TRex!

Balrog checking in.

TRex !!

EPU’d from prev:
—————————
Thot U all might find this interesting: Late this afternoon, about a half-hour before the jury was sent home, a new person showed up over in the “Gabbly chat.” There were about 20 of us around, and the crowd was beginning to thin out a bit. She (because she later self-identified as a 12-year-old girl) was very curious as to what we were all doing there, how old we were, what our various life experiences were, and the like. She really “sounded” genuine, and was genuinely shocked at what she heard us telling her about the state of the country, and that the President and Vice President had likely committed treason.

It was really a nice session; it felt like us older folks were “clustering around” this new member of the clan, who took the handle “Sharon,” encouraging her interest, praising her curiosity about politics, and helping with her political and Civics education. Though it is sad to pass on our communal vision of the rotten state of the country, it felt good to be speaking truth to someone who gets so little of it in the rest of her life… I know we all will be happy if she shows back tomorrow… I just wanted to tell U all this FWIW.

TRex, where can I get some of that ValTRex?

TRex!
balrog!!
TSF!!!

Woohoo! Trifecta!

Mommybrain @
6

TRex!
balrog!!
TSF!!!

Woohoo! Trifecta!

Mombo-Brainiac completes the scene!

Mommybrain @
6

TRex!
balrog!!
TSF!!!

Woohoo! Trifecta!

Whoohoo yourself, MB!!

Good, as always, to see you.

How long has it been since Runt Limpdick was actually quoted in an FDL post? Was it as long ago as his Dominican misadventure? I think that tells us everything we need to know about the state of his punditing “career.”

I lurk, I pack, I move, I shout SURPRISE, I go back to lurking. Lerv to you all.

I love it when you leave Trevino sputtering.

EvilDrPuma @ 9

How long has it been since Runt Limpdick was actually quoted in an FDL post? Was it as long ago as his Dominican misadventure? I think that tells us everything we need to know about the state of his punditing “career.”

Rush fell out of the pundit tree.

(Geddit? Punditry? Oh, never mind.)

I haven’t looked around tonight; has the non-heart-shirted Mummy from the depths of hell lady that read Driftglass in the Ladies room at the court house while smoking a phatty been discussed much?

Last I saw her name was Edna. Well of course it was.

But seriously, has there been anymore regarding her gig?

So Tacitus is finally living up to his name and going silent? Even if it’s only for a while, that calls for a celebration.

Mommybrain @ 10

I lurk, I pack, I move, I shout SURPRISE, I go back to lurking. Lerv to you all.

I love it when you leave Trevino sputtering.

You are always a welcome Monster Shouter here.

TRex, I am sorely in need of a belly laugh or two after this stressful day. Libby juror out, 11 jurors left, Fitz frowning, Swingin’ Dick spreading his special brand of luv all over Pakistan, Sy Hersh’s story about Bush funding the very Sunnis who are responsible for most of the American casualties in Iraq…

I need to breathe; I need to laugh, so I can get up out of bed tomorrow.

Hey, why doesn’t FDL have a

Board of Governors

like the Victory Carcass? Fucking pretentious twits.

Trevino the Jedi Bastard:

Something big is coming in several months.

He must have wandered off to try out the new p*n*s pump.

Alicia @ 15

TRex, I am sorely in need of a belly laugh or two after this stressful day. Libby juror out, 11 jurors left, Fitz frowning, Swingin’ Dick spreading his special brand of luv all over Pakistan, Sy Hersh’s story about Bush funding the very Sunnis who are responsible for most of the American casualties in Iraq…

I need to breathe; I need to laugh, so I can get up out of bed tomorrow.

ah hell, do what i’ll be doing.
calling in sick and pulling the covers back over my head.

Peterr @ 13

So Tacitus is finally living up to his name and going silent? Even if it’s only for a while, that calls for a celebration.

Oh, Peterr. One thing you learn when you’ve been at this for a while. Wingnuts never go entirely silent. They just go into remission.

TRex @ 8

Mommybrain @
6

TRex!
balrog!!
TSF!!!

Woohoo! Trifecta!

Whoohoo yourself, MB!!

Good, as always, to see you.

hey, mb, where ya been?

TRex @ 11

Rush fell out of the pundit tree.

(Geddit? Punditry? Oh, never mind.)

Oh, I get it. Should I have my therapist bill you?

Did Schecter happen to mention Limpbough’s gerkin enhancers?

I checked my copy of Who’s Who for Josh. Not happening.

Then I checked my copy of Who the Fuck. Nothing.

Oilfieldguy @ 23

Did Schecter happen to mention Limpbough’s gerkin enhancers?

If he had, he’d have gotten himself in a right pickle.

Balrog @ 12

I haven’t looked around tonight; has the non-heart-shirted Mummy from the depths of hell lady that read Driftglass in the Ladies room at the court house while smoking a phatty been discussed much?

Last I saw her name was Edna. Well of course it was.

But seriously, has there been anymore regarding her gig?

We are, apparently, only to speak of art-curatress in fact-based mode. So watch yerself.

Alicia with the zero, ding!

Oilfieldguy @ 23

Did Schecter happen to mention Limpbough’s gerkin enhancers?

I actually did in an updated post I put up at Huffpost – it went like this:

You see, he never heard of me. Because, for example, I haven’t been arrested for doctor shopping, exporting penis pills to The Dominican Republic under a false name and haven’t been divorced three times. But I digress.

And thanks for the mention T-Rex. You my man are my favorite pit bull!!!

Balrog @ 27

Alicia with the zero, ding!

Hooray!

T-Rex! I love it when you go Paleolithic on their asses. Speaking of that, wow, didn’t KO bust Condo-lies-a’s ass tonight? Whoo-weee!

Well, the wife’s dragging me off to bed! Night all!

I am glad to read that Tucker’s Hair was among those punk’d by The Carcass. Somehow fitting.

TRex @ 20

Peterr @ 13

So Tacitus is finally living up to his name and going silent? Even if it’s only for a while, that calls for a celebration.

Oh, Peterr. One thing you learn when you’ve been at this for a while. Wingnuts never go entirely silent. They just go into remission.

So let’s raise a toast to the remission!

TRex @ 28

Hooray!

I can no longer read that word without hearing it in Doctor Zoidberg’s voice.

Peterr @ 30

TRex @ 20

Peterr @ 13

So Tacitus is finally living up to his name and going silent? Even if it’s only for a while, that calls for a celebration.

Oh, Peterr. One thing you learn when you’ve been at this for a while. Wingnuts never go entirely silent. They just go into remission.

So let’s raise a toast to the remission!

Ding!

dmg @ 18

Alicia @ 15

ah hell, do what i’ll be doing.
calling in sick and pulling the covers back over my head.

I would in a hot second if it weren’t for the 3 kids and the old man out of town. I am skipping work (but I only have one hour, so that’s not saying much). I expect I’ll have my mental covers pulled up over my head, though…

TeddySanFran @ 26

We are, apparently, only to speak of art-curatress in fact-based mode. So watch yerself.

Hmmm, fact-based, huh?

Pass.

Tired. Billmon. A bit uplifting… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRLSBtF_pZQ

Paid chnnels( go they must be cheap) Massive education effort needed to retain on who to hate.

I’m going to go back and read Trex post as soon as I get done typing this comment, but by the time I get done reading,you guys will be on some number way beyond here and I wanted to thank those of you that asked about my letter to Bob Schieffer at #14 on the Ethics, Anyone thread. I got some editing help from NZ Expat, who happens to be a composition teacher at a state university (just what I needed!) I loved her edit, so it’s signed, sealed and will be sent out AM. Thank you for asking, and for your flattering comments. I’m sorry I was unable to get back sooner. What follows is the final version:

Dear Mr. Schieffer,

This is not the letter I wanted to write. I wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed your work for years and how I expected to continue that enjoyment for years to come. However, on February 22, 2007, I heard your comments on the Imus show, and now must write this letter instead.

I am ashamed that such a seasoned, experienced and seemingly competent purveyor of news could advocate not enforcing the law of land. You implied that you were afraid that the enforcement of the law would affect the press and bring the freedom of the press to an abrupt halt. But, of late, the press has neither been free, nor have they exhibited the expertise to be called the press. They are not the Fourth Estate of our ancestors. Members of the press have sacrificed their role as questioners to become stenographers and propagandists for an arguably corrupt federal administration.

Something is wrong when a colleague with the stature achieved by Tim Russert can say in open court, without any apparent compunctions, that when he talks to public officials, he always considers what they say as “off the record” unless otherwise specified. When did this change occur? Public officials should mind their words when talking to reporters, not the other way around. That’s why they’re called “public” officials.

Where is your concern for the fact that this administration outed a spy with over two decades of experience–a spy who was working on national security issues including what weapons of mass destruction can be found in Iraq and Iran? Where is your concern for the fact that a member of this administration saw fit to lie about it to the FBI, to the Grand Jury, and thereby attempted to obstruct justice? Thus “the press” is becoming complicit in remaking our country into a police state, but you, Bob Schieffer, are more concerned that your associates may lose their access. I regret that you are not more concerned that they have already lost their integrity. I’ll never be able to look at you and your colleagues with the same respect again.

Please give serious reconsideration to your previously faulty conclusions that the Libby case should not have been actively pursued. There is another serious related issue involved here that must be considered. At issue is the treatment of a private citizen who voices information about misrepresentations by the government, particularly in regard to the reasons for going to war. Isn’t that citizen acting in true patriotic duty? Should the press be complicit in silencing him, even if the silencing (or warning) involves outing his wife as a spy?

You voice concern about impairing the press’s rights, but the freedom of speech also extends to citizens. A very big issue is how far the members of the government should be allowed to go in pushing back against that private citizen when he blows the whistle on them. There is far more to this case than you and Imus have allowed, and insofar as you have influence over the public’s perceptions, you have done the public a disservice by so glibly and arrogantly dismissing the Prosecutor’s judgment and supplanting it with your own. There is a grave difference between a press complicit with covering up crimes and a press that seeks to put sunshine on wrongdoing.

I expect that you truly know this difference. That you attempt to fog the difference has truly disillusioned me about your professionalism and your ethics.

Oilfieldguy @ 23

Did Schecter happen to mention Limpbough’s gerkin enhancers?

I did in an updated Huff Post piece. It went like this:

You see, he never heard of me. Because, for example, I haven’t been arrested for doctor shopping, exporting penis pills to The Dominican Republic under a false name and haven’t been divorced three times. But I digress.

And thanks T-Rex, easily my favorite bulldog!!

Still laying some chill prevthread after earlobe’s bombshell

Balrog @ 26

Alicia with the zero, ding!

Have no idea how that happened…desperation, I suppose!

TeddySanFran @ 40

Still laying some chill prevthread after earlobe’s bombshell

Do tell.

You say your name is David Ferguson?

I remember once, when I was playing in a club in Laguna Beach, some guy came on to me, I think his name was…David Ferguson or something.

Were you in Laguna in 1980, hmmm?

AiAZ — great letter. Please let us know if you hear back.

Alicia @ 41

Balrog @ 26

Alicia with the zero, ding!

Have no idea how that happened…desperation, I suppose!

I think it was meant to be. You sound down, but the ding of the zero is rejuvenating.

How can I help?

Alicia @ 35

dmg @ 18

Alicia @ 15

ah hell, do what i’ll be doing.
calling in sick and pulling the covers back over my head.

I would in a hot second if it weren’t for the 3 kids and the old man out of town. I am skipping work (but I only have one hour, so that’s not saying much). I expect I’ll have my mental covers pulled up over my head, though…

i’ve been good, mind you…but there was the kids winter break; overtime piled up this weekend; a wrneched back; and the steady drumbeat of bad news and worse, the stuff you have ably summarized.
throw in the end of february malaise, and i am sorely tempted.
one day. that’s all, just one.

ValTRex: Possible, make that probable side effects, include; enlightenment, laughter, increased vocabulary, friendship, empowerment, happiness, and uncontrollable urges to….

ATTACK! AAATTTACKKK!! AAAAAAATTTTTTTAAACCKKK!!!!!

If your arousal lasts more than four hours, good on ya!

Excellent choice of song tonight, TRex. One of the best off that album. Perfect for the many pundit wannabe’s that only dig themselves in that much deeper. *evil grin*

Ann in AZ @ 38

I’m going to go back and read Trex post as soon as I get done typing this comment, but by the time I get done reading,you guys will be on some number way beyond here and I wanted to thank those of you that asked about my letter to Bob Schieffer at #14 on the Ethics, Anyone thread. I got some editing help from NZ Expat, who happens to be a composition teacher at a state university (just what I needed!) I loved her edit, so it’s signed, sealed and will be sent out AM. Thank you for asking, and for your flattering comments. I’m sorry I was unable to get back sooner. What follows is the final version:

Dear Mr. Schieffer,

This is not the letter I wanted to write. I wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed your work for years and how I expected to continue that enjoyment for years to come. However, on February 22, 2007, I heard your comments on the Imus show, and now must write this letter instead.

I am ashamed that such a seasoned, experienced and seemingly competent purveyor of news could advocate not enforcing the law of land. You implied that you were afraid that the enforcement of the law would affect the press and bring the freedom of the press to an abrupt halt. But, of late, the press has neither been free, nor have they exhibited the expertise to be called the press. They are not the Fourth Estate of our ancestors. Members of the press have sacrificed their role as questioners to become stenographers and propagandists for an arguably corrupt federal administration.

Something is wrong when a colleague with the stature achieved by Tim Russert can say in open court, without any apparent compunctions, that when he talks to public officials, he always considers what they say as “off the record” unless otherwise specified. When did this change occur? Public officials should mind their words when talking to reporters, not the other way around. That’s why they’re called “public” officials.

Where is your concern for the fact that this administration outed a spy with over two decades of experience–a spy who was working on national security issues including what weapons of mass destruction can be found in Iraq and Iran? Where is your concern for the fact that a member of this administration saw fit to lie about it to the FBI, to the Grand Jury, and thereby attempted to obstruct justice? Thus “the press” is becoming complicit in remaking our country into a police state, but you, Bob Schieffer, are more concerned that your associates may lose their access. I regret that you are not more concerned that they have already lost their integrity. I’ll never be able to look at you and your colleagues with the same respect again.

Please give serious reconsideration to your previously faulty conclusions that the Libby case should not have been actively pursued. There is another serious related issue involved here that must be considered. At issue is the treatment of a private citizen who voices information about misrepresentations by the government, particularly in regard to the reasons for going to war. Isn’t that citizen acting in true patriotic duty? Should the press be complicit in silencing him, even if the silencing (or warning) involves outing his wife as a spy?

You voice concern about impairing the press’s rights, but the freedom of speech also extends to citizens. A very big issue is how far the members of the government should be allowed to go in pushing back against that private citizen when he blows the whistle on them. There is far more to this case than you and Imus have allowed, and insofar as you have influence over the public’s perceptions, you have done the public a disservice by so glibly and arrogantly dismissing the Prosecutor’s judgment and supplanting it with your own. There is a grave difference between a press complicit with covering up crimes and a press that seeks to put sunshine on wrongdoing.

I expect that you truly know this difference. That you attempt to fog the difference has truly disillusioned me about your professionalism and your ethics.

ann, all props be unto you for putting together this splendid bill of particulars. but don’t expect mr. schieffer to pay it much mind. it’s too long and well reasoned for that.

schieffer’s also quite close to the bushes; his brother is, if i’m not mistaken, now serving as an ambassador, possibly to australia.

This is off topic, but a page brightener for these dreer times. I met a very old couple the other day. They walked very slowly, hand in hand, and it was good they walked slow, since they could not see very good. She gave me a big smile, and I asked her how long they had been together.

She looked at her husband and smiled even bigger, looked back at me and said her husband stole her. He rode up to her house and got her and said he was going to marry her. She said her father didn’t even know. She told me she took off one of her shoes, wrote 18 on a piece of paper, folded it up, placed it in her shoe and put her shoe back on.

The Justice of Peace asked her how old she was, she prouldly told him she was over eighteen.

She told the story good, and I hope I’ve done it justice. Somehow it just me feel good thinking about it.

Balrog, you have a vivid imagination. Driftglass in the loo…love it.

TSF, we be movin’ on down the road. We put our house up, found a sucker and now we’re new suckers ourselves. I am having a recurring nightmare that Dickless Cheney will start it with Iran the day escrow closes. In my dream, chaos ensues.

YK2, you?

Cliff Schecter @ 38

Oilfieldguy @ 23

Did Schecter happen to mention Limpbough’s gerkin enhancers?

I did in an updated Huff Post piece. It went like this:

You see, he never heard of me. Because, for example, I haven’t been arrested for doctor shopping, exporting penis pills to The Dominican Republic under a false name and haven’t been divorced three times. But I digress.

And thanks T-Rex, easily my favorite bulldog!!

RAAAAAAAAAHHRRR!!

But if I were a dog, I would definitely be a Chow.

So MalKKKin and some Clinton-ista had some show on Pox News over the weekend? How long before Schecter and TRex pair up and rock the airwaves? Now that would be worth the price of admission and a hot dog!

SteveAudio @ 42

You say your name is David Ferguson?

I remember once, when I was playing in a club in Laguna Beach, some guy came on to me, I think his name was…David Ferguson or something.

Were you in Laguna in 1980, hmmm?

Um, I was 11 in 1980.

The Victory Caucus results reminded of the fiasco with the Iraqpartnership plan that was presented about a year and a half ago by the President as a way that people who supported the war could donate to civil reconstruction.

I mean what better way for Conservatives to show they supported the war AND Conservatism by not having the taxpayer cover the bills of Iraq’s reconstruction. One would think that some of those firms receiving the hundreds of billions of dollars in US taxpayer contracts would throw a bit into the war effort.

Well in the first six months after it was announced the fund had received an embarassing $1000 in contributions. hat was less than 0.2% of its projected goals…and the mere operation of yje site by the group cost US taxpayers $60,000!

http://www.usaid.gov/cgi-bin/g…..ership.org

http://news.findlaw.com/wash/s…..51221.html

I don’t know if the site is defunct now but the link from the State Department/USAID seems to have gone defunct or has been hacked into for over six months without anyone noticing in the Administration.

TRex @ 54

SteveAudio @ 42

You say your name is David Ferguson?

I remember once, when I was playing in a club in Laguna Beach, some guy came on to me, I think his name was…David Ferguson or something.

Were you in Laguna in 1980, hmmm?

Um, I was 11 in 1980.

yeah, but you looked 14.

bonkers @ 46

ValTRex: Possible, make that probable side effects, include; enlightenment, laughter, increased vocabulary, friendship, empowerment, happiness, and uncontrollable urges to….

ATTACK! AAATTTACKKK!! AAAAAAATTTTTTTAAACCKKK!!!!!

If your arousal lasts more than four hours, good on ya!

That’s the spirit!!

dmg @ 55

TRex @ 54

SteveAudio @ 42

You say your name is David Ferguson?

I remember once, when I was playing in a club in Laguna Beach, some guy came on to me, I think his name was…David Ferguson or something.

Were you in Laguna in 1980, hmmm?

Um, I was 11 in 1980.

yeah, but you looked 14.

I was actually dating a redhead at the time, but her name was Sue.

…it should be noted that Sunday night, Hollywood successfully Photoshopped Al Gore’s foot into George W.’s ass.

Have they no shame? Liberal culture termites.

;>)

As the contracted webmaster for Strom Thurman’s blog I’m really disturbed by this post. The spike in volume is expected, like this Sharpton story would probably lead to something like that if the site was up already, but the ‘flash in the pan’ effect detailed here is something my financiers don’t want.

I’ve been resisting the standard “white man’s only weakness is the desire for cheap labor” tact, but if we’re going to hold onto a certain level of visitors, it’ll have to be more of that than anything else I think.

I don’t know…maybe I shouldn’t have ever quit my job at Target…

Ann in AZ – nice

Go TRex and all late niters! Thanks for the Radiohead.

bonkers @ 53

So MalKKKin and some Clinton-ista had some show on Pox News over the weekend? How long before Schecter and TRex pair up and rock the airwaves? Now that would be worth the price of admission and a hot dog!

Oh how much fun that would be. Our own show T-Rex. What do you think we’d talk about?

What a joke that Fox show is. Powers is the usual sell out pathetic “I was a low-level Clinton staffer” moron.

Balrog @ 44

I think it was meant to be. You sound down, but the ding of the zero is rejuvenating.

How can I help?

You just did! :-)

Seriously, I need to laugh. A lot. Troll-slaying, second-hand wingnuttery – it’s all good.

On top of everything else on this swell day, I had the kids at the grocery store, and forgot to turn my car lights off. Battery dies. In a parking lot chock full of cars, right next to a gas station, I could not get anyone to take a minute to give me a jump. I had my own cables and everything.

Good news is, I had AAA, which is the bomb, but i felt a little silly calling them in the midst of hundreds of operational cars. I did, though, and the guy was super nice. Just shook his head and said, “No one wants to help any one anymore”, and got me started.

The bitch of it is that I’m the one who always jumps other people if I see they need a hand.

And you know what? I bet y’all are, too.

Something just tells me.

Ann in AZ – great letter – well done

Cliff Schecter @ 62

bonkers @ 53

So MalKKKin and some Clinton-ista had some show on Pox News over the weekend? How long before Schecter and TRex pair up and rock the airwaves? Now that would be worth the price of admission and a hot dog!

Oh how much fun that would be. Our own show T-Rex. What do you think we’d talk about?

What a joke that Fox show is. Powers is the usual sell out pathetic “I was a low-level Clinton staffer” moron.

I’ve told you we could call our show, “Assault and Flattery with Cliff and David”.

We’d be the biggest thing since Olbermann.

dab_from_CT @ 65

Ann in AZ – great letter – well done

I second that e-motion.

Could I be an infrequent guest who doles out cheaterpipe shampoos?

Alicia @ 64

Good news is, I had AAA, which is the bomb, but i felt a little silly calling them in the midst of hundreds of operational cars. I did, though, and the guy was super nice. Just shook his head and said, “No one wants to help any one anymore”, and got me started.

You don’t think anyone’s falling for that “uh, I’m really sorry but my battery’s dead” trick now-a-days, do you? Shoot…after Natalee Hollaway disappeared, I’ve been strapped with a taser and nutcracker flail at all times. Sure as hell ain’t opening up my hood for a stranger…

that’s how it happens!

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

TRex @ 66

dab_from_CT @ 65

Ann in AZ – great letter – well done

I second that e-motion.

Third. Exceptional.

And did anyone catch the release of General Peter Pace’s 2006 Review of Military Readiness? It says that if the US military has to become involved in another military event that the forces would likely “break” from the Strain of Afghanistan and ESPECIALLY Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..rzFsKs0NUE

Iraq has put the US Military on the precipice of having to fight a war with exhausted, ill-equipped, and insufficient troops to deal with even a minor “Liberia-type” intervention. Even such interventions would set them up for a Lebanon-style disaster.

Pace was making this evaluation BEFORE Bush decided upon the “Surge”. So, very likely the forces going in there fulfill Pace’s criteria of being ill-prepared and ill-equipped…if not stressed and unrested.

This report essentially supports the Democrats call for the troops being prematurely deployed to have more time, better training and upgraded equipment before they set foot in Iraq.

yes2K

TRex @ 65

I’ve told you we could call our show, “Assault and Flattery with Cliff and David”.

We’d be the biggest thing since Olbermann.

If only one wingnut’s head explodes, it will be so worth it!

TRex @ 70

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

double crap, TRex. that is news i did not want to hear. said a prayer just on hearing the news and will continue to do so.

Alicia @ 64

Balrog @ 44

How can I help?

The bitch of it is that I’m the one who always jumps other people if I see they need a hand.

Just keep up your posting here and know that it’s appreciated.

Then break open that last pallet of Orville Redenbacher’s Extra Lard Topping Packing Peanuts and get ready for a guilty verdict tomorrow.

You see what happens, Gary? You see what happens…”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqtgfjkB6Pg

TRex @ 69

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

Good grief. Godspeed, Steve.

Alicia @ 15

TRex, I am sorely in need of a belly laugh or two after this stressful day. Libby juror out, 11 jurors left, Fitz frowning, Swingin’ Dick spreading his special brand of luv all over Pakistan, Sy Hersh’s story about Bush funding the very Sunnis who are responsible for most of the American casualties in Iraq…

I need to breathe; I need to laugh, so I can get up out of bed tomorrow.

If it’s a belly laugh you need, watch the rerun of Keith’s latest special comment. I laughed nearly all the way through. He pretty much tore Rice a new one. She really used the wrong metaphors. She should have known better.

9 out of* ten bloggers recommend:

[Ta-Da!]

That’s why our blog uses ValTRex, the medication that has been clinically proven to stop wingnut outbreaks in their tracks, reduce the duration of each infestation, and prevent future attacks. Ask your doctor about ValTRex today!

(the tenth is unmarried, living in his parents’ basement, and comprised – by weight – of 14% TacoBowl and 5% Cheetos.)

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

oh dear….we need a candle page Rene in Ohio?

If only one wingnut’s head explodes, it will be so worth it!

That’s where the cheaterpipe shampoos come in, headbustexploding probabilities increase exponentially…virtually guaranteed.

TRex @ 69

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

And it’s round two of open heart surgery.

Prayers are on their way.

Looks like the Plumbers might have been called out of retirement to do some dirty work in NH.

-GSD

Hi, everyone. I am one of those lurkers mentioned a couple of nights ago. Please be kind. I came here because of my interest in the Wilson/Plame affair, just before the book was released, and have visited regularly. Late nite FDL is a wonderful thing to read after all the bad news. Scheiffer, Thomas, was US ambassador from 2001 to 2005.

TRex @ 70

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

Prayed…prayed hard. Steve’s too ornery to need it, though.

Alicia – Your jumper commment was ripe for a ValTRex joke….but yes I am that type too…)

Debbie(aussie) @ 84

Hi, everyone. I am one of those lurkers mentioned a couple of nights ago. Please be kind. I came here because of my interest in the Wilson/Plame affair, just before the book was released, and have visited regularly. Late nite FDL is a wonderful thing to read after all the bad news. Scheiffer, Thomas, was US ambassador from 2001 to 2005.

Welcome, Debbie(aussie)!! Jump in! The Lake is warm tonight!

Debbie(aussie) @ 84

Hi, everyone. I am one of those lurkers mentioned a couple of nights ago. Please be kind. I came here because of my interest in the Wilson/Plame affair, just before the book was released, and have visited regularly. Late nite FDL is a wonderful thing to read after all the bad news. Scheiffer, Thomas, was US ambassador from 2001 to 2005.

Welcome out of the shadows, Debbie(aussie) — don’t be shy about speaking up!

deadissue @ 69

Alicia @ 64

Good news is, I had AAA, which is the bomb, but i felt a little silly calling them in the midst of hundreds of operational cars. I did, though, and the guy was super nice. Just shook his head and said, “No one wants to help any one anymore”, and got me started.

You don’t think anyone’s falling for that “uh, I’m really sorry but my battery’s dead” trick now-a-days, do you? Shoot…after Natalee Hollaway disappeared, I’ve been strapped with a taser and nutcracker flail at all times. Sure as hell ain’t opening up my hood for a stranger…

that’s how it happens!

Well, I was wedged in between a mess of cars with 3 kids in the car – I hope I wasn’t that threatening!

darkblack @ 59

…it should be noted that Sunday night, Hollywood successfully Photoshopped Al Gore’s foot into George W.’s ass.

Have they no shame? Liberal culture termites.

;>)

And the technicians who did so won the Academy Award for both “Special Effects” and (to hold Bush down) “Grips”.

BTW I heard Libby won a Lifetime Achievement Award as “Best Boy”, and Victoria Toensing for “Best In Show”. Wait, that was at the Westminster Dog Show.

GSD @ 84

Looks like the Plumbers might have been called out of retirement to do some dirty work in NH.

-GSD

Probably GOPers looking for their court-ordered monthly contributions. Doesn’t that go on for years and years?

OT:

Hey Bay Area ‘pups…

lightning and thunder walking with us….

approx 20 secs from flash to rumbles…

hope the lightshow comes your way….

TRex @
70

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

I don’t do prayer, but I’ll keep good thoughts in mind for him.

Welcome, Debbie(aussie)!! Jump in! The Lake is warm tonight!

Don’t blame me…I didn’t do it!

kirk murphy @
93

OT:

Hey Bay Area ‘pups…
lightning and thunder walking with us….
approx 20 secs from flash to rumbles…
hope the lightshow comes your way….

Ah, Jerry Garcia is in town. He keeps close watch over his beloved.

kirk murphy @ 93

OT:
Hey Bay Area ‘pups…
lightning and thunder walking with us….

What part of the Bay Area? It’s pretty quiet down here in the South Bay…

Ann in AZ @ 79

Alicia @ 15

If it’s a belly laugh you need, watch the rerun of Keith’s latest special comment. I laughed nearly all the way through. He pretty much tore Rice a new one. She really used the wrong metaphors. She should have known better.

Thanks, Ann – good idea.

kirk murphy @ 92

OT:

Hey Bay Area ‘pups…

lightning and thunder walking with us….

approx 20 secs from flash to rumbles…

hope the lightshow comes your way….

A brief note for the non-Bay Area folks: 3.4 earthquakes are no big deal around here, but thunder and lightning is a rare occurence.

I’ve seen Bay area natives run to a doorframe when the thunder rolls, and even a couple who ran outside and got under a tree. Those are good ideas in an earthquake, but in a thunderstorm the former is unnecessary and the latter is downright dangerous.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 87

Alicia – Your jumper commment was ripe for a ValTRex joke….but yes I am that type too…)

It’s really sad – I am dull as a butter knife. You keep pitchin’ em, and I keep missin’ em.

kirk murphy @ 92

OT:

Hey Bay Area ‘pups…

lightning and thunder walking with us….

approx 20 secs from flash to rumbles…

hope the lightshow comes your way….

Wow that is rare.. enjoy it amigo.

Right, then. Heading home.

See you in a bit.

TeddySanFran @
92

GSD @ 84

Looks like the Plumbers might have been called out of retirement to do some dirty work in NH.

-GSD

Probably GOPers looking for their court-ordered monthly contributions. Doesn’t that go on for years and years?

Yep. I think it is a 5 year plan.

-GSD

Also, don’t look now but Hugo Chavez has painted a big bullseye on his back by nationalizing the Venezuelan oil industry.

Oil-igarchies don’t dig nationalizing nuttin’.

Balrog @ 76

Alicia @ 64

Balrog @ 44

How can I help?

The bitch of it is that I’m the one who always jumps other people if I see they need a hand.

Just keep up your posting here and know that it’s appreciated.

Then break open that last pallet of Orville Redenbacher’s Extra Lard Topping Packing Peanuts and get ready for a guilty verdict tomorrow.

Oooh! That sounds delish!

cinnamonape @ 91

…and (to hold Bush down) “Grips”.

He’s pretty lightweight…a couple of pony clamps and some sandbags ought to hold him.

;>)

BTW I heard Libby won a Lifetime Achievement Award as “Best Boy”…

Don’t go ticking off the gaffers now…They’ll light your bad side.

;>)

Okay, no guest spots for me on the Assault and Flattery Show. I need a tissue. G’nite firepups.

aaaah! lightning and thunder!

OFG would make a great roaming southern correspondent.

Oilfieldguy @
106

Okay, no guest spots for me on the Assault and Flattery Show. I need a tissue. G’nite firepups.

g’nite, laddie. be safe

Debbie(aussie) @ 85

Hi, everyone. I am one of those lurkers mentioned a couple of nights ago. Please be kind. I came here because of my interest in the Wilson/Plame affair, just before the book was released, and have visited regularly. Late nite FDL is a wonderful thing to read after all the bad news. Scheiffer, Thomas, was US ambassador from 2001 to 2005.

yep, that’s bob’s brother.

always irritated me that they had schieffer moderate one of the bush-kerry debates in 2004. in all the universe of sycophantic talking heads they couldn’t find one who wasn’t on a close personal basis with one of the two participants?
conflicts of interest are nothing new in washington, but still.
that’s why as good a letter as it is, ann in ariz., don’t expect schieffer to grow a conscience if he reads it.

sounds like hail now

Well, I’ve changed the banner again. But at least it’s not a full-blown case of otter madness like I had before Christmas. But this time I’ve kept Howard Dean up there. And added Gore.

And a couple other critters that make me smile.

I was checking out various blogs this evening, and thought, dang, I’m tired of the 2008 election already. And every other political story out there. And the stuff going on in the Episcopal church. And the bickering between and among blogs.

It was this, or color my hair again.

This is easier to undo. ;)

Strom says “I ain’t gonna let Al Sharpton anywhere near my sperm! Over my maggot-ridden body! And my corpse will be a lyin’ atop my Great Great Great Grandfather’s grave like I stood in that schoolhouse door.”

Although I think Strom’s emaciated cadaver probably more resembles the axe-handle that he threatened fourth grade girls with. I guess we’d have to call in Trent Lott to tell ‘em apart.

TRex @ 70

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

No – - – Alicia @ 90

deadissue @ 69

Alicia @ 64

Good news is, I had AAA, which is the bomb, but i felt a little silly calling them in the midst of hundreds of operational cars. I did, though, and the guy was super nice. Just shook his head and said, “No one wants to help any one anymore”, and got me started.

You don’t think anyone’s falling for that “uh, I’m really sorry but my battery’s dead” trick now-a-days, do you? Shoot…after Natalee Hollaway disappeared, I’ve been strapped with a taser and nutcracker flail at all times. Sure as hell ain’t opening up my hood for a stranger…

that’s how it happens!

Well, I was wedged in between a mess of cars with 3 kids in the car – I hope I wasn’t that threatening!

The kids will kill you while the parents clean out your wallet and siphon your gas!

TSF and km – I saw lightning once and never saw hail in my ten years SF residence.

bdu @ 97

kirk murphy @ 93

OT:
Hey Bay Area ‘pups…
lightning and thunder walking with us….

What part of the Bay Area? It’s pretty quiet down here in the South Bay…

Hi bdu -

The Richmond in northwest SF.

Approx 1 to 1.5 in of hail just fell in about 120 sec. Streets are icy/cars skid.

Rumbles follow last lightning on count of “1000″ six twelve eight.

more here

Hugs to Steve and Jen in NYC!

And thanks for the kick-ass post, TRex!

By the way: You’re not woofing when you talk about how right-wing nutballs never stop being nutty — I went and posted a comment over at Pharyngula (a very cool science blog) today and my mere existence (being a WOMAN and all) was enough to send Theodore “Vox Day” Beale into transports of psychotic rage. Get a load!

TeddySanFran @ 110

sounds like hail now

Ave, TRex!
Ave, TRex!
Ave, TRex Imperator!

cinnamonape @ 72

And did anyone catch the release of General Peter Pace’s 2006 Review of Military Readiness? It says that if the US military has to become involved in another military event that the forces would likely “break” from the Strain of Afghanistan and ESPECIALLY Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..rzFsKs0NUE

Iraq has put the US Military on the precipice of having to fight a war with exhausted, ill-equipped, and insufficient troops to deal with even a minor “Liberia-type” intervention. Even such interventions would set them up for a Lebanon-style disaster.

Pace was making this evaluation BEFORE Bush decided upon the “Surge”. So, very likely the forces going in there fulfill Pace’s criteria of being ill-prepared and ill-equipped…if not stressed and unrested.

This report essentially supports the Democrats call for the troops being prematurely deployed to have more time, better training and upgraded equipment before they set foot in Iraq.

meh – liberal media – he probably said something different, but they cut it so he’d sound like a pussy…until I hear this from Bill Bennett, I’m not buying it.

…Wingnut bloggers are each about as emotionally stable as a Border Collie on crystal meth…

You teh funny! hee hee

No border collies were harmed in the writing of this post.

mods?

kirk murphy @ 116

The Richmond in northwest SF.
Approx 1 to 1.5 in of hail just fell in about 120 sec. Streets are icy/cars skid.

Gotta love our microclimates. It’s a wee bit windy down here, not much else.

Keep you and yours tucked in and safe up there! We Californians just can’t deal with even moderately bad weather!

Alicia – I just gave someone a jump last week. I was running kind of late, but it only took less than 2 minutes. How amazing is it that someone wouldn’t give you one or two minutes of their time.

Perhaps you’ll find the first cartoon on this page to be as amusing as I did (and I love the artistry… Bush, Cheney & Rove are so well illustrated.)

I hope you have a relaxing day tomorrow, and perhaps we’ll hear a verdict read. I keep thinking that tomorrow is the day.

TRex @
88

Jump in! The Lake is warm tonight!

[gets a running start on the diving board, jumps forward high off the end of the board, opens arms and legs wide for a bellyflop]

YEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

[hits the water causing a massive SPLASH!!!]

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 126

TRex @
88

Jump in! The Lake is warm tonight!

[gets a running start on the diving board, jumps forward high off the end of the board, opens arms and legs wide for a bellyflop]

YEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

[hits the water causing a massive SPLASH!!!]

Dammit, Fini! Now I’m soaked!

Anyone know if the Victory Carcass is a

I wouldn’t be shocked if it was a neat-o way for Frank Gaffney to shovel some wingnut welfare money and wear the badge on the cablenews chyron. That’s what matters to them, because that’s what gets them into papers and onto TV.

Welcome Debbie(aussie)! Glad to see you delurking.

Many good wishes to Steve (when you say second round of open heart surgery, is this the second round this week, or was his first surgery a while ago?)

Sorry, uhh, I’m gonna need a few more of those big beach towels for you. Use my spare for now [tosses the therapod a huge towel] I’ll go get some more towels from the cabana.

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

Laura Bush on Larry King Live tonight…

“We expected it to be long (Iraq).”

Wayback machine….

(CNN) — Donald Rumsfeld’s Iraqi war plan worked beautifully for three weeks. U.S. troops quickly deposed Saddam Hussein and captured Baghdad with a relatively small force and with lightning speed.

But with Iraq on the verge of civil war three years later, the secretary of defense now admits that no one was well-prepared for what would happen after major combat ended.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/…..index.html

Say what?

Ann in AZ

Great letter.

If Bob doesn’t answer it he must have schieffer brains…

FiniFunami!! glug sputter…wet cigs lost my sunglasses…)

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 129

Sorry, uhh, I’m gonna need a few more of those big beach towels for you. Use my spare for now [tosses the therapod a huge towel] I’ll go get some more towels from the cabana.

heck with the towels. bring me the cabana boy

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 130

Sorry, uhh, I’m gonna need a few more of those big beach towels for you. Use my spare for now [tosses the therapod a huge towel] I’ll go get some more towels from the cabana.

Thank you.

And get me a Diet Coke while you’re in there!

Argh, the edit b0rked. Meant to say: anyone know if the Victory Carcass is a 501(c)(3) or some other foundation?

And damn, Keith is commemorating the thirteenth anniversary of Bill Hicks‘ death. Miss you, Bill.

karen allen @ 131

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

That truly is a bizarre story making rounds in the toobz. I dont quite know what to make of it. We all know batshit insane is a pre requisite for Cheney Administration employment but that is kind of next-level you know?

Well, it’s time for me to go. My cabana boy is calling…

cheers, everyone!

(BTW, the last time I posted in a thread about Trevino, I left just before he arrived to announce how he has nothing to say… then posted dozens of idiotic posts, each trying to insult or offend. Perhaps that trend will now continue. Enjoy yourselves with him!)

I have spare beachtowels if needed. Very warm here at the moment, so a pretty good time to take the plunge. (wish we could have that storm)

Next-level up or next-level down from exploding frogs and killing your high school boyfriend with a car?

TeddySanFran @ 135

heck with the towels. bring me the cabana boy

Extra primo good Mr Teddy sir!

TRex @ 136

Thank you.

And get me a Diet Coke while you’re in there!

Si jefe!

Eureka Springs, AR @ 134

FiniFunami!! glug sputter…wet cigs lost my sunglasses…)

Joo weesh I get you new cigarettos Ms. ESAR?

Pickles Bush told Larry “the vulture” King that the one bombing a day in Iraq really gets American people glum.

I wish I was making this shit up. Someone give Pickles a Marie Antoinette powdered wig for God’s sake.

-GSD

FiniFiniTOOBZ!@137: Do you think Condolleeza taught her how to do it? Or was it Laura?

Is there a protocol regarding the biting process?

TeddySanFran @ 141

Next-level up or next-level down from exploding frogs and killing your high school boyfriend with a car?

I meant next level up on the batshit insanity meter. But you could be right the other way too.

karen allen @ 145

FiniFiniTOOBZ!@137: Do you think Condolleeza taught her how to do it? Or was it Laura?

Is there a protocol regarding the biting process?

No that kind of talent cant be taught by classical pianists or librarians, that is a talent that only a Sith Lord like Shooter could demonstrate.

TOOBZ!: Cheney in the den?

karen allen @
130

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

What the report didn’t say was that her friends all laughed at her because she bit the ugly one…

mary had a horned ram
his feet were black as soot
and everywhere the black ram went
a sooty foot he put. -benny hill

[Returns from the cabana, hands TRex a stack of towels, a pack of cigs to ESAR]

Teddy, this is Eduardo, your cabana boy. Be nice!

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 142
Eureka Springs, AR @ 134
FiniFunami!! glug sputter…wet cigs lost my sunglasses…)

Joo weesh I get you new cigarettos Ms. ESAR?

* ES resurfaces and removes snorkel*

Why ty senior Fini. You know who is down there in scuba gear? I think its Dan Gerstein.

Thanks, guys and girls, for your kind words re: my letter to Bob Schieffer. Yeah, I know he’s a Texan, and I heard his brother has ties to the admin, but I really thought this was a man of conscience that just had a dog in the race. From time to time they all need this pointed out. Besides, he really zapped my respect. I expect that stuff from the likes of Imus, whose only redeeming social value is his charity work (he does a lot of it, plus he gives a lot of his personal $ to charitable causes.) I have higher expectations of Schieffer. No, I don’t expect him to deem my letter as deserving of a personal answer, or a public one. But at least he got a piece of my mind, and if you think about it, that’s all I can expect to get out of it, and it’s better than nothing. Besides, I once wrote to the Governor’s office about Health care, never expecting an answer, but I got one, so one never really knows, do one?

SubwaySerenade@148: At first the ugly sheep was chagrined, but he went on to make a fortune as a soprano singing sheep.

TeddySanFran @ 107

aaaah! lightning and thunder!

and lions and tigers and bears…. :)

Eureka Springs, AR @ 115

TSF and km – I saw lightning once and never saw hail in my ten years SF residence.

I’m newbie, but the “old-timers” say this winter is weird.

The part of me that still wants to be a parent wonders what a child born today will find in fifty years – if they make it that long.

bdu @ 123

kirk murphy @ 116

The Richmond in northwest SF.
Approx 1 to 1.5 in of hail just fell in about 120 sec. Streets are icy/cars skid.

Gotta love our microclimates. It’s a wee bit windy down here, not much else.

Keep you and yours tucked in and safe up there! We Californians just can’t deal with even moderately bad weather!

thanks bdu…we’re home safe – hope our other pups are, too

agree with you on our CA freakout with weather….

when the roads are really slick (season’s first rain, tonight, ice/snow) basic knowledge of classical mechanics (esp angular momentum) and friction go a long way.

Those lacking both often don’t.

karen allen @ 152

SubwaySerenade@148: At first the ugly sheep was chagrined, but he went on to make a fortune as a soprano singing sheep.

That’s ok, Sue Ellen’s bosses will soon be Castratas in the Indicted Tabernacle Choir.

Bah. I get plowed under for a few weeks and I can’t catch up on anything.

I’m a news junkie and I need my fiiiiiiiiiiiix!

::waves wildly and disappears back into reading back posts::

karen allen @ 130

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

was she scooter’s wet nurse?

pseudonymous in nc @ 137

…damn, Keith is commemorating the thirteenth anniversary of Bill Hicks‘ death. Miss you, Bill.

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to buy the DVD

;>)

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 138

karen allen @ 131

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

That truly is a bizarre story making rounds in the toobz. I dont quite know what to make of it. We all know batshit insane is a pre requisite for Cheney Administration employment but that is kind of next-level you know?

Is that the dykey one with the ranch where Shooter got his name?

Honestly, I hadn’t seen that story.

It may explain a lot about the Men of BushCo.

Kal-ee-phone-ians: watertiger has a great pic up of our Gropinator.

type a 30 on me; i’m done.
nite all.

LandOfTheFree @ 139

Well, it’s time for me to go. My cabana boy is calling…

cheers, everyone!

(BTW, the last time I posted in a thread about Trevino, I left just before he arrived to announce how he has nothing to say… then posted dozens of idiotic posts, each trying to insult or offend. Perhaps that trend will now continue. Enjoy yourselves with him!)

They’re so easy to control. All you do is write a semi-nasty post about them and they just come a-runnin’! They dance like little wind-up toys and then they go away.

Too.

Easy.

Really, they can’t help themselves.

Geez, imagine you missed the end of the world and had to catch it in syndication…

pseudonymous in nc @ 137

And damn, Keith is commemorating the thirteenth anniversary of Bill Hicks‘ death. Miss you, Bill.

That is so cool. Hicks was a visionary who would have been absolutely merciless on Shooter and Chimpy’s Excellent Adventure. I miss him more now than ever and spend much time watching the YouTube clips of his works.

TRex: Sue Ellen was the top prosecutor in the EPA. She began an affair with a lobbyist who received special comps from her over an extended period of time. Now, she and the lobbyist have purchased a million dollar house in Colorado with a coal exec. Hope they know Sue Ellen’s history and take precautions.

TRex @ 67

dab_from_CT @ 65

Ann in AZ – great letter – well done

I second that e-motion.

I third, or however many it’s been. By the time I get to the end of this thread Ann will have gone to sleep.

Hey, TRex–See graf #9.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/128659.html

Hey, Dreaming Crow!!

Where you been, little girl?

Howie Klein and I have started a little dustup in the comments on the page one WaPo suckup to Steny Hoyer, if anyone would care to join us in excoriating the newspaper for their entirely journalism-free profile of the House Majority Leader.

CityGirl @ 167

Hey, TRex–See graf #9.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/128659.html

It’s prompting me for a log-in. Can you cut and paste the paragraph for me?

CityGirl @ 167

Hey, TRex–See graf #9.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/128659.html

I hate having to register for sites I only want to visit once.

TRex @ 70

Oh, gosh.

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. It’s not pretty and it’s not fun. I wish him all the luck in the world. He’s lucky though, I think. Unless I’m mistaken or badly misinformed, he has Jen and some pet cats. This is the time when you count your blessings.

Uh-oh, can’t keep my eyes open or type anymore. Must be time for bed. Night all!

Ann in AZ @ 173

Uh-oh, can’t keep my eyes open or type anymore. Must be time for bed. Night all!

Night, Ann! Sleep tight!

TRex @ 167

Hey, Dreaming Crow!!

Where you been, little girl?

Freaking insane, that’s where I’ve been. :p Things are getting better, though, things are getting better.

From Sacramento Bee:

The House Judiciary Committee also is investigating how she came to jointly own a $1 million beach house with Griles and the chief lobbyist for an oil company she let off the hook in a pollution case while serving as the Justice Department’s top environmental prosecutor.

In a Feb. 15 letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., cited “significant ethical questions” and “concerns” about enforcement actions by the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division while Wooldridge was at its helm.

While Wooldridge has been charged with nothing and has explanations for everything, her linkage to unfolding corruption scandals has cast a cloud over her reputation that a matter of months ago was unassailed.

Wooldridge’s attorney, Stephen Grafman, declined a request for an interview with her, and offered no comments himself.

Wooldridge, 46, grew up on a farm near Willows, where her father was superintendent of schools. She was an honors graduate from the University of California, Davis, and Harvard Law School.

As a government official, she was regarded as tough but fair. She once told a gathering of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workers that “when I was growing up I used to castrate sheep with my teeth.”

The suggestion that Wooldridge is linked to anything scandalous has come as a shock to those who knew her as a hard-working and committed public servant.

Hard to see how making that statement to a group of co-workers isn’t scandalous itself, but….

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @
137

karen allen @ 131

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

That truly is a bizarre story making rounds in the toobz. I dont quite know what to make of it. We all know batshit insane is a pre requisite for Cheney Administration employment but that is kind of next-level you know?

Sue Ellen is a graduate of my old school, UC Davis “Aggies”…and that sort of is regarded as signs of honor amongst the Agricultural frats and 4-H based sororities there! Maybe she uses it in her closing arguments…but I wonder just how many convictions she got in her years serving as the top “Environmental” Prosecutor in the DOJ?

Sue Ellen first job was as a legal aide to Attorney General (now Conservative Rep.) Dan Lungren, and even there she was more likely to “negotiate” rather than to litigate.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/128659.html

A sympathethic bit about her from her former law firm (cached…the piece has been pulled off the site)

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=…..ridge.html Sue Ellen Wooldridge&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=safari

“when I was growing up I used to castrate sheep with my teeth.”

This raises so many questions I don’t know where to begin. I’m not at all certain I wish to vocalize them either.

It worked, y’all! I have been substantially cheered up by the frisky puppies around here. Many thanks!

I am off to do some housework. Sleep tight all you Americans. Read you all tomorrow. (Verdict day, hopefully)

That’s it, Teddy. Thanks.

–

Alicia @ 180

It worked, y’all! I have been substantially cheered up by the frisky puppies around here. Many thanks!

Just doin’ our job, ma’am.

Olberman just finished brutalizing Condi.

karen allen @ 144

FiniFiniTOOBZ!@137: Do you think Condolleeza taught her how to do it? Or was it Laura?

Is there a protocol regarding the biting process?

Isn’t there something in Libby’s book “The Apprentice” about this?

Or was that in Lynne Cheney’s out-of-print Lesbian Western “Sisters” that I’m thinking of?

Debbie(aussie) @ 181

I am off to do some housework. Sleep tight all you Americans. Read you all tomorrow. (Verdict day, hopefully)

Nice to meet you, Debbie! Come back any time.

There’s generally always someone here banking the fires and brewing a pot of coffee.

the bay area hail showed up just as i was about halfway done with my walk. the hail was bouncing up to knee height. got dayam cold immediately thereafter.

Suzanne @ 187

the bay area hail showed up just as i was about halfway done with my walk. the hail was bouncing up to knee height. got dayam cold immediately thereafter.

It just started raining buckets down here, I think I’m going to call it a night. Have a good one, firepups!

ctrl-D

And as a more serious answer . . . putting out fires and pulling my family back together. I’ve also been taking my mother to doctor’s appointments, an all day job, since she nearly had a heart attack.

The Boy will be entering a state residential (mental health) treatment facility on Wednesday. While it is what we wanted and what he needs, it’s ridiculously painful to have to do.

Ye gods, I hope that it helps.

karen allen @ 130

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

If Sue Ellen is convicted perhaps the judge could offer her reduced time for performing castrations on male sex-offenders. Seems qualified.

Eureka Springs, AR @
81

Steve Gilliard is having to go in for a round of open-heart surgery.
Everybody say a prayer, y’all.

oh dear….we need a candle page Rene in Ohio?

—————————————–
I don’t know how to set up the page but here’s a link to the candles if someone else can do it. RBG maybe?

http://www.gratefulness.org/ca……cfm?l=eng

DreamingCrow @ 189

And as a more serious answer . . . putting out fires and pulling my family back together. I’ve also been taking my mother to doctor’s appointments, an all day job, since she nearly had a heart attack.

The Boy will be entering a state residential (mental health) treatment facility on Wednesday. While it is what we wanted and what he needs, it’s ridiculously painful to have to do.

Ye gods, I hope that it helps.

Good luck and God bless, honey.

We’re all pulling for you.

I see we are in sue ellen mode. this appears to be a subject many seem to be able to sink their teeth into.

Suzanne @ 193

I see we are in sue ellen mode. this appears to be a subject many seem to be able to sink their teeth into.

707

Its a story with some real meat on it.

TRex @ 191

Good luck and God bless, honey.

We’re all pulling for you.

Thank ye. It helps incredibly.

It’s been a wild ride.

dreamingcrow – hard decision but sometimes as a parent it is necessary to make hard decisions to do what is best for the child. sending you positive thoughts and a been there and survived it hug.

Its a story with some real meat on it.

For some, it cuts a little close to the bone.

Suzanne @ 195

dreamingcrow – hard decision but sometimes as a parent it is necessary to make hard decisions to do what is best for the child. sending you positive thoughts and a been there and survived it hug.

I think that the hardest part is that this is basically his last best chance. If it fails, there really aren’t a lot of other options.

Thanks, Suzanne.

Suzanne @ 197

Its a story with some real meat on it.

For some, it cuts a little close to the bone.

And for others apparently its no skin off their teeth!

karen allen @ 164

TRex: Sue Ellen was the top prosecutor in the EPA. She began an affair with a lobbyist who received special comps from her over an extended period of time. Now, she and the lobbyist have purchased a million dollar house in Colorado with a coal exec. Hope they know Sue Ellen’s history and take precautions.

She was also appointed/tasked to ride herd on Griles’ sketchy dealings.

Griles was Dep Sec of Interior from big mining/big timber.

He was also involved in the multi HUNDRED BILLIONS case against big oil for looting Native American lands.

AT DOI, Griles was lead offical for the case.

Oil/gas/mineral megacorps taking resources from Native lands in the US were obligated under law to pay royalties into trust funds for the Native people on the lands from which the minerals were taken.

Surprisingly enough, the US Bureau of Indian affairs – the folks who sent Native Americans off to collective indoctrination camps known as schools – didn’t bother those nice oil companies.

And there’s a big, big bill to pay.

200 Billion dollars big.

Despite the failure to complete the accountings, the Department of Justice has repeatedly sounded alarms about massive tribal trust fund litigation. In testimony to Congress, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has begged appropriators for money in order to defend the government and “limit” its liabilities.

“The United States’ potential exposure in these cases is more than $200 billion,” Gonzales has said.

And Griles was in charge of this at Interior.

Where Big Oil and Big Mining have done quite well on Native American lands with no one bothering them.

Especially Griles.

Griles came to the Interior Department in 2001, leaving a practice lobbying for coal, oil, and other corporate interests to help oversee the country’s resources. Unsurprisingly, ethics officials were on his case almost immediately for allegedly lobbying on the inside for his former clients. On one occasion, for example, he called over to the Environmental Protection Agency to urge that an environmental study not delay a huge coal-bed methane project planned by his former clients in Wyoming and Nevada.

So to ensure that Griles not roam too freely, an Interior official was assigned to keep an eye on him. That official: Sue Ellen Wooldridge, then the deputy chief of staff to Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

After a couple of months, the two were dating.

But they didn’t tell that to anyone at the Interior Department, especially not the Inspector General, who was investigating Griles for ethics violations.

The relationship began in February, 2003, according to The Washington Post. And during that year, they gave each other “thousands of dollars in gifts and trips” — only they didn’t report them on their disclosure statements (required of federal appointees) until they filed amendments late last year as investigators were bearing down on them.

I’m just still thinking about the poor sheep.

Don’t they get gonorrhea?

And now, I’m some what caught up and need to go sleep. Hopefully, I’ll actually be back tomorrow.

Night all.

DreamingCrow @ 188

And as a more serious answer . . . putting out fires and pulling my family back together. I’ve also been taking my mother to doctor’s appointments, an all day job, since she nearly had a heart attack.

The Boy will be entering a state residential (mental health) treatment facility on Wednesday. While it is what we wanted and what he needs, it’s ridiculously painful to have to do.

Ye gods, I hope that it helps.

Good luck and blessings for your son and you and your family.

And for others apparently its no skin off their teeth!

Yet some complain that it is not juicy enough.

i would say that the departed juror was not the one that dick cheney briefed just before he left the country. FIX!

You guys are going to make Punaise green with envy with your snarky Sue Ellen comments!

kirk murphy #199 that needs to be a post so I can bookmark it.

How the **c* were those folks allowed to work in Interior?

karen allen, i’m certainly no punaise but sometimes, they dayam near write themselves – and does any else here think of the tv show dallas’ sue ellen when reading about this?

cinnamonape @ 185

Isn’t there something in Libby’s book “The Apprentice” about this?

Or was that in Lynne Cheney’s out-of-print Lesbian Western “Sisters” that I’m thinking of?

It’s destined to become a plot point in Incisor Sisters, a lobbyist love story that“… clamps down hard and spits out gooilicious gristle!” – Michael Medved

;>)

Eureka Springs, AR @ 206

kirk murphy #199 that needs to be a post so I can bookmark it.

How the **c* were those folks allowed to work in Interior?

Gale Norton is a criminal, that’s how.

Suzanne @ 207

karen allen, i’m certainly no punaise but sometimes, they dayam near write themselves – and does any else here think of the tv show dallas’ sue ellen when reading about this?

*shyly raises hand*

Eureka Springs, rather than being unusual, I think this story pretty much typifies the Gayle Norton Interior Department.

In any case, it appears Sue Ellen, at least, had a ball….

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @
170

CityGirl @ 167

Hey, TRex–See graf #9.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/128659.html

I hate having to register for sites I only want to visit once.

Try Bug Me Not. It’s a tool I love for just such annoyances.

Try Bug Me Not. It’s a tool I love for just such annoyances.

It’s gone.

SixStringSlingr @ 213

Try Bug Me Not. It’s a tool I love for just such annoyances.

I tried an early version that didnt work too well and kept crashing my browser.

Oops. Never mind. That’s weird. Now I’m getting it just fine.

T-shirt logo in progress…..

Only Republicans hire each other with security designed to protect the thieves.

wow, TRex, I am ever so glad we have you on our side.

that VAlTR*x stuff, I’m already getting spam email offers…

Eureka Springs, AR @ 206

kirk murphy #199 that needs to be a post so I can bookmark it.

How the **c* were those folks allowed to work in Interior?

Thanks ES!

There’s so much more to this story. Big oil loots the Natives with DOI/West Wing help.

I’d love to see this in a post.

From your keyboard to the Lake’s ears (eyes? photoreceptors?)!

My very first dip in the Lake was a* big regugitation of the Indian Trust case….apropos of nothing on the thread.

Jane and the thread tolerated me.

Actually, IIRC they ignored me.

But they let me hang around…… :)

(*pardon the mixed/emuslified metaphor)

Oh – how were they allowed to work at DOI? They were selected to work at DOI.

Bush/CarbonCheney carefully selected pro-megacorp appointees for Executive Branch offices.

They do their masters’ bidding.

What better way to gut Congressional decisions and any public check on the megacorps’ power?

wow, TRex, I am ever so glad we have you on our side.

Right back atcha, mon ami!

did I detect a hint of a gloat in your post? :~)

Just let it be said about me someday that I did not suffer dickheads gladly.

punaise @ 220

did I detect a hint of a gloat in your post? :~)

*looks around innocently*

Who, me?

I would never take pleasure in a wingnut’s pain.

MWAAA-HAAA-HAAAAAAA!!!!

We should make t-shirts with the Victory Carcass green graph on them.

Wingnuts are like herpes sores. They might disappear for a while, but every moment you enjoy without them around brings you closer to the next painful, embarrassing, incapacitating outbreak.

He he.

I know that those of us who feel we have no voice in this increasingly hostile world really want to find a way to express ourselves.

We don’t know how to do this.

We can post in the comments on liberal websites. We can write letters to our local newspapers but in our community we have to give our address to the (corporate owned) paper and if we write about how we feel we then receive not only hate mail and horrible phone calls, but crazy people banging on our door on Sunday afternoons wanting to attack us and kick our dogs.

What is happening to this country?

I was born in England almost 60 years ago. I moved to Canada in 1970, raised my children there, and ended up in the United States because I married, late in life, a wonderful American man.

And here we are in a friendly small capitol city community in the west, where people care about their neighbors, but we also find ourselves in the middle of a maelstrom of hateful partisanship, where right wing religious intolerant people want to impose their beliefs on everyone else, and ordinary people just want to live their lives in peace and tolerance. It breaks my heart to hear the hateful rhetoric directed towards the folks in our community who are gay and lesbian, from people who purport to be christians….

We currently have a House with a Democratic majority, and a Senate with a one vote majority in favor of the Republicans. And one “constitutional” senator – whatever that means. Actually what that means is he doesn’t believe in public education, so what did the Republicans do? They appointed Mr. Constitution as Chairman of the committee charged with overseeing education in our state. Wow – put some guy who thinks public education is wrong in charge of the education system in the whole state.

What in the world is the matter with these people? And one of the more bizarre aspects of all this is that these are the folks whose children signed up to serve in the military and are being slaughtered and maimed in an unnecessary and pointless war, which is only being waged so that the military industrial complex, of which we were warned back in the 50’s, can make pots more money. And of course, so that the oil companies can continue to reap huge dividends, to pass on to their shareholders, who will in turn contribute to the campaigns of those who will do everything in their power to continue the obscene flow of money from rich people to rich people – while ordinary Americans struggle day to day.

Isn’t all this enough to make all of you sick? Why aren’t you all out in the streets screaming “ENOUGH”

I decided that I would post this in the comments section of every blog that I read every day, and everywhere else I could find a spot to post in. That’s my contribution for the week. There are probably zillions of others out there who feel the same way, and feel equally powerless.

We have to make ourselves heard.

This is my first step. How about all you out there take one too – and then another, and more…..

TRex @ 222

Who, me?

I would never take pleasure in a wingnut’s pain.

MWAAA-HAAA-HAAAAAAA!!!!

I’m glad you’d never stoop so low.

(*insert letters and symbols indicative of a poorly stifled chortle*)

OK Computer is a desert-island classic album, excpet it’s too filled with techno-angst to enjoy in a tropical setting. I’ve been decidedly less impressed by Radiohead’s recent efforts (post Amnesiac).

And we (pre my generation) should have learned from these tactics via JL Watt, A. Coors, Iran Contra etc.

TeddySanFran @ 223

We should make t-shirts with the Victory Carcass green graph on them.

and a golden toothpick

TeddySanFran @ 223

We should make t-shirts with the Victory Carcass green graph on them.

The back will say:
The Momentum Has Shifted. Do You Smell That?

off to wish the best to Steve Gilliard, chez lui.

hello theexog and welcome

What is happening to this country?

I dunno. It worries me.

I was going to do a post tonight about the “Family Detention Centers” and Gitmo and call it “One Nation, Under Guard”, but decided it would be too much of a downer at the end of the day.

Isn’t all this enough to make all of you sick? Why aren’t you all out in the streets screaming “ENOUGH”

Tell your Special Agent in Charge of your band of agents provocateur we know about COINTELPRO and do our marching in these here toobz every hour of every day, getting actual Americans to march to the revolutions taking place in polling places across America.

If you want social upheavel, angry protesters shaking fists, I suggest travelling to Senor Chavez’s country where he is trying to find people just like you to spread his socialist revolution that I for one have zero interest in. The only Marxism I am into is traced back to Groucho, Harpo and Chico. The only Lennonism I dig was John’s.

Hey Trex, can you uncork my comment in moderation por favor?

Damn, my band is good this semester!

Just home long enough to read TRex’s excellent putdown of the latest wingnut welfare failures. Reading through about 1/3 of the comments, scanning the rest – Tacitus didn’t show (?), Cliff Schecter amended TRex the pit bull to TRex the bulldog, and we’re rapidly gaining an Aussie contingent. That’s a lot for one night here.

I’m really, really pissed the Supreme Court had that emergency session late this afternoon which awarded George Bush Al Gore’s Oscar in a 5-4 decision. When will it end?

Political Wire reporting:

Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT) has accepted a job as Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rells (R) Business Advocate, “making it highly unlikely that he will run for his old seat,” The Politico reports.

“His decision indicates that Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), who defeated Simmons in the closest race of the 2006 cycle, will have a smoother re-election ride than many anticipated.”

theexog says

I know that those of us who feel we have no voice in this increasingly hostile world really want to find a way to express ourselves.

We don’t know how to do this.

I am open to suggestions..its so damn overwhelming

Josh, dude, I don’t think it’s much of a comeback if it lasts even less time than a Britney Spears stint in a rehab unit.

Classic Trex. Love it!

I’ve been away from the toobz since morning. :(
Did Jane find her stuff?

Jane found her stuff – it was turned in was what I heard.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 237

theexog says

I know that those of us who feel we have no voice in this increasingly hostile world really want to find a way to express ourselves.

We don’t know how to do this.

I am open to suggestions..its so damn overwhelming

My suggestion, with kudos to the dino: attack, Attack, ATTACK! – nicely…

Renee in Ohio @
112

Well, I’ve changed the banner again. But at least it’s not a full-blown case of otter madness like I had before Christmas. But this time I’ve kept Howard Dean up there. And added Gore.

And a couple other critters that make me smile.

I was checking out various blogs this evening, and thought, dang, I’m tired of the 2008 election already. And every other political story out there. And the stuff going on in the Episcopal church. And the bickering between and among blogs.

It was this, or color my hair again.

This is easier to undo. ;)

Oh yeah, it’s February.

totally OT, better for the next “what struck your funnybone ?” thread:

http://www.yachtrock.com/

hey; it’s my kid’s fault !

Suzanne @ 239

Jane found her stuff – it was turned in was what I heard.

Oh, good. Thanks for the update.

well, at least we can still laugh

I’m really, really pissed the Supreme Court had that emergency session late this afternoon which awarded George Bush Al Gore’s Oscar in a 5-4 decision. When will it end?

funny ET, very funny.

Keep talking, everybody. I’m here, just using my typing hands to eat.

TRex @ 246

Keep talking, everybody. I’m here, just using my typing hands to eat.

Uhhhh. I like cheese.

“Pickles” Bush: Iraq War is ‘Wearing’. Poor dear probably still has Oscars on the brain. Wearing what? Probably something from the Catastrophe Collection…

Whacha havin’? I’m hungry too but dont know what I want to fix.

TRex @ 246

Keep talking, everybody. I’m here, just using my typing hands to eat.

After sauropods finish a meal, does one sweep up, or do you have to hose the place down?

OOooo, It’s 2 am, local time, perfect time for a Steak n Shake Chili 5 Way run (snerk). Good thing I’m nocturnal, or those eating habits would kill me.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 249

Whacha havin’? I’m hungry too but dont know what I want to fix.

Uh, Chunky Soup and toasted oat bread.

But now I’ve moved on to a bowl of Apple Jacks.

DreamingCrow @ 155

Bah. I get plowed under for a few weeks and I can’t catch up on anything.

I’m a news junkie and I need my fiiiiiiiiiiiix!

::waves wildly and disappears back into reading back posts::

{{{{{{{ DreamingCrow }}}}}}}

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

ET, I think he uses his tail to sweep up.

SixStringSlingr @ 251

OOooo, It’s 2 am, local time, perfect time for a Steak n Shake Chili 5 Way run (snerk). Good thing I’m nocturnal, or those eating habits would kill me.

MMMMMM where you from? Steak & Shake is based here in Indy where I am. The 5 way is the best.

Patrick 4/4 @ 254

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

Gosh, well, Fini cannonballed into the Lake and got us all soaking wet. Dreaming Crow has come up for air. We have a lovely new Aussie friend named Debbie.

Help me out, here, guys.

ET’s band sounds AWESOME. Uh…and Tacitus has yet to grace us with his presence. Maybe he’s waiting for me to go to bed so he can come and pick a fight with you guys.

Boy, he’s in for a shock if he thinks THAT’S going to go well for him.

Snicker.

He’ll be greeted with flowers and candy. Hailed as a Liberator.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @
137

karen allen @ 131

TRex: Aren’t you going to write something about Sue Ellen Wooldridge, the former Bush administration person who brags about, in her childhood, biting the umm, gonads, off male sheep with her teeth?

That truly is a bizarre story making rounds in the toobz. I dont quite know what to make of it. We all know batshit insane is a pre requisite for Cheney Administration employment but that is kind of next-level you know?

It’s probably time to demand a demonstration…. :)

P 4/4 Hey stranger.. I think you like missed a trial dude.

TRex @ 257

Patrick 4/4 @ 254

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

He’ll be greeted with flowers and candy. Hailed as a Liberator.

Hehehe yeah since it went sooooo well last time. Do you think the Orwell references even registered with him? Anti-authoritarian authors tend to have their points completely missed by that bunch.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 256

SixStringSlingr @ 251

OOooo, It’s 2 am, local time, perfect time for a Steak n Shake Chili 5 Way run (snerk). Good thing I’m nocturnal, or those eating habits would kill me.

MMMMMM where you from? Steak & Shake is based here in Indy where I am. The 5 way is the best.

I’m from Indy my own self! As a long-time lurker, I think you’ve mentioned Indy as yer hometown. Small world, ainit?

TRex @ 233

What is happening to this country?

I dunno. It worries me.

I was going to do a post tonight about the “Family Detention Centers” and Gitmo and call it “One Nation, Under Guard”, but decided it would be too much of a downer at the end of the day.

Thanks for choosing the one you did write. It’s been a tough couple of weeks and the laughs helped a lot. …betcha Limbo remembers Cliff now, too.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 259

P 4/4 Hey stranger.. I think you like missed a trial dude.

I swear to god I didn’t do it.

TRex @ 257

Patrick 4/4 @ 254

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

Gosh, well, Fini cannonballed into the Lake and got us all soaking wet. Dreaming Crow has come up for air. We have a lovely new Aussie friend named Debbie.

Help me out, here, guys.

ET’s band sounds AWESOME. Uh…and Tacitus has yet to grace us with his presence. Maybe he’s waiting for me to go to bed so he can come and pick a fight with you guys.

Boy, he’s in for a shock if he thinks THAT’S going to go well for him.

Snicker.

He’ll be greeted with flowers and candy. Hailed as a Liberator.

Excellent. I’m all caught up.

Seattle PI is reporting that the Afghans tried to solve our Dick issues for us, but failed, damn the luck…

Here, Linkie linkie linkie…

SixStringSlingr @ 261

I’m from Indy my own self! As a long-time lurker, I think you’ve mentioned Indy as yer hometown. Small world, ainit?

If you’re from here and a musician to boot then we might know each other already. Do you play out with any of the local bands?

I swear to god I didn’t do it.

Thats what Russert said!

Former Aide to Ex-Congressman Ney Pleads Guilty in Abramoff Case

The plea agreement by William Heaton revealed for the first time that Ney kept some of his ill-gotten gains — $5,000 in British pounds — in a safe in his congressional office. Heaton, who worked for Ney from 2001 until last year, admitted that he helped the congressman stash the money and periodically opened the safe at Ney’s request so he could get to the cash, prosecutors said.

WaPo

That’s as bad as keeping cash in a freezer, isn’t it? ;)

Keep taking those plea deals, Rethugs. Patriotic Americans appreciate you assistance in dismantling the crime syndicate known as the GOP.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 266

SixStringSlingr @ 261

I’m from Indy my own self! As a long-time lurker, I think you’ve mentioned Indy as yer hometown. Small world, ainit?

If you’re from here and a musician to boot then we might know each other already. Do you play out with any of the local bands?

Uhhhh, well, actually, I play a bit of guitar, but my audience usually consists of only two largely indifferent felines. Just loved the name, really.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 267

I swear to god I didn’t do it.

Thats what Russert said!

It’s a good thing this whole blog is off the record unless otherwise specified.

Right?

Um, right…?

heya ES – I haven’t been around much lately but I was hoping you weathered the recent storms…you doing alright?

SixStringSlingr @ 269

Uhhhh, well, actually, I play a bit of guitar, but my audience usually consists of only two largely indifferent felines. Just loved the name, really.

Same here, no one wants to hear my versions of film scores in the local “bar scene” if you can call it one. Oh well, here’s to you, fellow Bloosier!

SixStringSlingr @ 264

Seattle PI is reporting that the Afghans tried to solve our Dick issues for us, but failed, damn the luck…

Here, Linkie linkie linkie…

oh that is rich…Cheney is sleeping at a base in Afghanistan while hiding from sealed v sealed. *snicker*

“He wasn’t near the site of the explosion,” Mitchell said. “He was safely within the base at the time of the explosion.”

Cheney, who spent the night at Bagram, ate breakfast with U.S. soldiers Tuesday morning, Mitchell said. He was expected to later meet with President Hamid Karzai after their meeting was scrapped on Monday because of bad weather that prevented him traveling to Kabul

TRex,

My band this semester? Good, for sure, but maybe not awesome. But I did find out this evening that a kid I’ve been helping for the last 3 years – trombone & bass trombone – just landed a 2/3 scholarship at Loyola in NOLA. His dad, a guy who operates the biggest quarry rock crushing machine in Alaska, welled up with tears, thanking me for the little bit of help I gave his kid. That’s awesome!

Patrick 4/4 @ 270

Eureka Springs, AR @ 267

I swear to god I didn’t do it.

Thats what Russert said!

It’s a good thing this whole blog is off its rockerthe record unless otherwise specified.

Right?

Um, right…?

Fixed.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 275

Patrick 4/4 @ 270

Eureka Springs, AR @ 267

I swear to god I didn’t do it.

Thats what Russert said!

It’s a good thing this whole blog is off its rockerthe record unless otherwise specified.

Right?

Um, right…?

Fixed.

Fixed as in “repaired” or as in “biting sheep testicles”?

Trex, I’m so glad you chose to write about the silliness of the right. We spend so much time being mad at them and fighting back, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and look at the big picture. The picture of those folks is fugly. And damn funny.

Have I mentioned you’re my favorite theropod, evah? Well, you are! :)

707

um…yeah!

Eureka Springs, AR @ 273

SixStringSlingr @ 264

Seattle PI is reporting that the Afghans tried to solve our Dick issues for us, but failed, damn the luck…

Here, Linkie linkie linkie…

oh that is rich…Cheney is sleeping at a base in Afghanistan while hiding from sealed v sealed. *snicker*

“He wasn’t near the site of the explosion,” Mitchell said. “He was safely within the base at the time of the explosion.”

Cheney, who spent the night at Bagram, ate breakfast with U.S. soldiers Tuesday morning, Mitchell said. He was expected to later meet with President Hamid Karzai after their meeting was scrapped on Monday because of bad weather that prevented him traveling to Kabul

Hiding from sealed v. sealed when he should have been worried about bomb v. bum.

rumi – still have a roof, lost a kite though…)
Kings River will be perfect this week for some kayaking.

Ed*ard Teller @ 274

TRex,

My band this semester? Good, for sure, but maybe not awesome. But I did find out this evening that a kid I’ve been helping for the last 3 years – trombone & bass trombone – just landed a 2/3 scholarship at Loyola in NOLA. His dad, a guy who operates the biggest quarry rock crushing machine in Alaska, welled up with tears, thanking me for the little bit of help I gave his kid. That’s awesome!

Stars in your crown, ET. Just more stars in your already heavily laden crown.

Fixed as in “repaired” or as in “biting sheep testicles”?

Oh, god, we’re back on that.

Betcha can’t bite just one…

TRex @ 282

Fixed as in “repaired” or as in “biting sheep testicles”?

Oh, god, we’re back on that.

I’m curious. She used to do this “in her childhood”…

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

TheOtherWA @ 277

Trex, I’m so glad you chose to write about the silliness of the right. We spend so much time being mad at them and fighting back, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and look at the big picture. The picture of those folks is fugly. And damn funny.

Have I mentioned you’re my favorite theropod, evah? Well, you are! :)

Oh, come on. How many OTHER theropods do you really know?

But, shucks. Thanks.

moved on to larger animals?

Went to law school, same diff.

Sorry. I plead witching hour goofiness for that one.

Oh, and it seems several people died in the bomb attack in Bagram. Don’t at all mean to make light of that fact.

Did anyone catch KO this evening? He played a minute of the new Fox comedy show. It’s worse than you think. The laugh track covers up everything.

TRex @ 286

moved on to larger animals?

Went to law school, same diff.

Whole new meaning to “filing a brief”.

Stars in the crown for ET…and for the students. The gifts of music and inspiration for learning are worth more than money can buy.

ES – Kites are more easily replaced than roofs, luckily, unless it was 6 figure kite price. I haven’t even had time to catch any news in detail lately so I wasn’t sure how close they hit.

hey…btw, has anyone ever seen the video/flick “Groom Lake” from 2002?

Patrick 4/4 @ 284

I’m curious. She used to do this “in her childhood”…

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

I advise you stop that line of questioning right now mister. You don’t want to go where that road takes you. Trust.

Patrick 4/4 @ 289

TRex @ 286

moved on to larger animals?

Went to law school, same diff.

Whole new meaning to “filing a brief”.

I’m a boxers man, myself.

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

all we really know is it was an incisor job.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 293

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

all we really know is it was an incisor job.

I’m gonna have to molar that over.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 293

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

all we really know is it was an incisor job.

Sweet.

Nicely done.

Oh! But the Russian judge gives it a 6.9.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 288

Did anyone catch KO this evening? He played a minute of the new Fox comedy show. It’s worse than you think. The laugh track covers up everything.

Was it on Countdown I saw that the audience volume for that show was tracked and did a complete nosedive after 12 minutes in or so?

Twas a biting judgement.

Patrick 4/4 @ 294

all we really know is it was an incisor job.

I’m gonna have to molar that over.

Much to my chagrin.

rumi – I am in the NW corner so we missed the tornado spree. But I have friends all through that part of AR, MS, LA, everyone is ok except for random minor damage. Thanks for asking..)

TRex @ 295

Eureka Springs, AR @ 293

Does that mean she got too tall? acquired wisdom? moved on to larger animals?

all we really know is it was an incisor job.

Sweet.

Nicely done.

Oh! But the Russian judge gives it a 6.9.

Muffed the dismount…

TRex @ 282

Fixed as in “repaired” or as in “biting sheep testicles”?

Oh, god, we’re back on that.

A note to all – Conservapedia doesn’t yet appear to have an entry for “Rocky Mountain Oysters,” but while searching that topic at wikipedia, I came across this:

Animelles is the culinary term used for the testicles of male animals, especially young rams, when they are used as food. They are skinned and usually soaked in cold water for two to three hours before preparation. They used to be much in vogue in France, Spain, and Italy but their popularity declined considerably in recent years. On the contrary, in the U.S. they became popular as an Italian delicacy known as Lamb Fries.
A French recipe for “Lamb Fries” (animelles de moutons frites) is as follows: Animelles are marinated in tarragon vinegar, aromatic herbs (parsley, bay leaf, and thyme) and a chopped onion for an hour. Then, they are drained and sprinkled with lemon juice, floured with wheat flour and fried in butter and garnished with parsley.

I’ve heard over the years that biting off lamb testicles when neutering them is an old tradition in many cultures.

Yet another example of right wing toothiness.

I started to add to the widening cavity of wordplay but I got my tongue tied around my eyetooth and couldn’t see what I was saying.

ES – good to hear and I hope your friends are well.

Ed*ard Teller @ 301

TRex @ 282

Fixed as in “repaired” or as in “biting sheep testicles”?

Oh, god, we’re back on that.

A note to all – Conservapedia doesn’t yet appear to have an entry for “Rocky Mountain Oysters,” but while searching that topic at wikipedia, I came across this:

Animelles is the culinary term used for the testicles of male animals, especially young rams, when they are used as food. They are skinned and usually soaked in cold water for two to three hours before preparation. They used to be much in vogue in France, Spain, and Italy but their popularity declined considerably in recent years. On the contrary, in the U.S. they became popular as an Italian delicacy known as Lamb Fries.
A French recipe for “Lamb Fries” (animelles de moutons frites) is as follows: Animelles are marinated in tarragon vinegar, aromatic herbs (parsley, bay leaf, and thyme) and a chopped onion for an hour. Then, they are drained and sprinkled with lemon juice, floured with wheat flour and fried in butter and garnished with parsley.

I’ve heard over the years that biting off lamb testicles when neutering them is an old tradition in many cultures.

Served, no doubt, with a nice chianti.

theexog @ 225

We can write letters to our local newspapers but in our community we have to give our address to the (corporate owned) paper and if we write about how we feel we then receive not only hate mail and horrible phone calls, but crazy people banging on our door on Sunday afternoons wanting to attack us and kick our dogs.

What is happening to this country?

[snip]

…here we are in a friendly small capitol city community in the west, where people care about their neighbors, but we also find ourselves in the middle of a maelstrom of hateful partisanship, where right wing religious intolerant people want to impose their beliefs on everyone else, and ordinary people just want to live their lives in peace and tolerance. It breaks my heart to hear the hateful rhetoric directed towards the folks in our community who are gay and lesbian, from people who purport to be christians…

[snip]

Isn’t all this enough to make all of you sick? Why aren’t you all out in the streets screaming “ENOUGH”?

[snip]

We have to make ourselves heard.

This is my first step. How about all you out there take one too – and then another, and more…

Hi theexog -

Thanks for your account from the trenches.

The Wurlitzer and their religious shock troops extol violence against meddlesome priests…

and Archbishops…

and environmentalists….

and union organizers…

and Nobel Peace laureates….

and journalists….

Like all bullies, they do it because it feels good and they can.

The WTO used to do that.

Sixty thousand people in Seattle showed up to defend the social order against predatory globalization -

and the WTO bullies crumbled, and have never recovered.

When we fight non-violently to conserve our communities and families and waters and farms and our right to speak, we preserve the social order of our democracy.

btw…Smartmeme and teh Ruckus Society have tools for non-violent defense of the commmons….the air/ land/ water/ public places/ open spaces/ services /resources we all need to survive.

We the people own the commons.

When we raise our voice above the Coors-fed wingers – when we use all legal means to strut our majority message – we will retake our community heritage.

Until then, the Forest Service has subcontractors to charge you to use the National Forests. Just to park in them.

The National Forests we the people own.

Gotta subsidize Big Timber – those logging roads we taxpayers build for them on USFS lands aren’t cheap.

But our Congressional and Executive branch “stewards” sure have been.

Until we stopped them.

When we the tree people stood up in the Cascadian forests in the 90’s, we kept the trees tall – and Big †imber sat down.

We can do so much to take back our nation – and we will.

Thanks for the invitation, theexog.

Gives a whole new meaning to indentured service.

Ed*ard Teller @ 301

I’ve heard over the years that biting off lamb testicles when neutering them is an old tradition in many cultures.

All I can say is that it seems like the perfect vocation for a right-winger. The supply of sheep is quite high, and they get even easier to manage once neutered. In fact, I’ll bet this is in the job description of many White House press office employees….

Is all of this the fault of Rush Lamballs?

Haste does make waste, it appears.

that’s it for me tonight. g’nite all.

montag @ 307

Ed*ard Teller @ 301

I’ve heard over the years that biting off lamb testicles when neutering them is an old tradition in many cultures.

All I can say is that it seems like the perfect vocation for a right-winger. The supply of sheep is quite high, and they get even easier to manage once neutered. In fact, I’ll bet this is in the job description of many White House press office employees….

Chacun son goat.

rumi @ 308

Is all of this the fault of Rush Lamballs?

Haste does make waste, it appears.

Tomorrow, we hear Rush tell his audience that he’s so tough that he bit off his own….

g’nite Suzanne

Patrick 4/4 @ 310

Chacun � son goat.

Diff’rent strokes, yeah. :)

montag @ 311

rumi @ 308

Is all of this the fault of Rush Lamballs?

Haste does make waste, it appears.

Tomorrow, we hear Rush tell his audience that he’s so tough that he bit off his own….

well,…that would explain his boasting of operating with half his brain tied behind his back. EIB Country…where men are men and the sheep are nervous.

Suzanne – I hope my poor humor choices didn’t drive you away.

I need to hit the hay, too.

Good night everyone.

Sleep tight.

Don’t let the wingnuts bite. (They do that when they’re cornered. Wear heavy gloves and carry a hoe.)

See you tomorrow night!

Cheney under attack

Hey TRex, batting over 300! good nite amigo.

ccoaler @ 316

Cheney under attack

Pinned down in his bunker by our own troops?

TRex @ 256

Patrick 4/4 @ 254

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

He’ll be greeted with flowers and candy. Hailed as a Liberator.

More like Liberace.

montag @ 318

ccoaler @ 316

Cheney under attack

Pinned down in his bunker by our own troops?

Maybe it’s a part of the 5 officers who said they’d had enough of the idiocy. I think they should dunk Deadeye, just to keep him fresh.

g’nite TRex and thanks for the post.

SteveAudio @ 319

More like Liberace.

Heh. Whats happening dude?

SteveAudio @ 319

TRex @ 256

Patrick 4/4 @ 254

Hi everybody, What’d I miss?

He’ll be greeted with flowers and candy. Hailed as a Liberator.

More like Liberace.

I LIKE Liberace. His flair for clothes was on a separate level from his piano playing. He played mostly pops, but his Chopin was very, very good.

I would like to see Dick Cheney sentenced to be a tourguide at the Vegas Liberace museum, though. For his first community service job. Dick would have to do several such jobs. They’d get progressively more appropriate.

kirk murphy – Thanks for that comment and a link to Smartmeme (new to me)… I was a bit speechless when Jane sorta poo pooed the idea of public demonstrations a while back. Kind of needed to hear a few success stories.
I always enjoy a good demonstration myself.

rumi @ 320

Maybe it’s a part of the 5 officers who said they’d had enough of the idiocy. I think they should dunk Deadeye, just to keep him fresh.

Hmm, a sheep dip dunk and a nip from Woolridge and he’ll be much more manageable…. :)

montag @ 324

rumi @ 320

Maybe it’s a part of the 5 officers who said they’d had enough of the idiocy. I think they should dunk Deadeye, just to keep him fresh.

Hmm, a sheep dip dunk and a nip from Woolridge and he’ll be much more manageable…. :)

Oh my god – Woolridge? I can’t believe I missed that.

Ooh, BTW for all the activists and political junkies around here: http://www.opencongress.org/

Web 2.0, meet Congress, Congress, meet Web 2.0.

Howie Kurtz plants a wet kiss on Michelle.

Patrick 4/4 @ 325

Oh my god – Woolridge? I can’t believe I missed that.

Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any Wool, ridges?

Oy vey. On that note, gnight all! Too phunny around here.

US, Italian Ambassador Injured in Sri Lanka Attack

Cheney dodging bombs (MSNBC actually just reported this story on television)

President of Iraq Talibani has a stroke yesterday

hmmmmm

That was a refreshing dip in the lake.

Good night all.

Have a clean towel. Be well P44

Eureka Springs, AR @
323

kirk murphy – Thanks for that comment and a link to Smartmeme (new to me)… I was a bit speechless when Jane sorta poo pooed the idea of public demonstrations a while back. Kind of needed to hear a few success stories.
I always enjoy a good demonstration myself.

thanks es -

for me, big demos are one more tool in the box… neither good nor bad intrinsically -

but good fun…….

glad you get to enjoy them, also!

__________________________________

and now for not fun:

The impending Griles indictment: It’s bigger than you think

….. this may be the first breach of the dam in the biggest corruption scandal Washington has seen in many years.

…..Steve Griles was Deputy Secretary of Interior. But what does that actually mean. Below is the heirarchy of the departmentGriles was the number two man at Interior below Secretary Gale Norton. The position is generally referred to as the “Chief Operating Officer” of the department. As such, Griles had oversite of most day-to-day activities of the department responsible for one-fifth of the land in the U.S., much of which is leased out to mining, oil and gas, livestock, and forestry industries every year. The appointment of Griles in 2001 was viewed by most environmentalists as the fox watching the henhouse; until joining Interior, Griles was an industry lobbyist, whose clients included the National Mining Association, Sunoco, Chevron, Edison Electric Institute and Arch Coal. Griles was not a novice at Interior, however; like his boss, Gale Norton, Griles had served at Interior in the Reagan Administration, under the tutelage of the infamous James G. Watt.

Griles, like Norton, was placed in Interior in order to facilitate new Vice President Dick Cheney’s Energy Plan. Both came out of the “Wise Use” movement, and sought to remove almost all restrictions on the 500 million acres of federal land governed by Interior. Of the documents still being withheld from FOIA requests of the Cheney Energy Plan development process are dozens a number from Griles’ and Norton’s offices.

However, Griles’ legal problems are not, overtly at least, related to his central duties at Interior, e.g., the oversite of federal land leases and reform of the Indian Trust Fund. Instead, he will most likely be indicted for lying to Congress, specifically the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, about his relationship with Jack Abramoff. Griles’ connection with Abramoff appears to have been facilitated by Italia Federici, a former campaign aide to Gale Norton who assumed control of Norton’s non-profit, CREA (Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, previously known as the Coalition of Republican Environmental Advocates), which she purportedly founded in Colorado in 1997 with friend Grover Norquist. (In 2000, Federici’s Washington home address was listed as the same as Norquist’s.)

[h/t wampum]

wampum rawks on griles/DOI/Trust scadal. Bless ‘em.

and now to bed, pups..

sweet dreams.

FiniFiniTOOBZ! @
256

MMMMMM where you from? Steak & Shake is based here in Indy where I am. The 5 way is the best.

That reminds me of the time I meant to order a 3 x 3 at In and Out Burger and told the person in the little box I wanted a “Three-way”. He was speechless, as was my friend in the car next to me.

Long time lurker. I didn’t actually know I was a “lurker” until tonight when it all became suddenly clear to me. Lurking is a way of life for cave dwellers. Anyway, you’re a good guy TRex. It comes shining through. And I’m not being snarky. At least I hope not since I’m not quite sure what “snark” means. The tubes lingo sometimes throws me.

Sincerely, this is a smart and loving community. Groundbreaking as well, as we all know. You’ve all done us lurkers a great service.

Good AM.

Back in the dark ages of last week or so, someone here was looking for a chart of Cheney’s network of operatives allies in the executive branch. I just ran up on it as part of Frontline, “The Dark Side,” here. Hope the searcher wanders by.

Happy waiting!

O/T spam apologies.

Afghanistan : Bagram Base Bombed, But Dick Cheney Escapes Unscathed …

Mornin’.

[rubs eyes, yawns, stretches]

Good morning, egregious. The NYT has Ann Althouse and Nicholas Kristof. And it’s all gray and rainy again today… The coffee’s over there, if you want some. And tea.

http://mgpaquin.blogspot.com/

The question I’ll leave out here is why the NYT decided Ann Althouse would be a good addition to their stable. Any ideas on that???

Good Morning, Firepups,

Cold and cloudy, with snow/sleet showers in the forecast here in central Jersey. I’ve got a nice big pot of French roast ready, and I’m getting ready to pull out some morning glory muffins. What do you need?

Work for peace, every day.

Mornin’, all -

njp – What’s a “morning glory” muffin?

Good Morning, Marion.

I think the NY Times op-ed pages are just in a holding pattern right now. Gail Collins steps back into her column this summer, when she comes back from book leave. In the meantime, the Grey Lady can hold open auditions, and get a sense of who can be on the bench if someone from the varsity bails, a la John Tierney.

Morning Glory muffins are like carrot cake, but without some of the high fat ingredients. Mmmmm

njprogressive @ 343

Morning Glory muffins are like carrot cake, but without some of the high fat ingredients. Mmmmm

I’ll give one a try, if you have plenty………..but we native-born Southerners just gotta have our daily quota of high fat ingredients. *g* Oh, muffin plus butter – that’ll take care of the requirement.

A word to the wise for you gabbly folks, I highly doubt that your new visitor is a naive 12 year old who wants to learn more about civics.

I think you’re being pinged.

Just watch it on how much personal info you’re throwing out the door. Not everyone is a friend.

Mornin’ all!

Waccamaw’s right about Southern folks. The 4 Southern food groups: grits, greens, grease and gravy. (As a transplanted Norterner I’ll pass on collards, but other greens are okay…)

Pass the muffins, please. Oh, and a side of “Libby is guilty verdict” too, if you please. I’m feeling especially hungry today for nutrition and truth.

Marion in Savannah @
347

Waccamaw’s right about Southern folks. The 4 Southern food groups: grits, greens, grease and gravy. (As a transplanted Norterner I’ll pass on collards, but other greens are okay…)

You need to come to the Grit in Athens!

The Grit!

egregious @
338

Mornin’.

[rubs eyes, yawns, stretches]

Hi egregious

My father in law got through the operation and things look as good as they can for an 84 year old war horse! Your comments yesterday were a real help, thx.

ps foggy in Lynchburg at Panera right at the foot of Falwell’s Liberty U!

Yay raven and father-in-law!!!!

Yay successful open-heart surgery.

Good Morning Firepups,

thanks for the muffins, coffee, and paper

and oh yeah Waccamaw & Marion, first big grocery shop upon moving here from CA/Bay Area, baking aisle has two shelves devoted to shortening, not two different brands, two different shelves,

. . .’this works best for pie crust, this one here for your fried pickels or okra, this one for cobbler, etc.’

I of course love all the desserts, but do not get me started on the catsup fetish or the six sweet n low’s for the ice tea – yikes !

and yes, yeay Raven and family !

cbl @ 352

Good Morning Firepups,

thanks for the muffins, coffee, and paper

and oh yeah Waccamaw & Marion, first big grocery shop upon moving here from CA/Bay Area, baking aisle has two shelves devoted to shortening, not two different brands, two different shelves,

. . .’this works best for pie crust, this one here for your fried pickels or okra, this one for cobbler, etc.’

I of course love all the desserts, but do not get me started on the catsup fetish or the six sweet n low’s for the ice tea – yikes !

Remember the old commercial where the lady said, “if you don’t use Crisco you might as well boil it”!

*****

Get the Impeach W postage stamp at http://cat.dmocrats.org

a widdle cat will lead them. just take a black ink pen and black out the ltters you don’t want to see on the stamp :)

cbl @ 353

and yes, yeay Raven and family !

Thanks!

cbl @ 4:50 -

Six teaspoons of SUGAR maybe…………sweet n low is a desecration to iced tea. *g*

Courts migt be closed today. Back to the WaPo for the linky.

Details to follow.

hey, can you add captions to the make it yourself photo stamps they’re currently offering ? the possibilities would be endless

but if not,
. . . this one’s racin’ up the FDL Charts

The D.C. Superior Court and D.C. Court of Appeals will be closed today because of a power outage affecting the Moultrie Courthouse at 500 Indiana Avenue NW.

Jurors need not report for duty, and no offices or courtrooms will be operating, spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz said.

The problem began with a brief outage over the weekend, Gurowitz said. Power was restored, but went out again at 3 p.m. Monday. The courthouse remained open until the regular 4 p.m. closing time, but no one was admitted to the building once the power was out because security scanners were not working.

PEPCO crews worked overnight to try and fix the outage, in hopes of reopening the courthouse by today.

“They thought they could get it back up by 8 a.m., but apparently they cannot,” Gurowitz said.

The reason for the outage could not immediately be learned.

egregious @ 358

Courts migt be closed today. Back to the WaPo for the linky.

Details to follow.

Wonder if Marcy got in ok?

A License to Blog?

By ANN ALTHOUSE
Published: February 27, 2007
Unlike a lot of other political bloggers, I started blogging with a distinct lack of interest in politics. My first post about a presidential campaign, back in January 2004, the first month of my blog, was purely an accident. I was reading The Isthmus, our free alternative newspaper here in Madison, Wisc., when I ran across a chart comparing the Democratic candidates for president.

Because I had the longtime habit, inherited from my grandfather, of reading out loud whatever little things in the newspaper happened to catch my attention, I said: “Hmm. ‘Little known fact: at 59, Wesley Clark has only 5% body fat.’ ”

My son Christopher, who was used to finding himself on the receiving end of this habit, came back with: “Should it be: ‘Wesley Clark is 5% body fat?’ ”

That cracked me up, and, instantly making the transition from old family habit to new blogging habit, I posted our little interchange on my blog. I didn’t care at all whether I was helping or hurting Clark’s campaign for the Democratic nomination. I had merely encountered something that amused me at the time. I wasn’t aiming to become a political pundit. That blog post had more to do with my interest in the rhetoric of dieting, the subtleties of language and my son’s sense of humor than with politics…

[Mod Note; Due to copyright reasons, please don’t post entire articles. An excerpt or summary and link would be much appreciated. Thank you.]

oops, sorry

The reason for the outage could not immediately be learned.

. . .nor the origin of the sulphur-like smell surrounding the site

New Thread Upstairs