zed

So, Christy!

I read this article and laughed all the way through it. It was such a transparent post hoc rationalization shoe-horn attempt to make every self-serving McCain flip-flop on an issue fit the “gosh, I sure am standing on principle” mold. And it was sadly lacking.

Edmund Burke, my ass…

Has McCain fillibustered even One pork barrel spending bill in the past 7 years?

You know he is in trouble when they compare him to Burke. National Review
did that with Limbaugh some years back to give him the blessing of the
already marginal. The Atlantic isn’t what it used to be.

Whew, I’ve spent all morning trying to get here.. my tubes very wonky earlier. I finally got thru Kos’s blogroll..

Ah Christy! You never disappoint.

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Our hyper fella, when pre-school-ish, used to laugh and cry at the same time on occasion when he got too excited.

So I’ll choose door #3.

Christy, you forgot you snark tag. What? This isn’t snark?

You think it’s bad now, just wait. As they get closer to the election and even more desperate, they’ll pull out all the stops.

Headline: “Is McCain the Second Coming of Jesus? If not, how do you explain Obama being Satan?”

Boxturtle (I got a future writing rightwing puff jobs, you think?)

great post Christy….

OT…methinks this will not be a good day for Hillary’s campaign…take a lookey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..838/507664

Crash: Edmund Burke ?
Annie: Edmund Burke!
Crash: Edmund Burke?!
Annie: Edmund Burke!
Crash: What do you mean Edmund Burke?
Annie: I mean Edmund Burke!

I’m disgusted with McBush because of his stand on the war, and mostly because he’s flip-flopped on the very issues he had stood up for in the past. Not only has he turned tail and run on torture, but also failed to back legislation that would help veterans. But mostly, I’m disgusted because he is my own representative in Congress, so it makes me feel powerless and unspoken for, particularly because my House Rep is also a Rethug, and my only other Senator is Kyl.

That’s got to be a mock up. No way those two are so stupid to say things like that with a camera right in their face.

Boxturtle (If it ain’t, somebody pass the popcorn!)

man that photo of McGiggolo,looks like Lotts wife after she looked back….spine shivers

We need to pressure the corporate media (no longer referred to as mainstream) to reveal him for who he is: a right wing idealogue, like his mentor, shrub.

I expect someone won’t be an adviser to Clinton’s campaign much longer. But in respect to Hillary’s campaign today????

Just stupid poo-flinging if you ask me.

Wow, who knew that Carville’s look has actually improved since then (blech)

I see no chance that the media will do this. It’s up to us. And youtube.

McCain voted against Bush’s big tax cuts, but now says he supports extending them rather than risking damage to the economy. Flip-flop? Not if you believe, as Burkeans often do, that sudden and large policy changes deserve skepticism, but that when a policy becomes well established and woven into everyday life, as the tax cuts have, continuity should get the benefit of the doubt.

You could use this same logic to defend Jim Crow laws. After all, you wouldn’t want to move too fast on something like that. Continuity of injustice should not be overturned on a whim.

As for “Burkean”, I think this is just a made up term that means that anything that John McCain does is “Burkean” and anything that is “Burkean” is OK. In other words, Burkean is the new IOKIYAR.

“transparent post hoc shoe-horn attempt to make every self-serving [StVain] flip flop on an issue fit the ‘gosh, I sure am standing on principle’ mold.”

Gee hon. Don’t hold back. Just say what ya’ mean. hee hee

Let me join you on that bench, Ann. It is so frustrating.

Hugh are you going to add Mary Gade, regional administrator of U.S. EPA to your list?

707

He’s so Mavericky

well those are his stylings

Morning Christy, I tried but I couldn’t stop laughing even though you said to.

So the Keating 5, that was just a little misunderstanding?

Internal poll here:

Is the candydate 1. in de-nial, or 2. see-nile?

And no fair accusing me of picking on your Gramma Bunchkins.

She’s not running for Prez. of this once great country, this fella IS, with all the, um, forces at his command.

Anyone ever ask him in public how many c***s he’s got on his staff? *shudder*

kinda like garlicky only not so good

*Gasp!*

McCain didn’t flip-flop. He sold out.

As compliant as the media may be, it’s not working. He sold out on tax cuts. He sold out on torture – that’s the big one, cause he was tortured. Go figure. And he sold out on Iraq. I haven’t heard him talking about how we’re winning in Iraq lately. He’s a total sell out. Or, as people like to say, he drank the kool aid.

Keating 5? Gee, he’ll have to get back to you on that. No memory of anything remotely like that. Was it a rock band? He prefers c*ntry.

McCain didn’t flip-flop. He sold out.

he sold out our future for his gain today.

Hi Christy!

It’s going to be a high energy Spring weekend!

Real Wild Child – Iggy Pop

Those pork ribs need more lipstick sauce?

Not if you believe, as Burkeans often do, that sudden and large policy changes deserve skepticism, but that when a policy becomes well established and woven into everyday life, as the tax cuts have, continuity should get the benefit of the doubt.

Really? So if Burkeans are in favor of retaining Bush’s several-years-old tax cuts for “continuity” because they’re “well established”, then they must be rabidly in favor of decades-old New Deal programs, labor protections, business regulations, and more, right?

I smell bullshit!

you’re kidding, right?

i vote he oughta put that stoopid cap back on.

Bush did that. He just “drank the kool aid”.

Has anyone proposed raising the capital gains tax 5% and lowing the 33% income tax rate 5%? Closing the gap, just a little.

Funny, you should mention “Burkean” :)

I loved the whole time he was spewing, he was also linking lots….

(This made me roflmao and there’s more!!)

This “Blog Watch” entry examines Firedoglake, the hard-left attack platform of Jane Hamsher and her venomous anti-Bush cadres.
(my bold)

http://burkeanreflections.blog…..glake.html

On YOUR Dime: Congressmen Lease Luxury Cars
Little-Known But Exploited Loophole Allows Politicians To Drive, Maintain Expensive Cars, SUVs On Taxpayer Money
Rep. Charles Rangel: ‘My Constituents Appreciate It’
Reporting
Pablo Guzman NEW YORK (CBS) ― You may not realize it, but members of the House of Representatives can lease a car and have it paid for by you — the taxpayer. And it’s not just the car, but gas, registration, insurance … the works.
hahahahahahaha,were so stoopit

Hugh are you going to add Mary Gade, regional administrator of U.S. EPA to your list?

I had not heard this before. For some reason I can’t pull up the Tribune story on it although I did get the AP one. I would like to know who the two top EPA officials were who demanded her resignation.

No, i’m not. With the strands of hair, he looked like the Cryptkeeper

“venomous anti-Bush cadres”

You mean 72% of the population?

Wow! Those chaps are so … obviously … bright, they must be among the … best.

D’uh, Indiana, is you listenin’?

But, that was ‘then’ and this is so ‘now’ …

WHOA!!!

Where did this come from? There’s three big-time Hillary supporters in this clip. What a despicable vibe, these guys have been playing nasty from the get-go.

Ain’t YouTube grand? LOL

In our boring lives, encumbered with responsibilities and trivia,
taking out the recycling and paying the electric bill,
it is not often that we can really make a difference,
doing something to truly make the world a better place.
But, this week, I had the rare opportunity to do so.

I let my subscription to The Atlantic lapse.

Goodbye, Andrew and Ross and Megan and Jeffrey. And Jonathan.

Now for something completely different…While I couldn’t get in the lake this morning I was web-surfing..

‘Longshoremen should finish unloading 6,700 tons of sand contaminated with depleted uranium and lead Tuesday afternoon, said Chad Hyslop, spokesman for the disposal company American Ecology.

The BBC Alabama arrived at the port Saturday afternoon with the 306 containers carrying the contaminated sand from Camp Doha, a U.S. Army base in Kuwait. The sand was packaged in bags designed to transport hazardous waste.’
http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6414

Homeland Task Force To Be Ready By Fall

Published on Monday, April 28, 2008.
http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6398

FEMA announced recently that they will be conducting a national disaster exercise called National Level Exercise 2-08 (NLE 2-08) from May 1st through May 8th. The purpose of this exercise is to prepare and respond to multiple incidents including natural disasters and terrorist incidents.
http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6394

‘The Bank of England has imposed a permanent news blackout on its £50bn-plus plan to ease the credit crunch.’
http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6415

Can we get that repealed? Where do they need to drive? When they are home, they can drive their own damn car. In D.C. public transportation is always an option or peddle power

Whoosh! This is not going to go down well with the w-nuts i’m familiar with, by proxy thru their relatives. heh. u.g.l.y. and no place to hide.

hooray for the toobz & utoob, with FDL at the ready with the picnic basket all sorted and packed. May need xtra napkins tho. & some-a dose babywipes.

yes HILL has 35 years of good experience

we are exploited everywhere

If you do add it to the List, I would be very honored. Many, many people are proud of your service to our country. Thank You!

The same people who say this crap are equally dismissive of anything that smells of liberalism; the liberal cabal that’s responsible for, among other things, the Global Warming panic and losing in Iraq. I can’t tell if they really believe the crap they spew, or if they’ve just stopped thinking.

whoot! be wery afraid, wingers. *Waves walking stick in the air **g**

the hard-left attack platform of Jane Hamsher and her venomous anti-Bush cadres.

Aw, man! I really liked being a rabid lamb. Venomous cadre? Is that like Zombies?

There is this headline from the NYT: U.S. Sheds Fewer Jobs Than Expected

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05…..ref=slogin

It tries to spin a 20,000 job loss in April as a good thing since analysts were expecting a drop of 85,000. The problem is, of course, is that these initial numbers aren’t real but based on projections. We won’t have a good idea on what happened in April until next month.

Big grin :) (can’t do the emoticon thingy)

Personally, sadly, I’ve about had it with the ‘best and brightest …’

Been around too long, I guess.

Here. Have a fresh cookie, warm from the oven. Milk with that?

And here is the corollary to IOKIYAR:

It’s OK If You Are John McCain (IOKIYAJM)

give them a bike (most of them need the exercise anyway) with a tire pump. For those that can’t bike due to physical limitations, give them the IRS mileage rate.

me too…….new ideas please…McAncient

Probably already been discussed here, but still this is an interesting collection of folks who have had their paperwork fingered….

‘MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – In two states where US attorneys are already under fire for serious allegations of political prosecutions, seven people associated with three federal cases have experienced 10 suspicious incidents including break-ins and arson.’
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/….._0430.html

hahahahahahahahahahaha
all the kings men

Someone should start a website that tells us what issues/policies that John McCain is in favor of that day. So the rib eaters can keep their spin up to date.

It would be a lot of work to keep that up to date.

from americablog

This was during the first Clinton campaign for the White House, and this guy is now a Hillary campaign adviser. Mickey Cantor, who was the chairman of Clinton-Gore ‘92, a secretary of commerce under Bill Clinton, and a friend of the Clintons since the 1970s, calls Indiana voters “worthless white n–gers” in front of George Stephanopoulos and James Carville, neither of whom says anything about it (nice, George, can’t wait to see the questions at your campaign event, I’m sorry, your “townhall meeting” with Hillary in Indiana on Sunday). He also calls Indiana voters a “worthless piece of shit.” Oh, and before anyone says this was a long time ago, it was only a few years before Obama went to Ayers’ home – same decade – so it’s just as relevant. Also, imagine had an Obama adviser made these comments? It would be a media firestorm. This is also relevant since Hillary continues to associate with this man for 13 years following his offensive remarks. What’s that say about her character? (Personally, I’d have left that church a long time ago.) Not to mention, I’m not sure what the statute of limitations in politics is for using the N-word. The Indiana primary is Tuesday.

It’s creating jobs and THAT is good for the economy *g*

I think most of the 72% are anti-Bush rabble. You have to be somewhat organized to be “cadres.” (Nice bit of red-baiting with that term, though; I’m sure the wingnuts appreciated it.)

I think that whole Ayers thing is past dumb but since folks are stuck on stupid, she should be asked about this as well. i’ll give her the benefit of the doubt that she had no prior knowledge of his remarks but she could at least denounce and reject.

it is fair game,cause she also said about voters SCREW EM

CNN.com reporting that the House Judiciary Committee is threatening to subpoena Rove. Rove’s attorney says Rove will “discuss” the case, but not under oath and with no transcription of the discusion.

Rove offered to do that a long time ago, didn’t he?

yeah none of that pesky stuff that could be later used as evidence to show that he was lying

Oh, my. I anticipate a Very Strongly Worded Letter.

So why was Edmund Burke the biggest cut-and-run advocate in parliament? Also, I wonder if Rauch knows McCain’s position on same sex marriage, of which Rauch is a strong proponent.

I wish the conservatives would get together and decide who gets to be the new Burke, the new Reagan, the new Goldwater, the new Metternich, the new Torquemada, the new Helms, the new Atilla, etc., for all the great conservative roles in history.

This is in reference direclty to the Siegelman case. I believe this was not part of the previous attempts to subpoena him.

Hamsher also gained notoriety for her vile slurs against National Review’s Kate O’Beirne, whom she called “a dangerous bitch,” a “foaming fascist,” and announced that the “bitch is dead meat.”

James O’Beirne, the husband of the bitch is also a neo-con fascist. He was responsible for the Destruction Reconstruction of Irak.

Yeah. I’n not holding my breath.

G’mornin’ ‘pups. Whu’sup?

Suggest you start your own list, and not rely on the media or punditidiocy.

They’re out there, and they appreciate us as much as we appreciate them. Feingold, Leahy, Kennedy, Conyers, Byrd, Waxman, Sherrod Brown, …

Send ‘em a “thanks” once in awhile, if it seems appropriate to you. To be on the safe side, keep it issue specific. Might as well cover yer own backside while you’re patting them on the shoulder. These are wickedly difficult times to dare to be strong and honest for real, and not just pretend for the cameras.

McCain as Edmond Burke? Bobo Brooks is on that same fantasy ride. The RNC, in lieu of the Pentagon this time, must be handing out season tickets to the kept media. The comparison is laughable, but so are all the others, like Bush as Truman or Churchill. Those pairings have historians guffawing in the usually silent faculty reading room.

The spinmeisters that fabricate those analogies portray Americans as knowing as little about their own history as they do about particle physics. They paint themselves as cynical, false, shameless abusers of the people whose power their clients desperately crave.

Truth is, there aren’t many analogies for McCain. He’s a Navy legacy with a far more famous father and grandfather, a so-so fighter jock who miraculously survived five years at the infamous Hanoi “Hilton” POW camp. He’s an average pol with more ambition than brains, more cynicism than integrity, whose idea of “financial planning” is marrying the right trophy wife the second or third time around. He has an effective PR team that repeatedly reinvents him to cover his scandals. If you really need an analogy for him, just scan the list of Congressional Republicans. Dime a dozen. Not the unique leadership skills for a troubling time that we need.

From earlier today

Large 7.0 Earthquake Hits Aleutian Chain, Alaska – No Tsunami Warning Issued

The four current earthquake swarm areas as mapped below are getting more active.
Folks on the W coast be safe.
Actually, everyone be safe…:)
http://www.earthchangesmedia.c….._zone1.jpg

Really???

Way. To. Go. (((((JANE!)))))

Ding.

But very, very po-lite.

The Dems have ’standards’, you know?

Jonathon Rauch seems to fervently believe this: You guys!

operative word two words in this sentence;

seems to because there is not a chance on the planet he really believes it

wow did ya know the secret service was on this huys butt?

Clive businessman Marty Parrish was escorted from Sen. John McCain’s town hall meeting by Des Moines police and members of the Secret Service after asking McCain if he had called his wife Cindy an expletive in 1992.

Parrish, an ordained Baptist minister who holds a master’s degree in political science, was questioned by Secret Service agents before being released. He was not charged in the incident. Parrish asked whether McCain called his wife Cindy an expletive related to the female anatomy, as has been alleged in the book “The Real McCain,” written by Dem strategist Cliff Schecter.

McCain’s response got him a round of applause from the crowd: “There’s people here who don’t respect that kind of language, so I’ll move on to the next questioner in the back.”

In an interview with IowaPolitics.com, Parrish said his intentions were simple in posing the question to McCain. The former Joe Biden campaign worker stressed he is very concerned about the Republican presidential nominee’s temperament.

“We have a man whose temper can get the best of him,” Parrish said. “What I am worried about is his temper. Our country is in a serious crisis. This election is the most significant one since 1860. It appears America is asleep — so I stood up and asked the question.”

McSame said he hates gooks, THIS YEAR!

Why can’t THAT youtube show up for cripes sake?

I agree with you that this is just as relevant as the Ayers crap – not very!

Sorry, more OT on the earthquake thingy…

‘MOGUL, Nev. – An unusually intense swarm of earthquakes — more than 1,000 over the past two months — has struck directly beneath a small suburb of Reno, leaving residents shaken and scientists puzzling over the cause.

More than 20 quakes of magnitude 2 or higher have hit on some days, and the intensity and frequency of the quakes has been increasing over time rather than following the normal pattern of tailing off.’

http://www.azcentral.com/news/…..30-ON.html

On McBu’ush:

John McCain Adores the War and Ignores the Warriors

Everyone knows McCain is a former prisoner of war, but did you know he refuses to support a bipartisan effort to modernize the GI Bill and has voted against nearly every effort to increase funding for healthcare and disability benefits for wounded soldiers? Did you know that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) gave him a D+ when they scored his voting record (whereas Obama got a B+ and Clinton an A-). Do you know that he voted with the interests of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) only 20 percent of the time?…

…Reporters habitually rehashed his story of heroism four decades ago without looking at his voting record in the present. But now that he’s the presumptive Republican nominee for president, a coalition of veterans groups, liberal activists, and Democratic PACs have decided to target McCain over his failure to support S.22, a bipartisan effort to improve the GI Bill.

The bill, by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., would bring back WWII-era measures that provided vets with full college tuition along with room and board. Right now, those vets who try to use the GI Bill to attend school are eligible to receive only $1,100 a month for a maximum of three years. It is an amount that doesn’t come close to covering the cost of a modern college education.

So far 57 senators have signed on as co-sponsors. But the bill remains three votes short of the supermajority necessary to kill a filibuster.

“It’s time for Sen. McCain to stand up for veterans and be a leader,” the chairman of VoteVets, Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz, said in a statement. “The success or failure of this bill largely rests on his shoulders. He is the de facto leader of the Republican Party. If he signs onto the bill, it will pass and become law. If he doesn’t support it, he needs to explain why he doesn’t.”…

Why? Well, it’s obviously Jeremiah Luther Wright’s fault.

I saw a video clip that dosido (if I remember, correctly) put up, about Waxman meeting some voters …

Rather, shall we say, ‘disappointing’ …

But, (sigh) I know, these are the BEST we’ve got.

Lesser weevils are better than evil weevils or something like that …

Oh, yeah, it was a fine time. Ol’ 60 Grit hasn’t been as prominent lately, I guess, so we haven’t been mocking her as much.

yea,to me it shows how really AMORAL they are,thats all

He gets my standing ovation, but frankly I’m surprised he was only briefly detained. I wouldn’t have been shocked if he had been taken to jail, questioned, and then released!

No need to apologize. We appreciate the heads-up. Thanks!

Same thing can happen on this blog too.

for what?

hahahhhahaahahahahahha
teh true

speak for yourself, heh *blush*

I agree, but it seems to me that it shows how immoral the three jerks in the video are (really no surprise there), and really reflects very little on the current candidate.

(even so – dude has got to be GONE from the campaign TODAY)

CHS:

Correct me if I’m mixing up this Jonathan Rauch with someone else, but I’m pretty sure it’s this one.

For someone who supposedly believes this:

McCain voted against Bush’s big tax cuts, but now says he supports extending them rather than risking damage to the economy. Flip-flop? Not if you believe, as Burkeans often do, that sudden and large policy changes deserve skepticism, but that when a policy becomes well established and woven into everyday life, as the tax cuts have, continuity should get the benefit of the doubt.

…it’s discordant to see that he is an advocate of gay rights and marriage rights:

A critic of U.S. government public policy in general, and specifically in its relation to homosexuals, Rauch has pursued gay-related topics as an openly gay[2] author since 1991 when he spoke out against hate-crime laws in The New Republic, and is an avid proponent of same-sex marriage.

The key to understanding this contradiction? Rauch supported invading Iraq and he’ll adapt the requisite principles to support whoever continues that war.

As with most things, this is about the war.

asking the question, in public, in front of cameras

This is an interesting piece… McCain I believe is having some difficulties re; a recent fund-raiser by some of these folks….

‘Much has been written about whether a worldwide plan exists to control events and steer them in the direction profitable to an elite of the rich and powerful. Is this a “conspiracy theory”? While it is difficult to be specific about who exactly may be behind such a conspiracy, if it exists, it is at least clear that the privately- managed system of global financial capitalism gives ample opportunity for the world’s richest people to combine for their mutual benefit.’
http://www.rense.com/general81/extr.htm

Oh, I see, you mean taken to jail for what…

Embarrassing a Republican of course.

Pretty sure it’s the same guy. And you’ll thoroughly enjoy (not!) this charming column on the surge…pretty much sums things up nicely on that score, doesn’t it?

Wow, so if you use the c-word or better yet act like a journalist, you get frisked and questioned by the secret service? The other option is to toss Mccain a softball, spin whatever fucked up answer he comes up with and then eat some Costco ribs.

“Look, my good friends…”

I certainly don’t claim any of them are perfect. They get tired, stressed, pressured, threatened and, just like real people, have their less stellar moments. That’s why I suggested being issue-specific. I wouldn’t give ANYONE in office a free ride to sainthood, ever, no matter who.

I’m mostly referring to “steering” them in the direction you’d like. Who says there can’t be unpaid lobbyists for good causes? Go for it. *g*

Didn’t Cindy Sheehan go to jail for wearing a T-Shirt to the state of the union?

Excuse me? Our Jane? Vile and rude? Is this guy on drugs?

love that apron !!

CNN.com’s current poll:

Whose position on a gas-tax holiday do you favor?
Clinton and McCain’s support 40% 38045
Obama’s opposition 60% 58228
Total Votes: 96273

Voters doen’t seem to be buying into the positions of McSame and Clinton. By a large margin.

wasn’t really responding to Boxturtle – got distracted

I’m familiar with this pustule from (still) reading the Washington Post. In case my point wasn’t clear to others, the “principled” (as opposed to openly hateful) conservative critique of expanding marriage to gays is a “Burkean” one.

His Atlantic article I linked to, from June 2003, starts with this:

Quagmire? sure, the war in Iraq was a quagmire. It was just a short quagmire. On the spectrum of quagmires, it was the shortest since the six day war.

Good. It’s a transparently obvious con, and a stupid idea.

OMG! spew warning next time, please. blergh!

That means that Jane and FDL have acquired enough stature and power that the neocons fear them.

Her blog’s power is situational and distributed. It’s built around Free Speech 101: the basic force of sincerity and speaking truth to power. It upsets the kept media’s apple carts filled with canned lies, half truths and noise. Its power that can’t be co-opted by buying Jane a Brian Williams-477 horsepower Porsche and Connecticut farm house.

“Buying” FDL would achieve little. It’s just a stall in a new marketplace; others would spring up if her fruit began to seem overripe. If Rupert Murdoch gave Jane a dream budget to produce films for Fox in exchange for turning this blog into FoxDogLake, we’d find another blog. The beauty of this new marketplace is that corrupting its most successful stalls is like eating jello with a toothpick. It’s possible, but not effective.

hehehehe *g*

There’s some Eock n Rollin’ going on on the Senate Floor right now. Whitehouse and Nelson from FL are hard slamming Bu$h’s EPA!

sorry. spew warning in re: #112

thunder nearby, & toobz hiccuping here-abouts. better sign off.

P. E. A. C. E. Pups.

That pic is a keeper!

I love it. Calling a question McCain didn’t want to answer an “incident”. Questioning by the SS, being forcibly removed from the theater? Based on the tape available here yesterday, that’s intimidation, not security, and a violation of the First Amendment.

This flap gives McCain undeserved street cred for not answering a hard question. McCain isn’t four more years of Bush, he’s four more years of Cheney.

From the LA Times:

Teacher fired for refusing to sign loyalty oath

…

But the day before class was scheduled to begin, her appointment as a lecturer abruptly ended over just the kind of issue that might have figured in her course. She lost the job because she did not sign a loyalty oath swearing to “defend” the U.S. and California constitutions “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

The loyalty oath was added to the state Constitution by voters in 1952 to root out communists in public jobs. Now, 16 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main effect is to weed out religious believers, particularly Quakers and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

John Yoo almost certainly signed such a pledge.

Let me be the first to cast a stone.

OT. Hey! Rain’s a good thing. Taters are in, ditto onion sets & choy & a couple of to-be-gorgeous wildflowers bought to pamper so they spread and produce “free” babies for the former lawn.

Prairie. It’s what’s for flowers and happy peaceful critters, whether they be skunks or hawk moths or bluebirds or dragonflies! ;->

Beware the person who quickly signs a loyalty oath without a second thought.

o/t

Mary Tillman (Pat’s mom) to be on 60 Minutes this sunday

In her first TV interview, Mary Tillman says she is still seeking answers after seven military investigations and two congressional hearings into Pat’s death four years ago in Afghanistan

link

awesome. we did the same with native flowers and grasses here. Have a nice area for gardening but the rest are for the critters to enjoy

Such as.

I wonder if that is a school by school thing because I can’t a good amount of teachers at Cal State Long Beach signing that.

egads, what happened to the rest of my sentence?

I meant to say, that I can’t imagine a fair amount of professors at Cal State Long Beach signing such a thing.

Okay back to defrosting blocks of meat (damn freezer)

This “Burke Guy” has some issues with the Firedogs. But, he does want to “prevail in Irak”. He must not have heard the 5-01-03 speech. Kommander-Torture Guy specifically said we had “prevailed in the battle of Irak”.

Whether marked by narcissism, megalomania, or just plain stupidity (true Kos-style pathologies), Firedoglake is bad news for Americans committed to justice and rationalism, and especially for those who want to see the United States prevail in Iraq.

Loyalty Oath? Isn’t that like an Oath of Office? How quaint!

ulp! yeah, that’ll do.

corollary: how many folks remember dear Molly Ivins’ warnings about shrub’s promises vs. his endless strings of misdeeds?

his current low approval rating is well-earned, albeit way late in the game for any benefit to human- or any other -kind.

he and shooter belong in jail. toss the key.

I was thinking they’ll try to spin it as Kantor referring to either the media or Rove or Bush’s team…notHoosiers.

But how he could say that in front of Carville, a guy from a cultural group that has been called “White n******s” for over a hundred and fifty years absolutely defies any sensitivity measure. If Kantor was referring to the Bush Team…well he was calling Carville’s wife those obscenities.

I wonder why George and Jimmy didn’t pop Kantor in the mouth, and why he hasn’t been banned from campaigns henceforth. Maybe he could become a blogger – the “foul mouthed Clin-blogger”

“Or maybe…just maybe…McCain’s just a hypocritical oaf, with a staff and rash of supporters stuffed to the gills with lobbyists and big money special interests who want to ride that Sweet Talk Express gravy train all the way to Lining My Own Pockets Town.

And with a compliant media in tow still picking at the rib bones?”

“…just maybe?”

Christy, you are a gem…

I was wondering where you were studying.
Now I know.
And, btw I just love the way You and Adie are (mostly) such calm, rational speakers here.
In light of how some other people go off, may I say I really appreciate you two…not to exclude others. There are a lot of people here who I admire.

That cat is a real piece of work.

“I am a pro-victory Associate Professor of Political Science teaching in Southern California. I love my country, and I fully support current U.S. military operations around the world. I despise the hard-left radical agenda and discourse. I also abhor irrationalism in argumentation. I welcome comments and debate, and I’ll defend my positions vigorously. Yet in friendship, you’ll find no one more dignified, trustworthy, nor loyal.”

Wonder if he’s one more Armchair Warrior? No links to any actual CV or bio.

whoaaa – i’m late to the lake – FDL may change hands?? WTF!!! say it aint soooooooooooooooooo – i need to regroup

The clip is from “The War Room,” and they are talking about George H.W. Bush’s people. It’s from the first Clinton presidential campaign — way, way back.

If I could have one wish — just one — it would be that people do a little research.

Um…no.

“Sweet Talk Express.”

Heh.

That’s a phrase the Dems REALLY need to latch on to.

WHEWWWWW – THANKS CHRISTY!!! ok i can breathe now :o)… i’ll continue to read….

I have no idea if Yoo signed a loyalty oath, but here are some thoughts on the subject by Brad Delong.

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/…..nt-st.html

now this is plain bizarre, just gleamed from think progress;

Yesterday, Vice President Cheney’s office agreed to let chief of staff David Addington testify about the administration’s interrogation policies if he is subpoenaed by Congress. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing on the issue on May 6.

that’s got to be some kind of oversight, cheney is not going to let anyone testify

perhaps he will appear to invoke executive priviledge but I cannot believe cheney allows testimony

Adie;

I had a wonderful comment expressing how I agreed with you, which I do, but the ether ate it.

So I agrees.

But, with our help, maybe our reprsentatives can accomplish just a little bit more than they have heretofore …

‘Course it’s a two-way street, or should be.

Maybe they should try to help the people and the country and the ‘law’ and the Constitution just a little more too.

Is that fair?

yum…tastey

Ex-Iraq commander accuses Bush Administration of ‘gross incompetence’John Byrne
Published: Friday May 2,

In a new memoir set to be published May 6, the former commander of US forces in Iraq provides new intimate details of the goings-on at high levels of the Bush Administration in the first year of the Iraq war.

His sharp tongued conclusion: “Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars were unnecessarily spent, and worse yet, too many of our most precious military resource, our American soldiers, were unnecessarily wounded, maimed, and killed as a result. In my mind, this action by the Bush administration amounts to gross incompetence and dereliction of duty.”

Flip-flop? Not if you believe, as Burkeans often do, that sudden and large policy changes deserve skepticism, but that when a policy becomes well established and woven into everyday life, as the tax cuts have, continuity should get the benefit of the doubt.

And since the war and the integration of the military-corporate machine has woven itself into politics and daily life so firmly Johnny Boy has to be sceptical of making any policy changes there. He’s a Conservative!

I wonder if he’ll be saying the same thing when we are in a Depression…”well people are so used to insecurity and poverty that I have to give the idea of keeping it the benefit of a doubt.”

Same back at ya, hon.

It takes everyone, all styles. We need the sharply-worded, thought-provoking comments, more knowledgeable comments too, or this place would turn to mush.

You’ll see me go bonkers occasionally (?!?) teasing a suspected troll. A failing I deeply regret. causes me no end of shame… (hyper kids do grow older but, in my experience, rarely outgrow the condition) *g*

Check this one out perris.

NO.NO.NO……

I was arguing in support of Jane’s and FDL’s power, that it would be hard to make them change their perspective on public affairs and ultimately, of little use.

I was congratulating her for having built FDL to the point that the neocons and WingNuts have to acknowledge her success and trash her work in order to protect their own backsides.

I think he once taught at a local community college as a part-time (i.e. Adjunct) professor. Basic Government classes. I recall looking that up once. You don’t need anything more than a BA to teach at some CC’s if you are in a Master’s Program…but it’s probationary.

Hi all-
I’ve had this guy visit my place as well. How cool…kind of like being on a junior-league version of the White House Enemies’ List.

thnx – christy set me straight lol…… i love the lake and the pups rowing and swimming here ;o)

“Burke” is teaching about Political Science and Government. But he does not know we have prevailed in Irak. I would fire him for stupidity.

Firedoglake is bad news for Americans…who want to see the United States prevail in Iraq.

In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

Absolutely that’s fair in my book. Not a thing wrong with always striving to do more. Excellent idea to urge just that on your own congresscritters, as well as any others who try poking their heads above the crowd in any way whatsoever. I think all I was trying to say before is that showing them you notice, when they do something you find commendable, can be a very powerful tool in your kit. ;->

Here’s a nice summary of Ten Things You Should Know About John McCain.) I’ve seen them listed individually and intermittently but this makes a concise list. Found on Green 960 radio website. There are ten items, but I omitted some for length and so I wouldn’t ring anyone’s copyright bells.

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”

4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”

5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.

6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.

7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.

My bold

Thanks for the quote!

What an overstuffed piece of furniture he is. My my!

Building a new “normal” is the dream of every radical revolutionary. It’s one reason everyone in this administration, from top to bottom, loyally and constantly repeats the daily talking point in answer to virtually every question. “We don’t torture”, or “The president’s power is unlimited in wartime and can’t be challenged or reviewed by any other branch of government”. That’s hogwash in a new pail.

Constant repetition of the desired new norm doesn’t merit deference or respect, only skepticism, like any unthinking catechism that hides complexity.

Gut feeling: McSame’s eyes in that photo up top speak volumes, ALL of it certifiably scary, and I’m not easily rattled. That person does NOT belong ANYWHERE near the bigwhitehouse. IMHO

VERY tastey!

but your memo does not accurately capture the magnitude of the problem. Furthermore, I just can’t believe you didn’t know that Franks’s and McKiernan’s staffs had pulled out and that the orders had been issued to redeploy the forces.”

At that point, Rumsfeld became very excited, jumped out of his seat, and sat down in the chair next to me so that he could look at the memo with me. “Now just what is it in this memorandum that you don’t agree with?” he said, almost shouting.

Excellent point.

I particularly loved this part:

I despise the hard-left radical agenda and discourse. I also abhor irrationalism in argumentation.

Y’see, anyone who deigns to disagree with him is an Irrational Radical Hard Leftie.

Both his blog rants and his commenters seem to comprise one big Flag Lapel Pin Circle Jerk, predictably.

Yep. Well I s’pect he’ll sink like a stone at the Lake. It’s so transparent. I wanna call him a whoopiecushion. Is that a bad thing?

You make it easy for me to be agreeable, Adie.

wow, that gets better and better, he calls rumsfeld a liar straight to his face, great link

man, sorry to post this in pieces but this is really a great read;

After the meeting ended, I remember walking out of the Pentagon shaking my head and wondering how in the world Rumsfeld could have expected me to believe him.

I must post this and hopefully the generals get to understand that the very purpose of cheney and rumsfeld was to break our military, check this out from the link smgumby provides;

He was setting up his chain of denials should his actions ever be questioned. And worse yet, in my mind, he was attempting to level all the blame on his generals.

Yeah, guilty of being a 49er from CSULB.

((demi)) thanks for the compliment. After countless seminars and conferences, one learns to argue with reason and calm (although sometimes you do just want to scream at them). Thank goodness for yoga *g*

I hope, for many reasons, that this article gets widspread attention.

Am very relieved that not all of the TOP BRASS are complete fools, but I do wonder where it leaves the troops and the families who have lost loved ones to the madness.

The next test for the BRASS will be Iran.

Wonder how they’ll do …?

Perris 167 et al.

That stuff is chilling. I hope it is picked up and repeated far and wide.

rummy: another for the pokey. toss the key.

I agree with all your talking points *g*

Even the best among us fall off the log, which is why learning to sitdownandshutup meditate is so important … *g*

LMAO!!!!! good point petro – i must tell myself that on a regular basis

bye gang, and this time i mean it. light level looks like about 7:30 p.m. here, eek.

btw, o.k. all you gushy-sweet guys ‘n gals – u know who you are – what’s this place we’re in?! My mom used to call it a “Mutual Admiration Society.”

Enuf! People will start talking. So sweet, you make my teeth ache! *g*

P. E. A. C. E. is HARD WORK

We know that because georgie said it is so.

georgie, shooter, we’re not going away.

The Kantorgate story is going viral…

Adie, are your here?
Friends, please indulge me here…
I just got this email message about my 14 year old son’s IMovie about Biofuels which was entered into a contest….
email here:
Your entry, Biodiesel IV a Healthier World was selected as a
Digital Voice Awards 2008 winner. We do hope you will join us at the celebration
to honor you at the Digital Voice Awards program.
Ah ha….Asperger’s – Different, but not difficient.

Congrats, demi, both to your son, who, without question, is very bright and insightful, and to you, who has always believed and known the truth, and been an exceptional parent …

I share in your joy, and thank you for sharing.

David

This will be the election when it is finally realized that the corporate media is the one who decides the Presidency. Elections are merely a ritual to legitimatize the decisions of a corrupt and complicit media.

Thanks David..
With all the other BS going on in the world, we still love.
And, we lift up the good things in life.
(hearts to you too!)

A photojournalist from Al Jazeera was released from Gitmo yesterday and arrived in Khartoum this morning. He was in Gitmo for 6 1/2 years. He had been on a hunger strike since January and has lost 40 pounds. I’ve seen not one word in the corporate press today. His brother said the 39 year old man looked 80. The last reason the Pentagon gave for his detention was that he was training in photography for Al Jazeera. No charges have ever been filed. He stated that he had been interrogated well over 200 times when he had done nothing. I’d love to give his name but I’ve only heard it, not seen how it is spelled. Haj is about as close as I can get. Democracy Now! has a story about it on today’s broadcast. I highly recommend it. There’s an interview this gentleman gave from his hospital bed in Khartoum.

Motherfuckers.

And it is a fake dubbed video, according to the director who made “The Warroom.” See here…hmmmmm, and a stupid maneuver, given that the movie is available on DVD for anyone to watch. Sad, that people didn’t bother to check out the facts before spreading it, isn’t it?

Dear dear demi:

We had to dodge the storms (no problem) and get some groceries, and slip a couple of broccoli plants and sundry into the garden. JUST got back inside to jump in the toobz.

Woo Hoo for your son! Those extra prizes that rock the naysayers back on their heels. Well…. JUST YEE HAW!!! Don’t forget to massagemessagetrumpet, modestly of course (heh), about that wonderful prize when you have your meeting with the powers that think they know it all next week.

Seriously, *grits teeth* those administrators have a tough job also. So many new rules have them boxed in these days that they probably hardly know whether they’re coming or going, and may be suffering burnout themselves.
But, that aside, DANG!

The kids! It’s supposed to be about the kids and families and their future. How can they grow if they’re stomped on and hemmed in at every turn? I’m really proud of your son, and of you too, for standing up for him.

I strongly suspect things are awry largely because of all the idiotic extra paperwork required these days. If they would JUST let the teachers teach with the majority of their time and energy, instead of spending the countless hours filling out forms full of mindless ways to measure the fact that they are indeed teaching.

Most of those forms are just busywork and accomplish very little I betcha. Further, they can be counter productive. The finest Gifted Student teacher I ever knew just retired early – last year – in frustration over the rule-makers insisting, as she put it, “that [she] fit all her students into neat little boxes all just alike.” That cannot be done. It should not be attempted with any children, much less the truly gifted. There probably was a perfectly good reason why Bill Gates & Albert Einstein didn’t finish school. Today’s kids are hemmed in even tighter. And the results sometimes are heart-rending.

Keep close tabs Demi, in whatever way you deem best. Your special son has a special mom in his corner. How can he lose?! I see more prizes and success down the pike, plus some mighty happy times. ;->