Just A Beginning

Good for the gray wolf. Let's hope this is a start in reversing all of the destructive rules & policies promulgated by the Bu$hCo assministration.

Fall, My Favorite Season, Is Here, After All

So dig this.

McAsshole

Hopefully the dickhead won't recover from this anytime soon. America will have to wake up now, I hope.

John McCain just now delivered a statement to the press about the bailout collapse, and called for the finger-pointing to stop -- barely two hours after his campaign directly blamed Obama in unequivocal terms.

My emphasis.

Chris Mathews Is Correct

OK, sorry about the headline & the bubble water seeping into your keyboard, but it appears to be true. So kudos to Chris.

“McCain said he was going to lead the Republican charge, he was going to make sure that this was a bipartisan success. He called charge, and the Republican retreated. That’s what happened here.“

& the bastard McLiar claimed that he & he alone, engineered the passage of the bailout bill. What's that you say, what? The bailout bill failed? McLiar last seen mumbling into his hand - Where's Palin? I need some Moose.

Nothing like seeing a dead beaver to make my heart warm & make me slightly less tired. It's a long story, let's just say I fish for trout.

Arrogance

Go read this editorial from the L.A. Times.

No Justice

Again, we have a great failure of our system of justice. If a person, any person, had done even 10% of what Abu Al Gonzales did, they would have already been convicted & would now be in prison. The more we let criminals like Gonzales go free, the more the citizens will refuse to trust those who are supposed to fairly mete out justice. Another Bu$hco legacy gift to America. I just want to puke. & it's not because I did an exploratory visit to South Milwaukee.

Meanwhile...

...in Baghdad, more dead people.

Poverty

In 2000 the average number of households each month on food stamps was 52,785.

This translates to 17,194,000 individuals. That's from The Poverty Newsblog. Today McClatchy reports that:

In June[2008, ed.], the figure was 28.6 million, according to the government.

So, since that asshole compassionate conservative Bu$hCo illegally entered the Office of the Presidency, 11,406,000 more people became eligible for food stamps. Now there is another huge item for the spoiled brat's legacy. Of course, I'm sure he eats cedar stew down on his ranch.

I Get Letters Part 1

The founder of Pandora Radio, Tim Westergren, sent me this email:

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora;

Today we took a giant step forward when the House of Representatives supported Pandora and Internet radio and passed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008. Now we need your help so that the Senate will pass it also - and quickly!

After a yearlong negotiation, Pandora, SoundExchange and the RIAA are finally optimistic about reaching an agreement on royalties that would save Pandora and Internet radio. The legislation would give us the extra time we need to finalize the deal.

Please call your Senators Monday morning starting at 9:00 (Eastern) and ask them to support H.R. 7084*, (See below, ed.) the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008.

Senator Russell D. Feingold: (202) 224-5323

Senator Herb Kohl: (202) 224-5653

If the phone is busy, please try again until you get through. These calls really do make a difference.

Thanks so much for you ongoing support.

Tim

*The person who answers the phone in your Senator's office may ask for this bill number. H.R. 7084 is actually a House of Representatives bill number, not a Senate bill number. You can assure them that in this unusual case, the Senate is actually voting on the House bill number.

OK, my loyal four readers, make the call. If, as I assume, you're not all from Wisco, then go here to find your senator's phone number. I am, as usual, thanking you in advance. BTW, if you haven't tried Pandora yet, get to their website a start up. It is really a cool app.

Brett Favre

For all you anti-Favre dopes out there, Here are his stats for today, September 28, 2008 in a 56 - 35 win over the Arizona Cardinals:

Sore ankle and all, Broadway Brett joined Broadway Joe in the Jets' record book.

First For Favre

Brett Favre set a career high Sunday with his six touchdown passes.
Favre's most TDs in a game Game TDs Result
Sunday 6 W, 56-35*
Week 4 '98 5 W, 37-30
Week 4 '97 5 W, 38-32
Week 11 '95 5 W, 35-28
*Most points scored by Jets since 1985

Brett Favre set a career high and tied Joe Namath's Jets mark with six touchdown passes, including three to Laveranues Coles, and New York took advantage of a series of mistakes by Arizona in a big second quarter before holding on to beat the Cardinals 56-35 on Sunday.

"Throwing six touchdown passes was awesome," Favre said. "That had nothing to do with how I felt I played. It was one of those games. More importantly, I felt the overall game itself, I managed it well."

Favre, showing no signs of a left ankle injury that hobbled him during the week, finished 24-for-34 for 289 yards and an interception for the Jets (2-2).

"I asked him if he had tied a career high and he said, 'I've never thrown six," said Jerricho Cotchery, who had two TD catches. "That was like the end of the conversation because I'm scratching my head, like, 'Really? He's never thrown six touchdown passes before?' He played great today.

The stats are from ESPN.I would, once again, thanks Ted Thompson & the coach, Mike "I've Got To Fix It Every Week" McCarthy for being personally disloyal to Brett Favre & the Packer fans.

One Out Of Three Is, Well, 0.3333333333333333

I don't really follow the Brewers, since baseball is so boring, but they have won something. Good for them. I guess the umps were not cheating today. The Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3 - 1, while the New York Mets collapsed for the second year in a row by losing to the Florida Marlins.  Congratulations Brewers. 

The Wisco Badgers, however, tanked, after building a substantial lead. & Michigan really sucks this year. Rotten refs. Here are two quotes from Badger players, the first from Jonathan Casillas, a linebacker & the second from DeAndre Levy, another linebacker.

"I'm confused right now," Casillas said.

"I'm baffled," Levy said.

That about covers it. Final score: a non-confused, non-baffled 27-25.

& the Green Bay Packers, now they will miss Brett Favre if they haven't already. What many of us predicted, I know, we are DFH who predicted the debacle that is now Iraq & Afghanistan as well, Aaron Rogers is hurt. Favre is still starting football games, only in a green uniform & I don't mean organic. Four turnovers mean the refs cheated & the Packers lost, 30 - 21.

Oh Boy

First New Orleans, now another place I love, Nova Scotia, is about to be hit by a hurricane.

Proof Positive

I've been waiting for something like this for a long time. Now we can say with certainty that Bu$hCo is about 11 years old. That age fits into his general lack of understanding & his inability to learn from his many, many, many mistakes.

Foxes Exposed

Gee, no one could have figured out that voluntary supervision wouldn't work. All we've heard from Washington & elsewhere is that regulation is bad & deregulation is good. It seems that the American public voted in the ReThugs so they could experience The Great Depression for themselves. I suppose they wanted to see how the riff-raff live. Or, complete with a tin foil hat, I could speculate that this is all about subjugation. It would be, of course, immoral not to speculate.

“The last six months have made it abundantly clear that voluntary regulation does not work,” he said in a statement. The program “was fundamentally flawed from the beginning, because investment banks could opt in or out of supervision voluntarily. The fact that investment bank holding companies could withdraw from this voluntary supervision at their discretion diminished the perceived mandate” of the program, and “weakened its effectiveness,” he added.

No shit, Dick Tracy. Emphasis mine.

Paul Newman, R.I.P.

Too bad, I liked the guy. Obit here.

Please...

someone please make assholes like John LaBruzzo (R(What else?)-Louisiana) go far, far away. & make him walk barefoot & shirtless on his way to far, far away. People like LaBruzzo & his ideas in this day & age have me deeply despairing.

His idea — giving $1,000 to poor women to undergo reproductive sterilization by Fallopian tube ligation — is stirring up controversy among some medical professionals, who say that the proposal is offensive and smacks of long-discredited eugenics programs.

It doesn't smack of eugenics, it is eugenics you dipshit of a reporter. This idea & others that the dumbass LaBruzzo spews out are not controversial, they are not even ideas, they are hateful, stupid shit & to even indicate that they are only controversial makes his racism appear to be just one more "idea" to be debated in the public forum. No they are not just "ideas", goddamnit.

ReThugs & The Public Good

Here are the recent bailouts:

Note that each occurred at the end of a ReThug assministration. As Doghouse Riley says, I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this. I wonder what excuses these haters of the social structures that made us great are using these days.

Apologies to the cat & the cheese & any Cheesehead who is offended.

Torture

Excluding the testimony of torture by Americans, the most outrageous thing about this story is the caption under the photograph of Sen. Levin.

Committee Chairman Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) was the only senator to attend the hearing. (By Jay Mallin -- Bloomberg News)

My emphasis. IMHO, the bailout of the wealthy weasels on Wall Street is far less important than bringing the American torturers to justice.

ReThug Family Values?

Don't make me laugh.

Sen. Ted Stevens, his career and his freedom in jeopardy, did the honorable thing as he went on trial yesterday on corruption-related charges. He blamed his wife.

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

It doesn't appear that things are getting any better.

Seattle-based WaMu, which was founded in 1889, is the largest bank to fail by far in the country's history. Its $307 billion in assets eclipse the $40 billion of Continental Illinois National Bank, which failed in 1984, and the $32 billion of IndyMac, which the government seized in July.

My emphasis.

Way To Show Leadership, McCain

McLiar suspends his campaign so he can show the American people his leadership prowess. Talks implode. He shows the same brilliant leadershipqualities as Bu$hCo.

Dodd-O-Mania

Good for you, Sen. Dodd. More of this from all Dems, please.

Interviewed on CNN, Dodd also had harsh words for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who attended the meeting, saying, "What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours."

Dodd added, "To be distracted for two to three hours for political theater doesn't help."

McCain's Lie In My Bus Tour

Via Crooks & Liars we get this from the Wall Street Urinal.

Last week, Republican presidential candidate John McCain called for a commission to “find out what went wrong” on Wall Street. It was an excellent suggestion: Public inquiries into Wall Street practices served the country well in the 1930s.

And Mr. McCain has a special advantage to bring to any such investigation — many of the relevant witnesses are friends or colleagues of his. In fact, he can probably get to the bottom of the whole mess just by cross-examining the people riding on his campaign bus. So the candidate should take a deep breath, remind himself that the country comes first, pull the Straight Talk Express over at a rest stop, whistle up his media pals, and begin.

My emphasis.

I'm Half Polish

Easy there, my friends, I've heard every joke. The point I'm making which is central to something, is that by being half Polish, I am qualified to not only negotiate with Poland, but I think I should be the ambassador as well. Look at the video of Palin absolutely making an ass out of herself, that's an ass with lipstick, my friends. Via TPM. I guess I'd also be qualified to negotiate with Michigan since I live very close to the border. I wonder what I would negotiate with Michigan? I'll ponder. Nonetheless, this is who McLiar picked to be his second-in-command. Talk about Loony Tunes judgment. More here.

Mr. Letterman

If you haven't seen this, take the time to watch it now. It will funny you up on this cloudy day.

Desperate Times

For a desperate campaign, not to mention McLiar's fear of Sen. Obama wiping the floor with his expensive suit this Friday. Desperate may be an understatement. McLiar just doesn't have it.

McCain asks Barack to call off presidential debate.

(Desperate and Reckless: Ramp up Georgia Crisis for votes; Call off half the GOP convention; pick a demonstrably unqualified freshman governor to salvage his campaign; calls for firing head of the SEC; now ask to have presidential debates delayed or canceled so he can politicize the bailout debate ... )

Everything Is Connected

The Kid turned me on to the newsletter from Organic Consumers Association awhile back. In their most recent email, they have a story about Whole Foods Market, not the Whole Foods Coop in Duluth, MN, but the big stores around the country. Apparently, the United Farm Workers are attempting to organize the workers at Beef Northwest & Whole Foods Market is the biggest buyer of beef products from that corporation. Whole Foods Market continues to purchase meat without linking their money to the plight of the workers, something they ought to be doing, it's just common sense, you know. They are not supporting the workers, obviously, so we, my loyal four readers & I, need to let Whole Foods Market know that we are unhappy with them. So, dear readers, go here to sign the OCA's petition to be sent to Whole Foods Market.They have been & are a leader in protecting the standards of animal care, now it's time for them to help protect worker's care, as well.

Too Late

AIG is already bailed, But here's something good for a laugh, a bittersweet, melancholic, heavy hearted, doleful, lamentable, tragicomic, wistful, pitiful, yearning laugh. Block Party, indeed. Via RLK, northern Wisco.

I'm against the $85,000,000, 000.00 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000, 000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend. To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,0 00 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend. Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000, 000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000 .00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family? Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved. Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads. Put away money for college - it'll be there safe in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs. Buy a new car - create jobs. Invest in the market - capital drives growth. (ed. note: workers drive growth.) Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else.

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom? I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC . (ed. note: AIG, yes, but the government bashing, no.)

And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's good for a laugh

What could have been.

Don't Mess With Two Female Hearts, Fool

Tell us what you really think, please.

No Genius For You

Once again I've been overlooked for a MacArthur Foundation grant. Someday...to the moon, Alice.

Yeah, Right - Version #338909829098378947

Section 8. Review: Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

That is from the $700 bailout bill put together by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson over the weekend. Sounds exactly like Cheney or Bu$hCo, or any of a large cadre of Bu$hCo lackeys. Here's Paulson today, testifying before the Senate Banking Committee:

We gave you a simple, three-page legislative outline and I thought it would have been presumptuous for us on that outline to come up with an oversight mechanism. That’s the role of Congress, that’s something we’re going to work on together. So if any of you felt that I didn’t believe that we needed oversight: I believe we need oversight. We need oversight.

Via Think Progress. My emphasis.

Hunting Season Is Upon Us After All

New camo pattern to be released today. Some men won't use it because...

Getting soldiers, at least the male ones, to switch to digital camouflage wasn’t easy, Dr. O’Neill says, because for many men camouflage is less about invisibility than fashion. Some soldiers hung on to the old-fashioned designs because of what Dr. O’Neill called the C.D.I. factor: Chicks Dig It.

If male hunters feel that way about their old overalls, there may still be lots of shrubs and trees toting guns and bows during hunting season. These guys may or may not be right about women going for this look. But the deer probably appreciate it.

Men worried about fashion, who knew. More here. Of course, if you want to see some real camo, you will need to do some studying on the cuttlefish.

Rotten Refs

Or, reality bites.

COWBOYS 27, PACKERS 16

McCain Is A Liar Part 38,276,008,765,233

Well, you already knew that, because you, my readers are honest & smart. If you lose George Will, the most pompous of the pompous & a real twit, I believe you're in deep moose shit, my friend.

John McCain showed his personality this week and made some of us fearful. -- George Will

Hoo boy, I love me some more of that. Via Crooks & Liars.

I Expect My Loyal Four Readers To Do This Tomorrow Morning

That's tomorrow morning people. Call your Congressperson & urge them to vote no on this giveaway to the bastards who caused this crisis. You can go here to find the number of the person who represents the area where you live. It's toll free & won't take you very long. All the usual stupid rules are in effect, i.e., don't use any language that indicates you actually went to high school & broke up with some dumbshit boy or girl. If you know what I mean. Via Gen. J.C. Christian.

REMINDER

* * * * * * *

There is no longer the shadow of a doubt that the torture of prisoners was planned at the highest levels of the US government with the explicit knowledge and approval of the president. How do we know this? Bush himself admitted it.

Via Tristero.

Original post over at BooMan's.

* * * * ** *

Bastille Day?

WTF? Here's another example of how we are ruled by complete idiots. Via The Raw Story.

"Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July next year, Americans will be celebrating Bastille Day," Bunning said. "The free market for all intents and purposes is dead in America.

Bastille Day is Federal holiday celebrated in France.

It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

Last time I looked France is a republic. Now it is true that the French have had some great ideas about, say, the Iraq war, or wine or food they were against it, so matbe that's where Bunning gets his throw in the dirt.

Dumb Isn't The Half Of It

It's good to remember how proud McLiar is about this fact.

When you graduate 894th out of a class of 899, eventually it will show up.

Via the ailing NTodd. I'd like to know about the five that were even dumber than McLiar. & it would have been much worse if women were in the academy at the time.

J.B. Van Hollen, The New Dick Cheney

Apparently, Van Hollen is Wisco's new dictator since he's above the law. I guess the law is just for us citizens.

He also contends conflict-of-interest standards that apply to private attorneys don't govern the attorney general, who has a higher public responsibility.

I believe that responsibility is really to the ReThug Party, given that Van Hollen is co-chair of the McLiar campaign in Wisco. My emphasis.

Just Say No!

Bu$hCo's insane plan to bail out the wealthy should be voted down, & voted down hard. Why should we, the honest, hardworking, ethical Americans bail out a bunch of speculators & crooks. Remember the old song:

I've seen lots of funny men.
Some will rob you with a six-gun
And some with a fountain pen.

But as through this world you ramble
As through this world you roam
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home. *

*Pretty Boy Floyd, by Woody Guthrie.

J.B. Van Hollen, ReThug Go To Boy

Yep, Van Hollen's lawsuit, meant to deprive voters from voting, was hatched via instructions to Van Hollen from the ReThug Party in Wisco. Van Hollen continues to exhibit the ethics of a criminal.

Good Cat

Via Dependable Renegade.

This Is Correct, Where Are All The Guvmint Haters Now?

Obviously not members of any volunteer fire department.

Oh My God

Palin on McCain's economic fundamentals:

In an interview with Fox News Channel, Palin said: "It was an unfair attack on the verbiage that Sen. McCain chose to use because the fundamentals, as he was having to explain afterwards, he means our work force, he means the ingenuity of the American people. And of course, that is strong and that is the foundation of our economy."

I don't think she knows the meaning of the word.  Oh, & who the fuck uses words like verbiage anymore?  No wonder she had to go to five colleges in six years.

AIG

Why rescue banks but not me? Great question for all those socialists over in the Treasury Dept. I wonder what this guy does in his castle on that thunderstruck mountain?

If anybody knows how much worse the meltdown of 2008 is likely to get, it's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. But he's not telling.

Paulson held a press conference in the midst of momentous developments involving Lehman Brothers, AIG, and Merrill Lynch to say everything would be OK. In a few years. If the market cooperates. And the government doesn't run out of money. And politicians don't make things worse. And oh, by the way, don't blame me.

In fact, if you read Paulson's words closely, he wasn't that reassuring at all. Here's what Paulson said, along with some guesses about what he might have said if the global financial markets weren't scrutinizing every syllable:

I let you go read the rest, it's well worth it.  My emphasis.

Big Dive

Looking just fundamentally fine.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged almost 450 points today, to nearly a three-year low, as the government's bailout of American International Group Inc. did little to soothe investors' increasingly frayed nerves about the global credit crisis.

The credit markets showed more signs of freezing up as banks hoarded cash reserves. Many shellshocked investors bought gold and Treasury bills for fear of owning anything with even the slightest hint of risk.

&, as usual, McLame just doesn't get it.

But McCain was operating from a defensive posture, after his expression of confidence in the economy at a rally Monday in Jacksonville, Fla., on the same day the stock market slid more than 500 points.

"There's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets on Wall Street. And there is -- people are frightened by these events," McCain said Monday. "Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong. But these are very, very difficult times."

My emphasis.

No Wonder The ReThugs Always Win

The Democratic Party's leadership thinks it is the ReThug Party's leadership.

Bullpen Blues

Brewers suck.

Great Way To Start The Morning

24,000 jobs cut by management, expect big bonus for the CEO.

The computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard announced on Monday that it would eliminate 24,600 jobs, or 7.5 percent of its work force, as part of its plan for digesting the computer services giant Electronic Data Systems, which it acquired for $13.9 billion in August.

....

Almost half of the job cuts will occur in the United States. The company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., said it expected the reorganization to result in annual cost reductions of nearly $1.8 billion. It said it would record a $1.7 billion charge in the fourth quarter tied to the layoffs.

Richard Wright, R.I.P.

No brick in the wall, but a founding member. Obit here.

OH Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy

Looks like Bu$hCo is adding to his legacy at everyone's expense, except his.

Growing expectations that Lehman will become Wall Street's most high profile bankruptcy since junk bond specialist Drexel Burnham Lambert collapsed in 1990 sparked a sell-off in U.S. asset prices.

S&P500 share futures fell 30.90 points to 1227.60, and the dollar tumbled in early Asia-Pacific trading on Monday.

The euro jumped to 1.4311 to the dollar by 7:58 p.m. EDT from 1.4225 in late U.S. trade on Friday.

"It appears that Lehman will file for bankruptcy and the risk of an immediate tsunami is related to the unwind of derivative and swap-related positions worldwide in the dealer, hedge fund, and buying universe," said Bill Gross, chief investment officer at Pacific Investment Management Co (Pimco).

I'll bet they're calling the socialists at Treasury to bail them out again.

Packers 48, Lions 25

The refs didn't cheat this time.

Yes She Did

Palin tried to ban a specific book. Creepier & creepier.

"Sarah said she didn't need to read that stuff," Ms. Chase said. "It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn't even read it."

ReThugs don't have to read books or view a movie, they have super-powers, you know.

More Please

I'm thanking you in advance.

Another Lie

Seems like McSame's running mate just can't tell truth.

"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change. I have not said that," Palin told ABC News in an interview broadcast Thursday and Friday.

However, in the past Palin has said she does not believe global warming is caused by human activity. She has told the Internet news site Newsmax, "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. ... I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made."

In an interview with a Fairbanks newspaper within the last year, Palin said: "I'm not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity." ABC cited the interview as being at odds with her statement.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has said humans have caused climate change.

J.B. Van Hollen's Attempt To Hijack The Campaign 2008

Since the McSame/Palin/Bu$hCo campaign can't complete in the marketplace of ideas, (ever hear of a ReThug with a good idea?} they sink even lower in their personal outhouse hole (small town values). Our own ReThug, J.B. Van Hollen has filed a vote suppression lawsuit against Wisco's Government Accountability Board, except it's Van Hollen who is attempting to suppress the vote by filing this lawsuit. Otherwise, how can McSame win? This has been the ReThugs main political tactic since the stolen 2000 presidential election.

Van Hollen, a Republican who is co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign in Wisconsin, filed suit against the state's Government Accountability Board Wednesday. That followed days of complaining by the Republican Party of Wisconsin over a decision by the Government Accountability Board against retroactively cross-checking voter registration as far back as January 1, 2006 against Department of Transportation records.

"McCain talks about 'Country First.' Van Hollen practices 'Party First,'" Ross said. "Van Hollen should recuse himself from lawsuits regarding this election. He has a clear conflict of interest."

All You Need To Know

About McSame's VP choice, Gov. Palin. Awful, just awful.

Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska Legislature to pass a bill -- signed into law by Knowles -- that banned the practice statewide.

"There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla," Knowles said

A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla's newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.

"(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests," the newspaper reported.

It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.

"In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victims' insurance company when possible," Fannon told the newspaper. "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer."

Those damn rape victims, trying to rip off the taxpayers. This is exactly what's wrong with the ReThug view of the world. Anything, anything to not raise taxes. Up here in northern Wisco, the county board deep-sixed a home health program. This program served senior citizens who really needed help. The president of the board at that time, a local publisher, praised himself by declaring that taxes where never raised. Well, a few taxpayers were raised, raised to the promised land.

My Friend Al

Al Franken won the Democratic nomination for Senator in yesterday's election. Good for him. Maybe I will be able to ride his coattails to -- somewhere.

Donate to my friend Al here.

Will Alan Ralph Please Go Home Now?

We can only hope.

RESULTS as of Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008 at 06:54 am CDT
Election Home
Assembly Dist. 74 (Dem) REPORTING 100%
Gary Sherman (inc)

4,075
75%

Alan Ralph

1,324
25%

Good

It couldn't happen to a more worthless son-of-a-bitch.

Bruce Daigrepont's Parents Killed In Auto Accident

Story here.

Packers 24, Vikings 19

I texted three young friends to gloat & talk some smack. I was somewhat restrained this year & y'all know why. Still, the Packers' win tonight was a good thing.

Palin

Sorry, people, no American flag bikini & wonderful gun this time. It's about her, hmm, knowledge of the housing crisis.

McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speaking in Colorado Springs, Colo., said Fannie and Freddie had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." The companies, however, aren't taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization.

My emphasis.

Just So Y'all Know

Favre Wins in Debut for Jets

I hope Ted Thompson sleeps well tonight. Maybe he should hire that shithead Ari Fleischer to help him out again.

When he wasn't helping Dick Cheney out CIA agents, Comical Ari's specialty was spinning lies to the media. The Packers really think he's equipped to help them clean up the mess they've made? Does Fleischer plan to accuse Favre of hiding WMD's in his locker? Unlike White House reporters, local sports reporters tend to know the difference between truth and lies. For the Packers, the nightmare has only begun.

My emphasis.

Socialism

If it's good enough for F-Twins, it's good enough for me & the rest of my country.

The Treasury Department seized control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant quasi-public mortgage finance companies, on Sunday and announced a four-part rescue plan that included an open-ended guarantee to provide as much capital as they need to stave off insolvency.

I suppose a cynic would claim that Bu$hCo is protecting the investors at the expense of the people paying the mortgages.

Onward To J.B. Van Hollen's Wet Dream

A ReThuglican police state, even if the "officers" are not the police or even saw the felony occur. I sure hope this "informal" opinion gets shredded soon.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Private security guards can hold people for felonies they didn't see happen.

That's according to a new informal legal opinion from Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.

Oh, & here's another recent gem, from Wisco's great embarrassment.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said jail workers don't have to honor prisoners' do-not-resuscitate orders.

Still A Spoiled Brat

The asshole Bu$hCo still refuses to accept any responsibility. for the war in Iraq. Yeah, that's the ticket, I'll just say someone else did it. From Bob Woodward's new book, The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008, which is to be released next week:

According to Woodward, the president maintained an odd detachment from the reviews of war policy during this period, turning much of the process over to Hadley. "Let's cut to the chase," Bush told Woodward, "Hadley drove a lot of this."

& for another laugh, here's something else the moron said:

The president also conceded: "This war has created a lot of really harsh emotion, out of which comes a lot of harsh rhetoric. One of my failures has been to change the tone in Washington."

As if.

Who Knew?

It's still boggling my head. Better that being crowned rutabaga queen of Wisco or something like that. Unbelieveably, there is an actual crowning of a Rutabaga Queen every year. Watch out Cumberland, Wisco.

Hot Guys, Hey, You Know What I Mean

Emma, The Em-Chantress, Rutabaga Queen of 2007

For more of Emma, go here.

I See The Strategy Now

Let's make a whole lot of people unemployed, that way they won't have moneyh to be able to watch television or listen to the radio or surf that newfangled, dadgumbed Internets tube thing. See, that way they won't know how many people are out of work & we can drive by their houses in brand new, shiny cars & they'll think everything is great, except if they lose thier homes, I wonder, oh, yes, of course, under the bridge that crosses the river over there, somewhere.

Finally, Some Truth From Peggy Noonan

& it ain't one of a thousand points of light. In fact, it's bullshit. Go read the whole transcript of a conversation of ReThugs who thought the mike was turned off. For the good of the country, it wasn't.

CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --

CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.

My emphasis. & here's some more narrative:

No Sex For You

If you're brown, black, red, yellow, or Democratic. If you are a candidate for the Vice President, it's OK for your 17-year old daughter. I guess it's the Vice part. Oh, & quite the vetting job McLame. So, as usual, it's IOKIYAR. It's not that I am against sex, I'm against hypocrisy. & listen to this, out of the mouth of a candidate for the Vice Presidency:

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows that she has our unconditional love and support.”

I mean, Jesus Christ on a potato roll. So much for that pillar of right-wing wingnuttery - personal responsibility. Yeah, yeah, she's going to marry the father, so at least it wasn't a one night stand, although we all know the unfortunate statistics when it comes to a marriage brought on by pregnancy.

According to "Teenage Couples: Caring, Change, and Commitment", by Jeanne Warren Lindsay:

More than 60% of teenage marriages fail within 5 years.

Eleanor H. Ayer's writes in her book, Teen Marriage, that:

"A girl married at 17 is twice as likely to be divorced as a girl 18 or 19. If a girl waits until she is 25 the chances that her marriage will last are 4 times better. Saying No to your partner as a teenager does not mean saying No forever. Why start out with the odds against you?"

Here's a real educated member of Palin's church, Wasilla Bible Church, speaking his entire mind.

Nate Bair, a member of the church, said he is proud to live where Palin grew up. ``Obama is a socialist'' he said.

Speaking of candidate Palin's church, here's the first paragraph of a sermon given on August 17, 2008:

Pastor Larry: The Lord put David Brickner on our calendar almost three years ago, put it in ink, said “David Brickner, August 17th, 2008, Wasilla Bible Church. He’s an international speaker—his schedule ends up being two to three years out. He’s a leader of Jews for Jesus, a ministry that is out on the leading edge in a pressing, demanding area of witnessing and evangelism. Our connection with them probably goes back to the 1970s when I first heard a music group from Jews for Jesus called “The Liberated Wailing Wall” in Seattle, Washington. And they had an impact on my life. They’re one of the reasons I’m a pastor now.

Oh boy, how mavericky is that? Liberating the Wailing Wall? Unfuckingbelieveable. Who the hell vetted this person? On the other hand, she's probably exactly what the ReThugs want in a #2, look at the asshole Dick "Dick" Cheney as an example. My emphasis.

Now, I Would Have Never Thought Of The Connection

-- Sarah Palin is Spiro Agnew --

But the comparisons between Palin and Agnew do not end there. Just as a corruption scandal from Agnew's time as Maryland Governor plagued him throughout his Vice Presidential tenure -- in the end forcing him to resign -- so too does Palin have a corruption problem brewing in the background. What's more, her corruption and abuse of power problem is one easily understood by voters: She allegedly attempted to have fired a state trooper in a custody battle with her sister.

More on Spiro here.

Mr. Roger's, Underground For Five Years, Is Finally Dead

Yes, I watched the show with The Kid. Sometimes I watched it all by myself. Mr. Rogers ranks right up there with golf (when Tiger is not in contention) & baseball in putting me to sleep. There are those heroic, principled parents who are continuing the calm & extremely nice battle to keep him on the air. I'd join them, but I am engaged in the battle to make sure a mean & lying man from becoming the next president, yes, my friends, John McCain must be sent back to the Senate. While Mr. Rogers is infinitely a better human than McCain, Mr. Rogers will need to stay in his cardigan & tennis shoes for awhile yet. Maybe in December 2008?

No Manure, Dick Tracy

Rutgers University explains how lousy it is.

- About 530,000 were subject to mass layoffs in the last year, growth of nearly 5 percent, but a lower rate than five and 10 years ago.

- The median weekly earnings for American workers have not grown in real terms over the last eight years.

- At $6.55, the federal minimum wage is worth 40 cents less per hour, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than it was a decade ago.

- While employer-assisted childcare and employee wellness programs have grown quickly over the last decade, they still cover less than one quarter of American workers.

- Roughly 4 percent of the workforce wants to work full-time, but is working part time because they can't find full-time work.

My emphasis.