Pr*zac and Z*loft, ’cause nothing seems to faze them. Has Frist lobotomized these people in secret renditions to his private clinic?

I yell and scream and swear at the TV, radio and newspapers on a daily basis, and write letters and send e-mails and make phone calls and it’s like calling the pod people or the Stepford Congress.

*Warning* – Going into full rant mode!

Posted today on Pressthink: http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubz…..ressthink/

The people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another— and who today are not in a situation like that at all.

Once they were your printing presses; now that humble device, the blog, has given the press to us. That’s why blogs have been called little First Amendment machines. They extend freedom of the press to more actors.

Once it was your radio station, broadcasting on your frequency. Now that brilliant invention, podcasting, gives radio to us. Amd we have found more uses for it than you did.

Shooting, editing and distributing video once belonged to you, Big Media. Only you could afford to reach a TV audience built in your own image. Now video is coming into the user’s hands, and audience-building by former members of the audience is alive and well on the Web.
You were once (exclusively) the editors of the news, choosing what ran on the front page. Now we can edit the news, and our choices send items to our own front pages.

The highly centralized media system we once had connected people “up” to big social agencies and centers of power but not “across” to each other. Now the horizontal flow, citizen-to-citizen, is as real and consequential as the vertical one.

Let ‘er rip, Anne — anything you drop, we’ll catch and toss back up to ya!

Anne #56:

Plays well with their lobotomized base, they think. The next election is all that matters.

“The next election is all that matters.”

I’m still having trouble with that one — I mean, don’t these skeevies read the POLLS? Are they paying no heed at all to what pollees say is on their minds?

It AIN’T flag-burning, it’s money- and lives-burning!

Is that another of Bush’s signing statements in the above pic?

Let’s market burnable flags. They could have 11 stripes or 51 stars, any variation on the actual flag. They will look really similar and the political statement when they burn will be easily understood. They won’t, however, be unconstitutuional because they won’t match exactly the actual flag. They won’t be ‘flags’.

This is why the Republican Flag Amendment is just a political stunt.

Jane and the girls are back on the road now. She is one awesome woman.

WT – I’ll be in NYC in August ~ it would only be fair … :-)

Owning the elections, on the day of the elections, is the Repubs only concern. Public opinion, polls, etc, before the day and after, are, in a sense, irrelevant to them. Only THE DAY OF THE ELECTION matters, and they’ve got a bag of filthy tricks and all the enablers they want to make it happen, as we all know to our hideous dismay.

Why is it that only a few of us see that the growing nationalism, control of the press and increasing propaganda, as well as spying on people is a symptom of facism?

Crooks and Liars has a nice clip of Sen. Carl Levin slapping FAUX SNOOZE empty suit Brainless Kilmeade around a bit.

Roger Ailes might have to send this chump packing.

It sure looks like the the left wing has attached itself to a spine and is taking flight while the right wing is stewing in juices of addiction, corruption and arrogance and decadence.

-GSD

Sofistic…in my experience, we (Americans) are not very adept at honest self-appraisal. Extrapolate to national level, add distraction.

Let’s all start buring the Confederate Flag and watch the George Allens and Pat Buchanans heads explode.

-GSD

The RMN reports that Ward Churchill is being fired — if we wrap him in a flag and give some matches to the wing nuts, will their heads explode?

http://www.squarestate.net/sho…..aryId=1794

CCMask @ 57

Thanks for the link, great message.

Oh for fuck sake,

The editors at the NRO are calling for the Bush Administration to withdraw the NYT press credentials. Talk about hypocricy, make me gag.

Also, the decision for NASA to let the shuttle depart next month even though they haven’t fixed the foam problem that caused the last shuttle disaster. This is a purely political decision and just pisses me off.

I’m going to eat a pint of New York Super Fudge Crunch by myself now, bye.

GSD at 68- Wow, just wow!

I’m in complete agreement with the positions espoused here at FDL. But I don’t believe that the issues that should be a priority in November will be the deciding factor. Remember how important IRAQ was in November 2004 and yet all the pundits could talk about afterwards was moral values.
I’ve been opposed to the war in IRAQ from the beginning and I’m sure it will be an overiding influence on the midterm elections. The GOP would like to keep it simplified to “cut and run” type sound bites and avoid talking about the many ways we come up short in support of the troops.

I would like to see identity theft gain more prominence as an election issue. I feel that I should have some protections without having to pay extra fees for extra services that basically just let me know if someone is using my identity.
I left the Army in 1977. I was notified that I’m included in the group of 26 million veterans whose information was on the stolen laptop. With recent accounts in the news of stolen laptops from other government agencies, private insurance companies and major commercial businesses I believe it is safe to say that if your information hasn’t been compromised yet it won’t be long before it is. If anything Congress appears to be concerned about protecting the credit card companies.

On the subject of wedge issues, I can tell you that bashing illegals from Mexico will be a huge influence on citizens that otherwise don’t see a big difference in candidates. Making a scapegoat of a segment of society is a historically proven way of gaining support. This will turn out to be the big issue this election cycle just like gay marriage was in 2004. I don’t like it but we won’t get points for denying it’s power to get out the vote. There should be a branch of psychology devoted to the phenomenon.

Please DO NOT DO NOT fall for this Republican trick AGAIN!! The flag-burning distraction is the oldest one in the book and I cannot believe the Dems are even engaging them on it!!

The Democratic Congresspeople should refuse to debate, refuse to speak, and refuse to vote on this blatant attempt to distract the people from the real issues facing this country. Call it for what it is!

Do you realize Rove and the Republicans have figured out how to handle the sheeple. TREAT THEM LIKE BABIES. When something distasteful starts going around, point to something red and shiny. And it works, every time. I just hate to see it working in the blogosphere. End of rant. :)

where in the world is jane hampsher?

I can’t for one second understand why this is a national priority?!

Especially when the Executive Branch has declared war on the Free-Press?

How can any Senator that swears to uphold the Constitution stand by and not feel threatened to the core with this rhetoric flying around?

This is not about our flag, it’s about our society. The American way of life is at stake when the free press, our last check in the checks & balance system is directly attacked by the Administration.

It is the job of the free press to report when the government oversteps it’s bounds.

That is the biggest story of today. That is the greatest threat to America. The flag is but a symbol, and it will be a symbol that means little if this President is allowed to contiue his attack on the Constitution and the founding principles of freedom in our democracy.

Waive your flags, because they may soon be the only thing American left in America.

We ought to compile a list of all the Congresscritters who support the flag-burning amendment, but who have never served their country (either in war or peacetime). And make that list public.

It is easy to flaunt your patriotism when you know there is no risk to life and limb…like so many neocons, conservatives, and wingnuts out there, and like men and women bloviating in the safety of the chambers of Congress.

Disclosure: I oppose the amendment and I served during war.

Frist was also absent the day we learned that
The flag:
should never tough the ground
should never fly after dark without illumination
never fly in the rain

and should any of these misfortunes occur, the sole acceptable means of disposal is to…
burn the flag

That was in Boy Scouts

I posted some of this information last night.

S.J. Resolution 12: The Flag Protection Amendment.

Text:
The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States

Sponsor Orrin Hatch with 59 cosponsors
Democratic cosponsors (I think I got them all):
Baucus, Max MT
Dayton, Mark MN
Feinstein, Dianne CA
Johnson, Tim SD
Landrieu, Mary L. LA
Nelson, E. Benjamin NE
Rockefeller, John D., IV WV
Salazar, Ken CO

I think all of the Republicans are on board as cosponsors except Chafee RI.

Lots of DINOs out there who could support this as well. It needs 2/3 in both Houses and 3/4 of the states. That would be 67 in the Senate.

If you notice the text of the amendment is very brief. It gives the Congress the right to write a law which would detail what “desecration” was and what the penalties would be. The problem with this whole issue (besides being mindless election year pandering) is that it is essentially impossible to define what “desecration” is. As some have already pointed out, the proper disposal of a flag is by burning it. Can something be both proper and a desecration? How is this different from the destruction of a flag at a political protest where the argument could be made that the flag needed to be disposed of to keep it from being desecrated by the criminal and unjust acts of a particular Administration (like the current one, for example)? Do you remember the “Dream Team” with Michael Jordan at the Olympics? They wore uniforms made of designs from the American flag. Desecration? Proper? I often pass a house with a boat in the yard. The boat cover is a mass of American flags. It looks really tacky but is it desecration? When Bush signs a small flag as in the picture above is that proper? If I draw or print an image of a flag and then burn it, have I desecrated a flag or an image of a flag and what’s the difference? So much of this comes down ultimately to intent. Was it someone’s intent to desecrate the flag? Well, what happens if that person says, no, in their own mind that was not their intent? Is it somehow less respectful to destroy a flag as political speech then to warp and distort it to sell and make a buck from it? You tell me.

This crass attempt to “protect” what needs no protection trashes another and far more powerful and substantive symbol of our country and that is our Constitution.

[ed. note: yeah, don’t even joke about that. –CHS]

Mack @ 9:59 am
Good one. Mean Jean Schmidt might find herself wearing a “flag outfit” made by sweatshop labor that was infiltrated by the Gay Mexican Terrorist cell. Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.

All this reminds me of Jon Stewart’s piece on the video games debate in Congress–I mean who the f*ck CARES about Senator X playing PONG as a kid??? There are people DYING out there and this is what they debate in Congress. Video games and flagburning. It makes me sick.

Don’t forget homo nups, Oscarsmom.

OT-

Walcott. OMG. Laughing my head off.

http://jameswolcott.com/archiv…..ks_his.php

And as long as I’m in temper tantrum mode (I swear this rain has GOT TO STOP soon or we’re all going to start sprouting moss on our north sides…), the Dems need to stay loud on the issue of Iraq and troop reductions, because it won’t be too long before the administration announces them. When Bush makes the big announcement, the people’s reaction needs to be “Geez, the Democrats have been saying this is what we needed to do for months now, and the only difference between Bush’s timing and theirs is that X more troops have died.”

They need to stay loud on all the issues where the GOP is failing. They need to expose the hypocrisy of calling for prosecuting reporters for treason when representatives of the Treasury Department sat down and briefed the reporters who broke the financial activities spying story. You don’t tell the reporters everything you know will be appearing in the newspaper and then go after them for a breach of security unless you are just attempting to turn the tide of public opinion against a free press. Anyone involved in terrorist activities had to have had some idea that the government would be looking at their financial activities, don’tcha think? The rest of us though, where’s our expectation of privacy?

The Dems need to be loud about exposing the political pandering of a GOP that has betrayed its base with impunity since the last election cycle, and if they (the GOP base) think this “return to conservative values” is going to last one day past election day, they haven’t learned much from history.

Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

(Rush, if you’re reading that last part, please don’t get too excited…oh – that’s right – you can’t.)

Badwater#62 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Also, some people should dress up as Republicans and burn the Constitution. That’s what’s REALLY going on, anyway.

Susan #71, The “War Street Journal” printed the same info as NYT, care to guess why press credentials are not being subject to revocation?

Uh guys,

This is a “bright shiny object” kinda thing.

What are they doing today/this week that we are not noticing because we are looking at the flag burning ammendment?

When are we gonna stop taking the bait?

Soooo, what else is going on that we should be genuinely worried about?

looseheadprop at 89 — you know, I’d say it was a shiny object — but for the fact that they are apparently ONE vote away from passage in the Senate by a 2/3 margin.

lhp – what isn’t going on? I tend to think it isn’t so much what they are trying to distract us from, as it is what they are trying to avoid addressing. It’s like me doing the piddly-ass work on my desk and avoiding the big project that wears me out just thinking about.

Hi I wonder how the other CT folks are faring with net neutrality and the idea of contacting Holy Joe. So far I emailed. Any ideas?
Also with the flag issue too.
It always gets me that some of these people think its a patriotic right to wear a white hood, but when it comes to the flag–which to my mind belongs to everyone in a symbolic personal fashion and is not state property or a holy relic . . . o.k. whatever. Maybe I just like the 60s. Blah, blah.

I gave my Congresslady American Flag boxer shorts that I bought at Old Navy that she uses to discuss flag desecration…

the real Jane Lambsher of the Left met with Indiana bloggers half a block away from the National Headquarters of the American Legion, the main proponent of the Flag Burning Amendment … if they only knew!

OK Phoebe #85–stupid question–was Rush really caught with Viagra, or is it just a joke? (Inquiring minds want to know!)

I mean, it’s pretty hilarious as a joke, but as reality it would be PRICELESS!

(It would also explain why they didn’t reveal which prescription it really was . . .)

I was on the phone when I partially heard a contentious part of the WH briefing between snow and a female reporter wrt Gonzales being out of the country and a surrogate testifying in his stead… wonder what they were talking about. Did anyone catch it?

I did catch this: frist, cochran, mccain, bond, gregg, collins, ben nelson all met with the preznit about the line item veto today– kerry not there but snowballs says he supports it. nicole wallace stepping down on friday. no replacement.

lhp #89: “What are they doing today/this week?”

See #87

Does flag desecration bring up a really sticky problem of civil religion? How can we separate church and state if state is a religion? If we are not “permitted” to burn the flag (boil the flag? bake the flag?), then are we being coerced into a religious cult (nationalism) that will surely be blasphemous to most practicing religions (that think they enjoy protection under separation of church/state).

(by the way, lovelove Badwater at 62. let’s make and toast those Very Nearly Almost Uncannily the Same Flags. hahahaha)

Badwater 62,

I thought the same thing. Not only does adding jail time make it an authentic, not empty gesture, to burn a flag, but what would stop someone from burning something that represents the flag? A symbol of the symbol.

The thing is… not only is flag burning way too rare an occurance to worry about, think about how bad things would have to be for it to happen all the time. Maybe they know they’re taking us there and want to kill the canary before we reach the coal mine.

Senators get it up to outlaw flag burning –

When it comes to the Constitution, the same Senators provide the matches . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union

Totally off-topic but what is this? I guess G.Gordon Liddy is going off about it.

lhp @ 89 & Christy @ 90

Is it flag desecration when the soldiers of this nation – with the flag sown onto their uniforms – beat, torture, and kill prisoners in their custody?

Maybe only if they get blood on the flag patch . . .

I suppose since (under the amendment) Congress gets to design the law that defines “desecration of the flag,” Bush can simply issue a signing statement that gives the soldiers in the example above a pass, using his war powers authority.

Yeah, it’s a shiny object, all right – but ONE vote away from being passed is ridiculous!

Oo oo answered my own question:

“Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was detained at Palm Beach International Airport for the possible possession of illegal prescription drugs Monday evening.

Limbaugh was returning on a flight from the Dominican Republic when customs officials found a Viagra prescription that did not bear his name. Instead, the bottle of pills had the names of two doctors on it according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.”

http://cbs4.com/topstories/loc…..94808.html

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[Your overworked moderators would be forever grateful if asterisks could be substituted for some of the letters in words the spam filter loves to eat. We’ll beg if we have to! Many thanks.]

What really concerns me is that this is just a “patriotic” way to undermine the First Amendment, and with other attacks coming from other directions, it’s pretty clear what the endgame is.

I suspect that people like Cheney and Rove care less about the flag than they do about strangling the ability of the people to have anything to say about their government, and are happy to “use” patriotism to do it.

Gary at 75

My thoughts EXACTLY.

Been listening to alot of BBC lately….

Had a report from World Cup. Noted that NOT SINCE RISE OF THE NAZIS has Germany flown so many flags. Asked natives about being ‘embarassed’ (incl. a Pol. Professor)…answer: younguns 20-30 yr old know history, but that was their grandfather’s gen. They aren’t responsible or embaressed. ‘We’re friendly/peaceful.’

Guess what? We don’t stop this crap here, WE’LL be the ‘grandfathers’ w/reason to be embaressed. And shamed.

hello from paris. the flag issue here takes on a really different perspective, me being surrounded by guys mettering and/or screaming in hindi and farsi in the internet shop. glad to see that rushbo is remaining a dependable target. people here can’t even fathom what cheney cakes and bushbot have done to the constitution. all for now. i’m pretty much a francophile but french computer keyboards are a whole different animal!

Subject: Monument Fund Report

The George W. Bush Monument Fund

I have the distinguished honor of being the Central Flordia representative on
the committee to raise $5,000,000 for a monument of George W. Bush.

We originally wanted to put him on Mt. Rushmore until we discovered there was
not enough room for two more faces.

We then decided to erect a statue of George in the Washington, D. C. Hall of
Fame. We were in a quandary as to where the statue should be placed. It was
not proper to place it beside the statue of George Washington, who never told a
lie, or beside Richard Nixon, who never told the truth, since W could never
tell the difference.

We finally decided to place it beside Christopher Columbus, the greatest
Republican of them all. He left not knowing where he was going, and when he got
there he did not know where he was. He returned not knowing where he had been,
decimated the well-being of the majority of the population while he was there,
and did it all on someone else’s money.

Thank you.

P. S. After three months the Committee has raised $1.35 thus far.

ck your 52…I know thread has evolved but wanted to say..

So very true. I have often wondered why your very point hasn’t been been seized upon, ramped up and hung around their pro-Iraqi war occupation necks.

So, I called Sen. Martinez’s office. I asked if Martinez supported the flag burning amendment. Staffer said the senator supports protecting the flag. I asked how many incidents of flag burning there were. Staffer had no idea. I asked if it would still be ok to burn confederate flags. Did the senator support a similar measure to protect confederate flags?

Long silence.

Harry Reid should invoke Rule #whatever and shut down Congress until they talk about something REALLY important.

This is a great response from Jim Webb (cited on Kos:)

“”Jim Webb has great respect for our national flag and great respect for our Constitution, and is proud of the many contributions his family has made in defense of both. Like many combat veterans such as General Colin Powell and former Senators John Glenn and Bob Kerry, he does not believe it is necessary to amend the Constitution in order to protect the dignity of our flag. This is yet another example of deliberately divisive politics that distract Americans from the real issues that are facing our country,” said Kristian Denny Todd, spokeswoman for the Webb campaign.”

http://www.dailykos.com/

Tom Carper said that as much as he loves the flag, he loves the Constitution more.

Hypocrisy #3–see comment 46 for #1 and #2–

Larry Johnson’s piece on TPMCafe deconstructs nicely the selective assault on the NYT for the political gaming that it is.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/co…..bush_swift

Any time the prez and Chee-knee and Snowjob all get in a high dudgeon of bluster, the fix is in. Hmmmm, let’s see, 2006–attack the NYT. 2004–attack Rather & CBS. One would think the media would have wised up by now. Wonder who they’ll pick for selective assault in 2008?

Or to borrow a phrase that suits Limp-bough and Rove and the Rubber-Stamp Congress/the whole lot of them: it’s the pattern, stupid.

From a comment over at Kos:

I had forgotten (1 / 0-)
how good a writer Billmon is especially in long-form posts. His voice has that old, world weary wisdom that is comforting enough to allow me to relax and go along with him. He has a gift that compares to Christy Hardin Smith.

The nitwits who drafted this flag-burning amendment are going to set off a wave of flag burning such as we have never seen before. Anyone care to join me in a pledge to burn a flag if this ridiculous amendment passes?

Best snark from Milbank: The Judiciary Committee chairman did not explain how he could add 17 words to the Constitution without altering its text.

BobbyG’s latest letter to the papers…
_______________

Uh, hello? Mr. Presidunce? Things just a bit unusually soggy lately around DC?

Let me help you out here. Warmer air holds more moisture (until it can’t
anymore). The air around the planet is significantly warmer than it used to be,
increasingly so. Global warming, Sir, and by now the overwhelming scientific
consensus is that human activity that produces increasing volumes of greenhouse
gases is a major and growing cause, one whose destructive effects are only going
to worsen unless we act to counter the problem.

I would think your maladministration’s intractably Convenient Denial is proving
to be decidely INconvenient to countless thousands of Americans living within
500 or so miles of you this week.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled ignorance. Sorry to disturb your Serenity.

Here’s a question for Congress: What’s worse? Burning the American flag, or burning Americans? We can put side-by-side photos of flagburning and those photos from Fallujah. Which one, in Congress’s opinion, is more deserving of their attention?

I find Hillary’s hiring of Peter Daou an interesting development. Somebody must have told her that there was this thing called the Internet and that its political power was growing. Having appeared as a blip on her political screen (the only one she has), we can now look forward to the full Hillary treatment. Dare I say it, we are worthy of being triangulated. So in those days it came to pass that Hillary said, Go forth and hire me one of their kind who knows of triangles that I may have dominion over them and his name was Daou and Hillary saw it and it was good.

I have liked some of Daou’s work but I agree with those above Hillary doesn’t do cooperation. She does do cooptation.

Prof at 115 — you are making me blush.

Sorry but this one had me ROFLMAO:

Statement from the Lieberman camp following Lamont’s brilliant new ad:

“HERE ARE THE FACTS ON JOE LIEBERMAN:

Joe Lieberman has been a scathing critic of the Bush Administration”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lamont has Lieberman running from Bush like rats off a sinking ship.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/26/19359/8398

Redd

This is a bright shiny object moment.

Let them pass their damn ammendment, and then try to live with it.

Oh, and then let us put that lovely photo from up top on every billboard we can.

This is not even a “rally the base” ammendment. This is a distract the left ammendment. Right now, there is SOMETHING ELSE we should be looking at/thinking about/doing.

I don’t know what that is, but we should be doing it. We is bein’ punked!

Amen lhp #123

As al-Scooter says, “Rage, rage against the lying of the right!”

Ciao for now!

Gary @ 75
Totally agree. It is the duty of the press to call the government to task when it oversteps its boundries.
Anne # 86
Interesting perspective that I never thought of but makes sense. They are the type that would set up the press like that to destroy it completely.
Hypocrites.

I didn’t know bush knew how to write his own name.

Joe Lieberman has been a scathing critic of the Bush Administration

It’s true — after the kissy face, Joe complained bitterly about the burn from the preznit’s less-than-close shave.

Maybe they’ll get to order us to not to burn the flag but will they be able to stop us from flying it upside down?

OT: A VIDEO ON NET NEUTRALITY

http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog…..un_23.html

Prairie Sunshine 114,

Craig Crawford’s book, “Attack the Messenger,” deals with the right-wing war on the media. While I think it glosses over the crucial difference between our frustrations with the inaccuracies and sloth of the traditional media vs. the wingnuts’ desire for a media that works to their advantage regardless of the facts, it does a good job of putting the right-wing charges into some historical context.

“Joe Lieberman has been a scathing critic of the Bush Administration”

That was Joe’s Communications Director, Marion Steinfels. Marion is the gal who blocked me from interviewing Joe at the convention (I guess she pegged me as a blogger; imagine that!)

She’s completely losing her shit lately, and any statement she makes is sort of like watching an inept tightrope walker on the high wire…you just know there’s gonna be an accident, but you can’t turn away!

Now imagine she’s an obnoxious, lying tightrope walker…well, you actually look forward to seeing her screw up!

looseheadprop

“Right now, there is SOMETHING ELSE we should be looking at/thinking about/doing.”

Iraq
Global warming
Attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights
The deficits
The national debt
Balance of trade deficits
Our image in the world
Slowing of the economy
Healthcare
Medicare
Social Security
Israel/Palestine
North Korea
Iran

What’s worse: burning a flag or not allowing Americans to look at a flag if it happens to be draped over a coffin of a soldier killed in Bush’s War on a Noun.

Would it still be ok to burn flags with 49 stars?
What about ones with only 12 stripes?

Can we still eat off of those red-white-and blue 4th of July paper plates they sell at Wal-Mart?

What about T-shirts with flags on them? Is it desecration if you wash them in a manner inconsistent with the care instructions on the little tag?

Does the amendment apply only to actual combustion? Could you boil or poach a flag? Is it ok to bake a flag inside an apple pie?

Is it ok to bake a flag inside an apple pie?

Only if Mom does it …

…I’d like a file (metal, not manilla or digital) included inside my apple pie, please. Always have an ‘exit strategy’…

It strikes me that the best “solution” to this national crisis was given by Jay Leno, who suggested that Congress simply pass a law mandating that all US flags be made from flame-retardant material.

So will this Amendment lead to the banning of Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” movie? Keep in mind that the film opened with a burning American flag.

Is it ok to bake a flag inside an apple pie?

Only if Mom does it . . .

What if Mom goes shopping for pumpkin muffins, and burns the pie?

What if Mom’s flag apple pie is used in pie fight between MaryAnne and Ginger, and the blog ad becomes a huge controversy that blows up the Kos mind control network?

Frank, that’s a good point. Would pictures of burning flags become illegal?

Could you burn a picture of a flag, rather than the flag itself?

Would it be some kind of misdemeanor to accidentally burn a flag? Would there be such a thing as flag negligence?

Frank – seems simple, but flame-”retardant” does not mean it won’t ever burn. And even if it did, I suspect that if one were to pour gasoline on a flag and ignite it, and the only thing that was burning was the gasoline itself, it would probably be viewed as a distinction without a difference.

I think we should each call our representatives and ask if it would still be legal to bake a flag inside an apple pie. Then ask if the flag amendment would apply to confederate flags.

cleter says

June 27th, 2006 at 11:09 am
Would it still be ok to burn flags with 49 stars?
What about ones with only 12 stripes?

Can we still eat off of those red-white-and blue 4th of July paper plates they sell at Wal-Mart?

What about T-shirts with flags on them? Is it desecration if you wash them in a manner inconsistent with the care instructions on the little tag?

Does the amendment apply only to actual combustion? Could you boil or poach a flag? Is it ok to bake a flag inside an apple pie?

This is my point. How would define “flag” or “burning”?

If I read Dana Milbank correctly, the ammendment is only 17 words long, ergo, no definitions sction.

Let them pass it! Who the f**k cares? How will they enforce it? How many of them violate the spirit of it every day? Let Old Navy or the Dixie Cups people cut them to ribbons over it and let them look as foolish and opportunistic as they are.

Hugh at 132 has a nice impressive list of other things we could/should be focussed on, but I think I meant my question in a much more specific way.

What thing are they doing RIGHT NOW

or

what thing has already happened that the MSm might otherwise be catching on to RIGHT NOW

that they are willing to waste this much time and hot air on for the sole purpose of distracting the left?

Mind you, John Q. Sixpack and Mrs. Soccermom out there don’t even know there is a flag burning ammendment on the table, nor do they care. For normal people with other stuff on their minds, this is WAY way too inside baseball.

Think! Who is it that gives a rat’s ass about stuff like this??? The MSM and the lefties, particlarly left blogostan.

This is a diversion. Covering fire.

For what?

there is no answer yet to what laws congress could enact if the amendment gets ratified. The amendment as proposed is one sentence long:

“The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.”

wikipedia has this on what flags and images might be protected:

“The Report of the 108th Congress, in proposing this amendment, stated:

“…’desecrate’ means deface, damage, or otherwise physically mistreat in a way that the actor knows will seriously offend one or more persons likely to observe or discover his action…”

This seems to suggest that the amendment will only apply to acts where the actor intends offense.

Finally, since the amendment would only allow prohibition against “the flag of the United States,” it could be construed as only applying to flags that are the property of the United States government, as opposed to private property. This language could also be interpreted as being limited to flags that meet the exact specifications for the United States flag laid out in federal law. It is unclear what effect the amendment would have with respect to former flags of the United States, such as the 48-star flag that preceded the admission of Alaska and Hawaii, or the original 13-star Betsy Ross flag, or how far from the traditional definition of a flag a symbol could deviate (for example, having orange stripes instead of red) before falling out of the ambit of the amendment’s protection.”

Anne, I think if you had a clever lawyer–say, Rush Limbaugh’s lawyer–you could probably get off by arguing that the combustion was in fact confined to the gasoline. Your honor, my client merely flambed, he did not actually burn, a flag!

By now you may have noticed that I don’t pose these questions with an intent to supply an answer.

I often am left with questions for which I never find an answer (or don’t find an answer for years and years) that amkes sense.

This is the occupational hazzard of one who investigates and tries cases involving frauds and other mysteries.

It is also the residual hazzard of a childhood spent reading Nancy Drew books.

ccmask

If it were a soldiers wishes, who has been killed in Iraq, to be wrapped in an american flag and cremated… would congress intervene or have his parents arrested?

1. Waste of time and energy when there are more critical issues facing our nation.

2. The entire constitution is about protecting the people from the government. It sets limits to what government can and cannot do. The only times that the constitution has vered from that was for prohibition. The idea of an amendment to prevent people from exercising their 1st amendment right to expression is in direct confilict with the spirit of the US constitution.

Edward Teller

Last year around 4th of July I saw stars ans stripes toilet paper for sale in a catalogue.

How’s that for physically desecrating a flag?

Well, using it would be.

This is silly, just silly. Just a distraction.

The 17 word amendment doesn’t prohibit flag burning — it’s aimed at desecration with the intent to offend.

So much for that first amendment free speech thingy . . .

Ed*ard Teller
I think the amendment would apply to confederate flags as well. There is a Jefferson Davis Presidential Library, after all, thanks to Trent Lott’s clever manipulation of the phrase “American President.” If Jeff Davis is legally equivalent to any other ex-president, his flag would be legally equivalent to any other ex-flag. If you can’t desecrate the Betsy Ross flag, you can’t desecrate confederate flags.

Gorbei,

I do not disagree with your point. You are, of course, right in the argument you are making. In fact, I’ll go you one better and suggest that such an ammendment. like prohiition, would actually be a desecration of the Constitution.

But, like Prohibtion, it will fail (either in it’s initial passage or by repael once he reaction sets in) because it is completely unenforacle. It is a silly, and I use “silly” in the technical sense, ammendment.

gorbei at 148 plus LHP at 149.

yes it is a distraction and a waste of time, but once again, the idea of fundamentally altering the debate seems to be at stake.

No flag burning — narrows first amendment
no gay marriage — narrows equal protection
sedition is treason — narrows first again….

And on and on until we possess a soviet-style constitution that requires nothing from the governemnt and strict obedience from the people.

Then, there will be another revolution….

Imm
I agree, but excesses yeild backlash. There is NO POPULAR SUPPORT for a flag burning ammendment.

Unlike the gay marriage thing which is a sop to a critical constiuencey. This flag burning thingy does not have a constituency.

So, why do something that NO ONE cares about?

If not as a distraction?

Well, I’ve never liked seeing people wearing the flag on tshirts, underwear or bandanas. I am not happy to see flag beachtowels either– I don’t like it but I really don’t care because I love my freedom of speech more.

I guess I can just call up the local police who have nothing better to do (snark) and complain about these patriotic Americans if it passes, can’t I?

Like this patriot who cut the flag and put it on his sweaty body:

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/kidrockflag.htm

new thread

http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..-monarchs/

My earlier comment @ 147

If it were a soldiers wishes, who has been killed in Iraq, to be wrapped in an american flag and cremated would congress intervene or have his parents arrested?

My question has been answered.
Senators Doles office has informed me that anyone who did such a thing would be a traitor.

WTF?

Any amendment to the constitution right now is a dangerous precident, especially with amendment to ban gay marriage still being floated.

So, Republican Senator Dole thinks that killing American soldiers in a war based on lies is A-Okay, but honoring that soldier by cremating them with a flag makes them traitors?

GOP Family Values . . .

Anyone have an online listing of where the votes lie as things are now? Who is sitting on the fence that needs pursuasion?

Noonan at 160 — I started putting something together, but my three year old is refusing to nap this afternoon. SIGH If you find something elsewhere, could you post a link? Much appreciated if anyone else finds a listing and posts a link as well. Thanks in advance…

Just learned that *my* senator, Diane Feinstein is voting for the amendment, When are you guys going to send a Ned Lamont our way?

b

Don’t forget the NATIONAL BOYCOTT/STRIKE!click here

So glad I can still burn a flag legally. So disappointed in Mark Dayton. He responded to my email about Net Nuetrality, didn’t sound positive enough. oh well

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

FLAG FIASCO FINALLY FAILS
How About We Just Burn Orrin Hatch?

RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN HAS BALLS
Stupid Constitutional Amendment Falls

WE DONE STRUCK FEINGOLD
Senator Recalls Something Called Principles

DIANE FEINSTEIN NO ALBERT EINSTEIN
Moronic Statements Prove Brunettes Can Also Be Idiots

FINE LINE BETWEEN FEIN STEIN AND FEIN GOLD
One Is A Panderer – The Other Is Bold