Zed!

Fitz!

This is twice in one week. I love doing childish stuff like this

Fed!

Zitz!

So many little Hitlers running around. I’m beside myself.

This Just In: Portland Grandmothers Acquitted of 9/11 Attacks!

http://freewayblogger.blogspot…..itted.html

Actually I’m not worried in the least. “Super Hillary” will save us.

Writers Guild files unfair labor practice complaint against studios.

So many politicians trying to deceive us. It’s difficult to decide which to support.

Now the bad news, Late night hosts may be heading back to TV

I envision a Libby Rove show.

OT..

Dodd To Hillary And Obama: Will You Make Good On Your Promise To Support My FISA Filibuster?

link

The challenge has gone out..let’s see who responds..

Did it.

I feel totally comfortable with Obama or Hillary as the Democratic standard bearer.

The front runners will have to consult their consultants before making a “decision”.

I can’t see the DGA doing any better in their negotiations. It’s not like they’re going to go in and say, “We don’t want our fair share of the revenues from the new media. Just go ahead and keep the money for yourselves. We’ll just work for free!” So why are they bothering to start negotiations themselves?

I howled. I love these grannies. Bet they don’t use words like “scared” when they speak out.

OT: Huckabee is now leading in Florida.

There’s gonna be a filibuster, there’s gonna be a filibuster:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..931/422135

Ryan White’s mom is on MSNBC speaking out against Huckelberry!!!

Ow…I just fell off my chair…./s

And Reid is an as*h*le.

Today, that FISA fight we’ve all been waiting for begins — and it’s time to separate the leaders from the capitulators.

In a few hours, Majority Leader Harry Reid will ask for something called a “motion to proceed” on FISA, effectively disregarding Chris Dodd’s “hold” on the bill.

It’s unfortunate that he chose to go this route, to introduce a bill including retroactive immunity when another route could have been chosen just as easily.

So … that means Chris Dodd will start by introducing an amendment to strip retroactive immunity out of the bill.

But if that doesn’t work, he will do all he can to stop this bill that threatens our security, and that may include a “filibuster.”

Remember when this all started playing out? A lot of people rushed to send out strongly worded press releases about how committed they were to “supporting a filibuster.”

They’ll have a chance to show they are true to their word.

Call or email the Senators that pledged their opposition to this bill to support the Dodd Amendment and a filibuster if necessary. And ask them to be there with Dodd when it counts.

Yep: I saw that at mediabistro.com this morning.

BTW, gang: at the WGA widget, Daily Show and Colbert Report are under T alpha.

OT: Huckabee is now leading in Florida.

The Huckster prays in a fashion acceptable to the Republics, tolerant group that they are. It’s well known that prayer technique is the overriding quality Republic voters consider when choosing a candidate.

Dave Bianculli did an interview on Fresh Air yesterday with Marshall Herskovitz, and near the end, they had a clarifying discussion about the writers/producers/corporate entities involved in the WGA strike and dispute. The distinctions he drew between the producers and corporate entities was especially helpful, because it revealed how they (the AMPTP) have been able to control some of the narrative story here, too.

Herskovitz is himself a producer and completely aligned with the writers on this issue. Those who are calling themselves producers are really media conglomerates. But you won’t be reading that every where. Kudos to Bianculli for giving him time to clarify it.

Background:

Marshall Herskovitz and his working partner Edward Zwick created and produced the critically acclaimed shows thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again. Their new collaboration is Quarterlife, a show aired in 8-minute segments on the Web site of the same name.

It’s about a group of 20-somethings coming of age in the digital world, but it’s not just a show: Like most every Web-entertainment venture launched these days, if offers user forums and functions as a social-networking platform. NBC recently announced that it’s acquired the rights to air Quarterlife in 2008.

OT Rudy down to 3rd in Fla (Muck); Obama on top by 9 points in Iowa (Muck)

LS at 18 on filibuster. Somehow, I think, they will not allow a filibuster. I dont think that the leaders want to see Dems filibustering Dems, and let’s face it, this Dem leadership is all/only about how things appear on the surface, not the substance underneath.

Florida would seem to be a must win for Rudy.

OT Rudy down to 3rd in Fla (Muck)

But, but… Rudy told Timmeh Florida was in the bag!!

And, per Kos, Edwards was denied matching funds by FCC for ActBlue sums. (As they say with this FCC crew, why am I not surprised).

this Dem leadership is all/only about how things appear on the surface, not the substance underneath.

Things don’t appear to be very good, on the surface or otherwise.

WRT to the “The,” much appreciated.

Badwater: That too!

Jane,

Thanks for contacting RBG and helping me get my login woes straightened out. All is well now, and it’sgoodtobeback.

FWIW I still can’t quote anyone without retyping it all over again. All I CAN do (in terms of snappy site stuff) is what you see here – type/think.

ot – reid is on the senate floor now, speaking on fisa. c-span2

Tin foil hat time:

Is it possible that the lack of negotiations at this time is to keep Stewart/Colbert off the air until after the primaries?

It’s happened before. (Hostages 1980)

Just throwing this out there.

FWIW I still can’t quote anyone without retyping it all over again. All I CAN do (in terms of snappy site stuff) is what you see here – type/think.

Copy what you want to quote. Hit reply. Then hit the quote marks in the comment box (”). Then paste the info you are quoting between the two blockquote pieces.

ackkkk!!! fucking kabuki on the senate floor.

WTF? Both FISA bills are being submitted, Reid is on the floor of the Senate now on C-Span 2…

nope – just the ssci version.

have i mentioned recently how much i despise senator reid?

it would be nice now to have senator dodd make a counter statement.

Hey, Jane,

The Daily Show and Colbert Report are not in the addies of the WGA tool.

I did send this to House, though…

To: The Producers of “House”
From: BargainCountertenor

I’d like to tell you how much my wife and I have enjoyed House since we discovered it earlier this year. I’d also like to register my dismay at the tactics the AMPTP has adopted in their negotiations with the WGA.

I am an academic, and consequently I am also a writer. Writing is integral to my profession, and I appreciate well-crafted work, whether from my students, my professional peers, or from the writers of screenplays. Hugh Laurie is one of the best actors of our generation, but his genius is based on the writer’s inspiration. Without writers there is no House.

The AMPTP has walked away from the bargaining table twice. They have negotiated by issuing ultimatums and then walking away. They have engaged in name-calling, referring to the writers as “ideologues” and “radicals.” I have never heard this sort of language in labor negotiations in this country. It smacks of the Red-Scare tactics of the 1950s.

The CEOs of the motion picture and television industry have said that they expect digital rights to produce an increasing revenue stream in the future. Sumner Redstone of Viacom expects to double digital revenues this year. The writers are entitled to a share of those revenues. AMPTP’s claim that the internet and other digital markets are too iffy, too conjectural to offer writers a share are in contradiction to the industry’s pitch to investors.

You can’t have it both ways. Either digital rights represent a huge potential revenue source (I believe they do, along with all the CEOs), or the whole idea of digital rights is pie-in-the-sky.

I love House. My wife loves House. More than I love House, though, I believe that the writers should be treated fairly. If I write a best-selling novel, I will collect royalties on its sale. If my brass quintet ever makes a hit single of the Bach g-minor fugue, we’ll collect royalties on the sales. Hugh Laurie collects residual payments from reruns of House and from the sale of DVDs. The writers are entitled to the same sort of residual payment for their work.

Please tell your representatives to pressure AMPTP back to the bargaining table; to stop crisis management; to bargain fairly and equitably with the WGA.

Sincerely,

BargainCountertenor

This shit should have been stopped in the SIC..Thanks: Jay, DiFi and Sheldon.

Did you check down under “T” as in The Daily show and The Colbert Report? Someone up above mentioned this.

Anyone want to write casey on FISA
http://www.bobcasey.com
EMAIL: comments@bobcasey.com

this shit should have been stopped by a hold from senator dodd.

wyden up – speaking on fisa now.

OT
This can’t be good..

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has put the country’s nuclear weapons under the control of the president, rather than the prime minister.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7144710.stm

Thanks Dakine. You are the first to explain this in a way that makes sense. Alas, we used to be able to cut and paste, and most of the time I don’t feel like recopying what someone has said earlier. :-)

A presidential candidate that rejects evolution! Somebody help!

Selise: I am so with you on Reid. And, he keeps doing this for the DCC Dems. I honestly think that we need to form a third party that then can engage in the discussions and whose voice will be listened to (as for example with Germany).

Fear not – Huck today hired Ed Rollins. HA HA HA

You’re welcome. It’s not that big a deal. But the new system does relieve some of the pressure on the servers. As I understand it, every time we quoted in the old way, the entire quote got repeated as another entry in the database so it put extra pressure on a thread.

With the good come a few hiccoughs.

I realize it puts pressure on the servers but it is very disconnected now. I don’t know what someone said 15 comments ago and I find trying to go back and forth wears me out so I don’t. It’s not like a conversation any more – just a bunch of comments.

ack. where’s dodd? wyden is speaking against immunity, but he’s uninspiring and he’s saying all kinds of nice things about reid.

this shit should have been stopped by a hold from senator dodd.

A “hold” is legislative fiction..It just means that a Senator says he won’t agree to a unanimous consent. If there is not a unanimous consent then the bill can be brought to the floor by a “motion to proceed.” It seem to me that with less than 40 votes willing to block this sack of shit…The only way to have stopped would have been to keep it in committee or for Reid not to bring anything to the floor.

Kagro x

oh, i don’t disagree – it’s just that there ought to be several points at which it could be stopped…. especially as there is another perfectly good bill from the sjc.

…continuing… what i mean to say is that the way this is being handled says to me that the majority of dems (or at least the one with power) want reid to do what he is doing – he’s never get away with it otherwise.

oh, i don’t disagree – it’s just that there ought to be several points at which it could be stopped…. especially as there is another perfectly good bill from the sjc

My impression is that, since the “good guys” don’t have the votes, any bill can and would be amended with all of the “bad stuff” and there would be no way to stop it. So no matter where the starting point is, the same shit comes out at the end. I wonder if it can be stopped in conference?

With my “whip” count, I have 14 Dems+Lieberman who would/will vote with the Thugs. The “fire wall” was breached by DiFi, Jay and Sheldon in the SIC vote.

controversial amendment take 60 votes to pass.

so, if reid brought up the sjc bill, adding in immunity would take 60 votes. (41 to block)

but with the ssci bill, taking out immunity takes 60 votes.

it may be impossible either way – but 41 votes is easier to get than 60.

Jane,

Thank you for the WGA widget. I used it to send a love notes to about 7 lucky executives of my fav shows (yes I’m embarrased that I watch so much teevee.)

Your widget is even better and more efficient than http://www.congress.org which is what I use to write my rep, two senators and the PREZNIT all at once. I’ve stopped including the PREZNIT in my daily missives becuase I think he’s getting them from a more reliably delivery mechanism (the NSA.) Boo-Ya.

Thanks JANE!

The??? Who alphabetizes things under The????

Hi selise, No New Hampshire this weekend. I am not keen on pitching around in the snow.

A hold is not legislative fiction.

In response to Richmond @ 34

FWIW I still can’t quote anyone without retyping it all over again. All I CAN do (in terms of snappy site stuff) is what you see here – type/think.

Copy what you want to quote. Hit reply. Then hit the quote marks in the comment box (”). Then paste the info you are quoting between the two blockquote pieces.

In response to dakine01 @ 37

Thanks Dakine. You are the first to explain this in a way that makes sense. Alas, we used to be able to cut and paste, and most of the time I don’t feel like recopying what someone has said earlier. :-)

In response to Richmond @ 48

You’re welcome. It’s not that big a deal. But the new system does relieve some of the pressure on the servers. As I understand it, every time we quoted in the old way, the entire quote got repeated as another entry in the database so it put extra pressure on a thread.

With the good come a few hiccoughs.

In response to dakine01 @ 52

I realize it puts pressure on the servers but it is very disconnected now. I don’t know what someone said 15 comments ago and I find trying to go back and forth wears me out so I don’t. It’s not like a conversation any more – just a bunch of comments.

I agree — said I wouldn’t be harping on this any more after the first night under the new system, but since you bring it up …

The conversations can be reconstructed, but it is tedious. (I just did it for this one, but even so left out the beginning.)

However, it is very nice to have ‘Preview’ back on MSXP/Opera — thanks!

Howsomeever — the reappearance of ‘Edit’ would be GREAT! Don’t know how twain AT 53 got replied to abovewhen it was richmond AT 54 I was aiming for (I think). But that’s also the point of having the complete quoting mechanism: if you mis-aimed or if the software messed up, you see it in preview before submitting the comment.

Oh well. Enough of this critiquing for another week.

Hi Jane, I wrote to the Daily Show last night and this morning I got that mailer-daemon thingy in email saying it couldn’t be delivered.
Maybe they didn’t like my tone:

Hey, Fatcats! You need writers. Writers need a union when you, fatcats, get even greedier than usual. Grotesque greed. That’s you. But you still need writers. It’s their words making you the bucks, making you the fatcats. It’s their lack of words making you little men. Grasping, greedy, grotesque little men.
All you hve to do is be fair. Simple. Try it, you’ll like it. See? It’s
still all about the words.
And aren’t you losing some money with your excessive greed right about now?
Silly fatcats.
J.C.
I’ll try the Colbert address.