
Are you perchance thinking of hosting a rally or fund-raiser for Rudy Giuliani? Well, as Watertiger pointed out to us in the previous post, you'd better be worth at least a million dollars, or "America's Mayor" just ain't got time for you, peasant!
Greg Sargent is on the case:
Check out this unbelievable story from the Anamosa Journal-Eureka in Jones County, Iowa, the accuracy of which I've just confirmed by phone with one of the people in it:
OLIN–Last weekend Deb and Jerry VonSprecken of Olin received a call from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign office asking them if they would be interested in holding a campaign rally on May 4, after she had donated to his campaign.
“We thought it would be an honor and agreed,” said Jerry.
After agreeing to host Rudy's rally, Deb and Jerry Von Sprecken then set about doing a bunch of work to organize the event. They underwent a security check and called a bunch of local friends and acquaintances — and even the local sheriff and fire department — and proudly put the pieces in place for their rally.
But then…
On Tuesday Deb received a call from Giuliani’s Des Moines office and was asked to call New York.
“They wanted to know our assets,” she revealed, and added that she and Jerry have a modest 80 acre farm and raise cattle.
Later she received a call from Tony Delgado at the Des Monies location.
“Tony said, ‘I’m sorry, you aren’t worth a million dollars and he is campaigning on the Death Tax right now.’ then he said they weren’t going to be able to come,” Deb continued.
The Death Tax is a federal version of the Iowa Inheritance Tax.
The VonSpreckens then called Delgado back and told him how upset they were that the event had been cancelled, how much work they had done and that they had been expecting 75-100 people at their farm.
“I invited him into my home,” Deb said of Giuliani, fighting back tears.
I feel bad for Mrs. Von Sprecken, but surely she understands by now that the Republican Party is only for toothless, snake-handling religious fanatics, people who love their gun collections more than they love their children, and the Chosen Few who qualify for Bush's millionaire tax-cuts. Oily oligarchs like Giuliani see the rest of the people in America (not to mention his ex-wives and kids) as being rather like the homeless guys at the traffic light who rush up to try and clean your windshield. In other words, "Back off, riffraff! Stop steaming up my bullet-proof quarter-panels."
Unless Emperor Rudy can count on running into you on the polo pitch or at some swank $5,000-a-plate funder, you're just dirt underfoot, another neck to step on as he makes his grasping, elitist way from imposing a police state in New York City to trying to impose one on the whole country.
No wonder he's the front runner for the GOP nomination. He's the veritable embodiment of Republican Values. Place the priorities of millionaires and mega-corporations first, fill all available jobs with your cronies, no matter how corrupt and incompetent they are, and display a breathtaking indifference to real American values like liberty, freedom, and equal justice under the law. Oh, and make a lot of noise about "family values" while leading a private life that would make Caligula look like a Brownie Scout.
Sigh.
Dear Republican Party-
This obsession of yours with little weasels is a sickness. You need to seek help.
I'm telling you this for your own good.
Sincerely,
T. Rex, Esq.



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ZeD☼
Good Evening Trex.
Giuliani? Bring him on.
Evening folks. I see lolo still has the zed mojo going.
Oh yay! I love when Guiliani is exposed as the phony he truly is.
Anyone see this story about how the jock-sniffing he did with the Yankees should be investigated?
What kind of fuckery is this?!?!
UptownNYChick @ 5
It truly is delightful to see the old ghoul exposed. I saw that article earlier today. Is there any bottom to the depths of Giuliani’s corruption? I mean mobbed up Kerik, shafting the first responders, etc., etc., etc.
TREX! Are you being a behaved Theropod? Or has Jane had to smack you on the snout with a rolled up newspaper?
Just askin’ is all… ;})
EvilDrPuma @ 6
Flip Flopping Fuckery For Fundies
DrDick @ 7
I’d think the Mets fans would be a bit BS about all this as well. Not that I care for how Mets fan feel mind you.
lolo,
Do you have a normal life. Addiction to FDL can not be cured.
I will form a committee to get you safely shuttled to a ’safe house’.
Snark detox can be a bitch.
Can I get a Hell Yeah T Rex!
Howdy y’all.
Hi TRex!
New post about the US marines that killed civilians in Haditha.
nobody could have predicted that rudy would snub an iowa farmer
Evening, gang!
Yeah, Giuliani, whatever. Wake me when he’s over.
DrDick @ 4
Only because I got distracted with my new post.
None of the rest will give you the time of day if you’re not rich, either, but few would be so open about it. So I guess that puts Rudy in the top 10 percent for honest GOP presidential candidates. He’s still an asshole, though.
TRex — EPU from last thread
EvilDrPuma @ 16
An honest asshole is still an asshole.
SnarKassandra @ 12
Brava.
SnarKassandra @ 12
Evening Cassie. Great post. It just highlights how dehumanizing war is. It all too often leads normally good people to commit horrendous acts.
Pretty shameful, but expected, behavior from the GOP “party of values” leadership. While it appears the VonSpreckens are rightly upset about this, I can’t help but wonder if they still support Rudy. This shows a huge disconnect from most Americans who are decent folk but call themselves republicans, and the weasels and snakes that have taken over the national party. Not sure what republican voters in the heartland expect anymore from their party, seeing how it’s become nothing better than a criminal enterprise in the past six years.
oddball @ 11
No actually I don’t have a normal life. Sorry
Sigh.
Indeed.
Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, Patrick Dorismond. Keep these names in the public light so people know how wonderful Rudy is in all ways.
wtf @ 13
Nobody could have predicted that Republican presidential candidates would find ways to qualify for political Darwin Awards this early in the game.
TRex!
Now if this were Dr. Frist’s campaign, he wouldn’t snub the families with less than million.
He’d snub the ones with less than ten million.
Unless they had pets.
DrDick @ 7
his freaking ego knows no bounds. How did he expect this BS to go unnoticed in a prez campaign? He pissed off a lot of NYers, funny how when you step on people to break the rules, they come back and slap you upside the back of the head.
I don’t like Bloomberg, but even he had the decency to pay for his Yankee tickets (a silent rebuke of Guiliani, I believe)
Bye rudy, don’t let the door hit you in the A&& on the way off of the national stage.
hi trex,
how are you and the poodles getting along?
I guess he can kiss Iowa goodbye. He really does seem to have idiots running his campaign.
After Rudy implodes and Fred Thompson has to recuse himself, there’s always Fess Parker to fall back on.
kirk murphy @ 26
I sometimes forget that God has spared us the horror of a Frist candidacy. There are some things to be grateful for.
kirk murphy @ 26
Wait! Rudy’s latest wife/misstress likes pets just like frist.
Oh! Never Mind.
Ugh… so depressed right now. Catalina island is on fire.
greenwarrior @ 28
Fabulously.
Kobe and I are going steady.
Giuliani apparently does not understand the difference between primary elections and a caucus. People get together and talk at a caucus before any votes are cast. This was a bad move. Most farmers do have assets worth a million or more they just are all tied up in equipment and land so they are all think they are poor.
TRex @ 31
He spared us Macacca as well which is why all the wing-nuts are so down-hearted at their choices. They would have just LUV’D the nazi/rebel.
*g*
Colleen daily luker @ 35
Yeah, that must be why they keep going out of business right and left. Uh-huh.
Well folks I’m going to duck back out to go listen to a friend play at a local bar. First time I have been out on a weeknight since the beginning of fall semester. May drop back in later. Be good to each other and decimate the rightards.
DrDick @ 39
Have fun!
solai @ 37
where’s Sen. Santorum when we really need him?
DrDick @ 39
Have fun. Don’t do anything I’d rather be doing!
Ghouliani: Lord of the Rings
DrDick @ 7
EPU’D but on topic
TRex @ 34
luvly. is there an engagement in your futures?
Dover Bitch @ 33
whaaat?
Ed*ard Teller @ 41
You just know that it has to be the Big Brown eyes, the curly black ringlets, and the cold nose that gets Trex in a tither.
kirk murphy @ 43
That is the perfect headline, the Village Voice copy desk blew it!!!!
greenwarrior @ 45
You see…that’s just what the fundies are afraid of.
Loo Hoo @ 46
Video and story here.
Ed*ard Teller @ 41
He doesn’t like theropod-on-dog either? Why does Rick Santorum hate dogs so much?
Loo Hoo @ 46
I’ve been out for a few hours, but if folks haven’t read the letter the three self-demoted Minneapolis DOJ attorneys sent to their boss, Rachel Palouse yet, you should. Has this come up here today?
Dover Bitch @ 33
Dover Bitch do you live there?
What a bill of goods the Repubs have sold their hapless followers – that government is bad and Big Business is their friend.
Imagine believing that hooey.
Dover Bitch @ 50
DB, do you live on Catalina?
Oh, no. How bad?
Anyone happen to know who the artist was who did the caricature in the photo? It’s superb.
All of the above.
But Kobe really understands me. He’s really soulful and empathetic. Best boyfriend ever.
Rudy has always given the creeps…….always……still does. the ‘he’s a creepy guy stay away from him cross the street’ creeps.
and EPU’D cuz i just gotta know-
hey guys-
just catching up on threads.
need a definition-
on Howie’s post on his site about dems who voted no on McGovern bill, linked from Jane’s post called No Withdrawal, he listed after their names-reactionary and/or electoral whore
what do those mean? in accordance of type of dem/vote they are.
kinda know what reactionary may mean in this tense, but electoral whore? no clue.
tried to post comment at his site to ask, but won’t let me submit it, submit button is a dead zone. must be my browser.
soooooooo, if anyone knows………
Hi folk.
No baby news yet, but any day now.
Been a little scarce around these parts on account of preparing The Mines of Moria for a new Goblin. But I’ll be needing each and every one of you for adult conversation over the next few months.
On topic: Why does it seem that every time Murray Waas gets one of his great scoops, his news disappears within days? Where are we failing in ensuring that his stuff gets around?
Alicia @ 55
It’s a wonder more of their heads don’t explode.
what a simpleton to ask a politician into one’s home? do you have locks on all the cabinets?
what have we become that we would welcome the scum that lie to us to get us to vote for them into our own homes and subject our families to that kind of “human”
not sure I could live with myself.
EvilDrPuma @ 38
Yeah, that must be why they keep going out of business right and left. Uh-huh.
Farm land is worth $4000 an acre in Iowa right now my husband is an insurance agent(small business owner). The family above owns 80 acres. Rudy is an idiot he should have people who can tll him no farmer will admit to all their assets.
Hi everyone.
OT- wow! Because of time difference, I have only just now been able to read AGAG partsI-V. What an asshole. He must have to sleep standing up, there is noway he could lie straight in bed.
I don’t live there, but it is very important to me. I was actually going there tomorrow.
Shouldn’t snub the grass roots, Rudy Two Towers.
‘But…But…But…‘
;>)
Asset check? Jeebus Rudy, show me yours first.
If I had to pick the time to be taxed- I’d pick “dead”. It’s a fantastic concept-
BALROG!!
Long old time. guy. No baby yet, but soon. Keep us posted. I’m secretly hoping to be “Aunt Loo Hoo”!
UptownNYChick @ 48
Thanks UptownNYChick, but all credit goes to Digby!
Lord of the Rings
EvilDrPuma @ 62
I think that they implode – you can’t see it on the outside, but on the inside – kablooie! – mushy carnage.
Give every gooper a form to fill out:
“I choose to be taxed”:
A- during my most productive working years.
B- during my golden retirement years.
C- when I’m dead
They’ll ALL choose dead. I guarantee it.
Dover Bitch @ 50
So sad I don’t ever remember a big fire on Catalina, the poor bison and all the other critters. : (
I think what I’m enjoying most of all is the many millions of dollars the Gopers are spending on their current field of candidates at all levels.
I happen to own a bridge that spans the East River here in NYC that I would be happy to sell to the highest bidder among them.
Hey Trex –
Speaking of Repubs I have a somewhat o/t question. I was in Georgia a few weeks ago and wanted to catch the John Stewart and Josh Marshall interviews on Moyer’s new Friday night show. Only I couldn’t find it or any of the regular PBS Friday night programming (although I did enjoy a lovely travelogue through Tuscany.) What gives? Does GPTV not carry any of these shows or have they discovered a more ideal time for exploring these dangerously radical exposes?
Hi, Alicia!
darkblack @ 67
I love that video darkblack. Pretty much sums up what the GOP is selling to the masses.
Loo Hoo @ 70
We do have an opening for a ‘Naughty Nanny’.
Breaking News: What is this????? Thomas C. Graves, Commander of the U.S.S. Constitution relieved of duty for loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command. Navy declined to provide specifics about why he was removed as Senior Office of this historic warship:
Where is the ship????
http://www.boston.com/news/glo…..EWell_Pos5
@79
He bears an erie resemblence to Eichmann, but he’s really Il Douche!
JML @ 76
Sigh.
My Red State.
I don’t think they ever broadcast it.
Ed*ard Teller @ 53
ET, thanks for passing this along — I hadn’t seen it. This is exactly the kind of push-back all this DoJ-minions need. Paulose is a blatant symptom of the rot.
LS @ 80
According to the article in the link, it’s a tourist attraction moored in Charlestown Navy Yard.
darkblack @ 67
OMG that will come in handy damn terror mongers!
greenwarrior @ 84
How bad do you have to be to be unfit to command a tourist trap?
I agree with the tin foil croud, the bunker in WTC building 7 was destroyed because that’s where the controlled demolition was controlled from. Of course they had to “Pull it.”
Debbie(aussie) @ 65
HA Debbie! I hope you Aussies and everyone else knows that our government is not supposed to work like it does now? And that we Americans are better than this. Most of us do not like war. Most of us (70%) want out of Iraq. You know that, Debbie, right? Everybody else, too?
boing (executing a perfect half double gainer with one and a half twists – no splash)
Evening all.
Suzanne @ 89
hiya suzanne!
EvilDrPuma @ 87
He probably keel-hauled a crewmember.
Commander of USS Contitution removed…Reenactment? What???
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4794
491.html
Oops. About 100 years too late breaking news…
Oh, well.
NEVERMIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Suzanne!
Subway Seranade,
Goldang! That is some hefty bridge estate you got going there, pal!
Su
zanne!
Trial
http://www.newsfollowup.com/aipac.htm
RonD @ 77
Hey, my homie!
hello p4/4 – how’s 4/4 land?
I love you guys.
TRex @ 98
we love you too !!!!!!!!
AZ Matt @ 91
Maybe in a fit of honesty he said something to the tourists about our show of ships in the Middle East or generally voiced displeasure about the
HonorableHorrible Commander in Chief. Or voiced admiration for Speaker Pelosi.Hi Suz!
Hope you still have a good stash of those “please sign here in triplicate on your citation” ball-point pens. If not actually, at least virtually.
Looks like they might come in handy. xxoo VG
TRex @ 98
Us guys love you too!
Suzanne @ 97
It’s a free 4/4 all.
Hi SnarKassandra – how’s things?
Lou Costello @ 49
Oh, you’d be amazed what they’re afraid of.
By way of Roy
Gay marriage. It’s just like not starving when someone’s giving out free food.
Which is why we shouldn’t risk it.
I know, I haven’t figured it out either.
(MOD NOTE: Please do not quote this comment – doing so will break the margins)
Valley Girl @ 101
Veni! Vidi! VG!
greenwarrior @ 100
The thought had occurred to me. Or maybe he shot off the cannons at the wrong time and made Cheney’s pacemaker skip?
Loo Hoo @ 88. OH yes, I am aware. That is why I come here, where the sensible and angry US citizens reside and converse. But there still seems to be too many politicians that are unwilling to do what needs to be done(not that this is exlusive to the US).
TRex @ 98
I’m laughing so hard right now, I’m crying. I swear it’s on AP Breaking news!!! I’m falling on the floor in conniptions!! Relief after Gonzo’s pathetic performance. What can I say???!!! :P
Alicia @ 104
Great!!
How about you?
Please consider this the do not quote comments that have quoted comments comment.
EvilDrPuma @ 108
Is Darth back from his extortion tour of the Middle EAst?
Suzanne @ 112
Don’t let this happen to you.
When my mom was doing drugs all the time and before she went to jail, I would have been happy to stand in line for free cheese. I used to steal food from the cafeteria in school.
35 year old cheese.
An apt description of the Republican platform.
Subway Serenade @ 115
Doesn’t cheese get better when it is old?
greenwarrior @ 112
Not that I know of, but we’re told so little about Big Time’s movements…
Take a look at this legislation passed in the House today considered along with the panic among Republicans in Congress, 11 of whom went in rapid procession to the WH this week to air their fears to Bush face to face, and I think we’re seeing the maneuvering for the end game of major occupation:
“A few hours later, the House passed legislation providing funds for the war grudgingly, in two installments. The first portion would cover costs until Aug. 1 — $42.8 billion to buy equipment and train Iraqi and Afghan security forces.
Under the bill, it would take a summertime vote by Congress to free an additional $52.8 billion, the money needed to cover costs through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..wh/us_iraq
I think the second installment ending the period through Sept 30 is the key. September is THE month being trumpeted by Republicans as when a report on the effectiveness of the surge will be determined, and not before then. On one hand, it’s a way to buy time despite the current trend – the last 4 months have been the deadliest for US soldiers over the entire duration of the war. On the other hand, September is the last possible date for Republicans to get behind a major change in policy away from Bush before the ‘08 elections if they are to save what left their political hides. It’s an immoral and pathetic excuse for making a determination that affects the lives of so many soldiers between now and then when the same correct decision to redeploy could be made sooner, but that’s the remnants of the rubber-stampers for you. But it’s why September is also the month.
Ironically, for all the rationale that Bush has made for not setting a timeline for withdrawal in that it tips off the insurgents, the deterioration of progress in Iraq and in public opinion at home has now boxed Bush and Republicans into a deadline. As others have suggested about the pitfalls of a deadline for withdrawal, I suspect this won’t be lost on certain people in Iraq.
Ghouliani’s cruel indifference to the VonSprecken’s kills his image.
This one story resonates with the visceral revulsion Rudy elicits in so many voters – the same shudder his image makers work so hard to oppress.
Using Rove’s playbook, Ghouliani’s apologists (on TPM) slandered Mrs. VonSprecken to change the focus off Rudy.
The rude comment I quote below reminded me of Mrs. Von Sprecken’s gracious response to the trolls:
oldtree @ 63
Oldtree, I hope you can live with appearing to be too lazy to read the about the people you choose to berate.
The VonSpreckens didn’t “ask the politician into their home”. Rudy’s campaign called up and asked to come.
EvilDrPuma @ 117
…and thank God for that!
I figured I’d set off my own booby traps tonight.
SnarKassandra @ 110
Great – busier than I want to be (hard to keep up with the news and writing and my kids) but since I like my job it’s all right.
From the last paragraph in the Village Voice article on Goldfinger Guilliani…:
snip
Those who know Giuliani well say that when he thinks he’s in love, he waives all the rules of acceptable conduct. But the story of him and his team is not just a saga of disturbing infatuation and self-absorption. It is an object lesson in what kind of a president he would be, a window into his willingness to lend himself to a special interest, to blur all lines that ordinarily separate personal and public lives. It is not so much that he identified with the Yankees. It was himself that he was serving.
EvilDrPuma @ 118
It’s true, he doesn’t come out into the light all that often.
How’s grading and end of year stuff going?
SnarKassandra @ 114
That’s pretty desperate.
Welcome Suzanne!
need a towel?
SnarKassandra @ 117
Finlandia Swiss is aged 90 days, I think. 35 years prolly wouldn’t pass the cheese shop on Monty Python…
greenwarrior @ 123
I’m in the calm before the storm. The papers are graded, and I gave two early finals today that I already graded as well, but the official exam period is tomorrow afternoon. So I get to relax for a few hours.
greenwarrior @ 102
Maybe in a fit of honesty he said something to the tourists about our show of ships in the Middle East or generally voiced displeasure about the
HonorableHorrible Commander in Chief. Or voiced admiration for Speaker Pelosi.Well,he probably couldn’t get the USS Constitution ready for sea fast enough to join the fleet in bombarding the Iranian coastal defenses. And fighting pirates off Tripoli.
Giuliani Time:
http://rwor.org/a/v19/920-29/920/ny.htm
thanks, KM, breeze is getting kinda chilly.
the Rudy one-two punch! Rudy can fail.
SnarKassandra, someone (I don’t remember who) once said,”If you don’t think a person will commit murder over a can of soup, then you’ve never really been hungry.”
Mother Theresa, while declining an invitation to have dinner at the White House: ” I do not eat with people who have never been hungry.”
You are a remarkable young lady. It is a pleasure to visit and exchange thoughts with you.
Subway Serenade @ 126
Oh.
AZ Matt @ 129
Well,he probably couldn’t get the USS Constitution ready for sea fast enough to join the fleet in bombarding the Iranian coastal defenses. And fighting pirates off Tripoli.
Laughing too hard to type!
Balrog @ 79
Okay, now you’re turning this into a Halloween type thing.
I, on the other higher ground, just want to bite your baby’s cheek. (I admit to being a baby cheek freak.) Ask my brother.
Debbie(aussie) @ 65
Evenin’/G’Day All.
Debbie, I was braggin’ to Kathleen about this Aussie wit, I only hope she’s around to soak it up. Keep goin’.
::yawns her way in:: Evening all.
EvilDrPuma @ 127
Naner naner naner! I’m done! Graded all the exams, and posted the grades. No offense meant. I’m sure you’ll feel this way too, in just a little while. xxoo
Subway Serenade @ 126
SHUT THAT BLOODY BOUZOUKI UP!
EvilDrPuma @ 124
Well I only stole from where they kept the extras, not from the lunch line.
My mom wouldn’t sign the form for free lunch and breakfast, and she used her money for drugs, so I ate what my friends gave me until my teacher let Andy sign the lunch form even though he was only 16. I guess I was pretty desperate.
SnarKassandra @ 116
That’s a matter of taste. While in the Netherlands, I quickly figured out that I like “young” gouda better than aged.
No, I didn’t have the guts to try limburger.
Valley Girl @ 138
Just as fast as my little red pen can go.
OxyContin: The Giuliani Connection
May 10, 2007 1:28 PM
Brian Ross, Richard Esposito & R. Schwartz Report:
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused.
Prosecutors say “in the process scores died.”
Drug Enforcement Administration officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com Giuliani personally met with the head of the DEA when the DEA’s drug diversion office began a criminal investigation into the company.
According to the book “Painkiller,” by New York Times reporter Barry Meier, both Giuliani and his then-partner Bernard Kerik “were in direct contact with Asa Hutchinson, the administrator of DEA.”
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
Hutchinson told the Blotter on ABCNews.com today that Giuliani asked for a meeting, “and we gave him a meeting.” Hutchinson says he was aware the company was under investigation at the time, and “any time a company is under investigation I like to give them a chance to make their case.”
Kerik told New York Magazine at the time that Giuliani had raised $15,000 in donations for a “traveling museum operated by the DEA.”
Some officials told ABC News there were questions inside the agency of whether the donations were an attempt to influence the DEA.
Meier wrote that “with Giuliani now in the mix, the pace of DEA’s investigation into Purdue’s OxyContin plant in New Jersey slowed as Hutchinson repeatedly summoned division officials to his office to explain themselves and their reasons for continuing the inquiry.”
Giuliani publicly praised the company, Purdue Frederick, when it hired him in May 2002 for an undisclosed amount. “Purdue has demonstrated its commitment to fighting this problem,” he said, referring to the issue of drug addiction.
According to Giuliani Partners, Kerik, a New York City police commissioner under Giuliani, was in charge of helping Purdue improve security at the New Jersey plant.
Kerik left Giuliani Partners after disclosures he was under criminal investigation.
In hiring Giuliani, Purdue said, “Giuliani Partners is uniquely qualified” to address the issue of preventing drug abuse.
The Web site for Giuliani Partners lists Purdue Pharma as one of its current clients.
A spokeswoman for Giuliani Partners told ABC News today, “The proceeding speaks for itself, and beyond that we’re not going to comment.”
:Linky
SnarKassandra @ 140
I think it’s a good thing I will never meet your mother face to face.
Hi folks! M. de Plume and I just got in from walking the dogs. I saw that some of my wonderful friends here were asking how things were. At the moment fine, but very busy, so I have not had time to post. I am following up on the fibrillation along with other things. Since M. de Plume cannot drive for awhile, I have to chauffeur him around!
EvilDrPuma @ 121
LM
AOmy brother-in-law sent this video link from France. It’s a spoof of right-wing street manifestations by a performance art group. It was made in 2003, but according to my b-i-l it’s in heavy rotation since the recent presidential election of hard-liner Sarkozy.
With deadpan faux-earnestness it highlights all the right’s pet issues: racism about immigration, scorn for liberal academics and “freeloaders” on the public dole, respect for old money anf big business, etc. Too long to offer translations, sorry.
Isn’t a “Brownie Scout” a little girl? And if Caligula is a little girl compared to Giuliani, what the F, my head’s spinning. Just say it!
Evil Dr- thanks for the laugh. I know exactly of what you speak. Tho I have taken to using pencils of different colors, so that no one can return the exam “in bad faith” (academic misconduct) with a creative regrade. That has happened in the past.
SnarKassandra @ 114
Why on earth wouldn’t she sign?
SnarKassandra @ 114
Cassie, I know what that is like, when I was 5=8 I would put my baby brother in the stroller and go to the market and he would hide the food under his blanket. (((hugs))))
lolo
Debbie(aussie) @ 65
then, you’re gonna love this!
“. . .as the house judiciary committee hearing
wound-down this afternoon, chairman john
conyer’s office released a three-page, re-
dacted, transcript of criminal division
department of justice attorney matthew w.
friedrich’s sworn statements — and
here are easy-view images(!). . . they were
mentioned by the chairman, to mr. gonzales,
rather pointedly this morning (video coming
very soon on that), and i think, these are the
first under-oath, written bits-o’-evidence from
any attorney — inside the gonzales depart-
ment of justice, mind you – which directly
assert that karl rove was behind the firing
of david iglesias in new mexico. . .”
and, welcome, from up-top, to down-under. . .
let me re-phrase that. . .
[nah — let it stand.] he he!
julia @ 150
Cause then people would know we were poor. Or maybe know she used her money for drugs.
hey VG, long time…
SnarKassandra @ 153
Consider my previous comment repeated.
I don’t know how to link things from other sites, but was wondering if anybody else has seen a youtube clip from Boston Legal about GITMO.(there is a link from Andrew Sullivan’s site).
It made me ask the question: why can tv writer/s and actors say what needs to be said but politicians and the media/journalists(’stars’) can’t. It really pisses me off.
punaise @ 154
So, I liked the lefty squared. Me too.
Breathing a sigh of relief. End of semester.
So, is Punaise Jr. headed to UCSC?
EvilDrPuma @ 144
She has a mental illness and an addiction. But I don’t talk to her any more either because it makes me upset.
Gnome de Plume @ 145
Good news!! We were worried!!! A walk with the dogettes is always a healing thing!! (mine can be a handful, but they are so delightful in their antics and the entertainment is endless). Wishing good calming vibes to you both!!
Petrocelli @ 137- Thankyou. (She says, taking a bow)
SnarKassandra @ 141
I’m glad that’s behind you now, sweetheart.
“He’s the veritable embodiment of Republican Values…”
Well said.
speaking of getting the sack for speaking out against Bu$hCo,
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..tevets-ad/
Shit.
This makes me want to wake my kid up and hug her.
I hope if it’s important to you that your mom got better, but otherwise I’m feeling kinda hostile towards her just now.
TRex @ 99
Wow, whatup with that burst of therapodian emotion, babe?
Must have been Jane’d, eh?
TRex @ 99
Our King Loves Us !!!
I love you all too, even the ones who don’t admit they’re on the wrong side … dammit … Gandhi has taken over my being …
SnarKassandra @ 158
I can understand where you’re coming from, I think. There can be a very fine line between compassion for the mentally ill (including addicts in that category, for the moment) and being very clear that child abuse, endangerment and neglect are absolutely never to be tolerated.
Valley Girl @ 158
felicitations!
yep, he got in…
nolo @ 152
Hey nolo where have you been? Missed your excellent links the last few days. Thanks!
Nate @ 78
lolo @ 85
Well, they’re preaching to the converted.
;>)
Alfred Kelgarries @ 164
Support the troops…especially the ones who stand up against Georgie’s illegal occupation. You rock General Batiste.
Debbie, it really pisses me off, too.
Best explanation I have is that the MSM’s owners and the US Government’s senior levels represnt the same party: the money party.
When your life is good – and you keep the good pay when you don’t make waves – you don’t do stories that hurt your party.
SnarKassandra @ 117
I like 5- year old White Cheddar from England; any older and it gets too intense for my palate.
She didn’t get better. She is just in jail and not here, which is a good thing.
The weird thing about the free lunch. Everyone punches in a number and if the machine says $0.00 it could be because your parents put in $20 at the office or because it’s free from the school and the govt. And no one cares anyway. And I am sure my mom’s friends would notice me stealing food more than they would notice if the machine said $0 all the time.
Anyways, now there is always enough food and enough love, and a shortage of m&m’s. But things are way better now.
Petrocelli sed:
dammit …
GandhiGumbi has taken over my beingpunaise @ 168
Suz will hate me for the zig. And you will scold me too.
Yep, I knew he got into UCSC. But I didn’t know if that was his final choice, given his options.
punaise @ 169
Go Banana Slugs!
Gnome de Plume @ 146
Thanks for the update … must say I’ve also been a little concerned about you both. Do keep us posted.
Alfred Kelgarries @ 163
Support the troops if they do what you say to do, which is ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, i.e., drop dead for their agenda, but if you have a voice as an experienced military EXPERT warning others of the danger of their judgment, you are FIRED!!!!!!
SUPPORT THE MILITARY EXPERTS!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE???
VG – UCSC was always top on his list, so it was a no-brainer for him to decide
I have been on oxycontin for the past six/seven years. Was taking 80mg(40×2)/day, now down to 30mg (10am 20pm). For severe chronic pain. Is it only addictive to those who have no need for it or what? Just curious.
Patrick 4/4, so exactly what do know about Banana Slugs?
SnarKassandra @ 174
Except for this M&M thing. Betsy, we need to talk….
I hope the Dems deserve the VonSpreckens. Rudy certainly doesn’t deserve them. When reading this blog I was reminded again of the 11 who visited the president yesterday, who expressed concern for their future elections, not concern for the men and women dying in Iraq. The Repugs are a SMALL group. And they accuse the Dems of being elitists.
Thanks nolo for the link. Will read it later. Still have some of my US blog sites to wade through as well as staying here for while.
lolo says:
May 10th, 2007 at 9:19 pm . . .
been busy workin’. . .
and, thanks for noticing. . .
great zed-run you’ve had of late!
he he!
what are ye? — 23 for 23?
SnarKassandra @ 159
This mom will tell you that’s fine, Cassie. You don’t have to go there, you don’t have all the tools you need in your mental and psychic tool drawer yet to handle the job, okay?
I will tell you that these years and a few ahead will seem rocky, at times as if they won’t end. But you will come out just fine in the end if you just keep your wits about you. Been through some challenging times with my stepson, who went through a painful and challenging teenhood, but is just fine now in spite of his mother’s detachment and neglect.
Except for that pesky PTSD he acquired from Bush’s illegal war, he is a happy guy who is going to do just fine, has a lot of street smarts that most of his contemporaries don’t have, along with common sense. And I think you’ll find yourself in 10 years in much the same shape.
Kirk #173, you’ve put your finger on it-the MSM, whom we have traditionally depended upon to inform us, have themselves been taken over and compromised by the very corporations who are benefitting from the corporatist policies of the government, and whom we need protection from.
Checkmate.
Valley Girl @ 183
They’re large and extremely loyal (or too slow to run away).
here’s a good Rudy quote from a commenter at Media Matters and I wonder how true it is:
snip
When hundreds of tons of munitions reportedly disappeared from the Al QaQaa munitions dump in Iraq, Guliani tried to deflect blame from George W. Bush to the troops fighting George W’s War in Iraq. Here is his exact quote:
“No matter how you try to blame it on the president, the actual responsibility for it really would be for the troops that were there. Did they search carefully enough? Didn’t they search carefully enough?”
Debbie(aussie) @ 186
cool — just a backgrounder, actually. . .
not really germane to this mad-house, at
the particular moment. . . smile. . .
Anyone care to take a stab at how Rush might respond to Rudy’s OxyContin association?
Rush: “C’mon people, What’s the fuss? Oxycont*n is no more addictive than V*agra…well, a jet load of V*agra…in the Dominican Republic, or something…”
(MOD NOTE *edited to allow through filter)
Night y’all. Sorry if I said more than I should. If I realized that 35 yr old cheese was bad and too old to eat, I would not have said any of it.
Rayne I have PTSD too, but not as bad as I used to.
Good night.
a reminder that use of prescription brand name drugs will significantly increase the chances your comment will be caught in the spam filter
Good nite, Cassie. Best of all tomorrows to you.
OT — The Washington Post never ceases to amaze. For example:
“House Republican moderates, in a remarkably blunt White House meeting, warned President Bush this week that his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party and that he cannot count on GOP support for many more months.
. . . .
“‘It was a very remarkable, candid conversation,’ [Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.)] said. ‘People are always saying President Bush is in a bubble. Well, this was our chance, and we took it.’ . . .”
So a bunch of Republicons went to the White House for some straight talk. And if you believe the Post and the Republicons, it was a very candid and remarkable conversation! I’d say it’s remarkable that politicians think it is remarkable to be truthful to each other. (Not that Bush has ever been truthful about anything in his entire life, of course. But we can pretend, can’t we?)
Good night Cassie and sweet dreams.
g’nite cassie. sleep well madam president-to-be
punaise, you have to tell jr to go see the Porter Caves at UCSC. Apparently only the kids in the Porter dorms know the way out them, and other schools don’t know about them. My son lived in Porter for 2 years, and liked showing them off to friends who’d visit. It depends if he likes bats and spiders and some strange frogs (who allegedly only live in those caves).
if you want to read about my brother, click here
My Hero (AWWW!!!)
I can’t find the post where I wrote about my mom. will look tomorrow.
SnarKassandra @ 193
See you later. And fear not, I’d say you’re safe with most of us.
Suzanne @ 194
Unless of course you place some ** in the name.
rwcole @ 73
But…but…but I thought they were against the Death tax!!?????
Bob in HI
Unless of course you place some ** in the name.
thanks, vg – nice to see ya :)
Niters, ‘Pups, up too late once again.
Cassie, think we’re going to have to work on Amazon to carry M&M’s in their Grocery; then you could count on us to fill the M&M gap. ;-)
Good night, SnarKassandra. See you later!
Valley Girl @ 202
Also a good idea if you bring up s*c**l*sm.
and words that contain brand name words like spec*al*st
GabrielOak @ 196
yeah, but they paid for it later:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..q-meeting/
Keith Olbermann is a riot tonight. Played tapes of Gonzo last month and this month saying exactly the same things, word for word– videos side by side, words echoing each other.
Bob in HI
Debbie(aussie) it is my understanding that you would have the physical dependance – in that you would have withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stopped taking it – but not the psychological dependance because you are taking it as prescribed for a legitimate reason.
Kathleen @ 96
Great web site.
Guliana won’t win anything.
Cr*key !
SnarKassandra @ 193
Snarkassandra, I so appreciated all of your comments – and I so repsoect your honesty and courage in educating us about your experience.
As we learn about one anothers lives here, we’ll all encounter totally new perspectives on the world.
Sometimes our perspectives will be just far apart that we’ll have a brief giggle when reminded of our own assumptions.
And sometimes we’ll gasp or reach out when learning of another’s pain.
I hope neither the smiles nor gasps seem like judgements….
For me, our responses form part of the community’s connection…
even the responses where we a giggle a bit at how our assumptions are – and are not – reflected in those around us.
Patrick 4/4 @ 30
More likely ole chainsaw Dirty Harry.
Hey Bob-I saw that too. Effin’ hysterical.
Suz- you must have missed my earlier comment about the usefulness of ball-point pens.
above
AK @ 210: Maybe there is a God.
nolo @ 186
teeheehee
Sorry Suzanne. Thanks for the ** tip.
Re: the banana slugs. They are native to the UCSC campus (I think they’re creatures of any redwood forest). The biggest one I ever saw was about 10 inches long, and even more yellow than a banana. Some years back the evil Chancellor Sinsheimer wanted to change the UCSC mascot & teams to Sea Lions. The alumni (including me) went berserk, and amazingly he backed down. Go Slugs! Punaise Jr. will be very happy at UCSC.
I’m so glad, Cassie. As a sexual abuse survivor who has had to go some days in his life without eating, I am really, really, really glad that you are safe and loved and fed, now.
VG, I was late tonight (watching My Name Is Earl) and was in a hurry – sorry if I missed it
Suzanne @ 208
How ’bout *st*r*sk?
Kathleen @ 96
Great web site.
Guliani won’t win anything.
Thankyou Fern @203. Thats what I thought too. Seems to be far too many people who want to abuse drugs?
EvilDrPuma @ 201
Thanks for sharing Cassie. We are all so lucky to have you in our blogospere and in our life here at the lake.
lolo
Blue Dido @ 221
But, he did have a science building named after him. Wherein, there was a fire…
http://ehs.ucsc.edu/emergency/pubs/sinshfire3.htm
lolo @ 225
Ding !
kirk murphy @ 224
Suzanne, I believe that’s called a Nathan Hale, y’know, ’cause he’s the guy who said “I regret that I have but one asterisk for my country.”
Suz- no matter. Thanks for the welcome.
Ok-well, starting a new job in the AM, so no Late Late Nite for me! T-rex, Suzanne, EDP, Alicia, all of you-good nite to all of you, and the best of all tomorrows to you. SnK, if you’re still there, (((hugs))). Good nite, all.
Bob Schacht @ 210
Bob wasn’t that a disgrace?
starting to push the margins again, folks. (gentle reminder)
RonD @ 231
Catch you on the flip side. Have “fun” at work.
VG, the exact quote is “line 24, press hard, 4 copies“
Please ignore my half asleep comments. I go to bed now.
::flop::
Suzanne @ 236
Luv U, Suz. That is so funny! I really think that your quote needs to be used as a title of an FDL post.
g’night RonD – have a great first day in the new job….
((((((((((SNARKASSANDRA))))))))))
Fresh new thread upstairs…
Ahem.
Look upstairs, gang.
DreamingCrow. Absolutely agree.
lolo @ 220
i’m off now — flannel sheets are
callin’ my name — and i hear ‘em
chantin’, just the same. . .
gotta’ be up early in the a.m. . .
take good care!
– nolo, [no longer] on the lolo. . .
Debbie(aussie) @ 227
Yep, and it never give you anywhere near the ‘high’ that meditation does … in fact abusing drugs gives you the opposite of Nirvana, eternal bliss.
TRex is trying to use a shiny thing to distract us from delving further into the Ghouliani situation.
Late Late Nite awaits your viewing pleasure in the upstairs lounge.
Evening all. I’m back from my little musical foray. Great time, but couldn’t stay long since, unlike Valley Girl, I still have tests to grade tomorrow. Looks like the waters have gotten rather deep here in the Lake tonight.
DrDick @ 249
Hiya DrD, we’re over at TRex’s new thread.
mutzali @ 200
thanks – I’ll pass along the spelunking tip
SnarKassandra @ 194
Cassie,
I was about to check in anyway, and will hurry in a little bit to send you my best wishes. You’ve been through a lot, and it takes courage to be so open about what happened. Sleep well, tonight, and I give thanks for the new family you now have. And I hope that we here at FDL will be a good support system for you, too! We are very happy to share the Lake with you! You are awesome!
Come back soon,
Bob in HI
Debbie(aussie) @ 224
I used to think that. Now I’ve seen so many people who use substances to self-medicate very real psychiatric diagnoses, I really wonder if any one starts using drugs becuase they want to abuse them.
The people I’ve met in clinic began abusing alcohol and/or opiates to relieve untreated symptoms.
This is called “dual-diagnosis” – concurrent substance abuse and (separate) psychiatric diagnosis.
The vast majority of people who become substance dependent will be in the dual diagnosis group.
Here in SF I’ve seen so many “alcoholics” with “depression” who actually have manic-depressive disorder that I could scream.
After proper diagnosis and effective symptom relief, many of them can put aside the booze and drugs – after years of failed abstinence.
RANT:
Missed psych diagnoses make me so frakking grumpy. Arrgh. Why won’t people just do their frakkin jobs and use valid diagnostic instruments for psych diagnoses?
The instruments are so frakkin easy – they were designed for lay survey volunteers who go door-to-door and ask folks in their community a list of standardized questions.
The questions follow flow charts (flow determined by the answers), are written at roughly a tenth grade level, and they give very high inter-rater reliablity.
And most practioners don’t use them.
Rant, rant, rant….
kirk murphy @ 252
Rant as much as you can, fax every member of Congress, e-mail Dr. Phil … whatever it takes. Everything you do will make it possible to get help to these people.
lolo @ 234
Well, I guess it goes along with his saving everyone’s time by submitting an opening statement virtually identical to the one he gave last month, too. Maybe this is his way of flippin’ the finger at the committee???
Since he won’t resign, and Bush won’t fire him, doesn’t that really make impeachment necessary?
Bob in HI
Bob Schacht @ 254
Most of us who were at the FDL blog were very disappointed with Conyers & Co. for their lack of preparedness. There were a few bright moments, but they were all cut short by that 5 minute limit and the following congresscritter did not have the sense to yield more time to those who were nailing Abu. Abu obviously knew about the 5- minute limit and talked through most of it … and no one called him on it. I think Leahy has summoned him, can anyone confirm that?
Petrocelli @ 254
Dog, I hope so. Abu’s Senate testimony left tons of questions that I was certain the HJC would persue with vigor – they seemed to pass on most.
newtonusr @ 256
None of us could figure out just what the hell they were doing.
Petrocelli @ 256
Lacking good local NHL, I re-watched the entire Senate hearing again last night, reinforcing my certainty that the HJC would simple use it as game prep. From Senator Whitehouse’s opening wrt contacts between ChimpCo and AbuVille, DiFi’s perfect lead into the specifics of the USA’s records, etc.
What a waste.
newtonusr @ 258
The Sens/Sabres game was good from the opening whistle. Of the 4 remaining teams I thought Miller looked the weakest in the last round and it was quite apparent tonight. I’d love for it to go 7 games. What happened to the Sharks? They gave up on themselves.
WRT Conyers & Co. … I thought the House and Senate Dems were coordinating their attacks on the Bush regime and that Leahy & Co. would help Conyers be an effective leader like Waxman. That hearing you mentioned, with Whitehouse, DiFi, Schumer was the best I’ve ever seen.
newtonusr, I saw your note on the next post and had to come ask you, What happened to the Sharks? The last three games they looked like a different team. They fell apart! Did they decide to have a “June Swoon” in May? Arrrrrgh.
Petrocelli @ 258
Just so happens that since the Sharks shrivelled, I have worked every night – haven’t seen a lick of hockey since.
Agreed – they did give up on themselves. Not making excuses here, but there have been times (far too many for my taste) when the Wings, no matter how lackluster they seem, simply flip the switch. Scotty Bowman’s PK teams – best unit play I have seen since Gretzky’s Oilers. My money is on Detroit. But I’m no expert – I grew up on the West Coast.
…especially Whitehouse. Multi-layered smart, language skills of a great writer, and very, very clever.
mutzali @ 260
He must have gone to sleep … like the Sharks. *g*
Playoffs are funny that way … you give up a lead in a big name and never recover. Damn shame, Thornton and ‘G’ should have gone on to play Anaheim.
newtonusr @ 261
Hey buddy, no intent to demean the Red Wings, they certainly have ‘team play’ down to perfection – veteran lineup, the Dominator was on his game … sad that Thornton couldn’t get through one more round. Ducks Vs Sharks would have made for a lot of excitement in California.
mutzali @ 259
They just fell apart, fizzled. They looked tired to me, no jump at all. They seemed to realize it themselves and couldn’t step up.
Not sleepin’ – on the phone with a client while I blog.
I’ll just have a hard time rooting for either the Ducks or the Wings. I can’t stand Pronger’s cheap hits, and I’m still p*ssed off at Bertuzzi.
Whitehouse impressed me a great deal. They all kept building and building and the chart in the end had to send the administration into convulsions. If he showed this chart, what else does he have?
mutzali @ 265
It will be the Sens or the Sabres drinking from Lord Stanley’s Chalice. The Ducks will make it exciting though.
mutzali @ 264
Gotta go with the Ducks, for no particular reason.
And someone’s going to take a whack at Pronger – too bad that bastard Domi’s not gonna be on that ice…
newtonusr @ 268
I watched the Oilers win 5 Cups and it is truly the most difficult championship to win. I think the Sens/Sabres have more experience, although I’d be happy for the Ducks if they won.
Petrocelli @ 265
The chart was good stuff, and came from absolutely nowhere. Abu had to be loading his trowsers about then (he immediately began calling Whitehouse “Sir”).
The real gem of Whitehouse’s second chance was his pointing out that OIG & OPR are being fronted by DOJ to protect the internal inquiry. Remember OPR doesn’t issue a public report, and only looks into lawyers conduct as lawyers, not at administrative functions (the USA thing is admin, not law). Abu was completely pinned on this. Whitehouse would not let him up until he was completely prostrate.
Repeated viewings of that sequence (I know, get a life) reveal a very deep understanding of conspiracy and DOJ policy and practice by the Senator. I am so glad I digitized the hearings. Just beautiful.
Petrocelli @ 268
In the year 2023, my Caps will get in… I have no particular love for waterfoul.
newtonusr @ 270
When I saw Whitehouse’s chart and heard his queries, I had a ‘moment of enlightenment’ where I could see his previous remarks and where they all led to check mate of Abu. It’s a pity that Conyers & Co. did not go after Abu today with the same zeal as Leahy & Co. did that day.
At the outset today, Abu looked like a man facing a firing squad.
Petrocelli @ 271
During today’s hearing, I got a call from a client and had to bail for about ten minutes. When I returned, Abu had appearently just been drilled by someone. I have to find a half hour this weekend to scrub my way thru the vid – FDL was on fire!
newtonusr @ 273
EW and some other phenomenal attorneys were on, so I lurked and read their comments. I wish the committee had a direct feed for FDL’s blogs today, Abu would have been screwed, blued and tattoed.
Petrocelli @ 273
Someday, Dems in Congress will figure out that their best investigative may come from the ranks of the Dirty F$%^&@* Hippies, and Marcy will be put to great use. She’s a treasure. Have you read her book? Simply stunning grasp of issues.
newtonusr @ 275
I haven’t read a book in 2 years because I’m writing one on my own. It’s on meditation, but I don’t want another author’s words or style coming into mine, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us. I have read some of Marcy’s posts and she is a brilliant attorney.
Petrocelli @ 275
You’re right! You really don’t want to go there now. Congrats on the book.
And I’m not sure, but I don’t know if Marcy has a JD. She has her PhD, making it all the more interesting how she grasps legal issues instinctively, instead of by training.
A zebra doesn’t change its stripes. I witnessed Giuliani in NY for his whole tenure. I pity this country if he gets anywhere near the Oval. People have no idea how bad this man is, how truly uncaring, sadistic and evil he has become.
Ask yourselves this: WHY DO HIS OWN CHILDREN DISAVOW ANY INVOLVEMENT AT ALL IN HIS CAMPAIGN OR HIS LIFE. AND THEY ARE QUIET ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE IS VERY VERY DANGEROUS, AND THEY ARE AFRAID.
Why would anyone want to invite Giuliani into their home any way? I honestly don’t understand. The stink of sulphur would linger so bad, it’d be almost as bad as having Darth in the house.
Does Iowa’s Inheritance Tax actually bear the title, “Death Tax?” I thought the Death Tax was the levy that said you can’t take it with you. Only God can repeal the Death Tax.
Even if that is the real title, why does a Presidential candidate think Paris Hilton’s inheritance should not be assessed at any approximation of what the desk clerks and maids in her family’s company have to pay?
When Repubs call Dems “elitist,” they’re calling them traitors to the upper class.
Trex… i loved your post, but a friend of mine took exception to your use of the word “oily “… i know what definition you intended, but he is convinced that you were using an ethnic slur against italian americans. can you comment please? he isnt swayed by my comments.